See part one for disclaimers. Inherently Given. by Michelle Hiley and Vickie Moseley. fbi_basement@hiley.demon.co.uk, vmoseley@fgi.net Part Twenty Two. The Stork Only Rings Once. The safe house. June 24th 1997. 5:20 pm. Pace. Pace. Pace. Dana Scully reached the far wall of the living room, and turned to cross the room again. Six paces one way. Turn. Six paces the other way. Turn. In the doorway, Maggie hid her smile as she waited for the kettle to boil. "Dana, if you don't stop that, you're going to make yourself dizzy," her mother warned. "But where *is* he?" Dana growled as she turned the corner and came back across the floor. Dr Robert had called that morning, having received the results of the bloodwork and ultrasounds he'd performed two days before, and announced it was time to "get this show on the road". Fox had calmly accepted the fact, and had gone back to playing computer games with Byers over the internet, but Dana had been unable to hide her nerves, and an exasperated Fox had finally asked Maggie to take his wife downstairs and stop her hovering. Now she watched as Dana, the normally cool and composed doctor, tried to deal with a situation she felt no control over. "I just can't work out what's taking them so long!" Dana spun on her heel, and faced her mother. She knew she should be happy. But in all honesty, she was scared out of her mind. For the past two days she had been reading every OB posting on the internet, when she could get Mulder off the modem from one of his nightly games of Doom III. She had watched vid clips of C-sections, she had read all the possible complications and their treatment. She felt like she could probably perform the surgery in her sleep. But she wasn't going to be the one doing it. Dr. Robert had brought up the whole team that last time he'd come, and Fox and Dana had met most of them briefly when Fox had experienced the complications that required him to be bedridden. They all seemed extremely competent and caring. And she didn't know any of them from Adam. What if one of them was working for the consortium? It was a fear that she had never raised with either her husband or the Assistant Director. What if this was all a plot to kill him, in a truly vile manner? It would be so easy. A slip of the knife and a punctured artery that would result in rapid blood loss. They were performing the surgery in the middle of their spare bedroom, for God's sakes! It wasn't like they had a blood bank nearby. If he started bleeding, it would be minutes before the helicopter could get them out and on the way to Bethesda Naval again. And by that time, she could lose him. Both of them, she reminded herself. Both of them - Fox and the baby. They had tried to hold back on decorating the nursery at the safe house. After all, this wasn't their home. A simple bassinet and a changing table would have to suffice for the time being. Dana knew that her mother had taken care of preparing a beautiful nursery at her apartment back in DC, all in bright primary colors. Dana had ordered most of the furnishings out of catalogs and off the internet. She couldn't wait to see it. She could hardly wait to use it all. But all of that planning could come to only heartbreak if something were to happen now. How could they assume that this would all come out all right? It was all preposterous from the outset. Mulder was a man. He was pregnant. What if the 'back up systems' that had been created inside Mulder weren't enough to provide all the nourishment the baby needed? What if problems arose later in life? What if....? She'd tried not to show her worries to Mulder. Though she didn't know why she'd bothered. He'd sat there, smug and unconcerned, while she'd fretted and paced, and tried to control herself, and not show him how she felt. Her mind went back to the conversation of a few minutes ago.... "Mulder? You OK?" she'd asked. He'd nodded, and raised an eyebrow at her pacing. "The Bureau will charge us for a new carpet if you wear a hole in that one," he'd commented. "Damn, Byers, you've been practicing," he muttered and shifted a few keys on his keyboard. "But I've got you now," he said gleefully, and pounced on the keys with a fury. "Yes! Gotcha, sucker!" "I don't think it's a good idea for you to get so excited," she'd warned in a low voice. "What excited? I'm just playing a game. For God's sakes, Scully, will you calm down? I mean, you shot me once and you didn't get this upset about it," he'd pointed out, still not looking up at her. "I thought we agreed not to mention that little incident," she said icily. "And I thought we agreed that we were adults and weren't going to go off