From: Kirsten Kerkhof <kirstenkerkhof@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2010 23:11:00 +0200
Subject: "Maggie Scully visits" by Kirsten Kerkhof
Source: direct

TITLE: "Maggie Scully Visits"
AUTHOR: Kirsten Kerkhof * 
<kirstenkerkhof@gmail.com>
CLASSIFICATION: MSR
KEYWORDS: S A
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: Primarily for: Requiem, DeadAlive, Three 
Words, Fight the Future.
TIMELINE: Right in the middle of season 8. I never 
thought I'd go there again after all these years ... And no 
romantic fluff either! I'm losing my touch ... ;)
SUMMARY: Mulder is not coping well with his return 
from the grave and Scully's pregnancy, and Maggie 
decides to have a little heart-to-heart conversation to get 
him back on track.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Whose are they by now 
anyway? LOL
ARCHIVING: Sure. I'll do Gossamer myself, all others: 
you're welcome when you tell me where it's going, 'kay?
FEEDBACK: Cherished and worshipped at 
<kirstenkerkhof@gmail.com>

XxXxX
"Maggie Scully visits"
By Kirsten Kerkhof
XxXxX

"Mrs Scully."
	
"Hi, Fox, can I come in?"
	
Mulder opened the door wider. "Yeah, sure, come in." He 
closed the door behind her, then held out his hand to take 
her coat. "Dana's not in today. You should've called."
	
"I know she's not here. I called her two days ago."
	
"Oh ..." They walked into the living room of Scully's 
apartment.
	
"Did you move in with Dana?"
	

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's a little hard to keep up an 
apartment when you're officially dead ..."
	
Maggie winced a little when she heard the slightly bitter 
tone in his voice, and she was more convinced than before 

that she'd made the right decision to come over today. It 
wasn't going to be easy, but it was more than necessary.
	
"Can I get you something to drink? Coffee or tea or ..."
	
"If it's not a bother, I would love some tea, please, thank 
you."
	
"No, no bother at all. I'll be right back."
	
She smiled thanks, and watched him go into the kitchen, 
his movements sure from years of experience. Her smile 
became softer. He might not have moved in until very 
recently, but she knew he'd been here so often he 
probably knew this place as well as Dana did.
	
For a moment she was tempted to go and help him, but 
then decided against it. No, she was going to interfere 
enough already, let him do this himself.
	
He appeared with two mugs. "I think Dana said you 
prefer herbal teas so I got you some red tea."
	
She smiled. "Thank you, that's lovely." She noticed he'd 
taken coffee. "You don't drink tea?"
	
"Not if I have the choice." They sipped the hot drinks.
	
"So, if you knew Dana was going to be out, why did you 
come? I mean, you're more than welcome, but ..."
	
"I came to see you," Maggie said, deciding not to beat 
about the bush. She realised he'd probably already figured 
out as much, and there was no reason to hide it. "Where's 
Dana, by the way? She didn't tell me; or rather, I forgot 
to ask."
	
"At the Bureau. She still has a job after all."
	
"You didn't want to go with her?"
	
He shook his head. "I'm out of a job at the moment, I 
have no business there now. I think they're trying to 
figure out what to do with me -- actually, to be quite 
honest, I wish I knew what to do with me."
	
She reached over and took his hand. "Are you okay, 
Fox?"
	
She was a little surprised at the sad look in his eyes. Scully 
had told her about the way his eyes had changed, there 
was something dark and haunted in their expression now, 
and she realised she was seeing it now.
	
"Physically I'm alright," he said softly. "They kept me in 
hospital for a lot longer than I'd expected and not even 
Dana could spring me prematurely. Clean bill of health 
and all that. These scars just need time, I guess ..." His 
voice petered out until she could barely hear it.
	
"But inside ..."
	
He let out a soft breath. "I don't know, Maggie, I really 
don't know. I'm ... I'm confused. I don't know what 
happened, I don't know where I stand ... The world 
moved on and I wasn't there. Dana's moved on ..."
	
"Are you talking about her being pregnant?"
	
He didn't react at all, and the simple fact that he didn't 
give any reaction was confirmation enough for her.
	
"Have you two talked about this?"
	
His lips curved in a wry smile. "We don't talk much, we 
never have. And now ... with this baby ..."
	
They fell silent for a few moments. Maggie studied him 
and then decided to ask him straight on.
	
"Do you think the baby is yours?"
	
