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Title: Sarah 11. Coming to Terms Summary: An innocent question leads to some serious thinking for Scully. "Dana, are you Daddy's girlfriend?" The question was asked innocently. Mulder had treated Scully and Sarah to the movies, and now they were at Planet Hollywood for burgers. Mulder was visiting the bathroom when Sarah asked Scully the question. "No, Sarah," Scully replied. "Your father and I just work together." "But he hugs you and kisses you sometimes," Sarah reasoned. "And you are always at our place or doing things with us." In popped a french fry with a liberal dollop of ketchup. "Doesn't that make you his girlfriend?" "We are very good friends. We enjoy doing things together," Scully hedged. "I like doing things with Vanessa, but I don't want to hug and kiss her." The velvet brown eyes regarded her steadily. Sarah would have been a whiz at interrogating a suspect. Scully felt her face reddening. "Boyfriends and girlfriends usually hug and kiss a lot more than that. They love each other. They think about what it would be like to live together all the time." "You love Daddy, don't you?" "Well, yes, I do... but there are different kinds of love, Sarah. I love my mother, I love my brothers, I love you and I love your daddy... but that doesn't make any of those people my boyfriend." "Oh." Sarah looked a little crestfallen as she dipped another fry in the ketchup. Mulder returned to the table and the conversation took a different turn, but Scully's mood had changed. She wasn't very good company. Soon after returning to Mulder's apartment, Scully had made her excuses and left. She had no idea whether Mulder had noticed the change in her... if he did, he didn't say anything. Scully let herself into her apartment, closing the door behind her less than quietly. She tossed her purse and keys onto the table, then sat down heavily in her favorite chair. The one she'd been sitting in some months ago when Mulder had brought Sarah to her for the first time... the same chair she'd sat in as he related Sarah's story to her. Why had Sarah's questions bothered her so? Was it because they raised the specter of what might have been? What might have been about to happen before Sarah had arrived on the scene? If it wasn't for the child, she and Mulder might have been lovers by now. He had been making all the right noises for some time. Scully had felt that he had been about to extend their professional relationship in another direction, and then Sarah had stepped into the equation. Scully sighed. Or was it because it made her confront her feelings of jealousy over Sarah, and over Annie and what she had been to Mulder? She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to feel about Mulder, about Sarah, about the whole situation. Scully felt she had been patient long enough... her frustration over the situation with Mulder was mounting. If she didn't do something about it soon, she felt she would explode and maybe do or say something she might regret. Scully needed someone to talk to, and quickly. She picked up the phone and dialed her mother's number. "Mom? It's Dana. Can I come over and talk to you?" "Sure, honey," replied Margaret Scully, surprised to hear her daughter's voice. "I thought you were out with Sarah and Fox." "I came home early. I wasn't feeling very sociable." "What time shall I expect you?" asked Margaret. "Can I come over now?" asked Dana. "Of course you can! You can come any time you want, you know that!" "Thanks, Mom... I'll see you in a little while." Margaret Scully replaced the receiver with a frown. Dana had sounded upset... Margaret hoped that nothing untoward had happened between her and Fox. While she waited for her daughter to arrive, Margaret put the kettle on to boil, ready to make the tea that would accompany their discussion. Mrs. Scully had never seen her daughter looking so miserable. "Dana, honey - whatever's the matter?" she asked. "Did you and Fox have words?" "No Mom, it's nothing like that," answered Scully wearily. "Then what is it? It is to do with Fox - am I right?" Scully never ceased to be amazed at her mother's perception. She sat down at the kitchen table and took the cup of tea that her mother handed to her. "While we were out this afternoon, Sarah asked me if I was Mulder's girlfriend." "And what did you say?" "I said that we just worked together." Those words were so inadequate to express what she felt for Mulder. She felt like crying, but she let the emotion out as anger instead. "I just don't know where I stand, Mom. You know, before Sarah came to live with him, I thought that something might develop between us. We'd been getting closer, and I felt that it would only be a matter of time before our relationship moved in a new direction. Then Sarah arrived on the scene, and since then all his time and energy has been devoted to her." "That's perfectly understandable, given the circumstances Sarah found herself in," replied Mrs. Scully gently. "It must have been very confusing and frightening for her." "I know that Mom, but I thought that now she was settled, he might find some time for me." As soon as she said it, Scully realized how selfish and self-pitying she sounded. "I can understand how you feel, Dana," said Margaret. "But