#can you tell i’m writing about the mulder family

[deep-sea-gigantinism]

i have grievances with the samantha abduction scene from little green men, but i think it’s so funny when mulder says “get out of my life!” and samantha just screams in his face😭

[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Edition: Reworking Requiem and Mulder's Return (Part II)

Ahhhh, Requiem. The episode that drove me to read fanfics after Season 8 wrapped up.

Loose chronological order below~

@amplifyme/wonderland/Lydia Bower (Tooms Gossamer)

“New year’s resolutions?”

Mulder looks over at her with one of his sidelong, appraising glances. “Do I look like the type who makes resolutions?”

“Come on, Mulder. We’re stuck in this car on New Year’s Eve on what is most assuredly a dead-end stakeout all because you’re convinced that one Herman Jiménez is preparing to escort his family to a new home somewhere in the heavens, compliments of a spaceship steered by little green men. Humor me just this once and play along. And yes, I do think you’re the type to make resolutions.”

“Well, see, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t make resolutions at the beginning of a new year. I make promises instead.”

Pre-Requiem: There is, in fact, no Requiem-- only a stakeout, a debate, and New Years promises.

@cecilysass's Pause (Ao3)

“Mulder?” she repeats.

Very slowly he turns, allowing her to see his face for the first time.

His expression is flat, without affect. He blinks.

“Hi,” she tries again. She scrambles to stand up. “I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just me. I’m…I’m having a rough time. I don’t have any idea what’s going on. I don’t remember what’s happened.”

He takes a step towards her, and she sees how terrible he looks. He needs a haircut and a shave. There are deep purple smudges lining the bottom of his eyes.

His eyes dart over the scene in front of him: her clothes, her hair, the half-eaten lasagna on the plate in front of her, the coffee table with no dirty dishes.

Something like fear flickers across his face.

Pre-Requiem: Scully is presumed dead for a year, only to be returned missing a chunk of her memories (and unaware she is pregnant.)

@leiascully's (Ao3) Imagine Other Worlds - Chapter 7

She can feel it. She knows there’s no medical reason she should be able to. But she knows, somehow. When she goes to see her doctor and she touches Scully’s shoulder with that expression, it isn’t difficult to gather herself. She’s been through this before.

Pre-Requiem: Not only is Scully pregnant, but her cancer is back. There is no Bellefleur, only a hope that she'll pull through.

Variations on a Requiem

Scully wondered, just for a moment, what had ever happened in Bellefleur. She hoped that Theresa Nemman no longer got nosebleeds. She hoped that Billy Miles had found some peace. Maybe nobody saw lights in the sky anymore and the tourists just enjoyed the salmon and the peace of the deep woods. She didn’t mention any of it to Mulder. He’d want to revisit their first case, sifting through the pine straw for any evidence of the ashy dust she’d found. Some things were better left alone. A town like that needed its motels, and she and Mulder were inadvertent firestarters. But she looked up across the rows of manila folders and smiled at him, and he smiled back, and the magic was still there, just like it had always been.

Pre-Requiem: Mulder and Scully live their lives gently growing older together... until a late-life pregnancy shocks their routine.

@msrafterdark's (Ao3)

Could you write something in which Scully tells Mulder she's pregnant in the afterglow?

He stares at you for a beat longer and you watch as his gaze darts back and forth across your face. To your immense shock his expression nearly crumples before you, his eyes glassy with immediate tears.

Pre-Requiem: Scully tells Mulder about her pregnancy.

I'm not sure when you're accepting prompts but can you do one where Scully has a pregnancy scare with Mulder?

“Well, I just…you told me once that you had little desire to start a family…”

“Yeah, Scully—awhile ago.”

Pre-Requiem: Scully is shocked Mulder is happy at her news.

MSR Ficmas

He looks down at the note again, the one he found on his desk after he came back from a morning financial meeting. He was already in a testy mood about their budget being further tightened, now he just feels ill.

@ Doctor appointment, 11 am. Will call. Do NOT worry.

Pre-Requiem: Mulder and Scully are married; and Mulder is panicking over Scully's latest doctor's appointment.

Ficlets (Tumblr Prompt) - Chapter 103 (Ao3)

Content with his reasoning (oh what a rarity), she relaxes, nods, her eyes immediately growing heavy as she leans against his shoulder. She’s excited to see that house tomorrow, with its beautiful deck and an office and that gorgeous master bedroom…She’s trying to keep an open mind, but her heart has already been sold.

Post Requiem/Mulder is returned early enough to make pampering little first trimester nests for Scully.

@sigritandtheelves/DarlaBlack's

Canticle (Ao3)

She wakes sobbing in his arms, saying “No, Mulder, no!” And when he tries to tell her everything is okay, she rushes to his tiny bathroom to vomit.

He pounds on the door. He calls her Dana until she unlocks it and looks at him with haunted eyes, holding a cold washcloth to her face.

“We’re taking you to the doctor,” he says.

“You can’t go near the ship,” she says. “It’s you it wants.” Then she collapses against him.

Requiem: Mulder listens to Scully's dream and flies home with her.

Ground

 It was science and mysticism and love-magic, combining like a perfect syzygy. It was the history of them, their lives, their suffering, their work, their love, emerging of some dark alchemy into a perfect future person, housed now beneath his palm. “The baby will be like Gibson,” she said: a weapon and a target and a key.

“But it’s ours,” he whispered—it was a question and a statement.

“Yes,” she said. “Only ours. Of that I’m sure.” And therefore so much more than merely weapon, target, key.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned in the desert two months later, to revelation upon revelation.

@mldrgrl's (Ao3)

MSR 38

Skinner was already on the phone calling for an ambulance.  The gunmen hovered, giving orders to each other to give her air, get her water, find a pillow.  Marita knelt down next to Mulder and put a hand on Scully’s ankle.

“Alex,” she said.  “Find a blanket.”

Requiem: Scully passes out in the Bureau.

Resignation

Mulder had a nagging feeling about returning to Bellefleur even before he boarded the plane. It had actually started when he'd told Scully he was leaving and she was going to stay.  He expected her to put up more of a protest than she had, but it was the look on her face that gave him the first sense of foreboding - like she didn't expect to see him again.  

Requiem: Mulder, acting on a gut instinct, resigns on the plane.

Not Again: Part 1 and Not Again: Part 1 - Gone

“Sir.”  Mulder stops Skinner from turning away and squeezes his upper arm.  “What did that man, Agent Doggett, mean when he asked if it was about the baby?”

Skinner takes off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.  He hesitates before he hooks them back over his ears and looks Mulder directly in the eyes.  “Agent Scully used the bureau labs yesterday afternoon to run some bloodwork on herself,” he says.

Post Requiem: Scully is abducted, instead; and Mulder is forced to work alongside a task force that suspects him.

@o6666666's

au where Mulder didn't go....

He picks her up like a bride. “We’re going to the ER.”

“What, no, Mulder, you need to—your flight.”

“Ha ha,” he says. “Very funny.”

“Mulder, I’m—“

“Scully,” he tells her, jostling her around a little to get the car keys from his pocket, “shut up, will you? I’m taking you to the hospital.”

He can tell he’s moved her when she leans her head on his chest.

Requiem: Scully faints in the garage before they even leave the FBI.

Lapsed_Scholar’s Variations

“I must have fainted,” she tried, shakily. “I was feeling a little bit strange, just now. I should be fine in a moment.” Her mouth felt peculiarly clumsy around the words.

Exasperation flared across his eyes, but he kept his voice steady and gentle. “I don’t think so, honey. I had the airport staff call an ambulance. It should be here in a moment.” Honey? In public? It was apparently worse than she thought. When she found that she didn’t have the energy to call him on it, she knew it was worse than she thought.

Requiem: All the many, different ways Mulder could have been kept from Bellefleur-- from heartfelt to frustrated to comic to close shave.

@baronessblixen's (Ao3)

Fictober Day 11 Ao3 Fictober 2020 - Chapter 11

“You let him go alone?”

“No. I- um, I might have caused a slight ruckus at the airport and, um, we were asked to leave. He drove me here.”

“What kind of ruckus, Mulder?” Scully asks, amusement in her voice.

Requiem: Mulder crashes through the hospital, determined to get to Scully's side.

Fictober Day 12 Ao3 Fictober 2020 - Chapter 12

Hesitation drips from her voice. What happened to being ready? He turns his head and rests his chin on her stomach.

“Nothing is going to go wrong, Scully,” he says.

“It might.”

“It won’t.”

Post Requiem: Scully tells her mother the good news (without having Mulder halfway out to space.)

isamariposa's Bullfrogs and Jello

He smiles, and then he's so tired of this.

Requiem: Mulder is too worried to leave, so Skinner calls up Doggett to take his place.

@moonprincess92/Moonprincess92's Are you up for writing some season 7 fluff?

And as it became more and more likely that they would be shut down, Mulder knew that now all Scully had to do was ask him, and he’d walk away in an instant. He wouldn’t risk their lives for anything. 

He certainly wouldn’t risk hers.

Requiem: Mulder leaves Skinner at the airport, afraid Scully's cancer has returned.

@rationalcashew/RationalCashew's Dark is the Way; Light is the Place (Ao3)

He moved quickly to her, barely registering the note in her hand until she handed it to him. Mulder felt the blood drain from his face when he looked at it.

Take your chance. Wave and grin. So many guys just play with sin.

Underneath the typed note was something new: an incredibly detailed eye, drawn in black ink.

Devil eye.

Requiem: Mulder returns from Bellefleur, surprised and delighted at Scully's news. The two barely have time to process before they are thrown into a Deadly Sins case.

@frangipanidownunder/Frangipanidownunder's Already Special

Diana stands, pulls out a file from a drawer. Holds the Manila folder up. “This is a contact list of all the women who have been, and who will be, used as hosts for the experiment. They are all patients of the same pair of doctors. Lev and Parenti.”

There’s a sharp silence in the room. Lizzie Gill spreads her fingers flat on the desk. Scully presses a finger under her nose.

“I know about the IVF,” Diana says and Scully scrapes her chair back across the floor. The door slams behind her.

Post Requiem: Mulder was never abducted; and he and Scully tackle Per Manum and one Diana Fowley head-on.

@ghostbustermelanieking/skuls's

oregon forest

Skinner finds them. They’re somewhere in the desert, and they’re still together. They’re shivering. Scully’s teeth are chattering. Mulder is wrapped around her, his face in her neck, his fingernails digging into her back desperately. She’s gripping him just as hard, and she squints as someone shines a light into her eyes. She’s frightened all over again until she hears Skinner’s panicked voice: “Scully? Mulder?”

Relief fills her, suddenly, and she nods, a little whimper bubbling in her throat, as her head falls limply to Mulder’s shoulder.

Skinner drives them to the hospital. Mulder won’t let go of her hand. He won’t stop touching her face, her hair. He whispers it again, the things she remembers from the ship; he whispers, “I’m sorry, Scully, I’m so, so sorry.”

Requiem: Scully runs after Mulder, catching up just in time to get abducted along with him.

AU where scully finds mulder in the Arizona desert during within/without

He and Doggett seems equally stunned at the whole thing; Mulder had never really expected her to hear him. 

Within: Scully sticks to her instincts and finds Mulder in the ship.

s8's roadrunners AU where it's mulder instead of doggett

She tells him on the bus. After Doggett is finished cutting the slug out of her, because she’s shouting that it needs to be cut out and Mulder wants to do it but he can’t. His hands are shaking too badly. So he holds hers, lets her squeeze the life out of them as she screams, as the cultists pound on the bus, as Doggett pulls out the slug and shoots it. The cultists are dismayed. Mulder can see the flashing lights through the dusty window of the bus. As Doggett runs outside to deal with it all, Scully collapses woozily against his chest. He presses a quivering hand over the bloody wound at the back of her neck, and he realizes only then that she is sobbing. “It’s okay,” he whispers in frantic reassurance, pressing one hand against the wound and wrapping his free arm around her shoulders.

Roadrunners: Mulder is returned in time to rescue his partner.

@wexleresque/hellsteeth's

lost time (Ao3)

“What now?” he says, though it may be to just himself.

“I want to look at the files you set aside for me.” Scully says.

“Do you want to be alone? There might be some upsetting stuff in there. I didn’t see a lot but…you don’t end up in the x-files for just having a really great time.”

Scully shakes her head. “No, I want you to be there. You lived this through it all, too.”

Requiem: Mulder and Scully are abducted together, and returned with seven years of memories erased.

DeadAlive Switch (Ao3)

Mulder never gets the chance to beg Scully to stay in DC. She collapses on the forest floor, wakes clammy and nauseous, eyes glassy. He runs for help, yelling desperately. When he returns, she is gone, stumbling into the forest against her will. 

Requiem: Scully is abducted instead; then returned, "dead." Months after she's buried, Mulder claws her up from the ground.

stellar_dust’s (Ao3)

Threnody 01 - Divested (Ao3) and Threnody - Domani Non Viene (Ao3)

Some time later, empty of tears and drained in his soul, Mulder rose and quickly, deliberately, packed up all of his things.... As he grabbed clothes off the floor, he couldn't bear the thought of pulling his and Scully's apart, of taking hers next door and zipping them into her own suitcase, so into his they went, together.

Requiem: Scully is abducted instead. Not only is Mulder the primary suspect, but he must also grapple with his worsening brain disease and the sudden revelation of Scully's pregnancy.

Threnody - Indelible (Ao3)

With a deep breath, she got a grip on herself. All roads lead somewhere. Eventually, there will be a town, with a phone. She raised herself on shaky legs and began to walk.

Two steps later, Dana Scully disappeared.

Post Requiem: Mulder and his new partner Doggett drive up to Skyland Mountain after a ghost sighting. The ghost happens to be someone very different than he'd been expecting.

amorfati3215/Amorfati32’s (FFN)

Unnamed 1 and Unnamed 2

“We’ll find him,” replies Mulder, his smile faltering. “The Gunmen and their friends are monitoring everything. As soon as there’s any sign of him or the other abductees we’ll know.”

“That doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty.”

