Title: Surviving the News: The Return Author: Vickie Moseley Spoiler: definitely NOT 8th season, probably Requiem Catgory: MULDER/SCULLY ROMANCE Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: The truth is in here, Carter. Read it and weep. I won't take money-you've got that all to yourself. Archive: yes Author's notes: Dedicated to the X Philes for Mulder list serve. Hope this helps, guys. Comments: vmoseley@fgi.net Surviving the News: The Return vmoseley@fgi.net Maggie prayed and prayed for the day to come. She waited by the phone, expecting any minute it would ring and tell her the news she'd been hoping for all the three long months of waiting. When it happened, finally, one rainy Thursday night late in August, she knew her work was just starting. Georgetown Medical Center August 31, 2000 10:13 pm Maggie didn't even have to look hard after the elevators opened. Walter Skinner was standing just in front of them, apparently awaiting her arrival. "She's causing the doctors a bit of a problem. I'm hoping you can calm her down a little," he said perfunctorily taking her arm and guiding her down the hall past the stone-faced nurses at the desk. "How is he, Mr. Skinner? You didn't give me a lot of details over the phone," Maggie said, trying to keep her tone even, all the while boiling inside with fear, anger, joy, relief, she'd lost track of the emotions churning within her. Skinner licked at dry lips. "The doctors say he's in bad shape. No broken bones or cuts. No bruises that they can find. But his brain activity . . . is quite low, I understand. They had to get him breathing again on arrival. He's on a respirator. He's lost weight," he added with a helpless shrug of his shoulders. "Dana lost ten pounds when she was missing," Maggie said offhanded, as they came to a glass enclosed room. She surveyed the room silently. Her daughter was nowhere to be found. Only one fragile body lying in a beehive of medical equipment and wires occupied the room. Maggie stepped into the room, walked over to the bed and took a still hand in hers. It was cool to the touch, almost cold. The fingertips, on closer inspection, were gray and the fingernails jagged as if torn by scratching something hard and rough. His eyes were taped shut, and she could see they were sunken into his head, looking almost black underneath. She bit back a sob and gave his hand a squeeze. "Welcome home, Fox," she said quietly. From the hallway came a loud commotion of raised voices. "I don't give a flying fuck what you think! I want those tests run again and again and once more for good measure! Don't bother to try and read the results, just bring them to me! And where the hell are the other cultures I ordered? Who the hell runs this place, the Girl Scouts? Get me some action or I'll have him transferred somewhere that knows something about medicine!" Skinner heaved a sigh next to her. "Agent Scully has arrived," he said and even in the circumstances, Maggie couldn't help biting back a chuckle. Well, she admitted to herself, the girl continued to be her father's daughter. But the humor of the situation was soon overshadowed by concern when Maggie saw her daughter for herself. She knew Dana had been working day and night to find her partner. But Maggie hadn't seen her in several weeks. Dana kept in contact by phone, but it wasn't until she stood in front of her mother that the dark circles under her eyes and the droop of her shoulders conveyed how much this ordeal had cost her. Maggie was afraid Dana might collapse right there in the door of the room. "Mom. Mom, thank heavens you're here. You have to help me. You went through this once, Mom. Tell them. Please, tell them!" Maggie said nothing as she walked over to her daughter and took her in her arms. "Dana, let's go somewhere quiet and talk," she said softly. Dana crumbled in her embrace. "Mom, this isn't how I thought it would be," she sobbed quietly, only loud enough for Maggie to hear. "I was supposed to be so happy. He was supposed to be happy to be home." "I know, Dana, I know. And you will be happy just as he will be soon, sweetheart. Please, let's go sit down somewhere and you can tell me what happened." Dana straightened and hastily wiped at her eyes. "I can't leave him, Mom. I don't trust these vultures. I won't go very far," she said fiercely. "There's a family lounge just a few doors down. You can even see this door from there," offered the doctor, obviously relieved he was no longer on the receiving end of Dana's wrath. "Thank you," Maggie said with a tired smile. "Mr. Skinner, will you join us?" Walter Skinner was a man who looked like he'd never backed down from a fight, but Maggie could see the hesitation in his eyes at her offer. "It's all right, Mr. Skinner. I just want to ask a few questions, that's all. I think your involvement in the conversation will be most helpful." Maggie hoped Skinner understood her code well enough not to argue. She wanted back up when dealing with her daughter and knew that Dana respected her superior. Maggie needed someone with a level head, and hoped he could provide that. Skinner chewed on his lip, but nodded and followed the two women down the hall. Once they were settled, Maggie took Dana's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Now, tell me, calmly, what's happened. How did you find him?" Dana took a moment to take a deep breath and then spoke in a calm, even voice. "I didn't find him. He just showed up in the ER. No one saw him brought in, the Assistant Director has had agents check the security tapes, no evidence of how he arrived there." If Dana noticed her mother's furtive glance at her superior, she gave no indication, as she looked down at her hands. "He wasn't breathing, but there was a pulse. They immediately began resuscitation. He's on full respiratory support. He's too weak to breathe on his own." She stopped briefly to wipe at a tear that had trickled down her chin. "A scan of his brain shows no abnormalities, no internal injuries. But his Glasgow outcome scale was quite low on arrival and continues to be low. His current level indicates a persistent vegetative state." She raised her head defiantly and angry flashed in her eyes. "I asked for my medical records from my hospital stay five years ago. They can't seem to locate them." "What can be done for him?" Maggie asked quietly. Before Dana had a chance to answer, a tall man in scrubs with a neatly trimmed