Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Daddy, daddy, daddy!” William shook Mulder’s arm furiously. So much so, that the whole bed started to shake as well.

Mulder was sleeping on his side - his back to his son - and when he opened his eyes he gazed at Scully; his wife. He always envied how peaceful she looked when she slept (he was certain he looked like a dog sleeping on his back), and today was no different. Her hair was slightly covering her eyes and her hands were placed under her face, her chest rising and falling under her pyjama top, the sheets covering her pregnant belly. He loved starting his days like this. 

“Daddy!” William shook his arm again. Mulder groaned and rolled over, looking at his son who needed a hairbrush immediately. 

“Will, it’s... 7am and its Saturday. Why aren’t you sleeping?” Mulder pleaded softly, trying to adjust his eyes to the sunlight that was sneaking in through the shutters. 

“I had a bad dream.” Mulder should’ve guessed it. Will had stopped climbing in to bed with them a couple of months ago, except when there was a thunderstorm (in that case either Mulder or Scully would take him back to his bed and stay with him until he fell asleep again) or when he had a bad dream. William’s lip started to quiver and he stared at the floor. 

Mulder felt guilty for politely chastising his son and kicked himself mentally in the nuts as hard as he could. His son was hurt by his words, so he should share the hurt with him. “Oh, buddy. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Will brought the stuffed alien he was holding to his face - a gift Scully did not approve of - and shook his head, but quickly stopped. He then looked up at Mulder, then at the bedroom door, and nodded. 

“Well, how about we talk about it over breakfast?” Mulder knew that he wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep even if he wanted to, and he was absolutely sure that his son’s sleep was long gone. 

William nodded fervently and ran to the kitchen. Mulder sat on the edge of the bed, ran his hands through his face, sighed and got up. As he left the room, he took one last look at Scully who was still sleeping, but with one hand resting on her belly. 

When he got to the kitchen, William was already sitting on the kitchen table, his feet dangling off the chair and the stuffed alien on the table. His thumb was in his mouth, something that Mulder and Scully were trying to erase from his daily routine. Will knew his parents no longer approved of this habit because when he heard Mulder nearing the kitchen, he took removed his thumb quickly. 

“Okay, William. What shall we have for breakfast?” Mulder asked as he opened the fridge. 

“Pancakes! I’ll go wake Mommy up so she can make them!” As he stood up, Mulder walked quickly towards the kitchen table and knelt in front of him. 

“I’m sorry kid, but we should let Mommy sleep. She had a rough night.” Mulder smiled sadly. 

“Oh. Did the baby keep her up all night again?” William stared at the floor once again, this time pouting and playing with the hem of his race cars printed pyjamas. 

“Yeah, buddy. But Mommy isn’t the only one who can make pancakes. I’ll make them and we’ll save some for her, how’s that?” Mulder opened the fridge again and took out what he needed. 

“No!” Will complained as he crossed his arms, “I like Mommy’s best! She puts chocolate chips in them and the baby isn’t even born yet and she’s already taken up all of Mommy’s attention, just like in my dream!” Tears started to run down his face like waterfalls. Mulder ran towards him and hugged him close, kissing the top of his head. 

“William, was that what your dream was about?” Mulder said into his son’s head. He felt him nod as William sobbed into his shoulder.

“Yeah. I drew a picture in school of my family and when I went to show it to you, you didn’t look at it because you were around the baby, and, and, then I was at the kitchen and I called for you, Daddy, but all I could hear was you laughing with Mummy, and, and, she was holding the baby, and, and, I was crying, but you were busy with the baby.” William’s sobs got more intense as he told the story and Mulder’s heart broke into a million tiny pieces. Now he was the one who felt like sobbing uncontrollably. 

“Oh, sweetie. Listen, you don’t have to worry about that. Mommy and I are never, ever, ever not ever going to leave you out of anything. Mommy’s having a baby, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to love you less. What happened to you in that dream was just that: an awful dream that will not happen in reality. I swear.”

William’s sobs had toned down to just sniffles. “Do you swear by Marshall?”

Mulder chuckled. “Son, I swear by all the Paw Patrol gang. Do you trust me?”

“Always, Daddy.” William gave Mulder a toothy smile and a hug; his heart was suddenly put back together to its original shape. “Can I go wake Mommy up? I want to give her a big, big hug.”

Mulder pondered the idea of waking up his wife who had fallen asleep just a couple of hours before their son woke him up, but the look on his son’s face - and the emotional scar that that dream had left - won. “Fine. But only if I make the pancakes.”

