By Mary Kleinsmith (Buc252@aol.com)

Category:

Spoilers: Season 7 in a way, but nothing major

Summary: Mulder and Scully are getting used to being the parents of a very special baby

Rating: PG

Classification: MSR, Babyfic

Archive: Yes, anywhere

Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and everything related to them belong to Chris Carter and 10-13, with magic added by David and Gillian. I'm only borrowing them.

Author's Note: This is the first of what I think is going to become my "Amanda" series. I already have ideas for #2, so let me know if you think I should continue!

Feedback: Please, please, please, please, please, please, please?

Amanda's Glory

By Mary Kleinsmith (BUC252@aol.com)

Fox Mulder didn't think there could be a happier man on the planet than he. He had his health, thankfully restored despite the torture of his abduction the year before. He had a wonderful woman who had agreed to spend her life with him, in work and in the off hours. And now, he had the most adorable baby daughter for which anybody could ever ask. She was perfect, from her reddish tuft of hair to her hazel eyes, and most noticeably, she hadn't inherited his nose.

He'd brought his new wife and daughter home from the hospital - Scully's old apartment, actually, since they hadn't had a chance to find anything else - just yesterday and already they felt like a family. The ache, the aloneness he'd carried in his heart for so many years had been dispersed by the two people he now watched settle into Scully's - no their - bedroom. Scully was a natural mother, gentle and loving with her daughter in a way that Mulder had never imagined. Not that he'd never realized she was capable, but she'd always seemed so businesslike and professional. He never pictured her in a rocking chair with an infant at her breast, or lying in bed on a lazy Saturday morning with little Amanda by her side.

Amanda Renee Mulder had come into the world at 8 pounds, 9 ounces, with her father's determination and her mother's Irish temper. The obstetrician stated that he hadn't heard a baby scream that loudly in decades and that she did, in fact, seem very happy to be out of the confined space of the womb and out in the real world. There was an intelligence in her eyes, even then, that belied her newborn status, a fact that Mulder dismissed as his being starry-eyed over this most wonderful of gifts they'd been given.

Scully had barely been showing when he woke up in the hospital all those months ago, unable to speak or move, barely able to open his eyes. Whatever they'd done to him, which he thankfully couldn't remember specifically, must have been very different from what had been done to Scully, since he was never comatose like she had been. Still, it took several days of gradual progress before he uttered his first words, moved his first finger. He was a child himself at that time, capable of no more than Amanda was now. Yet Scully had stood at his bedside, holding his hand and telling him of all that had happened in his absence.

His alertness had been the first to return, and he'd noticed Scully's condition before she'd had the nerve to tell him about it. One day, he'd opened his eyes to find her standing beside him, and he'd seen the slight blossoming of her stomach. It took every bit of concentration he had to raise his hand and lay it on where their baby grew inside her. He never doubted for a moment that it was his, and remembered clearly the symptoms she'd been showing even before he'd been abducted.

Of course, there had been questions. Questions about his experiences during the missing time, but he'd been unable to tell them much. The memories were buried, and only manifested themselves late at night when he'd awaken in a cold sweat with pain lancing through his body and Scully's name on his lips. He didn't remember any more of who was there or what was done. Just pain and wanting Scully so badly. She felt for him, he knew, but it was just one more nightmare to add to the arsenal encased in his subconscious.

As soon as he'd been capable, he'd asked her to marry him, and as soon as he was released from the hospital, he'd gone directly to the jewelry store to buy her the most beautiful engagement ring. They'd talked at length, and she knew it wasn't a matter of his proposing simply because she was expecting. He loved her, she loved him, and his absence had made them both realize it more deeply than ever before. The wedding was small, just the priest, Skinner and Maggie. Mulder had wanted to give her so much more, but she'd contested that, to her, it was the marriage that counted, not the wedding.

They'd planned to go house hunting, but somehow work always interfered. Even with an extra pair of agents assigned to the X-Files, there seemed to be an overabundance of cases that needed their specific attention. And, of course, they were always on the lookout for any sign of their past antagonists.

