A/N: I admit it. I don't know why Mulder left. I am going to say it was for some of the same reasons he left in the series and maybe some "I'm going to stop colonization" and maybe to protect his family. I thought they were pretty vague in the series and I am going to be vague here. The main issue in this story is not that he left, but that they never heard from him again and they had to create a life without him. Thanks to all who reviewed and pointed out my lapse in explanation. I hope this chapter clears up some stuff! Oh, and about the name... let's just say his name is William Joshua, but they call him Joshua to avoid confusion in the parade of many, many Williams that they know. Anyone read "Too Many Daves" by the great Dr. Seuss? Hello. Yes, I did want this chapter to be a little awkward.

I wrote this just now without a beta (because i am a maverick like that) so let me know of any errors. I will most likely be too busy to fix them, but it's the thought that counts ;)

Scully just stared at Mulder, trying to figure out what to do. This was the man that promised to be back soon. This was the man she defended to her family, to her friends, even to her kids. The man who had made her rearrange her life so he could be in it, and then out of it, and now it seemed, in it again. Protector. Endangerer. He had once said that they were like yin and yang, but it turned out that he fulfilled both roles himself.

"Mom," Joshua said finally. "Is it dad?"

"Yeah," she whispered, not looking away from Mulder's face.

"Are you sure? What if he's that guy that pretended to be dad to trick you?"

She broke the gaze and looked down at Joshua.

"It's your dad, buddy."

"Eddie VanBlundht?" Mulder asked.

"I have to tell them some kind of bedtime story," she replied, shrugging.

They were quiet again.

"Mommy, can he come inside?" Hannah asked suddenly.

Scully looked flustered for a moment before nodding her head and stepping out of the way to let Mulder in.

The four just looked at each other once the door closed.

"Kids, can you go in the other room for a little bit?"

"But mom-"

"Now, please Joshua."

He knew that tone of voice, and he wordlessly took Hannah's hand and they disappeared into the playroom.

"Turn around." Scully commanded stiffly.

"Scully-"

"Do it."

He obeyed and she reached her hand up to check the back of his neck. His skin was warm to her touch, and she was immediately taken back almost 16 years to the case in Alaska. She felt like she knew him as well know as she did then. An almost stranger.

"Should I even be checking here, or are they hiding the evidence somewhere else?"

"Scully, it's me."

"Tell me the safe words."

He sighed as he turned back around.

"Athens, blueberries, Convertible, dioxide, elephantine."

"What's my shoe size?"

"Seven."

"What sport do I love?"

"Golf. Sometimes baseball."

"What's our best compromise?"

"Chocolate covered sunflower seeds."

"When is Skinner's birthday?"

He was quiet for a moment, his brow knitting in confusion.

"I don't know that."

"You never knew that," she whispered, looking down at the ground. "What's the next thing I'm going to do?"

"Take my blood and run some tests."

"What are you doing here?"

"It's safe now. It's no longer necessary that I'm away from you. So I came home."

She sat down on the couch, her head in her hands.

"You were supposed to come home a long time ago! You told me you'd be back soon. And I waited for you for a long time. And there was no phone call, no e-mail, not even a 2 word text message to tell me that you were still alive. Hannah got appendicitis last year and the Gunmen tried to get to you in every way imaginable, and we never heard anything. People told me you were probably dead. I didn't believe them of course, but it could have been true. You cut us completely out of your life. We didn't know what to do. We had to continue our life without you. And now, here you are again. I don't know what to think. I don't know what to say. What am I supposed to tell the kids?"

"Scully, I don't know."

She sighed and let the tears run down her face.

"Are you here for good?"

"There's no reason for me to leave."

"Really?"

"You're going to have to trust me on this, Scully."

"You can't leave again. I will not watch my children suffer through that. I love you, but if you hurt them, I will kill you. And I'm not exaggerating here. If there is even the slightest chance that you'll ever leave, do it now. I am not letting them get attached to someone who's going to hurt them."

"Scully," he started, capturing her gaze with his. "I'm not leaving. I am here with you for good."

"Promise me. You've never broken a true promise, never. I need you to promise me right now that you aren't going to leave."

"I promise you."

