Title: Flight into Egypt: Making a Home Author: Vickie Moseley Spoiler: William, The Truth, a whole bunch of Season 8 and Pilot Summary: Series that takes place directly after The Truth. Mulder and Scully have William with them and are making a life for themselves in Montana. Category: RST, A, H Rating: Still PG folks. Use your imagination Disclaimer: Chris, Frank and John couldn't figure this one out, so I did. I'm using all their stuff, but I'm not making any money. Archives: yes Series note: This is the second story in the series Flight In To Egypt. It might help if you read the first one. Dedication: First of all, thank you all for the wonderful reception the first story received. It gave me the encouragement I needed to do this story. I hope to continue with this series for a while. This story is dedicated to everyone who sent me all the kind words in the last few days. Thank you! Notes of geographic clarification: If you look on a map and can't find either Alexandria or Mt. Airy, that's because I made them up. If you find a town with either name, well, this isn't that one. Feedback: Heck yes, I love it! vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com Flight In To Egypt: Making a home By Vickie Moseley vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com He was having such a pleasant dream. Mulder was lying on a wisp of a cloud, Scully showering soft and hot kisses all over his chest. As his dream took focus, he saw that he wasn't on a cloud but a raft, one of the inflatable kind, and they were in the middle of a tranquil lake. The kisses were getting more urgent, more hungry and he rolled on his side, so that he could return her attention. Scully moaned in his mouth and he allowed his tongue to glide between her lips and stroke the soft skin of her palate. And then a scream of some unknown beast caught in a trap on the shore caused a panic to grip his heart. He hugged Scully closer to him and was confused when she fought against his arms. "Mulder, he won't shut up until I get him." Mulder couldn't imagine what she was talking about. They were naked on the raft, she didn't have her gun. How could she possible think she was going to the aid of some wounded and potentially violent wild animal when they were both safe in the water? "Mulder, it will only take a minute. Maybe I can get him to go back to sleep," she said and pushed herself out of his arms. The cold air hitting his chest woke him up all the way. He searched his surroundings and realized he wasn't on a raft in a lake, they were in the motel room they'd found the night before. And the wounded violent beast was currently attached to his lover's breast, sucking for all he was worth, and then some. Mulder dropped back down to the pillow and sighed. So much for wake up sex. But the kid made one hell of an alarm clock. He squinted at the clock on the nightstand and was amazed to discover it was only a little after 5 in the morning. "We have to get you some solid food, William," Scully was saying in that baby talk way. Not so much baby talk as talking slower, enunciating the words more clearly, talking to their son. Mulder found it endearing and annoying all at the same time and felt like kicking himself for any negative thoughts. This was their son, they had been certain he was lost to them. There should not be an angered, negative or even just annoyed thought in any connection to this precious bundle. Scully drew the baby down on to the bed, laying him between his father and herself. William was happily, and sloppily suckling at her breast and the look of pleasure and contentment on her face was more than worth the price of admission, Mulder decided. He rolled on his side toward them and stroked the baby's downy soft hair, then leaned over and kissed the crown of his tiny head, in much the same way he'd been kissing the baby's mother for years. "If he were eating more solids, he wouldn't want to nurse as often," Scully said, this time speaking in a normal voice. He almost wished she'd said it in the baby voice again. "If that's what you want. I think he likes it this way," Mulder noted and grinned. "Well, he is his father's son, after all," Scully shot back with a gleam in her eye. "I'm not too selfish to share," Mulder volleyed across the court, and their son. "You were certainly getting frisky before his little wake up call," Scully commented casually and licked her lips in a manner that almost sent Mulder clawing the walls. "Keep that up, and he sleeps in the car," Mulder growled. "Babies do take naps, Mulder. And sometimes, well, God did make bedroom doors with locks for a reason," she pointed out. Mulder took a second to suppress any lustful thoughts that imagine stirred in his mind. Finally refocused, he looked across at her again. "OK, here's the deal. We get some grown up breakfast, at a more reasonable hour, and then see about getting some portable and baby oriented food. Then we head out." "Any idea where we're heading?" she asked. "Just outside Helena is a pretty big place." He screwed up his forehead and thought for a minute. "Ever hear of a place called Alexandria?" "We're going to Egypt?