Hunter sat at the table staring at the same page she had started on when they first arrived. For possibly the umpteenth time, she looked up at the clock on the wall, all the while berating herself for the effort when she had a perfectly good watch on her arm.
She prided herself on her ability to hide how she really felt. No one knew what was going on inside of her. Not even her parents. No one would ever have a clue of what being in this place on this day was doing to her. Or, so she thought.
An incredibly tall woman walked into the lounge area and took a seat on one of the couches. She bowed her head for a moment and then lifted her eyes to watch the other person in the room. A small smile crossed her face and she moved to the other chair at the table.
For a few minutes, she did nothing but grin at the girl's obvious attempts to ignore her. But, then, she seemed to decide enough was enough. "Hi. Have you been waiting long?"
Hunter sighed at the interruption. "Hello. Ummm.... a couple of hours, I guess."
The woman seemed surprised the girl had responded, but she recovered quickly. "Wow. Two hours. That's got to be boring in this joint." She smiled as Hunter looked up at her. "I hope I won't have to be here that long. I'd go crazy." Curious. "So, what's your secret for staying sane?"
"I was supposed to be reading a book," Hunter grinned. "But, I think my book was mixed up with this one from my mom's bag, so I can't really get into it."
"Why? Anything would have to be better than watching the walls atrophy."
The girl shrugged. "You would think, but that's not really the case because I've read it so many times. Moby Dick is my Mom's favourite book, so I pretty much know it backwards and forwards for her."
"Well, that's no fun. I'd offer you a magazine, but, since I had no time to prepare, I didn't bring my usual stash." The woman winked and then held out her hand. "My name's Telly and I'm here with my sister."
"I'm Hunter and as I said, I'm with my mom." She accepted the hand and shook it before closing her book. "You sound like you've done this before."
"I have. This makes number 6 and still no sense of timing."
"6! You're kidding, right? That's unbelievable, not to mention probably painful. What is she ... a glutton for punishment?"
Telly laughed. "No. I think she mentioned something about her own basketball team. The whole family's really into sports and I think this is her contribution." She watched as her new friend laughed. "So, how many is this for you guys?"
"Only one, thank goodness and I think my folks are gonna stop here. He'll make it one of each."
"That's cool. Your parents will get the chance to experience raising both genders." Yawning. "Excuse me. Like I said, no sense of timing. You'd think by number six we'd be hitting early afternoon. No such luck. It's gotta be from my brother-in-law." Eyeing Hunter. "So, your parents kind of waited a while before trying this again, huh? Or was the little fella a big surprise?" Jokingly. "Or were you?"
"He was ... a planned surprise. They were trying, but they were still a little shocked that it happened so quickly." Rolling her eyes. "If you ask me, I think they wanted to enjoy themselves a bit more before they wanted to announce the impending addition to the family."
Again, the woman's laughter filled the little room and Hunter seemed to warm to her more and more. She wasn't picking up on anything bad, so she found herself relaxing.
A nurse walked in with a tray and set it in front of the girl. "Here you go, Hunter. I was able to get you the burger with the good lettuce and the homestyle fries. And, as a bonus, that chocolate pudding you love." Telly watched in amazement as the nurse checked the girl's pulse and then her head for fever. "Everything seems fine. Your mom was a little worried about how you reacted when they woke you to come here. She made me promise to feed and check on you every so often."
"Can you believe her? The woman's probably in one of those rooms propped up in all sorts of positions screaming at my dad for putting her there and she still has time to worry about me." She shrugged at the nurse and continued. "it was ten-thirty at night and I'd just hit REM. Of course I was gonna have a reaction." Rolling her eyes. "The time to be concerned is if I had been completely alert and aware an hour and a half after my bedtime. That's a sure-fire way to know I'm not okay."
"But, you know your mom and how she can be, so humour me."
"All right." Hunter contorted her mouth in several directions and finally worked up the nerve to ask, "So, how are things going in there?"