beard stood in the entry way to the lounge area. "Dr. Scully. I'm Dr. Lansing. Dr. Daly is on a cruise ship in the Bahamas and can't be reached. I'm his partner." Dana stood and took the man's outstretched hand. "I don't suppose you've seen my medical records lying around the office somewhere," she said, only half jokingly. He smiled and showed her a set of perfectly formed white teeth. "No, I'm afraid not. But Larry did show me the file not long after I joined his practice. He considers you his own personal miracle patient. So, I'm aware of the case and what treatment was used." Dana almost sagged with relief. "Then would you kindly tell Dr. Kevorkian on staff here that I have no intention of discontinuing the respirator or anything else that might jeopardize my partner's recovery?" she asked tersely. He smiled again, this time only slightly dimmer. "I've already consulted with Dr. Miller and all attempts to implement Agent Mulder's Living Will have been postponed until such time as you decide to invoke them. He's going to receive supportive care for the time being. I've put a rush on the last set of blood tests. We should hear something more in a couple of hours. Until then, I suggest you get some rest. You look beat." "Thank you," Dana said, not responding to the veiled order of rest. She turned to her mother. "I think I'll go back in and sit with him a while. If you want to join me, Mom?" her voice trailed off and Maggie jumped to her feet. "Of course, Sweetheart. Where else would I be?" She shot Skinner a quick apology and followed her daughter down the hall. Dana was seated in the bedside chair and had her partner's hand in hers before Maggie got in the door. A quick scan of the small room showed a straight backed chair behind the door. Maggie dragged it over to the foot of the bed and sat down with a sigh. "He's so thin," Dana murmured, half to herself. "He never got the weight back from his run in with the tobacco beetles. Then . . . this happened." "We'll just have to fatten him up, Sweetheart. Let's see, as I remember, Fox has a soft spot for my meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy," Maggie said, hoping to inject a small ray of light in the gloomy atmosphere of the room. "Did you think of that, Mom? When I was brought back and I was in a coma, did you think of ways to 'fatten me up'?" Dana asked suddenly, her eyes sad and distant. Maggie swallowed back bitter tears. "We didn't know what had happened to you, baby. We were so scared. Fox . . . Fox was so angry, he just wanted to find the men responsible. I was afraid he'd get himself killed before it was over. Melissa . . ." Angrily she swiped at a stray tear and continued. "Missy was spouting her New Age mumbo-jumbo. Dr. Daly didn't know what to do. And your Living Will was so very specific." Dana nodded. "Damned things. I should have changed his years ago, after we brought him back from Alaska. Thank God their fax was down or I would have had even more of a fight on my hands when he flat-lined at Eisenhower." "I didn't want to give up, Baby. I hated giving the go ahead to . . ." Maggie couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Her shoulders heaved with the force of her sobs. Dana was over to her in an instant, holding her tenderly. "It's OK, Mom. I understand. I would have done the same thing, I swear. It worked out, and now I'm fine." She pulled back and let Maggie wipe at her face. "Besides, Mom. Hearing of that time, as sick as it seems, is giving me hope. That was a very dark time, and I know you all had reasons to give up. But you didn't, not really. And that's what I have to do now. I can't give up. Too many people are counting on him," she said, gently rubbing her stomach and giving Maggie a tired smile. "He'll be so excited, Sweetheart," Maggie said, struggling to stop the waterworks of her eyes. "I hope so. I think he will, honestly. I just want to see the look on his face," Dana said wistfully. "To answer your question, after you woke up, all I could think of was ways to get you to eat. Remember? Melissa and I snuck up milkshakes and that banana split," Maggie said, the heaviness on her heart finally lifting a little. "Do I remember? I was the one who had to explain to 'Jabba the Nurse' that the reddish brown stain on my sheet wasn't from blood, but from strawberries and chocolate syrup," Dana giggled. "Oh, as long as you're making a list of things you cook that Mulder likes, add your beef stew, your lasagna, your deep dish apple pie with the crumb crust, your dressing for turkey, your . . ." Maggie laughed and held up her hand. "Dana, hold up! I'll be cooking for a month of Sundays!" "Oh, and your fried chicken!" Dana added for good measure. "He's always comparing the food we get at the greasy spoons on the road to your cooking. Mind you, he's the one who picks those places to eat. Then I have to listen to him complain that the gravy is lumpier than yours, or the chicken breading doesn't stick to the meat like yours does. He drives me crazy sometimes," she said lightly, then looked over at the man in the bed and bit her lip. "Most times," she whispered. Maggie grabbed Dana's hand and squeezed. "All this talk of food has made me hungry. I'm betting you didn't eat dinner, either," she said with a knowing look. "He arrived about 4:15 this afternoon. I came here straight from the office and I haven't given food much thought," she admitted. Maggie stood up, and walked around Dana so she could stand next to the bed, near Fox' head. "I'm just going to steal her long enough to get her to eat, Fox. You rest, rest all you can. You and I both know what it's like to keep up with her and you're going to need all the strength you can muster." She leaned over the rail and kissed him on the forehead. Dana took her mother's place and kissed him tenderly at the corner of his mouth. "I won't be long and Skinner is just outside," she assured him. Then she brushed back his hair and kissed him again on the forehead. "I love you, Mulder." She ate half a cup of yogurt and refused all attempts to get her to eat more. Maggie glared at her stubborn daughter as she choked down the better part of a Caesar salad. Maggie didn't feel like eating, either, but she was trying to set an example. Unfortunately, Dana was defiantly ignoring it. In less than 20 minutes, they were making their way back to the Intensive Care Unit. Dana still got nervous glances from the nursing