To paraphrase the Immortal Adam Pierson--it's finally happened. I've completely lost my mind. If you read "Day at the Market" as closely as Caroline did, you were probably as confused as she was over the date I put on that story. It should have been October of1996, not 1995. Sigh. I'll be more careful next time. As for this piece, it's a little unusual. It's a series of vignettes that occur during a visit to the National Zoo. I wrote it this way because: 1. I've never been to the National Zoo (so excuse any inaccuracies), and 2. transitions would have made this way too long. So damn the transitions and full speed ahead.

Disclaimer: Dana Scully, Maggie Scully, and Walter Skinner aren't mine, alas and alack. They belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. Dana's niece and nephews aren't mine either. They belong to Bonnie's sister, Christine. (I filled them with graham crackers and Dr. Seuss before I put them to bed.) Animal and Sam the Eagle also aren't mine. They belong to the sainted Jim Henson.

As always, thanks to Bonnie, whose advice makes these so much better!

Warning: Scully and Skinner romance under construction.

Previous Story: "Day at the Market"

Day at the Zoo by Sally Bradstreet

The National Zoo
November 19, 1996
10:15 am

She scanned the jostling crowd with piercing blue eyes. They were here, she knew; her informant was always precise. She darted around a slow-moving group of talkers, searching in vain. Then she heard it.

"Aunt Dana!"

Dana Scully's face broke into a bright smile and she dropped to one knee to gather niece and nephews into a warm hug. "Hi, kiddos."

"We didn't expect to see you here," Jacob declared, his eyes and mouth round O's of surprise.

"I know," Dana replied, ruffling his blonde hair. "I called Grandma this morning and she told me you'd be here."

"And you wanted to surprise us," Tom concluded, grey smiling at her.

"You're absolutely right." She stood and Tom wrapped his arms around her waist. "Where's Grandma?"

"She's coming with Matthew." Amber grabbed both of her hands and began pulling her anxiously away from the boys. "Let's go see the elephants."

Dana spun Amber under her arm like a dancer. "Let's wait for Grandma, OK?"

"But she's so slow," Amber whined.

A masculine voice interrupted her before Dana could address her niece's lapse of manners. "Three children, Agent Scully? Are you hiding a husband, too?"

Dana turned to see the amused face of Walter Skinner. "You should know, sir, as it seems you're having me tailed."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, every time I turn around you're where I am. The Mall. The grocery store. The zoo."

"I come to the zoo quite often, actually. The fact that you're here is merely coincidence."

Dana shook her head. "I don't buy it. Either you're having me tailed, or you're stalking me."

He nodded solemnly, a teasing light in his eyes. "Oh, stalking, definitely. Tailing you would leave a record."

"Of course," Dana said putting her hands on her hips and glanced down at her young relatives to share the joke. They weren't there.

She spun in alarm, and found them clustered behind her, eyes wide with concern. She smiled reassuringly at them and herded them to stand in front of her. "It's OK. This is Mr. Skinner, my boss. He's my friend."

The children relaxed at this pronouncement and began examining Aunt Dana's friend with interest as she continued her introductions.

"This is Tom. He's Bill's oldest. He's 8."

Walt extended his hand. "Hello, Tom."

Pleased with being greeted like an adult, Tom shook the big hand firmly. "My whole name is William Thomas, but they call me Tom 'cause it's not so confusing."

"Good idea," Walt agreed. Tom grinned.

"This is Amber, Tom's sister."

Amber latched onto Walt's other hand and attempted to use it as a swing. "I'm 6," she announced.

Dana arched an eyebrow. "She's kind of shy."

"So I see," Walt said drily. He lifted the girl several inches off the ground and was rewarded by her giggle and a toothy grin.

"This is Jacob, Charlie's oldest. He's 4."

From his four-year-old height Jacob looked up and up and up to Walt's face. "You're tall," he whispered, properly awed.

Walt hunkered down to the boy's level. "Is this better?"

Jacob poked at his chin with stubby fingers. "Will you come play with us?"

"You'll have to ask your aunt."

Dana was immediately besieged by three small bodies jumping up and down and squealing, "Can he? Can he?"

"Can who do what?"

Dana looked over the bouncing heads to meet the amused blue eyes of Margaret Scully. "Hi, Mom." She leaned over a squirming Jacob to kiss her, then bent down to tickle the chin of the toddler her mother was pushing in a white stroller. "Hello, Matthew. I made it."