Amanda began to wriggle on the bed, oblivious of her exhausted mother napping beside her. Not wanting to awaken Scully, Mulder scooped the child into his arms with a gentleness of which he would not have thought himself capable. He handled her like fine crystal, fragile and so very breakable. Scully kept telling him to loosen up, that she could take a lot more than he realized, but he had no intention of finding out. She was his daughter, an angel in human skin.

Flicking on the television, the digital music channel came on with a soft, jazzy tune that Amanda seemed to like in particular. She smiled up at her father, recognition in her face, as she absorbed the music and the comfort level. He would be sure she never had anything to fear if it was the last thing he did, he swore to himself.

A new song began, more of a lullaby than any he'd heard, although it wasn't touted as such. He remembered hearing it decades ago on a record that the girls in his middle school used to play. He'd never given it a second though then, but this time, he knew it was her song. Their song. He tried to remember some of the words as they played, singing along quietly when he could.

"What song to sing to my tomorrow child. Still so small and new. What shall I say to show the way. What games to play with you? The world turns quickly now and changes every mile. What shall I say to show the way, tomorrow child? I can't tell you what your life will be. Time will show you roads that I can't see. And if they carry you away from me, then go with love. Whatever travels you may wander through. Whatever wonders you may someday do. Take my lullaby along with you and go with love, tomorrow child."

"I thought you were going into the office," came a whisper from behind him as he noticed that Amanda had fallen asleep in his arms. He smiled up at Scully.

"I decided they can handle it for a few days. Besides, if I give them more cases to investigate, maybe they'll learn a lot quicker than you did that not everything can be proven scientifically." The evil glint in his eyes was rewarded by a similar look in Scully's.

"Well, I'm certainly not complaining about having you home more, but are you sure? What if they do like Spender and shred some viable case reports?"

"They won't. They've seen enough, at least, not to do that."

"I think you're enjoying being just the department head. It looks good on you." She brushed his forehead with a kiss, her voice warm and inviting. "I'm going to enjoy being able to have you home at a normal hour every night, and then, when my leave is up, both of us being able to pick up Amanda at Mom's and having evenings and weekends for ourselves."

Mulder looked thoughtful for a moment, lost inside his mind. "Hey, what's going on in there?" she asked lovingly.

"A normal life. It was something I always wanted for you, but never thought I'd have for myself."

"Mulder, I wouldn't have wanted it if you hadn't been part of it. I've known that since the first year we met."

"And it took you seven years to tell me?" At Scully's chagrined expression he realized. "Well, you're right. I guess we were telling each other all along, it just took seven years to do it with words. And other things." He raised his eyebrows in a leer she found adorable. And irresistible.

Gently, she took Amanda from his arms and returned her to her crib. She was asleep, and would stay that way for an hour or two. Returning to Mulder's side, she picked up where they left off. "Six weeks, Mulder."

"Only a little over five now," he said, uncharacteristically optimistic. "I'm looking forward to making love to my wife."

Scully smiled, realizing that it wasn't just the making love, which they'd done before. Granted it had been over a year, but it was more the fact that they were united now. Bonded, 'till death do us part'. And even beyond then, she had no intention of letting him go.

"I'm looking forward to making love with my husband." She chuckled, shaking her head. "I still can't believe how things have changed. Mulder, I love you. I've always loved you. But I never dreamed it would be like this."

"Even a screw up like me knows a good thing when he's got it," Mulder responded. A year ago, it would have been delivered with a decidedly self-deprecating tone, but his return, the marriage, and Amanda had changed him. He had a confidence now not just in his intelligence and his knowledge of his work, but in himself as a person, as a father, as a lover, as a husband.

"Are you going to be okay alone with her today while I go for my ob/gyn checkup?" Scully asked. "It could be awhile. There were tests the doctor wanted to run that couldn't be done while I was pregnant, so she wants to do them now. Mom will be picking me up any time now."

"Sure. Just leave me the bottles and diapers and I'm set. We'll find something to do while you're away."

"Mulder, I'd better not come home to find my daughter wearing your New York Knicks baseball cap."

