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Chapter Text

6.30pm

Georgetown PD

The clock on the wall kept a deafening rhythm. It felt like an eternity since he stepped out into the hallway, standing in front of the door, back to the wall. In reality it must have been no more than ten minutes. The damage to her body was being photographed, catalogued and documented for the official record that was to serve as justification for her actions. As if any district attorney would pursue this case. She’d refused to do so unless he stayed with her, so here he stood her own personal guard. If only he’d insisted on the same earlier this afternoon.

The scene played out every time he closed his eyes. How he wished he had chosen differently.

“I’m fine Mulder” she had insisted as they pulled up in front of her building.

The cases that involved faith always elicited this tension between them. She was hurt by his questioning of her desire to believe and he was annoyed that of all the things she could choose to believe this was the one that always stuck with her.

“We both know that’s not true,” he had spat back. “Why won’t you ever let me take care of you? I understand not wanting to seem weak, but Scully this is me.” Frustration and anger giving way to hurt “Do you ever think perhaps I need to make sure you’re ok?”

Her expression had softened. She placed a hand over his on the handbrake.

“I know. I’m sorry.” She paused trying to organise her thoughts and package them in a way he may understand “I just need a little space to sort my head out tonight. It has bothered me; I don’t like feeling that I’ve allowed that man to take that power from me again” She brushed a thumb over his knuckles. “It’s not about seeming weak to others but my feeling weak. I need to take that control back for myself. I can’t do that if you do it for me. Can you understand that?”

He sighed in resignation and reached over and placed a light kiss over her lips.

He knew her well enough after all these years to know there was no winning this today. He knew how fiercely she defended her independence, how important it was to her own sense of self to feel strong. If this was what she needed he would give it, albeit reluctantly. This change between them was so new, still in its infancy and he didn’t want to start a fight. The discussion about how he felt when she withdrew, especially since the start of their more personal relationship could wait until tomorrow. “I guess so.” He sighed placing his forehead to hers “I don’t like it though.”

She smiled.

“I promise to call you later.”

He’d waited for her to walk into her building and driven off. From the moment he saw her figure retreat something felt off. He should have gone back. If only he’d heard the voicemail when he had first walked in the door? Ordinarily this would have been his routine but distracted by his nagging annoyance he had headed straight to the shower. The first he’d known was that song as he set the alarm, surely too much of a coincidence? Followed by a nagging doubt that maybe she was right. For all her faith he couldn’t trust it. I want to believe… anything except this. He’d lain on the bed calling her number, then her cell, when hearing no answer the dread continued to grow cancerous in his chest. He’d called twice before he noticed the flashing light on the answering machine.  

“Pfaster got real upset when she was wearing a red wig… Does this mean anything to you?”

When he’d heard it he knew exactly what felt off. The profiler in him must have had known. Their personal relationship, his love for her had made it impossible for him to see it. He simply hadn’t wanted to see it.

He’d got to her place in record time, frantically calling her becoming more and more alarmed with each unanswered call. He raised the alarm on his cell phone when he had continued to be unable to contact her but was still the first to arrive on scene. He had taken the stairs three at a time. When he heard the song from outside the door, he just knew, forcing the door in record time, hands shaking, his gun in his hand.

There he was. Pfaster was standing in her living room, blood on his shirt; a living breathing nightmare playing out before his eyes.  She was nowhere to be seen. His stomach dropped suddenly full of lead. For a moment Mulder had been sure she was dead, waiting for him to discover her beaten and violated in a cold, blood filled bath, her slender fingers already chilling in the freezer.

In an instant he knew he would kill him.

Then she was there, bleeding and emotionless and wearing his pyjamas. There wasn’t even time for his relief to fully register before she had done it and Pfaster had fallen lifeless to the floor.

He had moved her to the bedroom while they waited for the authorities. He held her shaking frame to his chest, as she sobbed, Pfaster’s blood spreading over her living room floor. He had knelt in front of her as the shock set in. She had adamantly refused to be processed as a victim despite the ties on her feet and wrists, the bruises developing over every inch of her body, and the scene prepared for what would have been waiting in her bathroom.

She had killed him. He was apprehended. She had killed him in cold blood.

Skinner had arrived; the relief that flooded Mulder was palpable. Agent Mulder was trying to manage the scene. Fox wanted to support Dana. Mulder took him to her and he firmly but kindly insisted that he was not allowing her to turn herself over; unable to think straight she wanted to agree to anything to be allowed to leave.  Mulder had never been so thankful for his partner’s deference to male authority figures. He had insisted she would cooperate fully but in a way that was managed to support her and there was no debate. She had agreed only if Mulder could stay with her.

As he’d walked into the room with her at the station he’d caught Skinners eye. Skinner knew. He knew about the change between them.  Mulder had suspected he had for a while. He knew he was choosing to turn a blind eye. This left little to the imagination. It was so far from Bureau policy he had no idea how Skinner could even attempt to justify this to the inevitable OPR panel. He met his eye as he held her hand as she walked into the room to hand over her clothes for testing and have the injuries on her body catalogued and photographed.

He had been given a chair. He turned it respectfully to the wall. Seeing nothing but whitewashed plaster his brain began filling in the blanks. He heard as the plastic evidence bags were opened. The CSI’s listing the items one at a time.

“Wrist binding; left arm. Pantyhose…”

“Grey pinstripe men’s pyjama shirt, size large, rolled at the cuffs. Blood spatter evident…”

“Grey pyjama bottoms, size large, rolled at the cuffs….”

He had closed his eyes, listening to the flash and whir of the camera documenting images of his partners’ body that he hoped to never see.

“Friction burns to wrists and ankles”

“Bruising to face, cut to lip.”

“Swelling to back of head, dried blood within hair”

“Bruising and abrasions to entirety of the back and shoulders. Mirror fragments still in situe”

“Cuts and abrasions to stomach and chest”

It seemed the list would never end. It was the last one that got him. He felt rather than heard his breath hitch in his chest.

“Bruising to neck; Clear finger marks. Evidence of strangulation”

He felt suddenly sick.

“Scully,” he whispered “I’m sorry but I need to step outside.” He heard the break in his voice; he knew that everyone else in the room did too.  “I promise I won’t move from the door. Is that ok?”

He turned to look in her eyes. She had never looked so vulnerable. There was no nod, no agreement, just silent communication of her understanding and he bolted for the door.

In the hallway he leaned into the wall and tried to focus on controlling the bile he could feel threatening to spill from his oesophagus. His hands balled into fists, wanting nothing more than to punch a hole in the plaster and split his own knuckles just to distract from the horror of it all.

Skinner stood with the detectives at the desk at the end of the corridor deep in discussion. Mulder felt his eyes burning into him as he tried to compose himself. He knew Skinner was using his badge and his stern presence to try to circumvent procedure and agree more favourable treatment of Scully. Mulder leant his forehead against the door, both hands on the doorframe. He knew questions were being raised by this; by her request and by his behaviour. He was certain Skinner knew about the change in their relationship; but they didn’t broadcast it, he didn’t go looking and it seemed he was determined to turn a blind eye. He knew that all this was placing Skinner in an awkward position. Right now he didn’t care; nothing mattered but Scully.

He was not naive to the knowledge this could not be kept under wraps forever. He really wasn’t sure he wanted to. He was getting tired of keeping everything hidden. Scully, so deeply private in everything personal was content to keep to the shadows.  Mulder, who wore his heart on his sleeve found this all exhausting.

It was coming. Mulder knew it. Skinner knew it.

He knew they would probably be split up and lose the X-files, he wasn’t sure it mattered. Priorities were shifting.

He heard the footsteps approaching and opened his eyes.

“How is she?”

Mulder couldn’t answer. He closed his eyes and shook his head, letting out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

“I’ve managed to negotiate a quick interview today, pre-approved questions in the presence of a bureau lawyer. After that you can leave. They’ll give her a few days space and a more formal interview later. It wasn’t easy, he isn’t very agreeable” Skinner gestured to the detective he’d just walked away from “but I think it’s more of a pissing contest. He’s young and ambitious; this is going to be national news. He isn’t keen on the FBI stepping on his toes. By the time they call her for a formal interview I think it will be more favourable for her. No one has any real thirst to take this to prosecution. Even if he tried no DA would go for it. We can worry about OPR later.”

Mulder nodded “Thank you sir”

“I’m confused how this happened. It’s not like you to miss the mark like this on a profile. Marshall Daddo left a message hours ago about his reaction to the red wig. I’d have expected you to have been one step ahead of Pfaster. You were last time”

Mulder heard the unspoken subtext… you’re too close to this case. He wouldn’t deny it. They both knew it to be true.

“I didn’t hear it Sir, not until too late” Mulder looked down. “I’m not sure why I didn’t see it. I was called out to investigate Orison. Orison was found in a grave he dug himself.  Case closed.  I think I didn’t want to think about pursuing Pfaster. It wasn’t really our jurisdiction and you know how he affected Agent Scully last time. I think maybe it bothered me more than I thought it had too.” He paused “Truth be told we’d had a bit of a disagreement. She was shaken. I wanted her to go home and let me deal with it. She doesn’t like people to see her as fallible.”

Skinner nodded “It’s understandable for women in our line of work”

“I was a frustrated with her for not taking care of herself. I dropped her off… and I left…”

Skinner sighed. “Don’t. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.”

Mulder nodded.

“I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news but I’ve been told there are reporters with camera crews camped outside Agent Scully’s building. Looks as though it’s going to blow up” Skinner continued as Mulder buried his head in his hands. “I know you are listed as agent Scully’s emergency contact but I think someone needs to call her Mother or there is a very realistic chance she might learn about all this on the news. Do you want me to call?”

“No Sir,” Mulder sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I’ll do it now”

Mulder pulled out his cell phone and dialled the too familiar number. “Maggie, it’s Fox…”

Chapter Text

Bill reclined on his mother’s sofa the TV remote in hand channel surfing, not really knowing what he was looking for. Called into town for a meeting at the Pentagon he was glad he’d arranged dispensation to stay with his Mother. With a young family at home and Matthew who seemed determined not to sleep, it had been a long time since Bill had lounged in front of the TV, belly full and satiated by his mother’s pot roast. He couldn’t lie, he was enjoying being waited on.

He’d spoken to Tara earlier, Matthew had a cold and had a bad night, and at 20 weeks pregnant Tara was struggling. He felt a pang of guilt, until his Mom walked in carrying a bowl which upon further inspection contained a slice of homemade cheesecake.

As she handed it over the phone started to ring. She briefly checked her watch. Eight forty five- a little late for a casual call. Maggie’s stomach dropped. She had learnt over many years that a call like this was rarely a good thing. Something deep within her started to hear alarm bells.

‘It’s Dana, Something has happened to Dana’ rang through her clear as day. She really hoped she was wrong.

She lunged for the phone finding the cradle was empty.

“Where is the phone Bill?” she demanded with an edge of panic in her voice that surprised him.

He dug around in the sofa cushions around him. “Here you go…” he said as he handed it over, looking at the number recognition. ‘FOX’ it stated, his mood suddenly plummeting,

She answered and Bill trained his eyes to the TV screen, determined to look disinterested.

“Fox? What happened? Is she ok?” Bill heard the question and muted the TV as his mother retreated back into the kitchen.

“How badly?” He was straining to hear as he sat up. “Is she in the hospital?” He glanced over at the screen and did a double take. The news had started. He was sure that was Dana’s apartment building. On the screen, still muted a woman spoke wordlessly into a mic as a banner ran along the bottom of the screen ‘ESCAPED SERIAL KILLER SHOT AND KILLED IN THE HOME OF FEDERAL AGENT INVOLVED IN HIS INTIAL ARREST’

Bill unmuted the TV “Donald Addie Pfaster who escaped earlier this week from a high security prison in Illinois was found dead in Georgetown earlier today. The address is believed to be the home of a federal agent Pfaster was convicted of kidnapping and attempting to murder in 1994. A female in her 30’s has been taken from the scene for further medical attention.”

“MOM!” Bill shouted, panic setting in.

Maggie re-entered the room holding her fingers to her lips “Yes Fox, I’m looking at it now on the news” Bill muted the TV once again.

She paused listening intently.

“So she’s not being kept overnight? Nothing life threatening?  What a relief. I see.”

His mothers’ face cracked, almost giving way to tears before collecting herself. Bill sat up, cheesecake forgotten.

“How did this happen?” The conversation continued unheard by Bill. It was beginning to piss him off.

“At the police station? They’re surely not thinking of prosecuting her?” Maggie paused.

Prosecution? Bill thought, looking back at the TV and a mugshot of a man on screen wearing an orange jumpsuit with dark hollow eyes. The banner continued to roll ‘Donald Pfaster escaped from a maximum security facility. Convicted in 1994 for a string of offenses including abuse of a corpse, the murder of one woman and kidnap and attempted murder of a federal agent.’

‘Prosecution?’ Bill thought ‘For defending herself against this piece of shit?’ none of this makes any sense.

“Just a formality? Are you sure?” His mothers’ one sided phone call continued.

Bill sat up, opening his mouth to speak. His mother held a finger to him as she had a thousand times in childhood. He instantly sat down and waited.

“But she’s ok?” A long pause told Bill that his answer wasn’t exactly cut and dry.

“You’ll stay with her?” She smiled “I know you will. I need to see her Fox”

A long pause. “If you think that would be best. Tomorrow? 10am? Of course. Dana told me you were out of town on a case. Do you need groceries? Of course Bill and I will grab some on the way over.”

Her face fell “Dana didn’t tell you? Bill is here.” Another long pause “Yes, I understand. I promise he will behave.”

Bill was indignant. One look from his mother silenced him.

“Take care of my girl Fox” another pregnant pause, followed by a smile “I know you will sweetheart. Are you ok?” His mother paused.

“You take care. See you tomorrow. Call anytime, we will wait up.”

His mother hung up the phone and hugged it to her chest. She took a deep breath before looking at Bill.

“Dana has been attacked. Fox says they were involved in this man’s capture. That he attacked Dana during their investigation. He escaped from prison earlier this week. He was hiding at Dana’s apartment when they returned from assisting the investigation. Your sister shot and killed him. She’s had some medical attention and is now at the police station. She is going to stay with Fox but they will call later when they get home. We will go tomorrow morning to see her. You are welcome to come if you promise to be kind.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

His mother drew herself up. Scully women may well be diminutive in stature but there was something intimidating in their ability to take control of the room.

“You know exactly what I mean William” Maggie’s face was stern and impassive “Your sister needs our support. Fox promised to call when they get home. I need to hear Dana’s voice. If you can’t be nice go to bed”

Bill unmuted the TV. “Donald Pfaster was apprehended following a spree of grave desecrations and was known for taking trophies from his victims in the form of hair and flesh…”

“Turn it over,” Maggie said urgently. Bill reached for the remote. “Now… please Bill”

The screen flicked to black.

Chapter Text

10pm

42 Hegal Place, Alexandria 

Gingerly they left the elevator. Desperately Mulder wanted to reach the door. There was a frailty in Scully’s gait that alarmed him. The closer they got to his front door the less Scully was supporting her own weight. She had wrapped her arm behind him, holding onto his belt. Her movements were slow and awkward. The discomfort in her muscles was becoming harder to ignore.

Mulders hand found his spot on the small of her back, she flinched away. His stomach dropped. Not surprising Mulder thought given the trauma she’d suffered today. He wondered if this gesture would ever be received the same. As if hearing his thoughts Scully leaned into his body.

“Sorry,” she said “I know you’re catastrophizing. Don’t panic, it’s not you. Not you touching me, I need that. It just hurts. I think I had something in my back there. Just be gentle”

She smiled up at him sadly and he pulled her to him. He let his fingers hover so lightly over his spot, barely imperceptible but for the warmth of his hand, reassuring in its familiarity.   

As he unlocked the door she reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. Her other hand covered both of theirs and pulled it towards her body.  Scully wasn’t normally one for hand holding but today it seemed she needed the contact. She was clinging to him like she had been been cut adrift and he was the still point in a tumultuous world. He could feel her hands shaking. As he flicked on the light and shut and locked the door she placed a hand over his chest. He met her eyes, her depths darker and brimming with emotion unspoken.

“Can you check we’re alone?” she asked quietly.

He brought her to him gently, enfolding her in a gentle embrace. He pulled away placing a hand on each of her cheeks. He gently kissed her forehead, pulled back and rested his head to hers before moving to each eyelid, brimming with tears he knew she wouldn’t allow to fall. Finally his lips met hers; soft, reassuring and filled with silent affection.

“Let’s do it together” he replied turning and double checking the lock and adding the deadbolt. Holding her hand they moved through the apartment. Checking each room in turn, turning on the light and checking the locks on the window. Mulder knew it was unnecessary for any other purpose but to allow her to relax, to make her feel safe. The words rang through his head from her earlier interview. ‘He was waiting in the closet. I hadn’t noticed it was ajar. I walked in and changed. He must have been watching through the slats…’ Mulder wondered how long he would be checking they were alone. He suspected this routine would be here to stay for some time.

Kitchen clear, living room clear, they entered the bedroom and Mulder knelt on the floor, checking under the bed. Deliberately he moved to the closet, moving the clothes on the rail to check every corner, then stepped aside and allowed her to do the same. They moved to the bathroom and he pulled back the shower curtain.

“All clear,” He whispered, “just us”

She exhaled and melted into him, arms snaking around his waist, burying her head in his chest. He placed one hand over her shoulder blade as the other wound its way into her hair. His touch was so gentle and reverential she wanted to cry. She breathed in deeply; the soothing scent of him was reassuring. He smelt of home. She was safe.

Mulder reached around her and turned on the shower.

“Let’s get you cleaned up; you need to soothe those muscles”

The choice of the shower and not the bath wasn’t lost on her. It was always the bath but not today. Sometimes he knew her better than she knew herself. He moved away to adjust the temperature, warm but not her usual scalding heat which would be too much for her battered body. He moved to the shelf finding her body wash, shampoo and conditioner.

As he did this she tried to lift her sweater over her head and found that she couldn’t raise her arms, her shoulders and back simply too stiff to comply. She groaned in frustration. Instantly he turned to help her. Gently he pulled her arms from the sleeves, lifting the fabric over her head. He moved to her T-shirt and did the same. There had been countless times he had undressed her these last few months, heated, passionate and wanting; this was none of these things at all. It was soft, gentle and deferential. Nothing sexual permeated his touch. He wanted nothing from her but to take away her pain. It was overwhelming. He turned her around to unhook her bra. Quite by chance she found herself facing the mirror above the sink, watching him as he stood behind her. She watched his face betray him as he got his first glimpse of her back. His eyes crumpled, he bit in his lower lip, trying to swallow the sob she knew he was holding back. She remembered being thrown through the mirror as it shattered, slammed repeatedly into the wall, Pfaster’s knees digging into her, his full weight at least one hundred pounds on hers pressed into her back as he held her head to the floor. She hadn’t seen it herself but she could imagine the sight he was suddenly faced with.