"I'm glad," Maggie said, touching her daughter's smooth cheek. "But I repeat, can who do what?"

The children tried another tack, now pestering their grandmother for an answer. "Can he come play with us?"

"Who?"

"Me." Walt suddenly stood, his regular height making him look like a lighthouse among the gathering of Scullys. "Good morning, Mrs. Scully."

"You remember my supervisor . . ."

"Mr. Skinner," Maggie supplied. "Yes, I do. It's good to see you again."

Again. The three adults flinched a little at the word. The last time Maggie Scully had seen Walter Skinner was when Dana had sent him as her messenger to Melissa's bedside.

The unpleasantness of the memory that rippled between the adults was lost on the children. "Can he, Grandma?" Tom repeated.

Maggie smiled at the man standing so quietly before her and touched his arm. "Of course."

Walt accepted this absolution for the sin he wasn't responsible for with a smile of his own. "Is that OK, Aunt Dana?" he asked, the smile quirking slightly.

Dana crossed her arms, observing both mother and boss with an unexpected sense of relief. "I suppose."

"Good!" Amber reasserted her claim on Walt's hand and began pulling him after her. "Let's go see the elephants."

"I've always liked big cats."

The big cat in question, a sleek ebony panther, stared back at her with clear yellow eyes.

"Then why do you have a dog?"

Dana glanced at him, eyes narrowed. "I saidbig cats. I don't like house cats. They're too . . . independent."

Walt hesitated, then placed his hand on her elbow and guided her to the next cage, this one holding a pair of Siberian tigers. "You don't like pets who can take care of themselves?"

This time when she chuckled over Clyde's cannibalistic tendencies Walt shared in the mirth.

"A pet who can look after itself is one thing. A pet who can't come when it's called because it's too busy being a cat is another."

The next cage contained a lion and lioness basking lazily in the autumn sunlight.

"There is something to be said for unconditional doggy love," Walt agreed, "but I prefer dogs that are slightly larger than an average sewer rat."

"What breed do . . ." Her question trailed off as a slight movement caught her attention.

"Is something wrong?" Walt asked, his voice taking on its Assistant Director tone.

"I'm not sure," Dana muttered, pivoting slowly to scan the people passing to and fro behind them. So many strangers, so many unknown faces. Then she saw them--one behind a tree, one behind a bench, one behind a garbage can. She smiled and searched the crowd for her mother. Maggie was perched on the bench where they had left the rest of the family, grinning widely. She winked at her daughter and Dana bit back a laugh, turning her attention again to the lions.

"I should warn you, Walt," she said under her breath, "that someone else is stalking me."

Concerned, Walt repeated her subtle performance and also saw the three giggling children closing in on them with as much stealth as they could muster.

"Am I in any danger?" he queried, assiduously studying the lion's twitching tail.

She clasped her hands behind her back, deliberately shifting her position so she couldn't see Tom's approach. "You shouldn't be. Unless, of course, they've been told you're a wildebeest, too."

"A wildebeest?"

Dana shrugged. "Or a foreign spy. It depends on whether Grandma is playing 'James Bond' or 'Jungle Cats'."

Walt nodded. "It becomes clear now."

They waited silently until it came.

Though she was expecting it, her niece and nephews still managed to knock Dana to the ground, forcing the air from her lungs as they began tickling her.

Walt watched the proceedings, grinning as one of his best agents tried ineffectually to free herself from the clutches of the three youngsters.

She saw him watching, and as she subdued one of Tom's arms she panted, "A little help here, Walt?"

"I don't know," he mumbled thoughtfully, circling the writhing bodies as if assessing the situation.

"Walt." Her growl lost its impact as she began to laugh. "Jacob! Stop it!"

Jacob did stop it when Walt grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him into the air. "Why did you attack your aunt?" he interrogated, his face an exaggerated mask of anger.

"'Cause she's a spy," he giggled, kicking at his captor's stomach. "Grandma said!"

"Oh," Walt replied, nodding in understanding. "Carry on." He deposited Jacob back on top of the dog pile.

"Walt!" Dana squealed.

He shrugged. "Sorry, Agent Scully, but I am sworn to protect my country from foreign threats."

"Walt, I'm going to--Ow! Watch it, Amber!"

Walt saluted the three junior agents and called across the lawn to their superior. "Would you like some popcorn, Mrs. Scully?"

"Come here, kids," Walt called, and immediately three pairs of feet pattered across the asphalt to his side.

