#like kids will be kids but also like. don't abandon your toddler out of sight while you try on clothes???

[bedcorpse]

i think we as a society have forgotten that sometimes you bitch knowing it's stuff you'd never say to someone's face. like when i complain to my coworker about someone letting their rat child run amuck in the store, i'm doing it knowing there's probably more going on behind the scenes that i don't know about and would never actually give them shit for it. it's therapeutic. being annoyed is not a crime in the same way being annoying isn't.

[somenerdfromwhatever]

Dear Parents who think disowning their kids are cool

Hi. Apparently I still have this. It’s cool, I’m going to use it for my long thought pieces anyway. Regarding recent events in the LGBT community scene, namely Vivian, a trans-girl going against her dad, Elon Musk himself, I reflected a lot on a question I asked onto Reddit recently (I know I know Reddit sucks but it got me thinking):

Why are some parents so okay with disowning trans kids when they gave birth to them?

This is a pretty tough question with some pretty rough answers, but after seeing the shit I saw last week and now, something has to be said on the matter. Content warning because we're dealing with heavy hitting topics like abandonment, and family drama. Also content warning for what I am about to present because, well, I'm pissed.

It is no secret why I bought the Vivian and Elon Musk thing up to tackle this question as having a billionaire shit talk their own kin that they gave birth to is sickening and inhumane. Heck even before his venture into buying Twitter, he was constantly berating her for just being her own genuine self. Heck in her thread on Threads, her father was a massive deadbeat to her. Unsupportive and hostile who wasn’t there in her life all because her crime was being herself. It’s sad isn’t it? This is one of the most wealthiest humans on the planet mind you, the guy that can end world hunger, have massive funds to pool into medical care to accelerate a cure to cancers, but instead he chooses to defame, harass, and downright abuse his own child for being their true self. And given the recent lights of Elon being a dead beat, I also say in my opinion, he just left her to die. He bought Twitter under the guise of fighting censorship, but yet only to impose his own narrow worldview on others to fuel his slander to his own kin. This hypocrisy is disturbing given recent events as he was fighting for the very thing he fought against.

It’s not just the LGBT community, does anyone else remember that mom from an Autism Speaks documentary about how she wanted to commit a murder-suicide on her daughter just for being autistic? Her name was Alison Singer. A name all too well in the community when discussing neurodiversity and programs that don’t speak for us. You also have the case of Kelli Stapleton who ACTUALLY DID IT.

You also have parents like the ones from Toddlers and Tiaras, where Carly developed a spilt personality disorder thanks to their own MOM because Carly loathed being forced into competitions. Heck I even grew up with the whole DaddyOFive situation where Mike abused Cody. So now the question becomes this:

Why are parents willing to disown their children for being who they are? And regardless of their differences, why would they do that when they are the ones who gave them the life to live on this planet?

And with the rise of LGBT hate, disability hate, it seems like every difference a human makes can make a parents cut ties with them in a heartbeat. With no answer in sight, I might as well make one.

Now, look. What I’m going to address next is harsh, but it’s a reality that every parent needs to accept.

If you are pregnant, and you gave birth to a kid, as newfound parents, that child you are holding in your hand is not your property. They are their own soul, and you better let them be their own soul. They have one life to live on this planet, make their moments count. If you toss them aside, berate them, and even disown because you can't handle differing ideologies, interests, etc. don't call yourself a parent. A parent by definition is being there for your children. A parent who tosses them aside over them being different no matter how or what isn’t a parent at all. And parents who disown them, and kick them out... well. I consider them brain-dead murderers, as they are tossing their kin out to die in society. Yep, I'm going there. Parents who disown and kick their kids out to fend for themselves in society (which they all die too sadly) are murderers.

So what if they express their identity?! So what if they have disabilities they grew up with?! So what?! You still gave birth to them! You lead and support them! And YOU need to give your next of kin independency and not turn them into a slave you can mold in YOUR IMAGE.