In an instant he regained his control. His face impassive though his fingers had started to tremble as he gently unhooked her bra. She met his eyes in the mirror and he tried to smile as she unbuttoned her jeans. He reached down and kissed the nape of her neck gently as his palms smoothed a trail down her arms. When she was fully undressed he took her hand as she climbed awkwardly in the tub

“I’m going to run you a bath” the memory hit her suddenly like a freight train as the water hit her skin and as Mulder moved to pull back the shower curtain. Her arm shot out and grabbed his forearm with a speed and ferocity that surprised them both.

“Please, I don’t think I can do this.” She whispered, traitorous tears beginning to spill “I need you.”

He said nothing as he stripped to his boxers, leaving them on as he stepped in to the spray beside her.  She raised an eyebrow and tried to smile as she met his eyes.

“What are those for?”

He pulled her to him, burying his hands in her hair. He tilted her face towards him. “To make sure you don’t get any ideas” he replied a manufactured smile on his lips as he placed a chaste kiss to her forehead.

She let out a grunt; not quite a laugh but he took it as a good sign.

He reached for the soap and lathered his hands. Slowly and meticulously he set about smoothing her aching muscles with his fingers. He wanted the last touch every millimetre of her skin had felt to be caring and filled with his love for her, not the assault it had met earlier. He wanted to replace every blow she had suffered today with his own gentle caress. This body that Pfaster had tried to take was hers, and by extension his and he wanted his touch to reclaim its territory.

Her back was the worst. Still red and raw it was a map of different shades of angry red and purple, surface scrapes and deep gashes. By tomorrow she would be black and blue. It would get worse before it got better. Her stomach and forearms cut and scratched from the crawl through glass and debris she had made to her gun; evidence of her courage in the face of defeat. Her slender neck marred by deep horizontal lines and the circular fingerprints behind her ears, evidence of how he had tried to take her from him earlier today. Tried and almost succeeded.

She closed her eyes against his touch, silent tears falling, hidden by the spray.

He lifted her chin. “Your hair,” he said slowly “Do you want me to wash it if you can’t lift your arms?” He wasn’t sure how she would feel about it knowing Pfasters MO.

She nodded. He moved to pour her shampoo into his hands. “No” she said “yours”

He hesitated. The psychologist in him wondered, the beginning of a profile starting to form, the lover didn’t question.

She knew him too well.

“I just want to smell like you” she smiled sadly “let’s not analyse it please professor.”

He chuckled wryly placing a kiss to her cheek and began lathering her hair. This moment had occurred several times in the last few months and normally her eyes would slip closed in ecstasy; Scully loved having her hair washed, brushed or played with. He suspected it was about releasing control in some small way, being vulnerable but keeping the stakes low. Today was different. Instead she kept her gaze on him the whole time. It was intensely intimate yet chaste in a way nothing had been since they had progressed into something more personal. Touches like this naturally progressed to more now, but not today. Mulder suspected she was afraid of confusing his touch with Pfasters’. She needed to see him to stay with him. He conditioned her ends and then rinsed them both off before switching off the water. They stepped into the cold air. Mulder wrapped her in a towel, pulled off his boxers and found his own. He gently towel dried her hair and walked them both back to his bedroom.

He opened his drawers, and found a t shirt and a pair of boxers for himself. He pulled out a pair of her underwear ignoring the pyjamas she kept here. They were not intended for this, It was too early in this thing for that, every set was silky and usually discarded before sleep took them. They were too revealing for today. He wanted to cover every inch of her battered body with things that were his.  He pulled out a long sleeved tee-shirt so old the cotton had softened and a pair of flannel checked pyjama bottoms. She pulled the top over her head and she put on the bottoms. He bent down to roll the cuffs so that she could walk.

She leant down and placed a kiss to his lips, soft and shy and brimming with the emotion her nature struggled to allow her to freely release.

She struggled to brush her hair so he gently he took the brush and did it for her. Her breathing slowed and she slumped back into his touch, her body liquid against him.

“All done” he said “You hungry?”

“No, just tired. I just want to go to bed”

He nodded, not sure he could face eating either.

“I promised your Mom we’d call when we got home. She wants to hear your voice to know you’re ok.”

Scully nodded.

“Go brush your teeth and I’ll answer the difficult questions and I’ll bring the phone through so you can say goodnight.”

She nodded and retreated into the bathroom. He walked into the living room and moved to the phone and checked the time, 10.45.

He punched in the number, it only rang 3 times

“Hello” a deep male voice replied.

Mulder sighed. “Bill, It’s Mulder. Is your Mom there?”

“I’ll put you on speaker phone”

“Fox?” Maggie questioned

“Maggie, we just got in. It’s been a long day. I’m sorry it’s so late. Dana gave an interview but will have to follow up more formally in a few days. AD Skinner has arranged a reprieve, in the interim the investigation will go through him. He said he will give you a call tomorrow morning to fill you in and answer any questions about the procedure going forward.  I hope that was ok to arrange? I thought it might be helpful to avoid having to have those conversations around Dana tomorrow.”

“Of course”

“We spoke with a bureau attorney who is fairly convinced no charges will be brought.”

“That’s positive.” Maggie said

“I don’t understand”, Bill chimed in “The guy was a serial murderer according to the news. He’d broken into Dana’s home and attacked her. I don’t understand why there is even a question?”

Mulder sighed. “You won’t hear me arguing with you. It’s fucking ridiculous but it’s complicated. She wasn’t answering the phone so I went back and found him there. I had him apprehended and unarmed. I’m not sure Dana even saw me before she did it. She was running on adrenaline and protecting herself but as law enforcement officer it is more than a grey area. She’s really concerned, Catholic guilt and all. I’m not. I’d have done it if she hadn’t. I wish I had. No one will take this further. It’s a formality.”

“Is she ok?” Bill asked

“She’s very bruised and sore. She gave him hell. It will be a bit shocking when you see her” his voice cracking against his will “you should prepare yourself for that. It’s upsetting to her like this” Mulder said softly “She’s very shaken and delicate and not at all herself. We all need to be mindful of that.” He added emphatically.

Bill caught the pointed comment and opened his mouth to speak, shot down before any sound emerged by one look from his mother.

“Of course, we will all make sure we remember that, won’t we Bill?”

“yes” he answered his tone irritated.

“There are no lasting injuries.” Mulder added “Physically she’ll be fine in a few weeks. Mentally… I’d like her to see someone. You know how she can be Maggie; if you could try to broach the subject with her I’d appreciate it.”

“Let me guess? She’s fine?”

He chuckled. “Got it in one. Except she really isn’t, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her like this. ”

“Is she there Fox, I’d like to talk to her?”

“Of course. I’ll get her; she’s exhausted she was just getting ready for bed. I’ll take you now”

Fox lowered the phone and walked into the bedroom but didn’t bother to cover the receiver. Scully had climbed into bed; he noted that every light in the room was blazing and that the closet was open. He brushed her cheek “You don’t need to do all this. It’s just us, I promise just you and me. I won’t let anything hurt you here” Mulder placed his forehead to hers before handing over the phone “It’s your Mum and Bill” he said softly, she nodded and took the handset pressing the speaker button. “I’ll leave you to talk. Do you want tea?” He questioned stroking her head.

Bill looked at his mother as they listened to the exchange, audible but muffled and all too familiar for his liking. He felt like a voyeur.

His mother smiled and squeezed his arm.

“No thanks, just water.”

Mulder walked into the kitchen, leaving the doors open as he went. He busied himself looking for her medication. Painkillers prescribed earlier today to help her get comfortable enough to sleep.

“Hi Mom.” She said quietly

“Sweetheart, are you alright”

“I’m fine Mom, just a bit sore and really tired. We got home and I’m going straight to bed. I can’t keep my eyes open”

“Is Fox ok?” Maggie asked gently, Scully thought she heard Bill scoff in the background but decided to ignore it.

“You know how he gets.” She answered “He’s alright as long as he can see me with his own eyes”

Maggie chuckled “there’s worse things Dana, than someone wanting to take care of you.”

She smiled “I know. I don’t mean it. He’s been great. He’s” she stumbled and her voice hitched in her throat

“He always is. I love you sweetheart”

“Love you too Mom. I’ll see you in the morning”

Mulder walked back into the room. “Here you go, your medication is there.” Scully pulled a face as she took it from him “Don’t argue with me, the doctor said it was to help you get comfortable. Take it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t give me that. You were prescribed it for a reason. Isn’t that right Maggie?” he teased

“Absolutely. Do as you’re told please Dana”

Scully rolled her eyes and popped two of the pills from the packet “Always ganging up on me! You are aware that I am a medical doctor”

“Do you ever let me forget?” He teased.

Maggie laughed. “I love you Dana. Goodnight Fox.”

“See you tomorrow” he answered ending the call.

“I don’t know about you Miss Scully but I think I’ve had quite enough excitement for one day.”

“Shut up and get in” she whispered with a smile.

Mulder pulled off his t-shirt and climbed into bed. Scully scooted over, resting her head on his chest and curling her body around him. Mulder pulled the covers up around them and kissed the top of her hair. He buried his nose into her hair breathing in the scent of her and suddenly the tears he had held back all evening threatened to fall.

“You have no idea how thankful I am you’re here” he whispered. “If I lost you…”

She placed a kiss to his chest. “You’re never going to lose me.” She whispered.

Chapter Text

 Hegal Place- 10.05 am

Bill stood in the elevator carrying two paper bags of groceries and a cool bag of his mother’s frozen home cooked fayre over his shoulder. His mother had stepped into the elevator and pressed the number four as if this was an everyday occurrence. She had been here before many times. He was beginning to feel out of the loop. He felt something was being kept from him, but in plain sight. No one confirmed or denied what he was beginning to suspect. He was on the back foot of a lie by omission.

The building was pre-war, dark, and impressive in an understated way. It needed work. Not yet run-down, no longer presentable. Whenever he had met Mulder previously, no matter how brief, he had always had the impression of money, his suits too tailored and expensive for a government salary and he a confidence that seemed to exude wealth. This was not at all what he had expected. The man seemed to exist within a dichotomy he could not yet fathom.

Dana had once mentioned him visiting his mother in Martha’s Vineyard. Tara and he had taken a trip prior to Matthews’s birth, long before he had known the connection. It was stunning. He thought the Aquinnah cliffs were one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. Out of curiosity they had looked up real estate prices, a young couple’s pipe dream and his eyes had watered. Yet this was Mulders home town. The Mulder family was old money.

Somehow Hegal Place didn’t quite add up.

As they reached the fourth floor they stepped out and headed for number 42. His mother stepped to the door and knocked. He stood awkwardly behind her.

He heard footsteps approaching. The door is pulled open and there he is wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans. Hair effortlessly coiffed, Bill suspected with nothing more than running fingers through it. His feet were bare. The phone clutched to his chest. He greeted his mother with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and beckoned them inside.

“I’m so sorry Maggie, I’m on hold with a contractor. Dana is in the living room.”  He stated and disappeared into the kitchen.

It wasn’t what he expected, a bachelor pad, sparse but cosy in its way; warm tones and dark wood. He couldn’t help but think that left to his own devices his own home may look this way.

He followed his mother into the apartment and kicked the door shut. His mother placed her bag down on the dining table and continued on. He could see Dana seated on the sofa. He laid his bags down on the table as his mother had done and followed her through.

The second he saw her he was shocked. She was dressed in clothes too big, obviously his, her face swollen, her lip split and one eye was beginning to blacken. Her hair had naturally dried, as he remembered it as a child, a natural wave and a little frizz. He hadn’t seen that since her teens.  She looked small. He never thought of his sister that way. She had always been small in stature but she was tough, and it had always made her seem larger than life, even as a little girl. When they were young his father had drummed into them that he and Charlie protect their sisters. They’d done that for Mellissa, but Dana? She’d always taken care of herself. He remembered Mulders words from the night before rang through his head “you should prepare yourself for that. It’s upsetting” he hadn’t understood until this moment.

His mother had enveloped her in her arms and Dana started to cry softly. When had he last seen that? He couldn’t even remember. “I killed him Mom” she whispered “I killed him”

He suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself. He wasn’t sure where to put himself or what he should say. Dad would have known, Bill thought, Dad always knew. He felt a pang of inadequacy; he often felt he fell short of Bill Seniors mark. It was all a bit too much.

He followed Mulder into the kitchen.

“Next week won’t work. Tuesday is too late. I need you tomorrow” he paused listening intently. “How much will it take to make that happen?” another pause.

“I understand that it’s a matter of man power, whatever your job tomorrow is paying I’ll double it.”

Mulder was leaning against the sink, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I understand you need to protect your reputation, that’s very admirable. Let me know if anything changes.”

He hung up the phone and threw it onto the counter. Placing both hands on the kitchen worktop and dipping this head. “Shit!” he exclaimed. Suddenly sensing a presence he turned and saw Bill. “Sorry”

Bill looked quizzically at Mulder “What was all that about?”

Mulder poured a coffee and gestured to Bill. He nodded and he collected a second mug from the cupboard and poured another handing it over.

“Local PD released your sisters’ apartment this morning. It’s no longer an active crime scene. She’s taken it as a challenge,” He knew his sisters single mindedness, he was finding it hard not to feel for the guy “She is adamant she wants to go home. She won’t listen to reason.” He looked exhausted. “She won’t set foot in that apartment until its back to normal. Over my dead body”

Bill handed Mulder a grocery bag and Mulder took it from him. Haphazardly throwing items into cupboards and into the fridge,

“She won’t be setting foot in there as it is now; it will crush her. She just won’t listen to reason. I’m trying to sort getting it back to normal,” He took a sip of his coffee “If she’d wait a few days then there wouldn’t be a problem. But there is no reasoning with her. This is the fourth company I’ve called trying to arrange a repair of the drywall.”

“What’s wrong with her drywall?” Bill asked

Mulder hesitated, the thought of what had happened made him feel sick, he didn’t want Bill, as much as he wasn’t a fan to have to think about the fact his sister was thrown through the plaster like a ragdoll. He wished that he didn’t know himself.

“It got damaged.” He replied non-committedly “I don’t want her looking at the holes left behind?”

“How bad is it?” Bill asked, “I’m pretty handy. I might be able to do it?”

“Really?” Mulder asked. He didn’t like the idea at all. Time spent in Bill Scully’s presence was never something he sought but he was rapidly running out of options. “That might really help.”

“I mean I’m not fully rebuilding walls but if it’s just surface damage it would probably be fine. Military housing isn’t known for being the best. If you waited for the DOD to fix things you’d have moved on by the time it’s done. You pick up a thing or two.” Mulder nodded.

“You got any creamer?” Bill asked, Mulder turned to the cupboard behind him and pulled out a bottle handing it to Bill. French vanilla he noticed a bit girly for a bachelor. “Anything plain?”

Mulder shook his head “Sorry, that’s it, I take mine black. I wouldn’t touch that flavoured stuff either. It’s your sisters. I only buy it for her.”

Bill stirred it into his coffee and handed it back to Mulder. He watched as Mulder poured a half cup, added warmed milk and topped it with creamer. Oddly specific he thought.

“I don’t mind taking a look, although we’d have to do it today. I’ve got a flight home tonight. I’ll be AWOL if I don’t report in tomorrow”

Mulder nodded, “Never mind, today won’t work. I have a crew in cleaning up at 12”

“Could we work round them?” Bill queried. Surely a cleaner won’t care he thought.

“I don’t think so it’s not your average cleaning lady. I’m not sure doing anything until they’re done would even be safe”

Bill wasn’t sure what to make of the statement and it must have shown on his face.

“Your sister’s place is a crime scene, Bill. It’s in really bad shape”

Of course, he nodded.  “Let me make a call. Maybe they’ll grant dispensation for me to stay if I explain what’s happened and say my elderly mother needs support. It’s been all over the news”

“Don’t let your mother hear you describe her as elderly” Mulder said “It might help though if you could.”

“I’ll call now”

Mulder nodded and picked up the coffee for Maggie and Dana, holding his own with one finger from each hand and headed out into the living room. He set it down on the coffee table and noticed Scully’s eyes. She had been crying. He was glad; she was too good at bottling things up. He hoped she had talked through the song and what she thought it meant, a message from God, he was just no good at matters of faith. He hoped Maggie could alleviate her fear. He sat down on the chair opposite the sofa. It was better that she get it out. Maggie met his eyes and he saw the worry in her eyes. He smiled in a way he’d hoped was reassuring.

“Where’s Bill?” Dana said quietly “Don’t tell me something’s happened already?”

“No, we’ve been very good thank you,” he smiled “He’s making a call.”

“The plastering company got back to me; they can’t do the work until next Tuesday. I’ll keep trying but I think you’re just going to have to stick with me until then”

She sighed “it’s fine Mulder,” she looked at him defiantly “I’m going home either way.”

A long moment passed between them, it always amazed Maggie that they seemed to communicate silently. She knew this look contained a whole exchange.

She and Bill used to do the same after years of marriage. They seemed to have done this since the beginning. The first time she’d met Fox had been brief. Dana had come over to dinner with her and Bill. Fox had needed to pick up a file. Bill had answered the door and gestured him in. “Starbuck, there’s a boy here to see you” he had called teasingly, clapping Fox on the back. Maggie had told him to behave. “Ignore him Fox; He lives to embarrass his children”. Fox had laughed. He stood awkwardly in the living room declining to sit while Bill watched a game. He and her husband had had a brief exchange about the score. Dana had come through with the file folder, he had smiled at her. There was no denying that she lit up. Maggie knew instantly that her daughter had a crush on him, she didn’t blame her. He was strikingly handsome. Maggie had asked Fox to stay mainly out of courtesy. There was a pause before he answered, their eyes locked, a silent conversation taking place. She had caught the flash of disappointment on Dana’s face when he declined. Dana had walked him to the door and Maggie had smacked her husband playfully with a rolled up TV guide when he turned the volume down on the TV to listen in. “She’s a grown woman William!” she had scalded. “She’s my baby” he had replied with a smile.

“You really are welcome to stay Mulder” She had said.

“Scully, you’re here to spend time with your family. You don’t get to do this enough. You’re stuck with me every day. I don’t want to intrude besides there’s leftover Chinese at home with my name on it”

“It’s not intruding if I want you to stay” she had replied. She and Bill had exchanged a look; it wasn’t like Dana to show her hand like this.

“Maybe next time then,” There had been a pause and Mulder had chuckled “Definitely next time. See you tomorrow… Starbuck”

As the door closed Bill turned the volume up as though nothing had happened.

That evening when she left they’d discussed it. “He seemed nice, very handsome” Maggie said.

“I think he’s the one,” Bill had replied.

Maggie rolled her eyes “They’ve known each other for five minutes Bill and you spoke to the boy for seconds. You’re just pleased this one’s closer to her age than yours! Leave her alone.”

“It’s the way he looks at her. I’d put money on it. I’m telling you Maggie, that boy’s smitten.”

She hadn’t seen it at the time but during Dana’s disappearance she had known it to be true. Bill’s words often echoed in her mind when she watched them together, even now. Her husband had known her daughters heart before she had known it herself. She suspected that her family dynamics would be much simpler had her husband lived.