"Pretty well. It's still going take some time with him being a first baby and all, but I think it's safe to say you'll be a big sister by daybreak."
"Cool."
"Well, I'm going to head on back. Your dad said that he was able to contact your grandparents and they should be here shortly to keep you company. You know, if you need anything, just come out and get me, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay. Thanks for everything." She called out as the door closed behind the nurse. The girl turned back to her waiting companion, "Sorry about that."
"No problem. I loved watching the dynamic. I was just shocked that she seemed to know you so well considering this is your family's first time on maternity. I've been here every one of my sister's births and I can barely rank a smile from them."
"CeCe floats in between Pedi. and Mat. She knows me intimately from Pedi. She and my mom kind of bonded and she's felt really protective of me ever since."
"That can only be a good thing. I'm sure it makes your mom feel a whole lot better that her firstborn is in the capable hands of someone she trusts."
Telly watched in awe as the girl suddenly seemed to close up on herself. She noted how Hunter now seemed like she had when she'd first arrived. Before she could ask what was wrong, the girl looked over and explained. "I'm not my mom's firstborn. I'm adopted. She and my dad received me when I was nine."
"Oh. Well, now, that explains a lot."
"I don't understand."
"When I first walked in here, you looked like you didn't have a friend in the world. I watched as you pretended to read the same page over and over and I noticed how you stopped and stared off at nothing several times. You looked like you needed someone to be there for you." Telly placed her hand on Hunter's. "I know you just met me and I'm sure you're thinking I have to be the nosiest person alive, but, if you want to talk .... "
Hunter sat quietly for several minutes. She fiddled with the marker of the book in front of her and gnawed on the inside of her jaw. Telly was just about ready to rescind her offer when the girl started. "I think because I don't know you, it might be easier to talk to you. I mean, if I talked to any of my family they'd just tell me I was worrying over nothing, but this doesn't feel like nothing." She took a deep breath and forged ahead. "When I found out my mom was pregnant, it was like the best news. I mean, this was what I'd been waiting for even before my parents got together. I had everything planned on how I was going to be the best big sister." A far-away smile. "As soon as we knew it was a boy, I went and blew over half of my savings on baby stuff. With the exception of maybe my mom, nobody wanted this baby more than me. I /still/ want him."
"So, what's different?"
"A few weeks ago, this huge package arrived from my dad's mom. You should have seen my mother's face when she opened the box and found all of Dad's baby clothes. They were perfect and they had that fresh cleaned smell to them. The look in her eyes was so unbelievable. And my dad, ... well, he was happy because she was happy." Sobering. "We finally made it to the bottom of the box and Mrs. Mulder's final surprise. It was a big leather-bound book. A family book. A /Mulder/ Family book. It was gorgeous and you could tell how much my folks loved it. Dad read the letter that came with it and told us how each firstborn child would pass it along the line. We were so excited about the book that we didn't even think about how his mother feels about me. But, that fact was kind of brought home rather quickly." Another sigh. "I'm curious to a fault most of the time and so, I pushed them to open it. The first few pages went back years detailing the family. Each firstborn would record all the happenings from his/her time and we're talking details. It was kind of cool checking out his family and it sort of made us all feel closer. Then we came to the last entry. I still remember what it was like to turn that last page." Hunter frowned and kept her eyes away from Telly. "His mother had written his name in the top spot and my Mom's was beside it but slightly lower. In the spot where the firstborn's name was supposed to go, William Ian Scully-Mulder had been written." She noticed the other woman's confusion. "That's what we decided to name the baby so he would have something from all three of us. Ian's sort of from my name." Hunter's voice softened and there were tears in her voice. "My name wasn't in the book anywhere. I looked and looked, but it was almost like I didn't exist. ... I don't exist to her."
Telly moved her chair closer to the girl and placed both her hands on hers. "I'm sorry. I can imagine how that felt."