Requiem: Skinner, not Mulder, is dragged off to parts unknown.

@writingwell/RocketMan/Darkstryder's (xffics) Second Coming

He was weaker than he'd led them to believe. His head rolled along the seat when Bear spun the ATV around, but Scully was holding him up, trying to keep him from falling asleep.

Post Requiem: Scully and Krycek make a deal over Mulder's return.

@lotsoforangesoutside/@lotzzoforangezoutside/ lots_of_oranges_outside's

Impossibilities (Ao3)

She has half-expected Skinner to stick her with a new partner like he did to Mulder six years ago. That didn’t happen. She’s also thought her mother would freak out about her being an unwed mother and demand a wedding before her stomach starts to show; that also didn’t happen. So many things have been happening that really shouldn’t be happening; talking to her unborn babe is pretty low on the list of things she’s never imagined happening.

Post Requiem: Scully makes a wish upon a genie's ocarina.

@cauldronoflove/thegoodthebadandthenerdy's Gravity, Oh Gravity

the first thing he sees is not scully, but rather the stars. they're a comfort--they're still there and still bright and still patterned how they should be. they burn his eyes and slide down his throat like top shelf whiskey. but they don't even come close.

because the second thing he sees is scully. scully in a shirt he's had to have seen her in a thousand times, the one he thinks is green, but isn't sure because his eyes have always betrayed him. his eyes have to be betraying him. scully and-

and         and                  and

(and his heart stops beating.)

it thunders back to life as he stumbles forward, legs feeling like they've been chopped from his body and reattached in the wrong direction. 

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned as he was taken.

@onpaperfirst's Ao3, LJ) For the first sentence prompt

He’d been pushed out the back of a truck on the side of the 5, just north of Eugene, wearing a thin t-shirt and scrub pants. His tenure on the ship itself had been short. They’d all been taken to a warehouse just across the border on the outskirts of Juárez where he had proven surprisingly adept at levitation but had refused to cooperate when asked to mind read.

Post Requiem: Mulder has been abducted, and returned, by the government.

@enigmaticdrblockhead's AliveDead

Out of some sick inner desperation, his body continues on. Blood still pumping and heart still beating, by definition he is alive. Life. To him it is nothing but lying down.

His right hand almost seems stiff. Fingers are curved upward to show a gray palm. He begs for whatever they can give. He is never lucky.

Post Requiem: Skinner finds Mulder, sick and amnesic, on the street.

@pinebluffvariants/@flukemen/scienceandmysticism's

An idea: scully becomes pregnant but mulder never "dies"

They spend their time in silence, but it’s comfortable. His pupils focus easier and easier and she wheels him around the hospital grounds. He looks up at her from his wheelchair, sadly and adorably rumpled but alive, and she bends down for a kiss. Of course their first kiss in public will be far from home, one of them just this side of peril. It only strengthens her resolve to do it again.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned two months later, aphasic.

@virtie333's (Ao3)

Dream a Little Dream - Chapter 4

While Aldrich took them on another tour, chatting away, Doggett knew Langly and Frohike were tapping into the building's security systems. Tonight, after dark, he and Byers would sneak in, with the assistance of the computer geeks in the van outside, and do a little search and rescue. 

Post Requiem: Mulder is rescued by Doggett and TLG, and the three take down the Alien Bounty Hunter and speed off to help Scully.

The Hunter

For that past week, however, the Prey had been hunting as well, and the trail had finally stopped here, in Savannah. A beautiful town, if one cared about those things. But the Hunter was single minded. He only wanted one thing. And tonight, he was about to get it.

Post Requiem: Mulder escapes, and is returned in time to save Scully and Doggett.

@suitablyaggrieved/ScullyLovesQueequeg's Ignorance

The backseat occupant made a noise of delight upon making eye contact with Mulder, and Scully steals a glance at her partner, to see a small smile on his otherwise somber features. It was gone as soon as it had arrived, however, and his eyes shift out the window again. The backseat occupant was satisfied with this outcome, and he too turned his attention to the slow moving blurs that paint the window as the car moves along the side streets.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned a year later, and suspiciously reacclimates to his new life.

@contrivedcoincidences6/Spooky66/geektime66’s AU 5 HC

“Hello Ms. Scully, this is Amy from Holy Cross Hospital, we’ve been trying to reach you from your other numbers.”

Scully’s brows draw together. In years past she would have thought they were calling about Mulder.

“Yes?”

“A man was checked in a few days ago with no id. Today he started talking and asked for you before he fell back asleep, we were unable to get a name.”

Scully’s heart beats in her ears. She knows it’s not Mulder but she doesn’t know who else it could be. 

Post Requiem: Scully tries to move on... until Mulder is returned a year and a half later.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[shitouttabuck]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @devirnis @transboybuckley and @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove <3

how many works do you have on ao3?

21

what’s your total ao3 word count?

207,784 (fake number wtf)

what fandoms do you write for?

9-1-1

top five fics by kudos:

you can start a family who will always show you love

bucket list fic

love you like a dog

grocery store friends to fiancés

high-on-painkillers very-in-love eddie diaz

do you respond to comments?

i try to but i’m very very very bad at it and the longer i leave it the worse it gets. to everyone who still leaves a comment anyway: i love you so bad and there is a reply coming i promise

what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

could not write an angsty ending if you had a gun to my head i fear

what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

mmmm i think i love you like a dog 2: christmas boogaloo. because im a sucker for the beautiful wife happily ever after

do you get hate on fics?

i’ve got a couple on my fics complaining about mischaracterising buck lol but this one really REALLY funny public bookmark on bucket list fic:

i think about it DAILY

do you write smut?

yes indeed

craziest crossover:

never written one

have you ever had a fic stolen?

no

have you ever had a fic translated?

someone sent me an ask asking if they could last week which is. the coolest thing!

have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope

all time favourite ship?

buddie….. mulder and scully…..

what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

x files au SOMEDAY I PROMISE

what are your writing strengths?

mmm i have fun with dialogue

what are your writing weaknesses?

i def tend to overproject, esp on buck, and i can’t always tell if i’m being true to characterisation and also connecting scenes together and also writing multiple povs

thoughts on dialogue in another language?

yes but if it’s not a language i know then would def ask someone who knows it to proofread (thank you ryan beloved for spanish checking)

first fandom you wrote in?

THIS ONE

favourite fic you've written?

my heart’s over-pumping and your mouth is an ambulance but also baby can i hold you

tagging @eddiebabygirldiaz @onward--upward @clusterbuck @chronicowboy @jeeyuns @gayhoediaz @buckactuallys if you fancy !

[numinousmysteries]

Vanquish by Wisdom Hellish Wiles (9/9)

On AO3 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

@today-in-fic

I started this story in October 2017 after first seeing the season 11 trailer, forgot about it for six years, and then finally finished it. Compared to what some other amazing writers in this fandom are creating, it's honestly not great, but coming back to it helped me remember that writing can be fun. I hope to keep writing and hopefully keep improving. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy my vision for how the show could have ended.

As a baby, William moved the mobile above his crib using his mind. As a teenager, he employed his psychic powers to save his birth parents’ lives by spontaneously killing an entire cadre of black ops forces and, presumably, the smoking man and Reyes as well. And yet, in Scully’s mind, neither of those facts were the most impressive thing about her son.

To her, it was simply that he was there—alive and in front of her in the flesh. She wanted to stop time and catalog every detail of his body the way she and Mulder did days after he was born, laying him out on her bed and silently marveling at his tiny toes, chubby limbs, and rosebud mouth. She wanted to run her hands over his face and memorize every feature. Her baby was almost a man and he was just as perfect to her as the day he was born.

There was so much that she missed and so much she doesn’t know. When did he take his first steps? What’s his favorite food? Was he a cautious rule-follower like herself or was he constantly pushing the limits like his father? She’d never get those years back and she’d never forgive herself for giving him away, but in that moment all that mattered was that they were together again.

Mulder’s eyes reflected her astonishment back at her. In their almost 30 years together, they’d learned to communicate without words. A glance, a wink, or a nod could convey missives of emotion. As they stood in the driveway, too stunned to move, she could tell he was as overwhelmed—by shock, by love, by awe—as she was.

“Come on,” William said. “There might be others coming. Let’s go.”

Her son’s voice. Low and deep like his father’s.

“Yeah, Scully,” Mulder said, reaching for her hand. “We better get going.”

She could only nod in response and let Mulder lead them both back to their car.

“You call each other by your last names,” William said. She could tell it wasn’t a question but him logging a fact about them, or confirming one he had already sensed.

“We work together,” Scully said. “And it just stuck.”

William nodded. She was grateful he didn’t ask any questions about her and Mulder’s current relationship that she couldn’t answer. Working together the past couple of months had been good for them. They’d found their old rhythm and had been spending more time together outside of work as well, but she hadn’t felt ready to move back in yet.

Back at the car, Scully realized she didn't know where they’d go. Would they bring William back to DC with them? If colonization was imminent, she needed to get started on developing a vaccine as soon as possible.

“Can we go get my parents?” William asked, as if reading her mind. “They’re probably worried about me.”

Mulder smiled. “Sure,” he said.

“Sorry,” William said sheepishly. “I mean my adoptive parents. That’s just…what I’ve always called them.”

“Don’t apologize, William,” said Scully, even though she admitted to herself that it cut like a knife to hear her son refer to strangers as his parents. “I’m thankful you were placed with a good family who took care of you all these years.”

“Yeah,” Mulder responded. “And I do imagine they’d be worried about you.”

******

They arrived in Wyoming the following morning. William slept on the plane but Mulder and Scully, sitting on either side of him, stayed awake—both keeping guard and watching him in awe.

“This is where you grew up?” Scully asked, after William directed them to a small but well-kept farmhouse.

“Yup, lived here my whole life—well, that I can remember.”

Scully nodded. His childhood must’ve been so different from the one she could’ve given him. Instead of living in a city, he had fields to run and roam in. She wondered if he played baseball like his father and what kind of games he invented for himself when he was little to stay busy in this wide open space.

As they approached the house they noticed the front door was open and the screen door was swinging on its hinges.

“Do your parents normally leave the door open like that?” Mulder asked.

“No,” William said. “That’s weird.”

“I’m going to go check it out,” Mulder said, reaching for his gun. “You two wait in the car.”

It was the first time Scully was alone with her son since finding him the night before. She sat in the passenger seat stealing glimpses of him in the rearview mirror.

“This must be a lot to take in,” she said.

William shrugged his shoulders. “I always knew I was different. Monica told me about you guys.”

Scully swallowed. She wanted to ask Wiliam so many questions but it was impossible to even know where to start. How do you make up for fifteen years—an entire life in his case? She had once known every inch of skin on his tiny body and now he was essentially a stranger. Did he have any scars? Any broken bones? She didn’t know what he liked to eat or his favorite movie.

“Have you ever seen The Exorcist?” he asked from the backseat, startling Scully.

“It’s one of my favorite movies,” she said.

“Me too. My parents don’t watch any horror movies but I started downloading some classics and I love them.”

“William, were you reading my thoughts just now? Why did you bring up The Exorcist?”

“I guess I had a sense of what you were thinking,” he said. “It’s not so clear cut like listening to someone talk out loud but I get sentiments and sometimes words. It’s strong with you. And Mulder, too.”

“Could you read your parents like that?”

“Yeah, I got better at it over time.”

Mulder emerged alone from the house. He jogged back to the car and knocked on Scully’s window, gesturing for her to come with him. She followed him to the front porch.

“Scully, there are two bodies inside. A middle-aged white male and female. Looks like gunshot wounds. I think I can guess who they are and I’d rather not ask William to have to identify them.”

“Shit,” Scully said. “What do we do?”

They heard William’s car door open and watched as he came to stand with them. “They’re dead, aren’t they?”

“Oh, William,” Scully sighed.

“I had a feeling,” he said, looking down at his sneakers.

“Is there anyone else we should try to find? Any other family or friends?” Mulder asked.

William shook his head. He was still looking down but Scully could see him starting to cry.

“I’m so sorry, William,” Scully said. She embraced her son and felt his tears dampening her blouse. Mulder stepped closer and wrapped his arms around both of them.

They were three broken people. Parents who’d lost their child and a child who’d lost his parents, but somehow they were also a family. They just had to find a way to pick up the pieces and find each other once again.

*****

Mulder and Scully offered to move to William’s hometown in Wyoming for him to finish up high school and start their vaccine research there, but he felt no connection to the place without his adopted parents. If anything, he was desperate for a fresh start. His old town was filled with reminders of what he’d lost.

So instead Wiliam moved into their home in Virginia. It was an older, more rundown house but he could tell they had made it a home. He preferred that it wasn’t in the heart of the city because it was less of a dramatic change from his childhood home. Mulder explained that he and Scully had been giving each other some space and she had her own apartment, but as soon as they were back from Wyoming she started every night at the house and slowly moved her belongings back.

There was a spare room on the second floor for him to move his things into.

“I know this is uncomfortable,” said Scully, showing him to his room. “We love you so much, but we know you’re still just getting to know us. I don’t want to rush you into anything you’re not ready for.”

“What was in here before?” William said.

“Nothing,” Mulder said. “We never spoke about it, but I think we both hoped you’d be here one day.”

They’d had nearly everything from his old bedroom shipped out to Virginia to try to make the transition smooth. At first he told them he didn’t mind starting over, but as he sat in his new-old room he realized he appreciated the small comforts of home—his snow globe collection, his family photos, and his worn-in baseball glove.

“We should have a catch sometime,” Mulder said, picking up the glove.

“I’d like that.”

They had a lot of work to do. They were racing against an unseen clock to beat the invasion. Scully had already taken blood and saliva samples from William to try to isolate his alien DNA to create a vaccine. They had some old associates who were going to help with the science but there was still the issue of convincing the entire global population to take a vaccine to prevent the colonization of the planet–without inciting mass panic.

William had faith in his birth parents, though. Every night they told him about their old cases which never failed to thrill him. And each day the awkward silences between the three of them started filling up with inside jokes, spirited arguments, and stories of the past that helped close the fifteen-year gap since the last time they were together.