“You know how I feel Mulder. If I don’t go home now I never will. I need to face it, the longer it goes on the harder it will be”

 “After everything, maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing; we could look for somewhere new…”

She buried her head in her hands “Not this again Mulder. I’m not moving. You don’t understand”

“No Scully, I really don’t.”

She looked at him defiantly. He looked back, angry and imploring, neither was backing down.

“I know it’s important to you but it’s going to be hard for me going back there, I can’t imagine… for you. Why do this to yourself?”

He stopped. Dana’s eyes had softened.

“I need to do this”

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes in frustration. “Then that’s what we’ll do. I don’t know how we do it but we’ll do it.”

Maggie couldn’t help thinking he looked a little defeated. She suspected he never wanted to set foot in Dana’s apartment again. That if he had a say he would burn it to the ground. It was this more than her daughters frailty and bruising that told her how close they had come to losing her.

Bill walked out of the kitchen holding his coffee and his cell phone in his hand.

“They’ve granted me leave until Monday, so I have a few days to do it. I spoke to Tara, she was OK with it. She’s been struggling on her own but she’s going to take Matthew to her Mom’s for a few days. So we’re good to go.” He said to Mulder as he sat down in the chair beside him.

Mulder nodded “That’s great, thanks”

Maggie met Dana’s eye, a little astonished.

“I feel like I’m missing something. What’s going on?” Dana asked quietly.

“Mulder said he couldn’t get a company in time so I offered to help with the drywall and whatever if I could get leave, given the circumstances they granted a few personal days so that I can stay.”

Scully looked at him a little dumfounded. “Bill, I don’t know what to say?”

He shrugged “No big deal.”

“It really means a lot to me” she said sincerely.

His mother looked tearful, he knew that the tension between he and Dana upset her. He was suddenly uncomfortable “Well let’s not make a big thing of it, besides I’m not a professional, I’m not promising it will be any good.”

“Bill,” she whispered her eyes filling with tears “Thank you.”

Bill suddenly felt uncomfortable. “No big deal.”

Mulder looked at his watch. “I need to get going. I’ve got to be there to meet the cleaners and I need to stop at the bank. Will you be ok with your Mum and Bill for an hour or two?”

Bill wasn’t sure he could spend two hours studying the bruises on her face. She had absentmindedly brushed her hair behind an ear and he couldn’t help but notice the blackened rings around her neck. The sight of them made him feel queasy.

“Maybe I should come and look at these holes and see what we need?”

Mulder hesitated. “I don’t know Bill; it might be a little distressing.”

Bill scoffed “you are aware I’m in the armed forces? I’ve been to war zones.”

“I know but it hits different when it’s your own. You’re welcome to come, just wanted you to know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Mulder stood; he desperately wanted to kiss her goodbye but suspected she hadn’t told Bill about them yet. He took her hand and held it for a moment. “Rest,” He turned to Maggie “Try to get her to eat something please.”

“How long will you be?” She asked, still clinging to his hand.

“Not long.” He replied. “My cell is on. One call and I’m straight back. I could call Frohike? He offered to come and stay this morning? He wouldn’t mind.”

She shook her head. “No thank-you. His fussing is even more annoying than yours.”

Mulder chuckled. “I’m going to tell him you said that. A few hours, I promise.”

Chapter Text

11.02 am

Craddock Marine Bank

Bill sat in the car fiddling with the radio. Mulder had parked up and headed into the bank 10 minutes ago. He hadn’t expected that spending the day with his sister’s partner would appeal more than sitting with her. Those bruises on her neck, were those strangulation marks? He thought they were. Looking at them made him feel sick.

She nearly died yesterday and things between them were not good. Not good at all. He couldn’t remember the last real conversation they had had. He’d seen her at Christmas, sometimes thanksgiving and that was it. Matthew barely knew her, his only remaining aunt. Mom had told her about their second pregnancy, he hadn’t felt the need to call. Their family was fractured. He had blamed Mulder, but his Mom had accepted him and they clearly had some kind of friendly relationship that he wasn’t aware of.  He knew that if it had happened, that she had been killed he would have had regrets. He was starting to think that his actions during her cancer had driven a wedge that might not be undone.

He had hated this guy and he hated the life she had chosen; but he couldn’t deny that she had chosen it. It appeared very much like she had chosen him, it seemed as though they were more than partners, more than colleagues, more than friends. He had drawn battle lines during her cancer treatment; he had set himself firmly on one side and she had chosen the other. He found himself on the outside looking in on his own family. He didn’t like it. He knew it hurt his mother. His father would be horrified, he remembered his fathers’ words to him the morning of his wedding to Tara “Family is everything; as a man this is the most important job you have.” He had thought he was honouring that when she was dying, but now he wasn’t so sure.  He knew he needed to mend bridges but he wasn’t sure how.  

The news began “Coming up how serial killer and death fetishist Donald Pfaster was able to escape a high security facility, travel cross country undetected and target his final surviving victim. Pfaster who found notoriety during his trial for keeping his victims fingers in his freezer…”

Bill turned the radio off and suddenly felt ill.

He saw Mulder approaching the car. He climbed in an envelope in his hand. It was fat he noticed.

He looked at Bill. He looked pale and a little queasy. “Everything ok?”

Bill wanted to brush it off, but he wasn’t sure he could.  “I heard something on the news, something about fingers…” he trailed off.

Mulder turned in his seat. “Whatever you heard you don’t want to hear any more. I’m not trying to be patronizing. For your own sake, leave it alone.”

“Those marks on her neck,” Bill said “Are they what I think they are?”

Mulder sighed. “We were lucky yesterday”

Bill nodded.

Mulder handed Bill the envelope. “Can you put that in the glove box please?”

He took it. “Jesus, how much is in there?”

“Enough,” he answers.

“Must be thousands. For a day’s cleaning? Seems pretty steep”

Mulder turns on the indicator and pulls out into traffic. “They’re crime scene cleaners,” he replies “Damn good ones too; they take anything damaged or soiled away, sand out the floors, that sort of thing. Nothing structural though. When they’re done it will look like nothing ever happened. They are worth every penny.”

Bill nodded “And how much will something like that cost?”

“Depends on the damage,” he says “Two grand-ish I guess. Might be more, the parquet floor doesn’t help. She loves it though. She should get carpet; it would save us a fortune.”

Bill let out a whistle. “Ouch,” He paused “Can Dana afford that?”

“No idea,” he replied “I got it.”

I got it, he said, like he was picking up the cheque for coffee. Old money. Yesterday he’d have been pissed off. Today? He wasn’t so sure.

Chapter Text

11.30am 

 107 E. Cordova St, Georgetown

They pulled up outside Dana’s apartment building. It was quiet here, leafy, the street lined with trees. It was pretty, he had to admit. Red brick, stained glass bay windows, she could not have chosen a home more different to the military housing they had grown up in and that he still livid in now.

It didn’t surprise him. Dana had not relished the unconventional nature of their childhood. She had struggled with the constant moving and become a bit of a loner. She had struggled with leaving her friends and at some point didn’t seem to seek them out at all. She had been a tomboy although he had always suspected it was out of a need to remove herself from Melissa’s shadow. Melissa had always just known how to fit in. Melissa; instantly accepted by the popular girls wherever they went and to whom the boys had flocked. She was beautiful, rebellious and too popular for her own good but it had helped them all to fit in no matter how many moves they made. The Scully’s were perpetually the new kids but they had always been known as Melissa’s siblings. He and Charlie had loved it; being exposed to Melissa’s friends had done Bill no harm at all. He suspected he’d have left for military college a virgin were it not for her.

He imagined it was more difficult for Dana. Dana had been her opposite; quiet and studious, alarmingly intelligent. She had always been beautiful although she didn’t always know it; but she was also tough and the walls she built to protect herself were intimidating.

His sisters had given him a real insight into the complex nature of women from an early age. Dana had always been a little insecure about her looks; viewing Melissa as the pretty one, constantly comparing herself to her sister and judging herself as coming up short. In reality Dana had always been just as pretty; she just didn’t try as hard.  He suspected that Dana had over achieved at school as a means to validate herself. Melissa on the other hand, had always been intimidated by her sister’s intelligence, she was insecure about the fact that people didn’t take her seriously and had always wanted to be seen for more than her pretty face. Neither of them realised this, jealous of the other in their own way. It had caused tension; his sisters were the best of friends or mortal enemies there was never any middle ground.

He stared at the red brick frontage. It looked safe and inviting, it didn’t feel it to Bill. This is where Melissa had died. He wondered if this was where Dana’s desire to stay stemmed, to feel closer to Melissa by staying in the place she had taken her last breath. It made him want to run.

He realised they’d been sitting here quite some time, neither wanting to go in. Mulder seemed to be psyching himself up.

“Are you sure you want to do this? You seem a little apprehensive” Mulder said looking over at Bill. “There’s a lot of blood.”

Bill looked at him. He naively hadn’t really thought about that. 

“Its fine,” he said, mostly to reassure himself. He wasn’t one to share his feelings, and certainly hadn’t expected to with this asshole, but he felt the words tumbling out of his mouth before he had the chance to stop them. “It’s not that. I’ve not been here since Melissa died”

Mulder nodded.

“It’s not easy. I used to feel that way every time I visited my Dad until he moved.” Bill realised he had no idea what he meant, but Fox assumed that he did. The rest of his family knew something he didn’t know “The thought of it was worse than the reality for me. If it’s too much I understand.”

“It’s fine” Bill said. “Honestly, I want to do this.”

Mulder nodded and they stepped out of the car, up the steps into the building, moving up to the third floor in the elevator. As they stepped out and into the hallway Bill saw him fiddling with his car keys, looking for a key, his own key to her place. They walked down the corridor to number 35, the door and frame covered in black powder where they had dusted for prints. Mulder took a deep breath before unlocking the door.

It was the smell that hit him first. It was heavy and metallic, unmistakable; blood, lots and lots of blood. It was unnervingly familiar to Bill, but never in a domestic setting. Mulder entered first, throwing his keys into a bowl on the hallway table beside the door without looking, muscle memory Bill noted. Mulder entered at an angle and turned deliberately towards the kitchen. Bill found it odd. When he followed it made sense. The wall, the off white couch and the rug were saturated in browning blood. It was everywhere. Splattered onto every surface and pooling on the cream rug and into the parquet floor. He knew it to be true already but no one had survived this. 

He stood, shocked and rooted to the spot in her entry way. Is this what it had looked like when Melissa bled out on this very floor? Maybe. Had her body lain here or somewhere else? He felt suddenly nauseous.

“Bill,” Mulder called from the kitchen “It’s in the bedroom.”

He shook his head and followed Mulder his eyes fixed to the floor.

The bedroom was different. No blood but it looked as though a battle had taken place. The room was in turmoil, broken glass and ceramics littered the floor, a bookcase and its contents had been upended.

 “Jesus Christ” he exhaled as he surveyed the scene. Everything was disturbed. Most things were broken. Mulder was already at the closet, though he wasn’t moving. He took several deep breaths in and exhaled in a rush. It was ringing through his head. ‘He was waiting in the closet. I hadn’t noticed it was ajar. I walked in and changed. He must have been watching through the slats…’ Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. These doors have got to go, he thought, no one will ever violate her privacy like that again. He added it to the mental list.

“Fuck,” Bill exhaled. Mulder turned. Bill was standing at the end of the bed looking at the wall above the dresser. The mirror’s frame was still in situ but the glass was long gone, shattered onto the floor, excluding a few shards. Bill was staring at the holes in the drywall, two Mulder noted. One smaller central and round, below it an oval, the plaster crumbled away.  “Something hit that pretty hard”

Mulder looked up and instantly averted his eyes. Not wanting to see. Forensically aware but wishing he wasn’t he knew what had made those marks. Her head and shoulders, he could barely imagine the force that would take. The pain she would have felt, he only hoped that the adrenaline coursing through her at the time left her feeling nothing.

Bill looked from the wall to Mulder and back again, understanding slowly dawning.

“It was her, wasn’t it?” he asked quietly

Mulder doesn’t turn.

“Wasn’t it?” he demands, more insistently.

“Looks that way,” he replies softly.

“She must be black and blue.”

“She is.” He confirms softly.  Mulder clears the lump in his throat. “Do you think you can fix it?” he asks.

Bill is transfixed. He raised his fingers to the edges of the damage and ran them gently across the surface. He turned to Mulder and caught his eye. “I think I have to,” he replied “My Dad would have done it and he’s not here. I need to”

Mulder nods in understanding and turns to the wardrobe and pulls out a small suitcase.

Bill wasn’t sure what to do with himself so he sat down on the bed and surveyed the room. Mulder laid the suitcase on the bed beside Bill and opened it up. He turned back to the closet and removes a box before moving to the other side of the bed

“She put up one hell of a fight.” he stated.

“That’s your sister;” Mulder replied, his voice sad but unmistakably proud “She’s tough. If she goes down, she goes down swinging.”

Bill couldn’t help but look around, a shattered lamp, the bookcase upended and the broken shards of glass. He wasn’t sure how she had survived this.

He watched as Mulder sifted through the detritus of the floor looking for anything that may be salvageable. He picked up a few books and a vase that had miraculously survived its plummet to the ground. The picture frames, some with broken glass were retrieved and placed into a paper bag. He watched Mulder deposit a photo of him, Tara and Matthew into it. His mother must have given it to her because he knew that he hadn’t and here it was on display in her bedroom. He felt suddenly guilty.

She was still his sister, his only sister now. For all their anger at one another they still loved each other, Bill wondered if he had managed to forget this somehow?

“I think the rest of this will have to go,” he said standing up.

Mulder placed the box on the chair in the corner. He moved to the closet, wanting to get it out of the way. He looked at the clothes pushed to one side, first by Pfaster standing here, predatory and waiting. He had watched her here, watched her undress. Had he touched himself? It was possible, though he knew he craved her, lifeless and cold to the touch. Would Scully, warm and vital her heart still pounding in her chest have aroused him? Mulder wasn’t sure. After the confrontation his Scully had been gagged, bound at the wrists and the ankles and had cowered in this very corner.

Mulder pulled the clothes back and began looking for the items she’d asked for.  He started to pull things from the closet and placing them in the case, selecting only those that look shapeless and comfortable. Touching any of them made his skin crawl. If he had his way they would burn the lot and buy new. Each time he pulls an item he has to shake the thought that Pfaster may have touched them, perhaps fevered with excitement, aroused by the prospect of snuffing out her life.

He knows that he is selecting only clothes from the back of the rail, those furthest from where he had been. He knows it means something. He’s not ready to analyse it yet.

Mulder turns to the bureau and opens the top drawer to retrieve her underwear. Bill averts his eyes, but can’t help but notice he knows where everything is. Mulder is choosing with purpose, pulling only the oldest, cosiest cotton briefs. Bill averts his eyes as several more steamy pieces are discarded back into the drawer.

It reminds him of him packing the baby bag for Matthew’s birth, just a few weeks earlier than expected. He had grabbed items Tara listed as she contracted behind him. Trying to guess what she needed.   

Mulder opens the drawer below and starts sifting through socks and Pyjamas. Bill notices it; a small basket to one side, Men’s boxers and socks in his sisters drawer. He knew to whom they belonged.  Mulder shuts the drawer unaware of Bills scrutiny and opens the next one and pulls out a couple of pairs of work out leggings and t-shirts, a worn out grey Knicks t-shirt among them. Mulder pulls it out and folds it into the case. Definitely a man’s size, he notices. He knows Mulder is a Knicks fan, he remembers his sister spending a family dinner on hold trying to get tickets to a game. He remembered because it had pissed him off.

Mulder starts pulling out sports bras and studying them in turn. Suddenly amused, Bill has no idea what the hell Mulder is doing. He performs the same movement, over and over. Lifting the garment out, studying the back and front and then putting it back down. He can’t help but chuckle. “What are you doing?”

Mulder turns to Bill, suddenly realising how it must look. He grunted a half laugh. “It really isn’t what it looks like, I’m getting nothing from this except crippling anxiety” Mulder paused “Her back is in a pretty bad way” he gestures to the holes in the plaster. “I’m trying to work out which would be more comfortable. It’s not exactly my area of expertise. In all honestly I’ve got no fucking idea what I’m doing”

Bill laughed. “I’ve got no idea, except that Tara only wears the ones with the wide straps. We’ve been married a decade, she’s pregnant and we have a three year old. If it’s not comfortable she doesn’t wear it.”

“That’s actually helpful,” Mulder says as he chooses two that meet those criteria. He turns and starts folding things neatly into her case. Something tells Bill that if it was for him he wouldn’t be packing so meticulously. As he watches Bill catches sight of something on the nightstand nearest the window. On the nightstand sits a book thick with a hardback; a psychology book with a pair of glasses lying beside it, the frames too big and masculine to belong to Dana. His sister had spent her life buried in a book as a kid; classics, romance novels the occasional crime drama. She’d never shown the slightest inclination towards psychology. He looked to the other nightstand “Sense and sensibility”- now this was his sisters’ taste.

Dana’s side and Mulders side. He wasn’t living here, but he’s here often enough to have his own stuff.

He looked back to Mulder, meticulously folding his sisters’ clothes. Perhaps he and Mulder weren’t so different really? Mulder could feel Bill’s scrutiny; he’d noticed his glasses by the side of the bed where they had been discarded the night before they left for Illinois. If Bill had seen them then there was no way he didn’t know. There was evidence of their relationship everywhere here. Then again the same could be said at his place. It didn’t matter to Mulder, he wasn’t hiding anything. There was nothing to hide; his love for Scully was as plain to see as the nose on his face. But Scully wasn’t one to share these things at the best of times and right now she was fragile. If there was going to be a confrontation he hoped that it would happen just between them.

“Bill, can you go grab Dana’s jacket and sneakers please? They’re in the hall closet.”

Bill suspected Mulder just wanted him to stop staring at him. He stood and headed out to the hall, this time strategically averting his eyes from the gruesome scene in the corner. He opened the closet, and found his sisters coat. Long, and black, softer than he had expected. As he lifted it out he noticed them, two men’s suits hung up in their dry cleaning bags alongside a couple of hers the tickets still attached, “SCULLY” it read. His sister was dropping off and collecting his dry cleaning. Whatever this thing between them was, it was too domestic to be new. He noticed the label inside the Jacket, Armani, tailored he suspected, very nice.  

As he walked back towards the bedroom he passed the bathroom. Mulder had said she was sore. He knew Dana loved a bath. She loved that expensive bath oil Tara always bought her for Christmas, fifty dollars for a tiny bottle, Bill thought it was ridiculous but Tara always said she’d love it and she always did. It was just a small thing, but it might make her feel better.

