Title:  Alone in a Crowded Heart 
Author: Tess
E-mail: tnv099@aol.com
Spoilers:  Not really - takes place after Mulder's 
return
Rating:  R
Content:  S-Angst; R
Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement intended on 
characters owned by 1013 or Fox.  
Summary:  Mulder's return is not exactly the way 
Scully imagined it would be

Special thanks to Teresa for being a cheerleader 
through this process; Char for help with the title and 
her seal of approval and Aly, as always, for taking 
the time to archive my scribbling. More stories can be
found at http://acovington.home.mindspring.com/tess/


Title:  Alone in a Crowded Heart 
Author: Tess


"Where is she?" he roared. She could hear him before 
she saw him and it was the sweetest sound she'd ever 
heard.

Rounding the corner of the hallway, she spotted him 
instantly. Dressed in a hospital gown and robe he 
was restlessly pacing the hallway. His hair was 
longer and he was a little thinner than she 
remembered, but in her eyes, he was beautiful.

"Mulder," she called as she sprinted toward him.  He 
turned at the sound of her voice and opened his 
arms as she threw herself into them.

"Scully," he whispered, crushing her close. She 
buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent. He 
covered her mouth with his and she clutched him 
tighter, her lips opening beneath his. Their kiss was 
greedy and desperate as they tried to wipe out the 
memory of three months spent apart.

"Oh God, Mulder...Mulder," her whisper was reverent 
and disbelieving.

"Missed you, " he told her. "Scully, oh...feels so 
good to hold you."

She pulled his mouth back to hers and their kiss was 
flavored with the salt of their tears.

"Scully," he murmured after a moment. "Scully..."

She ran her fingers through his hair, and stroked her 
hands down his chest, assuring herself that he was 
real, basking in the sound of his voice calling her 
name.  

She closed her eyes and her head found its natural 
resting-place against his chest.

"Scully. Where is she?" he asked.

She lifted her head, a quizzical look on her face.  
"Mulder..."

He stopped a passing nurse. "Excuse me, please, 
can you tell me where she is?"

Scully looked at him anxiously. "Mulder?"

"Can I tell you where who is, sir?" the nurse asked.

Scully tugged on his arm and his hand curled around 
the back of her head, pressing her face against his 
chest once again.  

"The woman...I was brought here with a woman," 
Mulder told the nurse.

Looking at him in confusion, the nurse shook her 
head. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything about that, " 
she told him.

Mulder took a step away from Scully toward the 
nurses' station. Leaning on the countertop, his voice 
rose with increasing agitation.  

"A woman...a woman who was brought to this 
hospital like me.  Someone who just suddenly 
appeared in the hospital without anyone noticing 
how."

Another nurse stepped out of a patient's room and 
overheard his words.

"Yeah, I heard about that," she said. Mulder turned 
eagerly toward her. She leaned her clipboard on the 
countertop as she made notes on the chart clipped 
there.

"Some mystery woman appeared suddenly up on 
Four. No one knows how she got there."

The words were barely out of her mouth before 
Mulder was racing toward the stairwell, too impatient 
to wait for the elevator.

Bewildered, Scully hurried after him.  He had a good 
head start on her and the pregnancy left her more 
tired than she would care to admit. By the time she 
reached the fourth floor, she saw him disappear into 
a room.

Her confusion was heightened when she followed 
him into the room. Leaning over the bed, he called 
to the woman lying still and silent in the darkness. 
He gently placed his hand on her forehead.

"Elizabeth," he called urgently. "Come on now, wake 
up."

The woman in the bed stirred and even in the 
darkness, Scully could see the smile that blossomed 
on Mulder's face as the woman's eyes focused on 
him.

"Fox?" she cried, lurching up and flinging herself into 
his arms.  Long, blonde hair slid over his shoulder as 
she buried her face in his neck.

He ran his hands soothingly over her trembling back.  
"Yeah, Bethy, it's me. You're okay. I'm here. We're 
home." He rocked her in his arms and pressed his 
lips to the pale gold of her hair.

Scully backed out of the room, confused and feeling 
like an intruder. She sank onto a small sofa in the 
hallway, suddenly unsure of what she should do 
next. Some part of her wanted to run from the 
hospital, but she couldn't leave. Not now that she 
had found him, finally, after searching all these 
months.

She pinched the bridge of her nose between her 
thumb and forefinger as an unexpected headache 
began to pound behind her eyes. In all of her 
fantasies about Mulder's return, this was not the way 
she had imagined it. How was it that she was sitting 
in the hallway of this hospital while Mulder had 
crawled into the bed of some mysterious stranger?

She was startled by the warmth of his hand on her 
knee. Opening her eyes, she found him squatting on 
the floor in front of her. She urged him up onto the 
sofa next to her and turned questioning eyes toward 
him.

Mulder drew her against him and she relaxed as he 
began to explain.

"That's Elizabeth," he told her. "She was an 
abductee, like me." He took a deep breath and 
released it slowly. "She...I...we became friends. 
She was the only person they let me talk with."

He shook his head and set her away from him.  
Cupping her face in his hands, he lowered his 
forehead to rest against hers. "It's a long story, 
Scully. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Right 
now, I can barely keep my eyes open."

Scully stood and pulled him up with her, leading him 
to the elevator and back to his room. She helped 
him settle into bed. He pulled her face down to his 
for a lingering kiss before turning onto his side and 
closing his eyes. She dragged a chair close to the 
bed and took his hand into one of her own. She 
checked her waist for the reassuring feel of her gun 
in its holster and settled into the chair, determined to 
protect him this time.

********

She awoke early the next morning feeling cramped 
and sore. Scrubbing her face with her hands, she 
saw that Mulder was not in his bed. Standing swiftly, 
she walked over to the bathroom door.

"Mulder?" she called as she tapped lightly on the 
door.

There was no answer and panic rose quickly. She 
stumbled out of the room, frantically searching the 
halls for some sign of him. She turned toward the 
nurse's station for help when she remembered the 
mystery woman--Elizabeth--on the fourth floor.  
Racing upstairs she found him sitting on the edge of 
her bed. The two occupants of the room were 
focused intently on one another, seemingly unaware 
of Scully, as she stood frozen in the doorway.  
Elizabeth had the fragile looks of a china doll.  
Blonde hair framed an exquisite face and her dark 
chocolate-brown eyes gazed lovingly at the man who 
was holding her hands in his own. She had a 
delicate beauty that even the drabness of a hospital 
gown could not diminish. Scully felt rumpled and 
grubby in her wrinkled clothing and she fought 
against a sudden urge to check her hair and freshen 
her makeup.

Suddenly uneasy and unsure why, she stroked her 
hand over the imperceptible swell that was their 
unborn child as she stepped further into the room.  
Mulder looked up and Scully relaxed as a happy 
smile broke out over his face when he saw her.  

"Scully!" he called reaching out one hand for her.  
She stepped forward and allowed him to pull her 
alongside the bed.

"I want you to meet someone," he told her as he 
drew her against his side and wrapped one arm 
around her waist. Chiding herself for her earlier 
unease, she leaned against him and turned toward 
the woman in the bed.  She bit back a gasp as 
Elizabeth raised venom-filled eyes toward her.

"Scully, this is Elizabeth Pearson. Bethy, this is 
Scully."  

Elizabeth smiled sweetly; her face was filled with 
innocent pleasure at meeting Scully. "Fox has told 
me so much about you, I feel as if I already know 
you."

Scully blinked. Had she imagined that flash of 
hatred she had seen only a few seconds earlier?  
The young woman's smile was so timid, yet friendly.  
Scully decided that it had been her own nervousness 
and unease that had caused her to see something 
that wasn't there.

"Hello, Elizabeth," she said gently. Up close, Scully 
saw that she was no more than 22 or 23 years old.  
She had such a sweet, fragile air about her; Scully 
could easily see how Mulder would be drawn to 
protect her.