This is the TRUE PRO-LIFE STANCE. The actual truth to being PRO-LIFE. To be PRO-LIFE, you have to be PRO-CHOICE as the truth about PRO-CHOICE is letting a human appreciate how they want to live their life and appreciating their own say on the matter. To put it in words that are easier to understand, I inputted this mombo jumbo into GPT to explain it in Caveman:

To support life, you must let people choose how they live. Respect their choice and let them decide. That is true PRO-LIFE.

How is that a hard concept to understand? Like seriously? My parents support my career path to becoming involved heavily in post-production! Heck I'm still on that goal and still dreaming on working on my favorite show on Netflix, Wednesday! They were surprised back when I was a pre-teen about to be heading to high school for this to happen! I was a kid who loves to hold camcorders, a kid who edited a YouTube Poop which landed me into a one-day suspension from school, and a kid who loved making these every day. My parents accepted me for who I was especially since I grew up with autism and it was a new thing TO THEM. Heck even with my Wednesday video gaining traction, my Mom accepted me for being non-binary! So you tell me then, answer me the following: Do you think for just a second that you're doing the right thing by throwing kids like us out? Do you think you're justified in abandoning your own flesh and blood just because they don't fit into your narrow-minded ideals? Newsflash: you're not. You're failing at the most basic level of parenthood. You brought a life into this world; you don't get to just walk away when things get tough or when your child's identity challenges your beliefs. I never watched the Saw movies, but I do seen the complexities of the character John Kramer, the infamous Jigsaw killer. Say what you want, but is he wrong about how we should appreciate life?

To appreciate life, it's means to value all life. All HUMAN life, including the individuality and identity of the next generation. Whether it's your kid you birthed, or a kid passing by, the fact is they are their own soul. You don't control other people's souls, you have to appreciate their own life by their own choices. It's this freedom to be themselves. Letting children grow into their true selves.

Parents, your role if you birth a kid is so straightforward it is astounding how you ignore this.

This isn't about you. I've been on this planet for 25 years now. 25 years. We get it, parenting is hard. My parents had to adapt with my autistic video making non-binary self. They supported everything that I do. You chose to bring a child into this world. You owe them love, support, and acceptance UNCONDITIONALLY. Anything less is a failure on your part, not theirs, YOURS. Disowning your child is the ultimate act that makes you no different then a murderer who kills people just for being different. It's choosing your comfort over their happiness. I would never leave any next generation of mine out to die, and I will accept who they are no matter what they are regardless of interest, disabilities, and identity. I also find it hilarious when this happens, they happened to label them as groomers. Last I checked, the definition of it on every dictionary is "to make (someone) ready for a specific objective". (Verb Definition 3a on Webster's Dictionary for example) Sure it has been co-opted with the abusive nature, but the original definition set is stone is forcing someone onto a specific act. So if you disown a kid for not conforming to your standards on the basis of identity or something else, remember that you, in fact, are the one trying to "groom" them into your image. And if your kid is LGBT, well, that is telling on yourself at this rate, because under this logic and definition that's been there since the dawn of time... you, the parent who disowned them, are the real groomers here and the kids you raised are doing as you said, protecting themselves from groomers like you. You excuse and shift blame onto other people when you are the living definition of it raising your kid in your own image instead of living their own lives. And yes. I fucking said it. It deserves to be said. I stand by this notion.

In this current climate, where LGBT hate is on the rise and intolerance is being amplified by those in power, it's more crucial than ever for parents to stand up and protect their children. And if you are a kid and your parents are like this, abusing you, grooming you into their own perfect image, call them out, because this toxic generational trauma has to end. The world is already a harsh and dangerous place for anyone who doesn't fit into the so-called 'norm.' Take it from me, a neurodivergent who has to mask just to get through. Imagine how much worse it becomes when the very people who are supposed to love and protect you turn their backs on you. Oh to all those deadbeat parents I mentioned, Mike Martin (DaddyOFive), Elon Musk, Kelli Stapleton, Alison Singer, and others. Yeah they are hitmakers, advocates, and superstars in their minds, but to end it with a familiar Kendrick Lamar lyric, they are "fucking deadbeat that should never say more life."

