Chapter Three

Mulder stayed late that night as he and Scully were talking. They both nodded off on the couch after a while, and Dana had fallen asleep, resting her head on his broad shoulder. She was sleeping like an angel. Mulder woke up, seeing that Scully was snuggling up to him on the couch. How he longed to kiss her awake, but he waited quietly, not moving a muscle as he watched her sleeping.

Scully's slumber was abruptly interrupted when she heard a little voice crying out loudly as if in fear. She was startled when she sat up, removing her head from Mulder's shoulder. "It's Emily," Scully said with concern. "Something's wrong."

Mulder stood up quickly, rushing into the little girl's bedroom and Emily's side. Very gently he lifted the small child into his arms, holding her as he whispered words of comfort. As she whimpered, he realized she had been reliving the murders of her adopted parents in her dreams.

"It's okay, Emily. It was just a nightmare," Mulder said gently. "You're safe."

He caressed Emily's strawberry-blonde hair. It was so soft, just as Scully's had been against his shoulder.

Scully joined him in the hallway where he was holding Emily and bringing her to her mother. "What's wrong, sweetie? Did you have a bad dream?" Scully asked when she saw Mulder comforting her precious daughter.

"Mommy..." whimpered Emily as Mulder carefully handed the child over to Scully.

As she held Emily, Scully tenderly wiped the little girl's tears away from her rosy cheeks. "You're safe, Emily. You're with me and Mulder... and we're going to protect you."

Emily looked tearfully at Scully and Mulder. "You won't die, like my other mommy and daddy?"

Scully carried Emily to the couch where she held her close, Mulder by her side. "Someday we'll all die, Emily, but I don't intend for it to happen for a VERY long time," Scully reassured the child.

"I'd never let anything happen to your mommy, Emily," Mulder promised. "I am going to protect her with my life."

Emily hugged Scully, then she reached over and hugged Mulder tightly, too. "I don't want you to go away," she said to Mulder. "Please, will you stay?"

"Honey, Mulder doesn't live here with us. He has his own apartment, but it isn't that far away," Scully tried to explain.

"I can stay here tonight. I'll sleep on the couch," Mulder offered.

Emily seemed relieved that he was staying. She allowed Scully to put her back into bed. After she was sound asleep, Scully grabbed a throw off the back of the couch and carefully covered up Mulder whom had fallen sound asleep on her couch. It had been a long night and they were both exhausted.

"Thank you," she whispered softly as she gazed at his handsome face. She stood there awhile, her heart pounding erratically in her chest. Then quietly, she headed off toward her bedroom.