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but it's only as far as Montana. Alexandria is an old mining town, tucked in the mountains." She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. "Did they . . . did Ahab . . .?" He sighed. He didn't want this to come between them. It wasn't like that, his visitors weren't ignoring her but she didn't seem to understand. "Scully, it just popped into my head, while I was sleeping. No body came by with a note or anything. Just a voicemail on my subconscious this time." She nodded, and seemed a little relieved. William was snoring quietly between them. "He's asleep," Mulder said in a whisper. She smiled at him. "So I noticed." "Think he might sleep through if we decided to take a shower together?" "Getting environmental in your old age, G-Man?" No sooner than the words were out of her mouth did she want to grab them in mid air and cram them back in. "Mulder, I'm sorry . . ." He'd already rolled over and was picking up the baby to put him in the crib. "Sorry about what, Scully?" he said, trying to make himself believe it hadn't hit him right in the gut when she'd called him by her old nickname for him. "I didn't mean . . ." She stopped because she was only making it worse. He hadn't been with the FBI for a year now, they both had to get used to that fact. She decided on a different tact. "Race you to the bathroom. Last one in doesn't get any shampoo," she challenged and was out of bed before he could object. They did manage to sneak in a shower and were dressed and had coffee by the time William woke for the second time that morning. Scully had decided some yogurt with bananas wouldn't harm him and he seemed to concur heartily. William finished off a six-ounce container and then Scully nursed him for a chaser. He was a very contented little man by the time the family was packed up and heading for the car. They arrived at the nearest grocery store and headed straight for the baby aisle. After restocking the fast depleting diaper supply, Mulder met up with Scully as she searched the shelves of jars and cans. "This says junior food," Mulder commented. "He is a junior, Mulder. Well, mostly. He has four teeth." Mulder thought he heard her mutter something about having the marks to prove it, but he decided against asking her to elaborate. "So he needs stuff to chew, right? Let's get him some pretzels." She gave him the raised eyebrow and he knew he'd made the wrong suggestion. "Since he's not driving, let's get him some beer to wash down the pretzels," she said with arms folded across her chest. Mulder was glad they'd already had their shower together and contritely pulled down a box marked 'Teething Biscuits' from the top shelf. The rest of the shopping trip was uneventful. The teething biscuits wore him out and soon William was sleeping peacefully in his car seat. His mother had a map of Montana unfolded on her lap and was running a finger down the list of towns and cities as his father drove the car down the interstate. "Mulder, there is no Alexandria on the map," she said with a frown. He shook his head. "Scully, it's a little town." "How little can you be and still have a name?" she asked pointedly. "Look, I have a pretty good idea where I'm going. Just watch for State Route 14 going north and I'll find my way from there." "I hope you didn't get directions from my father, Mulder. He once got lost on Michigan Avenue in Chicago," she told him, refolding the map precisely as it had been unfolded. "That's not that hard, Scully. Chicago is a big place." "We were looking for Lake Michigan. It was three blocks away." Mulder thought that over and chewed nervously on his lip. "Maybe he's gotten better on the other side," he offered and brought his attention back to the road before them. It occurred to him that she seemed to be taking these spiritual encounters better all the time. He smiled over at her and she smiled back at him. The population sign boasted a whopping 124 people, but Scully was willing to argue that number. There were only a dozen houses that she could see and one very lonely post office. At least Alexandria had a zip code, she sighed to herself, but didn't voice her opinion. If this was where Mulder thought they would be safe, she was willing to give it a try. "So, where do we find a place to live?" Scully asked. Mulder pulled up to one of the four parking places in front of the post office. "Might as well try in here." She crawled into the back and pulled a playful and sticky William out of his car seat. On instinct, she reached for the diaper