He pushed the door and stepped into the bathroom. Not prepared for the scene he was confronted with. No chaos here, no fight had taken place but it was somehow more disturbing. It seemed to have been staged; this was not a bath Dana had drawn herself but by the man whose blood now splattered the walls in the living room. Bill didn’t want to even imagine what he had staged this for. The bath was still full, a heady perfumed scent filling the air, that fifty dollar bottle that he had paid for out on the counter, covered in black powder where it had been dusted for prints. Around the bath were candles. So many candles, a number that couldn’t possibly have been gathered from the apartment, he had to have bought some of them with him. They were burnt to nubs, set wax running down the sides of the bath like stalactites and pooling into the cold water. It looked like a movie set, a carefully curated environment intended for something abhorrent. As he tried to make sense of it he turned to the sink and saw the knife tray, taken from his sisters’ kitchen. The full set of professional grade kitchen knives he and Tara had bought her as a housewarming present when she had moved here years ago, a knife sharpener and a pair of kitchen shears. Beside it a box of ziploc sandwich bags, the words from the news flooded back “Gained notoriety for keeping his victims fingers in the freezer”

He froze. Physically froze. It felt as though his brain could not make sense of the scene. The only thing he knew with any certainty was that the man whose insides covered the walls of her living room had intended that his sister would never leave the bathroom alive. She would have left this room in a body bag and no longer whole.

If Mulder had been later, if she hadn’t gotten herself free, he would have found her here in this room. Lifeless and missing some pieces.

He felt suddenly sick.

He felt Mulder behind him despite the silence.

“What the fuck am I looking at?” he asked “I thought she might like that fancy bath oil she likes. I figured if she’s sore… This is… I don’t even know what this is…” Bill turned to face Mulder “This is fucked up. It’s something else altogether”

Mulder actually appeared to have gone grey. He looked as if he wanted to hurl his guts into the sink. He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I could answer those questions, but they will take up permanent residence in your head.” Mulder said softly “Honestly Bill, you don’t want to know. I wish I didn’t know. If I could I’d pull out my brain and wash it clean of this. You don’t want to see what I see when I close my eyes.”

“It looks like the set from a slasher movie”

“I know,” Mulder paused “Do me a favour, don’t look him up. The whole thing is out there if you wanted to find it. Trust me Bill; you don’t want to know what this guy had planned. The reality is worse than anything you can possibly imagine. Dana is sitting at home beating herself up for pulling that trigger but she did women everywhere a favour wiping that thing from the face of the earth. If she hadn’t done it I would have.”

Bill looked away from Mulder, surveying the scene.

“Did he rape her?” he asked quietly.

“No,” he answered firmly.

“Would he have?”

‘Once she was dead’ Mulder thought, though he didn’t reply. He rubbed his eyes. Bill turned to look at him and for the first time noticed the set of his jaw, clamped and anxious, his fists clenched at his side.

“I know seeing all this makes it hard but nobody wants to think about anyone they love this way, Bill. I’m sorry Bill, I know you have questions but I just can’t be in here.”

Bill nodded, suddenly understanding. “Does she need anything from in here? I’ll get it.”

“She keeps a toiletry bag in the cupboard above the sink; it should have what she needs if you can grab it”

Mulder turned and left the room. A second later Bill jumped as he heard an almighty bang, the wall behind him rattled. He poked his head out of the door and saw nothing but Mulder’s retreating form. He opened the door to the cabinet, grabbed the bag fully closing the bathroom door as he left. He returned to the bedroom and placed it in the case.

As he headed back to the kitchen he noticed it. A dent in the wall outside the bathroom, fist shaped. Mulder had punched a hole in the wall. ‘I guess I’ll be fixing that too’ he thought, though he couldn’t quite manage to feel angry about it. Though no one in his family had known it at the time this man had been convicted of attempting to murder his sister. Mulder had known. He had raced over when he suspected what was happening. Bill couldn’t quite imagine the panic and terror that would have induced. If it were Tara he thought he might do the same.

He walked back into the kitchen. Mulder was sitting at the table a dishcloth wrapped around his knuckles and going through a folder of receipts. He had a pad and paper and was writing down the store, make and model of the couch and rug.

“How’s the hand?” Bill asked

“I know it was stupid. Scully will be so pissed.”

“I dunno,” Bill said taking pity on him “I’m pretty sure it was there when we got here, aren’t you?” Mulder smiled sadly.

“Can I see?” Bill asked. “We all have basic first aid training- hazard of the job.”

“It’s fine”

“Don’t be a baby!” Bill snapped, annoyed “I’d probably have done the same, and if you want to be in pain it’s no skin off my nose but the last thing Dana needs is to have to run you to the E.R later. Just let me look.”

“When you put it like that… ” Mulder lifted the dishcloth from his hand. Mostly just bruising although one knuckle had a nasty split; deep and still bleeding.

“Where is her first aid kit?” Bill asked

“Under the sink,”

Bill found it and passed an antiseptic wipe to Mulder “Give it a clean yourself, I’m no nurse” he said pulling out a roll of steri-strips and the scissors.

“Now I see where your sister gets her bedside manner from,”

“Well she is a pathologist, I’m not sure many of her patients are complaining are they?” Mulder actually managed a laugh.

He cut a couple of lengths and secured them over the split.

“You’ll live.” Bill stated “What are you doing?”

Mulder pointed to the living room. “There’s no way those are salvageable, and even if they are I don’t want any trace of that man in here, even if it’s just microscopic. I’ll order new ones today. Hopefully the sofa place has a display model I can get in a rush.”

“Let me guess, you got it?”

Mulder shrugged. “I get how it must look to you. Just don’t mention it to your sister please. She gets weird about these things. She’ll want to pay me back. The money is a non-issue, I have it and I want to do this for her. I’m sure you can understand that?”

“I’m not sure… so she just thinks these things got cleaned and has no idea?” it didn’t sit right keeping things from her.

“I just need to make it right. I need to fix it. I dropped her off Bill. I left her here and drove away. I can’t go back in time and insist on coming up. I can’t wave a wand and fix her but I can hand over a credit card and do this. So I need to.”

“OK. Must be nice to be able to do all this.”

“The money isn’t a thing. My Dad died and I was well provided for, although I’d have rather had a Dad who took an interest in me. You guys grew up richer in more ways than I ever did. I didn’t really want his money. It sits in the bank apart from the occasional designer suit and that’s mostly because I think it would have pissed him off. You’ve seen how I live, money doesn’t buy anyone happiness, but it definitely makes things like this easier. If making her feel safe in her own home took every penny I have I’d still consider it money well spent”

‘He loves her’ it was suddenly obvious, it was almost as if he had always known it.

Bill took a seat at the table, deliberately positioning himself facing away from the living room. “Pass me a piece of that paper and a pen, I’ll make a list of the stuff we’ll need to fix the walls and I’m paying for this.” Mulder smiled wryly and passed over the pad and pen. Folding his list and placing it in his back pocket.

There was a knock at the door. Mulder stood and went to the door and greeted the cleaners by name. ‘This isn’t the first time he’s done this’ Bill thought. He wondered if he had paid for the clean up after Melissa. He suspected that he had. Mulder walked them through the apartment showing them the damage. One of them started explaining a new treatment for the floor, chemicals that may lift it, although it might need fully sanding which of course would be more expensive. As they walked back towards the kitchen the older woman asked where Mulder wanted anything that may be sentimental placed and whether he wanted them to dispose of the broken possessions or leave aside for him. Mulder said it could go unless it looked personal; he had already sorted the things he knew she would want.

“Oh and the knives and things in the bathroom, they need to go. I can’t look at them again and I won’t have her doing it either”

As if remembering himself “Shit, Bill.” He exclaimed “I’m sorry I think they were a gift from you. She loves them but…”

“I think it’s time she had some new ones”

Mulder looked grateful.

They agreed a price. Two days, the woman explained that to meet the timeframe they would need to work through the night and for that he would be paying a premium. Bill’s eyes felt like they might water when they shook on the price of $3000. Mulder paid half upfront.

“We’ll leave you to it he said,” handing over a spare key from the bowl in the entryway “I’ll just grab her case.”

As they left, Bill studied Mulder as he walked slightly ahead. Maybe he’d got him wrong all those years ago.

Chapter Text

The drive back was quiet.

Mulder seemed exhausted, Bill reflective.

“Can I ask you something?” Bill asked “Man to man”

‘Here we go’ Mulder thought. “You can ask, doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll answer.”

“Are you two together?”

“What makes you think that?” Mulder asks, knowing exactly what the answer was.

Recognising the tactic of answering a question with a question Bill took it as a challenge.

“She’s staying with you and not Mom and my Mom is OK with that. There’s a lot of your stuff there. You know where everything is. My sister, who won’t even let someone open a door for her is just allowing you to deal with all this shit. She’s collecting your dry cleaning; your very nice suits are in her hallway closet with her name on them. There’s a basket of your underwear in her dresser. You made her this weirdly specific coffee this morning with a creamer no man in their right mind would buy. What you did to that wall, after being in that bathroom; I get it, but you punched a goddamn hole in the wall. You gave me this whole heartfelt speech about how you’d give her every penny you have if it made her feel safe. There’s a book I know for a fact she isn’t reading and your glasses on her nightstand. Now that one leaves very little to the imagination. I’m fairly certain most FBI partners are not sharing a bed… it all seems very domestic”

“It seems like you’ve been conducting quite the investigation today! Are you looking for a job Bill?” Mulder tried deflecting the question with humour

“That’s not an answer.”

Mulder sighed “Don’t take this the wrong way. Man to man I have no issue with answering that. I’m not hiding anything but you know how private your sister is. I think that’s one you should really ask her. Doesn’t seem like my place to tell you this, whether we are together or not.”

Initially irritated Bill paused. He did know that Dana was private about things; it probably was a conversation for her. Bill nodded. “We should talk more, Dana and I”

“You should,” Mulder answered “She was pretty hurt you didn’t tell her about the new baby you know? That’s not an accusation; I know she doesn’t call you either. She’s too stubborn to be the first to pick up the phone and I suspect you’re the same. You’re lucky to have each other and it’s sad how things are between you now.”

Bill nodded.

“It is sad.” He agreed. He paused “But you are in love with her?”

Mulder laughed “Bill…”

“You can answer that one. It’s about you, not her and you said you have no issue with answering a question man to man did you not?”

Mulder laughed “You really should think about the military police you know, you’ve missed a calling.” he thought for a moment. “I’m not sure Dana would see it that way”

“She’s not here.”

“You’re not going to drop this are you?”

Bill shrugged.

As uncomfortable as he felt, and he did feel very uncomfortable with this line of questioning; he couldn’t deny that things had been less stilted and awkward between him and Scully’s brother today than ever before. There had been a ceasefire caused by her pain and he knew there was an opportunity here. It would be better for her if they could build some bridges.

“I am,” he replied “I am in love with her.”

They both continued staring ahead at the road.

“How long?”

Mulder thought “I’m not sure. I don’t really remember a time since we met that I didn’t love her”

“Before the cancer?” he asked.

“Before the cancer” Mulder replied “Before she was taken. Before your Dad I think, that’s the first time I was really aware of it. When he died and she wouldn’t stop working. I wanted her to take some time off but she just wouldn’t listen. She was vulnerable emotionally and took some risks with her own safety. It scared me, I was worried about her. I was a bit of a player back in the day and beautiful emotionally vulnerable women wouldn’t normally have elicited that reaction from me. I remember thinking I shouldn’t want to protect her like this. Maybe I first suspected it then” He paused. “I really knew for sure when she was taken and the bottom dropped out of my world. I did some crazy shit when she was gone.”

“Like what?”

 “Lots of very stupid things” he said non-committedly.

“Like?” Bill asked smirking, Mulder didn’t answer. “Are we talking booze and women or something really crazy?”

Mulder smirked “Maybe a bit of that,”

“And more specifically?” Bill continued.

Mulder laughed “Ok, but this is your lot. I was trying to get on that mountain to catch up to the guy who took her; he’d had a head start but not by much and I needed to beat them to the summit. I’d have never caught up driving. I threatened to shoot the guy who operated the cable cars because he wouldn’t send me up in one. It stopped just before the top. No one was responding over the intercom so I climbed out of the car and onto its roof, planning to hang off the cables to get there. Maybe that’s generous, I’m not sure I had a plan to be honest. I was running on adrenaline, I don’t think there was much logical thought going on. Then it started again. I held on by the skin of my teeth, dangling over the side of a mountain”

“Now that is some crazy shit”

Mulder laughed, “It most certainly was. Still too late though wasn’t I?”

Bill tried to organise his thoughts before speaking.

“I didn’t know that, about when Dad died. She left right after the funeral to go back to work saying there was a case that you needed her on. I thought you pressured her to go back. I didn’t know you had wanted her to take time. I was pretty pissed off with her for leaving, and I hated you”.

“I’m not surprised, sounds pretty unreasonable doesn’t it? It wasn’t a lie exactly on her part; there was a case and I always need her on cases. I’m not sure I know how to do this without her these days. I certainly didn’t pressure her to come back though. Emotions make you vulnerable in the field and I didn’t want her at risk. I think she just needed to work; you know how she is. She has to be strong all the time. She was so close to your Dad. I think she thought if she wasn’t busy she would fall apart. She wasn’t so accustomed to loss back then and she ran away from it. I don’t think she knew how to deal with it”

This man really did know her sister inside and out. Dana was complicated, even as a child she had kept her cards close to her chest. It had infuriated them all. She had always been something of a conundrum; the only person who had ever seemed to just understand her had been their Dad.

“That was five years ago. Five years is a long time” Bill stated, Mulder nodded.

The silence stretched between them. What Bill had said in the hospital, framed like this, felt uncomfortable and the whole thing looked different.

‘I won’t sit passively back and watch the family tragedy unfold’ Mulder had said. That isn’t what he’d meant at all. He didn’t want to sit back and watch the woman he loved die and was prepared to try anything to save her. “You’re the reason for it” Bill had said, he had meant it at the time, believed it with everything he had. He had berated the man; pounded him with the stick with which he had already been beating himself. He had been kicking a man who was already down.

“You’re one sorry son of a bitch”

The whole exchange didn’t sit right anymore.

“Look about the hospital… If I’d known I might…”

Mulder waved a hand “Your sister was dying; it hadn’t been long since Melissa. Tensions were high. It must have all sounded crazy. I had a sister, I get it. Besides, you didn’t say anything that day that I wasn’t thinking myself.”

“Well either way…” He trailed off, not quite able to say the words.

“Me too” Mulder said “Have we found a bit of common ground here? No one would have seen this coming?” he added, deflecting with humour.

Bill laughed “Least of all me.”

Chapter Text

5pm 

42 Hegal place

Bill had followed Mulder up from the elevator. Hegal Place felt different this evening, this morning it had felt dark and oppressive. Tonight it was just an apartment block. They reached number forty two and Mulder unlocked the door. When they walked in Scully was sitting at the dining table with her mother, Chinese containers positioned in the centre, two empty plates and chopsticks ready and waiting.

Scully was mostly pushing her food around her plate. Her eyes found his, her expulsion of breath and her relief at his being home palpable while her eyes were full of apologies. Given everything that had happened in the last few days she was anxious he’d be angry about Bill staying to dinner. They had to stop this, he thought. It really wasn’t fair and he was tired of it. This dance they did; her partner and brother. Bill’s tendency towards being overbearing, Mulder antagonistic; what did it achieve except making everyone miserable? None of it mattered.

He walked over and brushed a hand over her cheek and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. She froze, anxious of Bill’s scrutiny and pulled away. She cleared her throat.

“Mom ordered in. We weren’t sure when you’d be home.”

Mulder laid a hand on her shoulder trying to reassure with a silent glance. “Smells great Maggie, I’m starving”.

He left his hand just a fraction too long on her shoulder; she reached up and briefly held his hand. That’s when she saw it, his knuckles, swollen, split and held together with steri-strips.

She looked up at Bills face in alarm, finding it unblemished as he searched through the cardboard containers, then up to Mulder’s eyes. He smiled reassuringly and entwined his fingers with hers for the briefest of moments.

“What happened to your hand?” she said

“Caught it in the door” Bill answered without missing a beat, and not looking up “Isn’t that right? No hand eye co-ordination this one.”

Mulder shrugged, he knew she wouldn’t buy it but grateful that he had tried. “It’s nothing.” He said “Really” before disappearing into the kitchen.

He emerged with two beers in his hands, passing one to Bill without a word. He muttered ‘thanks’ as he looked down at it; Grolsh, the one with the satisfying caged cap. ‘Export’, Bill noted, ‘Good taste’

They both sat down and started to sift through the boxes and load their plates. Bill cracked his beer and took a sip. He took a mouthful of Lo Mein “pretty good Mom,” he stated

Mulder nodded “Delicious, is there any beef and broccoli?” he asked

“Here,” Bill replied handing it over “Is that General Tso’s?” Mulder opened a couple of boxes closest to him and handed it to Bill.

Dana studied the two men incredulously; this was not at all what she’d expected. They seemed to be getting along, not friendly per se but the electric animosity that normally sparked between them seemed to have gone. They had left this morning on their best behaviour, awkwardly fighting their normal tension and returned this evening, with Mulders knuckles split and a ceasefire in place between them. An impasse seemed to have been reached. She looked over at her mother who met her gaze with a smile, the triumph plain as day on her face, as she tried to focus on her plate. Maggie Scully had expected this.

Mulder looked up and met Scully’s eye. She looked at him quizzically. He smiled in response.

“Eat,” he said holding out the box of egg rolls. “There’ll be nothing left of you if you carry on like this. You haven’t eaten anything really in days. Eat, please”

She shook her head and took an egg roll “Yes Mom,” she teased. Bill smiled and met her eye.

“You a football guy?” Bill asked

“Basketball is more my thing and baseball but yeah I follow it a bit…”

Xxx

After Dinner she had returned to her place on the sofa and covered her knees with a blanket. She turned on the TV and flicked through the channels stopping on a repeat of some chick flick or other. She wasn’t really paying attention, just needed a focal point for her gaze. She was suddenly exhausted.

Mulder and her Mom were washing dishes while Bill deposited the leftovers in the fridge.

She was suddenly exhausted. All she wanted to do was curl into bed surrounded by Mulder’s arms and his smell. She’d missed him today.

Bill walked in carrying two glasses. He handed one to her. “Iced tea” he said softly.

“Must be love,” She said. He looked at her quizzically. “It’s nothing. Thanks” She muttered as he sat down beside her.

They sat in silence watching the TV for a moment. Bill turned to glance at her, studying her face. The bruises that were red this morning were more pronounced now turning angry and purple although the swelling around her eye seemed a little less. When it fully developed it was going to be quite the shiner. She was sitting awkwardly in her seat, propped up against pillows from the bed, her stiff muscles working overtime trying to protect the extensive bruising he knew lay beneath her shirt. ‘She must be in agony’ he thought.  

Her too big t-shirt had slipped to expose a little more of the bruising along her neck. Now, able to scrutinise he could see the shape of that man’s hands and the round finger marks spread from behind her ears around to the base of her neck. ‘He was big’ he thought, ‘this was a big guy that did this’ and felt a swell of pride for his tiny sister. She had fought him for her life like a tiger; he’d seen the evidence of it today.