“Deal!” William headed to his parents room, his feet moving as fast as he could, but making sure he was quiet. 

He walked in slowly and laid next to Scully, resting his tiny hand on her cheek. “Hmm. Who’s this little boy lying next to me?” Scully asked sleepily with a smile on her face. She held him as close as her belly allowed her.

“It’s me, Mommy.” William softly said as he kissed her cheek. “I know baby kept you up all night, but I wanted to give you a big hug. Can I hug you and then you go back to sleep?”

Scully’s chuckled taking a whiff of his coconut smelling hair. “Of course, baby. I love your hugs, you can hug me whenever you feel like it.” Scully sat up and moved to the middle of the bed. Once William noticed she was comfortable, he jumped at her. She let out a soft and quiet “oof”, but decided to ignore the sudden weight put on her already heavy belly and enjoy this moment with her son. “Are you okay?”

“I had a bad dream, but Daddy made it all better.” William broke the hug and looked at her in the eyes. Scully smiled again, a hint of worry in her eyes that Mulder will surely notice later, and William patted her cheeks, giving her another kiss on her cheek. “I love you Mommy. From here to the skies.”

Her eyes started to water – damn you, hormones – and she hugged him close again. “I love you too, baby. So much.”

“Let’s go have breakfast! Daddy’s making pancakes.” For a three year-old, her son could be bossy; but Scully didn’t mind. Most of the time. He grabbed her hand and started to pull her out of bed, but Scully stayed put. A tiny boy wasn’t going to be able to help her get up.

“Your Daddy’s making pancakes? Mine are better.” She said with a playful pout as she started crawling – or at least she attempted to crawl -  towards the edge of the bed.

“That’s what I said! Now come on! They’re going to get cold.” William was now standing on Scully’s side of the bed, waiting for her.

“Excuse me, Sir. Please, stop being so bossy. Let me go to the bathroom first and then I’ll meet you there.”

“Fiiiiiiiiiine.” William whined and rolled his eyes jokingly as he left the room.

Scully stood by the bathroom door for a moment, thinking about how lucky she was. She had a husband who had given her a beautiful son and a soon-to-be-born beautiful daughter. She loved waking up to the smell of pancakes and not heading straight to the bathroom because of morning sickness. She loved spending time with William and being woken up by him with hugs and kisses. She loved the alone time she had with Mulder and when they made passionate love once they made sure that William was asleep (except for the time when there was a thunderstorm and William almost caught them.)

There were days where she would worry about how her son felt about having a new baby sister and how things would change. Will he feel left out? Will they get along? How will they manage to go about their daily routine with a toddler and a baby? She shook her head and forced those thoughts away. Today she’ll spend the day with her boys. They’ll have Mulder’s pancakes for breakfast, maybe watch some TV, go to the park, go out for lunch and then see how the rest of the day turns out.

At night, when William’s asleep, she’ll ask Mulder what their son dreamt that made him sad; maybe she’ll cry, or maybe not. Right now, she’ll enjoy what little time she has left with him and her husband; and she will make sure she hugs her son good night tonight and every night.

Chapter Text

“William. Buddy, wake up.” Mulder shook his son’s arm gently as he sat down on the edge of the bed and turned on the nightlight.

William turned to look at Mulder with his eyes slightly open and stretched with his fists on each side of his head. “What’s up, Daddy? What time is it? Is it time to go to school?” He yawned and started to sit up, but Mulder pushed him back on the bed gently.

“No, it’s not time to go to school. It’s 4am. Mommy and I are going to the hospital. You’re going to stay here with Grandma Maggie.”

William was now fully awake and looked deep into his father’s eyes. “Because of the baby?” His eyes left Mulder’s and darted to the wall. “Am I going to have a new sister today?” He asked in a small voice.

“Yeah, kid. Grandma Maggie will stay with you and take you to school and pick you up, and then I’ll take you to the hospital to see Mommy.” Mulder pushed the hair away from William’s face as he saw the sadness in his eyes. William had started to accept the fact that he wasn’t going to be the only baby of the family now. He told his parents that he was going to help with the baby in every way he could and that he loved his sister and couldn’t wait to meet her and play with her, (but he wasn’t going to share his race cars.) This came as a relief to them, especially since the night of William’s dream. Mulder had told Scully all about it as they laid in bed holding each other, and Scully cried. Just like Mulder did, she made sure her son knew that he wasn’t being replaced.

“Who’s going to make my breakfast and my lunch?” William said as he softly kicked his legs.

“Grandma Maggie will.” Mulder grabbed William’s legs when one of them met his waist.