"You won't," he answered honestly as she went off to get dressed.

True to his word, she'd returned to the apartment to find Mulder on the sofa with the basketball game on, his daughter in his arms wearing the tiniest baseball cap she'd ever seen. The Knicks logo emblazoned across the front barely fit on the small scrap of fabric.

He chuckled as Scully looked at him accusingly. "Hey, she'd not wearing cap. Can I help it if Frohike got her one of her own?"

Laughing in response, Scully prompted, "and, of course, he had no coaxing from anybody, did he?"

"He may have gotten an idea or two, but only because he knows me so well. Hey, didn't your Mom come in for a visit?"

"She said she had some errands to run and couldn't stay. We'll have her over for dinner another time." At that moment, Amanda squirmed in his arms, raising chubby fists to rub at her eyes.

"Have you fed her yet?"

"Nope. This is the first time she's seemed like she might be getting hungry."

"I'll take care of it in a minute," Scully said, slipping into their room and changing her clothes quickly. When she reemerged, she reclaimed the baby from Mulder and began to breastfeed. Mulder just looked on, he was in heaven.

"Scully, have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you do that?" he sighed. "It's the most wonderful thing in the world."

Blushing, Scully nodded her head, careful not to dislodge the baby's hold on her nipple. "It's a wonderful feeling, knowing that I'm giving life and sustenance to our child. I can't imagine being a mother who didn't feed her baby this way."

"Well, thankfully, you'll never have to find out. I'm so glad that our various encounters with the Consortium and their allies didn't affect the way we can raise her."

"No, it won't. And it won't ever. The doctor checked me out, and ran all the tests while I was there. They can't explain it, but she said that there's no sign that I'm not a normal, fertile woman. Everything is back to normal. My ovaries show as fully functional with a regular supply of eggs for a woman my age."

Mulder looked at her in shock for a few minutes. "Meaning that Amanda won't have to be a one-time experience for us?"

"Meaning, my love, that we can have a dozen more if you and I so desire." At his shocked looked she laughed. "Not that we to have that many, of course."

"Right now, I feel like I'd want this feeling all the time," Mulder admitted, blushing shyly. "But let's wait and see."

"We may change our minds when she hits the 'terrible twos'," Scully smiled, switching the child to her other breast.

"It's hard to imagine her being anything but an angel," Mulder added, looking at his daughter once again.

And an angel she was. Somehow, she never seemed to wake up at night until Scully woke up for her regular visit to the bathroom, and then Scully would feed her and change her, and return her to the crib without even a whimper from the child. She seemed content to occupy herself when neither parent was with her, although those events were rare enough, and she had developed, somehow, an amazing ability to judge people.

Twelve weeks after the baby's birth, with Mulder back to work in the basement office, Scully stopped by the Bureau to pick up her reinstatement papers. Of course, the visit required a stop to "Uncle Walter's" office - a title which seemed to make him happy and cringe at the same time - a visit to see Daddy in his work environment, and a stop at the cafeteria and offices to see the various other agents who had written or called in their congratulations since her birth. Most hadn't seen the baby yet, Skinner having been the only one to come to the hospital and then the apartment to see her.

He didn't have to guess when Scully entered the outer office. The sound of his assistant cooing over the infant was more than enough. What was it about women that even the most normally non-maternal woman was reduced to this behavior when a child was in their presence? He stood in the doorway and observed as the two women talked, and felt a little jealous that Scully wasn't more in a hurry to see him.

"Eh hemm . . ." Skinner cleared his throat, drawing the attention of both women. Even the baby seemed to turn her head his way with a smile.

"Oh, hi, Sir," Scully said. "I was just on my way in to see you."

"If you'll come on in, I have the papers you wanted." Once inside, with the door tightly shut, the officious Assistant Director Skinner metamorphosed into the doting Uncle he may as well have been. "Hi, Amanda! How's my girl?" She looked at him with bright eyes and eagerly grabbed his finger when he held it near to touch the soft skin.

"I think she knows you already, Sir," Scully added, smiling.