the deep end when the stork came, too," he shot back with a triumphant grin. "Guess you forgot that part, huh?" "I am not going off the deep end," she countered. "I'm just..concerned." "Well stop being concerned. There's nothing to be concerned about." He'd grinned, and she'd lost it. She had to wipe that smug grin off his face. "Let's see how cheerful you are when they hook up the IV," she'd snapped, and immediately felt guilty. Mulder however just stuck his tongue out at her, as Maggie cautiously poked her head into the room. "Great!" Mulder said, brightening as he saw his mother-in-law. "Look, Mom, will you take Dana downstairs please? She's driving me mad." Dana had given him a look that made it very clear that if he hadn't been pregnant, he'd have been wearing his teeth as a necklace. Maggie had gently taken her daughter's arm, and to her surprise Dana hadn't resisted. Fox had nodded to them to go, saying he'd call if he needed them. Now she was at a loss to know what to do. "The kettle's boiled." Maggie's voice cut into her thoughts. "Come into the kitchen and help me." Dana dragged her mind away from Mulder and tried to pay attention to what her mother was doing. "Mom, we don't use boiling water in births anymore. Not now." "We do when we are making the father a glass of iced tea," said Maggie firmly. "I think brewed iced tea is so much better than sun tea. It's stronger." She lead Dana into the kitchen, and poured the hot tea over the ice in the metal pitcher, listening to the crackling sound with a smile. Then she poured the warm tea in a glass filled with ice, and pressed the glass into Dana's hands. "Dana, I know. You're worried. But drink this, and stop pacing. It'll be fine." Dana looked at her mother in anguish. "How can he be so calm? We talked about this, he knows what to expect. They'll hook him up to an IV, stick a catheter in him...then there's the epidural. What if they screw up? He *insisted* on the epidural, rather than the general!" Her mother nodded. "Well, he wants to be awake for the birth." "But he won't even be able to see anything much! Not that he'd want to see anyway, once they start poking around," Dana grumbled. "And he won't be able to move his legs for twelve hours! Do you have any idea how he's going to be, with tubes sticking out of him, unable to move?" Maggie grinned. "Insufferable I expect." "And they'll have to cut right across his stomach..." Dana's voice trailed off as Maggie hugged her. "I know. I've had Caesareans, remember?" Dana opened her mouth to reply, when the doorbell rang. Maggie stepped back as her daughter flew to the door, to admit Dr Robert and his team. Maggie went into the living room, while Dana ushered them upstairs, returning briefly to hug her mother again. "It looks like this is it. You're sure you're OK, waiting down here?" Maggie nodded. "There are too many people fussing up there as it is. I'll be fine. I'll get the phone if it rings, and I'll watch a movie. It'll keep my mind occupied. Tell Fox good luck." "Tell him yourself," Dana said quietly, and caught her mother's eye. Together, they followed the medical team upstairs. "So, Fox are you nervous?" Dr. Robert asked as he started setting out the instruments they would use to administer the epidural. "I wasn't until Dana started telling me bedtime stories about deliveries," he groused. "That settles it. I'm the one who puts the baby to bed," he shot at her over the doctor's shoulder. "Dana, are you OK?" Dr. Robert asked as he saw her nervously wringing her hands. "Fine, just fine," she said, not very convincingly. "Marc, are you sure you don't want to do this with a general? I mean, so much can go wrong with an epi," Dana said, as her gaze fell on the needle that would carry the medicine into her husband's spine. "Dana, relax. Epis are the only way to go with a C-section. No worries about respiration, no fear that the baby gets too much of the anesthetic - I wouldn't do a C-section under a general now if you held me at gunpoint," he said with a laugh. "Don't give her any ideas, Doc," Mulder muttered just loud enough for Dana to hear. She shot him a vicious look and he quieted immediately. Dr Robert cleared his throat and looked queryingly at Maggie, unsure whether she was staying or not. "We'll be doing the Caesarean now." Mulder and Scully looked at one another. "It'll be OK love. I'll be here holding your hand. It won't take long. And we'll have a beautiful baby afterwards, thanks to you." Maggie crossed the room and kissed Fox on the forehead. "I'm going to wait downstairs Fox. This room's crowded enough without me as well. Take care, OK?" He nodded, and Maggie