He reached over and adjusted the neck of the t shirt, gently covering the bruises a little better. Dana flinched at the unexpected touch and turned to glare at Bill confrontationally. Her gaze softened when she met his eyes and he smiled at her sadly. She tried to return it before returning her eyes to the TV.

“Dana?” he said quietly

She turned to look at him.

“You know I love you don’t you?”

She was a little taken aback. “Of course I do Bill.”

“I don’t say it enough.”

“Neither do I. The door goes both ways. I love you too.”

They both turn back to the TV, neither really watching the screen; Hugh Grant at some wedding hitting on Andie McDowell. Not really Bill’s cup of tea and Dana had seen it before.

“You can tell me about you and him you know,” Bill blurted out, eyes trained dead ahead on the screen not even really thinking about the words as they came “I feel a bit weird that you felt like you couldn’t tell me. I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide things from me.”

Scully looked shocked “He told you?”

“No actually,” he said finally meeting her gaze “I asked and he said it wasn’t his place. Said I should ask you but I don’t need to really. It’s so obvious.”

“Bill it’s my…”

Bill cut her off “He loves you a lot you know?”

She stopped her arguments and thought for a moment studying her brother incredulously. He seemed relaxed and accepting; she didn’t know what to make of it or what had changed.

“I know,” she answered.

“How long?” he asked “How long have you been together?”

“Almost six months”

 ‘I don’t really remember a time since we met that I didn’t love her’ how long had they worked together? It must be going on seven years. And they’d been a thing for six months? ‘Poor guy’ Bill thought and chuckled.

“What?” Dana asked defensively.

“Nothing bad, I’m not saying though. It’s between us guys. Man to man” He grinned at her.

She smiled.

“Does Mom know?”

“You know Mom,” Dana replied “She always just knows. I didn’t tell her exactly she just knew. She’s pretty pleased. Sometimes I think she likes him more than me”

“She always just knows, I swear the woman’s some kind of witch. She definitely likes Tara better than she likes me” Bill said.

“We all do,” Dana replied still staring ahead at the screen, he looked over mouth open in mock offense, she was grinning. He’d missed this, the easy teasing. It felt nice.

“Well I can’t say I’d blame you, me too. She is my better half after all” He laughed “Does he make you happy?”

She smiled a coy but full megawatt smile the likes of which he hadn’t seen since that sap Marcus in high school “Very.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

They turned back to the screen.

She had to ask, this whole thing was so left out of field she felt like her head was spinning. “What happened today? I’m not complaining it’s really nice but this is all a bit unexpected,”

What had happened today? Really nothing should have changed? He thought for a long moment.

“I don’t know really. I guess I realised how close we had come to losing you and I don’t like how things are between us. I suppose it always seems like there’s time to sort these things out eventually and I realised that time will run out someday. If we leave it, it could be too late.” 

“You’re right. But Mulder…”

“I really don’t know there. I guess while we were trying to be on our best behaviour I got a glimpse into your life. What I saw… how he is… it just made a bit more sense to me,”

“Sounds like he’s winning you over, he does that you know?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m not sure we’ll ever be best buddies but it’s hard to hate someone that takes such good care of your family. Check in with him tonight when we’re gone. He’s had quite a day”

She nodded. “What happened to his hand?”

“I told you, disagreement with a door.”

“Liar,” she smiled.

“That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I’m beat,” he said standing up and stretching.

Maggie and Mulder emerged from the kitchen. “Are you ready to go Mom? I think we’re all pretty tired.” Bill leant down and kissed the top of Dana’s head. “See you Starbuck.”

Maggie’s felt tears prickle behind her eyes. She hadn’t heard Dana called that in so long. Just for a second she felt as though Bill Senior was standing just behind her. The feud between her children seemed to be resolved or at least on the way there. It was more than she had dared hope for. She gave Dana a hug.

“Anyone mind if I take the general Tso’s for breakfast tomorrow?” Bill piped up already heading for the kitchen.

“Bill that’s disgusting,” Dana replied

“Sounds pretty good to me,” Mulder replied “Breakfast of champions.”

Maggie moved to Mulder and placed both hands on either side of his face “You’re a good man, Fox” and then kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for this,”

He shrugged “It was well overdue,”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re a good man,” She hugged him “Take care of her.”

“I will, always.”

“See you Thursday Mulder. I’m going to hire a van for the stuff for the walls and go to home depot tomorrow, let me know the paint colours and I’ll pick them up too while I’m there.”

Mulder nodded “that’s great Thanks.”

“Thursday,” Bill said “Bright and early.”

Mulder followed them to the door, shutting it behind them and locking the deadbolt. He turned and jumped finding that Scully was standing behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head to chest. He wrapped his arms around her gently.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“I didn’t do anything really; we just sort of cleared the air.”

“I don’t care; you don’t know what it means to me.”

“I do, that’s why I did it.” He kissed the top of her head and placed his forehead to hers “He’s not so bad really”

She laughed. “If every part of my body didn’t hurt so much you would be getting so lucky right now,”

“Just my luck…” he said in mock disappointment “Raincheck?”

“Absolutely, G-man, Let’s go to bed...”

“Hope for me yet…” he joked turning off the lights.

Chapter Text

Skinner stood outside the door of number 42. He probably should have called first, he looked at his watch 7.48am. It was early. They were both suspended pending the investigation, they were probably still asleep. He really should have called but he thought he should pass on the good news in person. He had spoken to Mulder the previous morning and he had said that Scully was worried about the possibility of criminal charges. He had received the confirmation at seven a.m. and got straight in the car.

Finding himself here outside Mulders apartment he wondered if it had been a mistake not to call ahead. If what he suspected about them was true what was he likely to find? Right now he had plausible deniability; gossip and rumours, what he saw was professionalism and friendship. Under extreme duress sometimes the veil slipped but he’d made it a point to see no more. It had been a choice.

What happens this morning may take it from honest denial to outright lie in his next meeting. He should have called. ‘Too late now’ he ruminates, knocking on the door.

He waited a long moment hearing footsteps within. Mulder opened the door, wearing nothing more than black boxers and a grey t-shirt. He was combing his fingers through unruly hair and his eyes were a little red from being rubbed awake.

“Sir?” he sounded genuinely surprised “Come in” He stepped back and opened the door.

Skinner stepped in and headed into the living room. Tidier than he’d ever seen it on the rare occasion he’d visited previously. Throw folded neatly over the back of the sofa and cushions arranged strategically, certainly not recently slept on. Unless Mulder’s apartment had grown a second bedroom they had slept in the same bed last night. I choose not to see it he thinks silently.

“Sorry” he said “I thought you were Scully’s Mom.”

“You routinely answer the door to your partners’ mother in your underwear?” Skinner asked with a smirk.

Mulder smiled “Not routinely Sir. Just let me grab some Pants. Have a seat”

Skinner sat down as Mulder headed into the bedroom. He could hear their hushed conversation.

“It’s Skinner,” Mulder hissed

“At this time?” She replied “That can’t be good.”

“Ever the sceptic.” He admonished her softly “Can we at least find out what’s going on before we jump to conclusions?”

“I better get dressed.”

“Scully you’re off work injured and it’s early. He won’t mind that you’re in pyjama’s. In fact it would look odd if you weren’t”

“Maybe he’s here to warn us they’re going to arrest me”

Skinner heard the fear in her voice, an almost imperceptible break

“Well now you’re just being ridiculous. You get yourself together and I’ll speak to him. I’ll come get you. Please stop it with that look. Stop worrying”

“Worrying about the perfectly rational concern that I might get charged with murder you mean?”

“Will you please just stop it? That’s not going to happen. How many times do I need to say it?”

He felt for them. She was genuinely frightened and him? He was trying to hold it together. He was glad he could put them out of their misery. Suddenly the decision to get straight into the car seemed sensible.

Mulder emerged from the bedroom wearing jeans and socks. “Sorry about that, She’s still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake her.”

Skinner nodded playing along.

“Sorry I should have called ahead. I have news and after our conversation yesterday about how concerned Agent Scully is about potential charges I wanted to pass it on as soon as possible. I got straight in the car and headed over. I thought it was important to deliver it in person”

“Very much appreciated Sir,” Mulder said a flash of concern betraying him.

“It’s good news, Mulder. The DA was presented with a case by the Georgetown PD and it was thrown out almost instantly. Agent Scully can submit a notarised statement with a bureau attorney to tie up the loose ends in the investigation and that should be the end of it.”

Mulder lowered his head in relief and rubbed his eyes. “And OPR?”

“Well that is more difficult to predict. My secretary has put the feelers out and the watercooler gossip is that there’s not too much to be really concerned about in regards to the shooting itself. Given their previous history, what he had done and what he intended to do. Combine this with the trauma she had suffered I’m not too concerned. Your testimony that you didn’t think she even really registered your presence before pulling the trigger corroborates hers. I can’t be one hundred percent sure until we meet with them but I’m hoping for a favourable outcome.”

“That’s really good news. She will be relieved”

Skinner paused. Mulder could sense there was more to come but he was thinking carefully about how to word it.

“There are some concerns being raised about after; at the scene and then at the police station. Concerns that protocols were not followed.”

Mulder nodded.

“You don’t seem surprised?”

“I’m not,” Mulder replied. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t follow protocols. Agent Scully needed support. I wasn’t really thinking about the optics at the time although I was aware they weren’t good. I wouldn’t change it. I’d do exactly the same again.”

Skinner nodded.

“I’m in conversation with a particularly feminist minded HR representative. We’re trying to make it go away. She believes that there’s an argument to be made that Agent Scully wanted support from someone she trusts, irrespective of their gender and that was you. She’s a female agent who had been attacked and overpowered by a physically imposing sexually motivated predator. We are going to pursue the argument that passing judgements over her reactions to this in the immediate aftermath places her at a disadvantage to her male counterparts. The whole thing deviated from expected protocol given that you were the first on the scene.  Leave it with me, but there may be questions to answer. “

Mulder nodded “I’ll look forward to it”

“There’s also the point being made about you missing the profile on Pfaster and the implication that you may have become too close. It may be taken further. You need to prepare yourself for that,”

Mulder met his eyes, Skinner saw it. He already knew; he had known before he even arrived.

“I will do everything I can” he said firmly “I hope it will be enough”

“So do I,” Mulder replied. “I’m not sure she could take anything else,”

They let it hang in the air for a moment.

“I need you to come in this afternoon to meet with me to help me prepare for the inevitable questions. I think it best to not involve Agent Scully at this stage. She needs to concentrate on getting well.”

Mulder nodded. “If you have time this morning that might work better? Her mother is coming over and I’d prefer she not be left alone at the moment.”

Skinner nodded. “Understood. I’ll have my secretary rearrange things. Does eleven work for you?”

He nodded.

“How is she?” Skinner asked softly

“Would you like to see for yourself? I can see if she’s awake?”

Skinner played along. “That would be much appreciated. If she’s already awake of course”

Mulder went into the bedroom for mere moments and re-emerged. “She’s just going to get herself together and she’ll be right out. Would you like coffee Sir?”

“Please” he responded following Mulder into the kitchen.

“How has she been doing really?”

Mulder thought for a moment. “Ups and downs; on the whole better than I expected. She is black and blue and in a lot of pain. She is going to need a good bit of time out of the field to recover even if you just look at the physical. Emotionally? She seems OK, but you know how she can be. He’s really done a number on her. She’s feeling guilty, guilty for shooting that piece of shit. I wish I’d done it, I wouldn’t be batting an eye.”

Skinner nodded “You’d be serving time though,”

“and I’d still not regret it.” Mulder replied

“And how are you?” Skinner questioned

“I’m alright, holding it together for the most part. Grateful it wasn’t worse.”

Skinner nodded.

Mulder poured the coffee and handed it to Skinner as they headed back into the living room as Scully emerged in black pyjama bottoms and a t shirt.

The sight of her was a little shocking; it took his breath away momentarily. She had scraped her short hair back from her face in a claw clip. Her face and neck were a mottled map of purple and red. Her forearms showing cuts and scrapes to the elbow. One eye was still a little swollen and she had the beginnings of what Skinner knew would develop into a particularly gory black eye. She was holding herself awkwardly and her movement seemed stunted. She was obviously in considerable pain.

“Sir” she said softly as she sat awkwardly down on the sofa, perching herself on the edge. Without missing a beat Mulder went into the bedroom and returned with several pillows and arranged them behind her, she settled into them wincing a little.

“You need your meds,” Mulder said softly.

She looked up at him with a steely gaze, silently telling him to stop fussing. He rolled his eyes and took a seat in the chair opposite studying her over the rim of his coffee cup.

“I’m sorry to wake you Agent Scully but I wanted to make sure that you knew as soon as possible that no criminal charges are going to be brought against you.” He saw the exhale as her shoulders slumped in relief “The conclusion made by the District Attorney is that you were acting in self-defence.  You will need to come to the bureau at some point this week to provide some answers to the final questions the Georgetown PD have to tie up loose ends but that should be the end of it.”

Scully looked down at her hands. She felt relief, but the guilt still nagged away at her. Was it self-defence? It felt like revenge. It was true that she didn’t really register that Mulder had been there until the clip was emptied and Pfaster was on the ground. But a shot to the shoulder would have incapacitated him.  She wasn’t aiming to stop him; in her sheer terror she had every intention of killing him. She wanted him dead. Sounded and felt like murder to her.

“Thank you sir,” she said quietly “I’m sorry that I put you in this position. If I could go back…”

Skinner waved his hand. “I don’t think anyone blames you for what happened. I most certainly don’t. You were fighting for your life and you’re here. We are all very relieved that’s the case.”

She nodded.

“I’m going to be starting the OPR process this week. HR and I are working together to get you a favourable outcome. I assure you I will do my best for you.”

She kept her eyes trained on his face but she was wringing her hands in anxiety.

“When will I be able to come back to work?”

“HR are suggesting a three week recovery time, then desk duty and a phased return to the field. Although I’d suggest longer would be prudent. There really is no rush.”

Scully looked him in the eye, the mask slipping for a moment “I need to work, Sir”

“And it’s my job to keep you safe. You need time” He responded softly. “Technically as the OPR investigation is still ongoing you are both still suspended with pay, so it’s a moot point for now. I think it likely there will be an order to engage with a bureau therapist for a while. There’s no rush, everyone just wants to make sure you are OK.”

Scully nodded. Three weeks. She would go crazy in three weeks, sitting here with what happened running through her head, replaying over and over. She focused on a stray cuticle on her forefinger ‘who does your nails girly girl?’ She balked and for a moment looked as though the tears may fall. 

 “Are you alright, Agent Scully?” Skinner asked softly

“I’m fine Sir” she replied looking at the floor and biting her bottom lip painfully hoping to get control of the tears threatening to fall.

“Forgive me but you don’t look it.”

“So everyone keeps telling me,” she replied “I am a little sore although I’m grateful its bruising and muscle strain. It could have been much worse.”

Mulder got up and headed into the kitchen without a word. Scully watched his retreating form, her eyes focussing on the doorframe as if waiting for the reassurance of his return.

“is he taking good care of you?”

Scully smiled wryly and finally met Skinners eye “Yes Sir, He can hover like the best of them.”

Skinner chucked as Mulder emerged from the kitchen carrying a coffee, a bottle of water and her medication. “What?” he asked sensing the mood change “Has she been complaining about my fussing again?” Mulder placed the coffee down on the table and popped two pills from the pack into his hand passing them to her with the bottle of water.

Skinner smiled “No comment” he replied “I best be off to work, I’ll see you at eleven Mulder.”

Mulder nodded and walked him to the door seeing him out.

“What’s happening at eleven?” she demanded anxiously

“Skinner wants to meet to set some things straight before the OPR hearing. Nothing to worry about.”

“Why just you though?”

Mulder sat down beside her and pulled her sideways into him. She settled her head against his shoulders and he ran a hand through her hair placing a kiss to her forehead reassuringly. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He felt a growing sense of dread; he had known standing in the corridor in the police station that there would be consequences. Things couldn’t stay the way they were forever; he knew she wasn’t yet ready for the change but he knew he needed get himself there so at least one of them wasn’t blindsided by it. He felt that it was coming; the end of the road.

“I think he’s trying to protect you. Give you time to get better, you need that, even if you won’t accept it. Will you please stop torturing yourself? Everyone just wants to look after you. You’re reading too much into this.” He placed a series of soft kisses down her hair line to her ear. “Please let us all take care of you.”

She nodded softly and buried her head into his chest, his warm comforting smell enveloping her like an embrace.

Chapter Text

Mulder sat in Skinners waiting room waiting for the meeting. He checked his watch, 11.05. He’d arrived early hoping to get back to her sooner and now Skinner was running late. The time sat here waiting had allowed space for the anxiety to build. He had missed the mark on the profile, they had not followed protocol at the scene and in the aftermath the walls they kept around this thing between them had crumbled to ruins. It had been obvious to everyone that was there that day they were more than just partners.

This was coming.

What would they do if they split them up again? He wasn’t going to remain with the FBI if they weren’t together; this was the only thing he knew with any certainty. ‘Salt Lake City, Utah transfer effective immediately’ the last time they’d tried she was to be sent half way across the country. That wasn’t happening again. He’d already decided he would resign before he let that happen. Scully would be fine. Autopsies at Quantico would be an easy transition, but for him? This was all he had ever done.

He had money. That could buy him a buffer and give him space to make some decisions. Maybe he could write a book? Or there was that guy he’d started with at the VCS, Bob Jackson who now taught criminal psychology at Georgetown. They’d kept in touch sporadically; Bob had consulted him on a paper or two. He’d reached out before about potential teaching opportunities though Mulder had never been interested. Maybe they were looking for someone? Psychology of the paranormal might be pretty interesting actually, why people believe in ghosts and urban legends and things. Maybe he could write his own research, still investigate the x-files but in his own lower stakes way. X-files light, per se. He could make something from that he thinks and it would probably be popular with the undergrads too in this age of Tim Burton and Buffy the Vampire slayer. Suddenly it felt like a real possibility. He decided to contact Bob and put the feelers out just in case, no matter what happened today. He needed to build himself a contingency plan.   

This thing between them couldn’t stay hidden forever. He knew within weeks that his relationship with Scully was more important to him than anything else. If keeping her meant he lost the X-Files, so be it.

She was more important.

He’d learnt a lot about both of them in that he hadn’t known in these last few months. He’d never seen himself as the type to settle down, now he thinks he’d just never met the right person.

In relationships in the past he’d always been reluctant to commit. He had been obsessed with his career and never been able to see beyond the short term. Any time things had started to seem vaguely serious he had ended it. In his teens and early twenties he had left a trail of broken hearts. Then Phoebe had broken him and knowing how it felt made him more careful with other people’s emotions so he’d opted for casual relationships mostly. He’d been clear it was short term if it seemed as though anyone was developing feelings he’d end it. Until Diana.

Even with Diana, probably his most serious and longest term relationship before Scully there had never really been a future plan. Their relationship had lasted longer than any other because it was built on the X-files. They had both been ambitious and single minded and it had worked while they were moving forward in tandem. When she had wanted to move on in a different direction it had hurt but it had been a fairly smooth transition. When she left there was no agonising over how to make it work in this new phase. They both knew it had run its course. 