bag and grabbed a handful of wipes to clean some of the melted biscuit off the baby's skin before it totally encased him in cement. They arrived inside a several minutes after Mulder. "Nobody's lived there since old Jimmy moved to the nursing home. I know his kids would sure be happy to know there's somebody out at the place. It's kinda tucked away, but with four-wheel drive, you shouldn't have much trouble. The way the road curves, don't get much blowing snow in the winter, either. You should be fine out there. Oh, hello, ma'am. Mighty fine lookin' boy you got there," the elderly postmistress was rambling on to Mulder and then Scully. Mulder quickly introduced the postmistress as Millie. "Do you need references?" he asked, pulling out a checkbook Scully recognized as coming from a box in his bottom drawer. The box contained all of Mulder's family albums and it was one of the only things she'd kept from his apartment. Now she was doubly glad she had remembered to pack it. The postmistress laughed. "You must be from back east. No, sonny, we don't need references. If your money is good, we're square. Just keep the place tidy, 'cause the coydogs can get feisty. There's a reward if you shoot one, by the way. Fifty dollars a pelt. I pay it off cash, I have an account with the Department of Natural Resources." "Coydogs?" Scully muttered near Mulder's shoulder and hugged the baby closer to her. Her partner chose to ignore her comment. "That's one month's rent and one month security deposit, correct?" he said, handing over a check. Scully caught the name on the account. G. Ellery Hale. She chewed on her lip and wondered what her name was. She was pretty sure they would have to call William something else, too. The elderly woman smiled broadly. "Now, the nearest store is fifteen miles up the state road, in Mt. Airy. They should have everything you need. Once you get settled in, we'll see about getting the utilities and cable switched to your name. For now, just don't run up a big phone bill and you can use the phone that's up there. Jimmy's been paying to keep it on, in case one of his kids decided to move home again. Electric and gas are still on so the pipe's don't freeze up." "Internet access?" Mulder asked hopefully. "Just phone line for now. With luck we might get cable internet in the next three to four years. I got one of those free sign up discs from AOL if you're interested," the old woman winked. "They have a local access number." "I already have an account, thank you," he said with a suppress grin. She looked at the check and the rental agreement Mulder had already signed. "Well, I guess that's it. I'll see that your mail is forwarded," she added with a smile. "You pick it up here." "I doubt we'll have much. We keep pretty much to ourselves," Mulder told her. "Except for that publisher, right?" she asked with a wink. "Of course, except for him," Mulder covered. "Well, good luck with the book, Mr. Hale. And Mrs. Hale, you enjoy that mountain scenery. I'd love to look at your paintings some time." "That would be nice," Scully said with feigned delight. She'd speak with him about her 'occupation' when they were settled for the night. "How long has this place been vacant, Mulder?" she asked as they walked to the car. "Jimmy broke his hip in March, Scully. He's been in the nursing home ever since. Three months, no longer. The place can't have fallen apart in three months," he huffed. "And this came to you the same way as the rest of this adventure?" He shot her a look but was relieved to find her smiling. "Yes. And it was the only rental property available in Alexandria." "I hope this one was your dad's call, Mulder. My dad thought base housing was 'real nice'." "I'm not getting a very positive picture of your father, Scully. In the past, you only focused on the good things," he teased. "He was a wonderful father, but he had his flaws. He had a hard time accepting his children's decisions. He had no sense of direction unless he had a sextant in his hands. And he was more in tune to decorating his cabin on the ship than picking out real estate." "Your parent's place in Baltimore . . ." "Mom bought that while Dad was at sea," she said lightly. Mulder thought on that for a moment. No more running off, he decided then and there. The trip to the house took about fifteen minutes but was well worth the time. The road was paved, well maintained and the view from the car window was absolutely spectacular. Mulder was feeling pretty sure of himself as the rounded the corner and when he saw the house, even at a distance, he knew they were in the right place. 