Through His Eyes

Part 7

by

Trycee

Time-Line: 2004-Philadelphia, PA

Disclaimer- I do not own the X-Files. This is written for fun not profit.

*Thank You Paulie Rubens for the idea of this story*

The first thing Mulder learned about his son was that William was barely potty trained and that having extra clothes with a three year was a necessity. Mulder cleaned his son up and wrapped him in a large towel as the boy shivered from his shower, his red hair spiked up like his own unruly threads. He sat William down on the edge of the bed and then searched through his duffel bag for something small enough for William to wear. He realized nothing he had would fit him. His shirts hung off of Scully like a dress and so on William, Mulder knew it would looked like he'd been swallowed by fabric. He tried tying the ends of his shirt in between Williams legs but the three year old was unable to walk. He loosened the ends and cautioned him to be careful. Mulder didn't want him falling and hurting himself forcing them to take a trip to the hospital, which meant involving doctors and possibly the police. He placed William in the large bed and then shut off the light. He sat in the chair, his feet propped up on the end of the bed and tried to formulate a plan to make his way back to Scully.

Skinner sat down on the sofa in Scully's home, a drink in his hand given to him by Maggie. Scully waited anxiously seated across from him, waiting for him to speak. His jaw shifted nervously as he avoided her eyes. "I got a call from Mulder."

Scully looked shocked. "Why hasn't he called me himself? Is he hurt?", she said, rising up, alarmed.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "He's fine. He's on his way back to you. He wanted me to tell you he was okay."

Scully sighed and reached back to her neck, trying to massage the knot that was forming. She glanced over to her mother and Maggie made her way over to her for comfort. Scully turned her gaze back to Skinner. "When was this? When did he call?"

"A few minutes before I walked in. He sounded like he was in a hurry. He wanted to reassure you that he wasn't harmed."

"Why didn't he call me himself?"

Skinner shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. He said, he'd talk to you when he got back home."

Scully plopped down in her chair as she twisted and bit her lip. "He thought I would relax now knowing that but it's only made me more afraid!"

Night turned into day and then repeated as they waited for Mulder's arrival. Scully was beside herself and her mother was her only comfort, keeping them all fed and calmed while Skinner sat in Mulder and Scully's office, contacting his secret sources. After the Lone Gunmen's deaths, Skinner had a few hackers, friends of the Gunmens, seek him out over the years. He used their hacking skills to wipe Scully's record clean, allowing her to resume a normal life. Mulder unfortunately was too high profiled and they weren't able to clear him. It took hours to reach them but Skinner called upon his contacts to erase Williams adoption records from the system. This was a huge task requiring that his records be remove it from the adoption Agency in D.C, the various agencies of the District of Columbia as well as Wyoming and locally in Jackson, Wyoming. Skinner knew he would have to pay them handsomely, after all this required not only hacking, stealing of files, destroying photos and other evidence the Vandekamp's had of their adoptive son but forging new documents to erase the past two years of Williams life. It also required a lot of hands in a lot of pots. Skinner knew once the word got out that it was in honor of the Gunmen, he knew that Scully would be free to have her son back in her life permanently.

The early morning hours Mulder awoke, stiff and uncomfortable having fallen asleep in the hotel chair. He looked at the clock, 4 am and he knew it was time to move on. He placed the coat on a sleeping William and then picked him up in his arms. Mulder's shirt trailed past the boys foot downward like a long robe but he had no other choice. At least the coat would keep him somewhat warm. Mulder grabbed his duffel bag and a hotel blanket and then placed William in the back seat of the rental car with the blanket draped over him. He seat belted him in place lying down. He moved quickly, knowing the rental car would soon be reported stolen and he needed to put some distance between them and Wyoming.

Mulder drove for several hours before stopping at a roadside yard sale in the early morning hours in the middle of nowhere. He bought a few clothes for William and changed out of his own clothes as well. He kept driving stopping only for food or bathroom breaks and after ten hours he arrived in Omaha, Nebraska. Mulder knew he had to ditch the car and so he parked it in the back of a salon before walking across the street with William to the Amtrak Train station. He bought two tickets to Chicago and then sat down on the benches in the waiting area listening for the announcement for them to board.