Scully shifted so that she could look at Mulder more 
easily. "I called Skinner last night, while you were 
sleeping," she told him.  

"Our boss," Mulder interpreted for Elizabeth's sake.

"He wanted to rush down here right away, but I 
managed to hold him off by telling him that you were 
sleeping and that I wouldn't allow him to disturb you."  
She glanced at her. "But he'll be here soon."

Mulder nodded knowingly.

"He'll want to talk with you both; take your 
statements," she told Elizabeth quietly.

Elizabeth's eyes instantly filled with tears. "No...no.  
Oh Fox, no. I don't want to talk with anyone. Please...
please, don't make me. I'm not ready...please!"

Mulder dropped his hand from Scully's hip and 
wrapped both arms around the shivering girl.  He 
lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered 
something so softly that even Scully standing close 
by could not make it out.  Elizabeth relaxed in his 
embrace and some of Scully's earlier uneasiness 
crept back as she watched the girl's hand slide up 
Mulder's back to play with the hair at the nape of his 
neck.

Mulder looked at Scully over the blonde head tucked 
securely under his chin.  "Why don't you wait for 
Skinner in my room," he suggested.  "I'll be down in 
a little while."

Scully cast an anxious look at him but his attention 
was fixed on calming the distraught girl.  She turned 
and left the room, slowly making her way downstairs, 
troubled thoughts swirling wildly in her head. Back on 
Mulder's floor, she smiled distractedly at the busy 
nurses, many of who had come to know Scully 
throughout the night as they bustled in and out of 
Mulder's room. She flopped back into the chair in 
which she had spent the night and once again picked 
up Mulder's chart. While he had slept, Scully had 
grilled the nurses, paged the on-call doctor and 
reviewed his chart over and over. Amazingly, there 
seemed to be little to no evidence of any physical 
trauma.  He was slightly dehydrated but that was 
easily remedied.  Scully knew that he had lost some 
weight.  His vitals were stable, although his blood 
pressure seemed a little high.  He had complained of 
a slight headache but a head CT showed no 
evidence of any abnormal brain activity. Considering 
what little she knew of the condition of other 
abductees upon their returns, including her own 
comatose state when she had mysteriously 
reappeared, Mulder was in surprisingly good 
physical shape. Scully took little comfort in this 
knowledge.  She worried that any damage wrought 
would be on the inside--emotional and mental 
traumas not so easily healed as the physical.

She fought back a yawn and tried to shrug off the 
sleep her body so desperately craved.  Unable to 
keep her eyes open any longer, she curled into a tiny 
ball and drifted into an unsettled sleep.

********

The sound of murmuring voices woke her.  Mulder 
was sitting up in bed talking to Skinner who had 
arrived sometime while she slept.  Both men glanced 
toward her as she shrugged off sleep and struggled 
to push herself up.

"Hi," she mumbled hoarsely, standing.  "Why didn't 
you wake me?"

"Because I have no doubt you didn't sleep last night," 
Mulder replied.  

Scully smiled and perched on the edge of his bed, 
resting her hand on his leg, needing to keep in 
physical contact with him.

"How much have you told the A.D.?" she asked.

"Not a whole lot," Mulder admitted.  "I don't 
remember much."

A nurse hustled into the room, checking Mulder's 
vitals and quickly taking his temperature.  She 
scribbled madly on his chart for a moment before 
dropping it back in its holder at the foot of the bed.

"Doctor'll be in shortly," she announced as she 
hurried from the room.  Scully stood and immediately 
grabbed the chart.  She was intently studying it when 
the doctor strolled in.

"May I?" he smiled, reaching out for the chart.  

Scully handed the chart over and moved close to 
Mulder again.  The doctor quietly read over the chart, 
mumbling and nodding to himself before turning to 
his patient.  Placing the tips of a stethoscope into his 
ears, he listened to Mulder's heart and lungs.  Pulling 
out his penlight, he peered into Mulder's eyes and 
referred back to the chart again.

"How're the headaches?" he asked.

"Fine.  Pretty much gone," Mulder replied.

"Pretty much, but not completely?" the doctor 
inquired.

"It's just a dull ache behind my eyes," Mulder 
admitted.  "But the aspirin seems to help a lot."

"Uh huh," the doctor muttered, once more consulting 
the chart.  He leaned against the window and flipped 
through the pages, making notes.  Finally, he looked 
up.

"Well, I'd like to keep you here one more night for 
observation.  I see from your chart that you've had 
quite an adventurous year, medically speaking.  A 
lengthy hospitalization for a pretty serious, although 
seemingly temporary neurological event," he rapidly 
flipped forward several pages.  "And more recently 
for a lung infestation of..." the doctor's eyes widened 
as he read the medical records.  "Tobacco beetles?" 
he asked incredulously.

Mulder nodded and shuddered at the memory.

"Okay.  Well one more night and if everything still 
looks good in the morning, I'm willing to let you go.  
But, I want you to take it easy.  You're body has 
taken a beating this year and you haven't given it 
much time for recovery.  No work for at least a month 
and I want you to check in with your doctor.   I'd like 
you to come back for one more CT scan before you 
resume your duties."

He paused and looked at Scully.  "I assume you'll be 
the one making sure he gets the proper food and 
rest?"

"That would be me," she assured him.

"Good."  The doctor made a few more notes on the 
chart and dropped it back into its slot.  "I'll check in 
with you tomorrow morning and see about breaking 
you out of here."

"Thank you," Mulder called as the doctor stepped 
from the room.

Skinner stood and reached out to shake Mulder's 
hand.  "Good to have you back Agent," he told him.  
"I'll be getting back to the office.  I'd like to make 
arrangements tomorrow to have your and Ms. 
Pearson's official statements taken."

Mulder nodded and shook his A.D.'s hand.  "Sir, can 
you walk Scully to her car?" he asked.

Scully glanced sharply at him.  "I'm not leaving!" she 
exclaimed.

"Go home and get some rest, Scully."

"No!  If you think I'm leaving here, then you are 
crazy!"

Mulder gave her a dry look.

"Mulder!" she said warningly.

"Look Scully, I'm just going to take a nap, eat some 
lunch, maybe watch some television," he argued.  

She sat back down on the edge of his bed. "I just 
got you back," she whispered pleadingly. "I don't 
want to leave."

Skinner cleared his throat. "I'll wait in the hallway," 
he told them and slipped out of the door.

Mulder stroked his thumb over her cheek. "I'm not 
going anywhere," he promised.  

"How do you know?" she cried softly.

"Scully," he smiled reassuringly. "They wouldn't 
have brought me back if they still wanted me."

"I know...but I just want--"

"You look so tired," he said, studying her face 
carefully. "Those dizzy spells..." he asked fearfully.

"I've never been more full of life," she told him 
honestly. He searched her eyes and drew her into 
his arms, his sigh of relief stirring the hair at her 
temples.

"Just go home for a little while. Get some sleep."

She pursed her lips and shook her head, determined 
to stay.

"Please Scully. I'm home. It's time you started 
taking care of yourself. Go home. Get some sleep.  
Then you can come back here later tonight."

She struggled to suppress a yawn, but all the talk of 
naps and bed worked against her. Mulder chuckled 
and dropped a soft kiss on her lips.

"Go home. Sleep. Eat. Come back tonight and 
keep me company," he ordered, pushing her off the 
bed. She straightened her clothing and leaned over 
to kiss him goodbye.

"I'll see you later," she promised.  As she stepped 
out of the room, Mulder was already turning onto his 
side and snuggling into the pillows.

Skinner fell into step beside her as they walked 
toward the elevators.

"I can't believe it's this easy," he said.

"I know. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop," 
she told him quietly.

Skinner followed Scully to her car. "So what did he 
say about the baby?" he asked curiously.

She eased into the driver's seat and looked up. "I 
didn't tell him."

"Scully! Why not?"

"He'll be home tomorrow. I'll tell him then," she 
promised.

He shook his head.

"I didn't want to tell him in the hospital. Something 
this miraculous...well it deserves a better setting!" 
she said resolutely.

