Title: "As Long As They're Together" 6/8b
Author: Tiffany
Rating: PG 
Classification: S, MSR
Content Warnings: Mulder/Scully Married
Spoilers: None really, maybe a slight one for Christmas Carol.
Summary: Dana's pregnancy advances, and she and Fox have to deal with
everything.

Agent Taylor, Dr. Kelley, Dr. Forester, Melissa Ann Mulder, and Agent
Wilkenson are all mine!!!!!!  Ha Ha Ha.......   Please don't use them
without permission....Thanks!

"As Long As They're Together" 6/8b

     Dana walked into her office to find a half-dozen messages on her
machine.  One from Fox; he was just saying hi, one from Agent Taylor,
One from Agent Wilkenson: her supervisor, two from some of her
students, and the last was from Skinner.  **Skinner...?**  Dana wasn't
sure why he would call...  Picking up the phone, she dialed the
familiar number.  
     "Assistant Director Skinner's office, how may I help you?" 
Kimberly, Skinner's secretary answered.
     "Yes, this is Agent Dana Scully, I need to speak with the
Assistant Director please."  Dana was a little worried; she couldn't
think of any reason why he would call, unless it was bad news for some
reason.
     "One moment.."  Kimberly said as she informed Skinner of the call.
     
     "Agent Scully..or, uh, Mulder, thanks for calling me back.." 
Skinner almost sounded pleasant, not like he had any sort of bad news.
      "Sir, Is something wrong?"  Dana asked, impatiently.  She had
decided to just go by Agent Scully at work...
     "No, I- I hope I didn't worry you.  I just heard you'd been ill
lately, and I guess...well, I wanted to make sure you were feeling
better."  After an uncomfortable pause, he added quickly, "Old habits
die hard I guess..."
     Dana laughed and shook her head.  "I don't mind sir, actually you
may be a bit surprised at what I'm about to tell you.  I found out
yesterday that I wasn't ill, actually I'm pregnant."  
She heard Skinner chuckle and became curious.  "If I may ask sir,
what's so funny?"  
     Skinner shook his head and smiled.  "It's just that picturing
Mulder carrying around a baby..well, it's going to be an interesting
sight."  Skinner had relaxed, and was enjoying talking to Dana. 
"Congratulations Dana, I'm sure you two will make great parents."
     "Thanks sir, Sorry to cut this call short, but I need to go." 
She saw Agent Taylor walking towards her desk.  
     "Sure thing, Take care Dana."  He was unsure of what to call her,
so he just used her first name.  

     Dana hung up, puzzled by that conversation with Skinner.  He
usually wasn't one to become friendly.  Looking up, she saw Agent
Taylor waiting for her.  She stood up and joined him, smiling.  "Hi,
did I miss anything interesting?"  
     Agent Taylor shrugged.  "Not really.  So, you're feeling better?"
 They started walking towards the lab, where Dana would work until her
class at 10:00.  She taught 3 times a week, and enjoyed the relaxed
schedule.
     "Well, I guess I am, sort of..."  Dana trailed off, unsure of
what to say.  When Taylor tilted his head in confusion, she explain. 
"I-I found out that I'm not sick...I'm pregnant."  She smiled but kept
walking.  
      Taylor smiled.  "Congratulations..."  He didn't know all that
much about Dana, except what he'd heard through the grapevine,
however, he had already formed a fondness for her.  When they got to
the lab, Dana told Taylor that she would join him as soon as she was
done meeting with Agent Wilkenson.  
     
     --Agent Wilkenson's Office--

     "Come on in Agent Scully," John Wilkenson motioned for Dana to
sit down.   "I just wanted to make sure you were feeling better. 
Agent Taylor took over your class the other day for you, it went
smoothly..." He smiled and sat down.
     "Thank you sir.  Um, actually I need to inform you that I'm
pregnant...I just found out yesterday."  She paused for a moment. 
"Um, I should be fine until I go on maternity leave, in about 8
months..."  She kinda shrugged and stopped talking.
     "Congratulations.  I'm glad you weren't ill.  If you need, you
can talk to Agent Taylor about how the class went, I'm sure he'd be
happy to fill you in.  That's about it I guess, I just wanted to touch
base with you."  They both stood up and Dana smiled, then walked out
the door, ready for a day's work.

*****

7 months later

     "Oh my gosh Dana!  You look so good!"  Terra Scully grinned at
her sister-in-law.  She and the kids were on their way to joining Bill
in their new assignment, which just happened to be in Maryland.  She
looked forward to seeing her husband's family more often then a few
times a year.  
     Dana and Terra sat down to lunch in Dana and Fox's apartment.  "I
love your place,  Dana.  I can tell you did the decorating."  The two
women laughed, and Dana smiled.
     "Actually, not much has changed since Fox moved in with me,
except for the addition of his old couch and t.v. in the spare
bedroom.  I made him either give away or dump most of his other
stuff."  They laughed again, and Dana got up to get their lunch, deli
sandwiches, which were in the kitchen.  "So Terra, how has the move
gone?  I remember as a kid, moves could be so hectic sometimes."
     Terra shrugged.  "It's gone about as well as expected.  With
Matthew eating solid foods now, it's not as easy to feed him....we
can't just pop a bottle in his mouth."  Terra looked over at Dana, and
her rapidly growing tummy, then asked.  "How are you doing Dana? You
look really well...you're growing so big!"
     "Yeah, I know I'm getting big.  Didn't I say something like that
to you last Christmas?"  Terra nodded then Dana smiled.  "Really, 
well... I'm doing okay.  The morning sickness is gone, and I'm not
quite so tired anymore.  I can't believe I still have over a month to
go!  I don't know if I'm going to last...."    Then she and Terra got
into a discussion about men never being able to handle a pregnancy.