"Well, it sort of brought a lot of things home. I mean, my parents said all of the right things and my dad even called and blasted his mom, but I just couldn't get past the fact that I didn't really belong. I'm not really a part of them. I'm just the kid they took in. This baby makes them complete; I'm like a third arm."
"Maybe to someone like your father's mother, but I doubt if your parents feel that way." She tilted the girl's face toward hers. "Think about what just happened a few minutes ago. You said it yourself, your mom, without thought of herself, sent someone to check on you. Your dad made sure your grandparents would come so you wouldn't have to wait by yourself. They wanted the baby to have a little bit of you so they gave him your name. Does this really sound like people who think of you as something other than their child?"
"I know all of that seems like I'm worrying over nothing, but .... everything just seems off. It just feels weird." Hunter turned away and looked toward the door as if waiting for someone. "I can't explain it and I don't really have time to do it. It was stupid of me to even try."
"I don't th......" Telly's words were cut off as Margaret and Walter Skinner walked into the room. They stopped just inside of the door and looked surprised to see the girl close to the woman.
Maggie hurried to Hunter's side and kneeled beside her. "Hi, Sweetie. How ya doing?" She glanced at the woman seated across from her granddaughter and seemed to assess her before turning back. "Has there been any word?"
"CeCe said everything was okay when she came out to check on me. She said I'd probably be a big sister by daybreak."
"Well, now that's good to hear," Walter intoned from across the room. He had positioned himself there when he noticed the girl wasn't alone. Excellent vantage point, just in case. Even after the many years of worry-free living, he never fully lost the paranoia. Maggie looked at him and nodded slightly. He seemed to relax his guard enough to join them at the table. "So, who's your friend, Bit?"
"Oh," she giggled. "I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce you guys. "Ummm, Gram, DA - this is Telly. Telly, these are my grandparents, Margaret and Walter Skinner."
The adults shook hands over the table and Walter pulled up chairs for himself and Maggie. He glanced at the tray on the table and confronted his granddaughter. "That plate looks pretty much untouched, Bit. Dana wouldn't be too happy about that."
"It's after one in the morning. Why on earth would I be hungry this late at night? I should be counting Z's not calories." Puzzled. "So, where's Dante? Parking the car?"
"He, Christian and Christian's brothers went on a trip. I think they went camping or something." Maggie shot her a conspiratorial wink. "I believe he kind of had a /feeling/ of what was going to happen this weekend, so he bugged out. You know, males and women stuff."
"Sounds like my brother-in-law," Telly offered. "He hasn't been to any of the births because he can't handle it. My mother and I have alternated being my sister's coach each and every time." She shook her head. "We've made the suggestion that the next time he wants to play, he's going to have to pay first ..." The smiling woman made a scissors motion with her fingers and joined in laughter with Maggie as the only male shifted in his seat.
Walter glared at her, turned completely away from his wife and the other woman as they chatted away and focused only on Hunter. "I bet you've been down since you arrived?" He watched as she nodded. "I'll also bet your sleep was just as interrupted as ours was, right?' Again, she nodded. "So, how's about you and I blow this table and catch up on some sleep?"
"Sounds like a plan." Yawning. "I am tired and as long as you don't snore like Daddy, I might actually get a good nap." Looking over at the couch. "But, I don't think that couch is going to be big enough for the two of us."
"Say no more, Bit. I have a plan." He quickly stood and headed out of the room. A few minutes passed before he poked his head back in the door and smiled. He held the door as two orderlies pushed in a rollaway bed. CeCe followed right behind them with some sheets and a blanket and quickly made up the bed. While she finished, Walter walked over and stood beside the girl. "You ready, Bit?" When she nodded, he pulled back her wheelchair, put his arms around her neck and under her legs and lifted her. They moved towards the bed and Walter gently laid her close to the wall. He turned back to the ladies and tipped his head. "The kid and I are going to say goodnight. Have fun."