could see the nervousness behind his eyes. . "Sure. Thanks Mom." Maggie patted her daughter reassuringly, and left the room. Dana put her hand softly on Mulder's shoulder, and he leaned in against her hand, both silently apologising to the other. Dr Robert smiled. "OK, Mulder, here's what's going to happen. Dave here is going to administer the epidural. It's like an IV...." "In my spine," Mulder said with a gulp. "Well, yes, generally speaking. But believe me, it's a safe procedure and Dave has done thousands of them," Dr. Robert assured him. "On a guy?" Mulder shot back, eyeing the needle with a great deal more trepidation than he had earlier. "Actually, yes. We use epis for all sorts of surgeries these days. OB is the most common place to find them, but we use it in orthopedics, too," Dave answered. "Just relax. Now, let's get you laying on your side. Dana, why don't you come over here and provide something nice for him to look at," Dave said with a smile. When he had Mulder on his side he moved the hospital gown aside and spread something cold on his back. "That's just betadine. Cleaning up here a little," Dave said, chatting merrily. Mulder reached out and grasped Dana's hand. He smiled up at her and gave her a wink. "Ready to be a mom?" he asked softly. She nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "You ready to be a dad?" she asked him. "Never more ready," he assured her. "Just a little stick," Dave announced and Mulder flinched at the pain. "Hold still for me. That's good, that's good. Arch your back a little more, Mulder. Good, terrific. OK, a little pressure here," Dave kept up a running dialog as he administered the medication. Dana felt Fox's hand clench hers and saw his eyes slam shut against the pressure. "Are you all right?" she whispered in his ear. His nod was almost imperceptible. "OK, all done," Dave said triumphantly. "Great job, Mulder! Here, let me tape this down and then you can sit up and relax a little while we get the operating theatre set up. You guys got names picked out?" "Well, we know it's NOT going to be Fox," Mulder said with a grin as he adjusted in the bed. "Gee, only 49,999 more to eliminate," Dave said with a laugh. "Better get to work on that. We'll need it for the birth certificate." "We're waiting to see what sex the baby is," Dana explained with a smile. "Oh, yeah, I remember. You guys still don't know the sex. You could have found out months ago, you know." "We like finding out the old-fashioned way," Mulder said. "That's the ONLY thing 'old-fashioned' about this birth," Dave laughed and patted Mulder's shoulder. "You two just try to ignore us while we make a mess of things," he said and went over to help Dr. Robert and the rest of the team. The team became a flurry of activity. In short order, Dana was gowned, Mulder was draped, and all the members of the team had gone to their assigned spots, checking instruments and medications. A blood pressure cuff had been slipped up onto Mulder's arm, as well as an external fetal monitor. "We're going to put this right around your neck here," the doctor who had been introduced as Nate said as he slipped an oxygen mask over Mulder's head. "If you get dizzy or feel a little faint, just tell me and I'll put it up where you can use it. We'll probably have it up there during surgery." In minutes, Mulder's right arm was secured on a board. A second IV line was added to the first and he saw the pump next to his head. "What's that for?" he asked. "We're gonna give you a little extra something to relax. It's in addition to the epi. Not to worry, OK? You won't feel a thing," Dave said. "Marc, B/P's dropping," a young woman who Marc had called Beth said in a sotto voce. "Well, I knew this was going too well," Marc said in mild disgust. "OK, put the O2 up. Dave, you got a handle on this?" Nate moved the mask onto Mulder's face, covering his mouth and nose. Dave was injecting a syringe into the IV line. "Under control, Marc. Mulder, you might feel a little woozy here, but it's nothing to worry about, OK? It's just medicine to get your pressure up. Just keep breathing normally and everything will be fine." "Marc?" Dana asked anxiously over her surgical mask. "It's OK, Dana. This happens sometimes. We'll get the pressure up before we proceed. Hey, I thought you guys couldn't be scared," he teased. "That's what Walt Skinner told me." "Sewer mutants, morphing aliens, homicidal twins and green blood filled with retroviruses don't bother us," Mulder quipped from beneath the mask. "It's just natural stuff like giving birth that sends us into heebie jeebies," he said and winked at Dana again. This time she