DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT
It had been a few months since Scully's pregnancy was found out and she returned from New York. They were settling into their new life together, but hadn't made the final step to share each other's living space. Mulder stayed at her apartment most of the week, and his things had slowly migrated to her place. It wasn't that they didn't want to live together, neither of them had made the move to mention it.
"Hey Scully, have you seen my wallet anywhere?" Mulder asked as he was searching through the living room.
"Did you check the kitchen counter? That's where I found it the last 10 times." She said teasing. She smiled at the small morning routines they had inhabited.
"You're a genius, Scully. Did I ever tell you that?" He said as he enclosed on her and gathered her in his arms. He leered at her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Mm, I might have heard it once or twice before, but a daily reminder would be nice." She said leaning into his embrace. He could feel the small swell of her growing stomach resting between them. He reached under her coat, and rested his hands on the sides of her hips. She smiled at the gesture.
"Beauty and brains, I'm starting to think I really scored here." He said with a grin.
"Well, you are getting the better deal in this relationship." She said with a sly smirk. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her on the lips.
"I figured I should probably make sure nothing else has died in my fridge, so I was going to just head over to my apartment tonight after all my work meetings. I'll see you tomorrow?" He said cautiously. He loved spending a majority of his time at Scully's, but didn't want her to feel too crowded.
"Oh, sure, fine. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." She said in a small voice. She didn't mind him being in her space, and knew it would feel weird with him missing, even if it was just for one night. She just smiled and finished gathering her things to head to work.
They walked out to their cars together, and embraced for a lingering goodbye. She looked up and smiled at him, and knew that even just one night was going to feel like forever. He smiled down at her with a loving gleam in his eyes and gave her one last parting kiss.
QUANTICO, VA
When she arrived to work, she found a package sitting on her desk. She curiously made her way to pick it up, and smiled when she opened it. It was the advance author's copy of Mulder's book, and she had been begging him to read it. She flipped open the first page, and read the inscription with a full grin on her face.
Scully,
I hope these written words help you understand what I cannot speak.
Love,
Mulder
She smiled and flipped to the page with the dedication. She chuckled at another cheesy pathology joke staring back at her, and shook her head. She didn't hear Davis make his way into her office.
"You know, I've known the guy 6 years and I've only gotten so much as a cheap beer every once in a while. I'm still waiting on my entire book series dedication." He said teasing as he strolled into the small room. She smiled at his entrance, enjoying their newly established friendship.
"I wish I could tell you my secrets, but I honestly don't even know how it happened. One day I was hunting down the stalker hiding in the back of my class, and the next thing I know, I'm engaged and pregnant." She said with a small smile. She paused when she saw Davis' full grin and amused look on his face, and realized what she said. They hadn't told anyone about her pregnancy yet, not even her family.
"Well, I guess that's the secret then. I was never going to win this battle, clearly." He said with a smirk on his face. "Congratulations, to you both."
"Thank you." She said as she bit her lip. "I, uh, we haven't exactly told anyone yet, it's still new for us. I -" She stammered out anxiously.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, but I can't promise that I won't harass Mulder about being officially whipped, before extending my congrats, of course." He said with a chuckle.
"Oh, of course." She said with a small grin.
"Well, I'll leave you to your lesson plans. Let me know if you need anything, congrats again." He said before he made his exit. She smiled to herself, reveling in this life that she would have never imagined for herself only a few short months ago.
She had made it through her first class, fighting back some lingering morning sickness. She had a relatively long break between classes today, so she made her way to one of her favorite cafes for lunch, hoping soup would settle her stomach. As she was strolling through town, enjoying the day, she stopped in her tracks at the sight before her. From far away, she could see Valentina walking on the opposite side of the street. She knew she was probably out of her eyeshot, and didn't feel it was appropriate to say hello. As she approached closer, it wasn't the sight of the other woman that caused Scully to stop, it was the small child that she was walking with, holding her hand. Scully estimated that he was about 7 or 8 years old, and she instantly paled at the math that she did in her head, based on what Mulder had told her about their relationship. Lunch forgotten, and she needed to have a more definitive answer.