Then not long after he met Scully, unattainable Scully. She was young and disarmingly bright, she smiled and laughed, she teased him mercilessly, was brimming with integrity and she challenged him. That first case when she burst into his room in utter panic and dropped her robe to her waist to show him her back wearing only her underwear, maybe it was the candlelight or the rain or the way she fell into his arms in relief, or the way they talked long into the night but something in him had changed that day. He wanted her, from the very beginning he desperately wanted her but she was too important to him to act on it. He’d never thought that way about any woman before. Somewhere around that time he lost interest in pursuing other women, there had been the odd flirtation here and there but never anything that stuck. No woman quite measured up. No woman ever would.

This thing with Scully was different. It had been a slow burn. She was so entwined with every aspect of his life that she felt like the air he needed to breathe. When it had finally happened he had jumped in with both feet, his heart on his sleeve. He didn’t care who knew. At first it had been hidden under the cover of darkness and cloistered away. They had created all these rules for themselves; not on cases, arriving to work in separate cars even if it meant a 4am drive from Georgetown to Alexandria and strictly hands off in public places. It had soon become obvious it wouldn’t work, he couldn’t do it. Being with her after so long of suppressed emotions and making do with longing gazes and stolen touches he never wanted to hide it away again. They had settled into what they were now quietly understated but not hidden. The more he had of her the more he wanted.

Before they got together it had always been her that was in control of the nature of their relationship. She set the tone; she set the boundaries that he would skirt around and push against. Push them he did always testing to see how far he could go. At times they were rigid and unbending, at times almost fluid as if kept together by their mere surface tension but it was always her who decided where they were. He had always assumed that were they to move forward it would continue to be the same. He had always thought if it happened he would just be happy to have her any way she would have him. Instead since they had become a couple these established norms had flipped, suddenly it was him dictating what and how they were, as the parameters they set became too restrictive for him he would smash through them and the lines would be re-drawn. He had soon learnt that what he wanted from her was everything, anything less would never be enough. 

He had once told her on a makeshift baseball field that if he were ever to settle down it would be somewhere quiet and unremarkable. He was feeling that he was more and more ready for that.

Just before this had happened Scully had asked him to donate his sperm to give her a chance at motherhood. They were on the precipice at the time; they could both feel the tides shifting but hadn’t yet taken that last step. How could he have said no? Given everything she had lost on this quest of theirs. The more he thought about it the more it appealed, he wanted it as much as she did, that had surprised him. They were due to start their first cycle next month. He suspected Scully’s injuries would delay this a little.

The IVF would change everything. If it took their partnership was over. He knew that. She didn’t seem to have realised it yet. When he’d said yes he’d already known it would mean giving up the X-Files. It was too dangerous and he wasn’t going to put their child at risk. They couldn’t co-parent and remain partners even if they weren’t together. The bureau wouldn’t allow it, conflict of interests. To stay together they’d have to lie. He’d need to be Uncle Mulder in public and Daddy in private? He couldn’t imagine how growing up like that wouldn’t mess the kid up.

He had looked at putting his Dad’s house on the vineyard up for sale. The Cape Cod housing boom had done him no harm at all, he was shocked by the price he would get for it. He was thinking he could buy a house in DC, nothing too showy and maybe have enough capital left so she could stay at home with the baby for a while if she wanted. Or he could. The money gave them choices.

He was all in this thing.

So was she but she was slower to embrace the change. She wasn’t ready for it just yet, she was happy to keep things as they were for now; hidden in the shadows on a need to know basis. She loved him with an intensity that burned but she was able to put up a front. When they met she had been so green, she was practically shiny and new. She had been wide eyed and open but somehow after all they’d seen and all that had happened to her the walls around her heart had grown taller and thicker.  In private, with him they crumbled, she was still a version of that girl he’d first met seven years ago but she was afraid to let anyone else see her. She was afraid of the change. She could be distant and cool in front of others and in private this thing between them crackled like lightning.

She could deny everything, and then behind closed doors she melted into him. She didn’t care what anyone thought, it’s like it didn’t affect her. She could perfect a mask that he’d never learned how to wear.

“He’s ready for you” Arlene said, pulling him from his reverie.

He nodded towards her and headed in taking his usual seat.

“Thanks for coming in,” Skinner looked at Mulder intensely “we have a problem I’m afraid”

“Which is?” Mulder asked

“I can't beat around the Bush a report has been submitted by the officer with Georgetown PD who first met you at the scene that has now been passed to OPR that reads 'I arrived on scene and was met at the door by Agent Scully's boyfriend.” Skinner looked up at Mulder,

“Ok, so a mistake in terminology has been submitted in a report. This is hardly uncommon” Mulder replied

“I think the issue is that questions are being raised by OPR as to whether it is a mistake.” 

Mulder sighed. He wasn’t going to lie. If he was outright asked about the status of their relationship he would tell him, he hoped to be able to avoid it.

“Well let me reassure that you as an almost 40 year old man no one has called me their boyfriend for quite some time.  It's obviously that he's misunderstood the situation; my 911 call explained I was FBI. It’s practically a typo.”

“Under normal circumstances I'm sure it would be brushed off. I'm sure you can see the issue I'm facing given agent Scully’s request back at the police station. I tried to get the officer in question to revise his wording. He refused saying he had written the report truthfully and wouldn’t be asked to lie.” Skinner studied him intently.

“I'm sure I've no need to say this but I introduced myself as her partner. I had relayed the FBI connection during my 911 call. This is a simple misunderstanding. Partner can mean many things out of context.”

“I agree but the ambiguity coupled with the changes to protocol have caused something of a headache for me as your superior,”

He knew Skinner was trying to be diplomatic but Mulder could feel himself bristling with annoyance. “Perhaps you would prefer I referred to her as my sidekick from now on. Maybe she can start calling me Batman? I’m fairly sure OPR would have an issue with that too.”

“I do appreciate your frustration, please don’t misunderstand.  This is not a conversation I think is necessary either but as your AD it does fall to me to follow up as OPR see fit. Everything that you have just said is a conversation I’ve already had.”

“I see,”

“The thing is coupled with the request you stay with her during her examination and the missed profile it paints a bit of a picture.” Skinner continued “If it gets followed up OPR are likely to suggest reassignment I think.”

Mulder’s stomach dropped, ‘here it comes’ he thought ‘the end of the road’ “I think it's a little unfair to judge how anyone would behave during such a trauma. Scully just needed to feel safe. We shouldn't pass judgement on how she sought that at a time when her body is in fight or flight, particularly when that judgement is being made on the basis of a mistaken use of a noun.”

“I agree, please know that. I'm going to fight this.”

Mulder nodded “Is that all?”

“Not really, I've not been blind, I've suspected for years but it's always been very discreet. I've never had reason to think it would interfere with the work. You wouldn't be the first and you won't be the last. Sporadically when concerns have been raised I've been able to honestly answer that you've never given me a reason to be worried and I’ve been able to make them go away. Until now.”

Mulder looked down at his hands suddenly realising that he was wringing them together anxiously.

“Look I know her request for me to stay during the evidence gathering was unusual and raised some eyebrows. It really wasn’t what you think; I faced the wall in the corner. She was just scared and wanted to know I was there.” Mulder looked up and met Skinners gaze, he was looking at him as if he were a puzzle to be solved.  “She was the victim of a violent and sexually motivated assault by a man who was able to physically overpower her. He planned to kill, rape and mutilate her in her own home. Neither of us could understand how it would feel to be vulnerable in that way. We've been partners for seven years and we cover each other’s backs. My presence makes her feel safer. I don't think we should judge her for that.”

“I agree but that isn't my concern.”

“I see. The profile?”

“Yes.” He replied softly “I know how you internalise these things so I'm sorry to bring it up but I've never known you to miss something like that. In all the years I’ve been your supervisor”

“Neither have I.” Mulder agreed “I know now that I was too close to the case. I should have declined when they requested my input.”

“Yes you should.” The response was abrupt but not unkind.

“At the time I didn't think it would be a problem. I didn’t want Scully to come with me because it had rattled her so much the first time, I didn’t realise how much it had affected me too. I will be more aware in the future.”

Skinner nodded. “Thank you for your self-reflection. I was concerned about having to spell it out to you. I have concerns about you being out in the field together if mistakes like that can be made. It's a safety issue”

“I understand. I would never knowingly put Scully at risk and I'm sure you know that.”

“I do.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“I'm not sure you can promise that. Can we talk candidly off the record?”

Mulder nodded. “I know what you want to know and if you want to ask me the question I'll answer it honestly, I've nothing to hide but I think in terms of plausible deniability it’s probably for the best if we talk hypothetically.”

“I see” Skinner replied, Mulder had practically confirmed it then. “For the sake of plausible deniability, hypothetically It has been clear for many years that you are more than partners. It was difficult to deny your involvement during Agent Scully’s cancer treatment. When she recovered things returned to their usual professionalism so I turned a blind eye and you've been discreet enough to never give me a reason to look any closer into it. Something has changed in recent months. Agent Scully has taken medical leave on a number of occasions and there has been a subtle shift in dynamics and now this. Is there something I need to know relating to her health?”

This was not at all what he had expected. Skinner thought they’d been together for years, he thought the change was because something was wrong with her.

“Hypothetically I think you may have got the wrong end of the stick, Sir. We have always been more than partners and her treatment definitely lowered some walls between us but if there were something more personal in nature I think it would be a recent development.”

“Well that I would find surprising.” Skinner replied

“Hypothetically the medical leave has been exploring something personal, she is not ill and it wouldn't affect her current ability to be in the field, although that may change. If that was to be the case you would be the first to know.”

“I see. So her cancer isn't back.”

“No sir.”

“And forgive me for asking but she isn't pregnant?” Mulder raised an eyebrow surprised at the question.

“No sir, I can assure you if she was I wouldn't allow her to take the risk of being in the field either.  If she hadn't told you I would have, whether she liked it or not.”

“I see.”

“I don’t feel it’s my place to discuss her medical history but I have suggested she discuss this situation with you already, because it would make things easier for her. I know that you would be supportive, but she is very private and is reluctant to share it with anyone. Even her mother doesn't know. I do however understand the awkward position this puts you in.”

Skinner had an inkling of what this could be. Sharon and he had tried for years to start a family but it was never meant to be. He suspected she was undergoing fertility treatment.

“Agent Scully’s medical status is of course her own concern but it’s easier to fight your corner when I have all the facts. I'm meeting with HR today. Then the OPR preliminary is first thing tomorrow. I will do my best to make it go away. There have been some previous concerns raised in a similar vein. If they get brought up it may be more difficult to do so.”

“Concerns like?”

“A few minor things that linked mostly to gossip that I've smoothed over, and then there was the formal complaint raised by Peyton Ritter about unprofessional conduct last year.”

Mulder was indignant “Please! He was just trying to save his neck the complaint was thrown out at the time.”

“I agree but when looked at as a whole it could be taken as a pattern. I'll know more tomorrow. I'll be in touch.”

Thank you sir. He stood and walked silently down to the parking lot. He opened the car and got in, resting his head momentarily on the steering wheel. ‘Fuck!’ he thought angrily ‘the end of the road’

Chapter Text

10am

Apt 35, 107 E. Cordova St, Georgetown

Mulder heard the knock, sharp and regimented. No need to look through the peephole to see who this was.

"Jesus, they were worth the money" Bill exclaimed looking around in awe.  Not a trace of the chaos was left behind just two days previously. The rug and sofa were gone but the floor and walls were clean as a whistle. The walls had been whitewashed and were ready for a fresh coat of the linen white emulsion waiting in the van.

“They did a good job didn't they?” Mulder said looking round “The carpenter is dropping off the new closet doors in an hour. The rug arrived earlier and the sofa is coming this afternoon. We need to get the painting done really before it arrives.”

“How did you manage that? A sofa in two days is practically miraculous” Bill asked incredulously although he couldn’t quite disguise the edge in his tone that betrayed him, telling Mulder that he was really quite impressed.

“It's a display model from some store in Annapolis.” Mulder said shrugging

“Lucky it was for sale.”

“It wasn't.” Mulder replied

Bill smiled “How much did that cost?”

Mulder grinned “Much more than it was worth plus delivery.”

Bill laughed “You've got it bad my friend. Help me get the stuff in from the van.”

Xxx

Bill stood back to survey his work. The bedroom wall looked good; he’d managed a pretty smooth finish considering the hole had been so large. It was a much better job than he thought he was capable of to be honest.

"We'll make a diy-er of you yet junior" he heard his dad say in a distant memory.

He headed back out into the living room. Mulder was putting the finishing touches to the first coat he was sitting on the floor cutting in by the baseboards.

“You want a drink?” he called to him. “Coke or rootbeer?”

“Coke please.” Mulder replied

He cracked the can and passed it to him.

“Not bad.” Bill said “I've done the filling. It just needs to dry for a few hours before we can paint. Bill said. Do you want to check it?”

“No, I'm sure it's great. As long as the hole is gone that is good enough for me.” Bill felt a little disappointed; he kind of wanted to show off his handiwork.

“You nearly done?” he asked “We can start on these doors? I need you to help me hold them. 

“Almost maybe five more minutes”

Bill sat down at the kitchen table. 

“Dana told mom she's worried they're going to split you up”

“It's definitely a possibility.”

“She said you’d told her not to worry about it”

“I’m not surprised, that is what I told her. No point worrying before the fact. We’ll just have to deal with it if it happens”

Bill cocked his head to the side, Mulders shoulders and jaw line did look tense now he thought about it.

“Why would they be thinking about splitting you up?”

“It's stupid. Some cop submitted a report calling me her boyfriend.”

“But you are aren't you?” Bill said bluntly

“I'm 40 years old. I'm too old to be a boyfriend.” He chuckled

“I agree.” Bill teased “You're not a husband either though. So what do I call you then?”

“Partner is fine.” Mulder replied “It’s not really allowed what we are.”

“I imagine it happens all the time” Bill said “Working together so closely like you do, all this high stakes drama. I imagine it pushes people together”

Mulder nods. “All the time, people just try to make sure they don’t find out.”

“What will you do? If they do split you up?”

“I've not even discussed that with Dana yet.” He said

“But you know don't you?”

Mulder stood and stretched. Picking up the paint and paintbrush and carrying it to the kitchen.

“I won't stay in the bureau. I've been speaking to a former colleague. He thinks he can get me a job teaching psychology at the University of Georgetown. We should know by Friday; I have a meeting Monday at the university”

“Is it what you want? Seems quite a curveball”

“Not really, I don’t really know.” Mulder said honestly “I want to know what happened to my sister but everything we discover makes it more complicated. The more complicated it gets the more dangerous it seems. I'm getting tired of the fight. I don't think we'll ever know for certain what happened. I’m not sure I can keep doing these mad dashes across the city knowing she’s in danger. One day our luck might run out. I'm not sure it's worth it chasing a ghost.”

“What do you think happened to your sister?” he asked

“She was taken when I was twelve and she was eight. We were home alone. I was watching her it ruined my life, destroyed my family. I thought she was abducted by aliens. Now? I think it was men; a conspiracy; the same one that took your sister and gave her cancer. The lies run pretty deep though. I'm not sure we'll ever know really.”

“That chip? What is it?”

“Hell if I know. Some sort of microchip. I was told it would cure her. She had it implanted and it did.”

“Where did you get it?”

Mulder smiled “Now that I know for a fact you really don't want to know.”

Bill was getting a little pissed off with him saying that “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know”

Mulder met his eyes incredulously “The pentagon.”

The shock instantaneous on Bills face was somewhat satisfying “What? The military? It came from the military?”

Mulder nodded.

“You just rocked up to the Pentagon and they just gave you it?”

“No, don’t be ridiculous” he replied trying to hide the amused smirk threatening to break out. “I broke in and I stole it.”

“You’re shitting me” he replied, Mulder shook his head “No one breaks into the pentagon and walks out alive.”

“I agree. Someone allowed it. I had help to get in, a whistle blower of sorts but someone had to have sanctioned letting me go.”

“This all sounds crazy.  Why would they do that?”

“I know. It's all true though.” He finished his coke and placed the can on the side “To shut me up it’s the ultimate contingency plan. The woman I love has a piece of their technology implanted in her body that seems to keep her alive. The threat they could deactivate it at any moment held above my head. They know I'll always choose her.” He shrugged “You can see why getting out might appeal.”

Bill really couldn’t see how it could be true but he could see from Mulders face he was telling the truth.

“Then why don't you?”

“She's not ready.” He said quietly

“But this your quest isn't it?” 

“It was. Then they took her, did awful things, killed her sister, stole her ova, made and allowed her child to die and then gave her cancer. Now it's as much hers as mine. These days I think it's more hers.” He paused “She still needs answers. I just need her”

Bill didn’t know what to say. “I don't know what to think. I've given my life to the navy as my Dad did. The thought the military is involved in what they did to her… I don’t know what to do with that.”

I get that. My Dad worked for the state department, they’re tied up in it too. Shakes the foundations of everything you think you know. They're very different branches; I don't think that anyone in your branch of the navy knows anything about this.”

“Still…” he paused “The pentagon? You broke into the pentagon?”

He nodded.

“You could have been arrested.”

“I expected to be.”

“You could have been killed.”

“I thought I would be but I walked out the door. Someone gave an order to let me go.”

“Fuck.”

Mulder laughed. “Something like that.”

“Come on let's get these doors done.” He followed Mulder back into the bedroom. Bill picked up his Dad's old drill that he'd borrowed this morning and attached the right drill bit.

Mulder opened the closet door and held it steady as Bill undid the screws. He lifted it out into the hallway then repeated the process with the next one. He and Bill lifted the new solid doors into position and Bill began reattaching then.

“Why exactly are we replacing these? The old ones seem fine.”

“He was hiding in there waiting for her when she got home. He watched her get changed through the slats before he attacked her.” Bill looked into the small space in the closet and shuddered “That's never going to happen again. If someone ever chooses to hide in there again they're not going to see shit.”

Bill thought back to Mulders odd behaviour the other day, seeming as though he was psyching himself up to open the doors. It made sense now.

“Sick fuck.”

“You have no idea.”

When the doors were hung Mulder turned to where the dented plaster had been and looked at the wall Bill had repaired.

“That's pretty good! Once it's painted I doubt you'd even notice it.”

“Thanks.” Bill smiled “I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t make an absolute mess of it to be honest. I’m pretty impressed with myself. Don’t tell Tara, she’ll think I’ve been holding out on her. The hallway one’s done too.”

They walked out towards the kitchen. “What's it like in there?” he pointed to the bathroom. “I kind of need the John and I’ve been avoiding it”

“It's fine, all gone. It’s going to take me a while to get used to it though. Not sure I’ll ever be getting in that bathtub again though.”

Bill pushed the door and headed in. It was normal, no candles, no wax, no fingerprint dust and no deadly weapons. It was actually a really nice room. Square green tiles, big sash windows and a claw foot bath. Intellectually he could see why she loved it here. He was with Mulder though; too many ghosts.