Maggie stood and walked over to the two. She kissed both of them and rearranged the blanket over them. "We promise to keep the noise level to a minimum. Pleasant dreams." She watched as two of her favourite people cuddled and returned to her seat. A bit quieter, she continued her talk. "I love to watch them together."
"They do seem close."
"Hunter's like that. She doesn't bond with people that easily, but when she does, it's intense. She latched on to Walter and hasn't let him go yet. I think she's going to outgrow /him/ before he outgrows her."
Telly chuckled and looked over to the two sleeping by the far wall. "I can see that." She nibbled on her lip. "Ummm, I'm not trying to be nosy or anything, but I got a little shock when your husband pulled her from the chair. I had no idea .... that ... she ... was .... Uhhh....... How long has she been in it, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Don't mind. It's almost like a badge of courage." Pausing to take a deep breath. "She, my son and two of their friends saved a playground full of children from a sniper. She was shot several times when she tried to save a sight-impaired child. She's been like this for about two years."
"She's /that/ Hunter? The one from the Selwyn school? I remember reading about her and her group back then. I was impressed with what they did considering they were kids. I never thought I'd actually get to meet any of them." Staring at the wheelchair. "Life is just not fair."
"Don't let Hunter hear you say that. She considers herself very lucky. She made it out of that situation alive. Over twenty of her peers and a couple of teachers didn't." Smiling. "She's finally accepted it and moved on. The rest of us are trying to catch up to her example, but we still tend to baby her more than she likes." Maggie grabbed a fry and nibbled on it for a few minutes. "I think that's another reason she's so excited about this baby - takes her out of the spotlight." Sighing. "I just wish she still had all of the joy she used to have concerning her new brother." Angry. "I could just strangle Elizabeth Mulder for what she's done to them."
"Then you know what's going on with her?"
Maggie nodded. "Not much gets past me even though my family tries their best to shield me from a lot of it. I'm also an excellent judge of character and so I know that Hunter was right to trust you." Taking a deep breath. "Now, I'm asking you to trust me and tell me all she said and how she said it, so I can know what we're dealing with."
This time, it was Telly's turn to assess the woman before her. "I think I can do that."
June 16th
6:07 am
Hospital Lounge
For possibly the seventh time in his adult life, Fox Mulder was incredibly happy. This day definitely ranked up there with Scully waking up from the coma, going before the judge for Hunter's adoption finalization, Hunter waking after the shooting, Dana saying yes to his proposal, his wedding day and Dana's standing in the bathroom door holding a little blue stick. Today, his son had been born healthy and happy. Well, maybe not happy. Who could be happy when you'd just been pulled from the most comfortable and best place on the planet? He chuckled at that thought as he hurried down the hall to tell the wonderful news to his other pride and joy.
When he reached the waiting room doors, he looked through the window to see who was there. His smile grew wider as he noticed Margaret laughing at another woman's comment. Soon, she'd have something else to make her happy. She had another grandson. A wonderful, beautiful, all-ten-fingers-and-ten-toes grandson with Dana's eyes and thankfully, not his dad's nose. He couldn't wait to tell Hunter. Better yet, he couldn't wait to show her. Just as soon as he saw her ... Mulder frowned. The chair was there, but his kid wasn't. In the time it took for him to panic, he felt the calm, sedate presence of his daughter sleeping within the room. With a sigh of relief and the return of his joyful mood, the agent pushed the door open and entered the waiting area. His eyes scanned the room until they lit upon his daughter .... wrapped protectively in the Deputy Director's sleeping arms.
"It makes me pause sometimes too, Fox. Walter's mush when it comes to her." Margaret beamed at her son-law as he turned to face her. "Well?"