staff as she breezed by them, but Maggie smiled at each in turn, hoping to win at least one or two of them to her side. She knew Dana was hell on wheels when Fox' health was concerned, but Maggie didn't think it was a good idea to alienate everyone on the ward for no reason. Maggie heard the sigh that escaped her daughter's lips as they entered the room. But Dana held herself unnaturally erect and sat primly on the edge of the seat. Maggie noticed the effort she was taking to distance herself from what was happening, even from the man lying in the bed next to her chair. It hurt to watch her daughter put up her shields and hide behind her walls. "Honey, he needs you," Maggie said softly, almost as if Fox could hear what she was saying. "It's been so long, Mom," Dana said with a deep, heart-rending sigh. "So long that you've forgotten what it feels like to be in his arms?" Maggie prodded. Dana's face crumbled under the weight of her tears. "I dreamed of it every night." "Then why are you sitting there on the stiff, uncomfortable chair? Get in the bed with him," Maggie taunted. Dana's eyes snapped up and held her mother in her glare. "Mom, the wires, the tubes! I can't just crawl in next to him with all the garbage around him!" Maggie shook her head emphatically. "Dana, honey, I see two people who are very much in love and haven't seen each other for three months. Now, you're enough of a doctor to know how to move those tubes and wires without hurting him or disconnecting any of them. And you're enough of a woman to know he needs you to hold him just as much as you need to hold him. It could be just what he's waiting for to bring him the rest of the way home." At Dana's wide-eyed realization, Maggie smiled and stood up, gathering her purse. "I think I'll see if Mr. Skinner could use a cup of coffee. I'll let the nurse at the desk know if I leave the floor and where I'll be so they can reach me. You two have some catching up to do." She punctuated her comments with a wink and left the room. Down the hall, Walter Skinner stood rubbing his eyes and talking quietly to another younger man with papers in his hand. He looked up when he saw Maggie. "Has something happened?" he asked anxiously. "No, nothing has happened. I just thought they needed some time alone. I don't want to interrupt anything." He nodded his dismissal to the young man and shook his head. "Just the report of the evidence gathering team. No one saw anyone unusual at any of the entrances this afternoon. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was 'teleported' onto that gurney in the ER," he added with disgust. "You look like you could use some coffee," Maggie said, changing the subject. "Love some," was the relieved reply. Maggie led the way to the family lounge where she'd seen a coffee pot set up earlier. They got their cups and found a place to sit. After an awkward silence, Skinner looked over at Maggie. "I'm sorry to call you down like this," he said, stirring the cup that he'd already stirred. "Where else would I be? I want to thank you for calling me." "I know Scully, er, I mean Dana would have gotten around to calling you sooner or later . . ." "She had other things on her mind. I'm really glad you were here for her, Mr. Skinner. Dana respects you so much and you've been a Godsend to her these last months." Skinner's eyes narrowed and he let out a snort. "Some Godsend," he muttered. Maggie's eyes lowered as she heard the self-accusation in his voice. "Mr. Skinner, Dana told me you felt responsible for Fox' disappearance. You don't still feel that way, do you?" "Mrs. Scully, I know you mean well, but this is something that's very hard for the average person to understand. Dana trusted me to bring Mulder back safely, and I failed in that. Do I still feel that failure? Yes, I do. Every day he was missing, every time I saw the haunted look in her eyes, I felt that failure. I felt it again this afternoon when he was returned more dead than alive. And, God willing, when he does wake up, and he does recover, I will still feel that failure. It's something I have to learn to live with until the day I die. But I promise you this, I will never fail anyone like that again." "You forget, my husband was in the military, Mr. Skinner. I know all too well the kind of failure you're talking about. But you can't let it consume you. You can't let it blind your eyes to your successes." He stared down at his cup and she decided to take a different tact. Carefully avoiding the difficult subject of missing agents, they sat in the lounge and talked, mostly how they were going to deal with the two young people just a few rooms away. Maggie never doubted that Fox would wake up. It was his recovery that she worried about. He would need a lot of care, just as Dana had needed care after her return. But Fox was a fiercely independent man and would rebuke any attempts of help from outsiders. Woefully, Maggie realized that list probably included her and his Assistant Director. The only person Fox would allow to help him was Dana. But that was the other variable in the equation. Dana had been running full tilt since Fox' disappearance. It would have been a grinding existence in the best of times. But Maggie also knew too well how tired her daughter had been in the early stages of her pregnancy. Maggie had her children young, but Charlie had come along just before she turned 30. She was amazed at how much harder it was having a baby at 30 than it had been at 20, 23 and 25. Somehow, age did make a difference. Dana was 35 and the normal strains and stresses of pregnancy were even harder on her in her emotionally distraught state. So, Fox would need Dana healthy and Dana needed to get her own strength back to deal with her recovering partner as well as the growing new life inside her. Maggie had to use the quiet time she had to form a battle strategy - a battle of wills against two very strong opponents. Skinner left the hospital about 1 in the morning, promising to be back after a few hours of sleep. Maggie found her way down the hall, quietly peeked in the door to Fox' room and smiled. Dana had indeed found a way to wiggle around the tubes and wires and was sleeping peacefully with her arms wrapped around Fox' chest and her head on his shoulder. Maggie wasn't a doctor, had left nursing school to marry the young Naval Ensign who had stolen her heart, but she recognized some improvement on the