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Heading back from his mom's a couple days later, Mulder groans as his phone rings. Grabbing the device, he presses the call button. After hanging up, Mulder asks,"Chloe, would you be able to spend the night at Amanda's? Scully and I have a case."
The teen shrugs adding, "We're all supposed to spend the night at Kyle's house anyway."
Quickly she adds, "Girls are staying in the living room, boys are in Kyle's room."
Knowing he has no choice, Mulder relents. That night he is pretty sure he finds a gray hair in the shower. Whether from his daughter or his job, he is unsure. Reluctantly, Mulder goes to his home phone and calls Scully telling her to meet him in the morning at his apartment. She comes as promised and quickly leaves the apartment with the Mulders.
"Have a great New Year's Party!" Mulder tells his daughter as he lets her out at William and Katherine's home.
"Will! Love you both! Bye!" Chloe replies before hopping out of the car and up the steps.
"We could have gone in and said hi," Scully remarks as Mulder puts the car in drive. Shaking his head, Mulder answers, "We'd run late and you know it."
With a sigh, Scully agrees. She and Katherine can talk for ours.
"So this case?" The red head prompts getting in work mode.
By the end of the night, neither Mulder nor Scully is thrilled to be stuck on their current case, and after watching the ball drop on Times Square on the hospital television, the pair kisses sweetly happy to have no one else around and they can be just any couple. Breaking apart, Mulder remarks, "'The world didn't end.'"
"'No, it didn't'," Scully replies as she begins to think of what the new year can bring them. Noticing her far away look, Mulder almost feels bad as he states, "'Happy New Year, Scully.'"
"'Happy New Year, Mulder'," She responds before Mulder puts his arm around her leads her out of the waiting room.
Walking out of the hospital, Mulder and Scully do not break apart until they reach the car. Realizing his keys are in the pocket his sling is on, Mulder asks Scully, "Do you mind?"
Scully shakes her head knowing she will be driving home that night. Placing the key in the ignition, Scully asks, "Do you just want to get a motel room?"
Mulder shakes his head answering, "I'd rather go home to Chloe."
His girlfriend nods in understanding before heading off. Entering the apartment closer to dawn, the adults drag themselves to bed.
A few days later, Chloe kisses her father and Scully good- bye before heading off to school.
"Hey, where are you going in a hurry?" Mulder teases a little confused why his high schooler is happily heading out the door. Sipping, her tea, Scully shakes her head.
"Leave her alone, Mulder. Obviously she and Anna have things to talk about."
"You saw her three days ago," Mulder remarks as both his daughter and Scully roll their eyes. Quickly, Chloe tells them she loves them before heading out the door. Walking with Anna and Adam to the car, the teen asks, "Is you mom not driving us?" Anna shakes her head answering, "No. Ben is sick, so Mom took the day off."
Chloe nods in comprehension as she forcefully opens the back car door that is thick with frost and bits of ice.
Watching Adam's car leave the complex, Mulder exhales knowing his daughter is off to school okay.
"You'll be doing that with our kid won't you?" Scully asks as she comes up behind him.
"I do that with everyone I care about," He remarks as the couple shares a small smile. As they get ready for work, the partners display their affection a little more openly, if not to assuage the tension of Scully's doctor's appointment. Both is aware there is a chance that the IVF will not work, but for once both agents are optimistic. Not spending too much time on work that day, the pair is startled when they get a phone call in their office. Mulder answers as Scully begins to index the case file she leaves open fifteen minutes ago. Her appointment is in an hour and a half giving them enough time to leave The Bureau and arrive on time for the appointment. Just as she crosses to grab her coat, the red head hears her partner tentatively call her name.
"Scully, I can't go with you," Mulder explains. He can see her face drop, and has to add, "Skinner wants to have a meeting with me in his office before I leave today. He said it can't be postponed."
"Okay," Scully emotionlessly replies too hurt to even lash out at him. It is not even his fault. They just decide not to tell Skinner about their personal lives anymore. Especially once they start dating and their IVF treatments.
"Do you know what about?" She asks evenly.
"He said it's my performance review."
"I had mine last week," Scully begins but finishes the last part in her head realizing Mulder's review is near hers anyway. Hiding tears, Scully grabs her purse.
"You know I'd come if Kersh wasn't going to be in there, too? I'll meet you back at your apartment."
"Yeah," Scully answers knowing he is right, but also wanting to be selfish just for once. Then she remembers he is on thin ice anyway after his near death experience over the summer. He gives her a kiss for luck and they ride the elevator together until Mulder gets off.
Numb, Scully enters her apartment a couple hours later to find Mulder lying on her couch.
Hearing the door unlock and open, Mulder sits up from the couch asking, "'Scully? I must have dozed off. I was waiting for you to get back.'"
Noticing his girlfriend's grave expression, the agent asks, "'It didn't take, did it?'"
Knowing he is right, she decides not to correct him. After a moment, she replies, "'I guess it was too much to hope for.'"
Standing up, Mulder holds out his arms to embrace his girlfriend. Engulfed in Mulder's arms, the red head finally lets her tears fall. Once she is able to, she croaks, "'It was my last chance.'"
Holding Scully tightly, Mulder tries not to let his tears fall either. His hopes are dashed just as hers are, but he knows he needs to carry the strength in the relationship. Letting go slightly, Mulder kisses Scully on the forehead and lets their foreheads touch.
"'Never give up on a miracle'," He whispers. Scully smiles a sadly before leaning her head back on her partner's chest. They sit on her couch with Mulder holding her and stroking her back. Noticing Scully is asleep when her home phone rings, Mulder manages to get off the couch and grab the phone all while not waking her.