I hope you read that Kendrick Lamar lyric well, because if you disown your kids just for being who they are, you shouldn’t say you’re “for the kids”.

I beg you parents of old and new, please take these words seriously. No kid would ever want a parent like that.

Good night.

[gurggggleburgle]

throwing my hat into the should bingqiu be parents ring to say No. Neither of these adults should be parents but for wildly different reasons until they've had like 10 years post cannon to work shit out.

This is because these idiots have so much shit to work out between them and if you threw a kid in there any point before the story ends and well after I can't see this going well.

Reason 1) Have you ever met someone in their early 20s who has been in an on and off again mess of a relationship that clearly needs couples therapy? I have. Don't

reason 2) Everyone keeps being all Luo Binghe would be absolutely jealous of whatever baby ends up in their acquisition and I would like to say FALSE. Binghe's hatred of any babies is tangential to age and adoption vs weird mpreg vs where in the timeline. For example if Shen Qingqui acquires a baby pre abyss at 17ish and said child is in an age range of 7-15ish he's gonna be jealous because that's an age range where this kid could potentially compete with him any younger and you're bordering toddler territory which is about in the same range as literal baby. Where this kid could get his room. If it's a baby tho he doesn't hate the baby. It poses no threat. It's a bonding experience.

If anything he's absolutely more worried about the kid being a secret love child with Liu Qingge or some other threat.

The same applies also minus that last caveat if he ends up teen pregnant. This version of child snatching is weirdly the one I think they'd be the best with even tho they absolutely should not be doing that.

Meanwhile if Shen Qingqiu acquires or has Luo Binghe's kid while their in the abyss then Qingqiu is gonna be a mess of a parent if it is full straight up baby. The man has the domestic skills of a boiled potato. He probably is leaving most of this baby's care to Ning YingYing and Ming Fan by virtue of having to actually do his own paperwork now and other tasks. Like he loves the kid but.... like let's be real liking children and being nice to them does not a good parent make. He's probably panicking and demanding help every five minutes driving them all insane. Meanwhile if Binghe finds out about this kid and it's not his specifically he's gonna lose his shit because it means Shizun's got himself another malewife and he bets it's that whore Liu Qingge. And if Cucumber man let's it slip then Lou Binghe is never letting that child leave his sight. He is acquiescing that kid. And if that child is not a baby he will go into panic mode because that's his REPLACEMENT. Shizun got a new fluffy child to dote on.

Again if Luo Binghe somehow ends up pregers when he falls into the abyss I will say he will become the most disturbingly devoted parent possible and both cherish and resent the child and be absolutely feral about it. If he finds one down there he probably takes care of them and is kind because like Luo Binghe is a fucking orphan. He knows what it means to suffer without parents. If he sees a small demon kid named 4 balls (the long lost brother of 6 balls) or something he's not gonna abandon them to die.

Meanwhile if it's like new item obtained: small child! about water prison and after or one is found out to be mpreg.... I mean Luo Binghe would triple on his imprison Shen Qingqiu for the sake of the baby if it's him. For himself I think he would either tragically walk away and say the baby is all he gets as a piece of Shizun's love or it's like more desperately clinging and waiting for SQQ to cave. Any adopted child at this point is a threat. Our boy's brain is too far gone for that. Child's must be acquired before this point or risk softlocking your game. Also side note depending on where in the timeline Yuan gets pregnanté you can make an incredibly angsty but also comedic argument about abortion as that is certainly one way to take care of it.

Post cannon children can be acquired and this will not make Luo Binghe jealous. Man will see any kid as an extension of his and Shizun's love immediately post cannon. He's not jealous of the baby. If anything they're vetting the baby's playmates. He insists on breast milk long past it being required. You have to get a daypass to even look at this child. The baby has nappies worth more than your house. Man would be a disturbingly protective parent. He would be the one to spoil the kid rotten.

Our trust fund protagonist would have to be the moral compass on this and that is funny and terrifying

Reason number 3) they would be those hoa and pta parents. their kid would be the asshole child in the school who everyone knows they can't bully.

[justafoxkit]

TFP Agere Headcanons

Human edition!