She crossed the street, behind where they were walking, so she was close enough to hear them, but far enough away to not be noticed. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard the small boy call her 'mama.' She quickly diverted in the opposite direction, and made her way back to work, she needed to be alone.
She sat at her office desk, completely in a daze. She wanted to believe that she was overreacting, but she knew what she saw and heard. She was instantly angry that Mulder never mentioned it to her, but then the thought that he didn't know took over her mind. There were so many emotions running through her, and she knew none of them would be put at ease until she talked to Mulder. This conversation was definitely needed to be discussed in person, that much she knew. She remembered that he wouldn't be coming to her apartment tonight, but couldn't wait. After finishing her plans for her last class, she made her way to the lecture hall, masking her nerves about today's discoveries.
FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT
He had a day full of meetings at his publisher's office, and was exhausted. He was already missing Scully, since he hadn't talked to her today, and wasn't going to be seeing her until some time tomorrow. He sluggishly made his way up to his apartment, and was startled as soon as he walked through the door.
"Scully?" He asked quizzically as he entered. He would have made a joke, if it wasn't for the panicked look on her face.
"Hey, sorry for just showing up. I was going to call, but uh, I thought this was best to discuss in person." She said sitting on his couch, not making eye contact. He immediately began to worry, and slowly approached her.
"What's wrong?" He asked in a hushed voice. He settled next to her, maintaining a distance.
"Mulder, I -" She paused, letting out a heavy breath. "While I was at lunch today, I saw Valentina. I, uh, didn't stop her to say hi or anything, but she...she was with someone. A child, a small boy. He looked like he was about 7 or 8, and I don't know." She said, fighting back her emotions. She still hadn't looked at him, but immediately felt him stiffen at her words. She licked her lips nervously, unsure about how to move on from here.
"You, uh, you're positive?" He finally spoke.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. By your surprise, I'm assuming you didn't know..."
"No, of course not. Scully, if I would have known even anything about it, I would have told you. I don't want you to think I was keeping anything from you, ever." He said, reaching from her hand.
"I think you need to talk to her Mulder. At least find out some answers. I, could it be possible that her child is yours?"
"I don't know. I mean, we were together for almost 2 years, and she left so abruptly. I didn't talk to her until that afternoon when we saw her in the restaurant. I just, don't know what to think about it." He said in a small voice.
Both of them were completely lost in their thoughts, not knowing what to do about the newest developments. Scully knew she was being foolish, feeling this upset about something not even Mulder could control. She knew this was going to be hard to tell him, but never imagined what the truth could actually cause.
"Thank you, for telling me. I know this must have been hard for you." He said, interlocking their fingers.
"It's been eating at me all day, and I knew I should tell you in person." She said, gripping onto his hand tighter. "Plus, I missed you."
"You - you're not mad?" He asked incredulously. He couldn't read her, going into this, and was worried that these new revelations would create a problem for them.
"No, upset, maybe. More so for you, for us. If, uh, if he is yours, I know there will be some adjustments, but I hope you know I'm not going anywhere." She said with a small smile, bumping his shoulder with hers. "Especially tonight, I'm exhausted, and I don't plan on leaving." She said with a teasing smile.
"Good, because I probably would have snuck into your bed at some point in the middle of the night." He said, bantering back. They had hardly spent any time apart since finding out about the baby.
"Well, it would have been more than welcome."
"You know, Scully...we could make that, uh, a permanent thing."
"I thought that's what this ring on my finger implied?" She said teasing him.
"Psh, that's just for show." He said teasing back. "But, uh, I am serious. I've been thinking about it, and I think we should start looking into places, for us."
"I've been waiting for you to ask." She said with a small smirk. "I've gotten used to you sharing my bed, I figured you'd just slowly migrate to my place."
"That was the original plan, but I thought I'd take the classy route." He said teasingly.
