May 2020
Scully woke up, her eyes still closed, as she stretched, her hands under her pillow and her bare legs sliding across the cool sheets. Not bumping into Mulder's warm body, she opened her eyes, blinking in the morning light.
Turning her head, she saw that he was definitely not in the bed. Sitting up, she stretched again and yawned, as she glanced at the baby monitor. Seeing that Faith was not in her crib, she pushed the blankets back with a curious frown.
Standing up, she opened the door and was greeted to the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Moaning slightly, her mouth watering, she heard Mulder's voice coming from downstairs as he spoke to Faith, and she smiled.
Stepping quietly down the stairs, she stealthily walked into the living room and hid behind the small wall by the kitchen, her smile growing at the sight that greeted her.
Mulder had pulled a dining room chair to the counter, the back resting against it, as Faith stood upon it, secured in place by the baby wrap. They were mixing a bowl of something together and Bella was laying on the floor beside the chair.
"Yeah, that's good, honey. Just a few more stirs and it should be good enough. Then we will, or I will, pour the batter on the skillet and make the pancakes for Mama. Won't she be so surprised?" he asked, as he kissed the top of Faith's head.
"Mama," Faith said, suddenly lifting the whisk from the bowl.
"Whoa. Careful, love. We don't want a huge mess everywhere," he chuckled, catching and tapping the whisk against the side of the bowl, before placing it in the sink.
"Okay!" he said, moving the bowl and the chair closer to the stove, keeping Faith on the opposite side of it.
Watching them as he added some butter to the warm skillet and then used a measuring cup to add the batter, she was struck again, as she was almost every day, by how wonderful he was as a father. He was patient and loving, explaining things to Faith in an easy to understand manner, while also being factual and precise.
Knowing they were working on making her a surprise breakfast, Scully turned around, slipping upstairs and back into bed. She smiled as she laid down and closed her eyes, picturing them downstairs together as they prepared a surprise breakfast.
Her eyes flew open and she reached for her phone. Looking at the calendar, she saw it was Mother's Day. Letting out a deep sigh, she shook her head with a smile. Since the quarantine, aside from Easter, it was hard to remember the dates as the days seemed to blend together.
Of course Mulder would remember, and she loved him for it.
For a brief moment, she felt that familiar heaviness in her heart as she thought of William, and so many missed mornings like this one. She closed her eyes briefly as she took a deep breath, knowing she could not dwell on the past, but look forward to the future, and be in the present.
Taking another calming breath, she prayed for his safety, wherever he was in this big world, and hoped he knew she was thinking of him.
Setting her phone down, she sighed as she closed her eyes, stretching in the bed and waiting to be woken up.
It was not long before she heard them coming up the stairs. Faith insisting on doing it herself, as she was wont to do these days. She could hear Mulder encouraging her quietly and when they got to the top, she heard her little feet walking toward the bedroom.
"Mama?" she said and patted the door. "Mama in." She heard Mulder chuckle and the doorknob turned as she took deep breaths to pretend like she was asleep.
"Mama. Mama up," Faith said, pulling at the blankets. "Up."
"You're a horrible faker," Mulder murmured, kissing her cheek and causing her to laugh quietly. "Up my love, here we go." He set Faith on the bed and she touched Scully's face gently.
"Mama?" she said softly and Scully opened her eyes. Faith smiled and put her forehead against hers as Scully sighed in happiness.
Pushing the covers back, she brought Faith into her arms and held her, kissing her hair and speaking to her softly. She heard Mulder puttering around the room but did not pay him much attention. Faith had a limit of how long she would be forced to stay still and Scully was going to enjoy every second.
"Are you two cuddly gals ready to get up?" he teased and Scully laughed, giving Faith one final squeeze.
"Yes, dear," she teased back and he chuckled softly.
She pushed the covers back again and sat up, bringing Faith with her. Looking up, she saw Mulder had her robe over his arm and a pair of socks in his hand. With a wink, he bent down and put her socks on for her. She stood up and he took Faith from her, handing her her robe. Sliding it on, she tied the belt, then pulled her hair up into a messy bun.
"Okay, let's go!" Mulder said excitedly and she laughed as he walked out of the room.
"Me. Me do," Faith insisted, squirming in his arms.
"Ah yes, of course." He set her down as he stepped down a step, ready to help guide her down.