various monitors. What encouraged her the most was the EEG, which was now displaying significant spikes in a regular pattern. Silently, she blew them both goodnight kisses and returned to the lounge, where she plumped up an arm rest on one of the sofas, and fell fast asleep. She knew she was going to need her rest, too. The sunlight through the window was warm on her face, but it was the hand on her shoulder that brought Maggie fully awake. That, and the unmistakable aroma of fresh coffee. She opened her eyes and smiled up at her daughter. "Good morning, sweetheart. How are you doing?" Dana smiled and handed over the coffee, carefully sipping from her own cup. "They're changing his sheets, so they threw me out," she said, not really answering the question. Even so, Maggie could see the circles under her daughter's eyes weren't quite as defined as they had been during the night. But still, the younger woman couldn't seem to stop pacing the small lounge. "I thought I noticed some improvement in the monitors before I fell asleep," Maggie said, judiciously bringing up the subject that she knew her daughter wanted to discuss. Dana's smile increased by several magnitude. "His brainwaves are much stronger this morning. He's off the respirator, just a nasal cannula," she said proudly. "Of course, he's still out for the count, but knowing him the way I do, that won't be for long." "Did the rest of the tests come back?" Maggie asked, sitting up and discovering that a blanket had magically appeared and covered her during the night. She folded it carefully and laid it on the arm of the sofa. Dana nodded, still sipping her coffee. "Yes, they did. They showed nothing, really. There were a few indications of prolonged weightlessness, but nothing definitive. No real proof of what was done to him," she bit out sourly. "Does it really matter that much, sweetheart? He's back and he's improving. Isn't that what you've dreamed for all these months?" This time the smile was bittersweet. "You can only tell yourself that so often, Mom. Then it starts sounding like a lie to hide from the truth. They've done this to us so many times, my abduction, Mulder's dad and Missy's murders, my cancer, his mother's suicide, mom, the list is getting so long it's absurd! I have to find those bastards, I have to know what they did and I have to make certain they don't do it to us again! There will be justice this time! There's too much at stake," she added with an unconscious brush of a hand across her stomach. Maggie bit her lip to keep hot tears at bay. "Oh, Sweetheart. Please, please reconsider this path. I know you think you know what you're doing, but you don't and it won't help Fox and it won't keep you safe." An angry flick of red hair was Dana's response. "Sit down," Maggie pleaded. When Dana only stood more stiffly, the request became a command. "Young lady, you will sit down and you will listen to me. Now!" In surprise, Dana found her chair and sat on it in shocked silence. Maggie realized she probably hadn't used that tone of voice in 15 years. She almost smiled when she realized it hadn't lost its effectiveness. Maybe they could get through this time after all. "Dana, you know I respect you. I know that you are very good at your job. You tell me very little about what you and Fox do, but from what I do know, you are two of the best agents at the FBI, and I don't think I'm just being your mother when I say that." Scully started to interject something, but Maggie held up her hand and shot her a fierce scowl. "But, all that said, you are not the only people who can do your jobs!" The stunned look on Scully's face lasted only a split second before she started to object again. But Maggie had her number. "I don't want to hear about how important your work is, or how you are the only ones who can do it. I want you to sit there and think about two very important points. One, the man you love and thought you had lost is lying in that bed right now and needs you." Maggie was quiet for a moment, letting that statement sink in. Scully sat still as stone, her top teeth imbedded in her lower lip to where Maggie wondered why it hadn't started to bleed. "And two, you are carrying his child. A child, a miracle you never thought you could have. And that baby needs you." The tears slowly making their way down her cheeks were the only movement on Scully's face. "So I don't want to hear any more about vengeance or justice for the men who did this to Fox or to Missy or to you. Is that clear? You have responsibilities much closer to home right now and it's about time you realized how much of your effort they require!" The two women sat in silent tension for several long breaths. At one point, Maggie almost expected her daughter to walk out of the lounge, and probably never speak to her again. But just as Dana started to open her mouth to speak, just when Maggie was certain she would fight back tooth and nail, a nurse startled them both by entering the room and tugging at Dana's sleeve excitedly. "Dr. Scully! He's waking up!" Maggie resisted the overpowering urge to run down the hall and rush into Fox' room. Instead, she walked slowly behind her daughter, and then stopped just outside the door. In her enthusiasm, Dana had thrown the door all the way open, and Maggie had the perfect view of what was going on in the small critical care room. Fox was lying much as he had for the last 36 hours, but his entire appearance had changed. He was still pale, deathly pale. But even though his movements were weak, he reached up and cupped Dana's face in his hand, tears streaming down his cheeks. Dana's back was to the door, but Maggie could see her daughter take his hand and kiss it gently before allowing it to return to her face. "Do . . . better than that," Fox admonished in a voice Maggie wouldn't have recognized. Dark circles framed his eyes but they were shining with a deep longing. Dana said nothing, but leaned in and kissed him on the mouth, just as gently as she'd kissed his hand. That wasn't enough for him and he pulled her closer and kissed her as passionately as he could manage. Maggie blushed slightly and started to turn away, but her movements must have caught his eye. He called out to her. "Mrs. Scully?" She bit her lip as she turned back and allowed her relief to cascade over her. She'd dreamed of this day, dreamed of this very reunion, and the reality far exceeded her dreams. "I'm right