Throughout the course of the day, Tom, Amber, and Jacob had discovered that Mr. Skinner knew all sorts of cool things about animals, like how snakes swallowed rats, why zebras had stripes, and where all the ducks went when it got cold. Therefore, when they saw him standing in front of a cage full of monkeys, they were more than willing to hear what he had to say.

"Do you know what a chimpanzee looks like, Tom?"

Tom squinted at the furry bodies swinging from tree limbs and metal bars. "There's one!" he yelled, waving his arms to a black form in the corner.

"Good job. Now watch." Walt walked closer to the cage and whistled. "Hey, Harry!"

The chimp looked up.

"Come say hello to my friends."

Harry bared his teeth in a wide chimp grin and began to chatter at the AD loudly.

Jacob's eyebrows rose to meet his hairline. "He talked to you!"

Walt smiled. "He's an old friend, aren't you, Harry?"

Harry slapped his palms on the ground and screamed.

"He answered! He answered!" Amber squealed, her long honey-brown ponytail bouncing wildly behind her.

"Did you hear that, Grandma? Mr. Skinner knows Harry!" Tom declared.

Maggie lifted Matthew out of his stroller and held him up to see the monkeys. "Should we start calling you Dr. Doolittle, Mr. Skinner?"

He studied the petite dark haired woman for a moment before responding. "No, but I would like it if you called me Walt."

"All right," she said with a soft smile, "if you'll call me Maggie."

Dana nudged him with her elbow. "How did you pull this off, Walt?"

"It's not too tough when I look like his trainer," Walt replied with a wry smile, nudging her back.

Dana chuckled. "Isn't it nice to feel wanted?"

Amber tore her attention away from the still-chittering chimpanzee and threw herself at her aunt. "He knows Harry!"

"I know," Dana replied, then grunted as her niece began to scramble up her body like it was a tree. "Amber, I'm not a jungle gym!"

Amber just giggled and continued her climb over her aunt.

Dana caught the little girl's knees and held her suspended upside down over her shoulder. "You're a little monkey, Amber. Should we leave you here, huh?"

Amber giggled again. "No! I'm not a monkey!"

Dana dropped her shoulder, threatening to dump Amber on the ground. Amber grabbed onto her aunt's belt and repeated, "I'm not a monkey!"

"Hey," Tom whined, at last satisfied that Harry wasn't going to do anything else spectacular, "I want to play 'sack of potatoes', too!"

"Sorry, bud," Dana panted, "I'm not strong enough to lift you any more. I can barely manage your sister."

"Grandma?" Tom asked, turning to the next logical choice.

Maggie shook her head. "I can't. I have to push Matthew."

Tom hesitated a moment. There was another option. After all, he did know about animals, and Aunt Dana and Grandma seemed to like him. Maybe . . . "Mr. Skinner?" he asked meekly.

"Sure."

Tom's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Really?"

Walt nodded and moved closer to a bench. "Climb aboard."

Tom achieved a perch on Walt's right shoulder with only the briefest of stops on the bench for a boost. "Youare tall," he observed as he viewed the topsy-turvy world from almost six feet up.

"What about me?" Jacob asked, his blue eyes teary.

Walt swung around so his left shoulder was nearest the bench. "I think I can handle it. Come on up."

Jacob was soon airborne, with a little help from Grandma.

"Well," Walt said, adjusting his load slightly, "it's time to feed the alligators, and I know they love to eat sacks of potatoes."

Dana swallowed a grin. "You're right. Let's give them these."

The three children shrieked in terrified delight as their rides started down the sidewalk.

Maggie followed the strange entourage, smiling as she went.

"Aunt Dana is going to take us to see the panda bears, Grandma," Tom announced, leaning against her shoulder. "Are you coming?"

Maggie shook her head and handed Matthew another French fry. "Matthew hasn't finished his lunch yet."

"Come on, Mr. Skinner." Amber began tugging on the sleeve of his leather jacket.

Walt remained firmly seated. "I'm not done with my lunch, either. If you remember, I was telling you about pandas while you were eating."

"Eat later," Amber insisted.

"Amber!" Dana said sharply. "Let Mr. Skinner eat."

The girl released her grip on Walt and took the hand that Dana held out toward her. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"I'll come as soon as I'm done, all right?" Walt offered.

Amber grinned, placated. "OK."

Jacob grabbed Dana's other hand and asked, "Will they be eating bamdoo?"

"Bamboo," Dana corrected with a laugh. "Come on, Tom. The pandas are waiting."