She saw him freeze. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the 
wall and she watched how his face went through a series 
of expressions, each one lasting only a fraction of a 
second. Still, she could read every single one as clearly as 
a book. Dana had once said he could be inscrutable if he 
chose to be so, but right now he didn't seem to be able to 
hide anything.
	
"I think ... I -- Scully doesn't talk -- I ..." He  leaned 
forward and put his face in his hands. "I don't know ..." 
He shook his head. "I don't know anything anymore ..."
	
She got up and sat down on the couch beside him. "Are 
you and Dana lovers?"
	
She saw him nod. "Yeah, we are." He lifted his head and 
looked at her. There were a few tears in his eyes and her 
heart softened. God, she's always hated it when her 
children were sad, and this hurt just as badly. "But things 
have changed so much ..."
	
"Were you two lovers before ... you were taken?"
	
He nodded again. "That's why I'm so confused," he said 
softly. "That baby ... could be mine, but at the same time ..."
	
"Would you like me to tell you?"
	
He looked down. "Would it be good news?"
	
Maggie smiled even though he couldn't see it. "I'd say 
that depends on whether you want to be the father of 
Dana's baby."
	
He chuckled. "That's true." Then he took a deep breath. 
"Well, seeing that I'm not brave enough to ask her myself ..."
	
She took his hand again. "Well, to put you out of your 
misery on this: you are the father." She saw him let out a 
deep breath, but a small smile appeared at the same time, a 
smile he seemed unable to hide. "Does that surprise you?"
	
He shook his head. "No. Yes. Maybe. Although that still 
doesn't explain how she managed to get pregnant in the 
first place."
	
"Why didn't you ask her?"
	
"She didn't tell me."
	
Maggie raised her eyebrows. "So you asked?"
	
He shook his head. "No."
	
"Did you think Dana was having somebody else's baby?"
	
He didn't answer immediately, but again covered his face 
in his hands.
	
"Fox?"
	
"Maggie, I was dead. It could easily have been ... There 
was no reason for ..."
	
"For what?"
	
"She -- ... I once told her that ... if I were to die ... I didn't 
want her to be a grieving widow, you know ... even 
though we never got married. I just ..."
	
"What?"
	
"When I saw her ... like that ..." He sighed. "God, this is 
going to sound awful!" He shook his head. "I thought ... 
'Was I that dispensable?'."
	
Maggie couldn't believe her ears. "Did you really think 
she's trade you in that easily?"
	
He frowned. "I don't know! I'm telling you I don't 
know! I just ... Maggie, this baby, she wasn't supposed to 
be able to have children, but we'd never had any proof 
that was actually true, we'd just been told so. And ... I'm 
not old-fashioned enough to think that it couldn't -- ... this 
infertility ... it could just as well have been me, you know 
... Who was to say that it wasn't in fact me who was 
infertile? The result would've been exactly the same. So 
when I saw her ... pregnant ..."
	
"You thought it might have been by another man," she 
finished softly.
	
He nodded. "Especially because she wouldn't talk about 
it ..."
	
She rubbed his back in a gesture that was eerily familiar, 
but at the same time unbelievably caring.
	
"It's so hard. It is so incredibly hard ..." he whispered and 
she could almost hear the emotions running amok inside 
his head.
	
"I know," Maggie said softly. "You can cry if you want 
to."
	
He swallowed heavily and shook his head. "I'm alright."
	
"Cry, Fox. Cry, scream, curse, do whatever, but get it out 
of your system."
	
She saw him bite his lips so hard they turned white under 
his teeth. A little more force and she was afraid he'd 
break the skin. "No. No, I can't. I shouldn't."
	
'Damn it,' she thought, 'and here I thought my own sons 
were stubborn.'
	
She gently but decidedly took his chin in her hand and 
turned his head to face hers. The look in his eyes shocked 
her. When Dana had told her he was haunted, she's had 
no idea just how badly. 
	
"I'm not cruel, Fox, I don't enjoy seeing people cry. And 
I certainly don't enjoy seeing the people I love cry. But I 
do want those I hold dearest in my heart to be able to 
cope with life. And right now you're not coping." With 
his face still in her left hand, she brushed the hair on his 
forehead away with her right hand. She could physically 
see the tears he was pushing down. 
	
"You are as dear to me as my own children. I would never 
think of you otherwise than one of my own sons. I love 
you as a mother, because you are worthy of that kind of 
love. You are worthy of the love Dana gives you, and you 
are worthy of the kind of motherly love I'm giving you. 
And I want you to be able to live."
	