here, Fox. Welcome home," she said, swallowing back her tears. Dana moved back, so that Maggie could take a place next to the bed. Fox reached his hand out to her and she took it and clasped it to her heart. "We're so happy to have you home," she said, knowing how inadequate that must have sounded. "Happy to be home," he replied with sigh. His eyes drooped and he struggled to keep them open. She knew it was time for her to leave. Dana noticed his exhaustion, too, and started to fuss with his blankets. "Time for rest, G-Man. We'll all be here when you wake up. I might even be able to scrounge up a certain AD and a few computer geeks to see you. The AD has been so happy you came back to us. You won't believe the paperwork involved when an agent disappears," she teased. "Yeah, I would," he reminded her, though he never bothered to open his eyes. "Don't go too far, OK?" he added, his voice growing fainter. Still, Maggie had no trouble hearing the need in that voice. "I'm not leaving your side. I'll be right here. You just sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up." The doctor came in and quietly began to examine his patient, while Dana stood to the side observing his every more. Maggie waited a few moments, until she was sure everything was under control, then she touched Dana's shoulder. "I'm going to call and let Mr. Skinner know that he's awake, finally. Then I'm going out to find you some real coffee. I'll be back as soon as I can." "Food, mom. I'm starving," Dana said, never taking her eyes off her partner's face. "Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. I'm going to feed you. And then we'll see about getting a decent cot in this room so you can get some rest, too." As she turned to leave, Dana kissed Maggie's cheek just the way she'd kissed Fox' hand. "Thanks, Mom. And I haven't forgotten what we were talking about. I just need a little time to take it all in, all right?" Maggie drew in a deep breath and nodded. "I understand, sweetheart. I'll be right back." No sooner had she walked into the hallway than Maggie saw Walter Skinner stepping off the elevator. He must have noticed her relieved smile, because his shoulders straightened and he hurried toward her. "Good news?" he asked, his eyes conveying his hope and excitement. "The best. He's breathing on his own and he just woke up. The doctor is in with him now. Fox looks pretty shaky, still, but the improvement is just . . ." "Spooky?" Skinner said with a grin, the first Maggie had ever seen on the man's face. It was highly contagious and she grinned in return. "I was going to say miraculous," she said, barely holding back a laugh. "That works, too," Skinner admitted, instantly growing serious. "Has he said anything about what happened?" Maggie shook her head. "He was awake only long enough for us to say hello. He's easily exhausted. He fell asleep after just a few words." "Well, knowing Mulder, he'll be 'holding court' in a few hours. I can talk to him then." Maggie sighed and chewed on her lip a moment. "Mr. Skinner, I really wish you wouldn't." Skinner looked surprised, then offended. Maggie quickly held up her hand. "I don't mean I don't want you to talk to him. I just mean I wish you wouldn't interrogate him about his disappearance. Not yet. They have so much they have to talk about. And he's so sick. Even though he's improving it will take days before he's well enough to leave the hospital. I just wish you'd let it all be until they've had a chance, just a little time, to catch up," she pleaded. "Mrs. Scully," Skinner said, lowering his voice to a gentle whisper. "It's been three months. We have to get this investigation going again. We were at our wits end!" Maggie nodded all the while he was speaking. "That's my point. It's been three months. And if this is like Dana's kidnapping, he won't remember anything except in his nightmares. And even they won't give you the kind of information you need to investigate. Mr. Skinner, this ordeal has been awfully hard on all of us, but especially on Dana and Fox. Can't we let them go forward, just a little, before we drag them back into the madness?" Skinner silently considered her words. "Let's do it this way. If Mulder does remember anything, he'll want to tell me about it, immediately. If he doesn't bring it up, I won't. How's that?" Maggie smiled. "I can live with that. Wouldn't be any use trying to stop him from talking if he decides he wants to," she added with a wry grin. "I was just going to find Dana some breakfast. Fox is asleep and I expect the doctor's going to be in there for a while. Care to join me?" Skinner looked down the hall toward his agent's room and sighed. "Sure. I could use a breakfast that wasn't eaten in a car or at a desk." "I hear they even have real silverware in the cafeteria," Maggie teased and pressed the elevator button. Maggie didn't pressure the AD any further on leaving Fox alone, and the time in the cafeteria passed in relieved discussion of the mundane details of making sure both young people got the rest they needed. Maggie made it clear that she was taking both of them home as soon as Fox was released and Skinner made no objection. In fact, he thanked her more than once for her presence and her support. With a bagel with egg, a container of yogurt, a cup of decaf coffee and an apple in a small brown bag, Maggie made her way up to ICU. She was surprised when not blue but hazel eyes met her gaze as she set the bag down on the dresser near the bed. "She's asleep," Fox whispered and resumed stroking the red hair on Dana's head. She was in the bed with him, snuggled up against him as if to ensure no one could ever take him away from her again. "Looks like she found a bed," Maggie said with a twinkle in her eyes. Fox drew in an uncomfortable breath, but it wasn't pain that crossed his face, it was uncertainty and embarrassment. "Mrs. Scully, about this and the kiss and . . ." Maggie reached over her daughter's head and placed one finger on the young man's lips. "Shush. You're both adults. It's absolutely none of my business. But if it makes you feel any better, Dana told me about the two of you after you . . . disappeared." Even looking at him in the same room, the word was still sharp with memories and caught in her throat. Fox nodded, understanding and acceptance on his face. "How long?" he asked, his voice rough. "It's the second of September," Maggie said gently. Fox closed his