Skinner nodded in agreement and pushed her door 
closed. She rolled down the window. "Thank you, 
sir."

"You're very welcome, Agent."

********


Scully had taken a short nap and then spent the rest 
of the day stocking her refrigerator, cleaning up and 
putting fresh sheets on the bed. Then she drove to 
Mulder's apartment to do the same thing. She hoped 
to convince him to stay with her for at least a few 
days or maybe she thought, stroking her hand over 
the place where their child grew--maybe forever. In 
those first weeks of newfound intimacy between 
them before he had been taken, he had hinted at the 
idea of them finding a place together but he was 
gone before they had given it any serious thought.  
With the baby on the way, Scully knew they would 
need to find a bigger home than either one of their 
apartments. 

She finished puttering around his apartment and 
packed a change of clothes for him to wear home 
from the hospital. She stuffed his shaving kit and a 
pair of boots into the bag along with two back issues 
of his favorite sports magazine. She knew that 
Elizabeth would also be released from the hospital 
shortly and she reached into Mulder's closet to pull 
out a pair of her own jeans and a sweater for 
Elizabeth to wear until she could buy some clothes of 
her own. Scully realized that she barely knew 
anything about this woman. Where was she from?  
Why wasn't her family at the hospital?

Scully stopped at a drugstore on her way to the 
hospital and bought travel-sized bottles of shampoo 
and deodorant. She grabbed a small package of 
ladies underwear and then chose a hairbrush, some 
loose powder and a tube of lipstick in a neutral 
shade.

Now she hurried to Mulder's hospital room, eager to 
see him. She wanted to curl up on the bed with him 
and watch television until he fell asleep. She walked 
into his room and found Elizabeth comfortably 
ensconced in a chair by Mulder's bed. The two were 
talking earnestly in hushed tones. Their 
conversation broke off abruptly when Scully stepped 
into the room.

"I...I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?" she asked, taking a 
step back toward the door.

"Of course not," Mulder said, beckoning to her with 
one hand.

Scully was not normally the type to indulge in public 
displays of affection, but something compelled her to 
lean down and brush her lips over his.

"How are you?" she asked softly, sitting down on the 
bed next to him.

"Okay," he smiled. "Whatcha got there?" he asked, 
jerking his chin toward the bags she had set down.

"A change of clothes for you," she told him before 
turning to Elizabeth.

"I didn't know when you were being released, but I 
brought you a few things." She handed a bag to the 
younger woman. "It's just a change of clothes and a 
few essentials I picked up for you at the drug store."

Elizabeth took the bag and peered into it. "I'm being 
released tomorrow as well," she said, lifting out the 
powder and lipstick. "I don't really wear makeup," 
she smiled, holding the items out to Scully. "Maybe 
you can use them?"

Scully narrowed her eyes at the veiled insult and 
glanced at Mulder, but he was flipping through his 
magazines.

"Thank you for thinking of me," Elizabeth continued 
as she pulled out the clothes that Scully had packed 
for her. "These look a little big, but it will be so 
wonderful to get out of this hospital gown!" 

She glanced at Mulder.  "Although...even this 
hospital gown is better than not having anything to 
wear at all." She plucked at the offensive gown for 
emphasis.

Mulder laughed in agreement and Scully shied away 
from the unwelcome image of a naked Mulder and 
Elizabeth, suddenly uncomfortable and feeling badly 
out of place.

She desperately wanted to be alone with Mulder--
they had not had more than a few minutes of time to 
themselves since his return. She still had no idea 
what had happened to him. She still had not had an 
opportunity to tell him about the baby. She let the 
conversation ebb and flow around her, focusing on 
the warmth of Mulder's hand where it lay against her 
thigh and the fact that he would be released 
tomorrow and they would finally have some time 
alone.

"Will your family be coming here to pick you up 
Elizabeth?" she asked politely.

Fat tears immediately welled in Elizabeth's eyes.  
She waved Mulder back when he leaned toward her.

"I don't have any family," she told Scully. "That's one 
of the few things that Fox and I have in common."

Mulder turned to Scully. "We had a lot of time to talk 
in our cell and one of the things we were able to 
determine is that a majority of abductees are people 
like Bethy and me. People who don't have any 
family left behind."

Scully's heart clenched painfully. When did Mulder 
develop such a narrow definition of family? She 
snidely wondered how many other things Mulder and 
Elizabeth had found in common and then chastised 
herself for the petty thought. She should be happy 
that Mulder had not been alone--that he had found a 
friendly face. Scully did not remember much about 
her own abduction experience, but she had always 
been aware of a profound sense of loneliness.

Elizabeth glanced up at the clock. "I should get 
going. Visitor's hours will be over soon."

She paused in the doorway.  "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Bethy," Mulder called.

He turned to Scully. "Now..." he said, pressing his 
lips to hers in a lingering kiss.

"Hi," he smiled as they broke apart.

Scully grinned and slid her fingers into the hair along 
his temples. "I can't wait to get you home and all to 
myself," she told him.

"Hmmm," he agreed, resting his head on her 
shoulder.  

"I won't be satisfied until I have examined you from 
head to toe," she continued, pretending to ignore his 
happy leer. "We have a lot to talk about Mulder," she 
said quietly.

"I know," he murmured. "Skinner wants Bethy and 
me to give our statements tomorrow." He sighed 
heavily. "I don't know what I am going to tell him."

"Just tell him what happened Mulder. He's a believer 
now. You won't have to work too hard to convince 
him."

"Scully, I just...I don't really know what happened. I 
don't remember."

"But, you just sat here talking about it with Elizabeth," 
she protested.

"I remember being in the cell with Bethy, I remember 
when they would come to take me from the cell or to 
take Bethy from the cell. But I don't remember what 
happened after I left the cell. Bethy says that I was 
usually gone for long periods of time but I just...I 
don't know what they did to me."

He trembled and she drew him into her arms, rocking 
him gently until she felt him relax and slump against 
her. She eased him onto the pillows and slid from 
the bed. Mulder's eyes were heavy with sleep as he 
watched her gather her things.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she told him.

He nodded sleepily as she brushed her lips over his 
forehead.  

"Sweet dreams, Mulder."

***********

The next day, Scully supervised the release of 
Mulder and There were discharge papers 
to be signed, prescriptions to be filled and doctor's 
instructions to be reviewed before she could settle 
them in her car. They were taking Elizabeth to a 
nearby hotel where she would be staying until she 
decided what she was going to do next. Skinner was 
going to meet them there at 3:00 p.m.  

Scully looked at Elizabeth in the rear view mirror.  
"Elizabeth, would you like to stop somewhere so that 
you can buy some clothes and anything else you 
may need for now?" she asked kindly.

"All of my money is in my bank back in Oregon," 
Elizabeth said ruefully.

"That's okay, Bethy," Mulder said. He turned to 
Scully. "Obviously, I don't have my wallet, but you 
have access to my account. We can stop at an 
automatic teller."

"Oh no," Elizabeth protested. "I couldn't let you do 
that."

Mulder insisted, telling her that she could pay him 
back once she had access to her money again.

*********

Scully leaned in quiet exhaustion against a wall near 
the ladies fitting room as Elizabeth modeled one 
outfit after another for Mulder's approval. Did the 
aliens steal all of her clothes when they abducted 
her, Scully wondered tiredly? Perhaps the more 
important question was how long Elizabeth planned 
on staying. Judging by the number of clothes she 
was purchasing, it didn't appear that she was 
planning on going home anytime soon. She glanced 
at her watch, happily interrupting the fashion show 
as Elizabeth dragged them to the lingerie 
department.

"We need to hurry if we're going to make our meeting 
with Skinner," she prodded. Mulder nodded and 
Elizabeth pouted briefly as she piled bras, panties 
and nightgowns onto the counter.

**********

Hours later Scully walked into her apartment, 
dropping wearily onto her sofa. Mulder followed her 
in and flopped down next to her.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"I'm too tired to eat," he murmured.