"Because we're not just some hobby of yours that you can take off the shelf when you get tired of your toys. You could do that when it was just me, but there are kids in there who have been without their father, and as mad at you as they may be, they need you. We're your family and we have to be your top priority. You managed it for four years last time. Can you do it again?"

"Scully, you have my word and my promise. I'm here."

She nodded.

"Okay."

"I'm sorry I vanished. I didn't think I would be gone so long. I didn't contact you because it wasn't safe. I wanted to do the best thing for you and maybe I wasn't so good at deciding what that was, but I won't ever have to make that decision again."

"Mom?" Joshua questioned from the other room. "Can we please come out now?"

She didn't answer.

"Scully, I haven't seen them in such a long time."

"Okay come on out here, guys."

Hannah stayed behind her brother until he sat down on the couch next to Scully. She then climbed into her mothers lap and regarded her father thoughtfully.

"Mom cries, you know," Joshua said finally. "Every night after she thinks I'm asleep, I can hear her crying in her room. It's because of you."

Mulder couldn't formulate a response.

"You can't make her cry ever again. That's the rule if you want to live here."

He had to have been listening to their conversation to be able to draw up such an ultimatum.

"Joshua, I'll do my best."

He nodded, satisfied for the time being. He didn't remember much of his life with his father, but he did recall enough to know that his dad being home wouldn't be bad.

"Mom said that we're not allowed to hate you. She said your job is kind of like Uncle Bill's only more dangerous, and that's why you couldn't talk to us. She said you still love us a lot even though you weren't here. Is that true?"

"It's true."

"I'm still mad at you but I don't hate you."

"That's a start. Anything else you need to ask me?"

"Not right now. But I'm watching you."

Scully almost giggled at the stern expression on her son's face. Sometimes he acted like he was in his 30's.

"Hannah, is there anything you want to ask me?"

"No," she whispered, looking away from him.

"Mulder, I want to take you to the bureau to run those tests. We'll drop the kids off at John and Monica's and we'll meet Skinner there."

"We get to go to Auntie Monica's?" Hannah asked, her face lighting up. "Can we go swimming?"

Scully nodded. It didn't take long for Hannah's mind to switch gears- a trait she undoubtedly got from her father. She stood from the couch and picked up the phone, heading for the kitchen.

"I'll be right back."

Mulder didn't say anything for a while, but he finally looked over at his two kids and the words tumbled out.

"You guys, I'm really sorry for what I did. I know it made you feel like I didn't care about you. I never wanted to hurt you, and I will do everything I can so that we can be a family again. Is that okay?"

They nodded together.

"You don't have to worry about me leaving, because I'm not going to. You don't have to worry that I don't love you, because I do love you, with all my heart."

"Do you love momma too?"

"Yes, Hannah. I love your mommy very, very much."

Scully came back into the room and hung the phone up.

"Kids, go get your shoes, we'll leave in five minutes."

The kids dashed off to their bedrooms and Scully turned to Mulder.

"I want you to know that I'm not doing these tests to prove anything to myself. I know you're you. I just need for other people to know."

"I understand. Believe me."

She closed her eyes and smiled at the irony of the comment.

"Mommy, let's go!" Hannah shouted, taking Scully's hand. "I want to go swimming!"

"I'm going with you," John said as Scully said good-bye to the kids.

"John..."

"I don't want you to be alone with him until I know it's him. Humor me?"

She saw the determination in his eyes, the same determination she'd seen 8 years ago when they first met. When he promised to help her find Mulder.

"Alright, you can come. But one complaint about my driving..."

"Deal."

He kissed Monica and their four kids good-bye, then followed Scully out to the car.

"I have to sit in the back?"

"Yes."

He grunted his disapproval and slid into the back seat of the car anyway. Mulder turned around in the passenger seat to look at him.

"There's a lot I want to talk to you about, buddy," John said half threatening, half questioning. Mulder just nodded and faced front. Scully eyed the two for a brief second, then started the car and headed for the Hoover building. The entire ride was silent.

Skinner was waiting for them, and he and Doggett flanked Mulder on either side, as if leading him to a prison cell. Scully walked behind them at a slight distance, watching the way Mulder walked. He had a very telling gait, one that couldn't be imitated. She smiled as it was confirmed once again that she wasn't being duped.

Mulder's home.