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Title: Slumber Watching II - Alicia Summary: Mulder POV. Interlude 2 in the PP universe. Mulder's thoughts as he watches his other girl sleeping. Note: Set during Homecoming Hearts. It's not necessary, however, to read the others in this universe to understand.
I quietly creep from our bedroom to that of our daughter's. I hope I'm quiet enough, the last thing I want to do is wake either one of them, especially since my fiancée is also an F.B.I. Agent who might not take too kindly to being woken by someone creeping through the house, even if it is me. She'd probably shoot me, even if she knew who it was. The door to Alicia's room is marginally open, as usual. Scully started leaving it ajar since Florida. I know she's still a little in shock, still reeling from just the idea of loosing Alicia. I can't bear to even comprehend what would have happened if the very worst had occurred, it Alicia had come to any harm at all. Or if any of us had been hurt, thinking about it. Scully was extremely shaken, more so than Alicia or me. She and Alicia were practically inseparable for the first few days after the case was closed. We stayed on for those days, knowing as soon as we got home that we'd be swamped with paperwork and surrounded by a swarm of relatives wanting to meet me or Alicia and Scully, depending on whose family it was. I can't say I was surprised that they couldn't bear to part, nor did I mind. I was just as reluctant to leave them. Then again, throughout the whole of the case, we had stayed together as much as we could. No one can really blame us, we are a family after all. Alicia sleeps peacefully, undisturbed by my presence if not, on some level, reassured by it. She smiles in her sleep, a beautiful smile that lights up her whole cherubic face. I feel a grin tug at the corners of my mouth. She resembles her mother so much, with the only exception of her eyes. 'Licia has my eyes. And yes, that is a hint of fatherly pride in my eyes and expression and voice. More than a hint. Alicia Mulder is my daughter and I couldn't love her more, not could I be prouder of her. Well, Alicia Scully-Mulder as it will be once we're married. Since we plan on working together after our marriage becomes official, Scully and I have decided the only way around the problem of our having the same name was to hyphenate both names. Of course, when we're together outside of work, we'll just be the Mulders. Surprisingly to some, Scully is very traditional in that respect, though I can't see personally where our colleagues get the idea that she is a sharp, cool, modern woman. Probably from Lamana or Fowley, I suspect, but she's not. She's a very sweet woman beneath that professional façade. As sweet as Alicia. I sit in the rocking chair across from her, an antique that somehow supports the weight of Scully, Alicia and myself at once. It was a present from her parents, given to her when she moved into this house with Alicia. It's funny how quickly this house, their house, became our home so quickly. Alicia stirs a little, making a sound that seems to be something between a giggle and a whimper. I sit on the edge of the chair, leaning closer to her and half expecting to fall off my perch. I reach out and tenderly push some of her hair back from her face. She smiles again and once again slips off into a peaceful slumber. Amy, her faithful doll, starts slipping from her small grasp. I move just in time to catch her from falling on the floor. I gently place Amy back in the bed, resting her carefully on the pillow, hoping the movement won't wake my angel. It doesn't. Alicia smiles even wider and welcomes Amy back into her arms. She buries her face, half into the pillow and half into Amy and stills. Her breathing and my breathing are the only sounds in the room. I hope her dreams are sweet. I hope they're as innocent as a child's dreams should be, that her encounter with a mad man is forgotten amongst a sea of happier memories. Sitting her, I picture our future. I know that Alicia will grow to be as beautiful a young woman as her mother. I know that Scully and I are in for turbulent times and many sleepless nights. I wonder, worry fleetingly making its appearance, how her growing up will affect and change our relationship with her. I mentally shake my head. Those days are a long time away. Maybe not long enough but I intend on treasuring every moment I have with my little girl, and every moment I have with her mother. For now, Alicia is our baby girl, our only child, at the present time. She is going to get all the love and support she could ever need. Scully and I are going to make sure she knows she can come to us at anytime, that she can tell us anything and, most importantly, that she is loved. She sleeps on, unaware of my thoughts. I have missed the first few years of her life and that is one of my only regrets. She's such a precious child, I never thought I could ever love anyone as much as I love her. Well, except her mother but that's a different kind of love with a different definition. Alicia is my daughter. She is the daughter I created with Scully. Our daughter, our child, ours. Mine. We're a family and for the first time, it actually genuinely feels like it. I have Scully to thank for that. She gave me the child that slumbers before me, gave me the chance to be a father. She gave me a family of my own and because of her, I was welcomed into her family. "Mulder," the voice, though startled, makes me jump. I turn, grinning uncontrollably and she smiles patiently, putting a hand on my shoulder. " It's late, and it's cold without you. Come back to bed." I take her hand off my shoulder and bring it to my lips for a kiss. "You just want me for my warmth." "Yeah," she chuckled softly, keeping her voice low and quiet. "That and the fact you create beautiful children." "Only with you, my love," I murmur, getting up and moving silently to her side. I wrap my arm around her waist, drawing her nearer. "She is beautiful, though, isn't she?" "She's perfect," Scully agrees. Then the tender look in her eyes is joined by something a little less innocent. "Let her sleep, Mulder. You can play Daddy in the morning. Come back to bed." Then she turns and leaves the room. It doesn't take me long to follow her. But not before I cast one more glance over my shoulder at Alicia, still smiling, curled up and sleeping soundly. Like the angel she is. The End.
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