Scully looked worriedly at him. This day had 
seemingly been without end. After leaving the 
department store, they had hurried to the hotel to 
check Elizabeth into her room. Skinned met them 
there to take their statements. The process was slow 
going as Elizabeth broke down into tears time and 
again. Scully was sympathetic to her anxiety but as 
the day wore on, she became impatient as Skinner 
and Mulder repeatedly popped up and down offering 
tissues, soft words and soothing back rubs. Instead 
of having the desired calming effect, Elizabeth's 
histrionics seemed to grow. Scully struggled not to 
roll her eyes as Elizabeth tearfully accepted 
Skinner's offer of a glass of water from the safety of 
Mulder's embrace. After three long hours of this, 
Scully was inclined to believe that a good slap might 
be more effective in bringing about an end to 
Elizabeth's piteous sniffles, but immediately 
squelched the uncharitable thought, chalking it up to 
exhaustion and her own heightened state of 
emotions.

Finally, she called a halt to the questioning; saying 
kindly that it was obvious that Elizabeth was in no 
condition to continue. Skinner left and it took another 
two hours to settle Elizabeth in before they could 
leave.

Now she looked closely at Mulder. "Are you sure 
you don't want anything?" she asked again.

He rolled his head against the back of the sofa.  
"Nah."

"Okay, let's go then." She pulled herself up and held 
out a hand to him. He stood and obediently followed 
her into the bedroom.

"Is it time for my examination?" he asked with 
hopeful eyes.

"Don't make fun," she reproached, busily working on 
the buttons of his shirt. "I need to see for myself that 
you are whole and healthy."

He stood docilely while she stripped his clothes from 
him and urged him onto the bed. Mulder was tired of 
being poked and prodded by doctors, but as Scully 
sank onto the mattress, her touch was anything but 
clinical. Her fingers trailed a delicate path across his 
skin as she searched for physical signs of trauma.  
The only scars she found were those earned on this 
earthly plane.

Her lips skimmed whisper-soft across his cheeks.  
She lifted his hands and pressed her mouth to his 
wrists before dragging her lips along some imaginary 
line from breastbone to belly, bathing him with her 
tears.

"What, Scully?" he asked pulling her to him.

She shook her head. "Nightmares," she said, 
rubbing her fingers along his torso again and again.  
"Only nightmares," she whispered. "Thank God."

He cradled her head in his hands and pulled her 
down so that their mouths could meet. She 
struggled out of her clothes, crying out softly when 
Mulder's mouth closed over one sensitive nipple.  

"Mmmm," she groaned. "I missed you so much. I 
missed this so much."

He kissed the tip of her breast and whispered her 
name against her skin. The shrill ringing of the 
telephone interrupted their reunion. Scully moaned, 
rolling onto her back to reach for the phone. Mulder 
rolled with her and she cupped his cheek with one 
hand, watching his mouth move softly against her 
breast as she snatched the phone from its base.

"Scully," she said curtly into the receiver.

"Just a moment." She held the phone out. "It's for 
you."

Mulder let her nipple slide out of his mouth and took 
the phone from her.

"Hello?  Wait...slow down. Yes...yes. All right.  
Yeah...okay."

He thumbed the off button and sat up, reaching for 
his jeans. Scully watched in stunned disbelief as he 
pulled on his clothes.

"Mulder?"

He stood to tuck in his shirt. "Bethy's having 
nightmares. She can't sleep."

Scully scrambled to her knees in the center of the 
bed.

"And what? You're going over there?" she asked 
incredulously. She clutched the sheet between her 
breasts suddenly aware of her nakedness as he 
stuffed his feet into his boots.

"She's all alone and she's afraid. She needs me," he 
said softly. "May I take your car?"

She sank back onto her heels and nodded distractedly.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised, pressing 
his lips to the crown of her head. "I love you." His 
voice pleaded with her to understand.

Sliding down into her lonely bed, understanding was 
a long way off as she was once again left to deal 
with her nightmares on her own.

*********

When she awoke, he was not there. She quickly 
showered and dressed and it was only as she stood 
in her living room, searching for her keys that she 
remembered Mulder had taken her car.

"Damn," she fumed. She swore softly as she pulled 
out the yellow pages to call a cab.

This is stupid, she thought and instead she searched 
for the number of Elizabeth's hotel.

"Hello?" Elizabeth's soft voice filled her ear.

"Elizabeth, this is Dana Scully." She swallowed her 
pride as she continued. "May I please speak with 
Mulder?"

"Oh, Dana.  Fox isn't awake yet. We didn't fall 
asleep until early this morning. I hate to wake him," 
Elizabeth whispered.

"I really need to speak with him, Elizabeth. Please 
wake him."

"Just a moment," Elizabeth sighed. "I'll see if he can 
come to the phone."

Scully could hear Elizabeth's hushed murmurs in the 
background and then,

"H'lo?" His voice was thick with sleep.

"You have my car," she said flatly.

"Huh? Scully?"

"You have my car, Mulder. I need to go to the 
office." Scully worked hard to keep her voice calm 
and even.

"Shit!" He was waking up now. "Um...look. Gimme 
20 minutes and I'll be right there."

"Mulder..."

"I'll meet you in front of your building. 20 minutes." 
he repeated, hanging up.

20 minutes later she walked out of the front door of 
her building to find him waiting at the bottom of the 
steps. She descended slowly, her eyes on her feet 
as if she was carefully watching every step she took.  
She stopped in front of him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

She nodded jerkily, still staring at the ground. He 
tucked his finger under her chin and tipped her head 
back, forcing her to look at him.

"I *am* sorry," he said. His voice was pleading; his 
eyes searched hers for some sign of forgiveness.

She didn't want to be angry with him. She had 
begged God with practically every breath she took 
for Mulder's safe return. Now, here he stood before 
her, safe and apparently sound. She didn't want to 
fight with him.

"Okay," she said shakily.

He smiled and his kiss was coffee-flavored.

"Do you want to drop me off at my place so that I can 
get my car, or should I just drive you to work?" he 
asked.

"Why don't we swing by your place first. That way 
you won't have to drive all the way back in town to 
pick me up again," she suggested.

She slid into the driver's seat and saw two jumbo 
cups of coffee from her favorite coffee shop sitting in 
the cup holders of the car.

"Hazelnut," he said, lifting his cup from the driver's 
side cup holder and moving the unopened cup into 
its place.

"I figured I might need to bribe you into forgiving me," 
he smiled.

"I had a cup while I was waiting for you," she lied, 
regretfully eyeing the steaming cup of fragrant 
coffee. Caffeine. God, she missed caffeine.

She took him to his apartment. She went up with 
him and watched as he refamiliarized himself with 
his home. When they reached the bedroom, he sank 
down onto the mattress and leeringly suggested that 
she call in sick. She pursed her lips and shook her 
head. He looked exhausted and she hadn't quite 
reached that stage of forgiveness yet. She also 
knew that she had used a number of personal days 
while searching for Mulder and would need to save 
the rest of her time for her maternity leave. She left 
with a kiss and a promise from him that he would 
rest and that she would see him later.

The lingering ache in her heart was eased when a 
bored Mulder called her four times before morning's 
end. He only promised to leave her alone when she 
threatened to turn off her phone.

********


She was humming softly under her breath as she 
braced the box of pizza between her hip and the wall 
outside of his apartment as she slid her key into the 
lock. Pushing open the door, she was dismayed to 
find Elizabeth curled up at one end of the sofa 
watching the evening news with Mulder. Scully 
pasted a false smile onto her face and set the box 
down on the coffee table. Shedding her coat, she 
went into the kitchen and pulled out plates and 
napkins. Mulder followed, slipping behind her and 
trapping her between him and the counter.

"Mmmm," he groaned, pressing his lips against the 
back of her neck. "The two things I missed the most 
were pizza and you."  He playfully nipped her 
shoulder. Scully closed her eyes briefly then turned 
to face him.