He walked out into the kitchen. Mulder was at the table reframing the photos he'd picked up the other day and discarding the broken frames in a bag.

Bill went to the fridge and got out the sandwiches his mom had made them, chips and veggies for lunch all packed into a brown paper bag like they were heading off to school.

“Where's the plates?” he said

Mulder gestured to a cupboard behind Bill holding up the photo of him and his family.

“I can't believe how big Matthew is.” Mulder said. “He was so tiny 5 minutes ago.”

“I know; time goes so quick. He's so funny, like a fully formed little person now.” He’d been hoping an opportunity to say this would present itself “When Dana comes to meet the new baby you should come down.”

Mulder looked up, clearly shocked. He smiled a little and nodded. He knew how much that would mean to Dana.

Feeling awkward Bill changed the subject “I've not had my lunch packed for me like this since I was at school.”

“I don't think I've ever had my lunch packed like this” Mulder replied

“Your mom never did this?”

“Nah. If I needed a lunch I made it myself. Mom wasn’t that kind of mom really.”

“No?”

“She never really was before; then when Sam disappeared she had a breakdown. She was on a cocktail of meds; Valium, Vicoden even lithium at one point. She was always in bed, and when she wasn’t she might has we'll have been.”

“And your Dad?”

“Always working. Then they divorced. He was an every other weekend dad. He loved me in his way. He tried when I got older just all came a bit too late. He gave me a great education, I'll give him that. I chose Oxford mainly because I knew how expensive it was and to get as far away as I could. People are always impressed that I went to one of the most prestigious universities in the world. I know I did it mostly out of spite.”

“Hell of a way to get your own back” Bill said “Getting a degree to set you up for life”

“It was. He knew that was why I did it. He could never complain about it to anyone because the response was always ‘you must be so proud’. It was the ultimate middle finger.”

Bill laughed

“Is your mom still alive?”

“Yeah.”

“Is she better now?”

“To a degree. She's rebuilt her life a little; plays bridge, volunteers at some charity groups joined the Daughters of the American Revolution. She spends her life planning fundraisers and parties so that people tell her how great she is. Never has put things right between us though, I tried a few times. We speak about once a month. I go down there on her birthday and stay at my dad's.  See her for the afternoon and come back.  Dana doesn't even bother calling her when I get injured now because she doesn't come. Last time she sent a fruit basket.”

“That's harsh. My mom would drop everything even now.”

“She does, even when it's me usually. I'm not even one of hers.”

“Does Dana go with you to see her? She said you grew up on Martha's Vineyard. It's so beautiful there.”

“She has done but only really when Mom’s been sick. They're not exactly keen on one another. Your Mother is so good she finds it baffling, the judgement is written on her face. Dana's face is loud. Mom doesn't like what she sees reflected back at her. I thought I might suggest it while we're suspended. It is beautiful. You've been?”

“Yeah just a vacation. We stayed in Chilmark. Tara loves it.”

“I grew up in Chilmark, Mom still lives there. I rent out my Dad's house in West Tisbury, you know vacation rentals? I've got a woman who maintains it for me keeps it in better condition than sitting there empty. You're welcome to borrow it if you want. No charge.”

“Seriously? I'd have to pay you something. That would be great. Matty would love the beach.”

“Sure and there'll be no money, you're Scullys family. I'll send you a link to the rental page. Just let me know when you want it and I'll block it off. I'd do it sooner rather than later though. I'm thinking of selling it.”

“You are?”

“I'm thinking of buying a house. If we get split up there's no need to keep up the pretence of living separately. I’m here most of the time anyway. She loves those brownstones in Georgetown. It would be really cool to buy her one.”

“Sounds like you kind of want it to happen, getting split up.”

“I don't want it to happen but I can see the benefits. I think I'm tired of all this, injuries and danger. A year ago your Mom and I were flying to New York because she'd been shot in the stomach by some trigger happy newbie, sitting on the plane knowing she was in surgery and it was touch and go. We only heard she had made it to recovery when we arrived at the hospital. We drove through New York rush hour traffic not knowing if she was alive or dead” he rubbed his forehead in frustration “Then that asshole then had the fucking gall to make a formal complaint because I held him to the wall and kicked him out of the hospital after he nearly killed her. The complaint that was dismissed at the time might end up being the nail in the coffin for our partnership now. And now, Four days ago I was doing ninety trying to get here with a growing sense of dread that Donnie Pfaster could have her. One day our luck might run out. What we do is important, the deeper we dig the more important it seems so walking away isn’t easy.  I think the only way I could leave with a clear conscience is if someone made the decision for us. Maybe I'm just getting old and want to put down some roots.”

“Sounds like you feel a bit trapped. I get that, I love my job. Now we have kids though I hate being away so much. You done? Let's get the painting done. The sofa will be here in a couple of hours. You take the living room I'll do the bedroom.”

Mulders phone rang.

Bill started clearing the trash.

"Mulder" he answered "hello sir. Actually I'm not at home; I'm at agent Scully’s apartment with her brother."

Bill looked over at Mulder quizzically. Our boss he mouthed silently.

"Yeah that's fine come over. See you soon"

"He has news.”

“Sounds ominous”

“Not necessarily. Either way he'll want to tell me in person. He's been trying to make this whole thing about us go away before her professional conduct meeting.  I'm not remotely worried she'll be in trouble for the shooting it's the bit about us that could be concerning.”

Chapter Text

Skinner knocked at the door; he wanted to be anywhere else had hoped to bring better news. This was going to be a difficult conversation.

Mulder answered. Carrying a paint roller and wearing a splattered t shirt and stepped aside.

“Mind your step,” he said “The walls are wet.”

Bill stood washing a paintbrush in the sink.

"Sir, you remember agent Scully’s brother" Mulder said gesturing towards the kitchen

Skinner extended his hand. Bill wiped his hands on his jeans, took it and shook.

"Good to see you again"

"You have been busy; "Skinner said looking around. “It looks much better in here than on Monday.”

"I should hope so given how much it cost" Bill said. Grabbing a clean roller and refilling his paint bucket. "I'll leave you to it, that wall is calling for a second coat. Nice to see you again Mr Skinner”

“You too”

Bill shut the door, he wasn't trying to listen but the walls weren't very thick and it was hard not to hear.

"How did it go?"

“The panel really intended to pursue it. We did manage to argue that it would be gender discrimination to do so. That in that instance she should be treated as a victim of a violent crime and not as an agent. At the time of her actions she was in fight or flight. Any other victim would be accorded the right to do what makes them feel safe. She shouldn't be professionally judged for her actions in the midst of a trauma response.”

“So she won't be questioned on it at her hearing at all?”

“No so unless you've made her aware she will not need to worry about it.”

“No I haven't”

“I did however have to make some concessions to get them to agree to it.”

“I see, I take it they relate to me?”

“I'm afraid so.”

“Ok, hit me with it,”

“A note will be made about your conduct in relation to your partner in your HR file as questions about your relationship with Scully have been raised by multiple officers. They even dragged out what happened to Duane Barry in the mountain lodge. I was surprised.”

Bill thought, that name, he recognised it. Duane Barry that was the man who kidnapped her wasn't it?

“Krychek killed him.”

“I know, but you had assaulted him. It was on file that he had made a complaint about police brutality because you choked him.  The post mortem did show it to be true.”

Mulder attacked the guy who took her?

“I answered to all this years ago. I saw her blood and hair on him and I momentarily lost my cool and yes I put my hands round his neck. Yes I wanted to kill him. But I didn't I stopped myself and removed myself from the room. He was fine; when I left he was talking. Krychek injected him with something that killed him. I accepted the sanction for it at the time.”

He climbed on cable car, hung on the side of a mountain captured the guy then tried to strangle him? Bill had spent years saying how much he hated him for not protecting her. This all seemed to be adding up to a very different scenario to the one he been telling himself.

“I wasn't myself at the time”

“I know. But it is on file and it was police brutality, you know that. Ritter’s complaint is going to be noted as a means to show a pattern because they did acquiesce that it was only made as a counter to the one you had made for his incompetence in shooting Agent Scully. And this, well it is just a typo but one that they are arguing was made because you were behaving unprofessionally at the scene. They are saying it implies a trend; a pattern of behaviour.”

“You were at the scene with me and I was not unprofessional in any way. This is horseshit and you know it”

“No, you were not but they are suggesting that you were acting as her next of kin rather than an officer. As the first officer on the scene you should have been managing the crime scene according to protocol”  

“I called you so that I could be there for Scully because she needed me and I did manage the scene until you arrived”

“I'm sorry Mulder I'm with you. Personally I don't see it as an issue. I argued that after such a long partnership you are very close and was told that I was adding to the evidence by even saying it. I think you did the right thing but it is against protocol.”

Poor fuck, Bill thought. So he was in the shit professionally for looking after her?  

“They're also recommending that any attempt to engage you as a profiler for any case with Agent Scullys’ involvement be blocked or seriously considered in future because you weren't able to do act impartially on this case.”

“Honestly I think that part is wise.”

“Essentially the implication is they're watching your conduct. You need to be squeaky clean. They're looking for a reason to split you up now. I'm not sure I'll be able to smooth things over like I have in the past.”

“So I take it I'm suspended?”

“Two weeks, professional misconduct. I agree it is very harsh. You could try to fight it. I think it might make it worse to be honest.”

“Better to take it on the chin right?”

“I know it's not what you want to hear.”

“But if I let it be she doesn't need to know about this?”

“I don't think they intend to bring it up at her OPR hearing about the shooting. So yes I suppose unless you tell her she doesn't need to know.”

“Good. She'd feel guilty if she knew. I don't want that.”

“After our hypothetical discussion the other day I do think this may situation may have a deadline looming. If I've noticed a change I won't be the only one.”

“I'm aware sir. As a matter of fact, off the record I have a meeting on Monday about a potential career change. Not something I'm keen to do but I think it wise to have a back-up plan in place.”

“Well I must say I am surprised. What does Agent Scully make of this?”

“She doesn't know yet Sir. But I won't be sent to a field office on the other side of the country, I don't want go back to the VCS, and I'm not being punished with background checking. If I'm doing this job I'm doing it with her and if they won't allow that then the decision is made for me. Time for a change maybe?”

“May I ask what for?”

“I'm meeting Bob Jackson about a possible teaching position at Georgetown University. Not an interview just a potential for the future. Putting the feelers out.”

“Bob Jackson who used to be VCS?”

“That's right.”

“I’d be sorry to see you go but I think in your situation I'd do the same. Dana's hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. I'm going to call her when I leave here. I obviously can't say this officially but it should be a case of her relaying her version of events for the record and then discussing the support package that will be put in place for her return to work. Trauma counselling and a firearms refresher course that sort of thing. The intention is that it will be more of a welfare check than anything else.”

“That's great” there was a pause “At least I can take the time to support her.”

“That's one way to look at it.”

“I might take her to the vineyard for a break. Stay in my house, her brother gave me the idea. Take a vacation.”

“I think that would do her good. Have a good time. I hope Monday is positive for you.”

“Thanks for trying Sir.”

He heard the click of the door and tried to make himself seem engrossed in the movement of the roller.

xxx

Mulder headed into the bedroom and leaned on the door frame. “How much did you hear?”

“Not much.” He shrugged

“Really, that would be amazing, because these walls are paper thin?”

“Yeah, a bit.” He acknowledged “I'm sorry I really wasn't trying to pry.”

“I know. You hear everything in here.”

“I'm sorry you're in trouble. I don't really understand why.”

“I didn't predict what he would do.” Bill looked confused “I'm a profiler. That's my job get inside their heads and predict their next move I’m pretty good at it usually. I got it wrong because I didn't want to think about the possibility she might be in danger. I didn’t want to see it”

“Still..seems harsh.”

“Maybe. Maybe it’s not harsh enough.” He looked dejected.

“You had quite a day when she was taken.” Bill said changing the subject “Hanging from cable cars and nearly strangling kidnappers.”

“I told you, crazy shit. I'm not proud of it. The guy was delusional, cuffed and couldn't defend himself. I just lost it. I did choke him, he almost went blue. It was assault, I can’t even argue that it wasn’t”

“You did it because you love her.”

“Yeah. He had her blood on him; it was like I wasn’t in control of my body. Red mist they call it don’t they? Doesn’t make it right though,”

“Stop beating yourself up, we all do stupid shit for love. For what it's worth I don't think you've done anything wrong this time. It seems like you're in trouble for supporting her when she needed you. That seems really unfair. Whatever the protocol it seems to me there should be room to be a human being.”

“Thanks.” He smiled sadly

Break times over If you're done in there get a roller and give me a hand.

"Ok" he laughed.

Chapter Text

He sat in the hallway outside her hearing. Thirty minutes Skinner had said. He looked at his watch twenty minutes in. Not long now. He hoped she got what she needed from it and that whatever was said in there gave her guilt some resolution.

She had been a little better yesterday evening when he and Bill had finished at the apartment. They had got home to Maggie Scully’s homemade lasagne. She had seemed brighter and although the bruising had deepened and darkened the swelling had lessened and she seemed to be able to move more easily. They'd eaten together as they had the first night. Bill and Mulder had watched part of a game while she and her Mom and cleaned up.

After they had left she had told him how being able to do this all together made her feel lighter. “It's so nice not feeling like I have to choose.” She had said.

He liked that she felt that way. He even thinks he quite likes Bill. Maybe they got off on the wrong foot. Mulder wasn't sure they'd ever be the best of friends but on best behaviour, they could pass the time quite comfortably in each other’s company. He could be pretty funny although Mulder had never seen it before. Last night at dinner he had tormented Dana threatening to reveal the story about her junior prom. Scully had thrown a napkin at him and it had all got a bit silly. It was nice to see her laugh. He and Maggie had exchanged a look, this was nice.

Healing.

Monday evening they were flying to the vineyard. Ten days’ vacation and recovery. He was looking forward to it.

The door opened and she stepped out with Skinner.

He nodded in Skinner's direction as she walked towards him.

“You ready?” she asked

“Whenever you are.”

They walked in silence through the building, his hand at her back until they got to the car.

“How did it go?” He asked as they pulled away

“Good I guess. I'm off another three weeks and then phased return. I've got to see a trauma counsellor and have some firearms training. Although they have said that isn't because they think I did something wrong, it's so that the next time I fire isn't in the field. Desensitize me to it or something. I don't think it's necessary but it won't do any harm.” She paused, he could see from the way she was holding herself she felt a little less tense “They did ask questions but it seemed more a supportive thing than an investigation.”

“That's great.”

“They asked some questions about you though that seemed odd.”

“Really?” he said non-committedly, dread rising in his stomach

“Yeah about protocol. I got a vibe.”

“Did you?”

She turned in her chair and studied his face, he was hiding something from her she could see it in the set of his jaw “Mulder you're evading the question. What aren't you telling me?”

“They weren't supposed to be asking about it today.” He said softly

“So there is something? Asking about what?” she demanded.

He didn’t answer

“That explains why Skinner shut it down and the HR changed the subject. Mulder what the hell is going on?”

Mulder stared ahead at the road.

“Mulder have you been suspended?”

He sighed. He didn't want to do this but he didn't want to lie.

“Yes” he answered

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“We had bigger things to worry about to be honest Scully.” He looked over at her, she looked furious “I didn’t want to give you anything else to worry about” her face softened

“Is it because of the police station?” she asked softly “I shouldn’t have put you in that position…”

He held a hand up “Don’t. You absolutely should have. I love you and you needed me, nothing else was more important that that at the time. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, I told Skinner that myself. But no actually it’s because I missed the profile and then professional misconduct managing the scene.”

“What?”

“Calling Skinner to manage the scene instead of following protocol and doing it myself”

“God, Mulder I'm so sorry.”

“Why? It's ridiculous. Even Bill said so”

“Bill knows?” she said shock and annoyance evident on her face

“Skinner came to tell me when we were at yours. I wouldn’t have chosen to have that relayed with your thin walls and you brother next door.” Mulder said “He was pretty good about it all actually.”

“He’s pretty good in a crisis. He's a hot head but there's a lot of Dad in there too you know.”

“Yeah. He’s not so bad really”

“I'm sorry you didn't think you could tell me.” She said, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Now don’t start that,” he admonished, reaching over and taking her hand and dragging it back to rest held in his on his thigh. “I knew I could. I didn't want to. I knew you'd worry about it.”

“But Mulder... It must mean you're being scrutinized.”

He paused. Now was the opportunity to tell her. He took a deep breath ‘like ripping off a bandaid’ he thought ‘get it over and done with quickly’

“I need to tell you something else. I'm thinking about leaving the FBI.”

“What? Why?” the shock on her face was almost comical

“I think I'm getting tired of all this. I came so close to losing you. I don't think I want to keep doing this.”

There was a long moment of silence as she processed it, trying to organise her thoughts.

“But Mulder... The X-files? I can't believe this.”

“I'm not saying I'm going to for sure but I'm exploring some options. They want me out Scully. We both know that. At some point they'll find out about us and split us up again...”

“Then maybe...”

He pulled over abruptly to the side of the road putting the car into park aggressively and turned fully in her seat to face her

“Don't even say it. It's not an option.”

The tears were freely flowing now “But this is your life's work. I don’t want to be the reason you lose that.”

“You are more important. This was always coming anyway with the IVF. If it works I want us to be a real family. Live in the same house and maybe even have the same name. I want us to all sit together for dinner at six and read stories at bedtime. I want to coach the little league team and be there to watch the games. I never had any of that. I want our baby to have what I craved and what you had. We can't do that as we are.”

“You never said any of this when we talked about it”

“I know. But we weren’t even together then. It's not a bad thing. It’s what I want”

“Well say we did leave what would we do?”

“You could go back to Quantico if you wanted. Medical examiner? Plenty of choices for you. Maybe even go part-time to be at home with the baby when they're little.”

“And you?”

“I've spoken to Bob Jackson, my old colleague from the VCS. He’s still a lecturer at Georgetown criminal psychology, head of department these days. They're interested in launching a psychology of the paranormal elective. I could deliver the course and do research. Publish papers of my own interest.  Maybe write a book. I have a meeting with them Monday morning before we go to put the feelers out and see what they could offer me. It's just a hypothetical though.”

She paused he knew she was processing.

“You've really thought about this haven't you?”

“I have. How do you feel about it.”

“A bit blindsided. I feel a bit sad you did it behind my back. But I think that sounds like a really exciting opportunity for you.”

“Not behind your back. I knew there was going to be sanctions for me. I thought they might split us up. I wasn't being sent off to Salt Lake City. I was just trying to be sensible. We're supposed to be starting the transfer next cycle. I can't be out of work. I wanted to come to you with solutions not problems.”

She nodded. “I get it.”

“And for you could it be an opportunity for you too?”

“I'd not really thought about it. Maybe though.”

“Scully if it takes we can't be flying out into the field all the time. We're going to need to be home. We're going to need to do bedtime, school runs and making packed lunches. Our lifestyle doesn't fit that right now.”