"Hello," He answers. Finding his daughter on the other end, Mulder asks her to come to Scully's for dinner. He looks over at his partner once he hangs up the phone. As quietly as possible, he rummages through cabinets before finding what to cook for dinner. Mulder decides to go with something slightly healthy, but still comforting. No one talks much that night, and Chloe heads to her room right after dinner.
"You can take time off if you want," Mulder tells Scully that night once Chloe is asleep. They are lying in her bed cuddled together. Scully declines the offer.
"No one else knows, Mulder."
He sighs knowing she is right, but wishes he can make her feel better. Part of him feels guilty for even suggesting the second round in the first place, but he decides not to say anything.
Over the next few days, Scully unconciously keeps her distance from her boyfriend and his daughter. She claims it is to have time alone, but really she does not want to face the pair's pity. One night as she comes home from an autopsy, Scully hears her fax line come through. Seeing the fax is from her partner, Scully picks up the case report from her fax machine and groans. Knowing she will get little sleep tonight, Scully reads over the case as she grabs her suitcase from her closet. Making her way to the hospital she needs to meet Mulder at a couple hours later, the red head curses the traffic. Finally, she ends up at St. Jude's Hospital in Virginia where she quickly freshens up her make- up before entering the hospital. Meeting up with Mulder, they examine the already autopsied body before heading toward the police station.
Entering the station, the agents are shown to interrogation. As they walk down the hall, a blonde bumps into Mulder. She smiles at him and he smiles back. Turning to see his girlfriend's face, Mulder defensively asks, "'What?'"
Scully decides to let the moment pass and not be irrationally upset like some girls she knows. Instead, she enters the interrogation room and realizes she and Mulder may be in over their heads.
The next day, Mulder and Scully find themselves in a high school.
"What were you like in high school?" Mulder questions as they stand in the hallway waiting for class to get out so they can talk to their witness. Scully gives her boyfriend a small, teasing smirk.
"Tease," He whispers where only she can hear as he stares down the empty hallway. Remembering his own high school experiences, the agent itches to leave. Thankfully the bell rings and they are able to talk to their witness. However, to their surprise the girl, Chastity, has a boyfriend who leads her away from the agents. Before the teen leave, the boyfriend looks over Scully.
"'You must have been a Betty, back in the day.'"
Affronted that a teenager will hit on her, both agents are silent while the teens walk away.
"'A Betty?'" Scully questions having no idea what the term means.
"'Back in the day?'" Mulder adds before he and Scully walk out of the high school. Still pondering the words the teens use, the agents stay mostly silent as they drive to the precinct. Parking the car, Mulder says, "I've got a fifteen year old, Scully."
"Yeah," Scully answers questioning her partner's words.
"I'm old," He states as he and his partner shut their doors.
Scully rolls her eyes answering, "You're not old, Mulder."
"I've got a daughter in highschool, Scully. In the next year or so, she's going to call me old. I'm old," The man insists as he and his partner walk inside the station. Rolling her eyes again, she decides to be as professional as she can in the midst of the case.
When the case finally ends, the agents make a plan to meet up at Mulder's aparmtnet. Mulder pulls into his complex before Scully, and waits to make sure she gets in safely. The parking lot of his apartment building is not always properly looked after. Stepping out of his car, Mulder makes his way toward Scully to help her with her suitcase.
"Do you want to just stay here tonight?" Mulder questions unsure if he will be okay with any rejection. Entering the building, Scully accepts his offer knowing she needs to overcome her grief. Once in the apartment, Mulder decides to get all the dirty laundry together. Scully stops him when she realizes he is merely throwing colors together.
"Are you really going to put Chloe's pink shirt in with the whites?" The red head chastizes. Shaking his head, Mulder answers, "No, Mom. I'm just grabbing clothes. I'll sort them downstairs. Do you have anything you need washed?"
Looking down at her suitcase, Scully knows she needs to wash underwear. Reluctantly, Scully nods before adding her clothes in with theirs. An hour later, Mulder comes up from the laundry room to find Scully cooking dinner.
"You found food in here?" Mulder asks in disbelief. Nodding, Scully questions if soup is okay. Shrugging, Mulder answers that it sounds good before putting his and Scully's suitcases in his room. Letting the soup simmer, Scully makes her way to the couch. Finding his girlfriend laying on the couch, Mulder sits beside her.
"How do you feel?" He asks knowing she will not want to talk about the last few weeks.
"Tired, and happy I don't have to repeat high school," Scully replies deflecting. Taking her answer as a small victory, Mulder teases, "That reminds me. You never told me what you were like back then."
Before he gets an answer, the agents turn their heads when the apartment door opens. Chloe, stepping inside her home, immediately heads toward her father and hugs him.
"Promise me you'll never do drugs," Mulder states staring directly at his daughter.
"Sure, Dad," She answers confused. Seeing Scully smile the teen releases her hold on her father to properly hug her only maternal figure.
"Hi, Sweetie," Scully says hugging the girl until Mulder asks Chloe about her day. Heading into the kitchen, Scully checks on dinner. Hearing the father and daughter laugh from the other room, Scully smiles. She spends the rest of the night happily engrossed in her boyfriend's and daughter's lives. Going home the next day, Scully realizes just how empty her life is without the pair. Waving away any depressed feeling, the red head cleans her apartment and puts her things away, but makes sure to spend more time with Mulder and Chloe.
Realizing she is staying with them more often, Mulder teases her one night as Chloe goes to her room to do homework, "You want to move in?"
Scully rolls her eyes. The couple is quiet for a while until the red head explains, "I just realized that I need to spend more time with you both. It's lonely at my apartment."
Hugging her to him, Mulder kisses Scully against her hair. They sit on the couch for a while until Mulder whispers, "Stay as long as you need."
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