you know this has been a very difficult time for Fox, and for Sarah. I'm sure the situation won't last forever." Scully couldn't share her mother's optimism. She couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel. "Mom, I feel so guilty at having these feelings. I hate myself for feeling this way." Scully took a mouthful of her tea. Margaret could see that she was close to tears. Whatever was going on with her looked as if it had been building for weeks. "Then talk to me, Dana," said Margaret softly. "I don't like to see you troubled. It always helps to talk about things... they never seem so bad afterwards." "I don't even know where to start," sighed Scully. "Why not at the beginning?" suggested her mother. "Tell me how you felt when Fox came to you with Sarah the first time." Scully blushed a deep red. "I was jealous... I felt resentful of Sarah. I know, Mom... that is not something to be proud of, but I couldn't help it. He gave her the love and affection that I craved for myself, and he gave it freely. You should have seen them together, Mom... Mulder was a natural, as if he'd been parenting all his life. And then when he started talking about Annie... I didn't want to hear it. I hated her because she'd known Mulder in a way that I hadn't. I hated her because he had loved her enough to have a child with her." "But Sarah was an accident," said Margaret. "They didn't purposefully set out with the intention of having a child." "Yes, I know," answered Scully, "but that still doesn't make it any easier to accept. And I hated him for not telling me about her." "Maybe he was afraid of your reaction," replied Mrs. Scully gently. "Fox cares for you, he cares about what you think. I don't for one moment believe he set out to hurt you that night. I think you know that in your heart of hearts." "It was the way he went about it that made me angry... he just turned up on my doorstep and expected me to accept her! He takes me for granted, Mom, he always expects me to fall in with his plans, to look after Sarah while he's away... he treats me like some sort of surrogate mother." "He must think you're doing a good job... he made you Sarah's legal guardian," pointed out Margaret. "I know, and I'm thrilled that he did, but as with everything else, he didn't consult me first." "Perhaps he was afraid that you might say no," said Margaret softly. Scully squirmed under her mother's gaze. "He let her call him Fox," said Scully, changing the subject. "The first time I called him that was also the last. He made it quite plain that he answered to nothing but Mulder. Why would he let her call him by his name and not me?" "Well, I suspect he didn't have much choice in the matter," replied Mrs. Scully with a smile. "From what you've told me about Annie, I don't think she would have stood any of his nonsense, and that includes not using his first name." Scully had to smile, despite herself. "I think you're right there, Mom... he told me that they used to have some fiery arguments." Then her face took on its former unhappy expression. "It was just such a shock when Sarah came out with it on Christmas day. I know she didn't say it to upset me, but it did. It was the same with the photograph of Annie that Sarah has by her bed. I don't begrudge Sarah having a picture of her mother..." "But it's the fact that Fox has it at all that you don't like," said Mrs. Scully. Scully nodded, feeling so ashamed. "You should have seen the look on his face when I saw it there on the night stand. I hadn't noticed it before, and my reaction... well, it wasn't very favorable. He was surprised and hurt that I should begrudge Sarah a picture of her mother. I felt about that big." She held her thumb and forefinger a minuscule distance apart. "He spoke of Annie with such warmth and affection, even though their relationship was never that serious or intense." "Well, she was the mother of his child, and you said that they parted amicably. He has good memories of her... they are often the best ones to have. And it's good for Sarah to know that her parents were friends, even if they didn't live together. Dana, however this thing with you and Fox ends up, Annie is always going to be there in the background. Sarah will want to talk about her mother, especially now, so recently after her death. The memories comfort her." "I know you're right, Mom... I know I'm being irrational, but I just can't seem to help myself." Scully toyed with her empty cup. "The thing I miss the most is the time Mulder and I used spend together, alone. I know we spend all day at work together, but then his mind is on the job. The few minutes it's not on the job, it's on Sarah. Even that time I invited him over, when Sarah was in Boston, his mind was occupied with her all evening. I would like things to be as they were, just for a few hours." She missed the flirtatious and suggestive banter that was a trademark of their partnership, and that Mulder was so good at. He could make the most innocent remark and give it a double meaning. Even when she was expounding a serious theory to counteract whatever outlandish idea he had come out with, he could reduce her to laughter with a well-placed, deadpan comment. Scully sighed... how she longed for those days. "He hardly touches me anymore, Mom. You know, I