smiled back, even though he could only see her eyes. She reached over from her spot close to his head on the left and squeezed his hand. He wouldn't let it go. "Pressure's stablized, Marc. All systems GO," Dave joked and the rest of the team all smiled in unison. "OK, folks, let's make history," Dr Robert said calmly and moved the knife into position to make the first incision. It all happened so quickly that no one had much chance to comment. A long incision across Mulder's stomach, then moving aside some internal organs, another incision and Dr Robert was lifting their baby out of the sac. "Congratulations. You have a lovely little girl." The two agents just stared at the perfect miracle that was their daughter. Eventually Dana was coherent enough to speak. "Is she OK? I mean....she looks fine to me, but I'm not a paediatrician...." "She's normal and healthy. Here. You two get to know her while I stitch up after her." He passed the baby up towards them and carried on. Scully found her voice again. "It's a girl," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. "A baby girl. We have a baby girl, Fox. Oh, look at her, she has your hair." The baby, once Beth had wiped her off a little, did indeed have a shock of dark hair. But her eyes were her mother's. Mulder fumbled with the O2 mask so that he could get a better look. "She has your eyes. And look, she's got your nose, thank God," he said with a shaky laugh. The team broke into chuckles with them. Dr Robert straightened up and tossed something into a basin. "And there goes the birth sac and the implant that was releasing the hormones. It's all normal in there again, Fox." He grinned. "No more excuses for being grouchy!" As Marc closed the incision and the neonate specialist Tom fussed over the baby, no one noticed that Nate slipped quietly from the room. Abruptly Dana gasped. "What is it?" asked Mulder, panicked. "Mom! I forgot Mom!" Dana rushed downstairs, not noticing Nate who had sneaked past the closed living room door and exited from the kitchen. "Mom! Mom!" Maggie was in the hallway a moment later. "What? What is it? Dana's face broke into one of the biggest smiles Maggie had ever seen. "You have a granddaughter!" ***** The safe house. June 25th 1997. 2:00 pm. The day before had been a busy day, though Mulder and the baby had slept through it. Dr. Robert and Tom had been in early in the morning and declared both baby and father to be doing just fine. The room was clean, Maggie had briefly been in to play with her granddaughter, and now the baby lay in Mulder's arms, squinting at her father while her mother and grandmother were calling everyone they couldn't reach the day before with the news. He crooned to her, making up words and music in a song that came straight from his heart, as Dana walked in. She smiled, watching as Mulder reached for a small soft toy the Gunmen had given them, squeezing it to make it squeak as their daughter looked up. Dana made a mental note to check it for listening devices. "Mulder?" "Yes?" Mulder was busy playing with his little daughter. "You know Scully, she looks like you. What'll we call her?" Scully smiled. "We'll figure something out. Look, while you were talking to the doctor, Skinner called." Mulder's face darkened. "What did he want? You look worried." "It's just that..well, he thinks it would be easier all around if we just told everyone that we conceived this child in a normal way, and that we filled out the paperwork saying that I am its mother and you its father." "He just wants to deny it all, huh?" "Mulder, he has a point. Imagine how she'll feel being pointed out as a freak. We'd get no peace." He thought it over. "You're right. It would be hell. But when she's older...especially if we have children the normal way and you give birth to her little brother or sister some day....can we tell her then?" Dana smiled. "OK. Now get some rest." She crossed to the bed and kissed her weary husband. "Mulder, you've had a long pregnancy, and a difficult birth. You'll be just fine, but you need to sleep. I'll bring you some food first, and we can bottle feed our baby at the same time." "I guess I can't claim to be eating for two anymore huh? Can I at least have some decent junk food now, instead of all that healthy stuff?" She smiled. "After the gift you just gave me, you can have whatever you want." She drew him and their child into the first of many embraces. Mulder snuggled up against her, as she reached down to stroke the baby's face. "Had any ideas for the name?" she asked. He shook his head. "Not unless you'll let me call her Dana." "Might get confusing. But thanks. You're right though, she