They were careful about giving him space and typically after dinner he’d retreat to his room while his parents sat and talked on the front porch. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but it was comforting to hear their voices drifting up through his bedroom window.

One night around a month after moving in, he decided to join them outside. Scully smiled and scooted over, making room for him to sit in between them on the bench.

“I know you guys keep saying I don’t have to thank you for taking me in,” William started, “but I really do appreciate it. Growing up, I never thought I’d meet you or that if I did… you wouldn’t want anything to do with me because of…who I am and what I can do.”

“William, we love you for being exactly who you are. As I’m sure you’ve started to realize, the two of us aren’t exactly the picture of normalcy either. I think, together, we make a great team,” said Scully.

“Now we just have to save the world,” William said smiling.

“No pressure, right?” Mulder chuckled.

His parents draped their arms around him from either side and he felt himself relaxing against them. For the first time in his life he felt like he was exactly where he should be.

[vampirewalterskinner]

hiiii for the poly fluff ask

mulder x skully x skinner (have they even got a ship name?)

b, e , p please

The ot3 🥰 Thank you so much for asking! I’m not sure they have a ship name, but my tag for them is “#ot3: never beating those favoritism allegations” because Skinner is never beating those favoritism allegations lmao

I think they’re all snugglers. Fox and Dana have proven time and time again throughout the show that they like curling up together and Walter, in my opinion, is HELLA touch starved. They like to sleep in the same bed as often as they can. As for regular sleeping arrangements, I think they would shake it up but I love to write Walter as the monkey in the middle 🥰 as a treat 💖 I don’t think they like to sleep alone but sometimes it’s necessary when Walter (or any of them, really) has PTSD induced nightmares.

Canonly, this is definitely a Dana thing. She loves bringing them to family stuff and the family adores the boys as much as she does. (I actually think Bill would genuinely like Walter while hating Fox lmao.) BUT I love the idea of Walter having a big family that’s constantly holding events and gatherings but Walter is the stick in the mud 😂 He’s grumpy and everyone else is walking sunshine—and naturally they adore Fox and Dana.

Fox and Dana do NOT give a fuck when it comes to pda. The entirety of the FBI, Dana’s mama, and God could be watching them and those two would not care. They’ll do as they please and that generally means comforting and showing each other love. Walter, on the other hand, is not a pda man 😂 Dude kept all his relationships a secret. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t love them, he’s just very uncomfortable with people knowing his private business. He also uses it as a weapon. If Fox misbehaves and puts his life at risk, then Walter isn’t kissing that fool again until he learns not to give him and Dana a heart attack. Fox is the kisser. On the lips. On the forehead. On the neck or wrist or shoulder. Anything he can reach. He likes to pair it with holding their hands, one or both. He wants them to know how much he adores them. Dana likes to hold them and touch them. Her fingers combing through Fox’s hair. Her fingers rubbing Walter’s shoulders and roaming down his back. Touching their faces. Pulling them into her arms 🥰 Walter is the word guy. He’s pledged his heart and soul to them too many times on the show for me to disregard it 😵‍💫 (Season 11 “Kitten” episode, you mean everything to me.) He’s such a quiet guy that half the time he surprises them with sweet words from his deep voice. It’s always praise and awe he shares with them, genuine thoughts that make Fox and Dana burn bright red. He doesn’t really think about what his words do to them. He tells them because it’s the truth. Doesn’t realize it makes them want to jump his bones lmao

[amplifyme]

Writing Patterns

I was tagged by @randomfoggytiger. Thanks for always thinking of me! ❤️

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

FYI: I've been posting lots of my writing mentor's fics on AO3 over the last year. I'm excluding those and listing only my own works.

Between the Shadow and the Soul: She didn’t know why she hadn’t realized it before. The evidence was right there in front of her, had been the whole time.  It’s what she was paid to do, for Christ’s sake! Latch on to the details and make them all fit, make sense of the insensible. (BATB)

Life Songs, Book One: Come and Go: Diana stood it as long as she could before she wheeled around in her chair and pinned Vincent with a look. His eyes had been boring holes in her back for the last five minutes.

"What?" she snapped. (BATB)

Squirm: He doesn’t wait for an invitation to come in, just pushes through the open door and past her, coming to a stop in the casement opening between the living room and kitchen.

“Mulder, what are you doing? It’s almost midnight.” (TXF)

MN 1068 - 06: He’d said as he dropped a kiss on her brow: “I’m gonna grab a shower. My wallet’s on the coffee table if I’m not out before the food gets here.”

He wasn’t. So she answered the door and paid the kid, tipping him more generously than she knew Mulder would’ve. She gathered forks and paper towels and made it through the doorway into the living room before she lost her grip on his wallet. It fell open at her feet, spilling out the bills she’d haphazardly stuffed back into it. She emptied her hands and squatted to retrieve it. (TXF)

Promise: “New year’s resolutions?”

Mulder looks over at her with one of his sidelong, appraising glances. “Do I look like the type who makes resolutions?”

“Come on, Mulder. We’re stuck in this car on New Year’s Eve on what is most assuredly a dead-end stakeout all because you’re convinced that one Herman Jiménez is preparing to escort his family to a new home somewhere in the heavens, compliments of a spaceship steered by little green men. Humor me just this once and play along. And yes, I do think you’re the type to make resolutions.” (TXF)

A Necessary Evil: So it’s time to fess up.  To lay bare the part of himself he’s not so proud of. Here goes: Fox Mulder is skilled at seduction. He always has been. From as far back as middle school, he’s known. He looks at himself in a mirror and sees only the flaws. The ridiculously large lower lip. The small triangular eyes. The undersized chin with not enough room between it and the aforementioned lip. The overly broad and large-scale nose. But for some reason beyond any logic, and put all together, those features have had teenaged girls, and then women, falling at his feet for as long as he can remember. It’s as simple as his attentive gaze aimed in their direction. (TXF)

Third Time's a Charm: He rolls over onto his side and finds her looking back at him in a mirrored position. They’re both still struggling to catch a deep breath. His bedroom smells of sheets a week past needing changed and just concluded sex. How does one describe that particular aroma? He thinks about it for a second and decides that mutual insanity fits pretty well right now. Folie au deux. (TXF)

Roghnaíonn Mé Tú: She doesn’t know why she has to say it now, five years after the fact. She’s heard it often enough in her head, her heart, on many occasions over those years. Sometimes as a reminder, sometimes a plea, even now and then in anger and carrying with it a desperate need to blame. But she’s never said it out loud. Not until now.

“You chose me,” she tells him. (TXF)

Gimme Shelter: They hide out in the woods behind the Strughold mine until the hit squad finally gives up and leaves in a great cloud of dust and skidding tires. A brief conversation follows, and they both agree that going back for the car would be a mistake. Mulder hadn’t stopped moving long enough to count their number when they’d piled out of their black vehicles with rifles in hand, and he figures they might have left one or two assassins behind. They aren’t willing to risk becoming easy pickings just for the convenience of four wheels and a quicker escape. Instead, they hike east until they come to the rural two-lane blacktop that’d brought them to the mine hours earlier. (TXF)

All That Our Senses Can Perceive: 1.) It starts with sight, doesn’t it? Unless we are born into blindness, it all comes in through the eyes first. We see, we process, we create visual memories; we integrate miniscule pieces into a larger whole.

Scully was young and full-cheeked the first time he’d laid eyes on her. Cute. With all the connotations that description carries. Mulder hadn’t ever been a fan of cute. He’d liked dark and mysterious; slightly dangerous. And look where that had gotten him. (TXF)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, yeah, so there's a definite pattern, pounded into my head by my previously mentioned mentor, the late, great Nan Dibble. In media res. Always start in the middle of the story. You can fill in the pertinent details as you go.

Once again, I've broken the rules and listed not only the first line, but the next few (or several) that follow it. Just feels more complete that way.

Also. I haven't posted a new fic since mid-October of last year. My muse hates me. 😢

I'm not going to tag anyone in particular. Play if you want to!

[carefulfears]

your last blog post (is that what they’re called? i’m new to this lol) was SO good. when i was watching californication i was doing it in a post x-files daze, looking for a little more mulder anywhere, but even then i didn’t consider how much the show depended on its viewers’ familiarity with duchovny to work. but you’re absolutely right: it does!!! while i found moody’s behavior to be foul and all together unpleasant for most of the show, i did stick around for that duchovny-esque charm and humor. and when the charm and humor failed me, i fell back on the clichéd “i can fix him” rhetoric. happens to the best of them, i suppose.

i don’t know if you’ve ever watched it, but if you have do you have any opinions about bojack horseman in relation to californication? i think both of the main characters of each are equally dislikable, and they both lean heavily on the audience’s ability to forgive to keep them watching. however, i think that bojack horseman does it a lot more tastefully than californication

agh thank you so so much!! californication needs you to fall back on “i can fix him” rhetoric. it is their entire storytelling model. and i don’t even mean that negatively, it genuinely interests me!! they string the audience along in the same way that karen and becca are being strung along: with glimpses of hope, or potential. they rely heavily on duchovny’s charm, hank’s love for his family, and occasional good deeds- to convince you to stick around, not write him off as just an asshole or a dirtbag. conversely, karen and becca are trapped by the same phenomenon. what’s fascinating to me is that i don’t think hank does it on purpose, and i do think the series does. i don’t think that hank intends to manipulate his family, (though he does need them to be under his influence), in fact, the qualities that endear him to them tend to be the ones that he doesn’t like to express to them, or doesn’t express openly. whereas, the things he does try to win them back (like proposing to karen over and over) never get him anywhere. his charm, his love for his family, his occasional good deed, play as genuine, to me.

that makes it stand out more on the part of the writers, they sell a character as a sleazy asshole, then they say: but wait, there’s more. karen has to believe that she can fix him, for the story to work. but you have to believe that you could fix him, that something could, for the story to exist at all. in television, a story-telling model is also a business model. like you said, you stick around!

i’ve found it very interesting, the way that the series capitalizes on that phenomena. it’s slightly different from your typical “asshole with a heart of gold” model, it’s more contrived. and i’ve enjoyed watching it!!

i haven’t seen bojack horseman but i’ve heard great things!!

[leiascully]

Hi! If you're taking prompts, how about if Mulder asks Scully if her dad would have liked him? Any season. Would love to know what they're thinking, and what she'd say. But no worries if not! In any case, thanks for sharing your wonderful words xx

(I'm pretty much always taking prompts, although no guarantees on how quickly I get to them :) I did also write this once where they actually did meet, but it's not canon-compliant.)

They’re lying in the dark on a creaky bed in an anonymous motel in a town Scully doesn’t even remember the name of when Mulder stirs behind her.  

“Do you think your father would have liked me?” he murmurs, his lips brushing her shoulder. 

She doesn’t ask what prompted the question. She feels the weight of their isolation, the way their already tenuous tethers are fraying.  Memory is most of what they have left. Even a whisper of approbation from the past will sustain them for a little while as they scrape up the remnants of their life over and over again.

“Of course he would have,” she says.  Mulder stays quiet, his mouth still moving over her skin.  “Eventually.”

“Mm,” he says.

She rolls over.  “He could be reserved,” she tells him, “and he would have worried about me at first.  But he also knows - he knew - that I’m at my best when I have someone who supports me by challenging me.  Our relationship was very much based on the idea that love and support aren’t conditional on agreement, but they are based in respect.  There’s never been any doubt that you respect me.”

“I respect the hell out of you,” he assured her.  HIs hand crept over her hip.

“Yes, I can tell,” she said dryly.  “Those fingers are wandering to some very respectful places.”

“Mmm.”  He nuzzled against her neck.  “Trespassing respectfully is one of my specialties.”  

“Professionally and personally,” she said, arching against him.  

“No threats about his baby girl?”

"That wasn’t his style,” Scully said.  “He would have loved you because I love you.”

“Glad to hear it,” Mulder said.

“Now can we please stop talking about my family until you’re done respecting me,” Scully asked with a gasp.

“I’ll make it quick,” he said, and she could hear his grin. 

“Don’t,” she said.

“Aye aye,” he told her.

[teiasviago]

Five Weeks

Dear Mulder,

I don’t even know why I’m writing this. I’d rather tell you in person, but it’s all eating me up alive and I need to get it out. When I find you, I’ll likely be too overwhelmed to articulate any of this very well, so I guess writing it down serves the purpose of organizing my thoughts.

My obstetrician says I’m about five weeks along. I’ve been avoiding the mathematics of it but I suppose I should do it now and write it down so I don’t forget. Oh, who am I kidding? Once I know, I’ll never forget.

L.A., Mulder. And no, you don’t have to worry about how much we drank. The placenta doesn’t form in one night. The doctor said that the baby’s perfectly on track, as far as they can tell. She said to keep stress to a minimum because hormone secretion can affect the baby’s development but that just adds stress to my life. I think I’ll have to talk to someone about starting an anti-depressant. I can’t reduce my stress, try as I might, but hopefully I can mitigate the effects.

I can’t lose the baby, Mulder. But I can’t give up on you, either. I can barely wrap my head around how this happened, but... It did, and now I’m making daily trips to the toilet because of morning sickness and I’m on a guacamole trip. It would be bearable if you were here, but you’re not, and now eating tortilla chips with guacamole makes me cry.

This is worse than a family member dying. At least then I wasn’t stuck in this purgatory, awaiting news as to whether my path will lead to darker, more depressing places. I can’t grieve for you, Mulder, and I don’t want to. I want to find you. I want you to be here when I feel the baby’s first flutter of movement. I want you to be here when my clothes cease to fit. I want you to be here when the baby’s gender is discernible.

I imagined this happening a million different ways, but you not being here was one scenario I didn’t conceive of. I’m supposed to eat ice cream with sprinkles on your dime, not be researching the credentials of the man that’s been tasked with finding you. I’m supposed to be driving to my mother’s house with you to give her the news that we’re expecting, not leaving her a voicemail in tears because you’re gone. I’m supposed to be curled up in your arms, falling into a peaceful rest with your arms (and a leg) around me, not writing this letter.