used to dislike it, the way he'd put his hand at the back of my waist, or brush against me, or touch my elbow. But I got used to it... it's part of the way he is, and now I really miss it. It's as if he's afraid to touch me... yet he doesn't shrink away if I touch him. He touches Sarah all the time... kissing her, cuddling her, caressing her hair. His hands are never far away from her." "She's been through a lot, Dana... she needs a lot of fussing and affection. It's one of the ways of making her feel loved and secure. And I expect that Fox is making up for lost time. Maybe he gets touched out," suggested Mrs. Scully. Scully regarded her mother in confusion. "I don't know what you mean, Mom. What is this touched out'?" Margaret smiled. "It's simple, Dana. Mothers suffer from it a lot. If you spend a lot of time kissing and cuddling your children, especially when they're small, sometimes you don't have much left for anyone else. Maybe that's how Fox feels." "Or maybe he's just not interested in me anymore." "Oh now Dana... that's not true. He includes you in everything they do!" "Only because he needs a surrogate mother for Sarah!" "Well, I won't argue that Sarah needs a female influence in her life, but you know that Fox appreciates all that you do for him and Sarah. If you feel so strongly, why do you keep doing it?" Her mother had a point, and Scully knew it. Margaret Scully handed her daughter another cup of tea. "How do you feel about Sarah now?" she asked, taking her seat again. Scully smiled fondly. "She's lovely, a delight. I treasure the time that we spend together and I miss her as much as Mulder does when she's not there." Her face clouded briefly. "When I think of my initial reaction, I feel so ashamed. He brought her to me to share, to love her the way that he does, and all I could do was sit there stony faced, resenting her for coming between us. She's like Mulder in so many ways... how could I not love her, Mom?" "She does get to you, doesn't she?" This time Margaret Scully smiled, thinking of the little girl and her boundless energy. Scully's eyes gazed off into the distance, then dropped down to her cup. "He thinks his life was empty until Sarah came to live with him. He came out with that the night he came over, when she was in Boston. He was so lost, Mom, without her... he didn't know what to do with himself. His life is so wrapped up in Sarah and her needs that he's neglecting his own life. I was so hurt when he said that." "He probably wasn't thinking straight," said Mrs. Scully. "He was missing his daughter, he was concerned because he hadn't heard from her. I don't think he meant it as any reflection on you. You said yourself that he was tired and strained around that time. He probably didn't even realize what he'd said." "Mom, why do you keep taking Mulder's side?" said Scully with irritation. Her mother looked at her with surprise. "Dana honey, I'm not taking Fox's side. I'm just trying to help you see how difficult it's been for him... I'm playing devil's advocate here. Put yourself in his shoes... he's had to put his life on hold for Sarah's sake. He wants to make sure that she knows she's loved, that she's secure, that she's safe. You know how much he loves her... wouldn't you do the same for your child? Don't forget too, that he's only had a few months to build a relationship that would normally have developed in the six years since Sarah was born, and I think he's done very well. It hasn't been easy for him Dana, especially recently." Scully knew that her mother was referring to Sarah's recent crisis and temporary personality change. It had been difficult for Mulder, there was no doubt about that. He'd seen his beloved daughter change from her usual delightful self into the child from Hell. It had nearly torn him apart, and she knew that he still partly blamed himself for what had happened. Margaret Scully covered Dana's hand with hers. "You have to be patient, Dana... he'll rekindle his feelings when the time is right." "I know I have to be patient... I just don't know how much longer I can hold on." Margaret looked at her troubled daughter. "Dana, we both know it hasn't all been bad... I know the three of you have had some good times. Maybe it would help if you focused on those instead of the negative things." Scully sat and thought for a moment. When she spoke, her tone was a lot softer. "You know Mom, some of the best times have been when Mulder talks about Sarah. Listening to him, to his voice... I can't describe it. You have to be there to know what I'm talking about. The way he described seeing her for the first time... Mom, it was beautiful. He was letting me share his most private moments... he'd never done that before. There's always been a part of Mulder that's been shut off, even to me. It was an honor to know that he wanted to share those memories with me. It was the same with the photograph album... Mulder had never shown it to anyone else before, yet he chose to share it with me. And the photos were wonderful... Everything he felt about Sarah, about being a father, was in those pictures. All this has revealed a side to him that I never knew existed." She thought back to a conversation they'd had just the weekend before, while they were sitting in the park, watching Sarah