Title: Here With Me

Author: Aeryn Delenn

Classification: SR (Mulder/Scully Romance)

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Requiem; Per Manum

Disclaimers: Most characters used belong to 1013 Productions and
Chris Carter.  They are used without permission, but it was not
intended for profit, just for my own enjoyment and hopefully that
of others.

Summary: A year after Mulder disappeared, Scully is assigned a
new case and it turns out to be the last person in the world she
expected to have to help.

Note: This story does not follow directly with "The X-Files" show
storyline.  I wrote it before 'This is not Happening' aired and
did want to change it because of the emotions and situations that
the story explores.  The title comes from the Dido song.  Every
time I hear that song, I can't help thinking about how the words
fit the current X-Files storyline.  Malen Phillips is a character
that seems to find her way into a lot of my stories.  She is just
another way I have of linking Mulder and Scully, as she knew them
both when they were younger.  It also gives Scully a female
friend her own age, something I think that she needs.

Feedback:  I would very much like to know that you thought of
this story -- good, bad, or indifferent.  Input from others is the
only way I can grow as a writer.  Please send all feedback to
writerbabe1013@hotmail.com

Archive: Anywhere.  Please just notify me and keep all forwarding
information intact.


Here With Me


Special Agent Dana Scully was sitting in her apartment going over
files when her phone rang.  Reaching over to the end table, she
picked up the cordless phone that laid there and hit the button
to activate it.  "Scully," she said distractedly.

"Agent Scully," the voice on the other end replied and Scully at
once recognized the deep voice of her current partner, Special
Agent John Doggett.  "Assistant Director Skinner just called.  It
seems we have a new case.  He wants us to meet him at National
Hospital as soon as possible."

Scully looked out the window at the heavy rain that was falling.
She honestly did not want to go out on a night like this.  "Did
Skinner say that he absolutely needs both of us there?"

"Yes," came the simple reply.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Scully said, sighing
internally.  She turned off the phone, then turned it back on and
quickly dialed a number.  It was answered after a few seconds.

"Hello," a soft, female voice said.

"Malen, John just called with a case.  Skinner needs both of us
there, so I was wondering . . ."

"If I would mind watching Will," Malen finished.  "No problem.
I'll be right there."

"Thank you, Malen.  I'll see you when you get here."  Scully hung
up the phone again, and then got off the couch.  Quietly, she
crossed the room and headed into the spare room she had converted
into a nursery when Will was born.  She stood by the crib and
looked down at the miracle she thought would never happen.
Scully's former partner, Special Agent Fox Mulder, had been the
one who had told her not to give up hope.  He had even been
willing to help her conceive a child through in vitro
fertilization before they had gotten romantically involved.  But
science, where Scully had always placed her faith, had failed.
Then somehow, someway, she was granted a miracle and she found
herself hearing the news she thought she never would, and on one
of the worst days of her life.  She found it bitterly ironic that
she had found out she was pregnant on the very same day that
Mulder had been taken from her.  She often wondered if it had
been at the same time as well.  It was almost like fate, knowing
what was going to happen, had given her a way to hold on to
Mulder, to give her a visual reminder of her need to find him.
But it was not like she needed one.  The emptiness was enough.
Now the only thing that brought her any joy was Will.  She had
decided to name her son William Fox because she had wanted to
honor his father, as well as her's and Mulder's who had both been
named William.  William was also Mulder's middle name.  She knew
that Mulder would dislike her using his despised first name as
their son's middle name, but she had not once considered using
anything else.  She had also listed Will's last name as Mulder,
another issue she refused to compromise on.  Mulder had been the
last one in his direct family line, so she wanted to make sure
that his son would carry on the Mulder name.

Scully reached out and ran a hand gently over Will's head, being
careful not to wake him.  She had been grateful that Will had
gotten Mulder's dark hair.  From the first day she had met
Mulder, she had been attracted to his dark good looks, although
it had taken her a long time to admit it.  Will had also
inherited Mulder's hazel eyes, but Will's had a touch of blue
that he had gotten from her.  It was also obvious that Will had
gotten more than his fair share of his parent's intellect.
Scully had been worried at first when Will had begun to display
signs of intelligence higher than normally shown by other babies
his own age -- four months -- but then she remembered that Mulder
had a genius level I.Q. and she was only a few points from that
herself.  Every test had been done on Will since before he was
born and they had all shown that he was a healthy, normal,
completely human child.  Despite her happiness, in the back of
her mind she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Still lost in thought, Scully did not hear the knock on the door
at first.  As it got a little louder, she moved to the front door
and pulled it open.  Malen Phillips stood on the other side.

"I hope I didn't interrupt you feeding Will," Malen said as she
walked through the front door.

"No, I was just watching him sleep," Scully said, sighing deeply
as she wished for the millionth time that Mulder was here with
her.

Malen reached out and laid a hand on Scully's arm.  "We'll find
him, Dana.  Please don't give up hope.  I know we are going to
find him."

Scully looked at Malen and wondered how Malen had known what she
was thinking about.  "I know, but it has been almost a year now.
I try to keep up hope, but some days it is just harder than
others."

Squeezing Scully's arm, Malen replied, "I know, but you have to
keep in mind that Mulder is probably trying his hardest to get
back to you.  He is not going to give up until he does.  Don't
give up on him."

"I won't.  And thank you.  Not only for the kick in the pants,
but for watching Will."