eyes and opened them slowly. "Almost exactly how long she was missing," he said and sighed deeply. "Damned if they aren't consistent," he added with a dour shake of his head. The head on his chest stirred and a muffled groan issued from it. "Is that coffee I smell," Dana said, not bothering to either lift her head or open her eyes. "Coffee, bagel with egg, yogurt and an apple. Wake up, sleepy head. It's time for breakfast," Maggie told her with a grin. "Geez, Scully, you got enough there for the Fifth Armored Division! Gonna share?" Fox chimed in with a matching smile. As Dana climbed off the bed, she exchanged a look with her mother and an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Maggie bit back a comment and just watched the scene play out. "I haven't eaten in about three days, G-Man. You'd have to arm wrestle any of this away from me and in your current state of strength, I'd win." "Do I get any food? I mean, I've been away, too," he whined, seeking sympathy from any quarter. Maggie took pity on him, even if her daughter wasn't buying the act. "I'll go ask the nurse if you get breakfast, Fox. Dana, if you have a minute, I want to talk to you." "Oh oh, you're in trouble. Bet it's 'cause you wouldn't share," Fox teased and then settled down in to the pillow and was asleep before the two women had a chance to leave the room. Dana was still chewing on the bagel like it was the first food she'd seen in weeks. The coffee had accompanied them into the hall and occasionally she would take long drafts and just close her eyes in contented bliss. "Yeah, Mom? What's the matter?" Maggie was so pleased to see her daughter's change in attitude she almost hated to broach a difficult subject. "Sweetheart, when are you going to tell Fox about the baby?" Dana's eyes narrowed and she refused to look her mother in the face. "He's still too weak. I can't hit him with something like that, Mom. I want him to get some strength back." Maggie wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that. In her experience, the father usually always felt left out if not informed almost immediately. Her own husband had been dismayed when she waited to go to the doctor before telling him her suspicions of pregnancy. And Maggie knew how much the truth meant to her daughter and her partner. "You sure about that, honey? I think Fox could take a little good news." Dana shook her head, this time looking her mother straight in the eye in quiet confidence. "Mom, he just woke up from a coma. He's been missing for three months. I have no idea what he's remembering about the time he was gone, because I remember I had no memories of my abduction at all. For him, it's still the end of May. I intend to tell him, don't worry. I just want to ease him into it. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Maggie bit her lip and nodded. Dana gave her a smile and turned to go back in the room. Each time Fox went to sleep, he sleep for four or five hours. But when he'd awaken, it was for longer and longer periods. By evening, the AD visited and was able to stay for 15 minutes before the excitement started to take its toll. Fox seemed more interested in making up for lost time than in trying to remember what he'd just gone through. Dana kept the subjects of discussion light, focusing on how the basketball season had ended, the fact that Fox' beloved Yankees were once again going strong and would soon guarantee their play off berth. Maggie stayed in the background, silently counting off the number of missed opportunities when Dana could have told Fox about the baby. For some reason, her daughter just didn't want to bring up the subject. Skinner noticed it, too. Maggie had made a point to alert him to Dana's wishes about the matter, so that a casual reference wouldn't spill the beans, as it were. But as the days drew on, and Fox regained his strength, even the AD began to wonder aloud if keeping the subject at arm's length was a good approach. "I think Mulder's suspicious, but he's afraid to say anything," Skinner admitted to Maggie in their now familiar table in the cafeteria. The AD had just spent about a half hour alone with his now returned agent. "Suspicious-how?" Maggie was quick to jump on the subject. "He was asking me about her health. Remember, we were pretty worried about her at the time Mulder disappeared. She'd already fainted a couple of times while they were in Oregon. And then she passed out completely in the Bureau. Thank heavens those flakes from that underground paper were around or she might not have been taken to the hospital until morning." "That was the night Fox was taken," Maggie said quietly. "Um, yes, it was," Skinner said, dropping his eyes to the formica table top of the cafeteria. "I just think it would ease his mind if she told him the truth." "The truth is so important to both of them," Maggie said with a tired sigh. "So, did I hear right? The doctor is thinking of cutting him loose?" Skinner said, stirring his coffee even though it didn't need it. Maggie understood the subject had been changed but was too tired to fight it. "Yes. Dr. Lansing has checked him from head to toe. Aside from the residual weakness, he's fine. The dehydration was taken care of after the first day or so. The malnutrition is slowly being addressed, but he certainly doesn't have to be hospitalized for that. I can fatten him up better than any hospital rations, anyway," she added with a sly grin. "And he's starting to make a nuisance of himself with the nursing staff. Dana's too tired to keep him in line and her temper's getting short. Then she feels guilty because she's not being as patient as she should when all this time she's just wanted him home. I think the best place for both of them is at my house, safe and cared for." Skinner raised an eyebrow. "Have you told them this plan?" It was Maggie's turn to stir her coffee. Finally, she let her eyes travel up and meet the AD's. "Not in so many words. But Fox and Dana are reasonable people. I'm sure they'll realize that this is the best option for all of us." Maggie had never heard an Assistant Director snort before, and wasn't all that certain she wanted to hear it again any time soon. Later, in Fox' hospital room, she realized why he had such a reaction. "No, Mom, absolutely not. I am not going to invade your house. Not when we both have fully equipped apartments. It's silly. I can take care of Mulder. I'm fine. We