"You should probably always stick to plan b from now on, Mulder." She said with a small chuckle. She let out a long sigh as she glanced down at their intertwined hands. "Before we do anything, I think you need to talk to Valentina, sort that out." She said in a small whisper.
"I know, and I will. I'll stop by the restaurant tomorrow, and see what I can find out. I promise, nothing I find out will change anything with us." He said, pulling her into his lap.
"Good, because I don't plan to give this up without a fight. Did, uh, do you want me to go with you?" She asked cautiously.
"As much as I would love you by my side, I think I need to approach this alone, for now. I will call you as soon as I'm done talking to her, I promise." He said planting a passionate kiss on her lips. She melted into his embrace, and turned so that she was facing him fully. She was straddling his lap, and their kiss deepened as she placed her hands on the back of his neck. He pulled her forward by her hips, and she gasped at the contact of his erection.
"I love you." He whispered into her mouth. She smiled at him, and leaned down to kiss him again, sealing their emotions. She knew they were going to be facing a new challenge, but she had reassurance that whatever the outcome, they were going to make it out together.
ITALIAN RESTAURANT
After spending his evening with Scully wrapped in his arms, Mulder knew he needed answers sooner, rather than later. He didn't want to waste any more time not knowing the truth, and needed to erase any apprehensions that clouded his current relationship. He made his way to the Italian restaurant to speak with Valentina. He wasn't positive on how to approach this situation, but knew he would be able to hopefully coax it out of her.
"Fox? What are you doing here?" Valentina asked as she was nearing him sitting at a table.
"Hey, I just came back to talk, I wasn't completely satisfied with how we left things last time." He said carefully.
"What more is there to talk about?" She said bitterly. He winced at the tone in her voice. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, and his original rejection was adding fuel to the fire.
"I just - I want to know what happened, why you left, why you came back?" He said, feigning hurt by her past actions.
"You knew why I left, I wasn't ready for that commitment, I was scared. I came back because..." She paused, letting out a heavy sigh. "I had some personal things that just weren't working there anymore. I needed my family, for support, so I came back."
"Would it have anything to do with the child you were walking with yesterday?" He asked accusingly.
"How did - how did you know about him?"
"I didn't, until yesterday. Valentina, I just have to know, I mean, his age, is he...?" He stammered. He couldn't form the words that were bouncing sporadically through his head. He needed answers, but wasn't sure if he could face them.
"No...as much as I would like to think so, no. I met a guy as soon as I got to Italy, and he reminded me of you. I fell hard into a whirlwind facade of a romance, and we had Antonio. Things turned ugly after a while, and I needed to get away, I needed to get us both away." She said in a small voice. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, and covered her hand with his for support.
"I just needed to know, I didn't mean to cause you anymore pain."
"I understand, I would want to know, too. Are you, uh, still with...?"
"Yeah, we are engaged. I'm, we're really happy." He said with a grin on his face.
"I'm happy for you, I am. I'm just sorry that I was so foolish and selfish back then. I'm glad we got to talk again." She said as she began to stand from the table. She nodded and smiled before escaping to the back.
Mulder felt a giant relief had washed away, and he couldn't wait to tell Scully. He smiled to himself, and ordered a slice of the chocolate cake to go from the restaurant, and made his way to visit her at work.
QUANTICO, VA
Scully had a full schedule today, and she was already exhausted by lunch time. She knew Mulder was planning to talk to Valentina today and couldn't shake the nervousness flowing through her. Her first two classes had passed by quickly, and she still hadn't heard from him by lunch.
"Mulder."
"Hey, it's me. I was just checking in. I, uh, hadn't heard from you." She said anxiously. He smiled at the sound of her voice, knowing she would have called eventually. He was already walking towards her office, chocolate cake in tow.
"Sorry the day just got away from me. I'm actually in the middle of doing something with great importance to me, mind if I call you back?" He said mysteriously. He knew he wasn't playing a fair game, and he hoped she wouldn't let her mind wander too much in his 2 minute walk to her office.