'Jimmy's place' was a two-story clapboard house, surrounded by aspen and pine trees. A small brook ran a little ways from the side of the house, jumping over and around glacial boulders. The mountain rose up out the backyard to shadow the house in the late afternoon. Mulder was certain the sunrises were going to be fantastic. He stopped the car and immediately got William out of his car seat. The baby laughed and clapped at the birds bathing themselves in the cement birdbath in a circle of summer flowers. A front porch spread the length of the front of the house, a swing hung to the far left and Adirondack chairs were arranged to the right of the centered front door. Mulder turned and found Scully standing by the car, hand to her mouth. "Scully?" he called to her. She wasn't moving, seemed to be almost in a trance. The baby was hitting him on the nose, he grasped the child's hand to stop him and called to his partner again. "Scully, are you OK?" "It's beautiful, Mulder," she choked. "It's more than I ever dreamed." "Well, we haven't seen the inside yet," he reminded her with a smile. He walked back to take her hand in his. "I'd carry you over the threshold, but my hands are full." He handed her the key with one hand and she carefully unlocked the door. For the whole walk up to the house, she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was beyond her hopes, her dreams. Just a week ago she'd been mired in despair, desolate over giving their son up for adoption, wondering if she would ever see Mulder again. Now, she was standing on the front porch of their new home, watching him play peekaboo with William. She was waiting for the alarm to go off, for the sunlight to finally hit her in the face and force her to wake up from this wonderful dream. "Scully. I think he's dripping," Mulder said with a grimace as he pulled his hand away from William's bottom. "Oh, sorry, I'll get the door open," she said, shaking off her musings. The door was made of solid wood with an elongated oval window in the middle that was covered with a lace curtain. The wood stuck a little on the side but finally opened and the trio went inside. It was dark inside, because the drapes were drawn. It took them a minute to adjust to the sudden change in light. Mulder fumbled along the wall by the door and found a light switch. Illumination was instant. They were in a small foyer, with a staircase to the left that led up four steps, turned on a landing and continued up to the second floor. The banister and railings were white and had a colonial look to them. The newel post was well worn and shiny on the top. The floor in the foyer was hard wood, but the stairs were carpeted. "We'll need to get a baby gate," Mulder pointed to the steps. Scully smiled at him affectionately. He was a wonderful father already and he'd only been at it a day. Scully walked into the living room, through an arched opening from the foyer. It was a spacious room, with a double hung window that had been visible from the porch. She instantly felt at home. A glass-enclosed fireplace with a hearth made of stone dominated the right hand wall of the room, bookcases built into each side running from floor to ceiling. There was an oriental rug on the floor, showing it's age around the edges, but clean and definitely functional. The walls were a pale peach color. She smiled when she considered how her own furniture would have fit like a glove in this room. It hit her with the suddenness off a freight train. Everything was gone. Her furniture. Her mother, her brothers, her nephews, her sisters-in-law. All gone. Her work, her life, everything she had left behind. The pain of loss was almost unbearable. Her entire life was two thousand miles away and she could never go back again. "Hey, Mom, look at us!" Mulder called to her from the archway to the foyer. William was standing on the floor with Mulder leaning over him from behind. The baby's chubby fingers were wrapped in a death grip around Mulder's index and ring fingers of both hands. With a white-toothed grin, William bounced a couple of times and then took a step, then another. All her pain vanished in that one instant. Days later, when she had some time to reflect on that moment, she would see it for what it was: Her birth to her new life. Yes, it was warm and safe to live her old life. It was familiar like an old bathroom, tattered and faded and with the pocket ripped off. But this new life, this new birth was something she thought she could never have, something she had stopped dreaming of. She could never give it up, never. She laughed though tears were sliding down her cheeks. "Look at you! Look at you walk, William! Come to Mommy. C'mere my sweetie, come to Mommy," she cajoled as she crouched on the oriental with arms open to embrace him. Mulder duck-walked him over to her, grinning the whole time. "This was all his idea. He kept squirming like he wanted down. He did all the work. We're gonna have to stay up late and get up early to keep ahead of this guy, Scully!" Mulder looked like he would burst with pride. "Yes. Indeed we will, Mulder. Indeed