just need some time, to ourselves." To Maggie, Dana looked all the world like her seventeen year old self, announcing that she was not going to Mass because it was boring. Maggie quickly wiped the image out of her head and turned to her daughter's partner in a silent appeal for reason. Fox was no better. "I appreciate the gesture, Mrs. Scully, but I really just want to go home. Going to your house, as nice as it is, well, I just wouldn't feel comfortable. Besides, I think my fish have disowned me." "Um, Mulder. About the fish . . ." Dana said guiltily. "I take it they have all joined the ranks of the Great Beyond?" he asked with a resigned sigh. "No. I took them over to my place. I was getting tired of traveling all the way over the bridge every night just to feed your fish. Byers and Langly helped me move the tank. We can move it back . . ." "No, that's all right, really, Scully. I'm sorry you had to do that at all." "Enough!" Maggie's voice cut through the general discussion and left both of the other occupants of the room staring at her in shocked amazement. "Now, you will listen to me, young lady, and you too, young man! You are both coming to my house. I don't care if you don't want to impose, I don't care if you don't feel comfortable and I certainly don't care about the damned fish! Mr. Frohike has been bugging me on a daily basis to give him something to do and fish-sitting seems an activity right up his alley. Now, I'm not saying you will be moving in, but at least for a week I want to be on hand and available to make sure both of you get the rest you need and eat enough to regain your strength. And there will be no further discussion on the matter. Is that clear?" Skinner entered the room and found two very subdued agents and one very red-faced woman. "Am I interrupting?" he asked meekly. "No, Mr. Skinner, we were just discussing when I'm picking Fox up tomorrow to take him to my house. Isn't that right, Fox?" Fox swallowed and then sought out his partner's eyes. A moment of silent discussion ensued, but a consensus was quickly reached. "That's right as rain, Mrs. Scully. I think Lansing said something about noon, didn't he, Scully?" "That's what he said earlier, yes. We'll have you to Mom's in time for a late lunch, Mulder." Maggie beamed at them both. What Maggie didn't understand at the time, but soon became apparent, was that she was aiding and abetting her daughter's silence. The trip home was uneventful, but tiring. Fox slept most of the trip, waking at the end. Fortunately for all of them, Skinner had driven his own car to Maggie's because he was needed to get Fox into the house. By the time they had the agent firmly staked out in one of the downstairs bedrooms, close to the bathroom, everyone was exhausted. With very little prodding, Dana went off to take a nap. But instead of lying down in the room with her partner, she headed off to the den and stretched out on the couch. Maggie and the Assistant Director watched her and exchanged dismayed looks. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Maggie whispered as she walked Skinner to the door. "They've got communication skills that the military would kill for. But I've discovered they tend to ignore the items that involve their personal lives. I really don't think the situation would have played out any differently if they'd gone to either of their apartments." "Are you telling me my work isn't finished," Maggie asked with a tilt of her head and a coy grin. "I'd say it was just beginning," Skinner said, allowing his eyes to smile even if his face held its serious expression. Maggie regretting not getting any lunch on the table before everyone headed off for naps, but she made up for it with an early supper. Oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy (low fat in deference to her daughter's wishes) and fresh green beans. She had just enough time to throw together an apple crisp that they could eat with the half-gallon of vanilla ice cream. She was busy turning the chicken when she heard bare feet on tiled floor behind her. "Morning, Sweetheart," she said without turning around. "Have a nice nap?" "I think I've napped enough for the next two years," came a voice much deeper than the one she expected. She twirled too quickly and almost dropped the glass baking pan of chicken on the kitchen floor. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Scully, I didn't mean to scare you!" Fox responded quickly and put his hands on her shoulder to steady her as she got the dinner back in the oven. "You didn't scare me, Fox," Maggie objected, but she knew he saw the lie. "Well, you did, a little. But you surprised me more than anything. You're supposed to be in bed!" Fox pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down gingerly in it. He studied his fingernails for a long time, picking idly at his left index finger and an imaginary hangnail. "Yeah, well, I should be in bed, someone else I know should by all rights be awake," he said, not raising his eyes to meet hers. "She's very tired, dear. She's spent the last three months . . . well, I think you remember how you spent the three months she was missing," Maggie said. It was a diversion, but in many ways, it was also the truth. "I thought she had more sense than that," Fox huffed in disgust. Maggie just gave him a scowl and shook her head. "How has she been? I mean, I know she's tired but has she been . . . sick?" he asked hesitantly and when Maggie looked at him, his head was down and he was staring at the salt and pepper shakers he'd begun to twirl in his hands. Maggie licked her lips. It was her opening. It was her opportunity to broach a subject she knew needed to be discussed. But how could she do it without betraying her daughter's trust, or the trust of the man sitting across from her. "I think you should talk to Dana, dear." She let out a breath and waited for his response. He went sheet white at her words. "The cancer," he choked in a tone so low as to sound more like a growl. His shoulder's hunched in and she felt like she was watching him deflate right before her eyes. No, this had been the wrong approach, of that she was most certain. "Fox," she murmured as she hurried around the circular dinette and took him in her arms. "No, Fox, no. It's not the cancer. She's very healthy, really." "Then why do I feel like she's hiding something from me?" he asked roughly through tearfilled eyes. Maggie