Later that night

     "Dana, are you almost ready to go?"  Fox was pacing impatiently
outside of their bedroom.  Tonight was the FBI's annual Christmas
banquet/party, and for the first time ever he actually looked forward
to going.  He couldn't wait for everyone to see them... 
     The door opened and the most beautiful sight Fox had ever seen
was in front of him.  Scully was standing in front of him, with a
shimmery black dress on that went just above her knees.  It
criss-crossed on her back, and had a low neckline.  Her smooth,
rounded stomach was not hidden, but showed off, and she was glowing. 
She looked magnificent.
     "Wow.." was all he could manage to get out.  Dana just smiled at
him, and grabbed her purse and coat.  
      Fox was just standing there with his mouth slightly open. 
"Well, are we going to go, or are you  just going to stand there and
catch flies?"  Dana teased him.  Breaking out of his spell, Fox placed
his hand on Dana's back, and ushered her out.  He had a feeling it
would be an interesting night.
     As soon as Dana and Fox walked into the banquet room, several
people stopped and stared.  Mulder just gave them all a smirk and
gently guided Dana to a table.  A few minutes after they had sat down
and ordered some food, Skinner walked over.  "Dana, you are looking so
well, you're almost glowing!"  Dana blushed and Skinner kissed her on
the cheek. "Fox, glad to see you two are doing so well...how soon are
you due Dana?" 
     Dana ushered to the empty seat on the other side of the table and
Skinner sat down.  "Um, I'm due in about a month.  It seems like so
long..."  The three laughed.  Skinner had kept in touch with his
former agents, and they'd actually met for dinner a few times.  They
were like the daughter and son he never had.
     Their food came, but Skinner had already eaten, so he just sat
back and relaxed.  He'd already done all his socializing earlier. 
After a few minutes, Dana stood up. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." 
She stood up and headed to the restroom.   Both Fox and Skinner
watched her go.  
     "She's looking really good Fox, you're lucky."  Skinner looked at
Fox.  
     Fox looked up and smiled.  "Yeah, she's had no real problems. 
I'm amazed it's gone this well...it's a miracle really. All I know is
that she's healthy, so I'm not going to wonder how it's possible."  A
moment of silence settled over the table, then the two men started
talking about the problems in the NBA.

     Inside of the ladies room, Dana was washing her hands when a
woman walked up and began fixing her make up.  She could see the woman
eyeing her, and got slightly annoyed.  "Can I help you with anything?"  
     The woman looked up and gave a fake smile.  "Oh, no.  You're Dana
Scully right?"  When Dana nodded, the woman smirked.   "Who'd of ever
thought that anyone could domesticate Fox Mulder.."  Dana felt her
face get hot, and her anger started to boil over.  
     "For your information, I have not "domesticated" Fox Mulder.  We
are married, and very much in love.  Personally, I just think that you
are all jealous."  At that point, Dana turned around and left,
refusing to ruin the rest of the evening.
     When Fox saw Dana coming out of the restroom, he knew she was
upset.  "Uh, is anything wrong Dana?"  She just shook her head and
smiled.  
     "Nope, nothing's wrong.  Let's go dance."  She pulled him up and
out onto the dance floor.  Fox put his hands onto Dana's waist, and
she put hers around his neck.  They swayed to the music and let
everything melt away.  For a few minutes, nothing else mattered.  By
the time the song ended, Dana had her forehead against Fox's chest and
they were barely moving.  
     From far away, Skinner watched and smiled, glad that those two
had found the happiness they deserved.
     