"Dinner's ready." She smiled sweetly and shoved 
the plates into his midsection.

Confused, Mulder watched her retreating back for a 
moment before shrugging and joining the women in 
the other room.

The night wore on and Elizabeth made no move to 
leave. Scully stifled a yawn behind her hand. She 
had slept poorly last night and was finding it difficult 
to stay awake. Mulder was dozing on the sofa 
beside her.

She pointedly looked at her watch and shifted in her 
seat.

"Dana, you look tired," Elizabeth said. "Do you think 
you could drop me off at my hotel on your way 
home?"

Scully was astonished. "Elizabeth," she said slowly.  
"I'm not going home."

Elizabeth's eyes flashed. Her lips thinned into an 
angry line and Scully could see her hands clench 
into fists. A second later, her face smoothed out and 
she flushed.

"Oh! I...I...," she stammered, lifting fluttering hands 
to her burning cheeks. "I'm sorry. Of course you..."

Scully reached for her keys. "I would be happy to 
drive you back to your hotel," she offered.

Mulder stirred. "What...where are you going?" he 
asked, knuckling his eyes sleepily.

"I'm going to take Elizabeth back to her hotel," Scully 
told him. "Why don't you get ready for bed. I'll be 
back in a little while."

Mulder stood. "All right," he said, dropping a kiss on 
Scully's lips. "Sleep well, Bethy."

Elizabeth trembled and her eyes misted with sudden 
tears.

"You too, Fox," she whispered, turning away to 
surreptitiously wipe tears from her eyes.

"Bethy...wait!" he called, settling his hands on her 
shoulders and turning her around. "Are you afraid to 
go back to your hotel alone?" he asked.

Scully froze and clenched the keys in her hand so 
tightly that they cut into her skin.

"Oh! This is so stupid," Elizabeth cried. "I'm a grown 
woman. I should know better than to be afraid of 
dreams!" She blinked and two perfect tears slid 
down her cheeks. "I'll be fine," she whispered 
bravely.

"Bethy, why don't you just sleep here tonight?" he 
offered. Scully bit back an astonished gasp.

"I can personally vouch for the comfort of the sofa," 
he grinned. "And I'm sure Scully has something that 
you can wear to sleep in."  

He turned to face Scully. "You have something she 
can borrow, don't you?" he asked.

"Of course," Scully smiled tightly and went into the 
bedroom. Pulling a pair of pajamas from the bureau, 
she turned toward the living room and was stopped 
cold in the doorway, an invisible fist clenching her 
heart. Elizabeth's tear-streaked face was resting 
against Mulder's chest, his dark head bent over her 
fair one as he rocked her in his arms. The expression 
on Elizabeth's face was blissful as she rubbed her 
cheek against the soft cotton of his T-shirt.  He 
looked up and smiled at Scully as she stood in the 
doorway, clutching the pajamas to her chest.

"Good night, Bethy," he said, brushing his lips over 
her cheek. He squeezed Scully's hand as he walked 
into the bedroom. Scully wordlessly held out the 
pajamas to Elizabeth, carefully studying the young 
woman's face.

"What?" Elizabeth asked as she took the pajamas 
from Scully's hands.

"N--nothing," Scully shook her head. "Good night, 
Elizabeth," she murmured, turning back into the 
bedroom and closing the door firmly behind her.

Mulder walked out of the bathroom, mopping his face 
with a towel. Standing next to the bed, he stretched 
and stripped down to his boxers.  

"Coming to bed?" he asked as he crawled under the 
sheets.

"In a minute," she replied, stepping into the 
bathroom. As she washed her face and brushed her 
teeth, she studied her reflection in the mirror.  
Remembering the rapturous expression on 
Elizabeth's face as he held her, Scully wondered if 
Mulder realized that she was in love with him.

Turning off the bathroom light, Scully stepped into 
the darkened bedroom and quickly changed into her 
pajamas. She climbed into bed and lay on her side, 
facing Mulder.  

"Why are you all the way over there?" he asked as 
he scooted across the mattress. Slinging an arm 
over her waist, he rolled onto his back, hauling her 
with him. She burrowed into his embrace, her head 
resting on his chest, her belly pressed along his side, 
one leg tucked between his.

His fingers slid under her pajama top to lightly caress 
the soft skin at the small of her back. His chest rose 
and fell beneath her head in even, slow breaths, but 
she could not relax enough to fall asleep.

She tried to sort through her chaotic thoughts and 
emotions. Mulder's feelings for her seemed 
unchanged. His face lit up whenever she walked 
into the room. Yet his relationship with Elizabeth 
troubled her. The level of comfort he displayed with 
her, coupled with the easy affection of their 
embraces disturbed Scully on a primal level. Was 
Mulder merely protective of Elizabeth or was he 
falling in love with her? Or, she worried had 
Elizabeth taken Samantha's place as Mulder's 
newest obsession?

She was startled by the sound of the bedroom door 
being pushed open. Through her lashes, she watched 
Elizabeth glide soundlessly to the side of the bed.  
She did not even spare a glance at Scully; her 
attention solely focused on the man sleeping 
peacefully in the bed. Scully's arms tightened 
imperceptibly around Mulder's body. Elizabeth's face 
twisted with pain as Mulder snuffled softly and 
snuggled deeper into Scully's embrace, whispering 
her name in his sleep. With a choked cry, she 
hurried from the room.

Her eyes burning with unshed tears and exhaustion; 
Scully wanted nothing more at that moment than to 
sleep. She remembered something her mother had 
taught her as a child when she had been unable to 
sleep. Think of something pleasant, Margaret Scully 
had instructed, and take slow measured breaths, 
focusing all of your attention on your breathing and 
that one happy thought.

Scully tried it now, matching her breathing to the 
steady rise and fall of Mulder's chest. In her mind 
she could see their child, floating peacefully in an 
amniotic sea, nestled safe and warm between its 
parents' bodies.  

She slept.

*********

A pattern was established. Each night, Scully would 
arrive at Mulder's apartment to find Elizabeth 
camped out on the sofa. She began to find excuses 
to work late.

She pushed her key into the lock, wearily bracing 
herself for another night of Elizabeth's company.  
Without the frantic search for Mulder to consume her 
every waking moment, Scully was more aware of the 
effects the pregnancy was having on her. Late 
nights spent avoiding Elizabeth only contributed to 
the overall feeling of exhaustion that threatened at 
times to overwhelm her. Adding to her fatigue was 
the fact that she still had not told Mulder about the 
baby. When could she tell him, she wondered 
defensively, when they never had a moment to 
themselves?

The living room was empty when she walked into the 
apartment.

"Mulder?" she called.

"In here," he responded from the kitchen.

She found him at the kitchen table wearing his 
glasses and reading the newspaper.

"Hi," she said, leaning down to kiss him. "Where's 
Elizabeth?" she asked.

"At her hotel," he said. He peered over his glasses.  
"You want something to eat? I can heat up some 
leftovers," he offered.

"Sure. I'll get changed," she said. She left him 
rooting through the refrigerator and smiled as she 
hurried to the bedroom.

Tugging on a pair of jeans, she struggled to zip 
them. I'm going to need to buy some new clothes 
soon, she thought as the phone rang.

"I'll get it," she called.

Mulder looked up as Scully slapped the cordless 
phone into his hand. "Fox," she said caustically, "it's 
Bethy."

Her appetite gone, she changed into her pajamas 
and climbed into bed. It was only 8:30 p.m. but she 
reasoned she had not been getting the proper rest 
that her body required. It was past time that she 
started taking care of herself and the baby. She 
turned on the television to drown out the murmur of 
Mulder's voice from the other room. She tried to stay 
awake but by 10:00 p.m. her eyelids were drooping 
and Mulder still showed no sign of ending his phone 
call.

She awoke a couple of hours later to the blaring 
noise of a commercial. Fumbling groggily for the 
remote, she snapped off the television. The 
apartment was dark and still. Heaving a dejected 
sigh, she flipped her pillow over and rested her 
cheek against the cool cotton. She sat up gasping 
with fright when the bathroom door suddenly swung 
open.