"Like I said before, no problem.  Whatever this case is, it must
be really important for Walter to bring both you and John in on
it."

Scully smiled internally.  Ever since she had introduced Malen
and A.D. Skinner several months earlier, they had taken to each
other.  Hearing the assistant director being called "Walter"
still threw her as she was so used to her boss being addressed in
a formal manner.  "Hopefully this won't take very long. If it's
going to be more than a couple of hours, I'll call you.  You
already know where everything is, so I should be going.  I'm just
going to say good-bye to Will," Scully said as she headed back
into Will's room.  She lowered the side railing on the crib, then
bent over and placed a soft kiss on Will's head.  "Sleep tight,
my love.  I'll be home as soon as I can."  She lifted the railing
into place and then went back into the living room.  "I'll see
you later, Malen."

Malen smiled.  "Don't worry, Dana.  I'll take good care of him."

"I know.  Next to Mulder, you are one of the few people I have
always trusted," Scully responded as she grabbed her keys and
walked out the door.

*******************

Scully walked quickly down the corridor of National Hospital,
wondering again what could possibly be so important that Skinner
was requiring both her and Doggett's presence.  Since Will's
birth, both Skinner and Doggett had gone out of their way to give
her as much time off as she needed.  At first she had resented
it, feeling that they were treating her this way because she was
a woman.  She soon realized that they were respecting her need to
be with her son despite the fact that she was a single, working
mother and her anger turned into gratitude.  She also realized
that she should expect nothing less from either man.  Skinner had
become her strongest ally over the past year, and, despite her
initial misgivings, Scully had soon realized that Doggett was not
only a good agent, but also a good man and a good partner.  With
bittersweet amusement she had come to see that although there
might be a new face in the X-Files office, the balance of beliefs
remained.  She herself had gone from skeptic to believer, though
sometimes a reluctant one, and Doggett had taken over her old
role.  It did not escape her that it was only after Mulder had
disappeared did she truly begin to believe what he had always
longed for her to.  She often wondered if it was because she and
Mulder were now linked through their son.  In case the worst
happened and Mulder was not returned to her, she wanted their son
to know all about his father.  She had chosen to adapt the truths
she had always believed in to include the ones that Mulder had
held on to and to combine his views with hers.  Doggett sometimes
got as frustrated with her as she had gotten with Mulder, but she
knew no other way to cope.

As she continued down the corridor, she spotted both Skinner and
Doggett standing in the waiting room area.  She hurried over to
them and at once turned toward Skinner.  "All right, what is so
important that required me to venture out on a night like this?"

Doggett glanced over at Skinner and opened his mouth to say
something, but Skinner cut him off.  "Agent Scully, why don't you
sit down."

A wave of impatience overtook Scully and she said shortly, "I
don't want to sit down, I want to know what's going on."

Skinner and Doggett looked at each other again and this time
Doggett spoke up.  "Mulder's back, Agent Scully."

Scully immediately felt her impatience drain away only to be
replaced with about a thousand other emotions.  Questions filled
her mind and she sank down into one of the nearby chairs under
the weight of them.  She closed her eyes for a moment and then
asked the question that was foremost important to her.  "Is he .
. .?" she started, and then found she could not continue.

"The doctors assured me he is in good health," Skinner replied.

Jumping out of her chair, Scully started to head toward the
nurses' station with the intent of finding out where Mulder was.
As she headed out of the waiting room, she felt a hand grip her
arm.  Whipping around, she demanded, "What?"

Skinner tightened his grip on Scully's arm.  "He doesn't remember
anything, Scully."

"Neither did I when I first came back," Scully countered as she
felt her impatience returning.  She just wanted to see Mulder.
She did not need Skinner telling her something that she had
already figured would happen.

"No, Scully, when I say anything, I mean anything -- who he is,
who I am, even who you are," Skinner said softly, sympathy
evident in his voice.  "And there's more, I'm afraid."

"More?" Scully responded, her impatience quickly turning into
anger.  Was it not enough that the man she loved was finally
returned to her, but without any memory of all they had shared?

Skinner took a deep breath and nodded.  "From what we have been
able to determine, he has been back for at least a month."

"A month?" Scully said almost in a whisper.  The situation indeed
just kept getting worse.

"He says that he was admitted to the hospital about a month ago
with minor injuries, then was released.  He claims is name is
Davis Carter and that he is an accountant for a firm here in
D.C."

Despite what was happening, Scully had to laugh at that.  "Mulder
doesn't even like to balance his checkbook."  Then a thought
occurred to her.  "How do we know it's really him?"

"I had that confirmed before I called you.  Every test has come
back conclusive," Skinner assured Scully, moving his hand to her
shoulder.

"Why didn't the hospital contact us a month ago when Mulder was
admitted the first time?  They were supposed to be on watch for
him," Scully inquired.

Doggett moved closer and said, "I'm going to have that looked
into.  It is kind of a mystery why the FBI was contacted this
time, but not the last."

Scully just shook her head in disbelief and tried to gather her
thoughts.  No matter if he recognized her or not, she had to see
Mulder with her own eyes.  It was the only way she could truly
believe he was back.  She turned toward Skinner again.  "I still
want to see him."

Skinner gave Scully's shoulder a quick squeeze, and then dropped
his arm.  "I figured you would.  He was admitted for a gunshot
wound to the arm.  It's just a surface wound, but thankfully the
paramedics brought him to the hospital anyway or we would not
have known that Mulder had been returned," he said as he started
to walk down the hallway to the right of the waiting room.