“Where’s Mommy?”

“She’s in the bedroom, getting ready.” William looked towards the door and then at his father. Of course, Mulder knew what he was going to ask him next.

“Can I see her before you go?” Bingo. He looked at Mulder with puppy eyes – the same one’s that Scully says Mulder has – and Mulder smiled.

“Sure. But don’t drag it out. We have to leave any minute now.” Mulder stood up and pulled the sheets away. William got up and remained standing in place with his index finger on his chin as if in thought.

“I have to go to the bathroom first. Can I?”

Mulder laughed and ruffled his hair. “Of course, William. You don’t have to ask me that. Make it quick.” William ran towards the bathroom and Mulder went to the bedroom, but didn’t find Scully.

From the bedroom door, he saw light coming from the living room and headed there. As he got closer, he heard sniffling and, upon entering the area, he saw Scully sitting down on the couch crying softly.

Mulder ran and knelt in front of her. “Scully? Scully, what’s wrong? Is it a contraction?”

Scully looked at her hands and shook her head, tears staining her leggings. “No, no. It’s just… I’m going to miss the time when it was just me, you and William. I mean, I’m so happy we’re having another baby and I can’t be more excited to start this new chapter in our lives, but it just dawned on me that William isn’t going to be an only child anymore, and it makes me sad because he had that dream and he thinks that we’ll be replacing him and what if we pay more attention to the baby and we don’t even notice it?” Scully confessed in one breath. Mulder placed a finger under Scully’s chin and lifted it so that she could look at him square in the eye.

“Oh, honey. I’m going to miss being just us three against the world too, but think about it: William’s going to have someone to play with at home and he’ll be able to teach her all kinds of things that we can’t. He’ll help us change her diaper, help us feed her, bathe her. He’ll show her which cartoons are good and which suck, and he’ll teach her how to play roll on the floor, teach her how to make fart noises with her armpit.” Scully glared at him at the latter, chuckled, sniffed and nodded all at once, but her eyes left Mulder’s and went once again to her hands. Mulder lifted her chin up and gave her a peck on the lips.

“I know that that dream woke up something inside of you that you didn’t know was dormant. I know that it didn’t just hurt William, but it also hurt you; and I also know that William will never, ever go unnoticed because he’s such a messy kid and you love him so, so much.” Mulder smiled and Scully laughed.

“Well, he is messy.” Scully agreed and Mulder gave her another peck on the lips. “Did you wake him up?” Just as she finished talking, William came running to the living room.

“Mommy, I want you to take this with you.” He presented her with his stuffed alien that he had been hiding behind his back and Scully gasped. Mulder placed a strand of hair behind her ear and took her hands.

“Oh, sweetie. But you love Carl.” Scully said as she reached out to grab the unapproved toy.

“I know. I just wanted the baby to have something that belongs to me. For today. Then it’s mine again.” He clarified quickly. Mulder and Scully laughed.

“Well, why don’t you bring it later today when you visit us? That way you can give it to her yourself.” Scully combed William’s hair with her fingers and he smiled.

“Okay, Mommy.” William got closer to Scully and she met him halfway with a hug. Mulder couldn’t help but smile at the sight before him. Suddenly, he saw Scully’s eyes close as she took in a sharp breath.

“Well, I hate to be the party pooper, but we have to be somewhere. We don’t want that little lady to be born in our living room, eh?” Mulder said as he stood from the floor and helped Scully up. She was taking deep breaths and rubbing her belly, something that made her son curious.

“Mommy, are you in pain?”

“A little, baby. Nothing that Mommy can’t handle.” Scully forced a smile while gritting her teeth.

William placed his hands on her belly and kissed it. He pressed his face to it – gently, as his parents had told him to do so many times before – and whispered, “I love you, baby. I’ll see you later.” Scully placed her hand on his head as the tears returned and Mulder, who was now carrying Scully’s overnight bag as well as his own and the baby’s car seat, grinned.

Xxxxx

Three o’clock arrived and it was time for William to go back home. Mulder had told him that his Grandma was going to pick him up, but, instead, Will was surprised to see his Dad standing outside the preschool gate.

“Daddy!” William sprinted and Mulder caught him and lifted him up as they spun. William laughed hysterically.

“Hey, buddy! Wow, you should slow down on those pancakes, you’re getting heavier.” Mulder complained playfully as he put William down.

“We almost never eat pancakes!” William retaliated as he pulled down his T-shirt. “Where’s Grandma Maggie?” William took Mulder’s hand. Mulder made a mental note to wash his hand with a wipe in the car because William’s was sticky.

