Mulder sat in the waiting room, while Scully saw Doctor Reynolds for her checkup. Faith was sleeping in her car seat that connected to a stroller frame, which was one of the best inventions, in his opinion.
He thumbed through a magazine, glancing down the hall, his leg bouncing. It seemed to be taking longer than he had thought it would. He knew she was fine, but he was still nervous. He hoped she was healing properly and there were not any concerns she had not told him about.
She had her moments of sadness, as he had anticipated, but he had kept a sharp eye out for any depression or difference in her moods. He had not seen anything, but he still worried. She seemed fine, just tired, more emotional than he had ever seen her, and complained of her breasts aching from time to time. After the checkup, he would feel better.
Faith began to stir and open her eyes. She blinked and blinked, the light hurting her eyes. He pulled the shade cover on the car seat forward and she opened her eyes all the way.
"Hey beautiful girl," he said softly, looking at her closely. She focused on him and smiled. Her first real smile. His heart stopped and tears came to his eyes. "You smiled at me. Oh, my girl."
He unbuckled her car seat and took her out, holding her close. He blinked back his tears as he murmured to her, amazed that she had smiled at him. They had been trying to get her to do it for awhile now, but she had not done so. It was always a weird expression, but not a real smile.
He laughed as he thought that of course it would be here, in the office where he had broken down almost every time they had an appointment. It also seemed fitting that it would happen when Scully was not around. Another thing he witnessed and she missed. Well, he thought, moving Faith from his shoulder to his lap, at least this would be a phenomenon that would be witnessed forever.
He cooed at her, touching her cheeks, hoping to get her to do it again. She stretched her little body, yawned, and made her little noises. She looked around, this new place much more interesting than the face she saw every day. He kissed her cheek and heard footsteps beside him. He looked up to see Doctor Reynolds smiling down at Faith. She touched his back and then moved her hand.
"Doctor Reynolds," he said, nodding at her.
"Elise, please," she said with a smile. "She's incredibly beautiful. Those blue eyes are going to let her get away with murder, I can tell already."
"You've seen her mother's eyes. So yeah, I'm in trouble," he said, handing her the baby.
She laughed as she took her in her arms and sat on the coffee table in front of him. She talked to Faith, touching her head and looking at her the way a doctor would. He smiled at her, reaching in the backpack for his gift he had brought for Raina.
He had searched online for an actual gift for her, and not just something he had found at home, seeing that it was Christmas. He got her some new markers that were scented, a small pad of paper, and some scratch and sniff stickers. He had wrapped them together and added a bow.
"For Raina," he said, setting it down next to her.
She smiled at him and nodded. "I have something for you too, it's in my office. Let me go get it," she said, handing Faith back to him.
She stood up and walked away. He realized as she left, that if she was out here, it meant Scully should be out as well. He looked down the hall again, but did not see her. Maybe she was in the bathroom.
Elise came back with a red tissue wrapped item for him. She took Faith so he could open it. It was light and tied with yarn. He smiled as he untied it.
Inside was a clay item on a string. It was shaped like a circle of sorts, pink, and glittery. He lifted it up and looked at it, letting it twirl on the string. Someone had written 2018 in black ink, aside from that it had no other words or drawings.
He looked at Elise and she laughed. "She said it's a heart. She made it at school. Usually they make only one gift, but she asked to make an extra one for "Mr. Fox, Ms. Dana and baby Faith," she said, a big smile on her face.
Mulder laughed and nodded. He looked at it closer and he could see it was somewhat heart shaped. The glittery pink heart, new and hopeful, was a perfect representation of this journey they were on. It was almost as if the little girl had known.
"I love it, it's perfect. Please tell her thank you for me," he said, wrapping it back up and tying the string. He put it in the backpack and smiled at her again.
Scully came walking down the hallway and Mulder turned to look at her. His stomach dropped when he saw that she had been crying. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were rosy. He touched her arm, forcing her to stop and meet his eyes. She looked at him and gave him a small smile.
"Scully?" he asked, searching her face.
"I'm okay, Mulder," she said, nodding at him. He kept staring at her, and she touched his chest. "Happy tears, I promise." She smiled and stepped closer to the doctor, looking at Faith.
He watched her talk to the doctor and take Faith from her. She kissed her cheeks and nuzzled into her neck, closing her eyes as she held her close. She smiled as she moved her to the crook of her arm and said goodbye to the doctor. She hugged her and they laughed about something he did not catch. She stepped away from her and Mulder grabbed the stroller.
He looked at the doctor, his eyes asking her questions he could not voice. She smiled at him and nodded. She stepped forward and hugged him briefly.
"She's good. Healthy, healing, and doing well," she whispered before stepping back from him. He exhaled a breath he had not known he was holding and nodded at her.
"Thank you, Elise," he whispered, gathering their things and grabbing the stroller handle. "Merry Christmas."
She nodded at him and he walked away, catching up to Scully by the elevator. She was cooing at Faith when he walked to her side. She looked up at him and smiled. The elevator opened and they stepped inside. He pushed the lobby button and looked at her.