“No. You're right. But what if it doesn’t take and we make all these big changes?”

“I guess that's a risk. We don't have to make any decisions right now. It's just something we need to really consider.”

“You're right.”

“When am I not?” he teased placing a kiss to her lips “Come on stop worrying. Let's have one last night with your Mom and Bill and then I’ll see what they say Monday and we'll go have a nice vacation and  we'll just think about it. Ok?”

“Ok.”

“Are you ok?”

“Bit shocked to be honest. But yeah I think I see that it could be good. Like you said, We don't need to decide right now.”

Mulder pulled back out into the traffic.

“We’ll decide when we’re ready. Together.”

Chapter Text

11.55 am

Margaret Scully Residence

They walked up the steps on to the porch at Maggie's, Mulder was carrying a tray of stuffing Scully had made earlier and a bottle of wine. He felt a little nervous. It had been a while since he'd had a big family holiday. Normally he sat on the sofa watching re-runs of the twilight show and eating leftover pizza. Holiday’s at home had always been long anticipated, and then descended into arguing. His dad would drink, his mom would snipe at him and he would be stuck in the middle missing Samantha. He hadn’t missed them when he moved out. It meant a lot to her that he was here though, so here he was.

He pulled at the collar of his sweater feeling a little hot.

“You ok?” She asked

“Yeah”

“Nervous?”

“Yeah a little. Going to be a full house, been a long time since I've done that.”

“We don't have to stay. We can make an excuse if you want”

“No don't be silly. It'll be nice. Your Moms gone to a lot of trouble.”

She gave him a quick peck on the lips. “It makes me so happy you're here and I'm not having to choose between being with you or my family.”

“Good. That makes me happy too.”

She pushed the door and they walked in.

Maggie walked out of the kitchen "I thought I heard the door." She came up and hugged them both.

"Dana and Fox are here" she called to the others.

“Do you need some help Mom?”

“No sweetie, it’s all done, we're all in the sitting room.” She took the tray from Mulder and he handed over the wine “Thank you Fox, this is my favourite. I'll just put this to reheat and I'll be in too.”

They took off their shoes and moved towards the living room door. Mulder reached out and grabbed her hand. He really had downplayed his nerves. His palms were clammy. She gave him a reassuring squeeze and reached up on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. "I love that you're here" she said.

He smiled and followed her into the living room.

Matthew was sitting on the floor. He had some cars set up with a plastic parking garage. It had slopes all over it pointing in different directions and a lift to get the cars to the top. He looked up and held a car up to Scully. "Look Auntie Dana Daddy bought me a car like yours" he held up a police car to show her

“Bill did try to explain the difference between police and FBI. It was lost on him, I had to tell him to let it go” Tara said amused

"Wow Matty that is so cool!"

"Look what it does?" He pushed a button on the bottom and it made a siren noise.

"sounds just like mine" she laughed

She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"This is Fox, he's a policeman too"

Matty eyed him nervously "Hi"

"Hi, cool garage" Mulder said. Matty smiled and went back to his game.

Tara was sitting in the armchair by the TV looking like she was about ready to pop. She moved as if to get up.

"You stay put," Scully said "I'll come to you."

She crossed the room and gave Tara a hug.

Mulder held back a little "Hi Tara, good to see you"

She grinned "Don't think you're getting away with that in this family we hug, and if you make me come to you it's gonna take so long for me to get up it will get awkward"

Mulder laughed and crossed the room and gave her a quick hug.

Bill walked in carrying a beer and a glass of white wine. "It's that Sauvignon you like, I did a run especially yesterday, and for the good stuff for you" Grolsh export Mulder noted, he’d remembered. He couldn't deny that Bill really was trying.

Bill clapped him on the shoulder "I'm so glad you're here normally it's just me and Charlie and he's always watching the gym bod so we're on Bud light- tastes like dishwater, lucky for us he's in the middle of the Adriatic drinking that crap there instead"

Mulder laughed. "Happy to be of service"

Dana glanced over at Mulder as she took her wine. Their first transfer was in three days time she wasn't allowed to drink. She knew declining would make more of an issue and people would start questioning. She had never once been to a family gathering and not had a drink. In recent years with all the animosity she'd mostly sat in the corner and quietly polished off a bottle worrying about Mulder sitting at home alone and feeling resentful.

He smiled and squeezed her hand.

She raised the glass to her lips but didn't drink. Tara caught it and cocked her head suspiciously.

They sat down on the sofa. Bill settled in to Dad's old chair to watch the game.

"Mommy come and play with me" 

"I'm sorry baby it's a bit hard for Mommy to sit on the floor at the moment and Grandma has the table all set up for dinner."

"Can I play?" Mulder piped up

"Yeah, you can't be the Auntie Dana car though." Mulder moved to sit beside him on the floor, "I've got a red race car?" Matty said handing it over

“Lucky me, red is my favourite”

Tara looked over at Dana; she was curled into the corner of the sofa her feet beneath her watching her partner play with her nephew. She looked so happy, for last few years during the holidays she'd seemed either sad or angry and always like she wanted to be somewhere else. Glued to her phone and disappearing at least once to make a call.

Every year Tara had spent the evening bickering with her husband about making amends. They had been such a close family when she first met Bill, she had fallen in love with them all, it had been so sad to see the distance that had grown between them all. Every year she would pick a fight, he would get defensive and still nothing changed; she was looking forward to not needing to do this.

Mulder and Matty were taking it in turns to launch their cars off the different ramps. Matty squealed excitedly as they crashed into the floor, sofa and peoples legs.

"Watch this Fox" he said every minute or so "can you do that?"

He was pretty great with kids. Those long legs tucked awkwardly beneath him. They'd only ever met during a crisis. When he was relaxed and happy that face was even more handsome, all wrapped up in a very pleasing package. The number of times over the years she'd listened to Bill exclaim 'what does she even see in him?' after the first few 'you mean beyond the obvious?' she had learnt better than to reply.

"Is your name really Fox?"

"Yep"

"That's a funny name"  Matty replied.

"Matthew that's rude!" Tara admonished as Bill and Mulder laughed.

"Kid's got a point. I’ve been telling my mother that for forty years" he said smiling at Tara. He turned to Matty "it is pretty silly isn't it?"

"You don't even have a tail!"

Mulder let out a full belly laugh. "No, I don't."

"I've got a fox upstairs, you wanna see?"

"Yes please,"

"Stay there, I'll be back."

“You've made a friend,” Scully said handing Mulder his beer. Mulder smiled.

Bill dragged his eyes from the screen “I meant to ask how did it go at the university?” he asked Mulder

“Yeah pretty good, they were really interested. They'll offer me a year’s contract starting in the fall if I want it. If it works out it could develop into a permanent one. Sounded pretty good and I can do my own research and publish if I want.”

“So are you going to go for it then?”

Mulder looked at Scully and smiled “I've got to make the decision by Christmas so got a little time yet.  But I think I'm leaning towards it. We’ve got to make sure we’re on the same page” 

Bill could see it, he had already made up his mind, he was just giving her time to adjust. His sister had hated change, a hangover from the childhood they'd had, he was keeping it up in the air until she was ready. 

“If Mulder goes for it I think I'm going to go back to teaching at Quantico for a while, see what comes up.”

“That’s great,” Bill said “Do you think they do family discount, we’ve already started Matty’s college fund. That shit aint cheap”

Mulder laughed.

Tara looked over at Dana's untouched wine still clasped in her hand and then back to Fox sitting on the floor playing with her son. ‘Could it be?’ she thought. “maybe?’

Xxx

Fox stood in the kitchen hand-washing Maggie’s crystal wine glasses while Bill loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. It was quiet. Tara had taken Matty up to bed. Today had been nice. No tension, no arguing, playing with Matty had been fun and most importantly Dana was happy.

“Matty loves you,” Bill said “He asked Tara if you can come for a playdate at our house”

“That’s cute,” Mulder replied “He’s really funny, I've had fun today”

“Can I ask you something?” Bill said

“Oh no, not this again!” he exclaimed laughing.

Dana walked back in collecting the last of the glasses from around the living room.

Bill stopped what he was doing. "Ah you’re here too. Good,” Scully looked confused “So what's with the not drinking?"  He turned and leaned against the counter. "It's Thanksgiving you're normally a bottle deep at this point"

“Hardly,” she replied glaring daggers at Bill, then turning to Mulder “What have you been saying?”

“Hey, don’t look at me,” he said holding his hands up and grabbing the dishcloth and starting to dry up.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I drank two glasses at dinner." Dana replied feigning confusion. Mulder couldn’t help but think it wasn’t very convincing; she could be a pretty shitty liar.

"No you didn't, you pretended to and poured it into his glass when you thought no one was looking"

"I told you he'd missed a calling" Fox said amused.

She sighed "I'm driving."

"Oh please you say that every year, then you drink your weight and get a taxi"

"Bill..." she looked defeated.

"You should just tell him." Mulder said softly.

She glared in his direction. “We discussed this”

Bill looked between the two of them, some sort of silent debate taking place. His parents used to do this when they were kids, a whole conversation hidden in a look. It annoyed him then and it was no less irritating now.

"Well I don’t know what you two are doing with this whole thing” he said waving his fingers between them “To be fair, you should tell us all because everyone has noticed. Mom's about to crack out the knitting patterns." Dishwasher loaded Bill shut the door and turned it on. He turned to the fridge and got another beer and handed one to Mulder.
"Look I know I'm overstepping but if there's good news it would be nice to share it is all I'm saying" he said, kissing her on her forehead and walking back into the living room.  "And if it's something else you should probably put it straight before Mom and Tara get carried away. Talk some sense into her will you?" He said to Mulder as he left.

"I do think you're going to have to tell them"

"Mulder…"

"If you leave it they'll put two and two together and make five.”

“Maybe, but nothing is a given. It might not take. You know what the doctor said three cycles, if it doesn't take then that's it. It’ll crush mom. Missy’s gone, Charlie doesn’t look like he’s ever going to settle down he goes through women at a frightening pace.” Dana looked at the floor “Mom always imagined an army of grandchildren and it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. I don’t want to disappoint her”

“You won’t, that’s a whole lot of pressure you’re piling on yourself there for things that aren’t under your control.” He said softly pulling her in for a hug “You’re supposed to be avoiding undue stress. It won't crush her, I think you’re selling your Mom short there and it might be nice to have some support either way.”

“I guess.” She said looking up at him “We're not married though. Mom's Catholic”

“Well now you’re just making excuses. Scully you're thirty five, you’re a grown woman able to make your own decisions. Even if your Mom doesn't like them, she doesn't expect a vote. A couple of years ago she was scared you wouldn't be here and that you might never even get a chance to do this. She's not going to care.”

“You think?”

“I know.” He replied with absolute certainty.

“I guess we could tell them.”

“I think you have to.”

“Ok, I’ll tell them.”

They walked back into the living room. Bill had settled himself back into the recliner and put on Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Maggie had sunk into the sofa and was staring at the screen. Tara waddled back in carrying the baby monitor.

"He's out" she said. "He wants to know if his friend Fox will still be here to play tomorrow"

Mulder laughed. "He's pretty great"

"You're so good with him. He's had such a lovely time today" Tara settled herself back into her armchair. “And its been nice to have a bit of a rest, normally one of us is running around after him. Thanks" she looked over at Dana "He'd be a great Daddy you know" Tara teased.

"Leave them be, Tara" Bill said an edge of annoyance in his tone, he looked over at Tara abruptly "You hated it when people said stuff like that to us."

"I did, you’re right Bill. Sorry." She said gesturing to shut her lips

Scully looked at Mulder.

"Well actually...." She said her eyes trained on hands entwined with Mulders on her lap. Everyone looked over expectantly. Bill paused the TV. "We have something to tell you all."

Maggie bought her hands up to her face.

Scully looking down had not seen it, Mulder interrupted firmly "before we all get carried away it's not what you're thinking exactly."

He saw the flash of disappointment for the briefest of moments flash over Maggie's face. Followed by panic "You're not unwell Dana?"

"No mom.'

She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand tightly. "When I was taken something happened to me as a result of the tests that were done on me. I found out later that it had  left me unable to have children"

It hung heavily in the air, a pregnant pause. The irony of it not lost on her.

"Oh my god Dana" Tara said. I had no idea. "I wouldn't have said that if I'd known. You know we struggled to have Matty. I'm so sorry Dana. I'm such an asshole

"Don't be silly." Mulder said firmly.

"About a year ago I found a doctor who thinks they may be able to help me. I'd been told there was no chance but this particular doctor thought there was a chance, albeit slim." She took a deep breath and met his eyes "Fox and I are going through IVF to try to have a baby. They've managed to create 10 embryos, which we're told is fairly promising, and is enough for three cycles. We were supposed to be having our first transfer in September but then I got injured so it's been rescheduled to Tuesday.  So I'm on a lot of meds to get my body ready and I'm not allowed to drink to give it the best shot at working"

There was silence for a moment. "Oh sweetie" Maggie Said hugging her daughter tightly "why didn't you tell me?"

"Well when we decided to do this we weren't even a couple Mom, I didn't think you'd approve.”

Bill looked over at Mulder. He was going to do this for her when they weren't even together. 'i don't remember a time since we met that I didn't love her' he wasn’t lying, he could see it now. She was his everything.

“Don’t be silly. It's 1999 Dana, there are unmarried couples with children that attend our church, times change. A baby is always a blessing.”

She smiled sadly “Well as much as we want it to there's no guarantees. It might not take. There might not ever be a baby Mom”  Silent tears started to fall and Dana buried her head into Mulders shoulder for a moment.

“Dana didn't want to tell you all because she's worried about disappointing you, she doesn't want everyone to get their hopes up because for us it is three tries and that’s it. It’s a lot of pressure.”

The silence hung in the air for a long moment, as the information settled.

“Is there a second opinion you can get? A different doctor?” Bill asked

He looked down at her. Silent communication passing between them.

“It's not so much that Bill. When they took me they...” Her voice broke and she took a deep breath. “I don't have any ova so harvesting more just isn't possible. When they're gone they're gone.”

“I see. Well there's more than one way to skin a cat as they say” Maggie said reassuringly holding Dana’s hand “if it doesn't happen there's other ways to go about these things”

“It's unlikely that we'd ever be approved for adoption because of Dana’s medical history. If it doesn't work then it might just be us, family of two.” Mulder said kissing her on the top of the head. “Which would be sad but I still think it sounds pretty great.”

"Yeah, pretty great" she said smiling sadly

“Well we'll all be praying that it does work then.” Maggie said hugging her daughter tightly.

They all turned their gaze back to the movie. In a beat Tara burst into tears, loud and dramatic and everyone looked her way alarmed.  “I’m so sorry, this is so not about me” she managed between sobs “it's the hormones. I'm so happy for you but so sad and my body doesn’t know what to do with it”

Scully laughed, and then Tara laughed tears still flowing and then somehow they were all in stitches.

Bill rolling his eyes got up and went to her.

"Get used to this" he chuckled directing it to Mulder. 

"We've been riding the wave of progesterone injections for a while, I'm well aware of what's coming" he laughed.

Xxx

Bill stood on the front Porch smoking a cigarette. He was looking up at the sky. She'd been through so much he didn't know about. He missed Dad, he had always known how to read all of the kids in their own way, this distance between them all would never have grown if he was still here. He always seemed to know what to do. He hoped Matty would think that about him one day, he wasn't sure that he would.

The door clicked and he looked over to see Mulder.

"Busted" Bill said holding up the cigarette "Tara would go nuts. Want one?"

"Tempted," he said conspiratorially "Better not. We're on quite the health kick at the moment; it’s all greens, vitamins and special teas for me. Our bodies are temples, although she seems to have forgotten that my part is already done" he said wryly.

"I can't believe you were going to do this for her before you were even together?" 

"Why wouldn't I?” Mulder looked genuinely puzzled “She'd make a great mom, and her chance was stolen from her. There’s no reason I wouldn’t help her"

The way he spoke about her, he wished his Dad was here to see it. He'd always been convinced that Bill Scully Senior would have hated him. Now, he knows it not to be true. All his Dad had ever said was to 'find someone who makes you happy and looks at you the way I look at your mother and life will sort itself out'. Both he and Dana had found that. Dad would be thrilled.

"What happened to her ova?"

"Harvested to use in tests, like Emily" he said "the ones she has we have by chance"

"How?"

"I found them in a lab when she was sick when I was looking for answers about what they did to her. I was taken to them, by someone who wanted it all to stop. I stole them, although really is it stealing when they're hers? I'm kicking myself now though. I stood looking at a drawer full of vials, at the time I took one as evidence. I wasn't thinking about the future, I should have taken them all. One vial? I don't know what I was thinking. I had them stored until she was ready"

“I don't even know what to say.” Bill said “I was pretty wrong about you.”

“I don't know I can be a sorry son of a bitch” Mulder laughed

“No,” he said “you're just a guy who really loves my sister.”

Mulder looked down at his feet “I am that too.”

The door clicked again "Mulder it's getting pretty late, are you ready to ... Are you smoking?" her voice momentarily furious.

"No no, that would be me" Bill said "I tried he could not be tempted."

The relief flooded her face, he looked at Mulder, poor guy, his life and body wasn’t his own at the moment. It must be driving him nuts but he didn’t let on on if he minded. “Tara’s going to be pissed, you're meant to have given up.” She said.

“I have. It's the holidays it doesn't count. Besides you used to smoke like a chimney when we were kids so don't be a hypocrite.”

“Like a chimney? Is that so?” Mulder said smiling “That is interesting.” She smacked him lightly on the chest.

“Ok, just brush your teeth before you go to bed or she's going to be really annoyed.”

“Are you ready? Mom wants to say goodbye to you before we go.”

“Ok, I won't be a minute.” He said walking into the house. Scully watched his retreating form

“He's pretty great isn't he?” Bill said softly

"I think so"  she replied "surprised to hear you say it though"

"About time I got my head out of my ass."

She laughed. “Maybe, I don't think I helped with it much though. We’re pretty alike you and me”

“we are” he agreed “Stubborn and convinced we’re always right”

She laughed “Something like that. I had a great time today. Thanks for all this. It's made me feel so much better today not having to choose between him and my family.”

“Yeah well, that never should have happened. He is family. If he's yours then he’s ours too whether I like it or not.”

He took a final drag and put out the cigarette under his foot. He picked up the butt and dropped it into one of their mothers flower pots.

“Mom will go mad when she finds that.”

He laughed.

“I'll be back in San Diego by then.” He pulled her into a hug.

Mulder reappeared followed by Maggie. She grabbed Fox's forearm in surprise and held it as she saw her children. Her heart swelled as she watched

"My heart is so full today Fox. Thank you for building bridges"

"It is nice to see isn't it?" Mulder said as Bill and Dana headed over to them "you good to go g-woman?"

"Yeah" she said "thanks mom. Today was great."

Maggie and Bill stood on the porch and watched the car pull away. If she hadn't known better Maggie swore she could feel her husband standing between him.

"Come on Bill" she said "I saved you the last piece of cheesecake, you never did get to eat the last one.”