Scully's pregnancy had barely been starting to show, when Mulder dropped the unexpected request on her.

"I think I want to appeal for a shared custody," he said one day, out of the blue.

"Of what?" Scully raised her eyebrow in complete confusion.

"The baby," his voice was getting cold.

"My baby?" her voice was getting colder.

"It's not just yours, Scully," Mulder argued. "I have rights, too."

"Mulder, you signed off your rights when you gave the donation," Scully reminded him.

"Well, I've changed my mind. That was just a… donation," he said the word with discuss. "I didn't think it would work."

"You didn't think it would work?!" Scully stared at him in disbelief. "And what the hell were you thinking?! That you were just humoring me? That you'd never have to deal with the actual baby?"

"Exactly," he confirmed. "I didn't think there would ever be a baby. But now that there is, I can't just walk away from it."

Scully took a deep breath and buried her head in her hands. This wasn't happening. She fought so much to get her miracle, and Mulder was there for her every step of the way. Was she really going to have to fight him too now? Was getting him involved a terrible mistake?

She took another deep breath, composed herself and forced herself to look at him again. "What do you want?"

"I want this child to know me. To count on me."

"Mulder, we see each other almost every day," Scully's eyes filled with tears. "You call me in the middle of the night for no reason. I often find you waiting for me in the dark when I come home. I couldn't keep you away from this child even if I wanted to. Which I don't. What did I ever do to make you think otherwise? How can you consider involving lawyers before even talking to me?"

"Because what you say doesn't matter. Things change."

"What things?"

"You'll meet someone. Someone nice, stable, successful. A better man, a better father."

"Right," Scully said bitterly. "I don't see any handsome, available men standing in line."

"But I do. I get asked for your number all the time. You have it all, Scully, you are smart, beautiful, caring… Sooner or later you'll realize it and you'll want only the best for you and your child. You won't want me around."

"Is that what you think of me?" Scully let the tears fall freely. Mulder wouldn't see them anyway. He wasn't looking at her, as if he didn't care anymore. Or maybe he just didn't dare. Either way, Scully felt incredibly lonely and betrayed.

"No," Mulder answered. "But I didn't think that about my mother either, and it turned out that's exactly what she did."

Scully stood up and went to get her coat. She couldn't stand being in the same office as him. She couldn't listen to him anymore.

"You know what I went through to get pregnant," she said accusingly. "You know this was my last chance."

"That's just it, Scully. It's my last chance too."

"How. Dare. You. Say. That." Scully said through her teeth, gathering all her self-restrain to prevent her barren self from pulling a gun on this perfectly healthy and potent man who could impregnate an army of women willing to jump into his bed wherever he went.

She slammed the door behind her and they never mentioned a custody or even her pregnancy again.

Until today.

Scully thought about it now, while broken Mulder slept on her shoulder. She was too exhausted to sleep, but she tried to avoid taking sleeping pills, for the sake of her baby and the man who she promised to protect with her life.

How could this be the same man that threatened to take her baby from her?

Scully thought about it, trying to make sense of it. She'd been keeping an eye on him, checking his trash and his e-mails, but she never found anything that would indicate he contacted a lawyer. Maybe it was just an empty threat, but maybe Mulder was waiting for the baby to be born before taking actions.

The trust between them has been seriously diminished. She still followed him, but her heart wasn't in it anymore. She started to explore other opportunities.

Mulder never apologized, but he also never took his threats any further.

They were in a pat position. Frenemies.

Now Scully felt it was her turn to apologize. She didn't listen to him and she didn't acknowledge his concerns. She realized now that Mulder was afraid of losing her, along with the baby, and he wanted to do whatever he could to at least be able to see the baby.

He wanted to be a father and Scully didn't want him to be that. She finally admitted it to herself. She wanted Mulder to be around, to be in the baby's life, but she didn't want him to make decisions. He could play with the kid, teach him baseball, watch movies with him, but when it came to parenting styles, nutrition, choice of school and medical needs, Scully wanted to make the decisions by herself. She didn't want Mulder's input in anything that was truly important.

Mulder was always a father figure for her baby in Scully's eyes. A father figure. Not a father.

Why did he want more? And why was she so afraid of allowing him more?

She remembered how he said this was his last chance too. She was so angry at him at the time, but now she wondered what made him say that. She felt ashamed now for never asking, for not giving him a chance to explain.

His sample passed all the tests. IVF was too complicated and too expensive for anything to be overlooked. The quality of Mulder's sperm was exceptional and he knew it. What made him think that this baby was his last chance?

Scully was aware that Mulder never dated anybody, but she always thought it was due to his obsession with his work. He was handsome and knew how to charm a woman, yet he never seemed interested in anyone. More than once, Scully caught him with some woman, annoyed with his unprofessionalism. But now that she thought about it, she never saw him initiate a kiss. He always seemed to be pulling back, looking embarrassed and a bit frightened. Scully used to assume that reaction was due to her watching, but she wasn't so sure anymore.

Was he homosexual? She wasn't getting that vibe from him, but then again, did she really know him as well as she thought? Yet, all his videos and magazines were anything but gay.

No, Mulder was definitely attracted to women, even if he seemed to fear them.

Maybe he was hurt by one in the past and didn't think he would ever love again.

Or maybe he was never loved…

"I'm sorry," she whispered, passing a hand through his hair. "I was being selfish. I had no idea… I'm so sorry."

They needed to talk. She didn't know how, and she knew he didn't know either. But they had to grow up or they would destroy each other over this baby that didn't ask to be born.

Scully wasn't having Mulder's baby anymore. She was having a baby with Mulder. As frightening as it was, things had to start changing.