Tom jumped up and ran. "This way!"

Maggie watched her children troop off with a loving smile.

"You have a wonderful family, Maggie."

She turned to Walt, her smile changing only slightly. "Thank you." Matthew whimpered and she gave him another fry. "Do you have any family, Walt?"

"I have a brother in Texas. He has two boys a couple of years older than Tom." Walt paused, toying his hamburger wrapper. "Unfortunately I don't get to see them much."

Maggie heard the loneliness in his deep voice and smiled again, gently this time. "That's too bad. You really have a way with kids."

He shrugged, but was pleased with the compliment. "They're only impressed because I'm a novelty. If I spent more time with them I'd lose my high standing."

"Oh, I don't know," Maggie replied as she helped Matthew drink root beer through a straw. "You're willing to get dirty with them, and kids respect that."

"Dirty?"

She gestured to his once pristine blue T-shirt. "The sno-cone was Jacob's, the cotton candy was Tom's, the graham crackers were Matthew's, the chocolate was Amber's, and I believe the mustard was from Dana's hot dog."

Walt studied the colors splashed across his chest and sighed. "I look like a piece of modern art."

"You look like a father," Maggie corrected, eyes dancing merrily.

He flushed slightly, searching the crowd in front of the panda area for the small knot of Scullys. "Maybe," he said, his voice a little wistful.

Maggie was too wise to mention that his eyes kept drifting from her grandchildren to her daughter. She smiled again, considering.

"Jacob," Dana called over the din of the petting zoo, "stop chasing that goat or you're going to make it mad."

Heedless of his aunt's warning, Jacob continued to tease the small grey animal, pulling on its ears.

"He's going to get butted," Walt predicted.

"It'll serve him right." She bent over, unbuckled the strap keeping Matthew in his stroller, and lifted him into her lap. "Oof! You're getting so big. Can't you walk all day on your own yet?"

Matthew grinned like a mad jack-o-lantern and reached for his aunt's nose.

"Here, Dana. I'll take him."

"Are you sure, Mom?" she asked, handing the squirming 18-month-old over. "You've been carting him around all day."

Maggie's eyes darted from her daughter to the sternly handsome man sitting next to her. "I don't mind. We'll go see the bunnies. Matthew likes bunnies." She took the little boy's hand and they walked toward the low-fenced rabbit cages.

Dana's chance to reflect on her mother's behavior disappeared when Amber yelled, "Look, Aunt Dana!" She was running around the enclosure as fleetly as any deer with a fawn at her heels.

"I see, honey," she responded with a smile.

Beside her Walt sighed. "Did I ever have that much energy?"

Dana chuckled. "All Scully children have energy like that. They'll outgrow it around high school."

Walt leaned back, propping his elbows up on the picnic table, his shoulder brushing hers. "Were you like that?" he asked, gesturing to Amber, who was now being pursued by Tom as well.

"Actually, I was worse. I was a tomboy, too."

He considered this for a moment, trying to envision Dana as anything but the woman he knew. Even clad in faded jeans and sweatshirt like she was now, she still exuded femininity. The image of her in overalls and pig tails didn't hold. "Really?"

"Mmm-hmm," she answered, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. "I was the best shot in the neighborhood, could climb all of the tallest trees to the very top, and I beat up Jonathan Miller twice."

"Was he the school bully?"

Dana nodded, her eyes misty with memory. "He pushed Missy down on the playground once and then laughed at her."

"So you punched him?"

"Right in the nose. It bled beautifully."

Walt smiled, suddenly able to see her as a tomboy after all. "And the second time?"

"When he tried to get even with me for his new ?issy' nickname." She flashed a purely evil grin.

Walt laughed. "No wonder you're such a good agent. You've had practice. But," he continued, waving back at Jacob, who was now tormenting a sheep, "I don't think we'd have gotten along as kids."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Why not?"

He leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially in her ear, "Because I was the best shot in my neighborhood, too."

"Are you sure that was a good choice for him?" Walt asked as he watched Matthew spread vanilla ice cream all over his face as he tried to find his mouth.

"If you recall, it wasn't my choice," Dana replied, barely catching the cone before Matthew dropped it over the side of his stroller. "Mom bought it for him before she took the other kids into the aviary." She returned the treat to the toddler's grubby grasp, then glanced at her companion. "You could have gone with them, Walt. Matthew and I are fine by ourselves."

"I know," Walt answered, observing sympathetically as Dana wrestled with child and ice cream. "But I thought you might like the company."

