Dana Scully smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
She didn't look bad for 38, she assured herself.
Actually, this had been one of the best birthdays
she'd had in a long time. There had been cards from
both her brothers and a couple of old friends and a
bouquet of daisies and carnations from the Lone
Gunmen.

What made this birthday special, however, was now
beginning to cry from a room down the hall. Scully
hurried in and scooped up her three-month-old
daughter, Melissa. She changed her diaper then,
sitting down in the rocker, began to feed her.

While she was nursing, Scully sang a soft lullaby to
her baby. When she finished, she said, "You know
you're the only one I'd ever sing for, don't you
sweetheart? Mommy can't carry a tune in a bucket, but
you don't seem to mind. Well, I sang for Daddy once,
because he asked me to; that was when we were in a
forest in Florida and he was cold. But he never asked
again."

"Daddy was just disappointed we didn't get to the
'make sweet love to you' part of the song," a deep,
amused voice interrupted.

"I didn't even hear you come in," Scully said, smiling up at her husband, Fox Mulder.

Mulder walked across the room and dropped a brief kiss on his daughter's downy soft cheek, then a more
lingering one on his wife's upturned lips. They
brought Melissa with them as they walked downstairs.
There were a couple of wrapped presents on the table
that hadn't been there the last time Scully had walked through the kitchen.

"Ooh, do I get to open them now?"

"No, you get to wait until your mother gets here with
the cake and her present."

A few minutes later, Maggie Scully arrived. She was
going to babysit for Melissa while  Fox took Dana out
for a birthday dinner. It would be the first time they had been out alone together since Melissa's birth.

Maggie came in and deposited a cake and gift-wrapped
box on the table. Then, totally ignoring both her
son-in-law and birthday-girl-daughter, she went
straight to Melissa's infant seat and said "How's my
big girl?" Melissa cooed in response.

Maggie and Mulder sang "Happy Birthday", then, while
Mulder cut the cake and Maggie held her grand- daughter, Scully opened her presents. Her mother had gotten her a new dress; it was a pale lilac with a button up front and  a loose fit; the perfect thing for a nursing mother who hadn't yet lost all the weight she'd gained during pregnancy. Mulder had gotten her a set of perfume and bath products in her favorite scent. Scully was secretly relieved that he hadn't bought her more jewelry; he'd given her so many rings, bracelets and earrings - all real, none of it costume - since their wedding almost two years that she couldn't wear them all! Melissa's presents to "Mommy" were a couple of recently published novels by Scully's two favorite authors.

"Thank you so much," Scully said through a mouthful of cake, kissing first her mother, then her daughter,
then her husband. "But shouldn't we have had the cake
after dinner?"

Maggie laughed. "You're talking like a Mommy already,
Dana; wanting to make sure that everybody eats their
vegetables before having dessert."

"She's *ALWAYS* made me eat my vegetables," Mulder
commented. "Even before we were married."

"You raised me well, Mom," Dana said.

"I hate to eat and run," Mulder said, "but if we're
going to have time for a leisurely dinner and still
get back here in time for Melissa's next feeding, we
probably need to hit the road."

"You're going to spend the night, right Mom?" Dana
asked.

"Yes, dear. I felt it would be easier than driving
home; you know I don't like to drive after dark, if I
can help it. Besides, that way you and I can have a
nice visit tomorrow morning after Fox has gone to
work. We need to discuss exactly what I need to buy to get my house ready for keeping Melissa there once you return to work part-time."

"Not what *YOU* need to buy, Maggie," Mulder replied.
"What *WE* need to buy. It's more than enough that
you're going to be babysitting for us three days a
week and won't let us pay you for it. Whatever you
need to get in order to set up a nursery or playroom
for her there, we'll pay for it."

Maggie sighed and rolled her eyes. "All right, if it
makes you feel better. I do wish, though, that the two of you would quit acting like asking me to watch
Melissa a couple of days a week is some sort of huge
imposition. I'm thrilled to have a grandchild right
here in town that I get to see on a regular basis. I
love Bill's boys, of course, but I only get to see
them once or twice a year. It seems like we just get a chance to feel comfortable with each other when I have to leave."

"Will you be seeing them any time soon?" Dana asked.

"Actually, I did want to talk to you about that
tomorrow morning. I figured that I'd go out to
California for a week or so the month before you
return to work, since I won't be able to travel as
frequently once I'm watching Melissa for you."

Dana nodded and she and Mulder left.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Scully asked.

"Same place I always take you on your birthday,"
Mulder deadpanned.