I just want you back, Mulder. My life is so lonely without you.

[baronessblixen]

Ficmas Day 21 ~ wrapping paper (from this list)

Season 9 AU, Mulder never left. Wc: 861. Tagging @today-in-fic

The Best Christmas Gift

“Will, buddy, do you have any idea what I should get your mommy for Christmas?” Mulder asks his son, who’s sitting next to him on the floor, babbling about and having way more fun than his father wrapping Christmas presents.

“Ba-ba-ba!” His son emphasizes his words by slapping his tiny hands on the carpet.

“That’s a good idea,” Mulder says, nodding at the baby, who squeals with glee. Making Will laugh is everything he never knew he wanted – or needed. Right from the beginning, he wondered if he could do this. When Scully asked him to be the other half in the equation, his first instinct was to say no. Only Scully’s hopeful tears made him reconsider at the last moment. Oh, what he would have missed had he said no.

But it hasn’t been easy. Returning from the dead – a story he can’t wait to tell Will once he’s old enough – was hard enough. Finding out he was going to be a father only complicated it. But he couldn’t stay away. Neither from Scully nor from the large bump she carried with her. Their child. He fell in love with the unborn miracle, talking its ear off while Scully dozed on his couch, stroking her stomach and making up for lost time.

Now their baby is here and will be celebrating his first Christmas in a couple of days. Funny how life works sometimes. Sitting on the floor with his son, wrapping presents for various family members and friends does not even come close to how he imagined things to be. Yet, here he is and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

But this is his last week of unemployment. Come January, he will return to work after months of being a stay-at-home dad. He and Scully will alternate their days, both of them at Quantico teaching the young folks how it’s done. As much as he’s looking forward to this new chapter of his life, he will miss spending so much time with William.

“You know,” he says, finishing up another present and writing the name Linda on it without even knowing who that is. “I do have an idea what to get her. Can you keep a secret?”

“Gah!”

“Thought so. What would you say if…” he leans closer to his son, tickling his stomach and making him giggle. “If we made things official, hm? Do you think your mommy would say yes if I asked her to marry me?”

“Ohh-uh.” William stuffs his fist into his mouth. A clear sign he’d rather eat lunch than listen to his dad drone on about his love life.

“Right, right. I’m gonna mash us some food. That sound better?”

“Da-da-da-da.”

He picks William up and is surprised to not only be holding a baby but a large sheet of wrapping paper that’s sticking to the boy’s behind.

“Huh. Were you sitting on this all this time? Let me take it off you.” As soon as he tries, William’s face contorts into a dramatic grimace, quivering bottom lip and all. His chubby fingers reach for the paper and Mulder gives it back, knowing he won’t be able to use it anymore anyway.

“Just promise me not to eat it,” he says.

He puts William, who’s holding on tight to his sheet of wrapping paper, in his chair and prepares the boy’s lunch, consisting of mashed potatoes and carrots. He’s almost done mashing the food when he hears a key in the door.

“Pa-pa-pa-pa!” William says excitedly, kicking his little feet. He knows exactly what that sound means: his mommy is home.

“Hey honey.” Mulder greets her with a quick kiss and a soft smile. “How was your last day of work for the year?”

“Good. I’m not sure who was happier when it was over, me or the students. How was everything here? Mulder, why does our son have wrapping paper on his head?” They both look at the boy who’s giving them a gummy grin, the sheet of wrapping paper no longer in his hands but on his head.

“Well,” Mulder says, “we were discussing gift ideas and I think Will has decided that he’s the gift this year.”

“He is,” Scully says with a chuckle, picking up the wiggling baby, kissing his temple and holding him close. Mulder watches them, so full of love for these two people that his throat constricts with emotions, making words impossible.

“You’re the sweetest and most beautiful gift I could have ever asked for,” Scully says and William coos at her, smiling his biggest smile. “I love you, Will.”

“What about me?” Mulder asks playfully, hugging Scully from behind and making funny faces at William who is so amused that he spews spit bubbles.

“Love you, too.” Scully leans against him. “But I don’t see any wrapping paper on you so how do I know you’re a gift for me?”

“Don’t give me any ideas, Scully,” he says with a kiss to the crown of her hair.

“Hmm, all I’m saying is that I wouldn’t mind unwrapping you on Christmas.”

Maybe finding a gift for Scully will be easier than he thought.

[atths--twice]

First Day of School

It’s time for Faith’s first day of preschool. Mulder is having some worries, but Scully hopes to calm them, while also having some of her own.

Hard to believe I’ve been writing this little family series for four years now. I never would have guessed it would have happened, but I absolutely love it. It’s my favorite by far and always leaves me happy and smiling as I write.

I hope you enjoy this next little look into their lives. ❤️

#52 in The Family Life Series

September 12, 2022

Scully took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the scent of the preschool classroom achingly familiar. Thoughts of classes, questions asked, books read and lessons learned filled her head and she smiled. 

How do all schools smell the same? she wondered. It has to be a cleaning chemical or something. Like the new car smell, schools have something that’s similar. 

“Mommy,” Faith said and Scully opened her eyes and looked down. 

“Yes, love?” 

“Can I play with the kitchen?” She pointed across the room and Scully nodded with a smile. 

“Anything you want, honey. Go and play.” 

Faith grinned and hurried over to the kitchen area where two other children were already playing. Scully sighed happily as she watched her and then she heard a louder sigh beside her, one that was not so happy. She turned and looked at Mulder, his shoulders drooping as he watched Faith. 

“Hey,” she said softly and he looked at her with sad eyes. She exhaled a quiet laugh and reached for his hand. “It’s just a few hours.”

“Twice a week,” he said, his voice low. She smiled and squeezed his fingers as he sighed again. “What am I supposed to do while she’s here?” 

“Mulder,” she said, laughing slightly louder this time, and letting go of his hand to wrap her arm around his waist and give him a quick hug. “You’re going to be just fine.” 

“Disagree,” he mumbled as she stepped back, smiling at him before looking back at Faith. 

A little boy was handing her a plate of wooden food and she laughed as she pretended to take a bite and then gave the plate back to him. He smiled at her and she picked up the empty coffee pot and poured it into a cup, taking a big pretend drink and then saying “ahhhh” as she set the cup down. 

“This is good for her,” Scully said quietly and he growled softly. 

“I know it is. And I know she needs to go to school. But, I’ll miss her so much.” 

“So will I,” she said and she saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eye. 

“It’s not the same,” he whispered and she stared at him, her eyes wide.  

“How do you-”

“Hello, hello!” the principal called, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention and pausing their conversation. She was an older woman with caramel colored skin, silver gray hair in long braids wrapped up in an elaborate bun, a wide, happy smile, and kind brown eyes. “Welcome everyone to the first day of school! We’re so happy to have you here.” 

The teachers clapped as they stood beside the principal and the parents clapped too, Mulder doing so with a heavy sigh. 

“I’m Mrs. Cohver, and you’ve met the teachers: Mrs. Tanner, Miss Esma, Miss Cole, and Miss Rogers. They will all be sharing this room, the children at different quadrants with their assigned teacher. Today is an informal time to get to know the classroom as well as the teacher. Normally by now, we would have the children here on the rainbow circle rug for check-in and the welcome song, but today we’re keeping it more lax.” 

Scully nodded and smiled at Faith’s teacher, Miss Cole, who beamed back at her. They had met her last week when they came to show Faith around and view the classroom. She was incredibly kind and Faith had taken to her right away, asking lots of questions as she looked around and telling her about her dog and cat at home and Jacob and Liz Beth, her twins. Miss Cole had raised curious eyes to Scully and Mulder, who then explained about Skinner, Rachel, and the twins. 

“Raycho had two babies,” Faith had said, holding up two fingers. “I love them so much.” 

“I’m sure you do,” Miss Cole had said. “Babies are wonderful, aren’t they?” 

“Yes. They are,” Faith had said matter-of-factly as she picked up an old telephone and began to play with it. 

It had been a good first meeting and Faith had talked of nothing but the classroom and the fun she’d had for the rest of the day. 

“So,” Mrs. Cohver continued. “For the first half hour, parents are welcome to stay and then after that, there is a luncheon set up near the multipurpose room. You are all encouraged to eat and stick around as the first day can be a little daunting to some, especially after their grown up leaves.” 

“God,” Mulder breathed and Scully took his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“We will be beginning our day now, if you wish to stay, please be mostly silent observers, unless your child is in dire need of assistance. Thank you and welcome to the first day of preschool.” 

Everyone clapped again, Scully letting go of Mulder’s hand to do so. The teachers began to round up the children and then they all sat on the large rug according to class. Faith glanced around and smiled at Mulder and Scully, giving them a wave before turning back to Mrs. Cohver, who was welcoming them to school. 

“Oh,” Scully said softly, a catch in her chest causing her to turn around and take a second to stop the tears suddenly stinging her eyes. 

The kids echoed back what Mrs. Cohver had said, as Scully distracted herself by looking at the laminated pictures of the alphabet on the wall. 

A is for anteater 

B is for baby

C is for color 

D is for dream 

“You okay?” Mulder whispered, his hand on her back. She nodded, not able to speak at the moment. “No, you’re not. This sucks.” 

At that, she laughed quietly and nodded, wiping at her eyes. 

“It’s necessary.” 

“Doesn’t make it hurt less.” 

“Mulder…” she said, looking at him and then back at Faith who sat in rapt attention as a story was being read. “Look at her.” 

He looked back too as she smiled broadly and nodded her head, pointing her finger at the book. 

“We did that,” Scully whispered. “Made her the person she is by loving her and taking care of her. She’s-”

“Stop,” he whispered back, shaking his head. “I’m barely holding it together as it is and that’s not helping.” 

“Oh, honey.” She clasped his hand and they both sighed as they watched Faith laughing and looking at the other children around her. 

She took a second look when she seemed to realize they were still there and waved to them again. 

“It’s a story about a butterfly and a spider,” she called to them. “I like it.” 

“Good,” Mulder called back as the adults in the room chuckled softly and he squeezed Scully’s hand. Faith smiled and looked back at the book. 

A few minutes more, and they said goodbye as Mrs. Cohver told the children their parents would be outside for a little while. Faith hugged them both and then ran back to the activity table already laid with paper and paint that would be used. She sat down and reached for a paintbrush, dipping it into the light blue paint and placing it on the paper. 

“Come on,” Scully said, pulling gently at Mulder’s hand. He sighed with a nod and they walked out of the classroom and into the warm early afternoon sunshine. 

The door closed behind the group of parents and they all looked at one another, one of the mothers pointing to the luncheon that had been set up under canopies near the multipurpose room. Everyone started walking toward it, talking to each other, but Mulder lingered at the door. 

“Mulder?” Scully asked with a soft smile. 

“Just a couple of minutes,” he said, his eyes on the ground and hands in his jeans pockets. “Just in case.” 

“Okay, hon,” she said, nodding in understanding. 

“What if…” He sighed and looked at the door before looking at Scully. “I just want to stay close for a few minutes. I don’t want her to wait if she needs us.” 

“Mulder,” Scully said, stepping closer to him, and wrapping her arms around his waist. She exhaled and then inhaled, closing her eyes as he put his arms around her. 

“It’s such a big change,” he whispered and she nodded against his chest. “I know it’s been coming, but now that it’s here, I don’t want it to be.” 

“I know,” she whispered back and he sighed heavily. 

“She’s just a baby.” 

“She’s almost four,” she reminded him and he grunted. 

“I know, but she’s also a baby. My baby. God, I hate this,” he said and she smiled, holding him tighter.  

The door opened and laughter and excited voices could be heard. Scully pulled back and looked at Mrs. Cohver as she walked out and shut the door behind her. 

“Hello! Everything okay?” she asked, tilting her head and smiling kindly at them. 

“Yes. We’re good,” Scully said with a smile. 

“First day jitters? All the parents get them,” she said with a wink. “You’re… Faith’s parents, right?” 

“Yeah. Is she okay?” Mulder asked, concern in his voice, and Mrs. Cohver laughed softly. 

“She’s absolutely wonderful. She actually just had the teachers and students asking lots of questions as she told them about the fairies around her house. She said you have one named Sparkly Blue Iris, with blue wings and long golden brown hair? Who comes to visit and leaves her little gifts, like an acorn and a rock she now has in her bedroom?” 

“Oh… yeah,” Mulder said, glancing at Scully who smiled with a nod. “We saw some fireflies out in the yard a few weeks ago and I told her they were fairies flitting around and preparing the world for the next day. It became a discussion about where they live, what they do, and the different types of fairies. We built a couple of small houses to give them a chance to rest after they’ve worked so hard and decorated them to look inviting to a fairy. We left some treats for them: a shiny button, a piece of pink ribbon she really likes, and a very tiny picture of Faith so they know who she is and that she’s a kind person. The fairies then reciprocated, leaving gifts for her, like the ones you’ve mentioned.” 

Mrs. Cohver grinned and nodded, clasping her hands together. 

“I can’t tell you how happy that makes me,” she said, with a sigh. “Children need that sense of wonder, even if later they may be disappointed that it’s not true. Building the imagination is detrimental to helping them grow into adulthood. It lets them believe anything is possible and that anything can be accomplished.” 

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Mulder said and Scully saw how her words seemed to calm his worries. She smiled and grasped his fingers loosely. 

“My husband has a very active imagination and love of the fantastic there is in the world.” 

“Then I’d say Faith is in great hands,” Mrs. Cohver said, smiling at them and touching Mulder’s upper arm. “Will you be joining us for the luncheon?” 

“Yes. We were taking a moment, just in case,” Scully said, glancing at the door. 

“I completely understand. The first few days are always toughest, but it gets easier, I promise. She’s in for a fun and exciting year with the teachers and the students.” 

“We know,” Scully said, smiling at Mulder as he nodded in agreement, sighing softly. 

“Good. I need to stop in the office and then I’ll be over to join everyone, to answer any questions or assuage any concerns.” She smiled and her eyes crinkled at the corners. 