🚁Agent Fowler:

🚁Father Caregiver!

🚁Kind of confused at first, but Lord help you if you insult any little/pet in his care.

🚁Very good at setting up routines for littles who benefit from it.

🚁He finds the biggest stuffed animals in existence bc his Gramma showered him with toys as a kid and he'd be damned if his kiddos didn't deserve to be spoiled too! (Even if said kiddos are 70+ feet tall)

🚁The kind of CG who loves to watch movies with the little ones, he just has to remember that horror movies probably aren't good for regressed kiddos.

🏥June Darby

🏥Mama Caregiver!

🏥Total doting Mama: cute nicknames, gentle tones, forehead kisses, the whole nine yards! Raising Jack was a hard time for her since her husband left, so reliving motherhood is very healing for her (similar to Ratchet)

🏥Very good at dealing with meltdowns, June has a very soothing presence that helps to calm any overwhelmed or upset kiddo.

🏥Tag teams with Ratchet to keep little ones safe; she may be small, but all she has to do is say something and they instantly stop.

🏥Has nicknames for everyone, and they love it! She makes each one unique to them.

🏍️Jack Darby:

🏍️Big brother caregiver!

🏍️Like Fowler, a bit confused, but if it helps Arcee feel happy and safe, he's all for it!

🏍️He cares deeply for Arcee as his partner and friend, but absolutely adores her when small!

🏍️He becomes Arcee's official caregiver rather quickly, and Jack encourages Arcee to talk about her regression to help her feel more comfortable with it.

🏍️Like his mom, uses a lot of nicknames; he calls Arcee Putty Tat(and immediately got her hooked on Looney Toons bc she had no idea what it meant.)

🏍️He takes care of the other little ones as well, and is good at talking down an upset kiddo. He also makes amazing snacks for those that eat!

🎸Miko Nakadai:

🎸 Caregiver/little sister regressor! (Age range: 5-9)

🎸She was absolutely all for the whole regression thing; she thinks Wheeljack being a wolf regressor is the coolest thing!

🎸At first she was only a caregiver, but found that she really enjoyed slipping into that smaller headspace. She had a lot of expectations laid on her as a kid, so being able to just relax and be a kid is a nice feeling.

🎸If you thought she was hyper as a big kid, look out! Little Miko is a calm and sweet baby one moment, then a ball of energy the next.

🎸Miko is definitely the "don't tell your mama about this" type of caregiver. Mama Bear Ratchet always finds out though. She still doesn't know how.

🎸She absolutely has to be near Bulkhead when little. Miko still has nightmares of the incident with them getting trapped in the abandoned mine (which she hasn't told anyone), and if Bulkhead isn't in her line of sight there WILL be a meltdown.

💻Raf Esquivel:

💻Toddler regressor!

💻Since he has a big family, Raf often doesn't get any exclusive attention from his parents. Because of this, he enjoys being little at base and just being cuddled and loved.

💻 Bumblebee acts as a big brother for Raf, as usual. This dynamic is magnified when they're both regressed.

💻He actually doesn't like using the computer when small, he prefers to color or play with the toys they stashed at base.

💻 Nobody can say no to him; if he puts his arms up to anyone, they're immediately scooping him up. He most often goes to Miko(because she spins him around to make him giggle) and Ratchet(because he feels so small and safe when Ratchet cradles him close)

💻It's hard to understand Optimus because he has a difficult time talking when small, but Raf is one of the few besides Ratchet who can understand him. Because of reasons, no one really questions it.

Nicknames:

🚁Agent Fowler: Flower (an adorable mispronunciation by OP), Dad, Papa Bear.

🏥June Darby: Mom, Mama.

🏍️Jack: Jackie, Bro, Big Bro.

🎸Miko: Sis, Little Monkey, Wild Child, Rockstar.

💻Raf: Baby Boy, Honey, Sweetspark (courtesy of Ratchet)

Hope you enjoyed these, Decepticons next!

[askisabella]

What is one thing you'd like to get off your chest? Spell of Shattered Sight, opinion.