"Well, .... William Ian Scully-Mulder officially graced us with his presence at 5:28 am. Mother and baby are doing great and bonding wonderfully." Mulder wrapped the woman he considered his mother in his arms and hugged her tight. "Dana demanded that I bring Hunter in so she could meet the little guy and I just can't deny her anything." He let go. "I hate to wake the Squirt, but I really don't want to go back in there without her." Chagrined. "Especially not after what your daughter threatened me with during the labour."
The older woman chuckled as she imagined /exactly/ what her daughter had probably said. Like mother, like daughter, they say. "Let's give them a few more minutes. Walter should be awakening soon on his own and I'm sure Hunter won't be able to sleep through that ritual." She pulled him over to the table and sat him down pushing the now cold plate of food toward him. "I'm sure you haven't eaten since yesterday and since your child didn't eat, you have the opportunity to finish it." She watched as he hungrily gulped down the burger and fries and shook her head at what his stomach could ... well, ummm .... stomach. "Of course, Dana wouldn't forgive me if you choked on it. Not so fast, Fox! It's not going anywhere."
Mulder stopped in mid-chew and cocked his head. "It might not be, but I am. I only have a few minutes before my delightful wife sends the posse out for me and I'm starved."
"Whatever you say, Dear." Turning back to Telly. "Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, this is the son-in-law I was telling you about. Tellana Ataropolous, I'd like you to meet Fox Mulder. Fox, this is Telly."
"And I thought my parents were sick when it came to names." The man offered as he held out his hand. "What on earth were your folks thinking?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. It's a family name from way back. So's Persephone which just so happens to be my middle name." Pause. "I swear, my children are all going to be Jack's, Susan's and Anne's."
As Telly joined in with the laughter of the others, the noise-level grew and roused Walter. He eyed the giggling group, scowled and turned back to Hunter. As soon as he saw the girl still sleeping, his expression softened and he leaned over and kissed her forehead. He maneuvered her until she was resting back on the pillows instead of his arm and manipulated his body into a fairly good stretch. That done, Walter stood and rearranged the covering around his grandaughter and turned to walk to the table.
"So, I'm taking it that if you're here laughing and disrupting hard-working folk's sleep, Dana and the baby are okay."
"Mama and son are fine. They're just waiting for Dad and Sissy to join them." Turning in the direction of the bed. "Which we should do as soon as possible."
Walter frowned. "Hunter's tired, Mulder. Can't you guys wait until later? It's not like you're going anywhere."
"I'll go along with it if you can convince your stepdaughter. You know, the one who just came off of a nineteen hour labour." Mulder watched closely as his boss and stepfather-in-law weighed the statement and decided to take the best option of backing down. "That's what I thought." Standing. "I always knew you were a sensible man." Walking over to the bed, kneeling beside it and laying his head next to Hunter's. "Time to wake up, Baby-Girl. There's a certain little fella who's itching to meet his big sister." He reached out a finger and traced her face. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."
A deep sigh muffled by a yawn filled the room as the girl struggled to wakefulness. After a few mini-stretches, the eyes, strangely enough so very like Mulder's, opened and stared at her father. "What time is it?"
"About 6:30 in the morning."
"Gadzers! It's too early to be awake." Closing her eyes to return to her sleep until she remembered something and the eyes widened. "Is he here?"
"He's here and he's waiting for you. What's say we go have a little meeting?"
With help from her dad the girl managed to push herself into a sitting position. "Okay." Looking around. "We only brought the manual, so you're going to have to push me."
"No need, Milady. I shall be your gallant steed." Mulder rose, reached down and lifted her. "How's this for service, Baby-Girl?"
Hunter laughed as she placed her arm around his neck. "Pretty good. I could get used to this." She laid her head on his shoulder and waved at the others as they headed out the door. They quickly stopped at the nurse's station where CeCe helped them with their paper gowns before ending her shift. They both joked with her and wished her a good day's rest and continued on their way. "Dad, now that there's a real baby in the house do you think you can quit calling me Baby-Girl and Squirt? I mean, I'm fourteen years old and though I'm a little small for my age, I'm definitely not a baby. Can't you come up with something else?"