William searched the crowds, listening to the thoughts of the people around him. It was like a transistor radio, he could hear the thoughts though he was too young to know what most of them meant. He sat on his father's lap and Mulder tilted his ball cap down trying to cover his face and leaned back to catch a few winks before it was time to board the train. William stared up at the broken television set that was mounted on the wall. He was bored and he wanted to watch the tv screen. He pointed his tiny finger in its direction and the news came on loudly surprising everyone around them. William was glued to the screen watching as the national reporter spoke about the tragic deaths of the family in Wyoming. Mulder's ears perked up as he listened to a panel discussing the implications of their deaths and how their tragedy might impact regulations across the nation requiring four lane stops to have traffic lights. William blinked at the photo of the Vandekamp family. He recognized the photo of himself as a chubby cheeked baby in the arms of a smiling couple.

William turned in his father's lap and placed a hand on Mulder's bearded chin. "Daddy? Daddy?"

Mulder cocked open his eyes and shifted William on his lap. "Yes, son?"

Mulder could tell that from Williams reddening face and pools of tears forming in his beautiful whirlpool blue eyes that he was remembering the events from the day before. Mulder glanced up at the screen and could see the Vandekamps image plastered all over the news. He held William close to him and whispered in his ears. "They loved you. Just like mommy and me love you."

William sniffled as he listened to his father's voice. "You knew they were going to die so you came to us so we'd find you. It's okay to miss them. They loved you and they took great care of you."

"Sammy!", William said.

Mulder's eyebrows raised. "Sammy?"

"Doggie, roof-roof," William said, looking into Mulder's hazel swarms.

Mulder chuckled. He was amazed at Williams comprehension and attempt to explain things to him in the simplest form! Mulder remembered that Scully had mentioned the Vandekamps having a dog, a collie. He knew William was worried about the dog, now that the Vandekamps were dead. "Sammie the dog is like you, he has to now go find his real mommy and daddy too. But they'll love him even more because it's his own mommy and daddy."

William seemed pleased by the explanation and then laid his small head down on Mulder's shoulder. Mulder smoothed his hand through his sons hair. "I can't wait for mommy to see you. She hasn't been the same since the day you left us. Mommy will be SO happy," he said, stroking his sons hair. William closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of his father's hand. He felt secure and loved and soon drifted off to sleep.

William awoke on the train next to his father in the sightseeing cart facing the rapidly changing view of the countryside in front of them. William looked up at his father. Mulder was smiling warmly at him. "Here son, eat!", he said, handing him a brown paper bag.

"Eat-eat?", William asked, as Mulder unwrapped the warm sandwich he'd purchased at the trains cafe.

William opened his mouth, happily allowing his father to feed him. He chewed slowly but Mulder was patient. He could feel himself bonding with his son and he had a sense of overwhelming love for him. Mulder regarded every scrunch of Williams face, every nuisance that reminded him of either himself or Scully. He even recognized the small mole developing near his lip in the same spot as Scully. Mulder noticed he was starting to feel like a real father and he couldn't be happier. A few passengers stopped and remarked on how cute William was, occasionally handing him a dollar or piece of candy. William seemed to love the attention and Mulder knew that was his personality and his alone. Everywhere they went William drew attention which ratcheted Mulder's paranoia up a notch. He knew he had disguised himself well and could not be easily recognized even if the FBI were in fact interested in finding him, which Skinner had insisted that they were not. Yet, Mulder still felt the need to be careful. Williams photos were being plastered all over the nation, fortunately they were all older photos with no resemblance to the three year old boy perched beside him. But for Mulder, everyone was a potentional threat until they made it back safely to Scully. Every stranger, every smile or glance put them in danger and they still had nine and a half hours to go until they reached their half way point of Chicago.

As the sun went down, he decided to retired with William in the sleeper bunks. He placed William on the top bunk and he stripped out of his jeans with only his boxers and slipped under the covers. An hour into slumber, William started to scream as he tossed and turned in a nightmare. Mulder picked him up and William clung to his father with his arms wrapped tightly around Mulder's neck. Mulder sat on his bunk, smoothing his hand on Williams back, "It's okay, son. It's okay."