"I'm alive," he choked out and she smiled. She wasn't 

sure he understood on how many levels that simple phrase 
was true.
	
"Yes, you are." With a sigh she wrapped her arms around 
him and pulled him close. "You are very much alive, and 
God bless you for coming back to Dana ..."
	
She felt his body shake with the tremors of his emotions 
as he finally gave in to his frustrations and his grief.
	
"That's it, sweetheart," she murmured, "let it out. That's 
it, let go ... Shhh, you're going to be fine, shhhhh ..."
	
When she noticed the worst was over, she gently let go of 
him, realising very well he'd probably be embarrassed of 
having let go so much.
	
"Would you like a tissue?" she asked.
	
He nodded and took a deep breath. "This is ridiculous ..." 
he murmured as he blew his nose. "I've never let go this 
much. I thought I had at least a little self-control ..."
	
She smiled a little. "You have more than enough self-
control, that's why you hadn't broken down before. You 
needed a little incentive and I think it has done you a lot 
of good." She rose from the couch. "I'll get you another 
cup of coffee, I'd say you deserved as much."
	
"I can get it," he said, but she stopped him by holding up 
a hand.
	
"Not at all. You're staying right here and you're letting 
me get this for you,"
	
He chuckled a little watery. "Yes, mom."
	
"That's right. You stay right here on the couch and you let 
me be a mom for you," she said, smiling. She had a feeling 
he might bolt, but then again, he probably wouldn't. At 
the same time she was glad there was still coffee in the 
pot and she wouldn't have to waste time to make new. 
She had him where she wanted him, and he definitely 
didn't need time to hide back inside his shell again. At 
least, not before he'd let go some more.
	
She returned with two mugs of coffee and sat back down 
next to him on the couch.
	
"Here you go."
	
He smiled. "Thank you." Then he raised his eyebrows. 
"Wouldn't you rather have tea?"
	
She smiled in return. "No, after this I need coffee." 
	
He chuckled in reply and together they drank their coffee 
in silence.
	
He'd calmed down, Maggie noticed and she was glad. 
"How are you feeling?"
	
He smiled a little. "Not too bad. A bit empty, a little 
confused. Rather embarrassed I let go so much, but I 
guess you were right that it was all for the better. It does 
feel good to just let it rip." He sighed. "I've wanted to do 
that before, but ... I didn't want to ... upset her, you 
know. She has so much to worry about already ..."
	
She rested her hand on his arm. "Fox, do you think that 
you closing yourself off from Dana makes this any easier 
on her? I don't want to hurt you or accuse you of 
anything, but ... you need one another. You've both been 
through an unimaginable trauma, you need each other to 
make sense of it and get to grips with what happened. I 
know Dana has always been very good at denying there 
was anything wrong with her, but this time denial is not 
the answer."
	
He was staring into the distance, biting his lips. It seemed 
as though he wasn't listening, but she was pretty sure he 
was hearing every single word she said.
	
"I don't care what my sons think of you, Fox. I know that 
the man I see here is exactly whom my daughter needs. 
Especially at this stage of her life." This made him turn to 
look at her and she smiled. "As wonderful as it is, 
becoming a mother for the first time can also be traumatic. 
This baby she's expecting -- from now on Dana will never 
not be a mother again, and she knows that. I know the 
feeling because that's exactly what I was feeling when I 
was expecting my oldest boy. It's an incredibly daunting 
prospect.
	
"I have no doubt Dana will be a good mother, and you'll 
be a wonderful father, but you'll need to let yourself be 
that. Be there for her, help her -- and I'm not talking about 
the simple things like Lamaze classes and so on -- but let 
her know, feel, that she can count on you, like she's 
always done. You have always been there for one another, 
through the very darkest periods and the happiest of 
times. This is both a very happy and an incredibly dark 
time for her and for you. If anything, please let my baby 
girl in, Fox." 
	
Maggie swallowed heavily. "She had to bury you, the 
only man she's ever truly loved. I've said as many prayers 
for her as I did for you because I was so certain she 
wouldn't survive this ...
	
"Sweetheart, what you and Dana have is more than 
human. I loved my husband so much, I still do, but when 
I see Dana and you -- I know she is an incredibly lucky 
woman. And she suffered unbelievably for it in the last 
year."
	