Scully huffed and rolled her eyes. "Mulder, we've been together eight years, one way or the other, and you've taken me out for my birthday exactly *ONCE* before! We went to a pub and our dinner was interrupted by Max Fenig's so-called sister."

"That's where we're going," he confirmed. "I believe
in tradition. I'd also like to remind you that I
attempted to take you out to dinner for your birthday
last year. We were on a case in Omaha and I offered
you a nice steak dinner. You were the one who decided
it would be more fun to stay in the hotel room and
celebrate your birthday in our birthday suits!"

"Mmm," Scully agreed. "You also gave me batting
lessons for my birthday one year. Of course, the
present was two months late, but I definitely enjoyed
it!"

"Me, too."

***

When they walked into the pub, Scully was hit by a
wave of nostalgia. It was kind of a hang-out for law
enforcement officials in the Washington area. Not only other F.B.I. agents, but officers from the DEA, ATF and various local police forces tended to congregate there. As much as she enjoyed being home with her baby during Melissa's early months, Scully thought it might be fun to pick up some professional gossip or have a chance to speak to some old friends.

Once they were seated and had ordered, one of the lab
analysts from Quantico happened to walk by. The man
had been in her class the previous year and was now
working just down the hall from her. "Hey, Dr. Scully! Long time, no see."

"Hello, Agent Matthews."

"When will you be back at work?"

"Not for another couple of months yet. Having a
husband in the bureau keeps me informed, though."

During dinner, Mulder noticed that Scully seemed in a
bit of a reverie. "What are you thinking about,
sweetheart?"

"I was thinking about Agent Pendrell, actually. He
died here shortly after my last birthday celebration
in this location."

"Maybe this was a bad choice," Mulder said
regretfully.

"No," Scully said. "It's really not. Matthews kind of
reminds me of Pendrell; I think it was his presence,
more than the location, that stirred my memories.
Other than you, of course, Pendrell was probably the
agent I worked most closely with and got along best
with. But you never really liked him, did you?"

"I liked him. I respected his scientific knowledge. I
was just jealous of him, that's all."

"Jealous? Of Pendrell? Why?"

"Oh, c'mon, Scully," Mulder protested. "It was obvious he had a crush on you! Half the bureau knew about it."

"Yeah, but it wasn't like I was interested in him. I
mean, he was my friend, but that was all."

"I know. But I always worried that he might convince
you to see him in another light someday. The two of
you used to have these long, involved conversation
filled with all kinds of scientific jargon, while I
just sat there like a bump on a log, waiting for
someone to translate for me."

"I would never have been interested in him in that
way," Scully reiterated. "You know who would have been good for him, though? I mean, if they weren't both dead?"

"Who?"

"Missy."

"Missy? You  mean your sister?"

"Well, I certainly don't mean our daughter! Yes, my
sister. I met Pendrell for the first time a few weeks
before Missy died. Later, when it became obvious that
he kind of had a crush on me, it occurred to me that
if she were still around they would have been perfect
for each other."

"Missy and Pendrell??" Mulder asked, shaking his head. "I don't see it. Pendrell was pretty straight- laced whereas Missy. . .well, I only met her a couple of times, of course, but she seemed sort of. . "

"Flakey," Scully finished for him. "That's my point
exactly. Missy needed somebody to stablize her, while
Pendrell needed somebody to help him loosen up. They
would have been like Dharma and Greg on TV."

"But Pendrell had a crush on you," Mulder pointed out. "Wouldn't that have been kind of weird; for him to switch his affections from one sister to another?"

"Actually it would have been completely in keeping
with Scully family tradition. Did I ever tell you how
my grandparents got together?"

Mulder shook his head.

"Well, Grandpa was the same age as my Great-Aunt
Eleanor. They were in high school together, back in
the 1920s, and he had a huge crush on her. Grandma was a couple of years younger. Grandpa used to come around to my great-grandparents house and kind of. . .moon. . .over Aunt Eleanor. They'd actually gone on a few dates - to parties and dances- and Eleanor liked him well enough, she just wasn't romantically attracted to him. But Grandma felt sorry for him. She used to bring him in and feed him cookies, ask him to help with her homework, stuff like that. Eventually, Grandpa noticed that "Little Rose" as he'd always called her, wasn't so little any more. She was beautiful and sweet-natured and maybe he'd had his goal set on the wrong sister. They got married the summer after Grandma graduated from high school."

"That's a sweet story," Mulder commented.

Scully giggled. "It's not only sweet, it probably did
more to help me and Missy maintain our virginity
throughout our high school years than any lectures
ever could have done. The idea that a guy we were
dating could have eventually ended up being our
brother-in-law did a lot to keep things from getting
too hot!"