"What's the matter?" Mulder asked as she gaped at 
him, her fist pressed against her pounding heart.

"You're here," she gasped.

He looked at her oddly. "Yeah...Scully are you 
alright?" he asked. Sitting down on his side of the 
bed, he kicked off his jeans and slid under the 
covers.

"It was so dark and quiet," she explained. "I thought 
you had gone over to see Elizabeth."

He shook his head. "No, we just spoke on the 
phone."

Scully rolled onto her side, facing away from him.  
He slid closer and curled up behind her.  

"You didn't eat," he whispered into her hair. "Do you 
feel alright?"

"I'm fine," she said flatly. "Let's just go to sleep."  
She clutched his hand between her breasts, staring 
wide-eyed into the darkness.

Mulder awoke while she was getting dressed in the 
morning. She was in the bathroom blinking back 
tears of frustration. She could not fasten her suit 
jacket over her swelling breasts. Brushing the tears 
from her eyes, Scully walked into the bedroom.  
Mulder was propped up on one elbow, peering at her 
sleepily.

"Leaving?" he asked.

"I have a meeting this morning," she replied. She 
hoped that he would attribute the huskiness of her 
voice to the early hour. She took a deep breath.  
She had made a decision during the long sleepless 
night.

"Mulder, I'm going to my apartment after work 
tonight," she told him. "I haven't been there in a 
while and I have things I need to do."

Mulder sank back against the pillows. "Got a 
doctor's appointment late this afternoon," he said 
around a huge yawn. "I'll come over after, okay?"

Scully considered the possibilities and nodded. "I'd 
like that," she whispered.

*********

"Scully!" he called, walking into her apartment later 
that evening.

"In here." Her voice floated out of the bedroom.

"Hey," he said, poking his head through the door.

She turned to him, smiling happily. She was wearing 
a robe, loosely belted around her waist.

"Hi," she said tugging him into the room and pushing 
the door closed behind him. She pulled his face 
down and claimed his lips in a heated kiss. She 
grasped his hand and guided into the loose folds of 
her robe, curling his fingers around her warm breast.

"Ohhh," she groaned, as his thumb instinctively 
stroked over the tip of her breast.

She fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. "I have 
one of Mom's lasagnas in the oven, but we have time 
before it's ready," she whispered against his lips.

"Scully..." Mulder wrenched his lips from hers. Her 
hungry mouth latched onto the soft skin of his throat 
and he groaned, hauling her close and then pushing 
her away.

"Scully!" 

She blinked at him, her eyes heavy-lidded and dark 
with arousal.

"Mul..."

"Scully, I..." He glanced over his shoulder. "Bethy's 
here. She had a doctor's appointment today too and 
we figured we would pick you up and get some 
dinner..." he explained lamely.

"Oh.  I...I...God, I'm so embarrassed." She blushed 
furiously and buried her face in her hands.

Mulder pried her hands away from her face.

"Embarrassed? Why?" he asked.

She refused to look at him. "Because I thought...but 
I was--you didn't come here for this." She cinched 
her robe tightly around her waist and clutched the 
collar over her breasts.

"Don't be embarrassed," he said, stroking one finger 
down her pink cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't know...” His 
voice trailed off and he cupped her cheek in his 
hand.

"Why don't you get dressed and we'll get something 
to eat," he suggested. "Then we'll drop Bethy at her 
hotel and come back here."

She shook her head. "I can't. The lasagna--it's still 
in the oven. I have to wait for it."

Mulder looked over his shoulder again and then back 
at her helplessly.

"You should go," she said, letting him off the hook.  
"She's waiting for you."

He dropped his head and nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll 
be back as soon as I can," he promised.

Scully took a deep breath. "You don't have to," she 
told him. "I'm going to finish the lasagna, throw in a 
couple of loads of laundry and go to bed. Besides, 
you still have to take Elizabeth back to her hotel.  
There's no need for you to drive all the way back 
over here..."

He cocked his head to one side. "Are you telling me 
you don't want me to come back?" he asked. 

"No, of course not," she hastened to assure him. "I 
just didn't want to you make a wasted trip, that's all."

Mulder lifted her into his arms. "I love you," he told 
her, crushing her close.

"Me too," she whispered.

"I'll be back later," he repeated.

She could hear him make an excuse to Elizabeth 
and then they were gone, leaving her alone in her 
quiet apartment. Scully waited until she was sure 
they were not coming back before leaving her 
bedroom. She turned off the oven and pulled the 
tray of lasagna from within. She carefully scraped 
the pasta into the garbage disposal and wiped down 
the counters. Turning to leave the room, she saw 
the table. She had set it with candles, champagne 
flutes and her grandmother's china. A bottle of 
sparkling grape juice was chilling in the refrigerator.  
She had planned to tell him her good news over a 
romantic dinner.

Scully put the glasses back into the cupboard and 
blew out the candles. In a sudden display of temper, 
she dashed one fragile plate to the floor where it 
splintered into a thousand pieces. Dry-eyed, she 
sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands.

*******

Mulder had spent seven years patiently tearing down 
the walls that Scully had erected around her heart.  
What he didn't realize was that Scully's internal 
defense system was busily laying a foundation for 
new walls to stand upon. His behavior and her own 
reaction to it confused her. Long ago having lost 
touch with her friends, and with Melissa gone, Scully 
had no one to turn to.  

How could she explain her feelings to her mother?  
How did she tell her that no, she still had not told 
Mulder about the baby? How did she explain that he 
seemed more interested in spending time with another 
woman than he did with her? Her mother would tell 
her that her feelings were foolish nonsense; the 
hormonally driven anxiety of a pregnant woman. She 
would reassure Scully that Mulder loved her; that 
anyone who knew them, knew that to be true. Her 
mother would tell her to grow up and talk to Mulder; 
tell him how she felt. Tell him about the baby.

Yet Scully was paralyzed with a deep-seated fear.  
She had been taught not to confront Mulder about 
other women who were a part of his life--his 
relationship with his mother; the never-ending 
parade of Samantha lookalikes...Diana Fowley. And 
she did not want to use their child to secure her 
place in his heart.

In dozens of tiny ways she knew she was 
withdrawing from him. She also knew that Mulder 
sensed her retreat and was confused by it. Irrational 
as it sounded, she wanted him to know what was 
wrong without having to tell him. And as each self-
protective brick was mortared into place, she worried 
that he wouldn't realize that for all of the many times 
she had told him that she was fine and could take 
care of herself--that this time she needed him to 
save her.

********

She came home to find him working on the computer.  
Curious, she crossed the room. As she drew near she 
saw that he was at an airline reservation website.  
He slipped his credit card back into his wallet and 
sent a document to the printer. He stood to retrieve 
the paper from the printer and she frowned as she 
glanced at it.

"What is that?" she asked suspiciously.

Mulder leaned against the desk and drew her 
between his legs.

"Bethy is going home," he began and Scully felt a 
wave of relief sweep over her.

Her happiness was short-lived, however.

"She's going to make arrangements to sublet her 
apartment and pack up her belongings so that she 
can move here."

"Elizabeth is moving here?" Scully asked slowly.

"Yeah, she's going to transfer her credits to 
Georgetown and finish her post-grad work here. Get 
a job."

"And...you're going with her," she said in growing 
comprehension.

"I'm going to help her sort through her things, put 
stuff into storage and decide what she should bring 
back with--"

Scully wrenched herself from his arms and stalked 
across the room. Spinning back, she crossed her 
arms over her chest.

"You're going with her," she repeated.

"I don't have to be back to work for another two 
weeks..." he began.

"I spent months looking for you, sick with fear, and 
now you are barely home and you are going away 
again?" she asked, her voice rising. "You really must 
be crazy if you think that I'm going to let you go back 
to OREGON!" she shouted.

"Scully..." he soothed, placing his hands on her 
shoulders.