Henry is an ungrateful spoiled brat who doesn't realize how good he has it. Your mom was the Evil Queen, so what? She took care of you growing up, didn't she? You had everything you could have desired, didn't you? You were loved. You were cared for. This is more than most can ask for in life. I get he wanted to meet his biological mother, but he had no regard for others feelings. Did Regina deserve to be called on her behaviors? Of course. Did everyone deserve the curse break? Damn straight we did. Henry, I'm sorry your loving mother tried to convince you a story about her horrible tragic past wasn't true but grow the hell up. He wants to be treated like an older child but he still throws tantrums like a toddler. And EMMA! Did this woman actually think about what she was doing? She threatened to take a son away from a mother who treated him right. She had no legal right to demand her son back. SHE GAVE HIM UP! She abandoned him at birth. There were chances to get him back before he was adopted out and she chose not to. She chose to let him go! So she regretted it after she met the kid? She didn't seem to care enough to find him before he knocked on her damn door. Then she walks in and demands to have custody of someone she gave away? Sod off, Sheriff. If anyone is abusing power it's you! Does Henry deserve to have both mothers in his life? Yes. Does Emma deserve the right to dictate when his legal mother can see him? Hell no.

What the bloody hell is wrong with this town?

Don't get me started on Cecily! I've been around the girl for years and all I've heard is how much she misses her family. We get it. It's been decades of the same woes. Drop it already or do something to find them!

Then we've got the very man who brought Cecily to the Merry Men. Though we clearly weren't all merry once Cecily joined the ranks. Robin Hood. First of all, why Hood? You couldn't come up with something else? It sounds so idiotic. Second of all, what the hell is wrong with you?! I understand your wife was brought back from the dead, another wonderful thing the Sheriff Savior did for us all, but that doesn't mean you have to be with her. She died. Like dead dead. Your vows died along side of her. You finally moved on. For the first time since we met you were actually happy! You're a halfwit for trying to resurrect a relationship that died years ago. I have been babysitting your son for weeks on end while you try to figure out your heart. Get it together! We all know you are in love with Regina and that isn't going to change. Stop trying to make it. You're so damn righteous it's annoying! You speak of honor but I don't see you honoring your love for Regina. You're not the man I thought you were. I hope Roland doesn't grow up to be as careless with others as you are.

Don't ask about Regina. Just don't.

Does Rumple even have power anymore? The man is whipped by the librarian. THE LIBRARIAN! He gave it all up for love? Pathetic.

Evie, who the fuck even are you?

Sam, no one cares about your animals except maybe Snow White. Seriously. If we were back in the Enchanted Forest your cats would have been my dinner many moons ago.

Speaking of dinner, Booker is not as great of a cook as he thinks he is. Wolfboy needs to work on some new recipes. Also, he needs to stop showering before a meal. I know he's in human form but I swear he still smells like wet dog at times. It's disgusting. Then again when he puts on aftershave or cologne all I want to do is fuck him which is annoying. His stupid attractive face and toned body needs to leave me the hell alone before I end up with another broken heart. No one gave him the right to be so damn nice to me! WHY? I'm not a good person! I would gladly burn a few people if I wasn't so afraid I would be ostracized like my mother. He’s just an idiot.

HOOK, CHANGE YOUR DAMN CLOTHES!

[a-january-girl]

Hi, I don't know if you take any prompts, but I have, so,imagine, Scully never gives Will up, three of them lives together and one day William( still kid) tell them that he wishes he had a little brother or sister. Can you write something how M/S handle this situation and Scully really wants another baby. Nothing angst( maybe a little bit), just fluffy fluff. Thank you!

Anon, let me thank you dearly for this prompt, and also apologize from the bottom of my heart to have kept you waiting so long to answer it. Thank you @alldolleduppink for the being the best friend/beta/motivation in the world, and also thank you @therobbinsnest for your kind words and never ending support, I love you both 😘As requested, nothing too angsty, but a major MSR fluffy fluff fic! 🎉❤️

NEVER GIVE UP ON A MIRACLE

Mulder ties up the small black Converse sneaker, making the laces form into bunny ears before they turn into a knot. William offers his other foot so he could do the same to that one. The question comes out of the blue, dripping out from his small lips with genuine interest.

