"Maggie." Scully warned as she walked into the room, Molly on her hip.
"What?" The child asked flatly, narrowing her eyes as she studied the snow-covered landscape outside their living room window.
It was pitch black outside and wind howled ferociously. Maggie could see little beyond their covered porch, but watched determined anyway, even as the snow started to fall faster, creating what would soon be white out conditions.
"Maggie honey, close the curtain and come away from the window." Scully said, gently setting her youngest down on the floor to play.
Maggie resisted. Dedicated to her mission, not noting the concern in her mother's voice. "But I'm watching for daddy, incase the impossible snowman comes." She explained, mispronouncing the name of the monster.
Scully put her head down, beside herself. It'd been twenty-minutes since Mulder went into his study and shut the door, on the phone with Skinner instead of sitting down to dinner with her and the girls, a move that both frustrated and pained Scully.
'How's the abominable snowman really more appealing than I am?' Scully thought.
"Honey, come here." She commanded instead, holding out her arms for her oldest girl.
This time Maggie obeyed, leaving the curtain askew and retreating to her mother's side.
"Honey." Scully said, putting her hands on the girl's hips. "Remember a few weeks ago, when you and mommy talked about make believe?" She asked, the child simply nodded.
The entire conversation had made Scully feel like something of a hypocrite. Every preschooler got that talk of course: the one about differentiating between reality and things that are fantastical, or just down right made up, like unicorns. Scully wasn't sure how she could seriously have that conversation with her children given all the incredible, unexplainable things she'd seen and experienced. Given that Maggie's very existence was something extraordinary, that her still unknown older brother was a thing made by another world … And that her father seemed hell bent on slipping back into the delusion of make believe…
Mulder had promised to settle down, but was once again picking up his life's work and being too fanatical and outspoken about it for Scully's tastes. She couldn't say how much it worried her, or what she aimed to do about it. All she knew is that she didn't want to be a single mother, and she didn't want to leave this man. But sometimes, during times like this, she felt she might have to.
"Mommy, I'm watching for daddy incase it comes back, he needs me too." Maggie said dutifully.
Scully watched her daughter sadly, running her fingers through her brown hair, noting how her eyes lit up just like Mulder's when he was excited about a case, her heavy heart knowing that Maggie was, not a skeptic like her, but a born truth seeker. Scully bit her lip, knowing that feeling all too well, the feeling of needing to aid Mulder in his pursuit of his truth despite her better judgement. Mrs. Spooky swallowed hard, almost choking at the sound of her little girl's words, now knowing what she'd say to her.
Hypocritical or not, the last thing she wanted was for the girls to believe.
"Honey. I know daddy gets really serious about these ideas of his, but that's all they are, ideas. Sometimes when people can't explain things, they make up stories to try to make things make sense, do you understand?"
Maggie furrowed her brow, sort of comprehending, her mother continued.
"Those things, like the abominable snowman are just make-believe. It's something that has a rational explanation to it."
"What's that mean?" She asked.
"It means it can be explained by science, or by the fact that a person did it. A person like you, or me." She said as simply as she could.
Maggie paused, considering this a beat, shaking her head. "No mommy, lots of people have seen sakwash."
Scully sighed, putting her head down. "That's Sasquatch, Maggie."
"See, you know who he is."
She sighed defeated, kissing Maggie's forehead. "Yes I know who he is. Now are you hungry? Because if daddy doesn't come out in a minute." She said that next part loudly. "We're going to eat without him."
….
"Maybe just let it go, I'll put someone on the case." Skinner said.
The assistant director sighed, frustrated beyond belief. He had a hot date … With microwavable lasagne, and because of the former agent's call, it was getting cold. Worse, he'd tried to get him to come down to the house, inviting him for real lasagne, but the snow was too heavy for him to drive out there, and he'd kind of wanted to.
"Who else are you going to get to investigate it?" Mulder quipped.
Fox had been on an investigative hot streak as of late, bringing Skinner case after case he otherwise wouldn't have heard about, something that sparked great concern for his balding former boss.