She jerked away from his touch and he dropped his 
hands to his sides. "I'll only be gone for a few days."

She laughed harshly. "That's what you said the last 
time," she reminded him.

He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face.

"Look, if they still wanted me, they wouldn't have 
sent me back. And if they changed their minds, they 
wouldn't have to wait for me to show up in Oregon to 
take me," he reasoned. His eyes roamed across the 
wall behind her as he searched for the words to 
explain.

"She's in love with you," Scully said in a low voice.

Mulder shook his head. "No," he said and shrugged.  
"Even if that were true...I love you."

He pleaded with her. "Scully, you can't understand.  
You weren't there. You didn't hear her screaming 
every time they came to our cell. You didn't feel her 
shaking and crying in your arms afterwards. Bethy 
isn't like you, Scully. She's delicate and frightened.  
She needs me."

Scully lowered her head and muttered something 
under her breath.

"What, Scully?  Talk to me."

She looked at him. "I said she was lucky."

Horrified, Mulder drew back. "I've never heard you 
say anything so cruel," he told her.

Scully shook her head, stubbornly clinging to her 
point of view. "No, Mulder. I'm not being cruel. I'm 
being honest. All things considered, I think she was 
lucky. She had you." She licked her lips and cast 
her eyes around the room before looking back at 
him.

"Don't you think that I screamed? Don't you know 
that I was terrified? But you weren't there to comfort 
me, to hold me. No one was."

"Penny..." he said, looking sick.

She cut him off. "I don't remember her. You know I 
don't really remember anything from that time. The 
only thing I've ever remembered is that I was afraid 
and alone. I never knew that kind of fear again until 
you were gone and I was trying to deal with it alone."  
She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying 
to get warm, but the chill was coming from within.

"I feel like that now," she continued. "I've felt that 
way for weeks now. I need you to comfort me, to 
hold me. I need to be able to comfort you and hold 
you. But you've been so busy taking care of 
Elizabeth..." She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"When you came back, I wanted to crawl inside of 
you and never leave but..."

Mulder reached behind him to lift the confirmation 
slip from the desk. He tore it in two, crumpling the 
two halves in his fists and ceremoniously pitched 
them into the wastepaper basket. He looked up to 
see hope shining in her eyes.

"You've never said that to me before," he told her.

"What?" she sniffed.

"That you need me. You've never said that."

Scully threw herself into his arms. "I never knew 
how much until you were gone," she admitted.  
"Don't leave me," she whispered into his shirt.  
"Please, Mulder. Don't leave me again."

"No," he murmured brokenly. "I won't. I'll never 
leave you."

He took her by the hand and led her into the 
bedroom. Light from the living room spilled across 
the bed as he urged her down onto the rumpled 
covers. He stretched out next to her. Tunneling his 
fingers into her hair, his mouth moved warmly over 
hers, lips tugging softly. Scully wrapped her fingers 
around his wrists, her thumbs stroking over the soft 
skin covering his pounding pulse. Her lips were soft 
and pliant beneath his as Mulder's tongue slid into 
her mouth, scraping along the ridges of her teeth and 
exploring the silky lining of her cheeks.

The shrill ring of the telephone interrupted their quiet 
enjoyment of each other.

"Machine," Mulder muttered against her mouth. She 
pulled his lower lip between her teeth, her tongue 
stroking the satiny fullness of it when the tinny sound 
of Elizabeth's voice filtered into the room. Scully 
stiffened as Mulder rolled off of the bed and padded 
into the other room. He was back a moment later, 
reaching for the bedside phone and turning off the 
ringer. He crawled back into bed and reached for 
her with eager hands. Her smile was exultant.  
"Thank you," she said in a low, pleased voice.

Mulder's hand closed lightly around her throat, his 
thumb pressing into the soft skin of her jaw, tilting 
her face up to his. His kiss, tender at first, turned 
quickly possessive.

As he drew her clothing from her body, he bathed 
each inch of newly revealed skin with soft, wet 
kisses. He slid her skirt from her hips and tugged 
her panties down her legs and Scully feared that he 
would notice the changes in her body. She wanted 
to tell him about the baby; she vowed to herself that 
she would tell him before this night was over. But, 
oh--not yet--please--not right now.

Mulder's lips skimmed downward and he rubbed his 
bristled cheek lightly over her belly before reversing 
direction and sliding back up her body to capture a 
nipple between his lips. Her breasts were very 
sensitive and remembering the ravenous way he had 
devoured her in the past, she tensed in anticipation 
of his impassioned assault.

But Mulder's mood was tender and his tongue 
swirled lightly across the smooth skin of her breast, 
delicately drawing the velvety tip into the moist heat 
of his mouth. Scully's breath caught and she 
moaned, pulling at his shoulders.

"Take off your clothes," she said throatily. He 
dropped an affectionate kiss on the tip of her breast 
and sitting up, quickly shed his clothes.  

"Ohhh," she hissed as his bare flesh met hers. Eyes 
closed, she lifted her head from the pillow, blindly 
seeking his lips with her own. Their mouths met and 
clung, her tongue slipping into his mouth to taste 
him.

Mulder settled himself above her, propping himself 
up on his elbows. He stroked one hand over her 
forehead, pushing sweaty tendrils of hair out of her 
eyes.

"You are so precious to me," he told her. All of 
Scully's doubts and fears melted away under the 
intensity of his gaze. Her breath escaped her in a 
contented sigh as he moved between her legs and 
slid deep.

********

"Mulder."

"Hmmm?" His voice was muffled against her throat.

Scully rolled onto her side and propped herself up on 
her arm. Mulder's eyes were heavy lidded. Sated 
and happy, she knew it wouldn't be long before he 
fell asleep. She was determined not to let another 
night pass without telling him.

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you ever 
since you came home."

"Hmmm?" He breathed, blinking sleepily at her.

Now that the time had arrived, Scully didn't have the 
words.

"I...I..." she fumbled, clumsily searching for the 
perfect way to tell him. Taking his hand into her 
own, she placed a kiss in the center of his palm. He 
smiled as she nestled her cheek into his hand and 
his fingers threaded through her tangled hair. His 
eyes were curious as he waited silently for her to tell 
him what was on her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled his hand down to 
her curving stomach.

"I'm pregnant."

Mulder's gaped at her wide-eyed. "Wha..."

She nodded and offered a tiny smile. "I'm pregnant," 
she repeated.

His fingers splayed out over her abdomen, 
measuring and cataloguing the changes, mentally 
comparing the gentle swelling beneath his fingers to 
the muscled flatness he remembered.

He loomed over her, pushing her back into the 
pillows.

"When?" he asked.

"I found out the night you were taken," she told him.

"When?" he asked again.

"The doctor says in a little less than five months."

Mulder shook his head, frustrated.  

"When?" he demanded.

She lifted her shoulders in confused helplessness for 
a moment and then she realized what he wanted to 
know.

"Caddyshack," she whispered, smiling shakily.

He remembered that twenty minutes into the movie 
he'd had a very naked Scully pinned between him 
and his sofa.  

He buried his face in the curve of her neck. An 
image of Scully heavily swollen with his child flashed 
through his mind. Deeply breathing in her scent, 
Mulder was suddenly and unexpectedly aroused.  
Filled with an ancient and primal need to mate with 
her, he rolled on top of her, draping her legs over his 
forearms and bracing his hands on the mattress on 
either side of her. He brushed against her once--
twice--before plunging deeply inside. Every stroke 
was controlled as he asserted his claim on her.

"Mine," he growled as he thrust into her body.

"Yes." She shivered. Unable to plant her feet on the 
bed or wrap her legs around him, she curled her 
arms around his back, helpless to do anything but 
hold on in the face of his fierce onslaught.

Mulder's breathing was a ragged whistle as he 
labored above her. His rhythm broke and he 
shuddered, emptying himself inside of her with a 
feral cry.

"Mine," he rasped as he fell into her arms.

"Yours," she whispered, gathering him close.

