It wasn't unusual for the occasional registered letter arrive at the house.  There was always some piece of correspondance from the College, a notice of the Medical License Review, and matters involving the Estate of William Mulder.  The man had planned well for a son who was not even his own.  Perhaps he foresaw that the future would be rocky at best, and feared it would be deadly.

 

This letter, despite the fact that such pieces of mail were not unexpected, was viewed with caution, concern, perhaps even distrust -- if the couple were to admit it.

 

The turmoil this pair had been through for years on end was fading from memory ever so slowly, and old wounds, while occasionally felt, were no longer as painful or consuming.  Still, certain names, situations and locations stirred the pot and rekindled the embers of fear held dormant in their minds.  One such location was their former place of employment.

 

Fox William Mulder arrived home dog tired from a day of lectures, editing a book due for publication, (essential to keep his tenure at the college), and traffic headaches. He checked the mailbox as Scully was often too busy now, with William and newborn daughter Meg. (Meg, after Margaret Scully. It was Fox's idea).

He slit open the envelope marked "Registered" and scanned the letterhead and text. "Yeah, it's just great to have friends who never give up on you," he mumbled.

 

"That you?"  Scully was folding towels and trying to teach William about being patient.  "No, honey.  You can have a drink with supper.  Supper is soon."

 

"Thirsty now!  Juice!"  The toddler demanded.

 

"Okay, that means you go sit in the chair over there for a
minute."

 

Little William stomped off to his chair and made the biggest pout he could muster.

 

"Yeah, I just got in.  Get a load of this latest joke from the office of Walter!"

 

Scully decided the laundry would take over dinner hour, so she set it aside, turned down a burner, and joined her husband in the livingroom. "Is he still sending the office joke memos?  Mulder, some of them are really in bad taste..."

 

"Well, yes.  But you have to admit, you snicker when you read them too."

 

"Well, it seems we are the type of people they want. William, stop whining! One more minute."

 

"Couldn't they set their sights higher?" Mulder quipped.
"They're desperate. They really are."

 

"We were pretty good agents.  And we did have the highest
apprehension and conviction rate in the entire Bureau, Hon."

 

"Mainstreaming it, we really did.  But, I am not thinking about going from place to place anymore following leads and staying in motels all over the country. And don't bother even thinking desk job. As William says, 'Eeeew!'"

 

"Well, I still have my medical license, and Quantico could use a good instructor in Forensic Medicine.  You could teach profiling right there with me, and we could have a house not too far from there.  We could at least think about it." Scully rubbed Mulder's shoulder as he sat at his father's old desk.  "You KNOW the Director and even the President said we could have any reward we wanted on top of the dinner, the Medals of Honor, and the rubber chicken eat-and-speak circuit.  Will you just think about it?  For the girl who was sent to spy on you, the one who believed
you from the beginning, and the one who loves you?"

 

"Would you really want to go back there, too?  Because this family is together for good now. William and Meg need us."

 

"We can do that and work for the FBI. Please, just think long and hard about this. Now, I have supper just about ready and William in a time out. See if the rest of the mail is anything better."

Scully set off for the kitchen to leave Mulder mulling over his true wishes and the past few years of pain.  He was good at what he had done, and Scully was an expert in her field.  Together they were a formidable team.  It was just the memories of all the pain and suffering she had undergone while being his partner in the field that were fuelling his misgivings.

 

What if they were needed in the field again?  Would someone get hurt again? Would the children lose a mother or a father? How about re-opening the X-Files?  Would some unexplained freak of nature harm the kids?  What about THEIR reputations?  "Spooky's Kids". What a label.

 

In the days ahead, Mulder grew more moody and restless, finding little distraction in his work and even less sleep. Scully, too, was having her memories of a job well done, the challenges each new case brought, and the situations that had put her in jeopardy. 

It wasn't the FBI that had had her kidnapped, and they were not to blame for their infiltration. The prospect of the peace and quiet out there in West Tisbury was so appealing, so conducive to raising healthy, happy children.  Yet, there was a calling that she had answered many years ago, and it was still strong -- medicine. She knew her calling for that was as strong as her husband's calling for investigations -- paranormal and otherwise.

Then, there was the issue of Jeffery Spender, Mulder's half-brother. His face had been reconstructed, and his skills were hardly proven at the FBI, yet he had managed an above average entrance scrutiny.  His academy grades were in the top twentieth percentile. He ought to have his job back, Mulder decided.

 

It was four months before they came to any concrete decision. The pros and cons were talked over at supper, breast-feedings, even over the phone when Fox was between classrooms full of idealistic young Criminal Psych. majors.  Scully decided that she could have a short work schedule and give the children more attention.  She
could have her mother sit with them until they were both in school. Mulder decided, with some negotiating with Skinner and the others involved, that he could profile from a desk.  Some day, perhaps he and Scully would have another office together and be a team again. For now, the proposal they sent would do quite nicely.

 

The Mulders searched out realtors who could find them a
reasonably-priced house in Alexandria.  While they did have to haggle considerably, a deal was worked out to Fox and Dana's satisfaction. The house in West Tisbury would serve as a retreat for the Mulder family.

 

As the car was loaded up with carseats, books, toys, snacks and cassettes, Mulder turned to Scully, who already had her seatbelt fastened.  "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

 

"I am absolutely positive, and I want nothing more than a normal life with the man I love, the kids I love, and the jobs we love.  Are you ready, guys?"

 

Meg gurgled and trilled, and William called out, "Drive, Daddy!  Vroom!"

 

Mulder smiled warmly and kissed Scully on the cheek. "I'll take that as a yes."

 

As they drove down the road, a female robin happily fed her brood outside the kitchen window of the Mulder estate. Fragrant flowers seemed to be waving "good bye" to the family. A pure white dove perched atop the rail on the front porch of the empty house.

Only she knew what sign this was. Her gentle cooing said it was a good omen.

                        
                              END