we will," she said hugging her baby for dear life. She stood up on tiptoe and kissed her partner on his lips. "But I can't think of two people better suited for the task." He pulled her into another kiss. "What were you thinking about?" he asked, his eyes full of concern. She looked up at him, feigning ignorance. "About? Nothing. Nothing. Except how we're going to have to get some furniture," she said waving a hand around the bare room. He gave her a look and for a heartbeat she thought he was going to call her bluff. But then his eyes sought hers and she knew the discussion was postponed, but not totally avoided. He quickly turned around in a circle, swinging William in his arms. "I don't know, Mom. Less stuff to get knocked over and broken this way, huh Sport?" She shook her head. "Mulder, if this is any indication, I don't think there is any furniture in the house. That could cause a problem." Mulder turned his attention back to her and grinned. "We won't know until we finish exploring, now will we?" The dining room boasted a window seat looking out onto a copse of aspen. Scully drew in a breath and imagined how beautiful the view would be in fall when the leaves were turning. The dining room led into a kitchen with enough space for a small dinette near the windows that look out on the same trees as the dining room. At least there were all the modern appliances, a nice sized side-by-side refrigerator, water and ice in the door, and a gas range with a microwave on top of the range hood. "Propane, tanks out back," Mulder told her. "Probably better in case the electricity goes out." He had relinquished William to his mother so he, as the man of the house, could roam free and unencumbered through the cupboards and pantry. "Possible mouse problem," he said, holding up a trap with a desiccated carcass. She wrinkled her nose. "More traps, gotcha. Hey, we need a list." "Scully, we need every thing. We just need to walk up and down the aisles and buy one of everything in the store," Mulder shot back. "Hey, I'm checking out the upstairs." "I'll be right there," she told him and wandered over to the back door. Her heart surged when she saw the tall oak with a swing just steps from the back porch. "We'll have to put baby swing on that list Daddy doesn't want to make," she told William seriously. Then she tickled him just to hear him giggle. Laughing together, they went to find Mulder upstairs. The found him in the first room on the left of a hallway that ran the width of the house. "I want this room for us," he told her. He pointed out the window and she could see it pointed east, and had a good view of the road they'd arrived on. She nodded in enthusiasm. "Bathroom is across the hall. Look what I found," he told her excitedly. He pushed open a door just down from 'their' room and ran into the middle. "Cowboys, Scully! Can you believe it?" The wallpaper, obviously picked for a little boy or boys, was cowboys on horses with lassos and horseshoes forming the border around the top of the room. "Is this great or what?" "Guess we better add a hobby horse to that list, William. When in Rome, as they say," she whispered to the little boy, who giggled again because her breath had tickled his ear. "And look over here," he called to her from the room directly across from 'the corral'. She swung the baby to her other hip and doggedly followed her partner. "Check out the view of the mountain. Doesn't get as much sun as the other room, but with a few well placed lamps, this can be our office," he told her. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "For writing your book?" she asked. She was under the impression they were hiding out, and needed to make their cover story as realistic as possible. "For stopping an alien invasion, Scully. We know the date, we have time to prepare." It caught her a little below the belt. "Mulder, we have a child, we can't just . . . " "Scully," he said, pulling her to him and resting his chin on the top of her head, then giving it a gentle kiss. "I would never suggest we go running off and endanger William. I'm talking about doing what we can, which I think will be considerable. We have to do something, Scully. If the planet falls to them, we wouldn't be safe here, either. And I don't want to give him just ten years. I want to give him a lifetime." Her heart squeezed in apprehension at his words but she understood why he felt it was necessary. "OK, this is the office," she said slowly. She tilted her head up and kissed his lips. Between them, William pushed at them both and then started pulling at Scully's top. "I think it's time for dinner," Mulder said dryly. "We're going to try some more solid food, big boy. Then you can nurse before bedtime," Scully told him. The car seat made a great highchair, and soon William was contentedly playing with the toys that his