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Amanda's Heart By Mary Kleinsmith (Buc252@aol.com) Category: Spoilers: Season 7 in a way, but nothing major Summary: More experiences with Mulder, Scully and a very special baby Rating: PG Classification: MTA, 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 second in my "Amanda" series. For those of you who were kind enough to write and tell me you liked the first installment, I hope you enjoy this one. Feedback: Please, please, please, please, please, please, please? Amanda's Heart By Mary Kleinsmith (BUC252@aol.com) Maggie Scully dropped into a kitchen chair, delighted at the opportunity for a quiet cup of tea. Amanda, her beloved granddaughter, was an incredibly well behaved baby, but even the best of children were a lot of work. Now she knew why women didn't become mothers after a certain age. Kids will wear you out! At six months old, Amanda no longer slept as much as she once did. Of course, a good deal of it was her own darn fault. In those precious times when Amanda was awake, she couldn't bear not to be with her. Playing with her, holding her, entertaining her. She'd waited for this particular grandchild - a daughter for her daughter - a very long time and she wasn't about to miss a single minute. Maggie thanked God that Dana had Fox there to help her - it was hard enough to care for a baby with two parents, let alone with just one. The child would be crawling soon, too, and then the real trouble would begin. There was a sudden knocking at her door, insistent, and Maggie cringed, praying that it hadn't awoken the sleeping baby. Giving a sigh for the half cup of tea she knew would grow cold, she rose to answer the door. Being the middle of the day, she hadn't been expecting the bedraggled man who stood blocking the sunlight. "Hi, Mom," Fox said tiredly. Maggie frowned as he failed to give her his customary kiss on the cheek, and he interpreted the look quickly and correctly. "Sorry, I don't want to give you what I got," he sniffed. Now that she took note, he not only looked bedraggled, he looked sick. "Oh, Fox. You sound like you should be in bed." "That's exactly where I plan to be as soon as I can get home. Besides, Scully's barred me from the office until I'm better. She says I already probably gave it to her and Amanda, so she doesn't want me infecting the entire Bureau, too. I just came by to pick her up before I head home." "Oh, Fox," Maggie said, concerned. "Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, can you take care of her while you're sick like this?" "It's not that bad, Mom," he said, retrieving a tissue from his pocket and blowing his nose. "It's not like I'm going to be passed out the rest of the day. I just need a little rest, and since you haven't had a day off in so long, it's the least I can do." Maggie was doubtful, but didn't feel she had the right to argue with him. "Okay, I'll go up and get her in a minute - she only just fell asleep, so maybe she'll sleep all the way home. Fox, I want you to promise me that if she proves to be too much before Dana gets home, you'll call me. I don't mind running over to give you a hand." "Understood," Mulder accepted, still sounding hesitant to take her up on her offer. He could be so stubborn sometimes. . . Mulder followed her up to what had become the nursery since Maggie had begun babysitting Amanda three months ago. He remembered, as he set it up, her telling him about the crib and how it had once held each of her own children, Scully included. He couldn't imagine his wife ever being that small, but knew, logically, that she had. He stared enraptured at his daughter until Maggie broke his concentration. She must have realized he wasn't hearing her, because she was suddenly saying, "Fox? Hey, Fox?" "Oh, sorry, Mom." "Where did you go?" she asked, concern shown clearly on her face. "I was just thinking about what a beautiful baby Scully must have been." He sighed deeply, wantingly. "She was. Come over for dinner on Sunday if you're feeling better, and I'll drag out all the old photo albums. I can't believe I've never thought before to show them to you, anyway, so it's long overdue. Besides, I always love to embarrass my daughter." She laughed cheerily, and Mulder chuckled along with her. She was such a dear - almost enough to make him forget his miserable cold. "Well, I'd better get this angel home," he said, reaching into the crib where Amanda slept quietly. He lifted her into his arms, keeping the blanket that had covered her wrapped about her tiny body. "Now where did that come from?" His eyes fell on the slightly worn tie-dyed teddy bear that he knew was her favorite toy. They'd all agreed, Maggie included, that the toy wasn't safe for her to have when somebody wasn't right there with her, paying constant attention, yet it was in the crib right next to where the baby had lain. He knew Maggie wouldn't have given it to her or put it in there with her, and turning a confused look to his mother-in-law. "It's the oddest thing, Fox. Every time I put her down for a nap, I prop it on the top corner post of the crib. So she can see it, but not touch it, you know? And yet every time I come in to get her, it's right beside her, cuddled up close. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was alive and jumping down to be with her!" She laughed softly. "She must be crawling enough so that she can grab for it, but I've never seen her do it." She didn't tell him that this had been happening for months, but she didn't have to. The same thing had been happening at home. It was obvious the baby loved that teddy bear a great deal. "It's okay. She doesn't seem to be pulled at anything that can come off, so no harm done. We'll just have to keep an eye on it." Mulder hoped that was the right thing to say - what a responsible father would say. He was still insecure about so many things. He knew he hadn't had many role models on which to rely for an example of being a good father, and hoped that he was doing it right. Maggie or Scully would tell him if he wasn't, wouldn't they? Sighing, he realized that he was just too tired and sick to deal with it now. Maggie was packing up the diaper bag and put the teddy bear in last. "Where's her coat?" Mulder asked, searching the room with her eyes. "It's downstairs. If you don't mind my saying, though, Fox, I don't think you need to risk waking her by putting it on. It was cool enough this morning to need it, but now, it's plenty warm enough for her to just go in her sleeper." "You'd know best," Mulder smiled, actually relieved that he wouldn't have to risk waking his daughter. Maggie looked on maternally as he put Amanda securely in her car seat. He'd long ago gotten over the amazement he felt the first time he realized that he, Fox William Mulder - known as "Spooky", the FBI's most unwanted, and the embarrassment of the bureau - was normal. Well, relatively normal, anyway. He had a daughter, a wife, a baby seat in the car, a 401K plan at work, and a stack of real-estate magazines on his coffee table back at the apartment. It was something that he never realized that he missed until he had it and had something with which to compare. Now, it was simply a piece of heaven. He'd just parked the car when his entire body was rocked by a gigantic sneeze, startling Amanda out of sleep. He heard her gurgle and do her own version of talking, and he imagined she was speaking to him. "Sorry, sweetie. Daddy's got a cold, and that's a sneeze." She gurgled back at him and he was sure she understood. The apartment was warm and welcoming, and Mulder felt relieved to be home. Maybe he felt worse than he realized, he thought. He was bushed. His coat found a spot over the back of the couch, his shoes kicked off beside them to land a moment later under the diaper bag. Heading for their room, he looked into Amanda's face and knew right away what her sad look was for. Returning to the bag, he pulled out her favorite bear and returned to the same path. His head pounded now; it had hit him when he bent to retrieve the toy from the diaper bag, and he looked forward to just going to bed. After changing her, Mulder lay Amanda in the crib that occupied the opposite wall of their bedroom. Her eyes followed her father around the room as he drew the drapes and shed first his jacket followed by his tie, shirt, and pants. He lowered himself into the bed, gently laying his head on the pillow and closing his eyes. She didn't totally know what it meant to be sick, the word her grandmother had used, but she knew that her daddy wasn't feeling like himself. This was going to be harder than anything she'd done yet. She wanted her bear, and she knew her daddy needed some things, too. She loved her Daddy with all her heart, and set her mind to what she wanted. ** It had been almost five hours since Scully had sent her beloved husband home from the office, for fear that he'd spread whatever he'd caught throughout the bureau or, at least, that he'd knock himself out hitting his head on the desk when he sneezed the next time. Maggie had called her and confirmed that he'd picked up Amanda and left her house, both of them safe and sound. The apartment had grown dark and was quiet, not a sound coming from anywhere. She thought for sure she'd find Mulder propped on the sofa with a box of tissues in one hand and the remote control in the other while Amanda sat on the floor surrounded by about a hundred of her favorite toys. Scully hung up her own trenchcoat, then her husband's as she retrieved it from the sofa. He hadn't even put away the diaper bag, she chuckled to herself as she lifted it to put it in its place. Looking forward to getting comfortable, she headed for their bedroom, shedding her suit jacket along the way. The sight she beheld as she passed through the doorway made her heart warm all over again. Mulder lay in their bed, curled into himself with the bedcovers pulled up to his chin. His head rested on the pillow very near her nightgown, almost where she knew he'd have to be inhaling the scent of her. She thought for a moment how she hoped that it had helped him get to sleep. On the bedside table sat a class of water, a thermometer, and a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol. How very responsible of you, Mulder, she thought, smiling at him fondly. A small giggle drew her attention to the crib, and Amanda smiled at her from her seat inside the bars. She held her bear in one tiny hand as she reached for her Mommy with her other. "Hey, Angel," Scully said, scooping the baby into her arms. "How are you? Did you just wake up?" The intelligence in Amanda's eyes almost looked as though she was going to answer, but no words came forth. Scully dismissed it to wishful thinking. "Are you hungry, honey?" A soft whimper was enough of an answer for Scully, who took the baby into the living room to feed her. Amanda was still breastfeeding, but she also got cereal in the mornings. She was growing so quickly. Until she began cutting her first teeth, feeding her daughter was a pleasant, relaxing experience for them both, and by the time she was finished, Amanda was asleep once again. Returning her to her crib, Scully noticed Mulder stirring. She sat down beside