“I told her I’d pick you up. Didn’t I promise you that I’d take you to the hospital to see Mommy and the baby?” Mulder remarked, taking William’s backpack and putting it on his shoulder.

William gasped in excitement. “The baby’s born? I have a sister?”

“Yeah, buddy. Grandma Maggie is with Mommy right now and I’m taking us to see her. I brought your stuffed alien along for the ride.” By now they had reached the car and Mulder buckled William into the car seat.

“Oh. I forgot I had lent Carl to the baby.” Mulder heard William mutter in regret and he laughed as they drove away.

Xxxxx

When they got to the hospital, they ran into Mrs. Scully who informed them that she was going to the cafeteria to give them some alone time.

By the time they got to Scully’s room, William was practically jumping on the walls from excitement. Before going in, Mulder stopped him and put his hands on his shoulders. “William. Mommy is very tired and the baby is very small. So even though you are a good boy, I need you to be on your best behaviour. Okay?”

William gave Mulder a toothy grin and nodded. He held Carl up to his chest and turned to the bedroom door. He took in a deep breath and looked at Mulder. “Okay, Daddy. Let’s see Mommy and baby.”

Scully was sitting up on the bed against two fluffy pillows, holding a bundle of blankets. She smiled lovingly and William returned the smile. “Hi, baby. How are you?”

William walked towards her and stood next to her bed. “I’m good, Mommy. Guess what? Miss Campbell said she liked my drawing.” William glanced at her, at the baby, and immediately look away at the TV or at the wall, shyly. The excitement he had built up before was long gone.

“Well, why wouldn’t she? You’re a brilliant artist.”

“We brought flowers.” William announced. Scully knew her son, and she knew that he was stalling. She knew that he wanted to meet his sister, but she could tell that he was nervous. She was too.

“Oh, they’re beautiful. Thank you so much, honey.” Scully beamed and looked at Mulder.

He knew what Scully was thinking because he got close to William and said, “Hey, Will. Do you want to see your sister?” Mulder left the flowers next to Scully’s bed and placed him on his hip. William had the tip of his index finger between his teeth and his face met Mulder’s shoulder, eyeing his Mom and sister.

As Mulder got closer, William’s shyness left the room. He stared at the sleeping little bundle wrapped in a white-knit blanket in Scully’s arms. William looked at Scully and smiled; she responded the same way.

“Can I hold her?” William asked his parents as he reached out to her.

“She’s a little small, bud. We have to be extra careful with her, she’s not a stuffed alien. Which reminds me… don’t you have something for her?” Mulder said and poked his son playfully on his stomach.

“Ugh, Daddy! I thought you forgot.” William pouted and Scully laughed. The little bundle squirmed in her arms, but didn’t wake up.

“Come here, baby. Sit next to me and we can hold her. You can give her your toy if you want to. But just for today. Tomorrow it’s yours again.” Scully told William and made him know that she remembered the terms and conditions he had established earlier that day.

Scully made space for William to sit next to her and Mulder set him gently there. She kissed her son on the head, and he kissed her on the cheek. “William. This is your baby sister.” Scully presented the new addition to him and William got closer to the baby.

“Hi, Lily.” William smiled and held a finger out to his sister. She grabbed it and William gasped in shock. “What, how? She’s so little, but so strong!” Mulder and Scully laughed.

“Listen, sweetie. You can’t hold her by yourself because she’s small just like Daddy said, but we can hold her together. How’s that?” Scully proposed. William looked at Mulder and he nodded encouragingly.

“Okay…” he agreed cautiously. Scully brought her knees to her chest and put one arm around her son and hugged him close. With the other, she held her new born daughter and indicated William to place his arm under hers. He didn’t look as he was confident enough to do that, so Mulder took Will’s arm and did as Scully said.

Scully turned her head to Mulder and they gazed at each other, beaming. They then turned their attention to their children and Scully remembered about the night in which she had worried about her future, about how their children would get along and how they would manage handling two children at a time. They had gone through much worse, so raising two kids would be a piece of cake. She laughed at herself mentally, thinking how silly she had been.

She hadn’t noticed that Mulder had taken a picture of them until she heard the camera go off. Sensing the beautiful moment between mother and son, he told Scully that he was going to join Mrs. Scully and that he would be back in a while.

Half an hour later, he returned alone – Mrs. Scully informed him that she’d be back tomorrow – and he found that she was holding the baby completely by herself again, and William was sleeping against her arm.

“How’s everybody doing?” He asked.

“We’re doing just fine.” Scully smiled.