"We really need to put those gates up. Tomorrow would be good," Scully said, as she followed behind.
"I'll check my schedule and see if I'm available," he replied, glancing up at her with a smirk and she laughed.
Once they were downstairs, she saw the table had been set and there was a covered plate in the middle. Scooping Faith up, Mulder growled into her neck and made loud kissing sounds as she laughed. He placed her in her chair and buckled her in, kissing the top of her head.
Scully pet Bella, telling her good morning, before she walked toward the fridge to take out some fruit for Faith. Mulder, however, was not having it and stopped her, steering her toward her chair.
"Sit down. I got this." He pulled the chair out and she sat down, looking at Faith with a smile.
"Did you and daddy make breakfast?" she asked, stroking her hair and her soft little cheek.
"I knew you were spying on us," he said teasingly, as he set down a bowl of strawberries.
"Spying implies I was being sneaky. I simply wanted to see what was going on when I didn't find either of you upstairs," she explained. "And when I figured out your plan, who was I to ruin it?" She smiled at him and he nodded with a grin.
"Forgiven. And thank you." He kissed her cheek before he sat down and lifted the lid on the covered plate, revealing a stack of golden pancakes. "Happy Mother's Day."
"Thank you, love," she said with a smile, as he prepared Faith's plate for her, and she placed a pancake on her own plate.
He cut up the pancake and added some cut up strawberries and half of a banana. Placing the plate in front of her, she picked up a piece of banana and shoved it into her mouth with a wiggle as she chewed it up.
"Do you think she'll outgrow that?" Mulder asked with a grin. "Or do you suppose one day she'll be on a date, wiggling with happiness over spaghetti and meatballs?"
"I think her date would find it charming, so I hope not, but I know she will," Scully said with a laugh.
"How about we give her some syrup today? Let her taste that sugary goodness."
"Okay, but just a little," she agreed. "She might not like it. Let her try it first."
He nodded and poured a little spot onto Faith's plate. Taking her little finger, he dipped it into the syrup and then put her finger in her mouth. She bit at it and then took it out of her mouth and looked at it. Looking down at the syrup, she touched it a few times and put her finger in her mouth, the syrup stringing from the plate.
As she did it again, she looked at them and grinned, the syrup stickily traveling from her plate to her mouth as her little body wiggled happily. They both laughed and Mulder poured a small amount on her pancakes, which she ate with gusto, every bit of her seeming to become sticky.
"Well, she definitely likes it," he said with a laugh, attempting to wash her hands and face when they were finished with their meal.
"Mulder, it's in her hair, not to mention on her clothes. She needs a bath or she will be a horribly sticky mess all day," she stated as she laughed and shook her head.
"Might be a good idea. I'll take her up and wash her. Don't touch the dishes, I'll do them when I'm done." He lifted Faith from her chair and gave Scully a stern look as he carried her out of the room and up the stairs.
Smiling, she rose from the table and poured another cup of coffee. Adding a splash of cream, she stepped across the room, whistling for Bella to come along. Her collar jingled as she joined her on the porch, both of them sitting down on the top step.
"You're a good girl, Bella," she said quietly, rubbing her ears as Bella laid down and put her head on her leg. "That feel good, girl?"
She scratched her head and ran her hand down her back, looking over at the trees Mulder had delivered last year in memory of both of their mothers. The flowers were blooming and smelled wonderful. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and breathed in the fragrance.
Bella whined out a sigh and Scully smiled as she opened her eyes and took a sip of her coffee, resting her head against the side of the porch. She sat on the steps, enjoying the peace of the morning, until she heard the screen door creak open.
Bella raised her head and stood up, giving her body a shake, her tail wagging as she walked toward the door.
"Bell. Oh, Bell," Faith said and Scully turned around to see her standing there as Bella licked her face. Wrapping her arms around her neck, Faith laughed as she hugged her, Bella calming immediately and sitting down.
Scully stood up and placed her coffee cup on the railing. Watching the way Faith and Bella interacted, always left her shaking her head in wonderment. The relationship between them was unlike any she had ever seen and she loved it.
"Hey, love. Did you have a nice bath? You're not sticky anymore?" She knelt down beside her as Mulder leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed, holding the screen door open.
"Mama," Faith said, turning around as she let go of Bella and stepped toward Scully.