“Daddy, does mommy have a baby in her tummy?”

Mulder lifts up his head to look into his son’s eyes. Scully had just excused herself from Will’s room — he can hear water running in the bathroom — and he doesn’t know if he should be sad or relieved that she isn’t here to hear their son’s question.

“No, she doesn’t, why do you ask?”

“My friend Billy’s mom has got a baby in her tummy,” he simply states, but his eyes stay inquiring.

“Does she?” Mulder answers to see if he’ll continue his explanation.

“Yeah, she’s got a big tummy and all,” Will says, rubbing his own stomach to emphasize his words, which makes Mulder chuckle. He retrieves his feet from his father’s grasp and looks up as Mulder comes back to a standing position.

“How come Billy’s mom has a baby in her tummy, daddy?” he asks as his father runs his thumb over the ridge of the coffee mug Scully just abandoned on the bureau of their son’s bedroom before rushing out. With a sigh, he grabs a comb to discipline the short red hair Will has inherited from his mother.

Somehow, Mulder knows he’s in for one of those conversations where his 3 year-old will soon relentlessly ask a question on top of another. He loves how curious and intelligent William is. Whenever these avalanches of questions happen, he can’t help but think about Samantha at the same age, perpetually asking her big brother to explain the world around them. She had looked up to him as if he was the smartest person on earth when he was really only four years older than her.

“Well, I guess Billy’s parents love each other very much and wanted to give him a brother or a sister,” he tries to stay simple for him to understand. Of course, he will, he thinks, he’s so bright for his age.

“A brother…” Will ponders, as if weighing out the word carefully. After five seconds of intense thinking, he exclaims “Mommy has got two brothers!”

“Yes, she does,” Mulder answers. He can hear Scully fumble in the bathroom at the end of the corridor, water splashing and cabinets opening and closing.

“You love mommy, right daddy?” Will asks, his little brows furrowed.

“Of course I do! I love her very much,” Mulder answers with a tender smile.

“Then why doesn’t she have a baby in her tummy too?”

The question is simple, and yet the answer is extremely complicated. Mulder’s heart aches for his son and his honest but heartbreaking request. At his age, he's too young to understand that he’ll remain an only child, let alone why. So he decides to answer with another question instead.

“Tell me, buddy, would you like to have a baby brother or a baby sister?”

“A brother, maybe,” he concedes very seriously. “Not a sister, though!” he adds with a disgusted expression and a wrinkled nose, as if the idea itself was as terrible as the plate of broccoli he was served the night before.

Mulder laughs out loud at his son’s honest reaction, and takes him in his arms for a quick hug.

“Well, buddy, it’s pretty unlikely anyway.”

Will is already escaping his father’s grasp and turning his attention to the train set snaking around on his bedroom floor. He likes to use every minute he has before getting dropped off at preschool.

“But we should never give up on a miracle...” Mulder whispers to himself.

As he stuffs the ET toy next to the Buzz Lightyear lunchbox in the small backpack, Mulder spins around to finish gathering Will’s things and catches sight of Scully leaning on the door frame. She looks small, and he notices her paleness and exhaustion. He will have to gently suggest that she consider taking time off or decreasing her workload but he knows that will not be an easy feat. She had agreed on teaching more hours at the Academy this year than she had after Will’s birth, and it looked like it was getting to her. As if accessing his thoughts, she flashes him a reassuring smile, and he wonders how long she’s been here listening to their conversation and if she’s heard the thought he’s just spoken out loud.

“You okay?” he asks, approaching her and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“I’m fine,” she automatically replies, even though she knows the expression makes him cringe. “I’m just tired that’s all. Actually, I’m supposed to have a class to teach this morning, and another this afternoon, but I think I’m gonna call in sick… Would you mind driving Will to preschool without me?”

She never calls in sick, Mulder considers thoughtfully. His hand automatically shifts to her forehead. She doesn’t seem to have a fever, but she does look exhausted.