     Several hours later, Dana sighed and took her husband's hand. 
"Fox, let's go home.  I'm getting tired."  It was almost midnight, way
past her normal "bedtime" lately.  Fox just nodded and grabbed their
coats.  
     On the way to the car, he looked over at Dana, and noticed she
was rather pale. "Dana, are you feeling okay, you look kind of pale.."
At that moment, she close her eyes and bent over a little, clutching
her stomach.
     She took a deep breath, and Fox could her her murmur, "Oh!"  He
was becoming worried.  
     "Dana!  Dana, what's wrong, are you okay?"  She was leaning
against their car, and she shook her head.  Fox wasn't going to waist
another second.  "Come on Dana, get in the car, I'm taking you to the
hospital."  She climbed into the passenger seat and closed her eyes. 
Fox took off, and hoped that they wouldn't be stopped for speeding.
     Halfway there, Dana took a sharp breath and Fox looked over.  He
could tell she was in pain.  "Dana, what's happening?  Please, you're
the doctor."  After a few moments, she looked up.
     "I-I think I'm going into labor.  I'm having
contractions...really strong contractions."  Fox's eyes got wide and
he sped up even more.  "Fox, slow down a little, it's not going to
help anything if we get into an accident."  She smiled, hoping to calm
him down a little, and he slowed down.  
     About five minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot, and
Fox hopped out.  "Can you walk?"  he asked Dana.  
     She climbed out of the car and nodded.  "I think so."  They
walked as quickly into the hospital as possible, and Mulder rushed up
to the front desk. 
     "I need help, My wife's having a baby!"  He motioned to Dana who
was bent over from another contraction.  "She's not supposed to be due
for another month and a half!"  The nurse looked up and motioned for a
wheelchair.  Before Fox knew what was going on, Dana was in a hospital
room, and some papers had been thrust into his hands to sign.  He just
scribbled all the necessary information, and gave them back.  Pretty
soon, a doctor came into the room to examine Dana.  
     "Hi, I'm doctor Forester,  I just want to take a quick look to
see how close Dana is."  After a few moments he looked up.  "You're
dialated quite a lot, Dana, your water should break anytime now.  I
want to take you upstairs.  We've contacted your doctor, a Dr. Kelly,
and she's on her way.  Luckily she wasn't in the middle of anything."
     Dr. Forester left to get some nurses to wheel Dana upstairs, and
Fox looked and Dana.  "Oh Boy, this is really happening isn't it?"  He
was jumpy and nervous, and Dana could see fear in his eyes.
     "Yeah, this is happening.  You need to call mom, let her know
what's happening.  She's gonna want to come over here."  Dana smiled,
and Fox rushed out of the room, saying he'd be right back.
     He got back just in time to catch Dana being wheeled out.  "Dana,
you're mom's on her way over. "  She nodded, then cringed as a
contraction rattled her insides.  


     An hour later, Dr. Kelley was in the birthing room, and Dana's
water had broken.  The baby's head was crowning.  "Come on Dana, at
the count of three, I want you to push, you're almost there."  Fox was
holding her hand, and she looked very tired.  "One...Two....Three..." 
Dana started to push, and Fox watched as the head of a tiny baby came
out.  He shook his hand a little, he was afraid she was cutting off
his circulation.
     "I can see the head Dana!"  He smiled at her, but she wasn't
paying attention.  The doctor looked up at Dana and smiled.
     "Okay Dana, at the next contraction push.  It should be the end,
okay?"  Dana closed her eyes, and Fox wiped her forehead.
     "I'm so tired..." she mumbled.  
     "I know you are baby, but you can do it.  We're almost done." 
Fox smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead.  
     As the next contraction came, Dana pushed, and pushed hard. 
Then, the sound of crying filled the room as their baby took it's
first breath.  Dana and Fox were both crying too.  Fox moved towards
the doctor and looked back at Dana.  "It's a girl, we have a baby
girl!"  He was beaming as he cut the umbilical cord, then their
daughter was whisked away to be inspected by the pediatrician.  
     Fox fed Dana some ice chips and she just laid there, resting,
with her eyes closed.  A few minutes later, the doctor came back with
the baby in her arms.  "Your baby girl is fine.  Despite being born
early, she seems to be pretty healthy.  She's a little underweight,
she weighs 4 pounds 12 ounces.  We want to keep her in the hospital
until she weighs over five pounds."  Handing Dana her baby, Dr. Kelley
smiled.  "You two are very lucky." 
     Almost immediately the baby latched onto Dana's breast, and she
looked at her husband with tears in her eyes.  "What should we name
her?"  
     Fox looked up at the ceiling and smiled.  "I've got the perfect
name, I think you'll like it...Melissa Ann Mulder."
     The room was quiet for a moment, then Dana looked up.  "It's
beautiful.  Perfect..."  They both looked at Melissa and smiled. 
Then, Dana thought for a second.  "Ann?"  
     "Uh, it was Samantha's middle name..."  Fox sadly nodded, and
Dana understood.  "Oh, I guess I should go tell your mom the good
news, she'll want to come say hi."  He walked out the room, leaving
Dana and Melissa alone.
     Out in the waiting room, Maggie Scully was pacing quietly.  She
knew her daughter wasn't due for another month.  When she saw Fox
coming, she stood still.  "Fox?"  
     A huge smile broke out on his face, and she let out a sigh of
relief.  Fox walked over and hugged Maggie.  "You have a baby
granddaughter.  Melissa Ann Mulder, four pounds, twelve ounces. Other
then a low birthweight, she's healthy."  Maggie smiled and embraced Fox.
     "Congratulations.  I'm so glad everything went okay.  Can I go
see them?"  She looked down the hallway.
     "Sure thing, mom.  Right this way."

     As Maggie walked into Dana's room, they found both Dana and
Melissa asleep.  They looked so perfect, so wonderful.  She knew that
Melissa was the best miracle that could've ever happened to her
daughter and son-in-law.  After watching them for a second, she turned
around and went back out in the hallway, letting them catch some
well-deserved sleep.