He buried his face in his hands again, feeling fresh tears 
well up. "She was the only thing that kept me going, 
Maggie," he whispered, tears choking his words. 
"Whenever I felt I couldn't bear another ... thing they did 
to me, I thought of her. Throughout the agony I 
envisioned her face, felt her kisses, her warmth, her love. 
She was all I had to keep me from going insane ..." He 
collapsed forward. "And then they took that away from 
me, too ... and I gave up ... I gave up ......."
	
She pulled him to her, once again supporting him as a 
fresh bout of emotions overcame him. "You didn't give 
up, sweetheart; that would imply you had a choice. They 
took that choice away from you. I know you didn't 
choose to let go."
	
"I couldn't go on, everything just -- ..."
	
"Are you blaming yourself for not being able to keep 
going?" she asked softly.
	
He nodded although it was barely visible. "I wanted to 
come back," he whispered in a pained voice. "For the first 
time in my life I had something to live for ... and they 
wouldn't let me ... When my sister was taken I blamed 
myself for had happened, because nobody would take 
that blame, and I was the one who let Samantha get away ..."
	
"You were only a child back then, darling, there was 
nothing you could've done," she whispered.
	
"I know ... But it messed up my life so badly ..."
	
Maggie smiled a little. "Not completely, I'd say." When 
he didn't react, she smiled a little more. "You met Dana 
because of it."
	
She felt him relax and imagined he was smiling a bit now. 
She let him sit back up, knowing that as a grown man, he 
would soon get embarrassed by being held. "She was sent 
to spy on me. She was meant to break me and get me to 
shut up."
	
"I know."
	
"She scared the shit out of me when she took my side."
	
She chuckled softly. "How is that?"
	
"I was a loner, I didn't do steady relationships." He 
looked down. "Before I met her, I hadn't- ..." He 
sighed. "I mean, I'd had girlfriends, but those were never 
relationships built on equality. And most of it would be 
about sex anyway. Oh, I'm sorry, I should mind my 
language."
	
"Fox, I was married to a sailor and my boys are in the 
Navy. I can take quite a lot, although I do appreciate it 
that you want to mind your words. Anyway, you're an 
adult, it's not as though I'd be shocked by the notion."
	
He smiled a little ruefully. "Yeah, well, sex is not 
something you want to talk about with parents."
	
"Honey, you got my daughter pregnant, I'd say sex is a 
done deal here."
	
He actually laughed at that. "Should I be proud now or 
feel thoroughly ashamed?"
	
"At this stage in your relationship I'd think proud is 
probably the right feeling." She took his hand. "Do you 
want to be a father?"
	
He didn't answer right away. "Yeah, I think I do. As a 
matter of fact it feels rather good, though I don't really 
know why ... Of course, Dana asked me to help her with 
that IVF a few years ago, it's not as though it's the first 
time the idea of paternity entered my mind."
	
"I was so sad when that failed ..."
	
He nodded. "Dana was distraught by it, she thought it 
was her last chance at becoming a mother."
	
"How did you feel?"
	
"I ... I think I mostly felt sorry for her, because she 
wanted to be a mother so badly and now it looked as 
though she'd never have that chance."

	
"You're still talking about Dana," she said shrewdly. 
"How did *you* feel?"
	
He turned to look at her. "Maggie, you should be a shrink! 
Or an interrogator in the Bureau, because you're good!"
	
"Well, that's as may be, but how *did* you feel?"
	
He sighed. "Sad. I didn't want to show it and I certainly 
tried not to dwell on it, but ... I knew then that I would 
never be a father either and somewhere deep that did hurt. 
Because there would never be a woman I'd want to have 
children with if it couldn't be with Dana. It was 
something we were forced to put behind us. Or so we 
thought at the time ... Of course, back then we weren't 
intimate and having a child the, erm, natural way wasn't 
really on our minds. Well, it was kind of on mine, and 
maybe on hers too, but we hadn't, well, done anything 
about it, so to speak."
	
"You two sure took a long time to realise what everyone 
else seemed to have figured out from the start."
	
He chuckled. "We were idiots. It's a mystery how two 
intelligent people like us could have deceived ourselves 
for so long."
	
"The partnership regulations perhaps?"
	
"Nah, we knew they had no value. I mean, we'd been 
hiding behind those for the first couple of years and 
probably rightly so, but we both knew of agents who'd 
gone from work partners to a steady couple and they'd 
kept their jobs just the same as long as their relationship 
didn't affect the day-to-day work. No, I think we were 
just idiots really."
	