“Are you sure you’re okay? I mean, I will drive Will, no problem, but is there anything else you want me to do for you? Do you need me to pick something up from the pharmacy?” he asks, inwardly relieved that she’s finally willing to take an opportunity to relax.

“No that’s okay, don’t worry,” she raises on tiptoes to kiss him on the nose. “I’ll just make that phone call and take a hot bath while you’re out.”

She exits the room with a drowsy smile, leaving her husband and his questions unanswered.

On any other morning, the three of them would have made their way to Lincoln Elementary together. Mulder would have then dropped Scully off at Quantico. Given her a soft kiss goodbye on the lips. Got some coffee before driving himself to work. Since they’d left the X-Files, he’s been working as a chartered psychologist in town, while still occasionally consulting for VCU and teaching profiling at the Academy once in awhile.

But this morning, looking at the empty seat beside his as he drives to drop William off, he can’t help but let his mind wander over Scully’s health.

Anxiety starts to settle in. For the past two weeks she’s been looking frail and she seems to have lost her abiding energy. She hasn’t been able to go for the occasional jog nor stay awake past 9.30. He also noticed her loss of appetite and he suspects she’s lost a couple of pounds too.

He can’t figure out if her staying home today when she was supposed to give one of the lectures she’s so passionate about should be alarming or not. She would never play hooky without a good reason, so she must really feel unwell to stay home.

Sure, she’s not been at her best lately, but he refuses to let darker thoughts flood his mind. The cancer has been in remission but it’s always a concern. He’s been down that road and doesn’t want to go back. Besides, she wouldn’t keep anything important to herself. They’re done eluding problems and truths with the excuse to protect each other. That’s what she insisted on herself when she agreed to become his wife. Nevertheless, he silently vows to convince her to let another doctor examine her just in case she would have missed something.

Slowly, as he pulls up to the school, a glance in the rearview mirror lets Mulder see Will’s genuine enthusiasm.

“Daddy, daddy, see! Billy’s mom and her big bump!” he points at a tall blonde woman with a yellow coat, walking with an equally blonde toddler by her side. She, indeed, looks like she’s about to burst any second now. “See? She looks like Big Bird!” Will chuckles, and Mulder laughs with him before bringing the car to a stop by the sidewalk.  

As soon as Will’s in good care in the hands of his preschool teacher, Mulder mechanically drives back home, silently rehearsing lines to try to convince Scully to let him drive her to see a doctor. He’s got the morning free and makes it his mission to talk her into the idea.

When he finally opens the front door, the distinct rattle of dishes being moved around in the sink indicates she’s in the kitchen. He drops his keys on the hallway console.

“I’m back!” he announces.

When he enters the kitchen and walk towards her, she turns the tap off and wipes her hands on the dishcloth before turning to face him. She’s wearing her comfy fleece robe, the one she reserves for lazy Sunday mornings around the house. Her hair is still wet from the bath she just took and she smells like lavender.

Mulder wraps his arms around her waist and buries his nose at the nape of her neck and breathes her in. God, she’s intoxicating. Her hands join his on her hips and she intertwines their fingers together.

“Are you feeling any better, Scully?” he asks. “You look so pale…”. He doesn’t mind that his concern is so obvious, his voice sounding uneasy.

“Mulder, I’m just tired,” she answers, and he tries to read her eyes. The blue depths of her gaze look brighter than usual, almost feverish, and he brings his hand to her forehead once again. Nope, definitely no fever, he thinks.

“I just,” she hesitates, trying to find her words, and Mulder’s heart skips a beat — please don’t let her announce some bad news, please… — “I um, heard the end of your conversation with Will earlier.”

Oh. That’s it then. He goes rigid and stands upright in front of her, trying to decipher her feelings. He can only imagine how such a conversation might make her feel. They both would have loved to have another child after Will, but despite their efforts, nothing has come along. They talked about it many times. Yes, it would be a blessing to have another baby, but it was never going to happen. He thought she’d made her peace with the idea, but apparently, hearing Will’s questions had stirred up her emotions, as it had his.