Scully followed silently behind Skinner trying to brace herself
for seeing Mulder after almost a year.  Despite the fact that
Skinner had told her that Mulder was in good health, she wanted
to be ready for the worst.  Skinner stopped in front of a door
that was being guarded be an agent that Scully was unfamiliar
with.  Nodding to the agent, Skinner turned to Scully.  Knowing
he was asking if she was ready, Scully nodded in return and
Skinner pushed the door open, letting her step in ahead of him.
Scully's attention was at once drawn to the figure sitting on the
bed.  As the sound of the door, the person turned and Scully that
it was indeed Mulder.  Stopping herself from running over to him
and enveloping him in a hug, she quickly made a visual
assessment.  She noticed that he did appear to be healthy, just
as Skinner had said, but that he had lost a little weight.  She
doubted that anyone else would probably have been aware of that
fact, but she knew him so well that she noticed the change at
once.  She saw that Mulder had a bandage sticking out from under
the sleeve of the dark blue t-shirt he wore, but no other signs
of injury could be seen on his arms or neck.  She had avoided
more than a glance at his face, but she moved her gaze to it now
and her eyes at once locked with Mulder's.  As she had a million
times before, she found herself becoming lost in the intense,
greenish-brown color and she searched them for any hint of
recognition.  When she found none, it hurt even worse than she
thought it would.  Then from behind her, she felt Skinner step
forward.

"Mr. Carter, this is Special Agent Dana Scully.  She is the agent
that I'm assigning to you for the next 24 hours," Skinner said.

At Skinner's words, Scully tore her gaze away from Mulder and
fixed it on Skinner.  What the hell was he talking about?  Why
would she need to guard Mulder?  Her focus returned to Mulder as
he stood up.  Scully was momentarily distracted when she noticed
that he was wearing jeans and they were quite snug.  Mulder had
always worn jeans that fit him really well, in all the correct
places, and that had always driven her crazy.  She found she was
still affected by it.  Mentally shaking herself, she heard Mulder
say, "I don't understand why I need FBI protection."  At the
sound of Mulder's voice, any lingering doubts that Scully had
were completely obliterated.  She knew the sound of his voice as
well as she knew her own and no one could have been able to
imitate the deep timbre of his voice or the inflections he used.

"We just want to take all necessary precautions to protect your
safety," Skinner replied.

"So, I'm stuck here in the hospital for the next 24 hours?"
Mulder inquired, his annoyance evident in his voice.

"No.  You will be taken to a safe house and guarded there."

"Where exactly will that be?"

"Agent's Scully's home," Skinner responded, then started to head
out the door.  "I'll go get your doctor to sign your release
papers, then you two can be off."

Scully stood there for a moment, stunned.  How could Skinner not
even ask here about all of this and how dare he just assume that
she would be willing to do it.  "I'll be right back," she
muttered.

"No problem, Agent Scully."

At the sound of Mulder calling her 'Agent Scully', Scully stopped
for a moment and closed her eyes.  She had heard Mulder say her
name so many ways, but never without any feeling behind it.  It
was unnerving to hear it said that way, especially after not
hearing him say it for so long.  She nodded and then opened the
door.  She stepped out into the hallway and closed the door
behind her.  Taking Skinner by the arm, she walked down the
hallway a little so they were out of earshot of the agent
guarding Mulder's room.  She turned angrily toward Skinner, "All
right, what the hell was that all about?"

Skinner gave Scully a sheepish look.  "I'm sorry I didn't run
this by you, but I just assumed that you would want to have
Mulder close by.  Someone shot at him and, although he might not
be in any further danger, I used that as an opportunity to keep
an eye on him.  If something does happen, I figured you would be
the one who could offer him the most protection.  Now that he's
home, I'm willing to bet that you'll do whatever it takes to make
sure he stays here."

Scully closed her eyes again.  She knew Skinner was right.  She
would do anything to keep Mulder back home, but she now had
someone else to worry about keeping safe.  There was no way she
wanted Will to be in any danger.  She knew Malen would watch him,
but she did not know if she could be away from her son for even
one night.  Standing there, she felt torn between the two people
she loved most in the world.  Then a thought occurred to her.
Despite the fact that it would tear her up to be away from Will,
he had other people to make sure he was loved and cared for.
Mulder had no one but her.  Skinner or Doggett could watch over
him, but they could not love him like she did and that was what
he needed the most.  Sighing softly, she said, "You're right, I
will.  And speaking of Will, Malen has him . . ."

"I'll go over there as soon as I am done here.  Don't worry,
Scully.  I'll make sure that nothing happens to him.  You have my
word on that," Skinner said.

Looking into his eyes, Scully knew Skinner meant what he said.
She knew how badly he had felt when Mulder had been taken since
he had been with Mulder at the time.  "I know you do.  Thank you.
Now if you will please excuse me, I need to call Malen."  She
started to move away when she heard Skinner call her name.
"Yes?"

"For the time being, let's keep Mulder being back to ourselves.
I trust Malen explicitly, but we don't know how secure the
hospital lines are."  Skinner watched Scully nod, then added,
"Also, it might be a good idea to address Mulder as Davis Carter,
since that is who he thinks he is.  Who knows what might happen
if we dump the information on him that he is really someone else,
especially after being shot at."