"Thanks." She gave him a smile, the luminous one she used only on special occasions, and Walt felt amply rewarded for his actions.

A soft squish heralded Matthew's decision to deposit his ice cream in his lap. "Matthew," Dana growled, once again righting his dessert, "you are a mess, did you know that?"

Matthew grinned and patted at her face with sticky fingers.

She sat up, grimacing, and wiped at her cheek. "Thank you, Matthew."

Walt chuckled at her blind effort to clean herself off. "Here, let me." Holding her chin steady with one hand, he gently wiped the cool white rivulets from her cheek and hair. "There. All done," he whispered, his hand lingering on her jaw.

Their eyes met and held, and Dana found that she couldn't thank him. All she could do was think about how warm his fingers were against her skin.

A wail from Matthew broke the connection between them and each pulled back, smiling a bit sheepishly but without embarrassment.

Matthew wailed again as Dana found the cause of his distress. "Sorry, buddy," she declared as she retrieved the cone, which had at last landed on the asphalt, and tossed it into a garbage can. "That was your last chance."

Walt surveyed the messy little boy and stood up, jerking his thumb at the nearby ice cream stand. "I'll get some more napkins."

She started dabbing at the squirming child with the napkin Walt had used on her. "Good idea."

Dana's determined attempt to clean Matthew's flailing hands was interrupted by a loud feminine voice behind her. "He's a doll."

She glanced over her shoulder. "Excuse me?"

A young woman with curling blonde hair dimpled at her. "The baby. Even covered with ice cream he's a cutie."

Dana rolled her eyes slightly. "He's something, all right."

"Your husband's great, too," the woman continued blithely. "How long have you been married?"

"Husband?" Dana echoed, confused, then realized with a jolt that the woman was referring to Walt. "I, I mean, we, uh . . ."

The woman laughed, pushing her hair back from her forehead with crimson-enameled fingertips. "Not very long, I guess."

"We aren't--" Dana began, but was cut off when Walt returned.

"Here, sweetheart," he said, handing her a stack of folded white paper. "These should help."

Dana raised an annoyed eyebrow at him, but he just winked. "Thank you, dear," she mumbled, focusing her attention on the baby.

The woman smiled. "Have a good afternoon," she called as she sauntered away.

When Dana was sure the woman was out of ear shot she hissed, "Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

Walt shrugged and captured one of Matthew's hands. "It would have been more effort than it was worth. Besides," he added, polishing the child's chubby thumb, "she was right about one thing."

Dana stopped wiping up long enough to pin him with a blue glare. "And that would be?"

"That I'm great."

He said it with such authentic earnestness that Dana almost laughed. Instead she reached into the basket behind the stroller and extracted a green and white diaper bag. "OK, darling," she cooed with a saccharine smile. "If you're so great you can change Baby this time."

Walt reluctantly took the bag and looked Matthew over with a frown. "Great."

Then Dana did laugh.

"I'm impressed, Walt," Dana said, plopping down on the bench beside him and giving his knee a friendly pat.

"Why is that?" He raised his eyebrow in deliberate imitation of her.

She ignored it. "You can keep up with them." She nodded to her niece and nephews, who were waiting as patiently as they could for Maggie to help them at a drinking fountain. "They exhaust most newcomers in an hour or two. You're survived the whole day. Congratulations."

Walt rested his arms on the back of the bench, his hand drifting across her back as he did so. "It's not me. It's all that Bureau training. I knew it would be useful one day."

Dana leaned back against his arm. "I'm sure that helped, but it's more than that. You have a knack for dealing with them."

"They're great kids," he remarked softly.

"They are. And they really like you." Before he could contradict her she continued, "They've even paid you the highest compliment kids that age can."

She paused and he obligingly prompted, "Which is?"

Dana grinned. "They compared you to a Muppet."

Walt groaned. "Don't tell me. Sam the Eagle, right?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

He pulled off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. "My nephews have made the same observation."

Dana had seen him rub his nose like that countless times, so many times, in fact, that she and Mulder privately referred to the gesture as ?ulling a Skinner'. But as she watched him do it now in the fading sunlight she began to giggle.

He looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"They're right!" she choked. "When you do that, you look just like him, when he puts his wing over his face and shakes his head." She tried to swallow her laughter, but it kept erupting in short bursts. "And you both sound so gruff. And he's got that little fringe of feathers around his head and you . . ." She pointed at his own bald pate and giggled again.

