Nine Months Later

Washington Memorial Hospital
Washington, D.C.
December 18th, 2018.
10:13am

Scully was sitting up and leaning forward on a hospital bed, in a brightly lit operating theatre. Mulder was crouched in front of her, holding her hands in his as a nurse was adminstering the spinal block for her C-section. When Scully had found out she was pregnant, it was decided that a scheduled elective C-section would be best, for both her and their baby. Before they had all entered OT3, they handed Mulder a pale purple paper smock and he put it on. He felt ridiculous in it, but it was necessary to keep infections away from Scully and their newborn baby.

Mulder was a middle aged man having a baby. "Middle Aged" was being kind and he knew that, he was old enough to be a grandfather at this point in his life and maybe if they had met earlier, had expressed their feelings for each other sooner... they might of both been grandparents at this point instead of brand new parents, all over again.

"Ouch!", bristled Scully.

The large spinal block needle really had stung going in and she flinched just a little, even though she wasn't supposed to.

"Sorry about that, Dana. It's done now. And your daughter should be along soon. Excited?", asked Nurse Jo.

Nurse Jo lightly patted the spot, on Scully's back, where the needle used to be.

"Absolutely", beamed Mulder.

"I think, I'm just ready to have her out here... with us", answered Scully.

Mulder and Nurse Jo, helped Scully lay back down on the bed. Jo walked away from Scully and Mulder, to assist the Doctor and other nurses in the theatre who were prepping her for surgery, pulling up the curtain and covering her belly in iodine.

"Mulder?", Scully breathed out.

The Doctor used a surgical knife to carefully cut across her lower abdomen, through the fat and into her womb.

"I'm here, Scully. I'm not going anywhere", Mulder said reassuringly.

Mulder was sitting on a chair that had wheels, right next to Scully's head. She reached out her tiny hand, which was trembling. He turned her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist, before cupping it in both of his and rubbing it to keep her warm and to distract himself.

The theatre actually was cold, but Scully's whole body was trembling because of the shock.

"I... I can't believe we're doing this, again", Scully laughed (very carefully).

Scully gently turned her head to look at him, and smiled through the trembling and discomfort she was feeling.

"At least you're in a clean, well lit hospital... with capable Doctors instead of an abandoned old west town in Democrat Hot Springs, Georgia. Right?", Mulder grinned.

Make no mistake, he would always be grateful that Agent Reyes was with Scully the last time she gave birth but he was also grateful that she was in a hospital this time, and that he was there with her. Missing the birth of his first born son, even if it was to protect him had always weighed heavy on Mulder's conscience.

"Right", Scully bit her bottom lip.

Scully felt a really weird but dull yanking on her insides, it was one of the strangest feelings. There wasn't a hint pain (which she was thankful for) but logically, she knew they were cutting her open and removing their child from her womb.

Right now, Mulder was feeling incredibly incapable of helping to reduce her obvious discomfort and it was killing him.

"Hey...", Mulder said.

And brushed a stray tear from her cheek.

"Ow. Yes?", Scully winced.

"I love you, you know. I always have, and always will", Mulder leaned in and kissed just above Scully's right eyebrow.

"I... know. Love you- Sorry, this... feels... really weird", Scully closed her eyes and took another breath.

"Yeah. Honestly, I'm trying not to think about. I really don't want to throw up in front of you, or them. It'd be embarrassing and not a good story for the birth of our kid", Mulder pointed to beyond the curtain and smiled weakly.

Mulder had always had the overwhelming desire to protect her from harm, and felt like he failed on countless occasions, not because she was weak or vunerable but because he loved her and that meant wanting her to be happy and safe. And with him. Forever.

"Dad? Do you wanna see your daughter come into the world", Nurse Jo nudged Mulder and he stood up.

Mulder peeked over the modesty curtain, which was really just there to make sure you didn't freak out and throw up and watched as the Doctor pulled his second child from the barren womb of the only woman that he had and would ever love, and cut the cord.

"Jesus, Scully. Whoa. I said I wouldn't puke, right?", Mulder was staring at his newborn daughter, as the Doctor handed the tiny, pink, wriggling naked form to Nurse Jo,

"Mulder, is she okay? I can't hear- why isn't she crying?", Scully panicked.