"I'm fine, Mulder. Everything is good, healing nicely, physically doing well, mentally too. She said sex would be okay, but I told her what we discussed last night and she was supportive. But, we're all good, when we decide to move forward, " she said with a smile.
"Then why were you crying? You said they were happy tears. Were you worried it wouldn't be a good checkup?" he asked her, watching her as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
She stepped out and he followed pushing the stroller. They passed others on their way to appointments and doctors back from grabbing a bite to eat from the cafe in the lobby. She stopped walking and pointed to the cafe.
"Let's get a coffee. Maybe a snack?" she said, still with what seemed a secret smile. She still had not answered his question and it was grating on his nerves. Why had she been crying?
She walked up to order their drinks and a couple treats for them both. The barista exclaimed over Faith, how beautiful she was, how adorable her outfit her was, and her size. Scully smiled and thanked her. Mulder stepped up and handed her some cash to pay for their items. The barista handed him his change and they went to find a table.
Scully sat down and Mulder pushed the stroller close so she could put the baby in it. He went back to the counter and waited for their drinks and food. He grabbed some napkins while he waited.
When it was ready he brought them over and joined her at the table. She had buckled the baby in the car seat and given her a pacifier. She was still awake and looked around at the newness above her.
He pushed Scully's coffee toward her and took his own. He watched her, that smile still on her face. His leg began bouncing under the table. She looked at him and smiled wider. He huffed out a breath and she laughed.
She reached across the table for his hand and he gave it to her. She squeezed it and held on as she stared at him.
"I was crying, Mulder, because I was expressing to her how stressful this all was, how trying at times, how tired I am, how tired we both are, and how this is definitely not as easy as I imagined," she said, glancing at Faith and smiling.
"That doesn't sound like a "happy tears" discussion to me, Scully," he said with a scoff. She laughed again and squeezed his hand.
"No, Mulder. I was crying because I was telling her how hard it was and how thankful I was to have you with me. I told you last night, and with her, it just sort of all spilled out. There was no stopping it.," she said, laughing lightly and shaking her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I told her how hard it was the last time because you were gone and I talked about how much I missed you. I told her about how giving William up for adoption had broken me, and how I felt as if you blamed me for not having a chance to be a father. And then I told her about seeing William again after all of this time. About how finally the hole inside me that had been empty for so long, was filling and healing, and how much this second chance means to me."
She smiled again as her tears spilled over and he was stunned at everything she had just said. It was a lot to unload, but apparently she had needed to do it and Elise had been happy to lend an ear. He kept staring at her as she dried her eyes, waiting for her to finish.
"Mulder," she said with a shaky breath. "We have been given a second chance on so many levels. I never would have imagined it the first day I met you. That you would be the one person I couldn't live without, and eventually be the father of my children. But it did. That's why I was crying Mulder. I was crying because we are here, in this new moment of our lives, and I am sickeningly happy."
She smiled and laughed, squeezing his hand again. He watched her eyes and slowly smiled. He had had the same thought when he had held Raina's handmade ornament. It was not the first time they had similar thoughts and would not be the last, but it always amazed him when it happened.
He let go of her hand and got the backpack out, taking out the tissue wrapped gift. He set it on the table and untied the yarn. He took out the ornament and handed it to her. She smiled at it, turning it over in her fingers.
"Is this from Raina?" she asked him.
"It is. It's a heart, Elise said. Raina asked at school, if she could make a second ornament for me, you, and Faith. I wasn't sure what it was at first, but then I could see it," he said, watching her smile at the simple but love-filled ornament. "As I looked at it, I thought of how it appeared: pink, sparkly, brand new. I thought of us, Scully, and Faith. How this new journey is like that heart: a little lumpy, but new and fresh. Seems we were thinking along the same lines once again. Also, we can't seem to get away from hearts trying to tell us something."
They both laughed and she handed it back to him. He wrapped it back up and put it in the backpack. He looked at Faith and saw she had fallen asleep. He looked at Scully and she was smiling at him again, that same secret happy smile. He smiled back and reached for her hand. She took it and they held hands as they finished their coffee and snacks.
When they were done, he took their cups to the counter and tossed their trash. He met her back at the table as she was putting on her coat and covering the baby. He tugged on her arm and pulled her into an embrace.
"I'm happy too, Scully. All these years with you, I have been, but this time it feels different. No more darkness, only light," he whispered into her hair. She nodded against his chest.
She pulled back and looked at him. He held her face and kissed her lightly on the lips. She smiled as he stepped back and took hold of the stroller. They walked out of the café and headed toward the parking structure.
"Of course you know what that heart decoration really means, Scully," he said, pushing the elevator up button. "We're gonna need to go buy a Christmas tree." He raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for her reply.
"Let's get it on, honey," she said with a big smile. He smiled back as the elevator doors opened. She linked her arm with his, and together, they all moved into the elevator.