That night Scully got a phone call from Reyes to thank her for whatever she said to Doggett. Apparently he was more like his old self and assured her that he wasn't going to go chasing after Mulder, or whoever it was that took him. Scully didn't disclose the content of her conversation with Doggett as she was sure he'd have shared the details he wanted with her already. She accepted Reyes' thanks and the phone call was ended.
Afterwards Scully went to check on William and watched him sleeping soundly. She knew that the way she presented herself to the outside world she seemed like a strong and capable woman. She was. But underneath that was the single mother who was certain her son was preventing her from grieving for the man she loved because he wasn't actually dead.
Every time William sensed that his mother was upset or missing his father, he made her feel better, he knew that his daddy would come home and so he just had to make sure that she kept waiting. He was just a small boy, but no matter how long it took, he would make sure that he got Mulder home, that he had a father and that his mother was finally happy and safe.
As she looked down at him now Scully knew that there were things about her son that she'd never understand and other things that she'd never even find out about. But right now, he was with her, she'd got him back and although she knew that 'They' thought they'd won, she couldn't help thinking that there was a grander plan that would bring Mulder safely back to her. It had happened before and so it could happen again.
The speech she had given to Doggett was true. She got up every morning and she lived her life because it's what Mulder would have wanted. And he was gone now because they had fought to bring their son home. This was what he told her could happen and she had been certain that he'd come home to her, but as each day brought another week by and more time passed, she knew that his warning hadn't been without merit, and now he'd proven that.
When she closed her eyes at night she could speak with him in her dreams. She didn't know if it was real or not, she didn't care if it was real. In her dreams Mulder held her close and made her feel safe, it was his reassuring presence and the way her son made her feel that allowed Scully to get from one day to the next. In the month since William had been home with her, her life had changed significantly, but not once did she feel as if Mulder would never return.
She wasn't going to run away and hide from those that wished to bring her down. She was staying where the people were who cared about her and her son, the people who would look out for her and who she could help and depend on. As certain as she had ever been about anything in her life, Scully was certain that Mulder would return, and that as each day passed, it brought him one day closer.
Whether it was tomorrow or next week or years away – Mulder was coming home.