As a Psychologist, Mulder knew that a normal child would have trouble with what he had just witnessed let alone experienced with the crash and death of his adoptive parents. But William was special and at three years old, he had known his adoptive parents were going to die. Mulder knew it was affecting him but he was too young to fully articulate what he was feeling. Mulder laid his son down beside him and then curled up around him falling asleep for the rest of the journey. After switching trains in Chicago, Mulder was seated next to William in a row behind other travelers with William in the window seat watching the houses and trees until he finally fell asleep. Nine hours flew by and they finally arrived in Philadelphia. He was grateful that they were closer than ever to Scully. Mulder carried a sleeping William out to the waiting cab and drove towards home.

The cab stopped in front of the house and Mulder recognized Skinner and Maggie's cars. He paid the driver and placed William on the sidewalk. William looked around him in a daze as if he had never seen the home before. "Daddy, home?", he questioned.

Mulder smiled down to his son, "Yes, son. Home! Where Mommy is!"

Williams eyes lit up. "Mommy!"

Mulder pushed the door open but was blocked by an angered Scully, her face red and tearful and her eyes swollen from crying. It had been over a week since Mulder had left her without a word and he could see the affects of his actions written across her face. Mulder pulled her against his chest and Scully nearly collapsed against him. He held her up, feeling Scully's body quaked as she gasped and wept against him. She shifted and began punching him in the chest. "You selfish bastard! You son of a bitch!"

Mulder gripped her arms to her sides, holding her in place as she tried to fight him. Finally, she gave in and leaned into his chest, sobbing harder as her emotions for the past week overwhelmed her.

"Mommy?", a tiny voice called out.

Scully grew rigid and she looked up at Mulder. "I'm hearing things!", she cried.

"No, Scully," Mulder said, releasing his grip on her. He turned sideways and there standing in front of her was three year old William with his arms outstretched to her. Scully covered her mouth with her hands, "William?"

"Mommy!", the boy said, stepping up to her.

Scully yanked him up into her arms, layering kisses on his soft cheeks. "Is this real? Oh my god! Mulder! You brought William home?", she said, in amazement. "Our son, Mulder? You found him?"

"Yes, Scully. Our son," he smiled.

Scully wiped her tears with her hand as she looked into the identical face of her son. "William, my god, William. You have no idea how much I love you!"

William threw his tiny arms around her neck and pressed his cheek to her cheek. "Mommy!", he smiled. "Mommy!"

"Yes, it's mommy!", she said, as tears trailed her cheeks. She smiled as she held him in her arms. She started tossing questions at Mulder "Oh God, Mulder. How? How? Is he staying? What happened? Is he safe?"

Skinner stepped out of the office, surprised to find Mulder standing at the doorway and William in Scully's arms. Maggie was crying as she touched her grandsons shoe, trying to give her daughter space to reconnect with her son. Mulder wrapped his arm around Scully's shoulders. He remarked at how blissful she seemed.

"How did you do it?", Scully asked, locking eyes with him.

"It wasn't me, Scully. William knew his adoptive parents were going to die in that accident, that's why he appeared to us, Scully."

"You mean the one on the news?", Maggie gasped. "That one with the Vandekamp family." They were now household names.

Scully looked at William. He placed a hand on his mother's cheek and looked into her soulful eyes. She glanced up at Mulder. "Mulder, what happened?"

"The truck struck them right in front of me and flipped it. They were already dead as was the driver. I grabbed William out before it exploded."

"How terrible! To think that could've been our William", Maggie sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It would've been, had he not started appearing to us."

Scully clutched William to her chest. He lay his head against her, enjoying the comfort of his real mother and listening to her heartbeat. "Is he safe, Mulder? Will the police come after him?"

"Everything has been taken care of," Skinner spoke finally. "I used some of the Gunmen's contacts to wipe William from the state's adoption records in D.C. and from the courts, agencies, any place that may show he was ever adopted."

Scully was dumbfounded. "How? I mean...How?"

"A few hacker friends of the Gunmen."

Scully's eyebrows rose. "But why? Why would they help us?"

"You were both very important to the Gunmen and these are their hacker friends who miss them terribly. They want to make sure no one will ever come after you or William."

Mulder let go of Scully and then extended his hand to Skinner. "Thank You, sir." Mulder said. "Thank You."