"Are you done now?" Walt asked gruffly, trying to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.

Dana took a deep breath and wiped at her watering eyes. "I'm sorry, Walt, but it's just true enough to be ridiculous. I'm sorry," she repeated. "I won't bring it up again."

Walt studied her for a moment, taking in her bright eyes and tousled red hair, then said, "You look rather like a Muppet yourself."

"Which one?"

He reached out and flipped an auburn lock into her face. "Animal."

She gave an indelicate snort. "Thank you for that."

"Let's get a second opinion." Walt waved at the children. "Hey, kids, I need your help." Almost immediately three small forms were draped over him.

"What?" Tom asked, anxious to be helpful.

"Don't you think your Aunt Dana looks like Animal?" Walt asked, all seriousness.

"On Muppets?" Jacob asked, his face twisted in confusion.

"On Muppets," Walt confirmed.

Amber tilted her head and considered this. "Maybe."

Dana jumped up and towered over her niece. "Oh, really?"

Amber giggled. "Uh-huh."

"I'll get you for that," Dana growled. She began to chase her, chanting, "Am-ber! Am-ber!"

Maggie appeared at Walt's side and watched daughter and granddaughter cavort about the lawn like puppies. "Who started it this time?"

"I'm afraid I did," Walt confessed with a smile.

Maggie squeezed his shoulder. "Good for you." She watched a moment longer, then shouted, "All right, girls. Let's go home."

House of Maggie Scully
8:15 pm

"Is he asleep yet?" Maggie asked, bringing a loaded tray in from the kitchen.

Dana looked down at Matthew, who was curled up like a comma against her chest. "I can't tell from this angle, and I'm afraid he'll wake up if I move him."

Maggie set a cup of tea on the table near Dana's elbow, then stooped over to peek at her grandson's face. "He's almost there. He has a hard time when he's away from his mom."

Dana took a sip from her steaming cup, then resumed her rhythmic stroking of Matthew's corn silk hair. "How about the other kids?"

Maggie settled into an armchair with a sigh. "Well, once I finally got them tucked in, it took them all of 30 seconds to drop off. Today really wore them out."

"And they really wore me out," Dana replied, succumbing to a huge yawn. "I don't know how Jennifer and Lisa do it."

"It's different when they're your own children. You learn to handle each one as they come along, and then when they're all together as a group they're not so bad. That's how I managed to survive the four of you," Maggie concluded with a wink.

"True."

Mother and daughter sat quietly, sipping tea and listening to the soft rush of the baby's breathing. At last Maggie said cautiously, "He's charming."

"Who is?" Dana asked, shifting Matthew slightly in her arms.

"Walt Skinner. I was quite impressed with him."

Dana eyed her mother suspiciously. "Really? How so?"

"He's intelligent, courteous, good with the kids."

Dana recognized her mother's tone and the deceptively serious expression in her eyes; she just hadn't experienced them since high school when she had announced that she had a crush on Scott Hall. "Did anything else impress you?"

"What?" Maggie glanced up, all innocence. "Oh, I think he's rather handsome. Don't you?"

"Hmm."

Not content with that noncommittal response, Maggie gently pressed a little further. "It seems like the two of you are friendly."

Determined to give her mother as little encouragement as she could, Dana replied, "Mmm-hmm."

"Have you gone out at all?" Maggie's attention was seemingly focused on the flames dancing on the hearth.

"Not really."

"What does that mean? You've had dinner? Seen a movie or two?"

"Coffee sometimes. Lunch once."

Maggie arched an eyebrow. "You're not being cooperative, Dana."

Dana smiled sweetly. "I know."

Maggie appraised her youngest daughter with a practiced eye. Of all her children, Dana was the most stubborn, the most reluctant to act when it came to matters of her own personal happiness, and as always, Maggie felt compelled to give her a nudge in the right direction. "Dana," she began.

"You know, Mom," Dana interrupted, "if you're that attracted to him I do have his home number. You can give him a call."

Maggie blinked rapidly in surprise. "Dana Katherine Scully, did you just tell me to butt out?"

Dana stood, the now-sleeping Matthew slumped over her shoulder. "Yes."

"All right," Maggie relented, holding up her hands in surrender. "I'll butt out."

"Thank you," Dana said, striding up the stairs.

"For now," Maggie added under her breath, and picked up her book.

Upstairs, as Dana pulled the blanket over Matthew in his make-shift crib, part of her fervently hoped that her mother would butt out entirely. And part of her didn't.

The End