"What do you have on?" Scully laughed and leaned back to look at the shirt she was wearing with a pair of black leggings. Shaking her head again, she looked up at Mulder, who smiled with a wink.
The shirt was sky blue and had a black microscope, a round test tube with orange liquid filled halfway and bubbles coming from the top, a magnifying glass showing a mouse wearing glasses, a test tube full of neon green liquid also bubbling out of the top, and an eye dropper with a black dot below it.
"Mulder… this is so cute… wait, oh my god." She laughed as she looked at it closer and glanced up at him.
"You get it then?"
"Science is cool," she chuckled, the pictures on the shirt spelling out cool with scientific objects. "It's fantastic. You look beautiful Faith Mulder. And it's not just a clever and cute saying… science is cool." She pulled her close and hugged her, kissing her head, and breathing in her freshly washed scent.
"You good here?" Mulder asked as she released Faith and looked up at him. "I'll go clean up the kitchen. Hand me your coffee cup. Do you want a refill or are you finished?"
"I'm good," she said, handing him the cup. "You go clean up the mess you made and we'll take it easy out here." He laughed and nodded, stepping inside the house, leaving them alone on the porch.
Scully picked up Faith, taking her to the porch swing, moving it slowly as they sat together and she recited stories and songs to Faith. She was getting really good with the Itsy Bitsy Spider hand movements, hitting her hands together to demonstrate the spider crawling up the spout.
Lost in thought, her foot running gently across Bella's back, and singing the song for at least the twentieth time, the screen door creaked open and they all looked up.
"Kitchen is clean, syrup has been destickified, and everything is as it should be," he informed her as he stepped closer to them. "I think it's time we get ready for the day, so how about we head inside?"
"Oh, did you have plans beyond breakfast?"
"Pssh… yeah. Come on, woman. It's me." He shook his head at her and she laughed.
"Okay, let's get ready," she said, standing up and setting Faith on the porch, Bella walking beside her as they went inside the house.
An hour later, they set off down the driveway. Scully carried a backpack full of picnic items and a crossbody tote that unzipped and unfolded to become a blanket, as she held onto Bella's leash.
Mulder carried Faith in a hiking backpack baby carrier. It was something they had purchased when they knew they would be stuck inside, with only walks to break up the monotony of the day. Under the space where Faith sat, it had a storage area, and side pockets for water bottles.
They turned left out of the driveway and walked down the dirt road, heading for the hill they had been to many times. Faith babbled away inside of the carrier, wearing her Stonehenge Rocks hat, and a healthy amount of sunscreen to protect her delicate baby skin. The day was slightly overcast and cool, but the sun could still be harsh.
Mulder reached for Scully's hand and they smiled at one another, the gravel road crunching beneath their feet. She took a deep breath and looked around, the spring day perfect for a picnic.
"Mama," Faith said and Scully looked up, smiling at her, letting go of Mulder's hand reaching up to rub Faith's little one.
"My sweet girl. You ready to go see Jaf?" Faith pulled her hand back and clapped them as she kicked her feet excitedly. "I'll take that as a yes." She laughed and reached for Mulder's hand again, as he also laughed.
Down the road, one of their neighbors was a woodworker. They had not known much about the people they lived by, but in the last few months, that had changed. Keeping their distance of course, they had stopped on a walk, and spoken to the one closest to them.
His name was Denis Turner and he was retired, but only just recently. His yard was full of things he had made and every one was more beautiful than the last. His mailbox was shaped like his actual house, even down to the little man and woman on the porch waving hello, representing him and his wife, Violet.
There were hand crafted rocking chairs on the wide porch and brightly colored bird feeders hanging from above it. The yard held various little wooden animals throughout: rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, hedgehogs, and even a fox.
In the last few months, he had begun adding larger animals and the best one by far, was a life sized giraffe.
The first time Faith saw it, she had simply stared up at it. She would not touch it, but she was entranced, even crying when they started to walk away. When they had arrived at home, they took out one of her books and showed her pictures of giraffes, which she stared at for a long time. She had insisted on sleeping with the book and called the giraffe a "jaf."
The next time they went for a walk, she had touched it, calling it Jaf, and the name had stuck. Denis had laughed and nodded, although he had said Violet had named her Geraldine, because she "has such a friendly face, she just looks like a Geraldine."
Now, she was the highlight of the walks when they ventured out that way. Denis was usually out in the large garage, his workshop, and he would wave and say hello as they stood looking up at Jaf, coming over to talk if he was not too busy.