“Thank you,” Mulder said and Scully squeezed his fingers. 

“See you soon,” Mrs. Cohver said with a nod and walked toward the office. 

“You good now?” Scully asked Mulder and he nodded with a last glance at the door. 

“She’s talking about the fairies,” he said, interlocking their fingers. “She’s okay.” 

“She is indeed,” Scully said, smiling at him. 

“Let’s go get something to eat, or at least some coffee.” 

“Hmm, a good idea,” she agreed, squeezing his hand and starting toward the other parents. 

She smiled as she thought of how excited Faith had been since last week, counting down the days until she got to come back to school. She had picked out a new backpack that came with a matching lunch bag. It was sky blue with purple straps and had a happy faced rainbow with white clouds at the bottom of it. A purple water bottle with smaller rainbows and clouds had come  with it and she absolutely loved it. 

She had picked out a special outfit: laying it out on her bedroom floor and telling them every night why she wanted to wear it and how she wanted her hair brushed. 

They had all gone to the library and checked out a few books on the first day of school. Faith had asked to hear them every night, telling them how her school had toys like the ones in the book, and a place for her backpack to hang up. 

Mulder had told her how much fun it would be, about the friends she would make, and things she would do. She had been beyond excited, smiling and asking to hear it all again, and he had obliged her. 

“I know I’ve been talking up the whole experience for her,” he said, as if reading her thoughts and she smiled. “I want her to enjoy being here, but I also don’t want her to be here at all. Not yet.” 

“I know you don’t.” 

“There’s a big but waiting to be said, I can sense it,” he said, squeezing her hand and she laughed. 

“You already know what I’m going to say,” she told him. “We’ve gone over it a few times.” 

“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll get used to it. I just need a little time.” 

“Unlike me,” she said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. 

“What do you mean?” he asked, turning his head and frowning at her. 

“Inside you said that me missing her was not the same as you missing her,” she said. 

“I did?” 

“You very much did,” she said, trying not to smile as his frown deepened. 

“I don’t… don’t remember saying that.” 

“Not out loud, anyway,” she mumbled and he stopped her, turning to stare at her fully. 

“I don’t remember saying that, or implying that you wouldn’t miss her in the same way I would. I’m sorry, Scully.” 

“Oh, Mulder,” she said, cupping his cheek and smiling. “I know it’s going to be hard, a lot is changing. She’ll be in school and I’m going to be back at the hospital part time in November. Things are going to be different and I know it will take some adjustment.” 

“Hmm,” he hummed, closing his eyes briefly and leaning into her hand.

“Change is good when done for the right reasons.” 

“Yeah. I’ll need to find something to fill my empty hours.” 

“Oh! Well, if you’re looking for ideas, I’ve got a document on my computer with at least fifteen things that need attention. The shed could be cleaned out and reorganized, the basement too. The porch needs-”

“Okay okay,” he said with a laugh, pulling back from her hand and shaking his head. “I’m not sure I’m that desperate yet.” She smiled and he bent to kiss her softly. 

“A couple of weeks and it will start to feel normal,” she whispered and he nodded, kissing her once more. 

“Okay. Enough of my moping,” he said, giving his body a shake as though to reset it. “I don’t want her feeling anything but happy and excited. Let’s go mingle, you know how I love doing that.” 

She laughed as his hand found its spot on the small of her back and they joined the other parents. 

Over coffee and food, they got to know the parents of the children in Faith’s class. Some of them were older, with other children at school, and some were younger, experiencing it all for the first time. They were all excited for their children to be moving onto a new chapter in their lives, but emotional at the same time. 

Mrs. Cohver joined them, as promised, and answered questions and concerns, reassuring them all once again. Scully watched her and felt greater respect for her at the patience and attention she gave to each parent. No matter the question, she was kind and informative, and Scully knew they had made the right decision with the preschool. 

They heard the children as they came onto the playground near where they were gathered. Scully caught sight of Faith who paid them absolutely no attention as she climbed onto the play structure and went down the slide before running away and laughing. Scully felt a bittersweet heaviness in her chest and she exhaled, hoping to let it go. 

“In fifteen minutes, when recess has ended, the children will go back into the classroom. They will clean up any mess that has been made and then they will gather on the rainbow rug,” Mrs. Cohver said. “At that time, we will open the door and you’re welcome to come back in and join us as we say goodbye. Thank you all for being here and sharing your children with us. I know they will have a wonderful year learning and exploring the world around them.” 

Choruses of thanks went up as Mrs. Cohver said goodbye and left the group. Mulder raised his eyebrows at Scully and she smiled.

“Did you see her?” he asked and she nodded. “She looked like she was acclimating well.” 

“She did.” 

“Good,” he breathed and she nodded again. “I’m gonna grab a couple of those cookies for her. Watch my six.” 

He turned around quickly and she laughed as she watched him stealthily grab two chocolate chip cookies, quickly wrap them in a napkin, and walk back to her with a wink. 

“I don’t think you need to be so sneaky, I think half the parents did the same thing.” 

“Shh,” he warned and put them into the bag she carried. 

“Oh, so now I’m an accomplice?” she asked with a chuckle. 

“For better or worse, honey,” he said, winking again. 

“Thievery definitely being the worse of it,” she stated and he put his finger to his lips as he smiled. 

When the children had gone inside, the parents walked back to the classroom and waited at the door. Scully took Mulder’s hand again, the connection feeling lighter this time knowing Faith had undoubtedly had a good day. He squeezed her hand and nodded, silently telling her everything was okay. 

The door opened a few minutes later and Mrs. Cohver smiled as she welcomed them inside. 

All of the children were on the rug, their teachers sitting with them as they chattered excitedly. Faith spotted them and waved, grinning from ear to ear as she bounced on her knees. 

“Daddy! Mommy! I had so much fun!” she said to them as other children greeted their parents. 

“Wonderful, love,” Scully said, smiling back at Faith. 

“Welcome back, parents,” Mrs. Cohver said. “At this time next meeting, the children will have already done this, but we wanted to include you in it today. It’s the goodbye song we sing at the end of each day, a signal that the time we shared together has come to an end. It has been a pleasure meeting all of you today. Please remember to get your child’s items from their cubbies and we will see you on the next day of school.” She clapped and everyone joined in, the kids cheering and laughing. 

The goodbye song was sung, the teachers having special hand motions which the children attempted to mimic and would have learned soon. When the day was announced over, parents walked forward to collect their children and Faith ran to Mulder, hugging his legs and smiling up at him. 

“Daddy! I went on the slide. It was like this.” She let go of him and stepped back, making a whooshing noise and moving her hand down and around her as she spun in a circle. “It was fun.” 

“That fast, huh? It sounds like it was fun,” he agreed, grinning as he watched her. 

“Yup!” She nodded, smiling happily, and Mulder picked her up to give her a squeeze. 

“I’m happy you had a good time, honey. Let’s get your stuff and we’ll head home, okay?” 

“Okay!” 

He set her down and she ran to her cubby to get her things plus some assorted papers that had been placed inside of it. Arms full, she came back to them, Scully helping her to sort it all and put it into its proper place. 

“Wait, that’s for Daddy,” Faith said, taking one of the papers from Scully. “Here, Daddy. I made this for you.” She handed it to him and he smiled as he took it. 

“Oh wow, this is beautiful. Wait… hang on. Is this Iris?” 

“Yes!” Faith said, clapping her hands and smiling. “See her blue sparkly wings, Daddy?”  

“I do indeed, my love. She’s perfect. You did a great job painting her.” 

“Could I see?” Scully asked and Mulder handed her the painting. 

It was a nearly perfect triangle shape painted dark blue with lighter blue triangles coming from her sides, large black round head with two black dots and a big smile that filled up most of the space, stick arms with three fingers each, and brown hair coming from the head and down to the bottom of the dress. 

“Wow,” Scully said, nodding her head. “This is a beautiful painting.” 

“Thank you, Mommy,” Faith said, beaming as she looked up at Scully. 

They said goodbye to Miss Cole and Mrs. Cohver, thanking them for a wonderful first day. 

Holding hands with both of them, Faith told them about her day and how much fun she had. Scully smiled and watched Mulder nodding, his shoulders relaxing with each positive word Faith had to say. He caught her eye and gave her a wink. 

Buckled in her car seat and ready to leave, Mulder asked for the surprise Scully had in her bag. She smiled as she took out the napkin wrapped cookies and watched Faith’s eyes light up when Mulder handed one to her. 

She was nearly asleep when they pulled up the house, her head falling forward many times before she leaned it against the side of her car seat. 

She said a sleepy hello to Bella as Mulder carried her inside and up to her room. Scully brought in the bags and school papers, Bella whining softly at the bottom of the stairs, but not venturing further. 

“I know, Bells,” Scully said, walking over to pet her after she set the items onto the table. “She’s a little tired today, it’s been an exciting one for her and she needs a little nap. She’ll be down soon and will tell you all about it.” Bella’s tail thumped gently against the wall as she licked and nudged at Scully’s hand. “You’re a good girl, Bella.” 

She rubbed her ears and patted her head, speaking quietly, before stepping back when she heard Mulder closing Faith’s bedroom door and starting down the stairs. 

He bent and rubbed Bella’s ears when he reached the bottom, saying hello to her as her tail continued to wag. He smiled and stood up straight as he glanced at Scully and then beyond her to the stuff on the table. 

Giving her arm a light squeeze, she watched him walk over and pick up Faith’s painting of Iris. Smiling at it, he turned back to her and she smiled back. 

“I’m going to add her name and date on the back and then I want to run something past you.” 

“Okay…” she said, her curiosity piqued. 

“Be right back,” he said, walking into his office. 

Her mind was racing as she wondered what he could possibly want to discuss when he came back out and stood beside her. 

“This is the first,” he said, indicating the painting. “The first of years of crafts and art that she’ll be bringing home from school or wherever she is when creativity strikes.” 

“Okay…” 

“So I was thinking, we should have a dedicated space for said art. A mini gallery, so to speak.” 

“Where exactly did you have in mind?” she asked with a smile. 

“Here,” he said, pointing to the wall space against the stairs with the short table in front of it and the adjacent corner, which still housed stacked trunks and a bookcase.  

“Oh…” 

“I know the things hanging on the bulletin boards were more of a hindrance than anything else, but this will be different. A happy collection, rather than one of conspiracy theories and unanswered questions.” 

“I love that idea,” she whispered. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Great,” he said with a smile. “So, you up for doing some redecorating while she sleeps?” 

She looked around at what they would need to do in order to accomplish the task before Faith woke up and she nodded with a smile. 

“Great,” he said again, putting the painting on the dining room table. “I’ll go get some of the boxes from the garage that we seem to have been collecting recently. We can sort through what we want to keep and what can be placed somewhere else in the house.” 

“Okay,” she said, already imagining how it would look with Faith’s creations filling the space. Maybe it could do with a new rug too. And a bean bag chair or something similar where she could sit and look at what she made. 

“Get ready to roll up your sleeves, woman,” he said, taking her hand and spinning her quickly before pulling her close as she laughed in surprise. “Because we’ve got some work to do.” 

“Get the boxes. I’m ready.” 

He kissed her, called to Bella to come with him, and whistled as he walked out the back door heading to the garage. 

Yes, she thought, looking back at the jumbled and relatively unused corner. She pictured Faith’s excitement when she saw it had been a space created especially for her, and she smiled. It’s a perfect idea. 

[snickerl]

Of Miracle Births and Other Wonders

tagging @today-in-fic

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

The lady behind the reception desk sends Mulder and the two kids up to the fourth floor of the hospital. They find another reception area with another helpful nurse. She tells them a doctor will be with them very soon to give them an update on Scully's condition. The few minutes they have to wait tears every nerve in Mulder's body, putting his patience to a hard test. Then, to his great relief, a good-looking woman in her late thirties approaches them. "Hello Mr. Scully, my name is Dr. Hanson, I am taking care of your wife," she says, holding her hand out to shake his.

"Uh, nice to meet you, Doctor, but my name is Mulder. These are our children, Emily and William," Mulder says, nudging them both in front of him. "How is Scully? I mean, my wife? How is she?"

"Hello everybody," the doctor says good-naturedly. "Your wife is perfectly fine, Mr. Mulder. She is doing great with her breathing technique. Her cervix is at 5 centimeters, so we still have some way to go. The baby is in good shape, she is in good shape, so we believe we will have a smooth delivery in a couple of hours. Are you all coming to the delivery room?"

William is aghast, his eyes saucer-wide. "What? Ew, no way! Gross!" He shakes his head vehemently. "Never ever!"

Mulder looks at his daughter. "Em?"

Emily thinks for a moment but quickly decides against it. The thought of seeing her mother in pain, even if it was for a good cause, makes her uncomfortable. "I'd rather stay with Will. We don't want him sitting here all by himself," she says.

"I don't need a sitter," William snaps, "I'm not a baby."

"But you definitely behave like one," Emily fires back. "Now shut up and be nice so dad can look after mom and doesn't have to worry about us at each other's throats out here."

"Alright," Doctor Hanson says. "The waiting area is over there. There are magazines and a vending machine. If you need anything, ask the nurse at reception. Follow me, Mr. Scully...I mean Mr. Mulder, sorry...your wife will be happy to see you." She leads the way to the delivery room. Mulder presses a kiss on Emily's hair and waves at William who has already plummeted into a chair. "Okay, kids. See you later then," he says and hurries to follow the doctor.

"Say hello to mom from us," Emily shouts after him, "and good luck!" She looks after her father who disappears through a swinging door marked Deliveries, then trots toward the waiting area to join her brother. She places herself in a chair next to him, looks around, gets up again to leaf through a pile of magazines on one of the tables, finds nothing of interest, goes back to her chair, and lets herself fall onto it with a sigh.

"You could've gone with dad, if you wanted," William tells her without looking up from his phone.

"Nah, I'm good."

Both sit in silence for a while. William is totally absorbed in a game on his smartphone, Emily pulls a history book and some pencils out of her backpack and starts reading, writing notes on the pages in different colors here and there. William shakes his head when he sees her doing that. "That's so old school, sis."