Deep down, she knew babies didn't always cry when immediately welcomed into the world but she was terrified that she might lose another baby. An image of infant William, when she had decided to give him up, flashing through her mind

"She's fine, Dana. See?", Nurse Jo walked around to Scully and dipped the now crying baby down to her face, so she could see that her daughter was fine.

Mulder had sat back down on the rolling stool and moved it closer, to Scully and their brand new daughter.

"She looks just like you, Scully", Mulder gushed, as he pushed aside the sweaty, matted bangs and stray hairs from her forehead and placed a delicate kiss on her temple.

"She has your bottom lip, just like William did", Scully smiled wistfully.

Baby Girl Mulder had strawberry blond hair, perfect shaped pouty lips and a little button nose.

"We need to double check that everything is A-OK, but once that's done I'll bring her back and we can take you down to the recovery ward. Okay?", Nurse Jo informed them and handed the bundled up Baby Girl Mulder to a nearby nurse, whose name neither of them knew, who carried her over to the plastic crib and metal weight machine on the other side of the operating theatre.

"Yeah, she still looks just like you though. How are you feeling?", Mulder asked.

"Weird... but OK", Scully blinked.

The Doctor began stitching her up, which meant more pulling and the first pangs of pain.

"I'll be right back...", Mulder replied and kissed Scully's forehead again, before following the nurses over to the corner of the room and watched as they measured and weighed their daughter. Her little legs kicking and squirming, eyes blinking against the bright lights above her and he felt that feeling, the same feeling he had for Scully... that he would protect her from whatever might harm her in the years to come; be it aliens, the government or some overly grabby teenage boy.

"Does she have a name yet?", inquired the Nurse whose name Mulder now saw, was Claire.

"No. Not yet", Mulder said.

Mulder was distracted with counting her tiny fingers and toes and being completely awestruck by the power of women, and of Scully in particular. She had risked a lot to become a mother again and to give him a daughter.

They had given Scully a private room, in the busy recovery ward.

Scully came back from the bathroom and carefully hopped back into the most comfortable bed she had ever had the pleasure of recouping in. Mulder covered her bare legs with the hospital regulation knit blanket and placed their daughter in her arms.

"I love you", Mulder said and kissed them both on the top of the head.

The heart that had been broken by the loss of his sister, father, mother and grown son had all but been fixed by the new life they had created, which was now nestled against Scully's always open heart and warm chest.

"I love you too", Scully smiled up at Mulder, and then back down to their daughter... who still didn't have a name.

"I think she needs a name, don't you?", Mulder said as he looked, adoringly, at both of them. His girls.

Scully women were a force to be wreckoned with, and he was proud to have them in his life.

"We could honor your sister, Samantha. If you want?", Scully answered.

"Or Melissa?", Mulder suggested.

"What about Grace?", Scully thought out loud.

"Hmm. I like it but it's not perfect. She deserves a name that's perfect for her..."

And just like that... it came to him. A memory, of a rainy night... long ago in Roswell, New Mexico.

"Hope. I think we should call her Hope. What do you think, Scully?", Mulder asked, not wanting to push a name on her, if it wasn't one she liked.

"There's always Hope, Mulder. I like it, a lot" Scully said, as she used her fingertips to trace Hope's lips, and brushed them across her sweet, freckled cheek.

Hope was wrapped up in a white baby blanket and Scully gave her back to Mulder, who cradled her in his strong, loving and protective arms.

"Hello, Hope. We've been waiting a long time for you", Mulder looked down at perfect and beautiful face of his daughter.

"Hope Margaret Mulder", Scully suddenly said.

"Nice. Thank you", Mulder was startled and then nodded his head.

"For what?", Scully was confused.

"For giving me... and us, the chance to be parents again", Mulder said honestly.

"You're welcome. And thank you, too", Scully replied and grinned at up Mulder.

And in that moment, Mulder vowed to protect her better than he had Scully and William. Vowed he would never leave, and that if another obstacle did happen to come along... they would fight it together, as a family.