Title: Getting Back Author: Trinity Everett Rating: R Category: R, S, A Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance Spoilers: Cancer-arc, Diana knowledge, Season 8, this is set after Vienen Disclaimer: I do not own The X-Files. If it were, I would have put this on the show already! Archive: I’ll get it to the major archives, anywhere else, please ask me first. Feedback: Oh it would just make my day! TrinityEverett@hotmail.com Summary: It had taken so long, but they were getting back to where they belonged. ~ * ~ As she beheld the old place, Scully felt tears spring to her eyes. They’d done a wonderful job restoring it after the fire. It was exactly the same as she remembered from her and Mulder’s weekly visits when they were first partnered together. She remembered how nearly every Friday, unless they were in quarantine, for almost 3 years, she and Mulder would find their way into the small coffee shop. Thankfully it wasn’t one of the stereotypical coffee shops with the “artsy” types that wrote poetry and complained about how meaningless all of existence was. It was just a comfortable environment, where she and her partner could relax; drink enough coffee to keep them up all night, and enjoy whatever it was that was slowly developing between them. During her cancer, they’d just stopped coming. She never knew exactly why. She wished that it had been one tradition they’d kept up. Maybe they wouldn’t have become so distant after Diana Fowley made her reappearance. Maybe they would have had more time to be lovers before his abduction. Maybe, maybe, maybe. The café, which had been appropriately named Starlight, had had about as good of luck as they had. A faulty electrical outlet in the store next door had sparked, and took the Starlight Café with it. Over the past six months they’d been working to renovate and remodel the place. Tonight was the grand re-opening. Scully hadn’t thought twice about taking a taxi over just to see it. “Dana?” Scully spun, hearing her given name. She found herself gazing into a sea of people, one of which was waving at her. Unbidden, the woman’s name came to her lips. “Arina,” she smiled, walking forward. Arina had been her and Mulder’s usual waitress at the café. At the time, she’d been a struggling graduate student at University of Maryland. Scully wondered where she was now. “Oh my god, Dana. Look at you. How far along?” “Seven and a half months,” Scully answered, feeling herself smiling. “Wow,” she smiled, “so when am I gonna meet Daddy?” Arina asked. Scully flinched involuntarily at her words. “We’re at odds right now.” “I’m sorry to hear that. How’s your cutie partner doing? Do you two still work together?” Scully tried not to flinch again. It wasn’t Arina’s fault that her partner was part of the problem. “He’s good. We’re still working together. He’s,” “Right here,” Mulder’s voice rumbled, making Scully spin. Mulder smiled briefly down at her before plastering what she knew was a false smile on his face for Arina. “Arina how are you?” “It’s good to be back here. The fire really devastated Mel,” she answered, speaking about the owner. Mulder nodded, his gaze shifting to Scully. “You okay?” “Fine Mulder,” she answered. “I’m going to get something to drink, it was nice to see you again Arina.” “Dana, I’ll get it. You should sit down. After all, I work here. What’ll ya have, your usual?” “You still remember my usual?” Scully asked in disbelief. “Yep, but lemme guess, decaf, right?” “Yes,” Scully answered. “Thanks Arina.” “Anything for you, Mulder?” “No thanks, I’ll steal Scully’s if I want anything.” “’Kay, you go sit.” “Yes Ma’am!” Mulder saluted playfully, steering Scully over to a bench. When they sat, Scully looked down at her hands. They rested on her belly, absently smoothing down her shirt. She looked absolutely huge. Surprisingly, Mulder’s hand covered hers, and he twined their fingers together. “Is he moving around?” “He?” Scully asked, smiling. Mulder ducked his head, embarrassed. “Yeah, he’s active,” she answered, humoring his gender assignment. “But you’re okay still, right?” Mulder asked, worried. “I’d be more worried if he wasn’t moving around. I’m fine, Mulder.” “Okay.” “Thank you though,” she offered, squeezing his hand. “Are you okay? I haven’t seen you since…” “Since Kersh canned my ass?” Mulder presented. Scully nodded. “I’m okay. Honestly. It’s been nice to relax and catch up on everything. Hence why I’m here tonight.” “Okay,” Scully answered, realizing that his thumb was making soothing swipes over her knuckles. “Mulder, when you took the fall for what happened, you didn’t have to do it.” “I know. But I realized that my time with the X-Files, and the Bureau was over. I have more important things to worry about now.” Scully nodded, almost afraid to ask what. Mulder answered for her by pressing his other hand to the side of her stomach and leaning over. “How are you doing in there Junior?” he asked. Scully rolled her eyes. “What if it’s a girl, Mulder? Still Junior?” “Is it a girl? You tell me.” Scully smiled, squeezing his hand. “Come on Scull-eee. Boy, or girl?” he asked, a slight whine taking over. “Take me to my next Lamaze class and I’ll consider telling you,” she teased. “You’re on.” “Whew! Sorry this took so long, we’re swamped.” Arina passed Scully her drink, giving the agents’ joined hands a cursory glance. “It’s okay. Thank you so much Arina.” “It was no problem. It’s great to see the two of you in here again.” “It’s good to be in here again,” Mulder answered truthfully, smiling slightly. Scully squeezed his hand, knowing that he was speaking in deeper sentiments than just the Starlight Café. Arina waved and went back to another customer, leaving the two in a comfortable silence. “Mulder, were you jealous of Agent Doggett? For being here while you were gone?” Dumbly he nodded. “There’s no reason to be jealous of him, Mulder. Not for any reason,” she stressed, pressing his hand to where the baby was moving. He nodded again. “The baby’s most undoubtedly yours, Mulder.” “What?!” he asked. She bobbed her head affirmative. “After everything that happened just in the first few weeks after finding out, which I might add happened the same day I was told you were gone, I was afraid that I would lose the baby. But it has your determination, and your willpower. I recognized that from the beginning.” “What happened? Why were you afraid of losing the baby?” Mulder asked, lowering the steaming cup of mocha latte from her lips. “Scully, what happened?” She told him, not holding anything back. By the end of her story, he’d lifted her fingers to his lips. “This baby does want to be born,” he murmured. “I’ll do anything to protect both of you.” “I know you will, Mulder. I know.” “Come on, I’ll drive you home. Anything you’re craving right now?” “My new pizza man,” she grinned over at him. “Yeah, that’ll be $29.08,” Mulder droned, leaning over and kissing her for the first time since his return from the dead. “I knew it!” Arina declared triumphantly. They smiled, and broke apart. “I take it you’re no longer at odds with Daddy.” Scully shook her head, sipping her coffee. “We’d better be going. I’ll see you soon, Arina.” “You better. I especially demand to see little William after he’s born.” “See?” Mulder replied triumphantly. “She thinks it’s a boy too. William huh? I like that.” Scully rolled her eyes. “Night Arina,” she groaned, pulling Mulder up and outside where they climbed into the car and drove home. They’d barely been in the apartment five minutes when they were already shedding the other’s clothing and making a frantic coupling. Mulder pressed his lips to Scully’s sweaty forehead. She tightened her grasp on him and let out a slow breath. “Everyone okay?” he asked. “Yeah. We’re okay,” she whispered. It had taken some rearranging for her huge belly to get them into a comfortable position. Now she was fading fast in his arms. “Night Scully,” Mulder murmured, kissing her forehead again. She kissed his shoulder. “Night pizza man,” she smiled, closing her eyes and falling asleep. He chuckled and joined her in slumber. End.