"Well, it's good for me. This way, the information stays longer in my brain than when I read it on a screen. You may call it old school, bro, I call it efficient mnemonics."

"Whatever," he sighs, his eyes back on the screen.

"Hey, what you said in the car, that mom doesn't care about us anymore, what did you mean by that?"

"I meant what I said, whatever the baby needs comes first, and we will play second fiddle. Or maybe even third. But I don't care. If things get unbearable, I will ask to go to boarding school. They can play house with the new baby then and I won't be there to bother anyone with my presence."

"You're being ridiculous, Will. Mom and dad will never let you go to boarding school, and I can't believe it will be anything like you just said."

William only shrugs. The narrative in his head has solidified like concrete, and he can't imagine a worse place to be right now. The best he can do is immerse himself in this online game and forget about what is happening at the other side of the door his father vanished through. After some hours of playing (thank God he brought his charger) and a short nap with his head leaned back against the wall, his stomach grumbles. "Are you also hungry, Em?"

"Well, I could have a snack. How long have we been waiting?"

"We came here at 10:45 am, now it's almost 6," William tells her, looking at the big clock on the wall of the waiting area.

"Wow, seven hours already. Poor mom. I wonder why dad hasn't given us an update."

"Do you think something is going wrong and he doesn't want to tell us?" William says, his voice trembling a bit.

"I don't think so."

"It's not so unlikely at mom's age."

"And how do you know?"

"I read stuff."

"You read stuff. Where?" Emily has problems picturing her brother behind a pregnancy textbook.

"On the internet, where else? If you google 'late motherhood' you get thousands of hits. And they all tell you women should have babies in their twenties and thirties, not their fifties. There is a reason for that. Nature doesn't want you to have a baby when you're old."

"Mom's not old."

"For having babies she is. She should be a grandmother rather than giving birth."

"Well, if she was a grandmother, I would already have a baby," Emily points out pensively, then adds a determined, "no thanks!"

"I just can't believe they let this happen."

"Let what happen?"

"Getting mom pregnant. Why? How?"

"Well, I can tell you how..."

"Ew, don't!" William imitates a gagging sound. "But why?"

"I guess it just happened."

"There are ways to prevent getting pregnant, I hope you are aware of that, unlike our parents apparently. I don't want to be an uncle on top of this any time soon. How could they have been so dumb? I don't get it. For all the times mom lectured us about condoms and safe sex, she didn't follow her own words." He shakes his head showing his disapproval and lack of understanding quite clearly. "I will never have sex, that's for sure."

Emily gives a slight chuckle. At fourteen, her brother most certainly doesn't have any idea of the joy of it. When he gets older and starts fancying girls, he might rethink his attitude, but something else is hitting her the longer their conversation goes. "You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"

"Well, what else was I to do? It has been the main topic in our house for the longest time. I guess, sometimes they even forgot I was still living there."

"Bullshit."

William is done explaining his thoughts. His sister obviously isn't getting the point either, just like his parents. "Now are we getting something to eat, or what?"

"You hangry?" Emily asks with a smirk and he is glad she has taken the bait and they changed the topic.

"After seven hours of wasting my time in this stuffy waiting room, I think I am allowed to have a bite to eat. Do you have change for the machine?" The boy is inwardly fuming at his father for once again neglecting him by not giving him money for food.

Big sister overtakes Em again, "I am definitely getting us something more nutritious. There has to be a cafeteria somewhere with sandwiches and a drink with less sugar than what I see in that machine." The idea of having to deal with a cranky brother on a sugar-high isn't very appealing. She gets up from the chair, her mind set on improving her brother's mood with a tasty snack. Plus, the hunt for food will give her something to do instead of mulling over what her mother is enduring at this very moment in the delivery room. "Text me, if you hear something," she tells her brother before she leaves him alone.

He tries to distract himself with the game again, but his thoughts keep going back to six months ago when his world turned upside down. The situation was surreal. His parents had prepared one of their usual Sunday family dinners, Emily had come to join, and with the dessert they served them the news of the pregnancy. His sister's piercing shriek of surprised joy hurt his eardrums and he almost choked on the pie he had in his mouth. His mother annoyed him with science book citations about the finer points of late motherhood and male ongoing virility that made him want to cover his ears entirely and yell 'too much information' at her. The worst was his dad though. The puppy eyes with which he was looking at his mom and the silly petting of her still flat stomach caused a severe tickling in William's throat. To this very day, he hadn't gotten past the shock. He shakes his head to make the unpleasant memories disappear.

And then, of course, what had to happen happens: Emily is gone for about fifteen minutes when Mulder appears in the waiting area with an ear-to-ear smile on his face. "Waiting time is over, the baby's here! It's a girl! A healthy, beautiful little girl," he announces, his voice full of pride and also relief. He looks around, surprised to find William alone. "Where is your sister?"

"Getting us a snack. Is mom alright?"

"She is. She did great. I am so amazed by that woman." Mulder's whole face lights up. "She sent me to get you guys. When will Em be back?"

"I don't know. She's been gone for about 20 minutes now, it shouldn't take her much longer. I mean only if she hasn't met a cute guy she needed to get into a conversation with." William rolls his eyes so hard he sees the back of his head, his voice high-pitched on 'cute guy'.

Mulder is still so high on adrenaline that he doesn't chime in, although he too has been annoyed more than once by his daughter's tardiness, and the reason has often enough been a 'cute guy'. "Okay, gotta go back to Scully, I don't want to leave her and the baby alone for too long," he says. He points toward a long gray hallway with several doors on each side. "We're in room 302 over there on the right. As soon as Em gets back, come and join us. Mom is waiting for you guys."

"But dad," William laments in vain, his father is already around the corner. "Great," he mumbles to himself. First, they drag him out here and make him wait endless hours in an uncomfortable chair only to be here when the baby is born, and now that it is born, they don't have a problem with him standing around for God knows how long until his tardy sister is back. Typical. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, types in 'get here asap', his fingers flying over the screen, and slams the send button.

Impatience gets the better of him soon. There is no more sitting in the chair and playing online games for him now, he is pacing the waiting area, glad that nobody else is there to see him in this state. If Emily isn't back soon, he'll explode, he thinks, but it takes another 20 minutes until he sees her leisurely strolling down the hallway. He sighs in relief when she finally stands in front of him, a cardboard tray in one hand filled with two drinks and something to eat he can't quite figure out, and some flowers wrapped in paper in the other. "It's about time!" he lets her know.

"Sorry," Emily says quite relaxed, "I was just standing in line to pay for the food when I got your text. This hospital complex is huge and a bit confusing to be honest. I'm not sure I took the shortest way on my way back. Healthy muffins, iced tea, and something for your sweet tooth," she says with a grin, holding the tray out to William. "What happened?"

"What happened? What do you think happened? The baby's here, of course, and mom wants to see us!"

Emily gives a girly shriek that hurts William's ears once again. "Yay! Great! You could've been a bit more specific in your text rather than simply summoning me back here. I thought you were just craving the food."

"Yeah, well, there was food right in front of our noses." William points to the vending machine, unable to keep his outstretched index finger steady. "But you had to go on a hunting trip for some salad leaves and made me stand around here alone wondering."

"Where are they?"

"In room 302. They are waiting for us. It's this way." William nods in the direction Mulder showed him.

"Okay, let's go then."

Side by side, Emily and William take long strides toward the room they were told. "Boy or girl?" Emily asks on the way.

"Girl."

"Yay again! Ah, that's wonderful. I have a little sister," she chants.

William isn't sharing an ounce of his sister's enthusiasm. If he had been given a choice, he would have passed on this experience as a whole, but now that they are standing in front of room 302, by opening that door what he has tried to deny will become real. If only his mom is alright, he will accept all that comes with it: sleepless nights because of the baby crying, smelly diapers, more Thai takeout, and an annoying younger sister on top of an annoying older one. If only his mom is alright. Emily knocks and he hears his mother's voice say "Come in!" It sounds weak, he thinks, and his heartbeat accelerates. When he follows his sister into the room, he braces himself for the worst.

[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Fic: Mulder, Scully, and Courthouse Weddings

Mulder and Scully and weddings-- do they or don't they? In this case they do and they don't.

Tagging @pookie-mulder, who inspired this idea!

Loose chronological order below~

@ghostbustermelanieking/skuls’s

in another world - Chapter 22

it happens in vegas, of course, and it happens because of langly and melissa.... it’s directly following mulder’s breakup with diana, and he’s been moping around the hotel room the entire time; dana is in the midst of stressing over a big test for medical school, and has refused to leave the hotel room so that she can study to the point of driving melissa crazy. 

AU-- Pre-S1 Mulder and Scully meet and marry in Las Vegas.

I wish you would write a fic where Mulder and Scully are married and domestic af. AU, obviously.

...Mulder and Scully are married on August 16, at a courthouse in Virginia. The date has no significance, no probable reason to get married then—and that, Mulder says, is why it's perfect.

AU S7 Scully is appalled at her and Mulder's shamelessly gooey "married" behavior.

#32: It looks good on you.

He says, “Wanna get married today?”

She lifts her head to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise and maybe an ounce of caution. She says, “You're kidding.”

“Dead serious, Scully.”

AU S7 Mulder and Scully get hitched on a spur-of-the-moment October day.

Five Moments Mulder and Scully Shared (And One They Didn't) (Tumblr)

The new weight is unfamiliar on her hand, but not in a bad way. She grabs his hand and presses a kiss half against his finger and half against his own ring as they huddle together on the steps of the courthouse. 

AU Post S11 Mulder and Scully get a second chance at their entire lives; and determine to make better choices with each other.

@silhouetteofacedar/SilhouetteOfACedar's Pearl, Ch. 1 (Ao3)

Scully shakes her head. “Sorry, no. I’m just nervous.”

“We can keep holding hands, if you want,” he says quietly. “Play the part of a happy couple for a few minutes.”

She glances at him to see if he’s joking. He’s not; his face is strangely serious.

He should be joking, she thinks.

AU-- Mulder and Scully wed after her cancer diagnosis.

@mchalowitz's (Ao3) chain reaction, part 5

Mulder doesn’t bring up the proposal for three days. He figures he should mention it before the weekend because after two days apart, the seriousness of it will wear off. It’ll just be an awkward occurrence, not a real offer. 

“Should we get you a ring?” 

Scully coughs out a laugh and glances at him briefly from the filing cabinet.

AU-- Between Scully's cancer and Teena Mulder's drama, Mulder and his partner are able to find a brief, bright spot: their marriage.

@leiascully's (Ao3) Mulder told Scully he would do whatever he could

They get married.  It’s a quickie courthouse wedding with Maggie and Tara as their witnesses.  Bill refuses to be any part of it.  

AU-- Mulder and Scully get married and leave the FBI to adopt and raise Emily.

@myownsuperintendent/MyOwnSuperintendent’s

All a Family

They get married at the courthouse. They bring her mom.... But she smiles during the ceremony, at least, and Scully does too, a little shyly, and Mulder knows he does, in a way he can’t contain.

AU-- Mulder tells Scully about her ova after her remission; and the two have successfully begun an IVF pregnancy and started the adoption process for Emily when they decide to wed for better chances.

Ficlet: “Marry Me” (Ao3)

She stops where she is.  “Are you serious?”

He pauses a moment to consider, and then he says, “I’m serious.” 

...She’s next to the bed now.  “Yes, then.”

AU-- Post Requiem Mulder asks Scully to marry him.

Readjustment

She feels a little bit guilty that she can’t give her mom what she wants, when there’s so much she’s missed out on. Maybe she would have wanted it herself once, but not anymore, now. “We just…we don’t want to wait, Mom,” she says, and maybe that’s silly, since they’ve already waited quite a while. Since they already have a child together, a life, love. But that is how they feel.

AU-- Mulder, Scully, and William are readjusting to life as free citizens no longer on the run... well, Mulder and Scully are, anyway.

@scully-loves-ruthie's Better Call Scully

“Mulder, look at me.  He faces downward eyes locked on hers.  “Do you really believe that you’ll never stake someone thinking they’re a vampire only to find out too late you were wrong... again?”

He stares at her weighing his response before offering a playful smile as he pulls her toward the courthouse

“That’s what I thought.”  She mutters quickening her pace to remain in step with him.

AU-- Post Bad Blood Mulder and Scully get married for "practical" reasons (of course.)

@cauldronoflove/thegoodthebadandthenerdy's All I Need's a Fraction of Your Happy Heart

(Mulder had meant his proposal, sure, but in the end it was Scully who proposed. Neatly and to the point, but so full of an unrestrained want and sincerity that Mulder had covered her hand across the crayon-scribbled tabletop without even checking left or right.)

AU-- S7 Scully reflects on the journey from her recent marriage to Mulder while she and her partner are on a case.

AU/Married/ISTJ reflects how banter had turned to serious convo/duo both proposed/courthouse/giddy together on case-- All I Need's a Fraction of Your Happy Heart - [Archive]

@msrafterdark's (Ao3) MSR // Ficmas Day 30 - Fireworks

Their belongings are all in storage save for a few toiletries and some clothes for their honeymoon next week. They're signing for a house next month. A simple but beautifully elegant wedding dress hangs on the back of the door of Scully's childhood bedroom. A bundle of wedding presents from relatives and friends--including a rather suspiciously-wrapped gift with the initials "TLG" scrawled on it--sit on Maggie's kitchen table. Even AD Skinner is stopping by for the courthouse appointment tomorrow.

AU-- S7 Mulder and Scully enjoy the night before their wedding together.

beduini/Beduini's Legitimate

The baby moves again and he smiles, a wide, cheek-splitting smile. After a few more minutes, he raises up on his forearm once more and looks down at her with eyes shining, as if he'd just solved a case. "Hey Scully, we got married today."

Her lips turn up in a slight, amused smile. "Yes, Mulder, we did."

AU-- Post Vienen Mulder and Scully hit up the courthouse.

Vickie Moseley’s (Ao3, Gossamer)

Mother of the Bride

"Dana," I whispered, holding my breath and hoping my suspicions about this 'appointment' were correct. "Can you tell me what this is all about?"

