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Title: The Bigfoot Conundrum Summary: Fluffy Emily fluff based off a headcanon Mulder has finally gotten a Scully to take Bigfoot seriously. When he bought Emily the stuffed Sasquatch, he didn't know what toys were a appropriate for a three, almost four-year-old. He told the manager at Walmart he wanted something cute without small, swallowable pieces and she showed him the plastic tower of Beanie Babies. There, between two holiday bears left over from the Christmas season was the perfect gift for an uberscully. It was kismet. At least, that's the excuse he gave Scully. "You bought my daughter a Bigfoot?" Mulder shrugs and begins clearing the table. He surprised them with Burger King. Emily loves their chicken nuggets and he knows Scully likes a burger before they delve into case reports. The Bigfoot, wrapped in paper from the dollar store sat on the counter. Emily kept eying it throughout dinner. She knew it was for her. Anyone who came by brought her gifts. They were given under the guise of christmas presents but, in reality, it was a belated baby shower. Clothes, toys, Disney movies - even a pink bed from American Signature. Scully's friends and family are stocking her up on everything a little girl needed. He tosses the wrappers and shredded paper in the trash. "So? She loves it." And does she. Bigfoot is getting the VIP tour of the apartment. Emily shows him the bathroom, Scully's bedroom and her bedroom all while talking to the stuffed toy like she's a real estate agent. Yes, Mr. Bigfoot, the drapes are lovely and they match the carpet too. He laughs at that which makes Scully flush. She opens the Coats Grove file and hides her blushing face behind it. "Is she wrong?" Mulder asks innocently. "Does your carpet not match the drapes?" He's had the occasional peak down there so he knows she's a true redhead. It's not something they make a habit out of, just lapses of judgment when they almost lost each other. Her abduction, both times he nearly died on a train, Pusher, on their way back from Comity, New Hampshire and, most recently, the week before she started chemo. But now that she's a mother, he doubts it'll ever happen again. Scully shoots him a keep-it-PG look. "Behave." "She started it." Emily wanders back into the kitchen, Bigfoot still cradled in her arms. She has Scully's eyes - clear and bright, the eyes of a steadfast scientist. Mulder wonders if she'll inherit Scully's skepticism or if she'll spend her life chasing after the conspiracy that created her. There must be others, Mulder thinks. Hundreds of children conceived from the stolen ovas of abductees. Emily may have brothers and sisters. Will she make a crusade out of finding them like Mulder has done for Samantha? He pats her head when she walks by the table. "Does Bigfoot approve of the accommodations?" "He does." She sets Bigfoot on the table and looks up at Mulder. "Where do Bigfoots live in the wild?" "Mountains, forests." "Have you ever seen one?" "No," he says but when Emily's face falls he adds, "but I have seen a giant lake monster." "Really?" "Really. His name was Big Blue and he was huge." He grins at Scully who sighs and takes the bait. "Big Blue was an alligator, Mulder, not a prehistoric plesiosaur. You shot it dead yourself." "You shot an alligator?" Emily asks, blue eyes wide like Scully's right before an autopsy. Curiosity and disbelief in a single sentence. Maybe she'll be both a skeptic and a believer - a skeptical believer. She'll use science to prove the existence of aliens, cryptids and ghosts. The Charles Darwin of the paranormal. "Nevermind," Scully says before Mulder can answer. "We're not going to talk about shooting alligators." Emily pouts. "Why not?" "Because it's past your bedtime." Scully stands and lifts Emily up, settingling her against her hip with the ease of a practiced mother. She's always been a quick study, adapting and learning to play different roles in life. Emily snuggles against Scully. "I don't wanna sleep." Mulder tickles her foot. It flexes reactively, pink little toes curling as she giggles. "You need at least ten hours of sleep a night, kid. It helps you grow." "Don't wanna." He watches Scully carry her to bed. She's a mother now and it's a beautiful thing. The End
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