I'm sorry for the delay, life has gotten in the way, but please feel free to bug me to post some more.

In the meantime, this awesome chapter was written by my most favorite co-writer, DearPearlie. Thank you dear.

The first thing Scully did when she entered her home at 1:45 in the morning was kick off her shoes and heave a huge sigh of relief. A fourteen hour flight delay out of San Diego plus a two hour layover in Tulsa had cost her and her partner a whole day of rest following the disturbing and emotional Arcadia Falls case. Thankfully, it was early Saturday morning, meaning that instead of having to go into the office in a few short hours, they'd get to unwind at home. Well, at Scully's home. Mulder, who had offered to carry her bags up to her apartment in what Scully knew was a gesture of apology for their misunderstandings in California, proceeded to flop himself down on her couch. He kicked his shoes off too, meaning he wasn't planning on moving anytime soon.

Instead of arguing with him, Scully reconciled with the fact that she'd have a guest that night and began checking her messages. One from her friend Angela and one from her Aunt Olive, both wishing her a happy birthday. And an old one from Missy that she would never erase, dated just the week before she died, talking about an alternative health book store that she wanted to check out. It was a quick and easy way to hear her sister's voice, and Scully listened to it often. Sometimes it made her sad. Sometimes it made her smile. She'd gone to the book store about a month after Missy died and bought a few boxes of tea. It tasted gross, but it made her feel closer to the sister she missed so much.

"How old did you say Aunt Olive was?" Mulder asked, reclined now with his hand covering his whole face. Scully shed her coat on her way into her bedroom, searching for a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt that he'd left at her house the last time they got back to DC at 1:45 in the morning.

"91. She's my grandmother's oldest sister," she answered from the bedroom.

"And she was born in Ireland?"

"Yeah. Their whole family moved here when she was… fourteen I think." When Scully tossed her partner his pajamas for the night, they landed square on his face and she considered it a small victory.

"God, I can't imagine that."

"What? Moving?"

"No. Living to be 91."

Mulder did look quite comfortable, so Scully flopped down right next to him.

"I guess we can only hope, right?"

"Yeah, hope that we kick it before we become nonagenarians," he said tritely. But when he shot Scully a glance, her brow was wrinkled and he knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"You don't want to live to be 91?" she asked.

"I guess if I was still physically capable and had all of my facilities, but I doubt that'll be the case."

"When do you want to 'kick it,' as you called it?"

"I don't know. I'm just pretty damn certain I'll want to before I'm 91."

Scully was silent.

"No offense to your aunt, Scully. If she's in good health and she's happy then I'm happy for her."

It took her another minute to say something.

"What if you make it to 91 and you find that your life is more full and happy than at any other point, but you have to use a wheelchair to get around or you have to take six different medications twice a day or you sometimes forget your grandchildren's names? Would it be too much for you?"

"Is it a motorized wheelchair?" Mulder asked, knowing that Scully was being serious but still wanting to lighten the mood. It was late.

"When do you think you'll be ready to die? When do you think your family and your friends will be ready to let go of you forever?"

"I didn't intend on deciding that tonight," he said, looking at her – studying her. Her eyes were closed and the worry lines on her forehead were prominent. He named them in his head. Jack. Cancer. Hybrids. Abduction. Mulder. Mulder. Mulder.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked over at him. She'd felt him gazing at her. "I just don't like to think about you dying."

Mulder felt a strong pang of guilt surge through his whole body and grabbed hold of her hand. If she were the one talking about wanting to die, he'd certainly take issue with it. "I'm sorry."

"We have close calls almost on a daily basis. Living to be 91 and being able to spend all that time with Ashley and my family and you would be the greatest blessing I could imagine."

"You really want me around when I'm 91? Screaming about mutants and mind-readers? Pointing my cane at the sky searching for the unknown?"