If Violet knew they were there, she would come out and say hello as well. She even left them little treats in their large house shaped mailbox: a small bone for Bella, a squishy book for Faith, and homemade cookies for all of them, promising that great care had gone into baking them.
Today as they stopped to see Jaf, the garage was closed, and it seemed no one was home. As Faith petted her and said hello, Scully opened the mailbox, and saw a note.
Everything wiped and cleaned, with a smiley face beside it. Moving the note,
her eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Oh, Mulder. Look at this." She picked up a small wooden replica of Jaf and shook her head. Turning toward him, she wiped her eyes as she handed it to him.
"Oh, wow," he said as he held it and she looked inside the mailbox again. There was a pale blue envelope with her name on it and she smiled.
Taking it out, she opened the tucked in envelope and took out the card. It was a beautiful Mother's Day card signed by both of them, with a note added on a piece of floral stationery. Reading it silently, she shook her head, wiping at her eyes again, as she took a deep breath.
Dana, Fox, Faith and Bella,
Sorry we could not be there today, we are going to visit my mother. As well as we can anyway, as we will be keeping a safe distance.
We know how much Faith loves Jaf/Geraldine and how she looks forward to seeing her. Denis wanted her to have her own smaller version to take home with her. We have decided to call her Jafadine, merging the two names together, but we know she will also be Jaf- for the time being anyway.
We have enjoyed getting to know you all these past couple of months. When it is safe to do so, we would like to have you all over for dinner.
Until then, please enjoy the little gifts.
Happy Mother's Day.
Violet and Denis Turner
Looking inside the mailbox, she saw there was one last item, wrapped in plain brown paper. Lifting it from the mailbox, she put the card back inside in order to unwrap the package. As the paper fell away, she gasped and let out a shaky breath.
It was a framed cross stitch of a mother holding her child in her arms as she read her a book. The baby held onto the book and the mother's lips rested against her child's head. It was all done in a light bluish gray, creating a faceless silhouette, which was truly beautiful in its simplicity.
"Wow," Mulder said softly beside her and she shook her head. "That's… wow. That's amazing." Scully ran her fingers across the glass and drew in a breath.
"This is beautiful. The work she put into it is wonderful. We will need to thank them. Mulder…" He put his arm around her and she put her head on his shoulder as she continued to look at the cross stitch, smiling softly as she did.
"We should leave these here for now and pick it up on the way back. Maybe they will be home and we can thank them properly."
"And we won't have to carry it unnecessarily. Good plan. I also don't want to give this to Faith just yet," he said, gesturing to the giraffe in his hands. "I'm worried she might throw it down and break it and that would be awful."
"Good idea. Okay, we'll leave it and pick it up as we pass by again." She looked at Faith and saw that she was still staring at Jaf, paying no attention to them. "Faithy, say bye-bye to Jaf. Bye, Jaf." She set the frame, giraffe, and paper inside the mailbox as they walked away, waving goodbye to the large happy giraffe.
They continued walking to the hill overlooking the area, both of them silent as Faith said Jaf over and over, waving as she strained to look behind her. Mulder took Scully's hand and squeezed, saying nothing, but not needing to as she knew what he was thinking.
As they arrived at the top of the hill, she took off the backpack and lifted the tote across her body. Unzipping it, she laid it under the largest tree on the hill, desiring the most shade. The backpack was set on top to keep it from blowing away as Mulder took off his backpack and stood it up, unbuckling Faith and lifting her from inside.
For the next couple of hours, they threw the ball for Bella, blew bubbles for Faith, watched butterflies that were flying by, and ate their packed lunch. After they ate, Faith began to yawn and crawled into Mulder's lap. He laid back and soon she had fallen asleep on his chest, his eyes closed as his hands rubbed her back gently.
Bella came over and laid down on his right side with a heavy sigh. Scully smiled as she watched them, the wind blowing softly, as she sat down and placed her hand over Mulder's on Faith's back. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. Nodding toward his left shoulder, he moved his hand off of Faith's back and laid it on the blanket; a silent invitation to join them.
She laid down and put her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapping around her as he kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes and sighed, her hand on Faith's back.
"It's wild to think we went out to breakfast last year. Then to the farmer's market, the park… even had the trees delivered. What a different world we live in," he said with a sigh.