Scully started at Skinner for a moment.  "It might be the right
thing to do, but it doesn't make it any less painful."  With
that, she turned and walked down the hallway.

*******************

Davis Carter woke up with a start and for a moment was
disoriented.  Looking around the neat and organized living room,
he remembered he was currently in the home of Special Agent Dana
Scully, the FBI agent who had been assigned to guard him.  He
thought it was strange that the FBI was taking such an interest
in him.  True he had been shot, but normally that was a matter
for the local police.  Although he was confused by the FBI's
interest in his case, he had to admit that he did not mind being
guarded by the agent they had chosen.  There was something about
Dana Scully that captured his attention and it was not just her
beauty.  She radiated an inner strength and decency and, despite
that fact he had never seen her before, he knew he could trust
her.  But it was also more than that.  She was the first woman
since he had woken up in the hospital a month ago that had
captured his attention in a sexual manner and, to be honest, he
was more attracted to her than he could ever remember being to
another woman.  In fact, that was what has caused him to wake up.
He had been having a rather explicit and erotic dream about her.
The weird thing was that it did not feel like a dream at all.  It
felt more like a memory.  And, even stranger, in the dream she
had been calling him Mulder and he had called her by her last
name.  Where that came from he had no idea.  They had also not
been in this apartment or in his.  They had been making love on a
dark, leather sofa and he did not own a leather sofa, nor was the
couch he was currently on leather.

Getting up, Davis went into the kitchen to get a drink of water,
hoping that would help to clear his head.  Walking over to the
row of cupboards, he immediately opened one and grabbed a glass
from inside.  Then a thought hit him.  How had he known exactly
where the glasses were?  Maybe he had seen Agent Scully get into
the cupboard?  No, she had offered him some coffee earlier, but
she had opened a different cupboard door to get the mugs.

Slightly thrown, Davis put the glass down on the counter and
walked back into the living room.  He wandered around and
occasionally picked up some of the items that were displayed,
trying to get a feel for the woman that lived there.  As he
stopped in front of Agent Scully's desk, he noticed a large photo
album sitting there.  With his curiosity getting the better of
him, he reached out and opened the album.  The first couple of
pages were of a little red-haired girl that Davis figured was
Agent Scully due to the age of the photos.  The photos of her as
a child made him smile, but for some reason, they also made him
sad.  He continued to flip through the book and watched Agent
Scully grow up before his eyes.  Many of the photos showed her
with two boys, one that looked a little older and one a little
younger, and another red-haired girl that also looked a little
older than Agent Scully.  He figured they must be her siblings
because of the resemblance.  There were also several photos of
her with an older couple Davis assumed were her parents.  He
noticed that she had inherited her mother's beauty and, from the
set of his face, her father's strength.  Other photos showed
Agent Scully at several graduations, with friends, and at family
celebrations.  Then, when he was almost at the end of the book,
he came across a photo that made him catch his breath.  There on
the page in front of him was a photo of Agent Scully standing
beside a man dressed in a long, black trench coat.  The man was
him.  How had he ended up in a photo with an FBI agent?  Shaking
slightly, he reached down and removed the photo from the
fasteners that held it in place.  Turning it over, he received a
second blow.  On the back of the photo in a neat and precise
handwriting were the words 'Me and Mulder, 1995, The Modell
Case'.  Mulder -- that was the name Agent Scully had called him in
his dream and now here it was again.  Could this just be a
coincidence?  Surely not.  He quickly flipped through the last
few pages and found several more photos, some that contained
Agent Scully and the man that looked like him and some of just
the man alone.

Davis closed the photo album and stared at the single photo still
in his hand.  The evidence pointed to the fact that this was him,
but why then did he have no memory of it?  He was Davis Carter.
That was who he had told the doctors he was a month ago.  He even
has the driver's license to prove it.  He had worked in the
accounting firm he was employed at for 15 years.  He had lived in
his apartment for ten.  He remembered growing up in New York with
his family -- his parents, his brother, and his sister.  And the
cross necklace he always wore had been given to him on his 15th
birthday by his mother.  How could all those memories be wrong?
He looked at the photo again and a thought came to mind.  Maybe
this man was the reason the FBI was so interested in him.  They
had probably mistaken him for this Mulder person and so had the
people who had shot him.  Everyone was supposed to have a look-
alike in the world and his just happened to live in the same city
he did.  That had to be the explanation.  It all made sense,
except for one thing.  He had the dream of Agent Scully calling
him Mulder before he found the photo.  That was the one thing he
could not explain.

*******************

Scully lay in bed and stared at the ceiling.  Since Will's birth
she had become a really light sleeper, not that she had gotten
much sleep before Will's birth.  And now the reason for all of
her sleepless nights was in her living room.  In the countless
ways she had thought about Mulder's return, this had not been one
of them.  To make matters worse, she had been forced to make up
an excuse so Will could stay with Malen.  She had so badly wanted
to tell Malen that she had been right about not giving up on
Mulder's returning alive, but now she also wished that Malen had
given her advice on what to do if Mulder had returned with no
memory.  It was taking everything she had not to run into the
living room and demand that Mulder remember something.  She knew
it would not work, but the need to feel his arms around her was
almost overwhelming.  All she wanted to do was grab onto him and
never let go.  Having him so close and yet still so far away was
almost worse that when he was actually missing.