"So what caused that change then?"
	
He shrugged a little. "Stress, hormones, lust. An 
overwhelming amount of love and attraction for one 
another. Lots of desire. The realisation that any lapses in 
our cover, any albeit innocent touches of affection didn't 
immediately cause the heavens to fall down on us. And in 
the end, a severe case of the I-don't-give-a-damns." He let 
out a short laugh. "Although maybe it's rather telling that 
our first time was on a case, exactly in that one situation 
where we were always so careful to remain professional."
	
"Did it come as a relief?"
	
He looked at her, unable to keep a small smile from 
appearing. "Yes. Yes, it did. Why are you asking?"

	
Maggie smiled. "Fox, when my husband and I got 
engaged, there was nothing we wanted more than to be 
with each other. We were crazy about each other, but of 
course in our days you married as virgins. Now, with Bill 
being a sailor I couldn't truly vouch for him, although I 

flatter myself by thinking he'd never been with a woman 
before me, but I definitely was a virgin when I married 
him. With a family like mine, it was out of the question 
not to be. I won't say that our wedding night was a total 
success on that point, but just allowing ourselves to be 
together in every way we wanted was such a relief."
	
"Does it bother you that we're not married? I mean, even 
if we do marry, she's, well, she won't be a virgin. And 
neither will I."
	
She shook her head. "I'm not old-fashioned enough to 
believe Dana should've kept herself until she married. 
That's not the kind of world we live in nowadays. And at 
least she is with a man who loves her dearly and whom 
she is crazy about."
	
"Do you ... do you think we should get married?"
	
"Have you two talked about marriage?"
	
He chuckled. "Well, I proposed to her once, but it was 
only a joke and of course she rebuffed me as she should 
have done anyway. But as a serious matter, no, we 
haven't. Not really anyway."
	
"Would you like to marry her?"
	
He bit his lips. "You know, the thing is that I don't really 
have a good image of marriage. My parents divorced after 
a pretty bad marriage and ... well, I just told myself I 
wouldn't let myself get into such a mess. And the women 
I was with before Dana, they were never worth it."
	
"Is she worth it?"
	
He smiled. "Yeah, I'd say she is."
	
"Well, then, why don't you marry her?"
	
He didn't reply.
	
"Are you afraid you're not good enough for her?" Maggie 
suggested. "Or are you afraid she'll say no?"
	
"I-..."
	
She nailed him with a look that was so uncannily like 
Scully's at her most sceptical that he burst out laughing. 
He threw up his hands in defeat. "You're right, I'm scared 
of her rejection," he confessed with a grin. Then the smile 
faded. "I'm scared she'll walk out. I ... I've been left ... 
abandoned ... in one way or another ... all my life, except 
by her. She is truly the love of my life, I've told her and 
she knows it and ... well, she didn't walk out then, but ..." 
He sighed. "Of course she was on her way out anyway ..."
	
"What? When?"
	
He sighed again. "During the Dallas case, just before I 
had to make that ludicrous dash to Antarctica to save her. 
She was reassigned, and we were being split up, and I ... I 
had nothing to lose and everything to gain and I had to 
make her stay with me. She said she was going away and 
... my world just fell apart, I couldn't let that happen. So I 
put my heart out and just ... told her the truth. That she 
was all that kept me whole, in fact that she made me 
whole." He put his hands in front of his face. "God, we 
nearly kissed if it hadn't been for that goddamn-darned, 
sorry, bee, sorry Maggie."
	
"Don't worry about that," she said softly, trying not to 
distract him from his narrative.
	
"She ... We realised then that there was no way we were 
going to let anyone split us up. But ... I'm not sure we 
weren't splitting us up ourselves. Because we were scared ..."
	
"It was not a bad time for you, I seem to remember."
	
His hands dropped away from his face and he shook his 
head. "No, it wasn't. Actually, it was one of those better 
times. We were happy to be alive. I was happy she was 
still with me after that spaceship and ... her cancer ... It 
seemed as though we'd been given a new opportunity. Of 
course, I proceeded to royally scre- mess things up after 
that by going back to Oregon and getting abducted ..."
	
"Yes ..." Then Maggie took a deep breath. "There is one 
thing I've never understood about your abduction."
	
"What?"
	
