Making of a Family – X-Files Style

Part 3

Paige answered the door before Mulder had the time to ring.  “Mr. Mulder, please come in.  Mom is in the kitchen and Grey is upstairs.  We’d like to show you our rooms.  Would you come up after you talk to Mom?”

Mulder walked into the kitchen to see Scully mixing some batter.  There were sausages browning up on a griddle and to the side he saw a Belgian waffle maker.  She looked up from the bowl and smiled at him. 

“I guess they didn’t object too much to me?”  He queried.

“No, they were both in agreement that you, as they put it, were worth the chance.”  Mulder wasn’t sure if it was enough to begin celebrating but it was a start.  She took a Moment and answered his unasked question.  “The jury is still out but it isn’t hostile.”

Mulder laughed.  Same old Scully, she needed proof.  He would just have to work to give it to her; he owed that to her and so much more. 

“They want to show me their rooms. . .”  Mulder’s voice broke off.

“They want to interrogate you is what you mean.  Take the back stairs, Paige’s room is the third door on the left and Grey’s is across the hall on the right.  Mine is the one at the end of the hall and the guest bedroom is the first door at the top of these stairs.”

“Four bedrooms, big house.”

“Five really, one was converted into a study for them.  You had better get up there before they get curious and come to check on us.” 

Mulder followed the children’s voices and walked into the children’s study.  “Hi,” he said quietly.  Grey and Paige looked up and pointed toward a chair positioned between the two desks.  Mulder took the seat and looked around the room.  “This is really nice.”  The one side was set up with desks, computers and books and the other side had a television, stereo system and, Mulder realized, Scully’s old couch from her DC apartment. 

“Mom set this up for us to have a place to study or watch movies and stuff.  We keep our toys in our rooms.”  Grey commented with little emotion because his mind was preoccupied. 

Mulder could tell these two had something to ask so he leaned forward.  “Go ahead; ask whatever it is you need to ask.”

Paige began, “Mr. Mulder, Mom said you two used to be close but something happened that made her leave.  You are the only person we’ve ever seen Mom nervous around.  We need to know you won’t hurt her again.”

Mulder just shook his head, not really knowing what to say to his small inquisitors.

Grey picked up the conversation.  “Mom is really great and she was so sad for a long time.  We’ve worked hard to make her happy and she makes us happy.”

“Listen, I don’t know what is in store for your Mom and me but I can tell you that she is the single most important person in my life.  If I hadn’t been such a jacka, I mean, fool I could have stopped her from being hurt.  But I was stupid and learned too late just how much I need her, want her and love her.  I don’t deserve it but she seems ready to give me another chance.  I won’t screw it up this time.”  He looked a bit sheepish for a Moment and he wiped his forehead.  “At least I’m going to try not to.”

The twins looked at each other and Mulder realized they were making a decision.  It was so reminiscent of what people always said about the silent communication between Scully and him.  A Moment later he could tell the decision was made and he held his breath for a Moment.  Identical smiles crept over the twin’s faces and he knew they were willing to give him a chance. 

~

The twins cleaned up the breakfast dishes and Scully took Mulder to the back porch to finish their coffees.  “So, did they give you the first degree?”  Scully asked as she sipped her coffee and watched the waves.

“You are raising some pretty efficient interrogators.  It was unnerving the way they could pick up and finish each other’s sentences; and the way they would look at each other and you knew they were conversing.  Positively eerie.”

“Remind you of anyone?”  Mulder saw the smile reach her eyes.

“You think so too, huh?”  She nodded at his reference to their, so called, silent communication.  “I suppose now we know how it feels.”

“Yeah, and you only got a taste of it; I live with it.  God, Mulder, you have no idea how really terrific they are.”

“You know, Scully, I’ve only known them for a short time but they remind me of us.  Grey is intuitive and impetuous and Paige is reserved and studious.  They have my height and, blissfully, your nose; my hair, your eyes.  They really look like they could be a combination of our DNA.”  Scully started to laugh.  “You think so too, don’t you?”

“It’s funny, if I ever sat back and thought about children between us, those two would have been them.”  Scully lifted the coffee carafe and refilled their mugs.  “They are really smart too.  Just like us, scary smart.  They were so far ahead of everyone in the school that I hired a teacher and they are home schooled.  I have them involved in the community programs so they can be with others but they prefer each other to their friends.”

They sat there in the companionable silence they’d always enjoyed.  If someone would burn the calendar they would have thought it was just days since they’d last been together like this, not years. 

“Scully, I’ve arranged to take some time off, a week for now but I’d like to take more later, depending how things work out.”

“I’ll arrange to work half days all week except Wednesday.  Wednesday, the other doctor has off so I have to work all day.  I’d like the four of us to spend some time together.  If that would be okay with your plans?”

“Scully, I was hoping you wanted that.  Would it be alright for me to have time with Grey and Paige?”  Scully smiled and reached her hand out to him.  It was a small gesture but one Mulder relished.  She had no reason to trust him; in fact, she had plenty of reasons not to trust him.  But her reaching out to him let him know she really was giving him another chance. 

“I think they’d enjoy getting a little one on one with the Spookster.”  She hesitated a Moment before adding, “I always did.”

Mulder held her hand and thought, ‘how did I ever let her leave?’

~

Mulder got to Scully’s just as she was cleaning up the breakfast dishes.  They’d agreed that instead of having Mrs. Krestler, from down the street watch the twins after their abbreviated classes, Mulder would do it.  He wanted to spend time with them and get to know them and through them get to know Scully again. 

Mulder and the twins roamed the beach.  It was too cold for swimming but they tossed a Frisbee and played some volleyball.  They had just finished the final game of volleyball, at which the twins gave Mulder a severe beating, when Scully showed up. 

