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Twenty minutes of pacing the floor and peering out the window, and still no sign of him. Mulder had his flaws, but he was usually punctual. This day, especially, she knew he would want to be on time. Traffic. It had to be traffic. There’s no way he would be late for this, otherwise. As the thought formed, her phone rang. She picked it up before it could ring a second time.
“Hey, Scully. It’s me.” She could hear the frustration in his voice.
“Mulder where are you? What’s wrong?”
“Of all the fucking days for there to be a fucking detour that is tying up fucking traffic, it would have to be today!” he said. “There’s no way I’m going to be there in time, and I don’t want you to be late for this. Just go ahead to the appointment. I’ll wait for you at your place - whenever I get there.”
“Mulder, no. I can call and reschedule. I really want you to be there for this.”
“No, no, no, Scully. Please, I know how anxious you are to hear the results. I don’t want you to have to wait any longer. Whatever happens, I’ll be there for you when you get home. I promise. Now, get going before you’re late.”
She agreed, albeit reluctantly, and rang off. If she left now, she’d just make it. Grabbing her purse and her keys, she hurried out the door and prayed for good news.
--
As promised, he is at her apartment when she arrives home. He is napping on her sofa, blanketed in late afternoon shadows. On the drive home, she’d rehearsed how to break the news to him. They had never really discussed his expected level of involvement in this endeavor. Once he’d agreed to help her, they had plowed forward, eager to act while there was still time. Now, though. Now, they were about to have possibly the most important conversation they’d ever had in their lives, and she was terrified!
He roused at the soft snick of the front door closing, and sat upright.
“Scully? I must have dozed off. I was waiting for you to get back.” He searched her face for some clue, but her expression was, for once, unreadable. Then, her chin wobbled and he knew she was about to cry. “It didn’t take,” he thought, heart stricken. He was afraid to say it aloud. What comfort could he possibly give her when she had wanted this so desperately?
He rose and approached her, preparing to console her as best he could. She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Best to just come out with it, he thought.
“Did it…? It didn’t take, did it?” He had not expected to feel such disappointment himself. He’d wanted this for her, of course, but until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted it, too. He took her in his arms, still waiting to hear her say the words.
For a long moment, they stood, holding one another. He expected any minute to feel her body shaking with sobs, but they never came. Instead, he felt the warm huff of her breath against his chest. Was this resignation? Had she done her crying away from him, unable to share this pain? Did she blame him for keeping his secret until it was too late? Lost in these thoughts, he didn’t hear when she said his name. She repeated it, louder this time, bringing him out of his reverie.
He looked down at her. Tears were, indeed, rolling down her cheeks, but they were clearly not tears of disappointment. On the contrary, she was beaming at him, her eyes bright and joyous.
“Mulder, we did it! I’m pregnant!” she exclaimed.
“Scully, no. Really? It’s...you really are?” he heard his voice cracking like an adolescent’s, but he didn’t give a damn. They were going to have a baby! He was surprised to find that he, too, was crying. Finally, to be able to give her something so precious after she’d lost so very much! He hugged her tightly, too overwhelmed to speak any further. There was a lot they would have to discuss. A lot, a lot, a lot. But, that could wait. Right now, all he wanted to do was hold her. So, he did.
“Scully?” he murmured against the top of her head.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want you to worry about a thing. I’m going to take such good care of you!”
“Uh, oh,” she thought with a smile. She could see it now. Mulder, hovering over her, insisting that she stay off her feet, quoting every pregnancy guide and baby book he could get his hands on and generally overlooking the fact that, as a doctor, she knew perfectly well how to take care of herself. In essence, he was going to be one gigantic pain-in-the ass, and she was looking forward to every exasperating minute of it!