does look like me a bit." Mulder looked up at her. "Who do *you* look like, Scully? You don't resemble your mother much." She laughed. "No, I look like the Scullys. Like my father's family. They're the blue-eyed redheads. And I've seen pictures of my grandmother at my age, my Dad's mother. I look a little like her, too." "She's still alive isn't she? Your Mom has mentioned her." Dana nodded. "Yes, though she's very frail. She lives in California. I'd like us to take a trip out there sometime soon, if that's OK with you. Grandma Sarah won't forgive us if we don't introduce the newest Scully to her." She paused, and looked at Mulder, seeing her idea occur to him as well. "Sarah?" she asked, a little unsure. "Sarah Dana," he replied. "After her mother, and her great grandmother. Unless.....reckon we should add a Margaret in there too?" "Don't you dare." Maggie had come into the room, unseen. "I like my name, but Sarah Dana is quite enough for her to cope with." She grinned at them. "Grandma Sarah will be thrilled. Thanks." "Then that's settled," Mulder said happily. Dana nodded, and got up. "I'll get you and Sarah some food then." "You will do no such thing Dana," Maggie's voice was firm. "I will fetch a meal for Fox, a good unhealthy meal at that. Burger and fries?" She saw his eyes gleam in anticipation. "And some sunflower seeds. I brought a big bag with me. I'll bring you something too Dana, you look half starved. And I'll fetch Sarah's bottle. *You* will stay right here, with your husband and child, and relax." She swept out of the room. Mulder grinned as Scully watched her mother leave. "That told me, huh?" "Yep. But mothers have this way of being right. And now Sarah and I would appreciate it if her mother, and my wife, climbed onto this bed and relaxed along with us." Scully smiled and obeyed, as Mulder with his daughter snuggled in the crook of his arm leant back against her, the three of them a family. End part twenty two. Epilogue follows. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Inherently Given's Epilogue: And There Is A Love. J. Edgar Hoover Building. FBI Headquarters. April 18, 1999. 10:15 am Fox Mulder put down the file folder that he had been straining to read and glared at the phone. In complete defiance to his mental commands, the phone refused to ring. He glared at it even harder and contemplated picking it up and banging it against the desktop again to see if it was working. It hadn't worked the last time he did that, but it sure made him feel better. He was worried. And with good cause. His partner of several years, wife of two and a half, was late. Very late. Late for work, although part of that was his fault. He had gotten up at the usual hour, taken his run, gotten little Sarah up for her breakfast and purposefully let Dana sleep. She'd been so tired lately. He knew it was probably nothing. He was tired, too. They had just come off a horrendous case that had taken them out of town for the better part of a whole week. Both of them had spent at least a good part of each evening pining for their tiny daughter. Talking to her on the phone, held lovingly by Grandma to her little shell ear, and listening to her chatter at them had helped a bit. But inevitably, it had also led to the tears that came in the middle of the night. "Damn it, I gotta stop that. Scully's gonna think I'm losing it, the way I cry all the time when we're not at home," he berated himself once again. But after the tears, came the comfort. And that _always_ brought a smile to his face. His wife was the best 'comfort' he'd ever had. Since they had been out of town almost ever other week lately, they'd had plenty of time to 'comfort' each other. His mind flew back to the time, almost three years ago, when his wife had been not only his comfort, but his stalwart. His rock to lean on. Being pregnant had been exciting, and looking back with the insulation of time, it had been wonderful. But he could never have done it without her. He couldn't imagine not having her, and little Sarah, in his life. His eyes rested for a minute on the picture frame on his desk. It was a double frame, in cherry wood. One side, as always, contained the picture of Samantha that always rested on his desk, wherever he was. The other side contained a more recent photo. Taken professionally at Christmas, it was the three of them. Mulder was sitting to the right, his arm around Scully's waist. Sarah sat in Scully's lap and mugged happily for the cameraman. The look on his face said it all. The once tortured soul had finally found a little peace. They made a very happy family. Not that he had forgotten about his