bit her lip to keep from shouting out the answer. "Sweetheart, you have just been through a horrible time. You were gone for three months and so many things can happen . . ." He pulled away from her, his eyes growing dark. "She doesn't love me," he said slowly. "I left her and she had time to think about us and now she doesn't want . . ." Maggie quickly put her index finger up to his lips to staunch the flow of words. "No, sweetheart, you are never to think that. That is the furthest thing from the truth! She loves you, you have to know that. She's been miserable without you! Please, don't doubt her love for you, not for one minute!" She held him for a long moment. He pulled away and wiped at his face. "Then what is it? Why won't she tell me what's wrong?" "Mom, Mulder? What's going on in here?" Dana stood at the door to the kitchen, a pillow crease still evident on her cheek. "Dana, either you tell him now, or I will," Maggie said through clenched teeth. "This man has been through enough already. He deserves the truth!" Mulder sank back in the kitchen chair, looking like a prisoner about to receive his sentencing. Dana slowly walked into the room, then sat in the chair next to her partner. "Mom, if you insist on bringing up the subject, can I at least tell him in private?" Maggie nodded and started to leave, but Mulder caught her hand. "No, please, I have a feeling this affects all of us. I would like you to stay." Maggie looked over at her daughter and Dana simply shrugged one shoulder. She sat back down. The three of them sat, hands clasped between them, Maggie reaching across the table to take her daughter's other hand. "Mulder, when you left for Oregon, we were both a little worried about my health. I want to assure you right now that there is absolutely nothing wrong with me." Mulder looked at her quizzically. "The fainting, the chills? What were those? The flu?" His tone of voice was tinged with a hint of sarcasm. Maggie had to stifle a laugh, but one look at his face and she realized this was no laughing matter to him. "No, they weren't the flu, but they were easy to explain if you understood the context of the symptoms," Dana said, shakily at first, but warming up to her subject. "Scully. Don't 'doctor' around the bush. Give this to me straight. What the hell is wrong with you?" Mulder asked, and though she knew it was unconscious, Maggie felt his grip on her hand tighten ever so slightly. "I've never had to tell anyone this, I'm really not sure how to do it," Dana said with a shake of her head. "It doesn't get any easier with the second, or third or fourth, sweetheart," Maggie assured her. "Try doing it over a ship to shore phone line," she added with a wink. She got the desired result, Dana smiled. Fox was shifting his stare from one woman to the other. "Am I the only one here who doesn't get the joke?" "Mulder, what if I told you that I believe in miracles?" Dana said suddenly, and Maggie was pretty sure she should have taken the chance to leave when she had it. They deserved some privacy in this discussion. But Fox was still holding tightly to her hand and she couldn't leave without breaking some fingers, hers or his. "I know you believe in miracles, Scully. But you've always told me they don't happen to people like us," Fox said slowly, taking in shallow breaths. His face was no longer gray, but his eyes were dark with determination. "Well, they do, Mulder. The reason I had the fainting spells, the chills, all of it, was very simple in the grand scheme of things. Mulder, I'm, or rather, we're . . . pregnant." Fox didn't say a word. He sat frozen for a full minute and all during those sixty long seconds, Maggie thought he'd had a stroke. He didn't even seem to be breathing. Then suddenly, he shot out of the chair and was hugging Dana as if protecting her from falling bombs. Dana started laughing, and the two of them tumbled to the floor, Fox shifting his weight just enough at the last second so that she landed on him and not the hard surface. Quickly, he gathered her into his arms again, laughing with her now. "How? How did it happen?" Fox demanded between giggles. "I mean, we didn't think about . . ." Dana quickly put her fingers to his lips. "Mulder, not in front of my mom!" she admonished and then broke into more giggles as he showered kisses all over her face. Maggie watched it all, laughing while relieved tears rolled down her face. Finally, she stepped over to tower above them, reaching down to help them both to their feet. "That floor is too cold for either of you. Now, out of my kitchen, I have dinner to make." She swatted them both on the behinds as they scurried out of the room. "Oh, and Fox, start a fire in the fireplace, would you? Dana, you know where everything is. It's a gas log, no lifting for either of you. I'll call when dinner is ready, but that probably won't be for another half hour or so." Maggie had to call them three times for dinner. Finally, she squared her shoulders and marched into the living room. She found them in front of the fire on the floor, Dana sitting with Fox spooned against her back, holding her and rocking her gently while they whispered to each other. "Dinner is served," Maggie said primly and the two young people looked up together and then at each other. Slowly, Dana started to unwind, but Fox stopped her, hopping up and then pulling her to her feet. "Shouldn't I be carrying you over a threshold or something?" Fox asked as he guided her to the dining room with a hand on the small of her back. "That's after a wedding, Mulder," Dana said with a smirk. "Something I would like to have discussed at some point in the near future," Maggie interjected as she placed the serving dish of mashed potatoes on the table. "Mom!" Dana objected. "We'll talk about it, Mrs. Scully. I'll make you a promise right now," Fox said reassuringly. He looked over at Dana and reached out to take her hand. "I don't have a ring or anything yet." "Right now, I just want to relax, enjoy having you home . . ." Dana said, then looked hungrily at the food on the table, "and eat!" she finished, grabbing for the plate of chicken. "Sounds like a plan to me," Fox agreed, digging into the mashed potatoes with one hand and reaching for the gravy with the other. Maggie sighed. Slowly, a smile grew on her lips. It wasn't going to be any easier keeping three of them in line, but she knew she was up for the challenge. The end Vickie