"No-o-o can do, Squirt." The agent ignored the stares he received from the people in the hallway and dodged a few misplaced obstacles. "I don't care if you're ninety with grandchildren of your own, you'll still be my Baby-Girl and Squirt." He stopped outside of a room and grinned. "Think of it this way. No matter how long I'm with your mom, she'll always be Scully to me. Those are kind of like my terms of endearment. Just my way of saying how much you guys mean to me. Okay?"
"Okay, Fox."
"Fox, is it? I'll show /you/ who's a fox." And with that he tossed the girl over his shoulder and opened the door amidst her squeals. "I brought her to you, Assistant Director, but as you can see she put up a resistance and I had to forcibly subdue her." Stopping in front of the bed. "What would you have me to do with her, Ma'am?"
Dana Scully-Mulder had looked up from her perusal of her son at the shrieks coming from her husband and daughter. When she noticed the position they were in and the comments from Mulder, she could only smile and shake her head. Those two. "What am I going to do with you?"
"I think you should keep Dad if only for those two a.m. feedings and diaper changes."
"Good answer for somebody who probably has blood rushing to her brain." Dana shifted the baby into her other arm. "Mulder, it might be better to put her down while she can still babble coherently." She watched as he moved to the basin for them to wash their hands and headed back to put the girl in the chair beside the bed and shifted for extra room. "Why don't you put her up here so that I can have both my kids close by."
The biggest, brightest smile crossed Hunter's face at her mom's words and she didn't put up any resistance as her father lowered her beside her mother and baby brother.
Hunter couldn't help as her smile grew when she looked at the tiny bundle wrapped so lovingly in their mother's arms. Though she couldn't see the little face for the blanket that covered him, she could just make out the shock of dark brown (with red highlights, of course) hair that peeked out. "Well, if the hair is anything to go by, it's no doubt he's yours."
Dana chuckled and shifted the baby in her arms. "I didn't know there was any question about that." Glancing at her husband. "Should I be concerned, Mulder?"
"Not from me. Talk to the Squirt; she's the one who came up with it."
"It was just a statement. No reason to get bent out of shape." She leaned over a bit farther for a better look. "So, who wins the bet? Mulder nose or Scully nose? Enquiring minds want to know."
"You tell me," Dana answered as she moved the blanket away so that her daughter could get her first real look at her brother.
Hunter gasped as she found herself enraptured by the minute features that successfully blended the best of both parents'. She cautiously reached out a hand to touch the little hand curled under the little chin of the most incredible little person she had ever seen. "He's beautiful and so tiny. How can anything so perfect be so tiny?"
"You have to ask that after being around your mother all this time?" Mulder watched as his wife's smile grew and her eyes twinkled at the remark. He also noticed how the statement went right over Hunter's head. Oh, yeah, the kid was hooked. But then, who was he trying to kid? So was he.
"Hi, Little Brother. Welcome to our world. It's not ideal, but it's pretty good from where I sit," Hunter whispered down to the baby as she traced the curled fingers. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? Pretty much most of my life it feels like." Bending over to kiss his hands. "You and I are going to have a lot of fun aren't we? Well, of course we have to. It's solely up to us to keep our old folks on their toes. I think it's a tradition or something."
Mulder sat down in the chair beside the bed and pseudo-swatted the girl. "Who you callin' old, Squirt? Your mom and I have a few more years to go before we hit that distinction."
"But you must be getting there because you keep forgetting that I'm too old to be called Squirt."
"I hate to tell you this, but Mulder is not going to give up his pet name for you. It's like his code or something." Laughing. "I still remember the look on Father Tristan's face when your dad started his vows by saying 'Scully.' I thought the man was going to have a coronary." Looking down. "I almost shudder to think what this little guy is going to be saddled with."