promise to himself to find his sister. That responsibility would never leave him, not until she was in his arms again. In fact, he now had another reason to bring her home. He had a little niece he wanted to introduce to her. And a sister-in-law that already loved her as if she were her own flesh and blood. As he thought of the time that he would finally see his sister again, he heard the door open behind him. He turned and saw his wife walk in with a Mona Lisa smile plastered across her face. "Where've you been? I was starting to get worried," he said, getting up and taking her briefcase, then giving her the once over with his eyes. She still looked tired. And a little pale. She come down with the flu and it just wouldn't leave her. She'd been throwing up for over a week now and it was starting to worry him tremendously. But looking at her now, he had to admit that she didn't look sick. In fact, if anything, she looked....radiant. She smiled as he got her a cup of coffee and put it down on her desk without taking a sip. "I was still throwing up this morning, so I decided I better take your advice before you dragged me to the doctor by my hair." She chuckled at him as he shook his finger at her. "I told you I wanted you to go *last* week," he reminded her. "Yes, and when you wanted me to go, we were in the middle of a case and 1000 miles from home. So I called Carole up and went this morning. I was lucky to get in on such short notice." He frowned at that a moment. Carole was her gynecologist. Mulder had met her once at a party they'd had when they bought their house. he wondered to himself. "So, what is it? An infection? A virus? What?" he asked anxiously. He was worried. If Dana was pushing herself too hard, with caring for Sarah and working full-time, he might have to put his foot down. As division head, he might make her take some time off. And he'd been meaning to ask Skinner for some help. A clerical, at the least, would give them both a break from some of the paperwork they had to file each month. He made a mental note to call Skinner as soon as Dana told him what the doctor said. "It's not an infection. And it's definitely not a virus," she said. That Mona Lisa smile was back. Only this time, the intensity of it was blinding. "Dana, spit it out before I write you up for insubordination AND turn you over my knee. And this time, you won't enjoy it as much as you did in Portland," he warned. "OK, here it is. We can't go to your mother's for Thanksgiving this year." "Dana, it's April. Why are we planning Thanksgiving already?" he asked with exasperation. Then her smile made him suspicious. "Is there a _reason_ we can't go to my Mom's for Thanksgiving?" "Well, Carole doesn't want me traveling that far right then," she said cryptically. "And the reason that you can't travel wouldn't have anything to do with your proximity to a maternity facility, would it?" he said, breaking into a totally goofy smile. She laughed softly. "See, I knew you were a great investigator. Not to mention, incredibly sexy," she said as he enfolded her in his arms and kissed her on the head. "Another one," he murmured into her hair. "We have to get another crib." "And another high chair, although Sarah will probably be using a booster seat by the time this one's able to sit up. She'll be old enough for a youth bed by then too." "We can get one of those double strollers, as well. Sarah would love that." He lifted her chin and kissed her. "Hey," she said in mock seriousness. "I thought that was off limits in the office." "Special occasion. You know I love to break rules." He hugged her tighter. he reminded himself. "So, you're happy?" she asked as she pushed back so she could see his face. The look in his eyes told her everything she wanted to know. Still, she wanted to hear him say it. "I couldn't get happier without massive quantities of drugs involved," he laughed. "And the best part is that this time I get to watch over you instead of the other way around." "And don't forget about the drapes," she reminded him. His mind flew back to the afternoon, sitting in the little bedroom of the safe house. She'd been crying, wanting so much to go through what he was going through. He'd made her a promise then, and it applied to more than just curtains. "Sweetheart, believe me, I haven't forgotten the drapes. I've been counting the days." ***** The Mulder family home. December 2nd 1999. 