"Now. We live in a different world now," she said quietly. "It won't stay this way forever. Yes, things will inevitably change, but it will be for the best to keep people safe." She shook her head as she thought of walking through the farmer's market today the same way they had last year. It seemed like a different time.
"I know it's just for now, Scully, but it makes me hesitant to go out, especially with a little one. We've been good here all this time, I don't have a problem venturing out slowly. Who knew knowing how to live like a hermit would one day come in handy?" They both laughed softly and he kissed her head again. She took a deep breath, turning a little and nuzzling closer to him.
"Slowly is good. Better to be cautious than presumptuous."
"Couldn't agree more."
They stayed on the hill until Faith woke up from her nap a couple of hours later. They gave her a little snack and then packed up to head back home. Stopping at the Turner's, who were still not home, they said hello to Jaf once more, picked up their gifts, and continued to the house.
Leaving the backpacks on the porch, they walked over to the magnolia trees, Mulder carrying a large metal watering can. Faith helped water them, reaching up to try and touch the flowers on the branches. Pulling one off, Scully handed it to her, bringing it to her nose and telling her to smell, showing her by example.
When Faith tried to do it, she blew out through her lips, sounding like a horse. They both laughed as they watched her, and Scully took out her phone to record her doing it, laughing silently behind the video.
When they were finished watering the trees, they told her again about her grandma's, and how they would have loved her so very much. Each tree was touched lovingly before they walked toward the house, Faith carrying the flower she had been given.
Once inside, they took her upstairs for another bath, needing to wash the day away. She splashed in the water, looking up at them with a happy grin, as Scully blew bubbles at her into the tub. She giggled hysterically when they landed on her wet skin and did not pop immediately.
Taking her out of the tub, they danced around and sang to her as they dried her off and put her in pajamas, bringing her downstairs for an early dinner. Books were read on the couch, Jafadine the giraffe beside her as she looked at the pictures, pointing at the ones she knew, saying some of their names and making the sounds.
"Bell," she said, pointing to a picture of a dog and then looking at Bella, pointing at her lying on her dog bed. "Bell… uuf. Bell… uuf."
"Yes, my love, Bella says woof. Good job."
They continued looking at the book and when they got to the giraffe, she picked up Jafadine and pointed to it in the book.
"Jaf." She pointed and looked at Scully. "Jaf."
"That's right, it's a gir-affe. You like your giraffe?"
"Jaf," she answered, showing her her new giraffe. "Jaf."
"Oh my love… I love you so much."
They finished the last book and set it on the coffee table. Mulder picked Faith up and growled into her neck, just as he had that morning. She laughed again and held tight to Jafadine.
"I think we should head to an early bedtime for you, little miss. Come on, let's go upstairs."
"Me," she said, trying to get down at the bottom of the stairs.
"Of course," he said with a tired sigh and set her down, holding onto Jafadine. "Jesus, we created a fiercely determined and stubborn child."
"She gets that from you."
He turned his head and looked at her incredulously. She grinned and he shook his head with a loud exhale. Stepping past him, she walked behind Faith as she worked her way up the stairs.
"You're just mad because you know it's true," she said over her shoulder and he smacked her ass lightly, causing her to laugh.
At the top of the stairs, Faith stood up and walked over to the fish tank, as they did every night. She touched the glass softly, babbling at the fish as they swam around in the tank. When she was done, her teeth were brushed and they went into her room, changed her diaper and put her down for the night, Jafadine in the bed beside her.
Walking out of the room, they closed the door, and headed downstairs. Scully walked to the table and looked again at the gift Violet had made for her, smiling at the simple beauty of it.
"We need to stop by the Turner's tomorrow and thank them," she told Mulder, as he brought the dishes to the sink. He nodded with a smile and she sighed as she stared at it again.
"Oh… I think I might have left my phone upstairs by the fish tank. Would you mind getting it for me?" he asked, as he rinsed the dishes off, and placed them on the clean side.
"Sure," she agreed and stepped over to the stairs.
Walking up them quietly, she searched around the fish tank and the bookshelf, but did not find his phone. Looking at Faith's door, she hoped he did not accidentally leave it in there, as she was not about to disturb her as she was falling asleep.