him on the bed, rubbing his back gently. "Hey, how're you doing?" she whispered. "Feeling any better?" Mulder rolled over, squinting up at her. "Not especially. My head is killing me." "How long has it been since you took some painkiller?" she asked. Before he could answer, she continued. "I have to admit, I was very impressed. You not only got the baby to bed, but you managed to get out of your clothes Blearily, Mulder looked around to see the medical items on the table. He couldn't remember getting those, but he must have. "Don't remember," he mumbled, obviously still partially asleep. "If I heat some up, do you think you could manage to eat some of Mom's home made chicken noodle soup? You need to keep up your strength." "I'll tell you a secret, Scully," he said into the pillow. "I'd crawl through a desert for some of your Mom's soup. I'll be up in a minute." "No, stay there - I'll bring it in on a bed tray. I want you better for the weekend. Mom called and invited us over for Sunday dinner." "Yeah, I seem to recall her mentioning something about that." Before heading for the kitchen, Scully laid a gentle hand on Mulder's forehead. "You don't feel feverish." She retrieved two pills from the bottle of Tylenol and handed them and the glass of water to him, watching as he swallowed. "I don't think we need to take your temperature," she commented, reaching for the thermometer. "I'll just put this back in the bathroom." She'd only gone a few steps when she broke out laughing. "Mulder, you really were out of it!" she giggled. "What are you talking about?" Mulder asked, confused at the gap in his memory. "This is the baby's thermometer," she laughed all the more. "Although I could take your temperature that way if you really wanted me to!" "Not in this lifetime," he muttered, blushing bright red and taking another sip of the water. "Wouldn't you rather have a fresh glass of cold water?" Scully asked, offering to take the cup from him. "Well, yeah, but this is good, too. Anything helps." "Is that you're not-so-subtle way of saying your throat is sore?" "Yeah, I guess." "Then I'll also bring you some tea with honey along with your soup." Before long, she'd returned to the bedroom with a tray holding two bowls of steaming hot soup and two glasses of tea. Tucked in the crux of her elbow was a package of saltine crackers. She settled in on the bed after quickly stripping off her suit and sliding into her nightgown. "Aren't you worried you're going to catch my cold?" Mulder asked, taking a spoonful of the soup?" "Mulder, we made love just last night! If I don't already have it, I'm not going to get it." She smiled and gave him a peck on his stuffed-up nose. "Not that I wouldn't do it again." ** Mulder wasn't well enough for dinner at Maggie's, so it was postponed a couple weeks. He made steady improvement during the week and was almost back to 100% by Saturday. Scully thought her prayers had been answered. There was no way she wanted to spend her first wedding anniversary with a sick husband. They talked throughout the week about how to spend the day, and, of course, Maggie offered to baby sit. Instead, they decided on a romantic dinner at home once they'd put Amanda down for the night. Mulder ordered a catered dinner for two from a nearby favorite restaurant, and Scully picked up a bottle of their favorite wine. Scully was feeding the baby when the doorbell rang. "Don't move, I'll get it," Mulder said, smiling at his ladies. The delivery men were highly trained waiters. They took the dinners to the dining area, setting the places and lighting the candles. He tipped them generously and said goodnight, inhaling the delicious aroma of their feast. Searching for Scully, he found her laying a sleeping Amanda in her crib. He turned the light down and took his bride of one year by the hand, leading her to the elegant table. "Oh, Mulder. This is too much!" She stood on her toes and kissed him gently. He seated her and then took his own seat, enjoying the rich food, soft conversation, and romantic atmosphere. When Scully rose to clean off the table, Mulder swept her into his arms. "Not tonight, Mrs. Mulder. The dirty dishes will be there in the morning. Tonight is your wedding anniversary." He carried her, giggling, into their bedroom where he sat her on her petite toes to steal another kiss. "Check on the baby, Mulder," Scully said with a twinkle in her eye. I'll be right out." She disappeared into the bathroom. It took just a glance to tell that Amanda was still fast asleep, so Mulder crept back out into the living room and retrieved a pair of candles from atop Scully's mantle. Setting one on each nightstand, he lit them, then turned off all the lights. The room was bathed in a soft warmth, much like his wife, he thought, until she emerged from the bathroom. Scully wore a robe that was so much more, appearing as if it had been constructed of layer upon layer of sheer pink fabric that created an opaque sense of secrecy. He found it more alluring than if she'd chosen a see-through nighty, and knew that she knew that much about him, too. Mulder took her into his arms and they kissed all the way to their bed. ** Amanda knew it was late when she awoke. It must be hot, she thought. Both Mommy and Daddy were asleep in bed, but Mommy's shoulders were bare, and her new bathrobe that she'd seen her buy was in a pile on the floor. The candles still lit the room, though, and she knew that was not something that was safe. Staring at the flickering light, they were suddenly extinguished. Wisps of smoke lofted from each as Amanda lay down and go back to sleep. Page 1 of 6 |