in the playground. Mulder had been in what Scully called his "reflective" mood, when he showed his softer, more emotional side. He had been watching Sarah run around with some other children, and he had turned to her and said, "You know, Scully... it's fascinating to watch Sarah grow and change before my eyes. She's changed so much even in the short time that she's been here." He had looked down at the ground, and his voice had taken on that soft wistfulness that she had come to know so well... the tone that was so full of regret. "I didn't realize what I had been missing. It seems like only yesterday that she was a tiny, pink, wrinkly faced baby, and in a couple of months she'll be seven." He had turned to her, tears shimmering in his eyes. "I missed it all, Scully... I missed all her growing up. I'll never get those years back." He had bent his head, not wanting Scully to see the tears trickle out of his eyes. She had placed her hand on his soft hair, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how to. She couldn't turn back the clock, however much she wanted to. Scully had taken his hands in hers, stroking the back of one with her thumb. "Mulder, you can't relive what's past, but there's the future to look forward to. Sarah is still growing and you'll be here to see all of that. It's not good to dwell on the past, you know that. You can't change things no matter how much you want to. You have to live for the future." As Scully related the tale to her mother now, she could feel the tears prick her eyelids. "There's so much regret, Mom. But that was the way Annie wanted it. She wanted to bring Sarah up on her own. Mulder had unlimited visitation rights, and Sarah knew that he was her father. It suited them both to have it that way. He never expected that she would end up living with him. I don't think he would have had it any other way, though. If it had come down to a custody battle, he would have fought tooth and nail to have her with him. He's so proud of her... you can see it in his eyes every time he looks at her, and she absolutely adores him. When they're together, it's as if they're in their own private little world." "Just like you and your father," said Margaret softly. And as Scully thought about it, she realized it was true. "So what shall I do, Mom? Should I let things ride, or should I make the first move? I'm afraid that if I wait for Mulder I'll be waiting forever." "Honey, only you can make that decision. I can't tell you what to do. All I can do is listen." "Yeah, I know. And thanks for listening. I needed to get it off my chest. I still have some thinking to do, though. Bill Junior asked me to come and visit... I might take him up on it. Maybe if I put some distance between us, it might make it easier to come to some sort of decision." Margaret Scully watched her daughter as she headed for her car, and smiled. Far from coming between Fox and Dana, Sarah had brought them together in a way they couldn't yet see or understand. As she stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to pack, Scully fingered the diamond heart pendant that Mulder had given her for Christmas. She had hardly taken it off since. So much unspoken had been in his eyes when he had given it to her... as if he were saying, "Here's my heart, Scully... I'm giving it to you. Take it." How could she do that while he was still so wrapped up in the child? Mulder was a man of few words when it came to his feelings, preferring to keep things hidden away inside. Was his gift of the heart a declaration of intent? Scully packed her bag absently, her mind on other things. Before she left for her brother's, she would have to call Mulder and let him know of her plans. She wouldn't tell him of the visit to her mother. Mulder was miles away. "Daddy?" Sarah tugged on his sleeve. "Daddy! I'm talking to you and you're not listening to me!" "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart!" He looked down into Sarah's face, seeing her little mouth pouting. She didn't like being ignored. Mulder had been thinking about Scully. He was puzzled by her recent behavior... it was as if she were distancing herself from them, from him, and he didn't know why. The way she'd taken off this afternoon, claiming a headache, was a case in point. Mulder reached out, pulled Sarah into his lap and gave her a kiss. "I'm sorry I wasn't listening to you, sweetheart." Sarah gave him a wonderful smile. "That's okay, Daddy." Then she buried her face in his neck and hugged him. "I'm going to call Dana and see how her headache is," said Mulder. As he reached out to pick up the phone, it rang. "Hi, Scully!" Mulder was pleased to hear her voice. "I was just about to call you. How's your head?" "It's fine, Mulder." Scully hesitated. She didn't know how he was going to react to what she was about to say next. "Mulder, I'm going to stay with my brother for a while." Silence. "Mulder?" Mulder's voice was very quiet as he said, "Scully, have I said or done something to upset you?" "Why do you say that?" "Well, I've noticed that you haven't been yourself recently." He was skating on thin ice here... he knew what she could be like when he broached this sort of subject. "I'm fine, Mulder," answered Scully. He wasn't convinced. "If there was anything wrong, you would