Hunter contorted her mouth and nibbled her lip (at least until Dana used her free hand to stop her) as she looked down at the sleeping baby. "I suppose in my esteemed position of big sister it's my duty to see that he isn't stuck with something really horrible." She cocked her head and watched him. "Hmmmm. William Ian Scully-Mulder." Thinking. "He really doesn't look like an Ian - he doesn't have that brooding look like Dad. And Billy is way out of the question - we already have too many in the family." She started nibbling on her lip again until she saw her mom's look. "Willy would get him snickers from the British crowd and we already have one Scully and one Mulder."
"Who says it has to come from his name?" Her father asked. "Yours didn't."
"I suppose it doesn't, .. but, I just feel like it should." Suddenly, the girl's eyes started to twinkle and a huge smile lit her face. "I've got it! We'll call him Liam."
"Liam? Why Liam?"
"Why not? I think it's perfect and it's just the right size for him." Touching his face. "So, whadya think about that, Little Li..." Hunter's voice tapered off to nothing as the baby opened his eyes and snared her with the deepest blue gaze she had ever seen. He blinked twice at her, yawned and settled back into sleep all in the space of a few moments. The girl realized she was well and truly hooked. "I'll take that as a yes." She glanced at her parents. "Any objections?"
Both Dana and Mulder shook their heads and Mulder raised his hands in surrender. "Nope. I think we'll give this one to the Master."
The little family settled down to discuss what was to come until a nurse entered the room. "Sorry to bother you during your bonding time, but the rest of your family and friends were wondering if you guys were up for company? I told them I'd check on it for them."
"Thank you. I think we can handle the mad rush," Dana replied. "You can point them in this direction whenever you're ready."
"Okay." She turned toward the door and stopped. "Oh, by the way, Mr. Mulder, congratulations on your Father's Day gift. He's a little darling and definitely reason to celebrate today." She quickly left to gather the visitors.
Mulder sat up straight as he thought over what the nurse had said. "Oh, wow. I had forgotten what today was." He chuckled and took a deep breath. "It /is/ Father's Day." Grinning at his wife and son. "I became a father on Father's Day. What timing! What excellent timing."
Mother, father and baby seemed to bask in the wonderful realization. So intent were the parents on the small bit of immortality, they missed the shutting down of the other child as the words had a different meaning to her.
June 19
Mulder Residence
2:23 p.m.
"I don't get it, Mom. Hunter was so excited in the hospital. She practically glowed. I mean she nicknamed him right on the spot. It felt so wonderful having my kids, /both my kids/, with me healthy and happy and now this? I just don't understand."
Maggie Scully watched her daughter's face as it tried unsuccessfully to cover the distress so obviously there. "What's she doing? Is she avoiding the baby? Do you think she's jealous?"
Dana quickly shook her head. "No, nothing like that. She's wonderful with him and oh-so-careful when she holds him." Sighing. "It's just when Mulder and I try to join them, she completely shuts down. It's almost like she fades into the woodwork and diverts all of our attention toward Liam." Pushing her hair behind her ears. "It has both Mulder and me worried. This isn't like her. It's so unnatural. It's almost like ..."
"You don't think she's thinking about doing something like that again, do you? I mean, it's been four years since that incident. Trini and Dare both agreed she was past that."
"I don't know. I think she is, but, I don't want to take the chance she's not. I even asked Trini if she thought we should put her back on the anti-depressants and one of us take over her meds rather than Hunter self-administering them and she just said we should wait and see." Worried. "We just don't want this time to be too late. Hunter's our first and we wouldn't feel complete without her."
Maggie reached out and grasped Dana's hands. "Have you told her this?"
"No. Not in so many words. But, she knows how we feel about her."
"Does she, Dana Kate?" Taking a deep breath. "Lemme tell you a little something a wonderfully kind lady named Telly told me.."
June 19
4:00 p.m.