father had been so considerate to pack for him. Mulder and Scully decided to eat what they had left from their stop at the grocery store, mostly crackers, a coupled of bottles of tea, slightly warm, and some apples. "Not exactly haute cuisine," Scully said, cleaning up the wrappers. "Note to self: Garbage can," she muttered to herself as she stuffed the trash into one of the empty bags. Mulder was going through the drawers of the cabinets in the kitchen. "Pay dirt," he yelled and pulled out a well-thumbed phone book. "I'm pretty sure we aren't on any pizza delivery routes, Mulder," she told him, wiping her hands on a spare spit-up cloth she'd found in the diaper bag and had pressed into service as a cleaning rag. "In the wonderful metropolis of Mt. Airy, Scully, there are no less than two furniture stores, a consignment shop that specializes in furniture and, hold your breath . . . a SuperWalmart!" "Be still my heart," she mocked him. "But where does that leave us tonight?" "I see a roaring fireplace and an oriental rug in your future," he said in a silky voice as he encircled her waist with his hands. "And our little dynamo here?" she asked directing his gaze to where William was pounding the floor with a plastic toy hammer. He chewed on his lip. "The porta/crib thing should work, right?" "You are the man of my dreams," she told him and kissed him soundly. They lay nestled together on the floor by the fire. William was asleep in the corner of the room, away from the windows and any possible chilly draft or bouncing embers. They'd tired each other out as soon as the baby had been tucked in for the night. Mulder had found a forgotten quilt and it was covering them both, warming their naked bodies. Scully turned her head into the crook of his arm and sighed. Mulder, not really awake or completely asleep, watched the fire through half closed eyes. "Would you do me a favor?" Mulder jerked at the sound of the voice in the still room, then looked down at Scully to see if she'd heard it, too. She was sound asleep in his arms, undisturbed. He looked up and saw Captain Scully standing next to the fireplace. "Please don't tell me we have to leave," Mulder begged the vision. "She's so happy here. And it's hard on the baby, constantly on the road." The Captain shook his head. "That's not why I'm here. You're safe here. The mountains will protect you. No, I have another favor I need to ask you." Mulder nodded mutely. "Marry her." And the vision disappeared. "Wait. Come back. She really wants to see you, can't you let her see you, just once," Mulder called to the darkness which had filled in the spot where the Captain had stood. "Damn it," he cursed. It was going to be hard explaining that one. Could this have been a dream, a real dream? He had to admit it was exactly what he wanted but she'd always refused the idea. 'We are married everywhere it counts, Mulder' she'd told him just a week before William had entered the world. If she wouldn't marry him before the birth of their child, what would make her do it any other time? He sighed and stared into the fire until sleep finally found him. Scully must have gotten up at the first squawk because Mulder found himself wrapped in the blanket alone in the living room when morning sunshine fought its way through the lace curtains. He stretched, getting the kinks out of his back from a night spent on the floor. Time to turn this place into a home, he decided. He headed up the stairs to grab a shower before going in to join his family. He met them in the kitchen, Scully was wiping up William from his breakfast of oatmeal and bananas out of a jar. "Coffee," she was saying out loud, but to herself. "Did you shower?" he asked, giving her a quick kiss before picking up his son and swinging him over his head. He heard Scully start snort just before he felt the baby drool hitting his forehead. "Nice of you to warn me," he shot over his shoulder and Scully let the giggles out full force. "Do you need another shower?" she asked him seductively. He grinned at her. "I'd love one, but I'm not into being watched. How about we put that on hold until nap time and I take the big guy out to explore the yard while you get ready to go to town." "Sounds like a plan," she said with a nod and headed to the stairs. She stopped and came back. "Um, Mulder, do I get a new identity, too" she asked. He grinned. "Almost. I decided you wouldn't like any name I picked so you keep your own. At least your first name. You're Dana Hale. And this big guy is William Hale. We're from New York State, in case you're wondering, but not originally. I have a driver's license for you and a passport if we need it." She didn't bother to hide her confusion. "When did you do all this?" "Well, William's birth certificate is in a safety deposit box and I have to send away for the contents of that. But I got our