Suddenly, Fox was on the phone. "Call it an early birthday present, Mrs. Scully. And maybe a late Mother's Day Present, as well."

Post Existence Mulder and Scully wed at the courthouse.

@aloysiavirgata’s (Ao3, WBM, Gossamer, LJ, Alt. LJ) A Tent of Shelter (Ao3)

She smiles at him, her lopsided grin. “Mulder, what can change, really? The taxes. The health insurance. But I think we’ve reached some point of terminal commitment, don’t you think? And you can hardly imagine I’ll be Doctor Mulder. So do I like the idea? I do, very much. But it’s hardly shocking.”

“Scully my love, you need to read more romance novels.”

Post IWTB Mulder wants to get married for his birthday.

@agentscully/agent_scully2084's Important Traditions

With minimal protest, Scully allowed Mulder to carry her over the threshold, laughing as Mulder explained the symbolism of the ancient tradition and appeared to take seriously his duty to protect his new bride from evil spirits.

Post IWTB Mulder and Scully get married in khakis and blue.

@scully/humancredentials's "Did you just call me 'baby' in front of my mother?"

She looks like she’s about to say that yes, something is wrong and that he shouldn’t antagonize her brother that way and even though they’re living together now, even though they’re ink on the paper official, sworn to each other in a courthouse in rural Virginia in front of her mother, her God, and all of their ghosts, it still makes her anxious when it’s on display.

But she doesn’t, doesn’t say any of those things, realizes she doesn’t even really want to.

Post IWTB Mulder is prone to slipping up with pet names after he and Scully tied the knot.

amorfati3215/Amorfati32’s (FFN) AU head canon - Mulder and Scully never separated...

Mulder and Scully marry two months later in a small service at the county courthouse. Scully’s mother gives the bride away while Skinner agrees to be Mulder’s best man. It’s a quiet affair, formal too but it’s exactly what they wanted. 

AU-- Post IWTB Mulder and Scully vacay, wed, and stay together during the hard times.

@broadcastnews1987/audries/@kennedyandheidi/inkspl0tchess's (WBM 1/ 2/ 3) Unnamed

“you’re my wife,” he says, over and over. her fingers are tugging at the tie she’d made him wear to the courthouse. he hadn’t really minded. “you’re my wife, scully.”

Post IWTB-- Three moments are Mulder and Scully tied the knot.

@m0lderitsme's Just a post MSIV fluff piece.

A big wedding was most definitely not for either of them. Plus, they didn’t really have anyone to invited anymore. Sure, Scully could have asked her brother Bill and his wife and son, but she didn’t really want them there. They decided that they’d get married in a very, very quick ceremony with a Justice of the Peace.

Post Revival Mulder and Scully marry with Skinner as their witness.

@flukemen/@pinebluffvariants/pinebluffvariant's Barrows

On a Friday afternoon, Mulder and Scully get out of a cab just a few blocks from the basement where they used to eat hotdogs at midnight and argue over evidence, when they were young. The streets are cleaner than they used to be, back then. The air is too. At least it feels that way today.

Post Revival Mulder and Scully wait in line outside the courthouse... and watch Skinner skip right on through.

@kateyes224's (Ao3)

Unchained Melody

Scully wiggled her small toes on the hard-wood floor, glad to be barefoot.  Her pale ecru dress shimmered in the darkened kitchen, her face half shadowed. She looked up at Mulder, and something in the way she was sitting, staring up at him, her cerulean eyes luminous in the dark, niggled at his brain like deja vu.

After the courthouse ceremony, Mulder remembers one moment when his parents looked really, truly happy with each other.

Honorable mentions:

amorfati3215/Amorfati32’s The Proposal (Parts 1/, 2/, 3/, 4/)

jeri’s (Gossamer) Vulpecula (Gossamer 1/ 2/) (post here)

@rationalcashew/RationalCashew's Dark is the Way; Light is the Place (Tumblr)

Vickie Moseley’s "My Dearest Son"

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

[misslilli]

It'll get better soon guys, don't worry 🤗

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Chapter 24 - It Takes A Village

[ Felix ]

It’s close to December and my favorite holiday is coming up fast, the lights are already up all around town and in school we make paper snowmen and sing Christmas songs. It’s supposed to be the most cheerful time of the year, but people in my life are sad, which in turn also puts a damper on my Christmas spirit.

Dad is not doing very well, he’s working all the time and doesn’t say much, he just goes through the motions of our day. One day, he just forgets to pick me up from school because he has worked through the night and fell asleep at the dining room table during the day.

Principal Skinner can’t reach him or my mom, who is in Europe right now, so he calls my other emergency contact, my grandma. I don’t know what exactly he tells her, but she’s coming all the way from Connecticut and the Principal will drive me home to check on my dad.

I’m excited that grandma’s coming, she’s really awesome! She’s straightforward and very, very strict and doesn’t like to cuddle, much, but her no-nonsense way of running a household may be exactly what we need right now. And she also makes a mean lasagna!

When we get to the house, dad is beside himself, apologizing to us over and over again for falling asleep and he looks a little relieved when Principal Skinner tells him that grandma is coming over to help.

I launch myself at her - I’m permitted exactly two hugs, one hello and one goodbye - when she walks through the door and immediately try to get her to make lasagna for dinner. She sends me up to my room to play for a bit, while she talks to dad and cleans up the mess in the kitchen. Afterwards, she really makes lasagna, yes!

——————

[ Teena ]

When I got the call from Principal Skinner, I was very worried about what I’d find when I got to the house, I’ve been called to pick up the pieces only once before.

It was after Diana left Fox and Felix and what I found then was a disoriented and confused three-year old who kept asking for his mom and a devastated dad and husband, unable to care for his child in his own heartbreak.

Thankfully, it’s not that bad this time, but I can tell that something has happened. Fox has been avoiding my calls for weeks now, only having Felix talk to me over the phone. I know that Sam knows something, but she wouldn’t tell me no matter how hard I pressed.

So the first thing I do when I get to the boys’s house is send Felix off to his room and sit down my son onto the couch to talk.

“Tell me what happened, Fox.”

And he goes on to me the whole story, from the first day of school where he met a woman that had upended both of their lives, to the birthday party - Sam has actually told me about that one, I thought it was a really sweet story - and the Halloween fair right up until the Basketball fiasco and the last time he saw her, where she asked him to give her some space until she has figured some things out.

“What do I do now mom? I hate myself for scaring her off like that and I can’t stop the tailspin of thinking I’m not good enough for her anyway, with that broken mess that’s our family…”

“I’ll tell you what to do now. You give her space like she asked you to and you get your act together in the meantime. Felix needs you to take care of him, it won’t do to wallow in self-pity. And ask yourself this: How can you expect someone to love you if you don’t love yourself? Go see Connie and fix your self-worth issues because you’re a good man and you absolutely deserve someone who makes you happy.”

“Thanks mom, for everything. I’ve already scheduled extra therapy lessons with Connie. You know what makes this whole thing even harder? I have to see her every damn day at school when I pick up Felix.”

“I’ll pick him up from now on. You focus on yourself, without distractions.” Maybe I’ll even get to meet her, I’m fairly curious about this Rainbow Woman myself.

—————

[ Felix ]

At recess in school, everyone’s on their best behavior, holding their collective breaths because Miss Scully is in a bad mood today. Actually, she’s been irritable for the past two weeks, with a very short fuse and absolutely no tolerance for disobedience.

Since her classroom is right next to ours, we can sometimes hear her yell at her kids for something or other and even our class flinches when it happens.

Right now, she’s over at the playground, leaning into two boys who have gotten into a fist-fight over a game of tag and I’m silently glad I’m sitting over here with Miss Anderson. I look up at my teacher, curious.

“Miss Anderson, why is Miss Scully so angry all the time?”

“I can’t tell you, Felix, I’m sorry.”

“Because you don’t know, or because you don’t want me to know?” When she changes the subject pointedly, I know it’s the second one. ‘Ugh, why don’t adults tell children anything, it’s driving me crazy! Dad won’t tell me anything and now this.’

Grandma picks me up again today and on our way to the car, we run into Miss Scully. 'Uh oh, I hope she doesn’t go off on grandma, I don’t think that will go over very well.’ My grandma can be scary sometimes, too!

“Hey Miss Scully, this is my grandma, she’s staying with us for a while now! Grandma, this is Miss Scully, she’s the fourth-grade teacher.”

——————

[ Teena ]

I’m happy to see that my son has raised Felix to be a polite child when he introduces the tiny red-head I’ve heard so much about.

“Grandma’s not actually my name, Felix. I’m Teena Mulder, it’s nice to meet you Miss Scully!” Holding out my hand, I try to seize her up.

Her handshake is firm and her posture is ram-rod-straight, all professional, but her eyes betray her poised exterior, because I can see flashes of sadness when she looks down at Felix. I can only guess that she’s not having an easy time with everything, herself.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Mulder. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got an appointment to get to. I’ll see you tomorrow, Felix. Goodbye, Mrs. Mulder.”

With that, she’s off to get her bike and Felix breathes a sigh of relief.

“Whew, thank God, she didn’t get mad at you like she got mad at the two boys at recess today.”

I’m a bit puzzled by his odd statement, but on the car ride, he tells me all about the incident in great detail. I get the feeling that these stories are a staple in the boys’s days and I can begin to understand why my son would rather not hear Felix go on and on about what she did and what she said right now.

—————

[ DS ]

My therapist has told me that it has to get worse before it gets better, but this is getting ridiculous. I can’t sleep more than a few hours at night, which leaves me irritable in the morning and with an incredibly short fuse at school, going off on my kids for the littlest infractions.

They’re so terrified and confused, they end up making even more mistakes, which in turn sets me off even more - it’s a vicious circle that leaves me frustrated with myself and more times that I’d like to admit to, I’ve lost it in the teacher’s bathroom.

Meeting Mrs. Mulder today was unexpected and I tried hard to keep it together for a few minutes, but I can’t stand looking at Felix’s innocent face for a longer period of time, so I bolted right after the introductions.

I actually did have an appointment, with my therapist, and today she suggested I write down my feelings in a journal to get them off my chest and reflect on them.

During the night, I wake after only a few hours of sleep spent tossing and turning. Unable to fall back asleep for yet another night, I drag myself our of bed and downstairs, turning the TV in the living room, hoping it’ll lull me back to sleep.

“10 things I hate about you” is on and by the time Julia Stiles recites her poem, I’m bawling into a pillow. I remember the homework I’ve been given, so I grab a piece of paper and a pen and begin writing.

“Miss Scully’s list of 10 things I hate about you”

The words of the title swim before my eyes as I scribble my feelings onto the patient paper. The poem I write is slightly different from the one in the movie, but writing it all out really does help.

I fold the paper up carefully and toss it in the trash before heading back up to bed.

[mldrgrl]

Broken Things 24/24

by: mldrgrl Rating: varies by chapter, rated R overall  See Chapter 1 for summary and notes**

**Additional notes to follow in a separate post

Epilogue

There’s a bookcase in their room built by Luke Doggett that Mulder has filled with books of all kinds.  He’s glad they decided to extend the bedroom out when they did the expansion because it takes up a lot of space.  He’s also glad for the extra room because it means, while Katherine paces back and forth, he can follow behind and not bump into too many things.

Katherine stops suddenly and leans onto the bookcase.  She moans deeply and Mulder holds her from behind and rubs her hips.

“You’re doing wonderfully,” Monica says.  “Just breathe through it.  Keep breathing.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to lie down?” Mulder asks.  “Just for a little while.”

Katherine hisses through her teeth and shakes her head.  Her forehead wrinkles and she moans again and clutches Mulder’s hand so tightly he’s sure it might break.  Monica comes over and puts her hand on Katherine’s belly.

“I think having a lie down might be a good idea about now,” Monica says.

Mulder puts his arm around Katherine and moves her to the bed.  He helps her to sit while Monica stacks the pillows up at the head of the bed.

“You’re the first husband I’ve had at a birth,” Monica says.

“I’m not leaving.”

“It’s fine by me if it’s fine by Katherine.”

“Don’t go,” Katherine whispers to him.  

“I won’t,” he tells her.

“I need him here,” Katherine says to Monica.

“Whatever you need, you’ll have.”  Monica nods and then she helps move Katherine up to the pillows and she tells her to shift down a bit and bring her knees up so she can check the baby’s progress.

The miraculous arrival of the twin fillies is the only birth that Mulder has attended in his life.  He skimmed through one of Katherine’s textbooks on obstetrics to have an idea of what he might be in for, but he found it to be so terrifying he had to stop reading.  It doesn’t seem possible, even though he knows it has to be.

He’s never seen his wife as scared as she’s been throughout this pregnancy.  She’s been terrified of losing the baby and he understands her fears.  Every night he’s gently caressed her growing belly and whispered to the baby how wonderful the world will be when he or she arrives.  You’ll have your own cradle made especially for you by Luke Doggett.  You’ll have your own horses to play with and one day I’ll buy you a pony with a little cart, would you like that?  You’ll have all the picture books I can find and I’ll read to you every night.  You’ll have the very best, most brave, most wonderful, most beautiful, most special, most loving, most fierce, most smartest Mama in all of the world.  But, you just stay nice and cozy where you’re at for now.  Stay until the time is right, okay?

Katherine grits her teeth and then comes up away from the pillows onto her hands and whimpers pathetically.  Mulder looks at Monica who is nodding encouragingly and rubbing Katherine’s belly.

“When it grips you again like before, you go ahead and push,” Monica says.  “Mulder, why don’t you give her a nice place to lean into to help.”

Mulder scoots closer so that Katherine can lean back into his chest.  She’s breathing hard and there’s sweat beading across her hairline.  He holds her hands and then her body grows stiff and she squeezes her eyes shut.

“Push, Katherine,” Monica says.  “That’s it.”

Katherine groans and then she falls limp in Mulder’s arms.  He feels the same helpless panic he felt when he was trying to help the horse drop her foal.  He knows he’s utterly useless and he can’t stand to be.  When Katherine’s body goes stiff again, he drops his head and starts to whisper the same things he whispered to Mary.