Turning onto her side, Scully tried in vain to get comfortable.
She had offered to take the couch, but Mulder had refused.  That
had caused her to think about how Mulder used to sleep on his own
couch before he had been gotten a set of bedroom furniture,
although he claimed he did not know where it had come from.
Sighing, she sat up and tried to push the thought of the nights
she had spent in Mulder's bed out of her mind.  Getting out of
bed, she grabbed her robe and headed for the kitchen, telling
herself it was only to get a drink of water.  Deep down she knew
it was really to check on Mulder.  As she entered the living
room, she spotted him by her desk.  Curious as to what he was
doing, she walked over to join him.  Just as she neared him, he
suddenly turned and handed her a photo.  "Would you care to
explain this, please," he said.

Taking the photo and looking at it, Scully's heart sped up.
Mulder had obviously been going through her photo album because
he had just handed her a photo from it.  It was one of the two of
them that had been taken during the Modell case, the first one
that is.  Now she was faced with a dilemma.  Did she follow
Skinner's advice and play into Mulder's belief that he was an
accountant named Davis Carter or did she tell him the truth?
Suddenly she knew exactly what Mulder would have wanted her to
do.  "It's a picture of me and my partner."

"Is that why the FBI is so interested in me, because I look like
this man?"

Scully took a deep breath and said, "No, we are interested
because you are this man."  At Mulder's look of disbelief, she
continued, "Your name is Fox Mulder and you are a Special Agent
with the FBI.  You run a division called the X-Files that handles
unsolved cases.  You and I were partners for seven years when you
were abducted during a case.  That was almost a year ago.  The
FBI has been searching for you since then and we had all the
hospitals put on alert in case you were returned there.  They
were supposed to contact Assistant Director Skinner or me if that
happened, but for some reason National Hospital did not do so
when you were admitted a month ago.  This time they did."  She
knew she was babbling like an idiot, but she had to get it all
out or she knew she would lose her nerve.

Mulder just stood there and continued to stare at her.  Finally,
he said, "You expect me to believe that's the truth?  I have no
memory of any of that.  I do have memories of being Davis Carter.
That is who I am.  I'm sorry for the loss of your partner, but I
am not him."

"I know it's hard to believe, but what I am telling you is true.
After all you and I have shared, I would never lie to you,"
Scully said softly.  She had no idea what else to say, and then
she noticed what Mulder had on around his neck.  It was her cross
necklace that she had given him to wear when he left for Oregon
as a way for him to take part of her with him.  "What if I can
prove it?"

"How?" Mulder demanded.

Grabbing the photo album off the desk, Scully flipped through
several pages until she came to the one she was looking for.
"The necklace you have on is mine.  I gave it to you to wear
right before you were taken.  See, I'm wearing it in this photo."
Turning the album around, Scully showed Mulder a photo of her on
her sixteenth birthday.  The necklace could clearly been seen
around her neck.

Mulder just shrugged.  "That doesn't mean anything.  I'm sure
hundreds, if not thousands, were made and you just happened to
have one as well."

As she put the album back on the desk, Scully tried to curb her
frustration.  She briefly wondered if this was how Mulder felt
every time she touted another rational explanation at him.  Yet
she still had more proof.  "On the back of the necklace is
engraved two dates -- November 1994 and June 1998."

Mulder took off the necklace, turned it over, and then he looked
at her.  "November 1994 and June 1998," he repeated.  "How did .
. .?"

"I know," Scully finished.  "I had those dates engraved on it
because they signify two very important times in my life when I
needed you the most and you came to my aid."

"This can't be happening," Mulder said as he ran a hand through
his hair.  "None of this makes any sense."

Scully started to answer when she heard a noise outside her front
door.  She reached for her gun and at once realized she had left
it in the other room.  As the door opened, she shoved Mulder out
of the way.  Seconds later, she felt a sharp pain in her side and
then she answered the welcome call of darkness.

*******************

Davis had been standing there trying to absorb what Agent Scully
had just told him when a noise outside the apartment startled
him.  He saw the agent reach for her gun and then heard her swear
softly under her breath.  The next thing he knew he was being
shoved out of the way.  He saw a man enter the apartment and
raise a gun.  Before Davis could react, the man pointed the gun
and fired.  Agent Scully recoiled a bit and then slumped to the
floor.  "Scully, no!" he heard someone shout.  He realized he had
been the one who had shouted.  Immediately he dropped to his
knees beside the fallen agent and, as he did, he looked around
for the gunman, but the man was gone.  Turning his attention to
Agent Scully, he saw her eyes were closed and blood was steadily
flowing from the wound in her side.  She was breathing, although
a bit shallowly.  Not knowing what else to do, Davis quickly
removed the robe Agent Scully was wearing and pressed a part of
it against the wound to slow the bleeding.  He hated to leave her
for even one second, but he knew he had to call 911.  Standing
up, he practically ran to the end table and grabbed the cordless
phone that lay there.  He punched in the emergency number and
when the dispatcher answered, he said frantically, "This is
Special Agent Fox Mulder.  I have an agent down."  As the words
came out of his mouth without a second thought, it all came back
to him.  Everything that Scully had told him was correct -- he was
indeed Fox Mulder and the woman lying there injured was not just
another human being, but the woman her loved.  He barely heard
what the dispatcher's reply was before he hung up the phone and
rushed back to Scully's side.  He gathered her gently into his
arms and once again applied pressure to her gunshot wound.
Looking down at the face her had not seen for nearly a year, he
said, "Come on, Scully, you have to hold on.  I'm here now and I
didn't come back just to lose you again."  He pulled her closer
and held her until the ambulance arrived.