"Okay, since you've told me a story, now I'll tell you one. Or more like a secret, really. I had more plans for your birthday the last time we celebrated it here; only we got interrupted."

"Wow, there was going to be more than dinner and a key chain involved?"

"Yeah," Mulder agreed.

"What?"

"Dancing. . .and maybe, if you didn't object. . . romancing. I had a bottle of wine back at my place, I
intended to invite you in. . .I wouldn't have pushed,
of course, but I was hoping that I'd at least get to
give you a birthday kiss."

"But, Mulder," Scully said slowly, feeling confused,
"it wasn't until over a year afterwards that you ever
even tried to  kiss me or told me you loved me or
anything! If you were already thinking along those
lines that long ago, why did it take so long?"

"Things kept coming up," Mulder said with a sigh.
"First there was that whole episode with Eddie Van
Blundht, remember?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, at any time in the months immmediately after
that, if I'd inivited you over to my place for wine
and conversation, then tried to get romantic, it would have seemed like I stole the idea from him! You
probably never would have believed me if I'd said it
was my idea first. Then, you damned near died of
cancer. Then, I don't know, maybe I sort of lost my
nerve for a while. It just seemed like fate was
conspiring against me."

"Things worked out," Scully said, with a soft smile.
"It took us a while, admittedly, but maybe that was
for the best. Maybe we needed all those years of being partners and friends to build a firm foundation for our marriage. And look what we have now - each other and a beautiful baby daughter!"

***

When Mulder and Scully arrived home, they heard
Melissa's familiar cry and Maggie's soothing voice.

"You timed that just right," Maggie said as they
walked in. "She started fussing about five minute ago. I changed her diaper and put her into a nightgown; now she's ready to be fed."

"Hi, sweetie," Scully said. She smiled at the gulping
sounds Melissa began to make as soon as she heard her
mother's voice. Scully quickly unbuttoned her blouse
and sat down in an armchair in the living room, then
took Melissa.

"You'd think the kid was on the verge of starving to
death," Mulder commented dryly.

"While, in reality, it's been less than four hours
since you last fed her."

"She should sleep for six or seven hours after this
feeding," Scully assured him.

Mulder, Scully and Maggie conversed in soft voices
while Melissa nursed. Then after she had finished and
Scully had burped her, she said, "I'm going to put her down and then Fox and I will probably go to bed, too. We both have to be up early tomorrow morning. But you're certainly welcome to stay up and watch TV or whatever you want, Mom."

"I think I'll head up to sleep, too, dear," Maggie
replied. So they all climbed the stairs and tiptoed
into the nursery to lay Melissa down. Maggie walked
further down the hall to the guest room, while Mulder
and Scully slipped in to their bedroom across the
hall.

"You're not really all that tired, all you?" Mulder
murmured quietly as he closed the door and drew Scully into his arms.

"I didn't say I was anxious to get to sleep, Mulder,"
she pointed out. "Just that I was ready for bed."

"Good. Because, like the last time I took you out for
your birthday, I've got more planned than just dinner
and presents. Take off your clothes and lie down on
the bed."

Scully shot him a questioning glance, but he merely
grinned at her. So she did as he had asked. Mulder
picked up a bottle of lotion from the gift set he'd
given her and shook some out in the palm of his hand.
Then he began smoothing the lotion down her back with
gentle but firm strokes, working the delightful scent
into her skin. When he reached her waist, he squirted
another dollop of lotion into his hands and began
massaging her bottom; he spent a long time on that
portion of her anatomy, then slowly slid his hands
down her thighs and calves, eventually reaching her
feet. After lavishing attention on both feet, he
murmured, "Roll over".

Flipping onto her back, Scully sighed softly when
Mulder began tracing his way back up her legs. Then he began working the lotion into her arms and belly, but he avoided her breasts. Finally, he set the bottle down and kissed her; long, deep and slow, teasing her with his tongue and putting just the right amount of pressure into it. When they come up for air, he stretched out over her. It was odd, Scully realized, he wasn't really settling his weight on her; it was more as if he was doing push-ups over her.

"Fox, what in the world are you doing?"

"It's something I read about in a magazine."

"One of those magazines that aren't yours?" she
inquired with amusement.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Except that this time it
honestly wasn't mine. Somebody left it in the men's
room at work and I happened to skim through it. And it wasn't really. . .pornographic. It was something like GQ or Maxim that you can actually buy at any grocery store or drugstore; the girls in it were clothed, more or less - as much as they are in your Victoria's Secret catalogs, anyway."

"And the point of this article, which you read in a
magazine that really, truly wasn't yours was. . .?"