Mulder turned his attention back to his small family and then leaned down, pressing a kiss to Scully's soft mouth. She smiled affectionately to him. "I feel so complete right now," she sighed contently. "I have my family. I'm complete."

Mulder watched as Scully broke away from him and carried their son to the sofa. She sat down with William in her arms. "I'm scared to let him go or else he'll vanish," she sighed.

William shook his head and placed his hand over her heart. "Mama...stay!", he said.

Scully covered her mouth and beamed. "You are incredible," she said looking amused. "I love you so much, do you know that?"

William nodded. "YES!", he said, scooting off her lap and unzipping his coat.

The adults watched as William toddled over to the coat rack, attempting to hang it. Mulder placed it on the peg for him. William sauntered back to his mother's side and greeted her with a wide smile. She touched his baby soft cheeks with her finger. "You are never leaving me again, you know that!", she said, as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'll never give you up ever again!"

Mulder sat down next to her and pulled Scully against his chest as she cried softly, covering her face.

Maggie picked him up and placed a kiss on his cheek. William giggled and kissed her back. She handed him a cookie and placed him back down.

Scully watched Williams every step as he explored their tiny home. William picked up each knickknack with curiousity and then climbed up onto the sofa and began jumping up and down. He turned and squeaked as he observed the falling snow outside their large bay window. Scully wiped at her tears but they kept flowing. Red faced from crying, Maggie handed her daughter a tissue. "Well," Maggie said, clearing her throat. "Are you hungry? Did you eat?", she asked Mulder as she stepped into the tiny kitchen.

Mulder nodded. "Thanks Mrs. Scully, that would be nice, thanks."

"I'm overwhelmed," Maggie sighed. "I never thought I'd ever see my grandson again. God answers prayers!"

Scully erupted in a new set of tears. William was sensitive to his mother and so he crept closer to her staying within arms reach, absorbing her emotions until she had stopped crying.

Skinner sat down at the bar separating the kitchen from the living room silently observing them.

Mulder placed a kiss on Scully's forehead. Mulder was satisfied as he held Scully and watched their son. "In just one week, you'll be graduating," he said, running his hands along her side. "And then we'll be moved into our new home. There's room for William to have a bedroom. He needs toys and clothes and a bed but I'll be there to watch him when your off to work. He and I bonded, so, you don't have to worry, Scully. I can handled it."

Scully smiled contently as she observed William racing around the tiny living room before coming back to be held by them. Scully sighed in relief. "I've never been this happy in my life," she said, locking eyes with Mulder. "Our lives are finally on track, Mulder. Our son is home."

"All because of him, Scully. That's an amazing boy we created."

"He is," she said proudly, as a fresh set of happy tears trailed her cheeks. "He's so beautiful too."

Mulder squeezed Scully to his side. "He's extremely beautiful, Scully. He looks just like you!"

Scully turned to face him and Mulder pressed his feathery lips to hers. He pulled back and noticed a spark in Scully's eyes he hadn't seen since the day they'd first held William in their arms. The light in Scully's eyes which had always been present had gone out after giving William away. He'd noticed how dull and lifeless her eyes were when she had visited him in the military prison. That light had remained gone from her eyes in the past few years. Mulder's heart swelled as he noticed the light had now return. He pressed his lips to hers again in a soft kiss.

Mulder shook his head,"Thank You for our son," he sighed. "Thank you for loving him so much, for sacrificing for him. And for loving me!"

Scully locked eyes with Mulder and he smiled down to her. "I love you, Scully and I love what we created out of love."

"I love you too, Mulder. I love our son, so very much. Thank you for bringing him home to me."

Mulder shook his head. "No, Scully, he brought himself home!"

Scully pressed her head into Mulder's shoulder and William climbed back up onto his parents laps, interrupting him. He placed one hand on each parents cheek and grinned at them. "Mommy, Daddy, me," he smiled. "Happy!"

"Yes," she laughed, rubbing her fingers up and down his back. "Forever and ever..."

William nodded his head and then settled further into her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him up to her heart. "My baby boy is home," she sighed, as William lay comfortably in her arms, listening to the beating of her heart.

THE END

Please Leave Feedback: Thanks!