Author's note:
This sweet nugget of a story was inspired by a photo of DD on Twitter.
Co-authored by @incidental (on ao3) Just two friends writing and obsessing about MSR.
This is what should have happened!
Happy reading!
M and K
The first night home was the hardest. After missing the birth itself, Mulder had promised not to miss a second more, meaning he had not slept properly, horizontally, in almost 72 hours, snagging only upright naps in half-hour increments. The rest of the time he split between staring rapturously at the tiny baby they had made and hovering over Scully, attempting to channel his stint as a mind-reader and anticipate her every need.
Now they were home, and unlike his parents, William was sleeping soundly. Soft snores escaped from his bassinet next to Scully's side of the bed. Scully herself was fighting sleep, but Mulder was being insistent, smoothing the blankets over her like a child. She frowned up at him, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.
"Scully, you need your rest; he needs you to rest," Mulder said, pointing to the perfect human with ten toes and ten fingers sleeping soundly within arm's reach of her.
"I know Mulder; I'm just..." She pressed her lips together into a thin line, unable to articulate her fears. He curled up behind her, pulling her into his chest.
"I know," he said, and he did, truly. The traumatic circumstances in which she gave birth couldn't be undone, and he understood her anxiety. He felt his gut twist; he should have been there, standing in the doorway, protecting her. He couldn't change that, but he could be here now, and he would be.
"But I'm here, okay? Nothing's going to happen."
"Thank you," she sighed, and he felt her relax against his broad, solid chest. "Thank you for being here for William and me."
"There's no place I'd rather be." He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek.
What seemed like only moments later, a soft snore seeped out of Scully's mouth, and he chuckled quietly to himself. She could fall asleep anywhere, anytime, even without the fatigue of a newborn. A dewy smile adorned Mulder's face at the thought of her dozing off on their many car rides and stakeouts. She had napped in almost every state in the continental U.S. He loved that about her; he loved so many things about her.
And now he had one more thing—arguably the most important she'd ever entrusted him with. A piece of him was intertwined with her forever. He never would have dreamed he had this much love to give until Scully came along. And now to see this—the result of that love sleeping in front of them?
If he didn't think he was worthy to give or receive this love before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now, looking down at the little boy with her fiery hair and his pouty lips.
Never give up on a miracle, he had told her as she clung to his chest and he held her firmly in his arms, steadying her with a strength he wasn't even sure he believed in. And now this.
Mulder watched her as she slept. She was out. He slowly slid his left arm out from under her, causing her to stir briefly, but Scully, being Scully, quickly settled back into her slumbered state.
He quietly tiptoed around the bed 'until he stood over the baby's bassinet. He slowly and reverently kneeled and propped his forearms on the lip of the small bassinet. Resting his face on his hands, he watched William's tiny chest rise and fall, ensuring that oxygen was indeed circulating in his baby boy.
God—or whatever there was—willing, he would watch over him forever, a lifetime. He'd be more of a father to William than he'd ever experienced from his own dad.
Scully woke to William's cries of hunger. Slightly disoriented, she stumbled out of bed. Even though the sound of a crying baby was undoubtedly unfamiliar, her maternal instincts kicked in and she gravitated toward him.
Before she could reach in and grab the hungry William for his first nightly feeding, she almost tripped over Mulder, who was sound asleep at the foot of William's bassinet. Steadying herself on the nightstand, she smirked down at him, sprawled out on his back with his arms over his head. It made her chest ache, the overwhelming tenderness she felt towards this man, sleeping next to their child's– their child's –bassinet on the floor like a German Shepherd. Like he would growl at anything that came near his little family.
He probably would, she thought with a chuckle as she hoisted the tiny baby from his bed. At the sound of the small but hefty weight shifting from the bassinet to her arms, Mulder grunted and opened his eyes, equally disoriented, he looked up into her face and smiled, slowly lifting himself up into a sitting position.
"Thanks for keeping an eye out," Scully deadpanned as she leaned back against her pillows, watching the baby latch on and listening to the little snuffles and grunts of his feeding. Mulder groaned as he slowly pulled himself up to his feet, crawling onto the bed next to her and watching William with awe. Scully winced as William continued to nurse.
"Does it hurt?"
"A little, but it will get easier with time."
"Are you sure?" Mulder said with a worried look on his face. He continued, "Because if it doesn't get better, we can buy formula Scully; you don't have to be in pain."
"I know Mulder, and I love you for showing so much concern for me."
Everything the baby did was incredible to him. He'd never really been around any babies before—except, he supposed, Samantha, but he remembered very little of that period in their lives.
"Sorry, I almost caused you to trip," he said sheepishly, leaning over and kissing her cheek with contrition. He felt her smile.
"It's okay," she said in a whisper-hush tone, even though the baby was wide awake and staring up at her with those darkish, hazy-blue newborn eyes. It was just instinctual.
"You were serving as a barrier, anyway." She felt him chuckle as he curled up next to her, resting his chin on her shoulder.
His eyes were suddenly heavy again, and it was ironic that after almost forty years of insomnia, now that the baby was here, he could hardly stay awake.