"May I?" Skinner asked, and it took her a moment to realize that he was offering to take Amanda from her arms. She looked twice as small when cuddled near the burly chest of the ex-Marine, but seemed content as he cradled her there as he went back around his desk. He had no difficulties at all locating the papers and signing them with one hand while holding the baby in the other.

"So did you come out just for this, or did you have other errands to run?"

"She's got a checkup, and we need to get some groceries, then we're headed home. After a quick visit to check on Daddy, that is."

"Just don't turn the entire bureau on its ear while you walk though it, okay?" It was meant to be a joke, but then he turned serious. "She is really such a beautiful baby, Scully. And she looks so intelligent. I guess, considering her parents, that couldn't even be avoided," he smiled.

"Maybe it'll take a year or two before she adds the skeptical expression to that," Scully smiled back at him.

They spoke for a few minutes more, serious conversation about Scully's health, outside of the baby talk. Skinner seemed very comfortable holding her with an almost subconscious affection. After a few minutes, they took their leave; Skinner seemed sad to let her go.

Arriving in the basement office, Scully nodded at John and Danielle as they were leaving. "They off on another assignment?" Scully asked, smiling and kissing her husband. She waited while he took Amanda from her.

"Yep. Besides, I didn't want them around for Amanda's first visit to where her Daddy and Mommy work." Turning his attention to the baby, he added, "so what do you think, Amanda? Do you like it here?"

Amazingly, her eyes seemed to scan the office, coming to rest finally on the computer at Mulder's right. She reached for the keyboard as they both noticed something clenched in her tiny fist.

"What's this?" Mulder asked, removing the pen from her hand. She didn't seem very happy to be relieved of it.

"Damn, that must be Skinner's pen. I went up there for my papers and he was holding her. She must have somehow picked it up."

"Without either of you noticing?" Mulder asked laughing.

"Well, it didn't magically appear in her hand," Scully laughed. Amanda burst out in a laugh with them, surprising them both.

"At least we're keeping her entertained," Mulder added, kissing her on the forehead.

"Maybe she'll be able to hold onto that mood for awhile. I don't think she's going to be too thrilled with Mommy after her doctor's appointment today."

"I'm sure she'll do fine," Mulder said, bouncing her on his knee. "Is it my imagination or is she less fussy than most babies?"

"No, you're not showing your impartiality. Even my Mom's been saying that she's a good baby - better than any of us when we were that age. I really think she's looking forward to watching her when I come back to work."

"Then it'll work out for all of us, because I sure miss having you here with me." He smiled shyly. Mulder never would get used to showing his love for his wife. He felt every word of it, but saying it aloud always made him blush.

"Well, I guess we'd better get going and let Daddy get back to work," she said, addressing Amanda instead of Mulder. "We need to stop back at Uncle Walter's office and give him back his pen." Taking the baby, she kissed Mulder on the lips, lingering there for a moment before leaving the office.

When Mulder turned back to the report he'd been typing, he was surprised to find that he'd apparently leaned on his keyboard at some point. There were almost two lines of letters that spelled out absolute gibberish. Highlighting and deleting them, he went about completing the report.

Despite her fears, Amanda came through her first inoculations like a trooper, whimpering only slightly as the needle went into her soft skin. By the time they returned to the apartment, Amanda was drowsy, and more than ready for her nap.

Scully removed her clothes and put her in her pajamas, taking the stuffed animal from her hands and setting it on the top corner of her crib. It was a small, tie-dyed teddy bear that had been a gift from the Lone Gunmen. She didn't mind the baby cuddling it while she was with her, but since the eyes weren't totally secure to the doll, she and Mulder had agreed not to let her have it during the night or while she was alone.

Scully turned off the light and left the bedroom, carrying the baby monitor with her. Once the door was shut, the bear quietly moved to nestle beside her. Amanda smiled happily as she snuggled up to the teddy bear. She may not know much of this world to which she'd been born, but she knew what she liked and what she wanted. And getting those things was pretty simple when she put her mind to it.

The end

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