At least that elicited a smile from his partner. Mulder threw his arm around her shoulders and encouraged her to stand up as he did. "I don't want you to worry tonight. You're going to be stuck with me for a long long time and there's nothing you can do about it."

The plan was to get into his pajamas, say goodnight to Scully, and retire to the couch, as per usual during their impromptu sleepovers. But after he emerged from the bathroom in much comfier clothes to find Scully in her own pajamas sitting at the edge of her bed, he knew there was more fixing that needed to be done.

"Come on, get in," Mulder ordered, turning down the bedspread and hopping into her bed. She looked perplexed even though they'd shared sleeping spaces many times before. He reached out his hand for her and she slowly took it, letting him help her under the covers right next to him. Without words, Mulder shut off the light and settled in next to her. Scully smelled just like she always did… flowery and nurturing and safe. He wanted to live to be 91 just to smell that smell every day.

"I mean what I said, Scully. We're going to have to put up with each other for a long time. I'm not finished trying to convince you of my theories and I know without a doubt that you're going to need at least two more lifetimes to get me to try bee pollen yogurt," Mulder rambled when he realized Scully wasn't getting any closer to sleep. He felt her stomach muscles contract underneath his palm as she laughed so he placed a small kiss directly behind her ear.

"I know. But we've gotten so lucky so many times. I just wonder when our luck is going to run out."

"It's not luck. You're supposed to be here. We're supposed to be here."

"Not everybody gets to live to be 91. What makes us special?"

"It's part of the plan," he said simply. Even if they lived to be 191, he still wouldn't have enough time to list to Scully all of the things that made her special.

"Now I know you're trying to get me to shut up," she referred to his uncharacteristic acknowledgement of fate.

"Is it working?" she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"It'll never work."

"Good." There were a few moments of silence between them after his remark, though both of them knew the other was still awake. Thinking.

"Scully?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"You didn't know."

"But I should've."

"Just promise me something."

"Anything." Anything.

"When you're 91, no matter where you are or what's going on, can you just remember this moment and remember how much you mean to Ashley and me?" her voice cracked, and Mulder tightened his arms around her.

"I won't ever forget it."

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"Hi Fox, Ashley's in the kitchen," Maggie happily greeted him later that morning. Last night's events had Mulder cooking up a plan in his mind, and he knew Ashley would want to be involved. So he slipped out of bed before Scully was awake and called to ask if the little girl wanted to come home early. Thankfully, despite her recent attitude issues, she did.

"Thanks," Mulder smiled, making his way through Maggie's warm home. Ashley smiled up at him from her cereal bowl in the kitchen. It was contagious.

"What's up short stuff?" he asked. He slid a chair out from the table and plopped himself down in it, stealing her cereal bowl and tipping it up to drink some of the milk.

"Nothing much, big stuff," Ashley retorted, used to Mulder's morning silliness.

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"Your mom's birthday present."

"We got her the flowers."

"Yeah well… I think she deserves something else." Nobody saw Maggie at the sink, smiling widely to herself, so thankful for her daughter's unlikely partner.

"Like what?"

"That's what I need your help with. Ready to go?"

"Yup!" Ash bounced up. After hugging Maggie and gathering her things, Ashley and Mulder were making their way downtown, determined to find a gift Scully-worthy.

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"Mulder, where are you?" his phone rang not a half hour into his and Ashley's expeditions downtown.

"I picked up Ash and we're out getting some breakfast," Mulder answered quickly, having already anticipated that Scully would wake up wondering where he was.

"Oh."

"Want us to bring you back something?"

"No, um… just Ash."

"Alright, we won't be long."

"Thanks."

Mulder hung up without saying goodbye, which was par for the course for the partners. Ash, who was walking alongside of him and had been listening to his part of the conversation, looked up with a questioning gaze.

"Why do we have to go home?" she pouted.

"I think your mom is missing you."

"But we still haven't found anything special."

"We don't have to go right away."