*******************

Doggett stopped for a moment and leaned against the wall of the
hospital corridor, rubbing his fingers against his temples to
relieve some of the tension he was feeling.  He had been trying
for the past several hours to find out why the hospital had not
contacted the FBI the first time Mulder had been admitted, but so
far nothing had come of his inquires.  All the departments he had
gone to either did not have access to the information he needed
or the person who could get it was not in.  It was now close to
three a.m. and Doggett knew that he was not going to get anywhere
else until morning.  He pushed himself off the wall and just
started to head out the double doors of the emergency room exit
when several EMT's rushed in pushing a gurney.  He did not think
anything of it until he saw that Fox Mulder was following them.
Taking a second look at the gurney, Doggett noticed that Scully
was the one lying there.  As he, too, started to follow the
EMT's, he noticed that Mulder was giving orders to the hospital
staff.  Doggett stood back and watched for a moment, then it hit
him.  It appeared Mulder's memory had returned, because he was
addressing Scully by just her last name and calling her his
partner.  Doggett had heard about Mulder's devout dedication to
Scully - after all, it was a FBI legend -- but to see it in action
was another thing entirely.  Mulder was not acting like a man
concerned about someone who was just he partner; he was acting
like a man concerned about his wife.  Doggett knew that Mulder
was the father of Scully's child and that she loved Mulder
deeply.  That had become obvious to him as he watched how focused
she had been on finding Mulder.  What he was now realizing was
that Mulder returned that love and it appeared to run just as
deep.  Doggett continued to stand there for a moment, in slight
awe of his revelation.  He looked at Mulder and knew that he had
control of the situation.  Now was not the time for
introductions.  Turning, Doggett walked back into the hospital
and got his cell phone out of his pocket.  He had to call Skinner
and let him know that Agent Scully was now the one in the
hospital.

*******************

Slowly opening her eyes, Scully found herself staring up at an
unfamiliar tiled ceiling.  Turning her head, she noticed that
there was an I.V. drip beside her bed and it was hooked up to her
arm.  Suddenly she remembered a man breaking into her apartment
and she gathered that she had been shot when she had pushed
Mulder out of the way.  He must have called 911.  Wondering if he
was all right, she turned her head to the other side and was
surprised to see Mulder sitting in a chair beside the bed.  When
he noticed her looking at him, he smiled softly.  "I see that
Sleeping Beauty decided to wake up."

Scully closed her eyes for a moment at the teasing tone in
Mulder's voice.  He sounded so much like his old self that it
hurt.  She opened her eyes again and said, "I guess I should
thank you for calling 911."

"No problem, Scully.  I mean what else was I supposed to do,
leave you there?" Mulder asked as he stood up.

Once again, Scully was struck be how much Mulder sounded like he
usually did.  She had not gotten that feeling all evening.  He
had not cracked one joke and had been rather serious during the
entire time.  Then something else dawned on her.  "You just
called me Scully, not Agent Scully."

Mulder moved closer to the bed and leaned over it a bit.  "Well,
you know that I usually use your title only when introducing you.
And I use your first name when we are in certain situations that
I'm sure the hospital would not be too pleased if we recreate
right here in this bed."

Shock filled Scully's entire body.  Had she just heard what she
though she did?  Only Mulder would have known that when they had
finally gotten together romantically he occasionally called her
Dana, but only when they were making love.  "Mulder?" she
inquired softly and a bit hesitantly.  "Is it really you?"

"Yes," Mulder answered as he reached out and ran his hand down
Scully's face.  "It's really me."

Not able to contain herself, Scully grabbed Mulder into a hug.
As she felt his arms go around her, she could not hold back the
tears she had kept inside for the past year and burst into sobs.
Mulder gently pulled her into a sitting position and lightly ran
his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion.  He whispered
softly in her ear, but Scully was crying too hard to hear what he
was saying.  After a few minutes, her crying stopped and she
leaned back a little.  Normally she hated to cry in front of
Mulder, but the only thing that was on her mind at the moment was
the fact that he was really back with her.  "I can't believe you
are really here."

Mulder reached up to Scully's face again and dried her tears with
his thumb.  "Don't go all skeptical on me, Scully."

For some unknown reason, a wave of shyness overcame Scully and
she lowered her eyes to the bed.  "I missed you so much."

Putting his finger under Scully's chin, Mulder raised her head so
he could look into her eyes.  "I missed you, too.  Until I was
returned, my every thought was about you and about finding a way
to get back to you.  I'm sorry that I went to Oregon . . ."

Scully laid a finger on Mulder's lips to quiet him.  "That's not
important now.  You did what you thought was right.  The only
thing that is important is that you are here with me once more.
But know this.  I'm not going to let you go again.  I can't risk
losing you a second time."  She watched Mulder nod, and then he
leaned closer and captured her lips with his.  The kiss started
off gentle at first, and then a year of separation caused them
both to deepen it.  Scully found herself becoming lost in the
sensations that she had been denied for so long.  Ever since
Mulder had been taken, she had felt incomplete.  Now she felt all
the pieces that had been missing being returned to her.  She
pulled Mulder closer just as he began to kiss a path down her
neck.  He stayed there for a few moments, but then pulled away.
Scully was dazed for a second, wondering why he had stopped.
"What's wrong?" she asked, breathlessly.