“You’re the only one that can do this,” he says.  “But, you’re strong and you’re brave and I believe in you.  You can do it.”

“Just a little more,” Monica says.  “You’re doing great.”

“Almost,” Mulder whispers.  “You can do it.”

Katherine lolls a little against Mulder’s chest and then she takes a deep breath and pushes again.  Her face grows red with exertion and she cries out before she deflates.  A different kind of shivery little cry fills the room.  Monica laughs and begins toweling off the squalling infant as quickly as possible and then passes the little bundle into Katherine’s arms.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a new little filly,” Mulder whispers.

Katherine starts crying and brings the baby up to kiss her head.  She has little wispy blonde curls that Mulder runs his hand over.  The baby looks at him and he swears one of her eyebrows lifts inquisitively just like her mother’s.

“Look at those blue eyes,” he says.

“All babies have blue eyes,” Katherine murmurs.

“This blue?  They look like the ocean.”

“Well, what are you gonna call her?” Monica asks.

“I want to name her after Mulder’s aunt,” Katherine answers.

“Oh that’s sweet.  What was your aunt’s name?”

“Hortense,” Mulder answers, and then laughs at the look on Monica’s face.  “Emeline was her name.  But, I think we agreed on Emily Eliza if it was a girl.”

Katherine nods.

“Hey…”  Mulder eases out from behind Katherine.  “What day is it?”

“I heard the clock in the hall chime at midnight a little while ago,” Monica answers.  “September 9th, 1888.  She’s a seven.  She’s going to be very contemplative.”

“It’s two years to the day from when we first met,” Mulder says.  

“Only two years?” Katherine wonders.  “It feels as though we’ve been together forever.”

“Forever is ahead of us, not behind.”  Mulder smiles as the baby yawns and reaches out to touch her tiny hand.  She curls her fingers around his with a tight grip.  

↭

The year before Emily was born they took a trip to Boston with a stop in New York City to see the electrical lightbulbs that Katherine had wanted to see.  She was definitely impressed by the invention, but will always prefer the softness of lamplight to the glow of a bulb.  Of all people, she will be the most reluctant to modernize their home while it’s Mulder that will marvel at the on and off switches that bring light and darkness and later, he will never get enough of the telephone, sometimes simply picking up the handset to chat with the switchboard operator in town just because he can.

Three years after Emily is born, William Abbott, known by all as Liam, will come along.  By then, Emily’s blonde hair will have turned dark, like her father’s, but she’ll keep her deep blue eyes.  Mulder will often turn and think he sees the ghost of his sister running towards him as she grows.  Liam inherits his mother’s red hair and freckles, but his father’s hazel eyes and mischievous sense of humor that keeps everyone on their toes.

Doctor Black makes Katherine an offer that Mulder tells her she’d be crazy to refuse.  He sponsors an apprenticeship for her in lieu of formal schooling and after five years time, she receives her medical certificate.  When he retires, Katherine takes over the practice and the lady doctor that drives her own carriage through town becomes the pride of the town.

Emily will follow in her mother’s footsteps in some ways, her interest in science and medicine apparent from a very young age, but her love of animals pulls her in a different direction.  She studies to become a veterinarian.  When her husband is taken in World War I, she will come back to the ranch with her own young daughter in tow, seeking the peace and comfort of her childhood.

Liam takes a keen interest in literature and tears through all the books on his mother’s bookshelf before he’s eight years of age.  His favorite thing to do is to listen to the stories his father tells, ones he can’t quite determine are real or exaggerated, but that are always about how brave and strong and magical his mother is.

“Kids,” Mulder will say as they sit on the porch.  “Did I ever tell you about the time your mother shot a panther?”

“There aren’t any panthers in Texas, Daddy,” Emily will tell him.

“That’s because they got wind of your mother’s aim and they all packed up and moved to Mexico.”

“Mulder, you weren’t even there.”  Katherine will roll her eyes when he starts his tales.

“I had gone to Fort Worth to pick up some horses and your mother stayed behind with Pappy Melvin…”

Liam will take these stories and write them down and turn them into Fawkes Publishing House’s number one bestselling children’s series of the 1920s called Amazing Kate, about a young girl living on a ranch in the Texas plains who can do anything and everything.  He marries a suffragette he meets while tending to family business in Boston. One of their sons will pen a biography of his E. M. Abbott, sending shockwaves through the literary community and winning a Pulitzer.

When the children are small, Katherine will often wonder about her sister’s and where they are and if they’ve married and if they have children of their own.  Mulder will offer time and time again to track them down, but ultimately, Katherine decides against it.  She has made her own family here and Monica and Susannah are close enough to her to feel like the sisters she lost.  Mary Katherine Scully was her past and she has put it behind her.  She is and will forever now be Kate Mulder.

The ranch is only ever moderately successful and the need for trained horses dies out with the expansion of the railroad and the popularity of the automobile.  It suits Mulder fine and they simply become a haven for abused and neglected animals.  

Ranch hands come and go.  Trevor discovers a talent for building furniture through Luke Doggett.  Mulder sponsors their talents by starting them up with a business in Fort Worth where they form a successful partnership and their furniture is sold world-wide.  Richard announces one day that he thinks it’s about time he moves on, and then he just disappears.  Jesse and Jimmy are offered positions as lead trainers in a traveling rodeo that they hesitate to accept, but Mulder tells them they’d be crazy not to take the opportunity to travel the country.  Melvin stays with them until he passes on and they bury him beneath the magnolia tree that in twenty years time, has reached an impressive height of forty feet and blooms pink at the start of every summer.  

The years go by and Mulder and Katherine will be alone on their porch sometimes, sitting side by side watching the sunset.  Mulder will reach out and Katherine will take his hand and he’ll give it a squeeze.

“Just think where we might have ended up if Faithful Jenny hadn’t thrown that shoe that day,” he’ll say to her, for maybe the hundredth time since they’ve been married.  “The day that changed my life forever.”

Katherine will roll her eyes at him, also for the hundredth time.  “Any number of things had already changed your life forever,” she’ll say.

“But, specifically, if Faithful Jenny hadn’t thrown that shoe…”

“And if you didn’t leave Massachusetts, and if your father hadn’t sent you to live with your aunt, and if your aunt never bought you that pony for your birthday…”

“So, you agree, A leads to B, leads to C, leads to Jenny throwing that shoe.”

“I think we’d still be right here on this porch.  That’s what I think.”

“Kate, are you admitting you believe in fate?”

“I’m admitting nothing.”

Mulder will smile and squeeze her hand as she twists her wedding ring around her finger with her thumb.

The End

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa has 8 stories at Gossamer, but there are even more X-Files fics at AO3 and her website. She writes Mulder and Scully in a very lovely way. I've recced 3 of my favorites of her fics here before: Bird in Snow, Fall: East on M St, and Skuamorph. Big thanks to Tabula Rasa for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I'm always extremely pleasantly surprised to get kudos (or, very rarely, a comment) on my old fic, but I'm always happy to see it! I did post them all (I think) to AO3. I'm not surprised people are still reading fic, though. It's an iconic show and now with streaming, it's really easy to watch older shows and natural to want fic about them!

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

XF was my first fandom, definitely my first online fandom, and so it will always have a special place in my heart. Also... I had a great time! I stumbled upon and joined the Scullyfic email list by accident, but it was the best thing I could have done. I learned a lot about how to be a writer and how to be in fandom, and those lessons are still important to me. Foundational. Also, in terms of modern fandom drama, XF was more low-key on the drama (although it didn't seem like it at the time!). But I learned something that's always served me well: find like-minded people, and hang out with them. Don't worry about the rest.

Also... you can't control the show, but you kind of can control the canon.

Because of Scully, I ended up taking a forensic anthropology class in university-- and now I have a Master's in a forensic science! Part of the Scully Effect, and proud of it!

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Definitely mostly email list! I never really got the hang of message boards. Posting fic was exhausting, and tbh I never figured out how to work Ephemeral. I checked it every day, though! I loved, after a new episode, everyone sending in their thoughts and reading everyone's experiences together. Fandom was a lot more work back then, tbh!

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

That fic can be just as good, or better, than traditionally published works. There are works of XF fic that have stuck with me for years now, far more than some books I've read. That fan writers can know the characters better than the show writers. The fandom in general was really smart, and mostly more adult than me (I joined fandom when I went away to college, so I always felt at the younger end of the scale. That was good though!).

Also, my first time reading and writing porn. Not gonna lie, I was shocked the first time I accidentally read smut. But I adjusted fast. lol

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I was still a kid (now we would say preteen) when the show premiered- I think in middle school. But I was already into ghosts, aliens, monsters, solving mysteries, and I'd already imprinted on the dynamic thanks to Square One (really)! I was also just old enough to start developing celebrity crushes. Hilariously, I did not twig to the fact that I'm bisexual the entire time I was in XF fandom, despite having enormous crushes on BOTH Mulder and Scully. Ahhhh!

Also, my whole family was into the show, but I was definitely the one with the hyperfixation. I used to take notes and record the episodes as I watched. It just had the right stuff and hit at the right time. And I've always been obsessive.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

As a kid I also really liked Star Trek, and someone had given my dad a book about the history of Star Trek, which I read. This included mentions of fandom and fanfic. As soon as I had a private-- and perhaps more importantly fast-- internet connection (in college), I went looking for XF fanfic, and that was that. Hooked immediately. Also I shipped them A LOT so that's what I went looking for.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I tend to not go back to a fandom once I have a new fandom, so I wouldn't say I'm in it. I did hang around the edges for the revival, of course, because I wanted to experience that with the same people, but since the revival was mostly not that great (with a few exceptions), I didn't get pulled back into it. But I still think of the people I knew in the fandom a lot, and always hope they're doing well.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I've never left fandom, and I've been in a BUNCH: Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Bandom, Supernatural, now CQL/The Untamed and other Chinese-media fandoms, with many smaller ones in between or on the side. I feel like at their core fandoms tend to be similar, although where you host the fandom makes a big difference: Livejournal, tumblr, twitter. I think that because fandoms now tend to be bigger and more diverse (which is good) there tends to be more wank (which is bad). In some of them I was close to a group of people, some of them not. Honestly the best thing is when someone you know from an old fandom is in your new fandom. It's so much fun. I have really good friends thanks to fandom, and I've had them for YEARS. Like. 15 years.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

I tend to focus more on ships than characters, but some of my all-time favs: Scully, Hermione, Sirius Black, Castiel, Lan Wangji, Xie Lian. That's just fandom-oriented ones, otherwise we'd be here all day. :D

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I don't often rewatch episodes any more, although if I come across an ep on tv I might. I definitely still think about them though! For example, I'm a teacher now, and just a couple weeks ago one of my colleagues mentioned he'd heard the students saying they shipped two of their classmates, and he was like "Ship? I don't get it" and I was like "HOO BOY, do I have a story for you!" And I explained how shipping came from XF fandom, and why. That was fun. I definitely still think about Mulder and Scully too-- I mean, they're cultural touchstones, so they do come up sometimes in greater pop culture. Also, I was in Hannibal fandom for a while, and Gillian Anderson is still The Best.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I haven't read XF fic in years, even the ones I remember as being really significant/important to me. I still have my all-time favs saved on an external HD though! Fic in another fandom- every day lol.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

Blinded by White Light by DashaK has stuck with me. Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the Ruby-Throated Warbler by I forget I'm so sorry -- that's lasted as my ideal post-canon MSR and as an interesting and different way to tell a story.  [Lilydale note: It’s by rah.] I was always thrilled to see fic by Brandon, JET, MaybeAmanda, Syntax6... and, frankly, everyone on the Scullyfic/ Emuse list. So many talented people in that fandom!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Things Outside, which is the only thing I've ever written based on a dream, and I'm really satisfied with it. It was hard to write but so much fun to revel in the weirdness. I always kind of wanted to write more because I know a lot more about the situation, but otoh, I like the open, ambiguous ending (usually I am very HEA).

In other fandoms, King & Country in bandom (MCR) and in Supernatural I'm very proud of Hope and Clay. I struggle to write casefics even though I love to read them, but that one really worked out.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I don't think I'll ever write something new. There is an old fic that may be done but it was smut so I was too shy to post it at the time. In theory if I find it and it's decent, I could post it!

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I do! I write fic very slowly, but I do write still! I have a million ideas for stories, but I'm so slow at the actual writing part.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I usually take a jumping-off point from canon, or of course, something I need to fix or expand on. Or sometimes I start telling myself a story as I fall asleep and the idea grabs me long enough I can manage to write it.

What's the story behind your pen name?

I was getting into fandom and realized people didn't use their real names. I flipped through my history book looking for inspiration, and decided tabula rasa was a great name for a writer. I tend to add an X because it's rare to get "tabularasa" as a username, and the X is indeed for X-Files (so I'm something like tabulaxrasa most places). I usually go by Tabula Rasa or Tab, though. And I still use it because 1) it IS a great name for a writer; and 2) it's not fandom-specific so I can keep it in every fandom.

I identify with it so much I have answered to this name in class (oops). I have a "Tab" t-shirt (as in the soda, but I have worn it to Comic-Con for ease of ID-- better than a nametag!). And my mom got me a necklace with a "tab" typewriter key as a charm, which I adore. Yes, I have accidental merch of myself.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

As you can tell from the above, my family knows (my family being my parents and sister). They are supportive! I think my mom read a couple stories? But obviously she has to know the fandom to get it... I got my sister into fic, and we even wrote a couple fics together (in Gundam Wing). She's a lot more selective about fandoms, but she's joined fandoms on her own, too. She's just not in one constantly, like me. :p

I tend not to tell not-online friends unless I have felt them out and know they're super fannish, or they bring it up first.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Most of my old fic is now on AO3 and I hang out on twitter a lot, @tabula_x_rasa

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

I'm really glad people are still in this fandom! It will always be so important to me. Thank you Lilydale, for this nostalgia trip!

(Posted by Lilydale on March 30, 2021)