DISCLAIMER: The X-Files characters are the property of Fox, Chris Carter, 1013, etc. The story contents are the creation and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2001 by Djinn. This story is Rated PG.
Many Forms
by Djinn
The doorbell woke Scully from
a nap she hadn't intended to take. She
struggled out of the couch and peeked through the spy hole. With a big smile, she opened the door.
"Dana." Skinner grinned back at her. "I just wanted to see how you were
doing."
"I'm fine." She opened the door wider. "Did you want to come in?"
He stepped in then saw the
crumpled throw she had left on the sofa.
"I didn't mean to disturb you...or Mulder." He looked around.
"He's not here. And you're not disturbing me." She moved the afghan so he could sit. She eased herself onto the opposite end and
knew he was watching her as she did it.
"I feel so clumsy," she said.
"You look beautiful."
There was an awkward
silence.
Finally he broke it. "I've missed checking on you."
She smiled. "You don't have to stay away."
He shrugged. "You have Mulder now."
She made a face before she
could stop herself.
He caught it. "So where is Mulder?"
"Not sure."
"But he's around?"
"Well I'm pretty sure
he's still on the planet." She was
surprised at how bitter she sounded.
"Dana..."
"I'm sorry. It's hormones or something."
"Sure." He looked around the apartment. "Did you get the crib put
together?"
She shook her head. "Been meaning to. But things keep getting in the way."
"I could do it now. I mean unless Mulder is going to?"
She tried to picture
that. The mental image was fuzzy at
best. "I don't think it's something
he's dying to do."
He popped up from the couch
and rummaged around in her coat closet until he found a tool case. He went deeper into the closet, looking for
something. "I thought I left my drill
here?"
"It's in the
bedroom." She laughed at the look
he tried to hide. "I was hanging a
new picture. The outside walls are really
hard."
"Yeah, of course."
She couldn't help
herself. "Did you think I was
playing alien doctor?"
He blushed.
"You did." She rose from the couch and followed him into
the bedroom, watching as he began to assemble the crib.
He'd started helping her with
things after they'd buried Mulder, when she had no will to go on but also no
choice. The life inside of her had been
growing. Skinner showed up one day when
she was trying to put some shelves in the closet. He gently moved her aside, drove home to get
some tools and supplies, then finished the job.
Later he found other things to help her with.
She didn't wanted
to lean on him, but he made it so painless.
The crib was his gift and he lugged the heavy box up to her place and
then made room for it by taking some of the other furniture out. He'd been going to assemble it the next
day. But that had never happened because
the next day Skinner he'd gotten the call about Billy Miles.
"It's pretty." She said. noticing the details for the first
time.
"Yeah, it is." He looked at her. "Can you hold this for me?"
She kept the pieces tight as
he fastened them together. "Thank
you."
"You don't have to thank
me," he said gruffly. "You
know that."
"Well then the baby
thanks you."
There was another awkward
silence and she imagined they were both thinking of the child growing within
her. She knew that she projected a calm,
almost disinterested aura when it came to the origins of her child. She had kept her fears from her mother, from
Doggett, from Mulder even. But not from
Skinner.
He'd come by one day to see
how an appointment had gone with her doctor.
She was depressed and scared. Didn't
expect him. Her guard was down and she wasn't
able to get it back up in time to hide her terror.
He took one look at her and
asked, "What's wrong? Is it the
baby?"
She tried to tell him she was
fine, that it was nothing. He didn't buy
it, and his gentle persistence was her undoing.
Tears that she'd refused to give in to for months came pouring
down. She told him everything. Her foreboding about the thing growing inside
her, her fear that she was being used again, and her love for whatever it was
she was carrying.
He held her, as he had at the
gravesite. His arms a safe haven. "It's natural to be afraid. You would be even if this were a completely
normal pregnancy. But this isn't
completely normal, Dana. You don't know
what the outcome will be. But until you
do, just think of this as a baby, your baby. An innocent, beautiful life. Not something to fear."
His words had comforted
her. But she was still afraid.
He reached for another piece
of the crib assemblage, and she readjusted her grip to let him attach it to the
larger piece.
"So you really don't
know where Mulder is, do you?"
She decided not to lie. "No."
He didn't look at her. "I thought maybe that would change. That he'd stop doing that."
"He wouldn't be Mulder
if he did."
"Guess not."
She chuckled. "Besides, he'd make a mess of this. So it's a good thing you're here."
Skinner nodded. "But it's good between you? Since he got back?"