"Oh, uh, sure. I'll probably be in class, I'm just on lunch right now. I'll, uh, yeah just call me." She stammered out. He picked up the pace at the worried tone in her voice, not wanting her to jump to any conclusions that weren't valid. She disconnected the call, just as he was approaching her office. He peered inside the sliver of the open door.
He saw her put her phone on her desk, and close her eyes, covering her face with her hands. She leaned back in her chair, and rested her hands on her small bump for comfort. He loved watching her in these candid moments, it's what made him fall in love with her in the first place.
"Uh, Professor Scully, I have some more questions about that personal assignment." He said as he knocked on her door and entered slowly. She was startled to see him there, but began to smile at his arrival.
"More anatomy lessons?" She said as her eyebrow began to raise and a smirk appeared on her face.
"Well, if you insist." He leered at her before stepping towards her, and leaning down for a kiss. She just smiled and shook her head at him in amusement.
"What are you doing here? I thought you said you were in the middle of something." She asked, eyeing the box in his hand.
"I am. Bringing my pregnant fiance a piece of heavenly chocolate cake is of great importance to me." He said with a sly smirk. Her eyes gleamed, and he chuckled at her excitement.
"Is this because you feel the need to soften a blow?" She asked cautiously as she took her first bite.
"There is no blow to soften. We talked, she told me she met some guy as soon as she got to Italy, and he reminded her of me, minus the unique charm, of course."
"Oh, of course." She said sarcastically. She relaxed from hearing the news, knowing that this problem was washing away, and they could now fully move forward together.
"That's all there is to it." He said with a shrug. "You know, if I had to soften a blow, I would have brought something shiny. I'm almost hurt by your lack of faith in me."
"I'll make sure to remember that for next time." She said with a sly smirk growing on her face. "So you came down here just to bring me chocolate cake?"
"Well, I may have had some ulterior motives." He said scratching his chin. "I, uh, also talked with my family's realtor before coming here. There's a house, in this area, that we can look at after you're done with work. If you still want to..." His voice drifted off.
"You've had an eventful day, haven't you?" She said jokingly. "I'd love to. I'll be done around 4 today, if that's not too late?"
"That's perfect, I'm sure I can find something to get myself into trouble with for the next few hours." He said excitedly.
"Don't make me call Davis." She said stoically, causing him to chuckle.
"I thought I heard my name, is this man harassing you? I can call security." Davis said, entering the room. "You know, there's been reports of a strange man lurking around your classroom. Funny, matches his description perfectly." He said teasingly.
"Ha ha, Davis. Always the charmer." Mulder said, greeting his old friend.
"Unfortunately he'll be harassing me for the rest of my life, I suppose I have you to thank for that." She said sarcastically, getting ready to leave for her next class. "I'm off to my lecture, please, at least attempt to stay out of trouble." She said before kissing Mulder and making her exit. The two men just chuckled and shook their heads.
After Scully's last two lectures, she was ready to head home. She completely forgot about the house, and internally groaned at the thought of having to stay on her feet. Mulder made his way back to her office just as she was packing things up.
"You ready to go?" He said too cheerfully for her.
"Yeah, just finishing some stuff up." She said distractedly. He immediately began to worry that he was pushing her to do too much too soon, and needed to reassure her.
"Scully, we can save this for another day. I don't want to rush you if you're not ready for, this. Let me just call my realtor, and I can take you home." He said quickly.
"No, Mulder...I want this, I do. I don't want you to doubt that. I'm just exhausted, I'm sorry." She said, settling herself into his arms, and holding him at the waist. She looked up into his eyes, and could see the apprehensions about her words. She let one hand snake to the back of his head, and pulled it down towards her, melding their lips together. When they finally separated, he smiled down at her, grabbing her hand to lead them to the car.