tell me, wouldn't you Scully?" That was rich coming from him. She bit back a stinging, "Just the way you've always confided in me." "There's nothing wrong, Mulder. My brother invited me up, and I thought I'd go. I haven't seen them for a while. I'm sure that you and Sarah can manage without me for a few days." "When will you be back?" "I don't know... I may decide to stay for the week." "Scully..." "Mulder, I do have a life of my own, you know. I treasure the time that I spend with you and Sarah, you know I do, but right now I want some time to myself." He had to start caring for Sarah without her support sometime, and now was as good a time as any. "Okay, Scully... you have a good time. Call me and let me know when you'll be home." "I will, Mulder. Take care of yourselves, and give my love to Sarah." Mulder replaced the handset with a frown. Sarah was looking at him expectantly. "Is Dana's headache better, Daddy? Is she coming over?" He mustered a smile for his daughter. "Her headache is better, but she's not coming over. Dana's going to take a little holiday trip. She's going to stay with her brother for a few days." He fiddled with Sarah's hair and fingered her cross. "How long will she be gone? Doesn't she want to do things with us anymore?" Sarah's little face wore a confused and upset expression. "Of course she does, sweetheart!" Mulder drew Sarah into his arms, closing them around her protectively. He kissed her. He hadn't realized that his daughter had grown so attached to Scully. "Dana wants to spend some time with her own family. She hasn't seen them for a while. You remember when you went up to Boston, to see Granny Page and your cousins? Well, that's what Dana is doing. " "When is she coming back?" "I expect she'll be back next weekend." He suddenly felt very guilty for monopolizing Scully and keeping her from her own family. As usual, he'd been completely selfish. Already he was thinking of some way that he could make it up to her. "You know what, Sarah... I think we should do something extra special next weekend to welcome Dana home. What do you think?" Sarah nodded enthusiastically, in complete agreement with her father. "What are we going to do, Daddy?" "I don't know, but if we put our thinking caps on, I'm sure we'll come up with something!" Scully packed the last few items into her bag. She'd use the time at her brother's to think things over, but she'd already come to a decision. If nothing happened between her and Mulder after her return, she'd take matters into her own hands. Ten Days Later The first thing Scully noticed was the photograph on the desk, beside his computer. It was the one of him and the infant Sarah that Scully had liked so much. Mulder's favorite picture adorned the bookshelf and both were mounted in expensive looking frames. It had been a little while since Scully had been to the Mulder apartment - it was obvious that some changes had taken place since her last visit. Work had been a little light that afternoon. They had made a concerted effort to clear up all outstanding paperwork and as a reward, Mulder had suggested that they take off early, which was why she now wandered around his apartment while he made coffee. He'd had it mind for the two of them to collect Sarah from school, then they could all do something together - maybe the movies, or a meal. It would be a nice surprise for the child, who had been missing Scully. Sarah hadn't seen her since her return from her brother's. Scully had come back to her apartment, to find an enormous bouquet of flowers in a crystal vase adorning her dining table, and a small box of her favorite handmade chocolates beside it. Propped up against the vase was a huge homemade card that read "Welcome home Dana." Scully recognized it as Sarah's handiwork. Sarah had later informed Scully proudly that she had chosen the chocolates. The flowers had come from Mulder. Scully had been both pleased and touched by their gesture. Scully wandered into Sarah's spotlessly clean and tidy bedroom. A place for everything, and everything in its place. The child's favorite soft toys sat at the foot of the bed, and her most favorite of all - the curly furred, honey colored teddy bear that Mulder had given her - sat on her pillow. Sarah had named him Growler, "because he doesn't talk, he growls." Scully's eyes were inexorably drawn to the night stand. Sarah was amassing quite a collection of photographs beside her bed. In addition to the one of her mother, there was the picture of her father taken at the Scully family barbecue. Mulder had had it framed for her. Besides that, there was a brand new photograph - one of Mulder and Sarah together, and it was a fairly recent one by the looks of it. Mulder was all in black, and Sarah was wearing her little red plaid kilt and cream Arran sweater. Her lovely dark hair fell in waves around her tiny shoulders. Scully smiled - they looked so happy together, Mulder especially so. But her eyes were inevitably drawn back to the portrait of Annie. Scully lifted it, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Scully?" Mulder came into the living room carrying two mugs of steaming hot coffee. Her top coat lay on the couch where she had left it, but of his partner there was no sign. Then he saw that Sarah's bedroom door was