“He’s such a curious and perceptive kid, I guess we were bound to have this conversation sooner than later,” he murmurs in her ear, trying to appease her tension.

“I wonder where he gets that from,” she quips.

His eyes close and he tenderly kisses the soft spot below her ear. He wants his lips to convey how much he loves her, to ease her exhaustion and her frustration. She makes him happy in so many ways, and has been for so many years now.

He never pictured himself as a family man before Scully came along. Everything changed the day he saw her with Emily and envisioned how happy and whole a kid would make her feel. At that moment, he remembers, he’d already been madly in love with her for quite a while. In an instant, he’d secretly hoped he could find a way into both their hearts and be the one to protect them for the rest of their lives. He was as crushed with despair as Scully was when they had lost the little girl. He spent another handful of years loving Scully from afar, trying to protect her chances to become a mother as foolishly as he could. He never hesitated when she asked if he would be her donor for the IVF. He was crushed with despair again as she cried into his arms a few months later, feeling more down than she ever was in her life.

When he came back to her impressively swollen belly after his abduction, the axis his whole world was aligned with shifted. He had turned his life around, making her and Will his top priorities, and leaving his job and his quest for the truth behind for the first time in his life. It was simple. They both had become his new truth. Now that he had it all, he wouldn’t go back. Not for anything in the world. He would die to keep his wife and child happy and away from harm.

“At least he didn’t ask how we actually make babies,” he teases, trying to lighten the mood, and her giggle appeases both their nerves. “I think we have a few more years to get to that question.”

“I love you,” she whispers, and she punctuates her words with a happy grin. The knot in his stomach loosens a bit when he sees her smiling. There is a nervous energy about her that he can’t quite place. Trepidation starts to make its way into his thoughts, again.

Scully’s eyes are watery and glowing with intense brightness. She takes his face into her hands and raises herself on tiptoes to bring her lips to his, kissing him fiercely. He kisses her back passionately. Her tongue grazing his lips, immediately seeking access to his mouth, draws a deep moan from his throat. Her hands slip inside his jacket and her thumbs trace lazy circles on his chest, while his instinctively get lost in her hair.

When the need for air becomes vital, their lips part and Mulder leans his forehead against hers.

“What was that for, Scully?” he pants.

“I told you, I love you Fox Mulder.”

“Ut-oh, use of my full name? What did I do now… or didn’t do,” he jokes and kisses her cheek.

He notices a blush spread across her face.

“You definitely did something,” she states. Her tone is serious and reminiscent of the scientist that would offer rebuttals to his theories.

“What is it Scully?” he asks, his heart rate unable to slow down. She will always keep him guessing.

When she lifts up her face and looks into his eyes, they reflect nothing but pure happiness. She looks pensive and he notices her swallow hard before she finally speaks.

“Never give up on a miracle Mulder.”

At first, disbelief clouds his mind and he can't think straight. But, always offering concrete evidence, she retrieves a white stick from her pocket and places it in his hand.

It has a PLUS sign on it.

His eyes widen, in awe, silently asking confirmation for what he thinks he just understood. When she nods and her eyes well up with tears, his breath becomes short and his chest warms up with the intensity he sees in her eyes. Feeling weak in the knees, he falls at her feet and lays his palm where their baby is growing. He presses his cheek against her stomach and looks up at her as he gently loosens her robe, letting it open slightly. He places an open mouth kiss on her naked belly.

“I love you too, Scully.”

He stands up and kisses her lips, first tenderly, then hungrily again. His hands gently roam over her bare tummy dragging a low groan from her throat.

When his hands travel up and cradle her face, he leans down so that their foreheads meet.

“As incredible as it is, it’s true Mulder,” she says with teary eyes as if she’d sensed his disbelief. “Real coffee makes me queasy again...” she explains, and he’s thrilled he’s finally going to experience all the little details of pregnancy with her this time.

“I’ll buy some decaf. Anything you want, really.” he offers. His face hurts from smiling, but he’s never felt so high on emotions. His own thoughts suddenly make him laugh. “I guess we can expect the ‘where do babies come from?’ talk to happen sooner, after all.”