"Why was Dana not there with you? I mean, I was very 
glad she wasn't or she might have been taken as well, and 
I don't think I would've been strong enough to go 
through it again, but ... why did she let you go there by 
yourself?"
	
"Because I told her so. I don't know why, but something 
told me I couldn't risk it. Of course," he went on, letting 
out a short depreciating laugh, "that should've been 
enough of a sign that things were about to go hideously 
wrong. They always do when we're apart ..."
	
"She didn't insist on coming along? It doesn't sound 
remotely like her to let you go alone."
	
"Oh, she insisted. She was the one who made me take 
Skinner along." He let out a sigh. "God, she was so sad 
that night before I went into the forest and ... well ... 
Anyway, it nearly made me decide to call this whole thing 
off and go home with her. Which was exactly what I 
should have done of course."
	
They fell silent. Maggie looked at him as he seemed 
engrossed in his own thoughts. He was running the nail of 
his left thumb over a ridge in the arm rest, but appeared 
unaware he was doing so.
	
Then she took a deep breath. "What time is Dana coming 
home?"
	
He looked up at the clock. It was just after five. "I'm 
expecting her home pretty soon actually." Then he looked 
at her. "Are you staying for dinner? You're more than 
welcome to."
	
"Is that convenient? I would love to stay, but I'm not sure 
you were counting on an extra guest."
	
He smiled. "No, we have enough food. Dana's a great 
shopper, and she's even off those salads now."
	
"Cravings?"
	
He chuckled. "Just for cookie dough ice cream. And I 
hardly count that as a real pregnancy craving since I could 
keep on eating that stuff as well."
	
"Well, you're pregnant with her, you know," Maggie 
smiled.
	
He nodded with a smile. "That's what they're saying, isn't 
it?" Then his smile faded. "Well, it doesn't really matter as 
long as I can make life a little easier for her. I've caused 
her enough sorrow to last her three lifetimes ..."
	
"You've got to stop beating yourself up, sweetheart. This 
attitude isn't helping her one bit."
	

He smiled wryly. "Now I know where she got it from."
	

Just then they heard the front door open.
	
"Hey, Muld-Mom? What are you doing here?"
	
"Having a talk with Fox, that's all. How was your day?"
	
"Okay, I guess," Scully answered. "Didn't I tell you I'd 
be out today?"
	
Maggie nodded. "Yes, you did. Like I said, I came to talk 
with Fox."
	
"And you didn't need me." It came out as a bitter 
statement and she instantly regretted the tone. "I'm sorry, 
mom, that came out wrong."
	
"It's quite all right, honey," Maggie smiled. "Sit down. 
How are you doing?"
	
Scully sat down next a little gingerly. "I'm fine. Work was 
uninteresting, and the baby has been kicking all day, but 
apart from that it's okay. What did you two talk about?"
	
Mulder looked at Maggie who nodded. He took a deep 
breath. "The past year. My abduction, my ... death. And 
what happened when I came back."
	
"Oh ..." Scully sighed and looked at him. "We don't talk, 
do we?"
	
He smiled a little. "Not about what matters, I guess."
	
She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry," she said.
	
He shook his head. "Don't be."
	
Scully then turned towards her mother. "Mom, why did 
you come over?"
	
Maggie sighed with a small smile. "Because at this 
moment you're not prepared to see the truth. And I 
needed someone to open up to it."
	
"And that someone would be Mulder?"
	
He threw up his hands. "You make it sound like that's so 
unlikely."
	
Scully sighed and shook her head. "No! No, I'm sorry, 
that came out all wrong ..."
	
Maggie moved to sit next to her. This wasn't going well. 
"Honey, we need to talk," she said, and Mulder took that 
as his cue to leave.
	
"I'll leave you girls to it and get dinner on the way, 
okay?"
	
"He cooks?" Maggie said with a smile, and Scully 
chuckled softly.
	
"Yeah, he's quite the catch actually."
	
Smiling, he left for the kitchen. When he got there, he 
leaned his hands on the kitchen counter and sighed 
heavily. He wondered how Maggie was going to handle 
her daughter and he wasn't truly sorry that he wasn't 
there. Then again, he had no doubt Maggie would know 
just how to do it.
	
"Thank God she came along," he said softly to himself as 
he put the water on to cook the pasta, and smiled.
	
They were in for a long journey and he had no idea where 
it was going to end, but at last, for the first time in a long 
time, he had the feeling that they were going to be okay 
again.

THE END

Kirsten Kerkhof