"I appreciate you want to investigate this yourself. There is no one better than you… But you really can't afford for them to be on to you. Shut it down Mulder."
Mulder had reopened the X-Files, but not in the way you think. Instead of settling him down, becoming a stay-at-home dad with internet access had given Mulder all the time and resources in the world to explore every mystery he possibly could, and talk to everyone he needed to all while putting baby Molly down for her afternoon nap.
He was no longer the powerful FBI man, but that's not to say he wasn't pursuing conspirators. Only now, instead of arresting them, he was writing about them, making their plans known to a now more alert public. Instead of chasing down murders and aliens, he was
advising other investigators, speaking to UFO groups, to guys like Art Bell, and working on several books….
Fox Mulder was saying his truth, and saying it a bit too publicly, something that satisfied his soul, and made both is life partner and former boss worry for his safety and sanity.
"The bureau will want to silence you if you go too far, you know that." Skinner reminded, not able to see that Mulder simply smiled.
"So will you email those files over?" Mulder asked again, having called to request Yeti related files he left at the FBI.
"Only because they're not classified…. And I expect lasagne when I babysit on Thursday." He reminded, hanging up the phone.
….
"What's this I hear about your eating without me?" Mulder teased, coming out of his tiny office.
"The dinner you made has been ready twenty minutes." Scully minded bitterly.
"Daddy I looked, but I didn't see him." Maggie explained.
Mulder smiled, "Hey that's okay, he's probably having dinner with the other Sasquatch." He teased.
"Ha!" The girl gasped. "Daddy there's more than one of them!"
"Oh yeah, they say there are whole families."
"Babies too?" She asked.
"Sure are. Hey, go grab a cookie before dinner, okay?" He suggested, just to get her out of the room.
"Okay!" She cried, running into the kitchen.
Scully crossed her arms. "Just one!" She called, disapproving of the idea, but having too much else on her plate. "Mulder." She warned seriously.
But he ignored her, pulling her into his embrace, kissing her lips softly. He pulled away when she didn't reciprocate the kiss.
"I missed you." He asserted happily, his smile fading when he noticed her look of disapproval. "What?"
"Will you please stop telling her these stories?"
"What, it's just a little bit of fun Scully, it's like letting a kid believe there are unicorns."
Mulder didn't see it the same way. He didn't think he was taking his work too seriously, or that he was at risk for falling into delusion, or that he was dragging his daughter down the rabbit hole with him.
"And you don't believe there are unicorns?" Scully questioned.
He paused for a moment, considering the idea seriously. "I never said that."
"Mulder." She grew quiet. "She's at a very fragile age. One where its very important that she learn the difference between reality and pretend. Please, just follow my lead here. Don't indulge her."
"I think we've always had very different ideas there Scully, don't you?"
"I don't…"
"Don't what?"
"Fox, I believe. I can't deny all the fantastical, wonderful, horrible things you and I've lived together. I know the truth is out there, and against my better judgement, I'd follow you anywhere to find it. But Maggie doesn't have to believe. I don't want her to believe." She said sincerely. "At least not before she understands."
Mulder blinked, a hint of pain clouding his eyes as he searched hers. He wasn't taking his interaction with his daughter that seriously, or thinking about how he was shaping her little mind. He thought they were just having fun.
"I don't disagree with you… It's important to be that she understands… But Scully, one day, she's gonna have to believe. We can't change that…"
Scully gulped in understanding, knowing that one day, some semblance of the truth would catch up with the girls in the form of their family's legacy, probably in the form of their brother, William.
Just then, both seasoned agents jumped, catching something out the corner of their eyes. Mulder and Scully's gaze fell upon the partially open curtain their daughter had left askew, both could swear they saw a bulky, snow covered mass rush by.
Scully blinked, stunned. "M-Mulder what was that?" She asked, already knowing, but not wanting to believe.
He smiled, satisfied. "Scully, I think that's our man."
"I think you mean Yeti!"