**********

She opened the door to find him smiling happily at 
her. He really did have the most beautiful smile, she 
thought. She stood aside and let him step past the 
door.

"Hi!" she said.

He brushed his lips across her cheek.

"You're in an awfully good mood," she noted as she 
sat down on the loveseat near the window.

"I am," he agreed, flopping down next to her. "I am."

"Soooo," she drawled. "Are you gonna tell me what's 
got you in such a good mood? Did you order the 
tickets?" she asked eagerly.

"About that...Bethy I need to tell you something."

Her smile faded. "You didn't get them?" she asked.

"No, I did, but...” He heaved out a sigh. "I cancelled 
my ticket, Bethy. I'm not going with you."

"Why?" she whimpered. "I need your help, Fox."

"Listen to me Bethy. I don't want to leave Scully," he 
told her.

"She told you not to go?" she asked shrilly.

"Of course not." He stood, pacing as he tried to 
explain. "I love her." He lifted his hands as if 
helpless to find any better explanation. "I love her," 
he repeated. "And I've been neglecting her since I 
came home. I've been neglecting us."

She shook her head. "It's only for a few days..."

"No, Bethy. She's the best thing that ever happened 
to me and I need to devote more time to her. I 
can't...Look, I care about you very much and I will 
always be your friend. But I just...I can't..." He 
pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb 
and forefinger. "I can't give you my undivided 
attention at the expense of my life with Scully."

Her eyes were turbulent and she shook her head, 
denying his words.

Mulder knelt down in front of her and took her hands 
in his own. "Bethy. Listen to me. I love Scully. I 
have always loved her. And I've taken her love for 
me for granted for too long now."

His lips curled upwards in a contented smile. "I'm 
moving in with her. I'm going to marry her if she'll 
have me," he stated.  

"If you'd like, I'll talk to my landlord about the 
possibility of your subletting my apartment until the 
lease is up. I can leave all of the furniture there for 
now. After the baby is born, Scully and I are going to 
look for a bigger place."

"She's pregnant?" she asked shrilly.

He smiled blissfully and nodded.

"Oh," she said in a small voice, bending over their 
clasped hands.

"I kept your ticket," he told her. "But if you're not 
ready to go out to Oregon alone, I can cancel it."

She shook her head and a tear splashed down onto 
his hand.

"Oh Bethy," he said, freeing one hand to brush the 
dampness from her cheek. "I'm not abandoning 
you," he promised.  

He pushed himself to his feet. "Think about the 
ticket and the apartment. I'll call you later."

She nodded and watched him walk out of the door.

********

Mulder whistled as he rode the elevator up to 
Scully's apartment. Watching the floor numbers light 
up, he remembered waking that morning, his hands 
curled possessively over her expanding belly. He 
smiled as he strode down the hallway, eager to see 
her. He glanced at his watch. She should be home 
from work by now.

As he approached her apartment, he heard her cry 
out, followed by a loud crashing sound.

"Scully!" he called, reaching for the gun that he had 
recently taken to wearing again. He wrapped his 
fingers around the doorknob and turned it, quickly 
pushing the door open.

He took in the scene before him with horror-filled 
eyes. Covered in blood, Scully was curled up on the 
floor, her attacker crouched over her.

"Bethy," he cried out in terror. "Drop it!"

Elizabeth's eyes were wild as she brandished the 
knife. She glanced at the gun in his hand before 
turning back to Scully.

"Noooo!" he cried, firing his weapon. Elizabeth's 
body jerked as the bullet pierced her flesh and she 
crumpled to the floor.  

Mulder ran across the room and kicked the knife 
away from her. "Bethy," he asked brokenly. "Why?"

"...love you," she gasped as the light dimmed in her 
eyes.

Mulder dropped down next to Scully.

"Mulder," she moaned. "The baby. Oh God, Mulder.  
The baby," she cried hysterically.

"Let me see, Scully," he said, frantically pushing her 
bloody clothes out of the way. "Come on, 
sweetheart, let me take a look."

Scully sobbed as he pulled her clothing away. He 
ran trembling fingers over her swollen abdomen.  

"It's okay, Scully," he soothed. "The baby is alright.  
You protected it." He lifted her into his arms and 
reached for the telephone quickly calling for an 
ambulance.  

Scully flung her arms around his neck. "She...
she...she..." her breath caught in panting sobs.
"She said she was looking for you...when I 
turned away, she hit me over the head with 
something." She hissed in pain as his fingers 
brushed over a lump above her ear. "She...oh 
God...she wanted to kill the baby, and me," she 
choked.

He clutched her tightly in his arms, rocking her as the 
wail of sirens drew closer.

*********

"Agent Mulder?"  He glanced up to see the doctor 
standing before him.

"How is she?" he asked standing quickly.

"She's going to be fine.  Most of the wounds were 
defensive wounds to the hands and arms. We 
stitched those up. Some shallow cuts on her legs 
and back," the doctor explained.  "Her vitals are 
good."

Mulder nodded jerkily. "The baby?" he asked timidly.

The doctor smiled. "Everything looks good, but we're 
going to do an ultrasound to put Dana's mind at 
ease. She wants you there for it."

Mulder eagerly followed the doctor to Scully's room.  
She looked pale and tired against the scratchy 
sheets of the emergency room hospital bed. She 
turned her head and smiled wanly, holding out her 
hand to him. He quickly crossed the room, gathering 
her hand in his and lifting it to his mouth.

A nurse entered the room pushing a portable 
ultrasound machine. Scully shivered as the doctor 
spread the gel over her stomach. The doctor moved 
the wand over her stomach, intently studying the 
screen for a moment.  

"Ahhh," she said, smiling in satisfaction. She turned 
the screen so that Mulder and Scully could see it.  
Holding the wand steady with one hand, she pointed 
to the screen with the other.  

"There's your baby," she said, as her finger traced 
over the tiny form on the screen. She flicked a 
switch on the machine and the sound of the baby's 
heartbeat filled the room. "Sound's perfect," she 
declared.

Pushing a button, she printed out a picture of the 
baby and wiped the gel from Scully's stomach.

"Everything looks fine," the doctor told them. "I'd like 
to keep you here for the rest of the night," she said, 
"and if everything still looks good in the morning, you 
can go home."

"Thank you," Mulder murmured as the doctor left 
them alone.

******

Scully awoke the next morning to find Mulder dozing 
in the chair next to her bed.

"Hey," she whispered.

He yawned and scraped his hands over his face.

"How are you?" he asked as he sat down on the bed 
next to her.

She stretched experimentally. "Sore," she winced.  
"And tired."

He nodded and laid his head on her breasts. "I'm so 
sorry," he whispered brokenly.

"Not your fault," she chided him.

He laughed bitterly. "For a profiler, I sure am a bad 
judge of character."

He sat up. "I had a background check run on Bethy, 
while you were sleeping," he told her. He rubbed his 
thumbs over the back of her hands. "She has a long 
history of mental illness. Several hospitalizations, 
including one for allegedly scheming to murder the 
wife of one of her high school teachers." He shook 
his head. "I brought her into our lives and she 
almost killed you and our baby. What kind of man 
does that make me?"

Scully gathered him into her arms. "I'd worry more if 
you started running background checks on every 
person you met before you let them into your life," 
she told him. "She was your friend and you tried to 
help her. She was ill, Mulder."

"You could have died, Scully."

She cupped his face in her hands. "You saved us 
Mulder."

He shook his head. "I just..."

She cut him off, pressing her lips to his. "Please 
Mulder. Don't do this. We're okay," she promised. 
"Please...just take me home."

Mulder drew her down onto his chest, cupping the 
back of her head in his hand. "I love you," he vowed 
against her hair.

"I know."

The End

Author's notes: That’s it folks! I chose not to focus 
on what actually happened during Mulder's 
abduction, but rather on the aftermath and how it 
would affect their lives. I hope you will write to me 
and let me know what you thought of my story at 
tnv099@aol.com