"That the missionary position is underrated; it can be terrifically erotic. Especially if you incorporate a few. . .variations."

"Such as?"

"Well, the main idea was that for most couples, most
of the time, the missionary position involves the man
doing virtually all the moving, while the woman just
kind of lays there. But think about it, Scully," he
whispered, his voice thickening slighty with desire,
"when you're the one on top, I don't always remain
motionless. Sometimes, sure, I just keep as still as
possible and let you ride me. But other times, you're
the one holding steady and most of the movement is on
my part."

"So the idea here is to reverse that?"

"Mmm-hmm. For me to keep my weight supported above you without moving much and for you to do the wiggling and thrusting."

"Sounds. . .interesting," Scully whispered
breathlessly. "You want me to go ahead and guide you
in?"

"If you're ready."

Scully nodded and reached down to grasp him. Although
she hadn't really done anything specific to arouse him - except for the kiss, all of their foreplay had
involved him touching her, not vice versa - he was
already erect and throbbing. She wasn't particularly
surprised. She herself had sometimes been absolutely
dripping after several minutes of giving him a blow
job, even if he hadn't reciprocated. One of the
pleasures of marriage was that turning on your spouse
could be a turn-on in itself.

So she guided him slowly into her body. After the
intial penetration, she realized she had to
practically climb his body to get him all the way in,
since he was simply holding still. She inched her legs up his back and angled her torso against him, bringing her breasts into full contact with the wiry hair on his chest. Then, placing her hands on his biceps for leverage, she began to slide up and down him.

"Oh!" she moaned. "You're right. This is a good idea."

"Yeah," he panted. "One of the reasons I've never
wanted us to use this position too often, is that I
sometimes worry I might hurt you; because of our
height differential and all. But this way, with you
controlling all the motion, that's not a concern."

Scully didn't answer. She was quickly moving past the
point of rational thought, much less coherent sentence structure. In the past, climaxing from this position had often been a bit tricky for her. She could do it, but usually only if her husband had brought her almost to the bring of orgasm by manual or oral stimulation and this was the final step to send her tumbling over the edge. Now, however, as she lifted her hips from the bed and thrust up against him, she could feel herself beginning to tighten with desire. Within a few moments, she began to pulsate around him and sighed out his name.

Mulder waited until she had stopped twinging then
smiled at her and dropped a gentle kiss on her
forehead. "Dana, I think I'm going to have to pick up
the pace a bit now, if that's okay."

"Fine, Fox. It's fine."

So Mulder began to move, keeping her hips flush
against the mattress as he thrust in and out of her.
He lasted for quite a while, but eventually came with
a murmur of her name.

"Happy Birthday, Scully," he whispered, kissing her
deeply.

"Mmm! That was some present," she replied before
drifting off to sleep.

***

Before dawn the next morning, Maggie Scully heard her
granddaughter's cry. She waited a moment, assuming
Dana would tend to the baby, but when she didn't hear
a door open or her daughter's voice, she got up
herself and walked into the nursery. "Good morning,
Melissa," Maggie said. Her voice was gentle but
bittersweet as a fleeting thought of the other baby
girl she had once murmured those words to crossed her
mind. "Let's get you changed and off to see Mommy."

As soon as she had done so, she crossed the hall and
opened the door to the master bedroom. Melissa's cry
instantly awoke Dana who, heedless of her nudity, sat
up and reached for the baby. A drop of milk was
already beginning to form on one of her nipples.
"Thanks for bringing her in, Mom," Dana said quietly
as she situated the baby. "We usually sleep with the
door open, so I can hear her. Last night we must have
forgotten and closed it."

Maggie smiled softly at her daughter. Having had to
step over several articles of discarded clothing on
her way to the bed, combined with the fact that not
only was Dana naked but, from what she could see of
him, Fox was too, left her in no doubt as to why the
door had been closed. But all she said was, "I'll go
downstairs and put some coffee on, then get breakfast
started."

As soon as she had left, Mulder groaned softly. "Oh,
God, Scully! I meant to get up and put our clothes in
the hamper, then open the door, but I fell asleep.
What's your Mom going to think?"

"That we made love last night," Scully said with
amusement in her voice. "But, while it's mildly
embarrassing to have her walk in on such obvious
evidence, I don't think she's exactly going to be
shocked. We did conceive Melissa the natural way, so
I'm sure she's well aware that we do have sex
occasionally."

"Melissa's only a few months old. She's probably going to think I'm some sort of maniac."

Scully giggled. "I doubt it. It's probably more likely that she's going to wonder why we're not *more* active. Did you know that Melissa and Bill were born barely eleven months apart?"