11:13 am. Fox Mulder cradled his child in his arms, as he carefully sat down and smiled at his wife. Dana smiled back at him. Parenthood, they'd discovered, was both demanding and at times nerve racking, but they wouldn't have missed it for the world. He reached over and smoothed the child's dark hair, placing a kiss on its forehead. His son opened his eyes, regarded his father and promptly fell asleep again. "Another dark haired one," Dana said teasingly. "He looks exactly like you, you know." "Ah, but we got a redhead as well," he laughed, grinning at the twin baby that his wife was holding. Dana laughed with him, shifting in the bed as she breast fed their youngest daughter. She had to agree with him, they seemed to have almost duplicated themselves this time. A dark haired little son with his father's features (she'd had to reassure Fox that it was a *nice* nose), and a redheaded blue-eyed daughter, the image of Dana. Both different in looks from Sarah, all three equally beautiful and precious. A good variety. "How are you feeling now?" her husband asked her. She grimaced again. The home birth had gone well, but she was sore as hell from it. "Sore". He nodded, in genuine sympathy. "At least you can move afterwards. Still, I never knew it took so much time the normal way. Sarah's birth was what, five minutes by Caesarean? I had it easier, at least there." Sarah, hearing her name, looked up from the floor where she was playing with her toys and pulled herself to her feet, holding onto her father's leg. Fox carefully placed his son back in the bassinet, and pulled his elder daughter onto his lap, catching Dana's eye as he did so. The same thought crossed both their minds. "Remember the day Sarah was born?" Fox asked softly. She smiled. "How could I forget it? My Mom downstairs trying to keep calm, Dr. Robert reassuring me, and you acting like a grouch. It was one of the longest and happiest days of my life. Though today equals it." "I was not grouchy," he replied teasingly, in a mock offended tone. "I am *never* grouchy." Dana made a face at him, causing Sarah to giggle. The little girl stirred on her father's lap, wiggling to get a better look at her new brother and sister, and smiling he held her so that she could stroke the new babies' faces. Finally she got bored, and he took her downstairs and left her with her grandmother, who was cooking. "It was quite a day," he agreed when he returned. "Dana, do you remember what we discussed the day after? That if some day we ever had other children, we'd tell her how she was born?" She nodded. "Yes. But she's still too young to understand, let alone keep it a secret." She looked into his face, but he didn't look upset. "But then you didn't mean to tell her now, did you." "No," he agreed. "I just wanted to know if you still felt the same. If you want to.....well, to claim to have given birth to all three of them..." She shifted the now sleeping baby in her arms and placed her in the bassinet next to her twin. Reaching over she took Fox's hand. "Fox, I love all three of our children equally. Sarah's no less special to me than the others, just because I didn't carry her. Are the twins any less important to you?" He shook his head mutely, unsure where the conversation was going. "But the fact remains you have a very special bond to Sarah, and she deserves to know it. One day, Fox, we will tell her, when she's old enough to understand and to keep it quiet. Hell, maybe one day medicine will have advanced to the stage where men often bear children. We know the people who helped create Sarah were working on it, and Dr. Robert has been working on research. Perhaps a time will come when you can tell people the truth and they'll not bat an eyelid. Either way, we *will* tell Sarah." Fox thought of his beloved dark haired little daughter, so sweet a moment before, engrossed with her toys at his feet. "I hope she isn't repulsed by it." "She won't be," Dana reassured him. "At least, I hope not. She ought to be proud of what you did for her, and there's already a bond between you. She's your daughter, Fox. Accepting the strange should come as second nature." "But she's yours as well, Dana" he quipped, unable to resist. "Sceptical Scully's daughter. She's already questioning the existence of Santa Claus, and she plays all the time with that doctor's outfit my mother bought her. You think she'll believe this?" Dana looked smug. "You don't think I kept some proof out of Skinner's hands? I've got documents and notes still carefully hidden. And she *will* believe us, because I, her mother, will tell her that I'm...her father? Mother? I still haven't figured that one." Fox, kissed her. "Both. We're both, to her and the others. So now, there's the big question." "Which is....?" "What the hell are we going to name these two?" The End. Thank you for reading, and goodnight...... (curtains close).