They arrived at the nice, quiet neighborhood, and she looked around at the houses. They all were nicely built, and stunning in their own way. She instantly loved the area, and was excited to see what house Mulder had found. They pulled up in the driveway of a modest two story house. There was a brick walkway, and a wrap-around porch on the front with a swing seat, and small plants perched on the railing. She was instantly captivated by just the house's outside appearance, and couldn't wait to see inside. He led her to the front door, and smiled nervously at her before opening it and making their entrance.
Scully glanced around, and immediately was captivated by the place. There was a large living room, and a well equipped kitchen. There was also a small den off to the other side of the entryway that looked like it was set up for an office. She walked in further, and gleamed at gorgeous backyard. She just stood in the back doorway, taking in the scenery, and he approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her.
"Do you like it so far?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"I do, Mulder this house is amazing, and it's huge. I haven't even made it upstairs yet, and I can tell you this is way too much." She said in amazement of her surroundings.
"But in a perfect world, if you could have this house, would you want it?"
"Yes, I suppose if I'm going for extreme possibilities here." She said teasingly.
"Good, keep that thought process while I show you upstairs." He said mischievously as he led her to the master bedroom. She gasped at the size of the room, and the balcony that protruded from the bedroom sliding glass door. Her excitement overtook her, and she began to search the rest of the rooms in the house. She smiled at all of the four bedrooms, and finally made her way back to Mulder, who was leaning against the railing at the top of the stairs.
"This place is amazing." She said, eyes gleaming.
"I'm glad you like it. It's, uh, already been sold." He said in a small voice. She looked at him confused, wondering why he would bring her to a house that wasn't even on the market. She loved this house, but knew it was way out of any price bracket that she would even consider looking in. He caught on to her quizzical look, and flashed her a smug grin. He pulled out a small box, with a tiny bow on top, and handed it to her.
"Open it." He said in a whisper. She furrowed her brow further, completely confused about everything, and shakily opened the box.
"Mulder...is this...?" She began to say, realization hitting her as she stared at the shiny silver key. She fought back the tears in her eyes, and glanced up at him again.
"I hope you're not mad, I came to look at this house right after I got back from visiting you that weekend in New York. It just felt right, so I bought it. We're only here today to finalize everything, and add your name and signatures. I didn't mean to just assume anything, I just loved this house, and hoped you would, too. I don't know, I guess grand gestures are kind of my thing, and I-" His stammering was cut off by her lips, and his anxiety quickly dissipated. He engulfed her in his arms, and deepened their embrace.
She had never had anyone make such an effort to ensure her happiness in life. She always found herself in relationships with rather controlling men, and Mulder was the complete opposite. Sure, he controlled situations, and made leaps, but never without her as his first thought. She reluctantly separated from him, and just gazed into his warm eyes. She couldn't remember why she ever had any doubts about their relationship in the beginning, or how fast it was moving. She knew this was right.
"Thank you." She whispered into his agape mouth, her own lips lingering in front of his.
"You're not mad?" He said, trying to mask the worry in his voice.
"No, it's perfect. I can't believe you just, bought a house." She said, composing herself again and taking in her surroundings.
"I, uh, know we haven't really talked about certain things, like, money..." He started to say cautiously. She froze at his words, realizing that they've never had these kind of conversations with everything moving so fast. "But, Scully, we can have pretty much anything we want. I don't ever want you to worry about that. I've made a good living, with my books, and some family money."
"I would say I question your taste by judging your apartment then, but this house definitely makes up for that." She said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood of the conversation. He just chuckled in response.
"Yeah, that was where I wrote my first book, so it just kind of stuck with me. It became like a weird superstition for me to keep writing there." He said with a shrug.
"So, what are you going to do without your writing sanctuary?"
"Well, I planned to just move my couch and coffee table to the downstairs den, and make that my office. My man cave." He said, pretending to puff out his chest. She just smiled at his antics, and shook her head.
"Fair enough. Mulder, I still can't believe this is our house." She said, still amazed by what he had done for her. She could sense him getting nervous, avoiding another conversation. "Something else you want to tell me?"