"Not one damn thing except for the fact that it's been a year
since I last tasted you and if we don't stop now, this is going
to lead to one of those situations I mentioned earlier that the
hospital would frown on happening in one of their beds," Mulder
replied, just as out of breath.

Blushing slightly, Scully laughed and was amazed at how good it
felt to do so.  It was one more thing that had returned with
Mulder.  "It's good to know that you haven't lost your libido."

Mulder leaned in close again and whispered in her ear, "Where you
are concerned, never.  Even when we are in our nineties, I will
still desire you, even if you are old and wrinkled."  After
Scully rolled her eyes at him, he continued, "I can't believe
that I forget you even for one millisecond.  You are as necessary
to me as breathing.  I love you and that is never going to
change."

Scully was about ready to break down into tears again when the
sound of the door opening startled her.  Mulder, too, appeared to
be surprised because he jumped slightly and let her go.  They
both looked at each other as Skinner walked through the door.

"How are you feeling, Scully?" Skinner asked as he came to stand
by the bed.

"Fine, sir, considering," Scully answered.

"It appears that the bullet did not penetrate that deeply, so no
internal organs were damaged.  She will probably be sore for a
couple of days, but the wound did not require more than a few
stitches," Mulder added as he got off the bed.

Skinner nodded, then sighed, "That's good.  Agent Scully is one
of our best agents and we would hate to lose her."

"You aren't the only one," Mulder replied as he looked down at
Scully.

Squinting a bit, Skinner looked closer at Mulder, then he moved
around to the same side of the bed that Mulder stood on.
"Mulder?" he asked.

"Skinman?" Mulder countered.

Skinner just stood there for a moment with a shocked expression
on his face and then he grabbed Mulder into a hug.  Scully had to
contain the laughter she could feel coming on at the look of
surprise on Mulder's face.  Skinner released him and said, "God,
it's good to see you."

"Thank you, sir," Mulder responded in a strangely subdued voice.

"I thought that you could not remember anything?" Skinner
questioned.

"I couldn't.  Then when I saw Scully get shot, everything came
back."

"I'm sure this must all be a bit overwhelming for you.  I don't
know how I would react to finding out . . .," Skinner started.

A feeling of panic overcame Scully when she realized what
Skinner's next words were going to be.  "Sir," she interrupted,
"is Malen here?"

Nodding again, Skinner looked at Scully with a curious expression
on his face.  When Scully raised her eyebrows at him, a look of
understanding replaced the confusion.  "She's outside with Will.
I'll go get her."

Scully sat there nervously as Skinner left the room.  She heard
Mulder clear his throat and looked over at him.  "What was
Skinner going to say?" he asked.  Before Scully could answer, the
door opened again and Skinner walked back in, this time followed
by Malen.  Malen was carrying Will and when she spotted Mulder,
she gently handed Will to Scully and went over to hug Mulder.
Scully tuned out Malen's reunion with Mulder and concentrated on
her son.  He was awake and he smiled up at her.  She smiled back
and ran a hand over his dark hair.  Glancing up from Will to look
at Mulder, Scully felt a wave of pride and contentment come over
her.  She hoped with all her heart that Will would grow up to be
the type of man that his father was -- honest, loyal, sensitive,
compassionate, and loving.  She was still looking at Mulder when
she noticed that Malen was moving toward the door.

"I think we should leave you alone now," Malen said with a smile.
"Come on, Walter, let's go get a cup of coffee."

As Malen and Skinner left the room once more, Mulder turned to
Scully.  "Walter?"

"Malen and Skinner are the latest item," Scully replied.

Mulder moved back to stand beside Scully.  "I'll say that they
have been busy," he said, pointing to Will.  "But didn't Malen
forget something, or rather someone?"

Taking a deep breath, Scully shook her head.  The time had come
to introduce father and son.  "He's not Malen's, he's mine.  No,
actually, he's ours."

*******************

"He's not Malen's, he's mine.  No, actually, he's ours."

With those words, Mulder felt his world go out of focus.  This
was the last thing he expected Scully to tell him.  That she had
fallen in love with someone else, maybe.  That he was a father,
no way.  He sat down heavily on the bed.  "That was what Skinner
was going to say, wasn't it?"  He watched Scully nod, then said,
"I thought the doctors had used all the samples we gave them and
that the in vitro hadn't worked?"

"They did and it didn't," Scully confirmed.

"Then how?"

"Well, if you recall, we never used any protection because we
never thought we needed to," Scully replied.

"You mean?"  Mulder knew he was not being real articulate, but
two words sentences was all he was able to manage at the moment.

Scully nodded once more.  "It would appear that the miracle you
told me never to give up on happened."

Mulder just sat there for a moment and looked at the image before
him.  Before Scully had asked him to be the donor when she had
decided to try in vitro fertilization, he had never thought about
or wanted to be a father.  The only two relationships that he had
before Scully were with Phoebe Green and Diana Fowley.  Being a
father had not fit into the plans he had for his life.  Besides
he would not have wanted to have a child with either woman, even
if he had wanted children at the time.  He had thought he had
feelings for them, but looking back he realized that he had not.
He only found out what love was after he had met Scully.  When
Scully had asked him to help her with the in vitro fertilization,
he realized after he said yes that he had not done it just to
help her, although that had been a major part of it.  He had
wanted to be the father of Scully's child, to have something of
him that was something of her as well.  When the in vitro had
failed, he had been so disappointed, but he had tried to hide it
because it was one of the few times that Scully had allowed him
to comfort her, to be strong for her.  He and Scully had not been
together romantically at the time and he had seen the failure of
the in vitro as a loss of a chance to have a permanent connection
with the woman he loved.  Now here he was finding out that all
the dreams of having a family with her had come true.  "How old
is he?" he inquired, wanting to know everything about this child
he had helped to create.