"Okay good," Mulder couldn't tell if Ashley was really focused on finding her mom something special for her belated birthday present or she just didn't want to go home in light of the recent fighting she and Scully had been engaging in.

"Think think think," the man said to himself as they walked down the waking-up streets.

"What about jewelry?" Ashley offered. Mulder winced. After the events of their case in Arcadia and his recent ill-timed declaration of love, Mulder didn't think jewelry would send the right message to his partner.

"Maybe something a little less mushy."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ashley asked, sounding exactly like her mother. A long, elegant evening gown in the window of a boutique caught Mulder's attention for a second. If mush was what he was looking for, it was there. Still, he would have loved to see Scully in it.

After being momentarily distracted by the dress, Mulder looked down to see that Ashley was no longer at his side. She was also easily distracted, and as sneaky as a little ninja sometimes.

"Ash?" Mulder called, frantically looking around for the youngster. He spotted her across the street, enthralled by a giant advert on the side of a building.

"You know how much I hate it when you run off," he griped once she was in earshot. But she more or less ignored him.

"I want to see this," she informed him. Mulder gave it a quick once-over.

"You've seen The Lion King. Many many times."

"No, this isn't the movie. This is the musical. It's new."

"How do you make The Lion King into a musical? Did they train a bunch of lions and elephants and zebras to dance and sing?"

"Mulderrr," Ashley looked at him like he was completely stupid, "they're people dressed up like animals."

"Sounds strange."

"We could take Mom for her birthday," she suggested.

"Is this your mom's gift or is this your gift?" Mulder pressed, although a theater trip with his girls did seem like a nice night out. Maybe Scully would even wear a dress like the one he saw in the window…

"Please please please?"

Mulder read the advert once again, noting the name of the theater and realized it was just a few blocks away. They could visit the box office and at least inquire.

He could tell that he and Ashley were the first visitors to the Kennedy Center that morning when a twenty-something working there almost groaned at the sight of them.

"What can I help you with?" she asked.

"When is your next performance of The Lion King?"

"Tonight is our last performance for the season." Ashley's eyes got wide and she grabbed onto his wrist.

"Are there any available seats?"

"Uhh… yeah," the young lady said after tapping away at her computer, though her grimace told Mulder that something was up.

"Do you have three?"

"Yes."

"Good seats?"

The receptionist smirked again. "Really good."

"Okay then, I guess I'll take them," he said, physically feeling Ashley's delight.

"Alright, that'll be $482.50."

Mulder felt his knees go weak and his breath leave his body, but Ashley was already happily hugging and thanking him. His fate, and his wallet's fate, were sealed.

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"Why are we so dressed up for a movie?" Scully asked as they took a cab downtown that night. The plan was to surprise her in front of the theater, and Mulder had already busted Ashley as she was about to spill the beans more than once during the day.

"It's one of those fancy theaters where they have subtitles and they bring you champagne in skinny glasses," Mulder lied.

"Ash, this was your idea?" The little girl nodded excitedly. She was about to burst. "Well, I hope you don't complain halfway through that it's boring or that you want to go home."

"I won't."

There was considerable traffic as they approached the Kennedy Center and Mulder felt reaffirmed in his decision to take a cab, even though he'd already spent way more on Scully's birthday present than he originally intended.

"Do you want to get out here? I think this is the closest I'll get," the cab driver informed them. Mulder agreed, paid the man, and lead Ashley and Scully out of the car. Scully's face was scrunched up in confusion.

"What's going on?" she asked as she looked up at the marquee. Ashley couldn't contain herself anymore.

"Happy birthday!" she exclaimed, hugging her mom.

"Happy birthday?" Scully looked to Mulder for more information.

"Yeah," Mulder started, suddenly shy, "Ash and I wanted to do something special for you this year, and we thought you might like this." He fished around in the pocket of his coat and revealed the three tickets he'd purchased earlier that day.

"Jesus Christ, Mulder," Scully said as she took hers. She couldn't believe how thoughtful the gift was.