"Uh, well, this isn't the only house I own. The house on Martha's Vineyard, that used to be my parent's, but when they divorced, I inherited it." He said avoiding her eyes. She let the new information mull over in her head, not having any idea what she had gotten herself into.
"Why didn't you tell me when we were there?" She said in disbelief.
"I don't know, I just didn't want you to judge me based on the money I had. Believe it or not, there was a time where I dressed a little nicer than this to go out and try to get women. They could instantly sense how much money I had by small things like my watch, my suit jacket, or my shoes. They were savages, and I changed things up, lived a simpler lifestyle. I fell into the shadows, just going about my own business. I felt taken advantage of too many times in my life, so I promised myself that if I was serious about someone, they would love me for me. Call me a hopeless romantic, or maybe it's a sob story, but that's how it is." He said with a small shrug. She didn't know a lot about his past, but knew he needed to occasionally be reassured of how much she cared, just to ease his mind that she wasn't going anywhere.
"I just took the easy route and got knocked up to ensure my stay here." She said with a small smirk on her face. He finally looked up and grinned back at her, reveling in how well they just worked together.
"Yeah, but that's going to get really awkward when I find my next muse and move her in here, too." He teased, pulling her back into his arms by her coat.
"Unless that next 'her' is a dog, you might want to rethink that." She said as her eyebrow began to rise, the smirk never leaving her face.
"Yes, dear." He teased, leaning down to kiss her nose. She froze as a thought passed through her mind, and he immediately could sense it. "What's wrong?"
"I, uh, was just thinking, with these newfound revelations, I-" She stammered.
"Don't make me guess, Scully." He said gently, urging her to go on.
"I want to get married at the house in the Vineyard. If that's okay...just close friends and family, keep it simple and intimate." She said in a hushed voice.
He smiled down at her hopeful face, and just leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. She melted into his touch, and he pulled her tighter into his embrace, securing their shared sentiments.
They were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening, and had to compose themselves. He smiled and pecked her on the lips again, taking her hand and leading her downstairs.
"Mulder! I was just going to go searching for you. I have all the papers, and I'm running late already, so I need to make this quick." Anita said distractedly.
"Sure. Anita, this is Dana." He said making the introductions. She wasn't used to hearing him call by her first name, and it caught her slightly off guard. She smiled warmly and shook the elderly woman's hand. She was older, but had a certain vanity radiating from her.
"So you're the one who has Fox here wrapped around his little finger? I've known this man nearly his entire life, and I've never seen him this lovesick. It's quite amusing." She said, teasing Mulder. He winced at her words, and shook his head.
"Well that's enough introductions for today, you said you were in a hurry, wouldn't want to hold you behind any further." He said smoothly. Scully smiled at the interaction, and loved seeing a glimpse into his past.
They quickly signed the papers, and Anita rushed off to her next meeting. Scully needed a minute to let everything from today settle in her mind, and made an escape to the balcony attached to the master bedroom. He gave her some time before joining her and sneaking up from behind, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame.
"So when are we making our way to the Vineyard again?" He asked as she smiled.
"I was actually thinking pretty soon. I figured we could, uh, make the baby announcement at the wedding." She said quietly.
"Trying to avoid a few good ol' Scully interrogations I see?" He said teasing her.
"Something like that. I just figured it would be easiest that way, but we would need to do it before it's just obvious." She said settling her hands on her stomach. He closed his hands over hers, and the both smiled, relaxing into their stance.
"Just tell me when, and I'll make it happen." He whispered in her ear. She fought back tears, and turned to look at him. She could see the love and devotion shining through his eyes, and a small tear escaped.
"Thank you, I don't know what I did to deserve you." She said in a voice barely audible even to herself.
"Scully, I really am getting the better deal here." He said with a smile. He leaned down to kiss her, fastening their newest conquest. Neither of them had ever imagined they'd be in this moment, but they wouldn't dare to imagine being anywhere else.
"Let's go plan a wedding then." He said, wagging his eyebrows at her. She let out an amused chuckle, and the smile remained on her face, knowing she made the right choice.