"I don't see it," she said softly, as she got to the bottom step and started to walk toward the kitchen. "Are you sure it's not…"
Her words halted as abruptly as her steps, when she saw the dining room table. Mulder stood beside it with a grin, a large dark basket in the middle, full of multicolored tissue paper and gifts.
"What is this?" she whispered as she stepped closer and shook her head with a smile.
"The phone was a ruse to get you out of the room so I could take your gift from its hiding spot."
"Mulder…"
She walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly. He rocked her gently and hummed as she sighed out a deep breath.
"I didn't need gifts."
"Of course you did. It's Mother's Day, Scully. You deserve gifts." He rubbed her back and kissed her head. "Come on, let's see what's in that basket." She laughed and pulled back, kissing him before stepping back and looking at the basket on the table.
There was bubble bath, bath oils and bath bombs. Two bags of her favorite kind of dark chocolate and a bottle of really good and expensive wine. As she set them onto the table, she smiled and thanked him for each one, but knew there had to be something "Mulderesque" somewhere in the basket.
She looked at him expectantly and he nodded to the basket with a wink. Pulling the bottom layer of tissue paper away, she laughed as she found what she was looking for. Four pairs of socks lay there and she shook her head at the designs on each of them.
One pair was a dark gold with maroon on the heel, toes and the top band. A big picture of Bob Ross's face and his name were placed in spots on the socks.
"Mulder…" she said with a laugh as she picked them up. They had started watching Bob Ross on Netflix, mesmerized by the beautiful paintings he created.
The second pair were gray with black toes, heel, and top band. On the side was a picture of a fox, the word ZERO above it and GIVEN underneath.
"Zero Fox Given… get it?" Mulder asked proudly and she chuckled with a nod.
The third pair was light blue with white clouds. On the biggest cloud at the top of the socks, it said UP in black letters. At the bottom of the socks was a rainbow connected to a cloud. In between the rainbow was the word YOURS also written in black.
"Because I've heard you say that quite a few times as we watch the news," he explained, and she gave him a look and nodded her head vigorously.
"These are perfect, I'll wear them tomorrow."
The last pair was gray and black like the fox ones, and had microscopes, Erlenmeyer flasks and test tubes filled with light blue liquid, brains, lightbulbs, and atoms all across them.
"Well, these socks are more like it. I love the other gifts, but these," she said, as she picked up all the socks. "These are more of a Mulder gift and I love them. Thank you." Holding the socks in one hand, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss. Laughing as he pulled back, she shook her head with a smile.
"I'm glad you like them. All of them," he said, gesturing to the bath items. "Do you want me to run you a bath?"
"Not right now, but thank you," she answered, setting down all but the Bob Ross socks. "How about this? You open that bottle of wine, I'll get Netflix ready, and we can watch Bob Ross and chill."
"You know," he said, grabbing the bottle of wine. "I think you're using the and chill part of that phrase incorrectly."
"No, I'm not," she replied, turning on the television, and grabbing the remote. She sat down on the couch and put on her new socks. Sitting back, she smiled as she set them on the coffee table with a smile, and queued up the next episode.
"Yes, you are," he argued, bringing over a glass of wine for each of them and setting the baby monitor on the coffee table, as he joined her on the couch. "And chill implies…"
"I know what it implies, Mulder." She took a drink of her wine and looked at him, her eyes traveling down his body. "Why do you think I suggested it?"
"Oh, Scully…" he said in a low voice, clinking his glass to hers as she grinned. She pushed play and Bob Ross began to discuss his next painting. She laced her fingers with his and took another sip of her wine.
"Let's at least enjoy one glass of this wonderful wine and then… whoa," she exclaimed in awe. "How did he… it's just… it's so peaceful and relaxing. It's exactly what we all need right now." Mulder hummed in agreement as she put her head on his shoulder.
As they watched, quietly exclaiming over the beauty created with simple brushstrokes and a practiced hand, she thought of how it compared to the beauty she witnessed that day in the simple things: Faith's smile, hearing Mulder laugh, the smell of the grass as they lay on the picnic blanket, and the feel of them connected as a family.
She closed her eyes with a sigh, opening them as she squeezed Mulder's hand and he squeezed back.
"Thank you for today," she whispered.
"You're welcome," he whispered back, his thumb rubbing softly over the top of hers, and she sighed again.
A day that could have easily blended in with all the others and been monotonous and gray, had instead been colorful and bright as they celebrated the simple beauty around them.