Looking down at the baby, Scully answered, "Four months."

Quickly doing the math in his head, Mulder realized something.
"The reason you were so sick in Oregon was because you were
pregnant."  Not even waiting for Scully's confirmation, he felt
the guilt wash over him.  "Oh God, Scully, if I had known . . ."

Scully reached out and laid her hand on Mulder's arm.  "I know.
Don't feel guilty about something you had no control over.  You
didn't choose to leave; you were taken.  True, I would have liked
to have had you here, but it's not your fault.  And you're here
now."

"Yes, I am," Mulder responded as he reached out and ran his hand
down Scully's face.

Smiling at him, Scully said softly, "Would you like to hold your
son?"

Mulder nodded in return.  Scully slowly moved closer, obviously
trying not to disturb either her injury or the baby in her arms.
She gently laid the baby, his son, in his waiting arms.  Mulder
just sat there and took his first good look at the child he
helped to create.  The baby was awake and stared up at him with
hazel eyes that Mulder recognized as his own.  His son also had
his dark hair.  Aside from that, he looked like Scully.  With
that thought still in his head, he looked over at Scully and
noticed she had tears in her eyes.  "He is so beautiful, Scully."

Scully moved even closer and ran her hand over their son's head
and then raised her head to meet Mulder's gaze.  "Just like his
father.  And in honor of his father, I named him William Fox."

A wave of pleasure overcame Mulder.  He was touched that Scully
has wanted to name their son after him, despite the fact that she
had used his first name as their son's middle name.  Somehow it
did not seem quite so bad when used in that manner.  "William Fox
Scully, I like it."

"Mulder," Scully said.

"Yes," Mulder replied.

Scully shook her head.  "No, I meant not Scully.  I gave Will you
last name."

Mulder was surprised that Scully had given Will his last name.
He was honored that she had done so, but he honestly would not
have minded if she had chosen to go with Scully.  In fact, he had
expected her to.  When they had gotten romantically involved,
Scully had been the one who had insisted that they do everything
they could to keep their true relationship a secret.  The Bureau
had a policy against partners fraternizing and she not wanted to
give their supervisors any reason to reassign them both.  "I'm
honored that you wanted Will to have my last name, but what about
not doing anything to let the Bureau know about our
relationship?"

Scully just shrugged.  "It is well known that I spent most of my
time with you, so who else would be the father of my child?  I
thought about it and I decided I didn't care who knew.  You mean
so much to me and I didn't want you to be the last in your
family's line."

Mulder felt tears well up in his eyes.  What had he ever done to
deserve this woman?  No one had ever said anything like that to
him.  Most people who knew him would have been happy to have the
Mulder clan end with him.  Yet here was the one person who had
the most reason to hate him telling him that she did not want
that, that she wanted his family line to continue.  "Thank you,"
he said.  Then he felt something grip his finger and looked down.
He watched in fascination as Will wrapped his tiny fingers around
his much larger one.

Laughing softly, Scully said, "It looks like your son agrees."
She reached out and took Mulder's other hand in hers.  "I love
you."

Mulder smiled at the words and was touched by the emotion in
Scully's voice.  "I love you, too.  Both of you."  He felt Scully
squeeze his hand and knew in that moment his was truly home.

*******************

Both Mulder and Scully were so wrapped up in each other and their
son that they did not hear the door to Scully's hospital room
opening and then closing again a few moments later.

*******************

Doggett quietly closed the door to Scully's hospital room.  He
had gone there with the intent of checking on how she was doing,
but had been greeted by a sight that had made him turn right back
around.  Mulder had been sitting on the bed beside Scully,
holding his son.  The sight had made Doggett's heart ache for
those very things, things that had been ripped away from him so
long ago.  He did not begrudge either Mulder or Scully a chance
at happiness, but that did not mean he did not envy it.  But,
deep down, he doubted that he would ever find what Mulder and
Scully had.  He knew what they had was rare and did not come
around every day.  Their love had survived a year of separation
and appeared to still be quite strong.

Sighing deeply, Doggett started to walk down the hall.  He would
visit Agent Scully in the morning.  Right now he was sure that
she only wanted to be with two people she loved most.  At the end
of the hall, he turned and said softly, "Good night, Agent
Scully.  I'm glad your search is finally over."





*******************

Author's notes:  I want to apologize for any confusion caused by
switching from calling Mulder by the name we all know and love to
suddenly calling him Davis.  It was to show which persona he was
in at the time.

I had chosen the name William Fox for Mulder and Scully's son
before 'Existence' aired, as did many other fan fic writers.  The
name seemed to be appropriate and something Scully would chose,
as she is a big believer in family connections.  It looks like,
for once, Chris Carter agreed with the fans.  I would also like
to thank Chris for finally, finally getting our two most beloved
agents together.

I hoped you liked this story and I would like to know what you
thought of it -- good or bad.  Please send all feedback to
writerbabe1013@hotmail.com