open a little more than usual. "Scully?" he said again softly as he went into the room. She was sitting on the bed, holding the photo of Annie and just staring at it. Mulder set the coffee mugs on Sarah's bookshelf, and sat down beside Scully. "What are you doing?" he asked, still in that soft and gentle tone. He knew how Scully felt about Annie. He wasn't blind. "Mulder..." Scully didn't know what to say. She felt foolish, getting so worked up about nothing. But it wasn't nothing, not to her. She needed to hear him tell her once again - she needed to hear him say the words, but Scully couldn't say it out loud. She didn't need to - Mulder could see it in her eyes. "Scully, what Annie and I had was good while it lasted, but when we parted, that was the end of it, until Sarah came along, at least. I was never in love with her, Scully... we just enjoyed one another's company, and yes, we slept together a few times. That's not a crime. Are you going to tell me that you never slept with someone you didn't love?" It was a rhetorical question - he didn't expect her to answer it. He carried on. "When she told me that she was pregnant, I didn't know what to do, what to think. Being a father was not something I'd ever considered, let alone thought about it happening to me. But it was happening, and I had to face my responsibilities whether I wanted to or not. We sat down and discussed it in a calm and rational manner. To my surprise, Annie was enthusiastic about having the baby. With her high profile career, I'd expected her to tell me that she wanted an abortion." "What would you have done if she had wanted a termination?" asked Scully softly. Mulder shrugged. "I don't know. It wasn't something we had to consider as she had already made the decision to go ahead with the pregnancy. I would never have tried to influence her decision, it was her right to choose. I would have respected any decision that she made. I might not have been happy with it, but at that time, I wasn't in a position to look after and bring up a newborn baby on my own." Mulder took the photo from her. "Scully, you have to understand that in Sarah, Annie and I had a bond. I couldn't just ignore her, she was my daughter's mother. Sarah is the best thing that ever happened to me, and she wouldn't be here without Annie. I will always be grateful to her for that - for giving me my daughter." He placed the photo back on the night stand, and took Scully's small hands in his. "Scully, Annie is always going to be there. I can't promise to never mention her again - she played a big part in my life, and in Sarah's. But, she is in the past. That part of my life is over. I have Sarah, I have you, and I have never been happier." He raised his hand and ran his fingertips along Scully's jaw, then touched his lips to the side of her mouth. She leaned against him, and his arms went around her, holding her, his cheek against her hair. They sat like that for a while, until Mulder pulled away slightly and said softly, "Now, we'd better drink that coffee before it gets cold." She followed him back into the living room, mug in hand. "I see you put that photo on display," she said, gesturing to the desk. "I love it - it says so much about you and the way you felt about Sarah's birth." "Well, I'm glad Scully, because I have a copy for you. We meant to give it to you when you came back from your brother's but the prints weren't ready in time." He went to the desk, opened the drawer and took out a prettily wrapped package. "It was Sarah's idea to wrap it." Scully carefully removed the paper and drew out the photograph. It was contained in an ornate frame. "Sarah chose the frame," said Mulder. "I sent one up to my mother, too. I thought she'd like to have one." "That was very thoughtful, Mulder - I'm sure she'll love it." Scully ran her fingertips over the glass, wanting to touch the loving image beneath. She looked up at Mulder. "Thank you - I'll treasure it always." It was time to collect Sarah from school. Mulder drove them in his car, and they parked outside and waited for Sarah to appear. When she saw Scully, her face broke into a huge smile, and she ran to her at full pelt. "Dana!" Sarah threw herself at Scully, almost knocking her to the ground. Scully's arms went around the little girl and held on tight. "Hello, sweetheart!" laughed Scully, still reeling from the impact of Sarah's greeting. "I missed you!" said the little girl, slipping her hand into Scully's. "I missed you too, Sarah. I hope you've been looking after your Daddy for me!" Scully looked at Mulder. "I have, haven't I Daddy?" Sarah slipped her other hand into her father's and looked up at him. "What she means, Scully, is that she's been nagging me!" He looked down at his daughter and his eyes crinkled into a smile. "Now why would anyone want to nag you, Mulder?" Scully gave him one of her rare but wonderful smiles. Sarah swung happily between the two of them as they walked to the car. Scully looked over at her partner, who was in his element. He was with the two people that meant everything to him. It was time for Scully to take her own advice - it was time to forget the past, and look to the future. A future that was looking more promising by the minute. The End
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