When Mulder opened his eyes again, the room was dark and still. Only the sweet sounds of Scully and William's breathing shattered the silence. He rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock on the side table. It was six thirty. Any other day he'd be waking up for work, stumbling through his bedroom and into his bathroom, donning a suit and tie on his way to the basement office, where he and Scully would comb through files containing the next government conspiracy or an unexplained UFO sighting.
Not this morning. This morning, he had a new mission. A new quest.
He found his truth, and it was lying beside him. Mulder quietly slid out of bed and quickly dressed himself in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He wanted to leave and return before Scully or the little man woke.
The little man.
One day William would be a man, and unlike his father before him, Mulder would be there for his son every step of the way.
Once in the living room, Mulder put his sneakers on and grabbed the car keys hanging on the hook by the door. His apartment keys were on one of the hooks as well and his heart briefly ached at the thought of Scully keeping watch over his place while he was gone.
While he was dead.
They only briefly had time to discuss his absence. But he knew from the look on her face that it was excruciatingly hard for her. He could only imagine the pain she must have gone through. Overwhelming grief over his death overshadowed the miracle Scully had prayed for.
Mulder didn't believe in God. But if there was a God, he had a bone to pick with him. How could he give Scully all she ever wanted and take it away in an instant?
He would never leave her again.
The drive was short. The best coffee and donuts this side of the Potomac. The gunmen had turned Mulder and Scully onto the little gem of a coffee shop. The owner was a short, stocky man who had an undeniable crush on Scully.
Who didn't have a crush on Scully ? Mulder chuckled to himself out loud as he parallel parked. What made the thought humorous was how clueless Scully was about her many secret admirers. Frohike was an easy tell; he made it obvious, but others, not so much. But Mulder could pick it up instantly. Scully would casually brush it off when he would tell her. She was always so focused on one person.
He was the luckiest man alive.
The drive back was filled with anticipation. He couldn't wait to get back home. If this was the new normal, he was a willing participant. He wondered about the X-files. His life's work and obsession for such a long time, of course things would be different now. Things have to be different now. William was more important than any X-file.
He'd talk to Scully later, and they would sort everything out. For now, his biggest concern was whether Scully's coffee would be strong and hot enough for her. He wasn't worried about the donuts and bagels he picked up; he'd already enjoyed one on the car ride back to the apartment.
When he opened the front door, he could hear the shower running. He wasted no time getting the lap tray out of the kitchen cabinet and placing Scully's still-hot coffee, a jelly-filled donut (her favorite) and the small plush toy he picked up for William at the last minute on the tray.
He tiptoed into the bedroom and heard the shower stop. He placed the tray on the bed. Then he propped himself up against the headboard and waited patiently for Scully to come out of the bathroom.
Her hair was wrapped tightly in a towel when she stepped out of the bathroom and she had his Oxford sweatshirt on with a pair of cotton shorts. He loved it when she wore his sweatshirt. His thoughts briefly settled on Scully wearing his clothing for comfort when he was gone. His eyes watered at the thought of her wearing his clothing in order to maintain some sense of connection with him.
"Hey," she said in a hushed voice as she crawled back into bed. He smiled in response. The early morning sun had started to filter in through the bedroom window, creating a hazy glow. The aromas of fresh coffee, Scully's shampoo, and baby lotion flooded his senses.
Mulder closed his eyes. He wanted to remember everything about this moment, being careful not to leave out any detail. His mind cataloged what his body was experiencing.
He would never forget this day.
"Earth to Mulder," Scully said, rubbing his forearm. Her touch always had a way of grounding him. This morning was no different.
"Hey," he responded with a warm smile plastered across his face.
"Mulder, when did you have time to do this?" She said, picking up the warm cup of coffee in her hands and then taking a sip.
"And from our favorite spot," she said.
"I snuck out while you and William were sleeping."
"Thank you. This is perfect," she said.
"Oh, and I got something for William too." As if on cue, a tiny noise escaped the bassinet.
"Oh?" Scully questioned, readying herself for William's cries.
Mulder pointed to the small teddy on the tray. Scully smiled, picking up the plush bear and squeezing it.
"Mulder, it's adorable, and it's his first stuffed animal. And it's from his Daddy," she said proudly. Smiling from ear to ear.
Scully's eyes watered as she turned to him. She had the biggest, deepest, and bluest eyes he had ever known. Her eyes had bewitched him early on.
Seven years ago, to be exact. They were in the cemetery, standing in the rain. That's when he knew he would do anything in his power to protect her. She didn't know it then, but he did- he knew he was in love.
His thoughts must have caused his face to react to the memory and Scully placed her hand on his.
"Are you okay, Mulder?" She asked.
"Mmmm, yes. Sorry, I was just thinking of Oregon."
"Oregon? What about it?"
"Our night in the cemetery, the way you laughed It was adorable. You were adorable. It was the moment I knew you were it for me," he said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles gently.
Scully giggled. "Oh, really, you don't say?"
"What's so funny?" Mulder questioned. He took her hand in his and intertwined his fingers with hers.
"It's funny because I felt the same way. It was the moment I knew I would never love anyone more than I would love you." She continued, "It was the moment I knew there would never be anyone else.
It was, and would always be you, Fox Mulder."