"I think someone," he nudged the wriggling girl, "was thinking more about what she'd like for her birthday, but we decided this would be a pretty fun time."

"I never expected anything like this… thank you guys," Scully stuttered through her surprise. She wrapped Ashley up in her arms, and then did the same to Mulder a few seconds later. He was still feeling guilty about touching her after their "encounter" in California, but his partner's happiness trumped all.

"Can we please go inside now?" Ashley begged, and the adults couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. Mulder had already conceded that Ashley was the real benefactor of this gift. But what he didn't know was how his willingness to make her daughter happy affected Scully. It was the real gift of the evening.

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"She's out," Mulder announced a few minutes into the cab ride home. He and Scully had been discussing the finer points of the evening, including the amazing performance and their surprisingly amazing front and center seats. Ashley had been singing "I Just Can't Wait to be King" to herself and looking out the window at the beauty of DC when she apparently leaned her head against the glass and dozed off.

"I'm not surprised, she was practically out of her seat for the whole thing," Scully smiled over at her not-so-little girl.

"I'm glad she had a happy night. She deserves it."

"Hey, I thought this was supposed to be my birthday gift," Scully joked.

"You didn't have a happy night?" Mulder played along.

"I did. I was really wonderful. Thank you so much," Scully nestled herself into Mulder's side, so happy that she could do that despite all the times they'd been at odds recently.

"Happy birthday Scully. You're one year closer to 91," he smiled, throwing his arm around his partner's shoulders. The sentimental statement made Scully tingle, and she couldn't be sure if it was the glass of wine she'd had at intermission or their actions in Arcadia or even the sexual tension that had been between them seemingly forever, but she really wanted to kiss him in that moment.

So she did.

Mulder responded, and their lips stayed locked for several minutes before the cab stopping indicated the end of their ride. That was when things immediately turned awkward.

"I'll… uh… I'll get Ash," he said as he fumbled with his money. Scully just looked down at her shoes. I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have done that.

Her daughter was tucked in all too quickly, and Scully panicked when she saw Mulder emerge from her bedroom. They'd had such a nice night, why did she have to go and ruin it by kissing him?

"Well, Ash is dead to the world. I'll let you get some sleep too," Mulder made his way to the front door without looking his partner in the eye. Her heart was sinking. Don'tgodon'tgodon'tgo…

"Don't go," she said against her will. Mulder froze and turned to her, letting her set the stage for what happened next.

"I'm sorry, I just… I don't know what… I don't want you to," Scully had tears in her eyes as she stammered, searching for an explanation. She put her hands on his cheeks and brought his face down to hers one again, kissing him deeply even though he wasn't reciprocating.

He pulled away, their lips making an audible pop, and he saw that she was fighting tears with everything in her.

"This is too confusing," Mulder admitted.

"I know," Scully agreed.

"I want you too much to do this."

"I know."

She was so ashamed of herself for needing him the way she felt she needed him in that moment. When he put his large hand on her shoulder, it made everything that much worse.

"But I know you're not there."

"I want to be. I want to be sure of something because I just feel like this relationship we have is getting so much more complicated than it is safe."

"Right. Which means we can't do this."

Scully nodded, sniffling.

"I'm not mad at you," he felt the need to tell her. She blamed herself for so much already.

"I'm mad at me."

"Please don't be. I just want to make sure that when you're sure… you're sure."

"This is the most intense relationship of any kind that I've ever been in. I don't want to fuck this up."

Mulder chuckled softly to himself, kissing her forehead. It gave him hope to hear her speak like that.

"Me either. That's why I'm going to go now, okay?"

"Okay."

"I had a great night."

"Thank you, it was one of the best gifts I've ever gotten."

"Anything for you, partner," Mulder elicited a smile from her. After he showed himself out though, Scully's smile quickly turned to a frown and she immediately ran to her bedroom, frustrated and humiliated.