Dana stood in the doorway watching her husband change her son's diaper. It never ceased to amaze her how good he was at that. Or, how willing he was to perform that messy duty. She marveled at how he never complained about that or the early-morning feedings. Dana definitely considered herself lucky to have Fox Mulder in her life, .. But, she dreaded telling him this new information about one of their beloved children. Her face took on a worried look and that's how her husband found her when he turned to put the baby down for his nap.
"It doesn't smell that bad yet."
"What?"
Mulder held up the dirty nappy. "I saw your frown and I thought it had to do with what I was doing." Seeing her frown deepen. "Okay, out with it, Red. What's wrong?"
Dana walked closer to her old work-partner and her forever life-partner and took his unoccupied hand. "I just finished talking to Mom." Taking a deep breath. "We need to talk about Hunter."
June 19 6:18 p.m.
Hunter sat in her bed pretending to read a book. Of course, if anyone were there to watch her, they'd notice the page hadn't turned in quite some time. It was quite obvious her mind wasn't on the subject in front of her.
She sensed her father before she heard him outside her door. She'd been expecting this ever since she picked up on her mom's and Gram's feelings. "It's open if you'd like to come in instead of skulking outside."
Mulder entered and closed the door behind him. This was something between his daughter and him. Dana and the baby would be brought in later, but for now, it was him and Hunter.
"Whatcha readin', Squirt?"
The girl shrugged. "Just a book." She closed it and laid it beside her. "Nothing important." Looking at him. "So, what brings you in here? Mom shoo you out so she could have some time with Liam?"
"Nope. I thought now would be a great time to have a nice long talk with my other kid." Smiling. "You know, the one who's mastered the art of talking back."
"Why on earth would you want to talk to her. I've seen her. She's a real downer. Not worth the effort; probably all of that mixed blood. You're better off with the younger one. Blood ties and all."
Mulder grimaced as if he'd been stabbed. "Is that how you see yourself? Is that how you think we see you?"
She shrugged. "Why not? Blood ties are very important. Says who you are and where you belong and it's been brought home to me that I don't have 'em."
"Says who? Some sick, twisted old woman who is so wrapped up in the past and her position in the grand scheme of things that she totally ignores one of the most important people to come into her life?" Shaking his head. "She's not someone I'd base my beliefs on."
"Okay." Nailing him with her eyes. "Then how about someone who rejoiced because he became a father on Father's Day. A /real/ father. Would you base it on that?"
"I ..."
"Oh, never mind. I'm not angry because you said that. It just reaffirmed what I'd already known. I guess I just needed to hear it from you." Near tears as she shrugged. "You've got Liam, now. You don't need me."
Mulder's heart felt like it was breaking. Only after he had repositioned himself behind the girl so that she was in his arms, did he realize he was crying. "Hunter, if I haven't said this enough, I'm sorry. But, you are just as important to me as Dana and Liam. A bit more so because you were the first one to really open me up to how much I could love the things around me rather than hate how my life had gone." Smiling through the tears as he kissed the top of her head. "If it hadn't been for you knocking down my walls, I never would have opened myself up to Dana and let her in. I never would have had the faith to keep going even as I realized my chances of finding Sam were diminishing. I never would have allowed myself to let someone in so I had a chance to become Liam's dad." Hugging her. "You did that, Baby-Girl." Pausing. "I suddenly had someone who depended on me and needed me to keep going and it felt right and good and it allowed me to see how many other people felt the same way." Turning her to face him. "If Dana's my heart and Liam's my life, you're my soul and no amount of blood or anything could ever change that." Kissing her forehead. "You're my Baby-Girl .. forever, and Father's Day is everyday that you allow me in your life."
With tears streaming down her face, Hunter held on to her father. "Well, then, I guess Baby-Girl and Squirt are a small price to pay to have you around. Just promise me it'll never change."
With both mind and mouth, Mulder promised, "*Never.*"
Finito