license and passports as well as the bank accounts after I . . ." He searched for the right word. "After you found me the second time," he said with a shrug. "You always knew . . ." "I didn't know, Scully. I just wanted to keep all our options open. The guys did most of it, really. They got us the identities. And it was Frohike's idea to let you and William keep your real names. Of course, I didn't really _want_ to keep my name," he said with a grin. "The guys," she repeated softly. "Oh, Mulder." He gathered her in his arms, the three of them standing in a big hug. "I know, love, I know. I miss them, too. Now more than ever." She wiped at her face. "I think I've cried more in the last week," she said with a shake of her head. "And lately, it's not all sad," she said stoking the baby's soft cheek. He kissed her on the crown of her head and released his hold on her. "Shower," he nodded toward the stairs. She headed off again but was back before he could figure out the deadbolt to the back porch. "Mulder, do we have enough money? I mean should we be looking for work?" "Forty-five million in liquid assets," he said casually. "I could liquidate another 50 million if necessary. But with the market the way it is, we'd be better off waiting unless it's an emergency." Her eyes grew to saucers and she gasped at the figure he'd so easily mentioned. "Mulder, that's, that's . . . How? Where?" "It's a numbered off shore account, Scully. And before you get all hysterical on me, it's not mine. It was my Dad's. He put the money there a long time ago and it grew." "I should say so," she breathed out. "Well, when you start with 2 million and don't touch it for 4 decades, compound interest is a wonderful thing," Mulder smiled, bouncing the baby as if telling him how to tie his shoes. "Now, if you don't get moving, we might have to sleep on the floor again another couple of nights, and I don't think my back can take it." Their first stop the next morning was the bank in Mt. Airy. Mulder transferred several thousand dollars from his 'checkbook' account into a new account in both their names and made arrangements for monthly transfers to cover their expenses. Scully wondered where his father had gotten the money, but decided that was a discussion best left to the privacy of their own home. The consignment shop was next. They found a living room suite, complete with a recliner and a rocking chair. A dinette set was added to the list the truck would deliver the next morning. Scully found a dresser and bureau with a matching queen sized headboard. Mulder suggested they purchase the mattress from one of the furniture stores. All told, they furnished most of the house for two thousand dollars and change. All except the baby's room, of course. Scully found and promptly fell in love with a crib that converted to a youth bed with a dresser on the end. Mulder convinced her that the matching changing table was a bit too expensive for the short time they'd need it, so she settled on getting one at Walmart. It was decided that the rocking chair would fit in William's room. Mulder waited till Walmart to search for the office furniture. Inexpensive particleboard computer desk and a roll chair, a couple of two-drawer file cabinets and a futon were quickly placed on order for delivery. Scully wisely decided not to question him on the futon. Then he headed to the electronics department. Scully bit her tongue as he ogled the projection TV, but left to his own devices, he settled on the 32- inch model with picture in a picture. There was a sale on Hewlett-Packard computers, with an ink jet printer and they both nodded in agreement. It took another hour or so to gather all the cooking and dining utensils they needed and Mulder remembered a high chair just before they headed for the checkout. They were tired and it was past lunchtime when they finally found their way to the car. Mulder mutely pointed to a Denny's and she shrugged her shoulders in non-commitment. He drove to the parking lot and they wearily made their way inside. William decided his father's French fries were more interesting than his strained peas with turkey and made no effort to hide his opinion. Mulder indulged him and Scully raised her eyebrow. So Mulder indulged him again. "Come on, Scully. You're gonna have him eating health food and bee pollen in a few weeks, let the kid live a little." She shook her head but held back a smile that Mulder could see at the corners of her eyes. With William changed and all of them fed, they walked out into the summer sunshine. Mulder looked around and noticed the shop he'd seen when he'd first entered the little strip mall where the restaurant was located. "One more stop, Scully and then we hit the grocery store and head for home." She sighed and followed him without comment. By the time she was inside the store, it finally