“I brought lunch, anyone hungry?”  She called from the bottom of the hill. 

The twins led the procession with Mulder and Scully straggling behind walking side by side.  “They tire you out, Mulder?”

“Well, I do have a lot of years on them,” he said in his defense.

“Not to mention it was two against one.”  She called up to the twins, “how about another match after lunch, us against you two.”

“Sounds good, Mom.  Do you want us to spot you a dozen points?”  Paige yelled back.

“I better not have heard what I just heard.”  Scully’s threat lost all of its bite because of her laughter.

“Great, another round of humiliation,” Mulder grumbled.

“You and me together, Mulder.  We may be older but we got game.  We’ll whip their asses.  We always did.”  She broke into a run and caught up with the kids.

~

Mulder scooped Scully into a hug after his game winning spike.  “We got game, Scully!”  He looked over to see the kids running toward the house.  Mulder leaned in to kiss her but she pulled back.  “Sorry, Scully. . .”

“No problem; no harm no foul.  Come on.”  She started moving up the hill.  He could see that she was unnerved and he could kick himself for rushing things, hell, it’d only been three days.

That night while the twins did their homework, Mulder and Scully took a stroll down the beach.  The quiet companionship they’d enjoyed while partners came back easily; a little too easily for Scully.  Mulder noticed her unease and called her on it.

“I guess I’m afraid, Mulder.”

“Of me?”

“In a way, but more so about us.  I trusted you so much; opened myself to you.  To everyone else I seemed cool, closed off even.  But you, you knew me.  You knew me more intimately than anyone ever before.  I was ready to move on with you and I was waiting for you to be ready too.”  She gave a sad laugh, “one trip to a bar changed everything.  Two weeks later I didn’t recognize the man I loved and two months after that I started hating you.  That’s when I knew I had to leave.  I needed to preserve the good feelings about you that remained.”

They stopped and sat in the cool damp sand.  “I know this doesn’t really mean anything, Scully, but Angie meant nothing more than a warm body.  I had no feelings for her.”

“I knew that and in a way that was the worst part.  I would have given that to you but you didn’t want me.  You went and found some strange woman to give yourself to, to lose yourself in rather than be with me.”

“Scully, I did want you, I still want you.  I can’t explain what happened and I won’t insult either of us by making excuses.”  Mulder moved closer and held her in a tight embrace, stilling her protests.  “These last three days with you and the twins have meant more than the last three years put together.” 

Scully leaned back and searched his face and saw through the dimming light that Mulder believed what he said.  “Can I trust you, Mulder?  I don’t want to be hurt again and I can’t, no, I won’t let my children be hurt.”  She stood and wiped the sand from her seat.

“Scully, I don’t know how to prove it to you but I’ll try.  That is if you’re willing to try too?”

“I am.”  She started walking as he was getting up.  Then she turned and smiled.  “But if any more long legged, buxom brunettes show up, it’s over.”  Her voice was teasing but Mulder heard the underlying pain. 

~

The week ended and Mulder flew back to DC on Sunday.  The Moment the airplane cabin door closed he felt bereft.  The week had gone too fast and he wanted to pound on the plane’s cabin door and make them let him get off but he didn’t.  Scully was still gun shy around him and he didn’t want to press his luck.  No, they’d agreed that he would come back in a month and stay with them for two weeks.  Until then he’d have to settle for phone calls and e-mails.  God, he missed them all so much already.

He’d spent everyday with Scully and the twins.  He’d loved Scully a long time but now he knew a bonding not just with her but the Grey and Paige too.  He couldn’t explain it but he felt connected to them.  They may have been born from strangers but they belonged to Scully and he; he just knew it. 

Mulder walked into his apartment and put his things away and changed into some casual clothes.  When he returned to the living room he felt something was different.  His hand moved to where he normally holstered his weapon but remembered it was in the bedroom.  Then he saw it.  On the computer there was one of those cameras and on the keyboard was a note.

Mulder,

Scully called and told us what happened.  She asked us to install a camera so you can really converse. 

Frohike 

P.S. She’s giving you another chance, even though you don’t deserve it. Don’t blow it this time!

Mulder had to laugh and then turned to the instruction on the second page.  Mulder called Scully.

“Hello, Scully residence,” Paige answered the phone.

“Paige, it’s Mulder.  May I speak with Sc, I mean, your Mom?”

Mulder heard her tell Grey to get Scully.  Then they chatted about his flight until Scully picked up.

“Mulder, you home already?  I didn’t expect to hear from you for at least another half hour.”

“We must have caught a tail wind and the streets were pretty clear so I sailed right home.  By the way, they installed my present.  Do you think we can try it out later tonight before the little ones are asleep?  Then you can put them to bed and we can talk.”

They talked for a few minutes and made plans for video conferencing later that evening.  It was set for seven their time so that meant ten Mulder’s time.  It gave him enough time to put away his dry cleaning, wash some clothes and tackle his mail and messages.

It got to the time and suddenly there they were looking at him through his monitor.  God, he just wanted to hold them and never let go. Mulder supposed he’d always harbored some before unacknowledged paternal instincts but never, not once, had he ever felt the need as he did now.  He’d only known Grey and Paige a little more than a week but they’d become an integral part of his being as Scully always had been.  They disconnected when Scully had to put the twins to bed but not before Mulder wheedled a promise for her to return in about an hour.   

Mulder sat in front of his computer waiting for her.  He’d spent that last week getting reacquainted with Scully and acquainted with the twins.  It had given him a glimmer of what he never knew he wanted.  Oh, he knew he wanted Scully but he never knew how much having a family meant to him.  Now that he’d had a taste he wanted to feast on it.

~

Continued in Part 4