"Yeah. It's good."
How could she explain just
how good it was to have Mulder back? To
hear his voice and feel her heart lighten.
To see his grin and have to fight to not grin madly back. To lose an argument to him and not care,
because all that mattered was that he was there to disagree with. To feel his body next to hers in bed and know
that everything was as it should be.
How could she explain any of
that, when along with this joy was the constant worry about him? When he disappeared, she was terrified that
he would be taken away from her again.
She had to fight for control when he walked back through the door. She wanted to handcuff him and make him stay
with her. But she couldn't. How could you restrain quicksilver? Mulder was Mulder. She loved him, but he just might drive her
crazy. Or scare her to death with
worry.
She looked at the man
crouched next to her. He was so
solid. So firmly planted. A part of her wished she could love him
instead. Like he loved her. She had always known he cared. He'd never failed to look out for her. But the same evening she'd broken down about
the baby, she found out the truth.
Exhausted from crying, she fell asleep in his arms. Or nearly asleep. He quietly poured out his heart to her. She worked hard to keep her body relaxed, to
appear to be oblivious. It was hard; his
words had touched her so. She may have
reacted because he'd suddenly stopped talking.
She'd never known if he realized she had been listening to every
word.
He looked up at her, caught
her studying him. "Something
wrong?"
She smiled. "Not a thing."
He frowned slightly but bent
back to his task. "So you miss
work?"
She appreciated his
willingness to keep it light. "I
do. More than I expected, I guess."
"Agent Doggett misses
you."
Doggett. Her heart sank in the strange way it always
did when she thought of him. She felt
such guilt at leaving him alone.
"He needs a partner."
"He's gone through
several."
"Get Reyes
reassigned." Scully thought of the dark-haired
woman who had appeared to care so deeply for Doggett. "She could help him."
"He wants you."
"Well, I'm a bit out of
shape."
"You know what I
mean."
She didn't reply, just looked
away.
"Dana. You know."
She met his eyes. "Yes.
I know."
He looked away first as he moved
around the crib to attach the last side.
"Doggett's in love with you."
She shifted to help him. "Probably."
"No probably about
it."
He was right. And she knew it, had known it, for some
time. It wasn't something she'd seen
coming. She and Doggett hadn't hit it
off at first. She'd been hostile and he'd
been arrogant. She would never have
expected them to begin to work together so well, to forge a partnership out of
what had been an arrangement destined to fail, if only Doggett had played by Kersh's rules.
Doggett. She felt the guilt again. He'd been good to her. Had protected her even when he didn't
understand why she asked it. And he'd
helped her find Mulder. It was like that
old movie.
"Casablanca." Skinner said as if reading her mind.
"What?"
"It's on tonight. I was going to watch it when I got
home."
"I didn't know you were
a fan?"
He grinned up at her. "Are you kidding? Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all
the world, she walks into mine." It
was a good imitation.
She laughed. "So when does it start?"
"Oh, in about ten
minutes."
"You want to watch it
here?"
He smiled, then his face fell
a bit. "Unless you're tired, or umm
Mulder comes home."
"Mulder doesn't live
here."
He pointed to the pile of
men's clothes on the dresser. "But
he stays here a lot, doesn't he?"
She decided not to lie. "Yes."
There was an uncomfortable
moment, then Skinner asked gently, "He's going to Lamaze class with you,
right?"
She nodded. "I guess I never actually told you he
was doing that."
"I could guess. I didn't expect you to need me for that once
he was back." He looked sad for a
moment, then his expression turned wicked.
"Besides, I'd probably have to fight with Doggett for the
honors. Just as well Mulder got back and
saved us all a lot of violence."
She rolled her eyes.
"Quite the collection
you've got, Dana." He stood and
tested the crib. It seemed solid. "Me.
Doggett. Mulder. Fro..."
"God, don't go
there." She put her hands up in
surrender.
"Okay, no Gunmen this
time. It's getting crowded enough with
just FBI."
She followed him into the
main room and watched as he stowed the tools in her closet.
"You hungry?" he
asked with a grin.
"I'm always hungry these
days."
"Pizza then?" When she nodded, he picked up the phone and
hit the speed dial she'd set for the delivery place around the corner. Without asking, he ordered her favorite.
As she went to turn on the
TV, she smiled. Life was scary and
unpredictable. She had no idea what the
future would hold. Or even if she had a
future. But she had a present. One that she could enjoy with the man she
loved. All three of them.
FIN