dawned on her tired brain that they were in a jewelry shop. "I'm looking at wedding rings. A matched set, please," Mulder was saying to the store clerk. She looked at him in confusion. "M-m-Ellery? What are we doing?" "We're replacing our rings, sweetheart. I told you I'd get you a replacement after they were stolen," he lied through his teeth all the time making eye contact with her and begging her silently to go along. "Oh, that's really sweet, honey, but the baby is tired and we just want to get the shopping done," she said firmly, hoping to end this little excursion. "Oh, babe, look at this one," he crooned as the clerk set two boxes of rings on the counter. She chewed on her lip, shot Mulder a glare and then moved over to look at the rings. They were beautiful. Simple bands in gold, the woman's ring had a small diamond set in the middle. She held her breath. Why was he doing this? But then, maybe it was just their cover. It would be better to go along with the idea than to cause a scene. "I really like that one, sweetheart." After all, it was just a ring. The clerk smiled and Mulder asked the price. The clerk quickly gave him the total and Mulder wrote out a check for that amount from their new account. While the clerk was calling the bank to ensure that they had sufficient funds to cover the check Scully pulled him aside. "This is for our cover story, right?" she hissed. He chewed on his lip. "Let's talk outside, OK?" The ring boxes were in his hands, the receipt stuffed in his wallet as they exited the store. Scully was silent, giving him looks as he opened the back door of the car, slipped the baby in his car seat and got in the driver's seat. She got in the car and turned toward him. "What was that all about?" she demanded. Her tone put him immediately on the defensive. "It's time, Scully. Goddamn it, it's time. What? Do you expect me to wait until he's grown up and engaged and has to explain to his future wife that his parents aren't married?" "Mulder," she ground out, glancing back to make sure William was occupied with his favorite toy, a stuffed rabbit, and not paying any heed to his parents arguing in the front seat of the car. "It would have been nice to discuss this," she finished, folding her arms across her chest. "What's to discuss? For some reason, you don't want to marry me. You want to spend a life with me, you don't mind me being the father of your child or play acting at being your husband. You just don't want to go the final step and make it official!" Now he was mad and he really didn't want to be. He had to take a few deep breaths before he could even look her way. When he did, he felt two inches tall. Her face had crumpled into tears, but her steely Irish temper was close to the surface. "I have loved you for how long? I have shared your bed for how long, Mulder? I asked you to be the father of my child, didn't I? Then, when you disappeared," a quick glance back to their son and she dropped her voice to a deadly whisper, "when you disappeared, I searched heaven and earth, at the risk of our unborn son, to find you. Then I found you but you were dead! And I buried you, Mulder. So help me God, I didn't think I could survive it, but I lowered your body into the ground and I wanted so much to die right then, just so I could be with you, but I lived, Mulder, I lived because your son was in my body and I had to give you that, I had to make sure he was safe to carry on that little part of you in the world! Now, in my book, I married you on March 6, 1992. If that's not good enough for you, you can shove it up your ass sideways!" Mulder sat there mutely through her tirade and for a few minutes beyond. "May I at least give you the ring, since it's about 10 years late?" he asked meekly. She started to laugh through her tears. "Yeah, I guess. And I expect anniversary presents from now on, Mulder. If you forget next year, you're sleeping on that couch we just bought!" He pulled the ring from its velvet box and slipped it on her finger. "With this ring, I _prove_ that I thee wed," he said, improvising just a bit. She smiled at him, tears still free falling from her lashes. She took the sack and found his ring, placing it on his finger. "I've always loved you, Mulder. I will always love you. That is all there is, all there needs to be." Then she leaned over and kissed him. In the back seat, William giggled and clapped. They broke their kiss and Mulder looked into her eyes. "So, what's next on the agenda for an old married couple like us?" he asked in a sultry voice. "We go grocery shopping and then head back home so we can drag everything into the house, put it all away and sleep on the floor of the living room again," she answered with a grin. He groaned and put the car in drive. "I knew there was a reason I was hoping we were newlyweds," he said with a sigh. The end for now.