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#BaronessBlixen
randomfoggytiger · 5 days
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Collector's Edition: Reviving that Love
Let's have an assortment of mature, (mostly) fluffy, coupley Revival fics, shall we?
This list only scratches the surface; but hopefully it's enough to soothe a particular itch.
**Note**: Another Revival list I've done is Beefy Revival Mulder (and Other Muscular Mentions)-- perfect pairing to this, I believe.
Loose chronological order below~
@oohnotvery/the_eternal_optimist's Always Wanted
But he has a key to her place, because they’ve always had keys to the other’s place, even in horrible times. It arrived in the mail one day, sealed tightly in a bubble-wrapped envelope, addressed from her to him with a handwritten note that he hadn’t even bothered to read before crushing it up in a ball and tossing it into the trash can. Several hours later, in a fit of frustration, he had fished the note out of the trash and shoved it, unread, into a kitchen drawer.
Breakup Mulder realizes Scully has been waiting for him.
@aloysiavirgata’s (Ao3, WBM, Gossamer, LJ, Alt. LJ)
Si Hoc Legere Potes, Liberaliter Educatus
"It was very important to Deputy Director Skinner that you two meet with me. He felt that you needed some guidance before you could resume any kind of professional partnership."
I grit my teeth. You're a dead man, Skinner. 
S10 Mulder and Scully run laps around the FBI recruitment therapist.
I need a fic with Scully's stolen dog Dagoo, and her wearing a Knicks tshirt.
“This is the one I ripped a piece off of for Boggs, Scully. This isn’t just my Knicks shirt. This is my favorite Knicks shirt. I’ve been looking for it!”
She pulls Tesla closer. “Stop violating the fourth amendment, Agent.”
“Stop violating the eighth commandment, Doctor.”
Post The Weremonster Mulder and Scully debate dog names and Knicks T-shirts.
What's your Mulder and Scully Thanksgiving sex headcanon?
"I'm going to die," she mumbles, her eyes half-lidded in tryptophanic stupor.
Mulder and Scully are stuffed after dinner.
@flukemen?/@pinebluffvariants/scienceandmysticism/contradictiontonature's (Ao3) Tie (prompt #1)
“Hello?”
“You know it’s me.” He did. “What are you doing?”
“I’m shopping. And I hope you’re using your bluetooth.” He could tell she was driving from the white noise over the sound of her breathing.
Mulder uses Scully's expertise to pick out a tie.
@hemisphaeric's (Ao3)
"Mulder you need new clothes"
The next day they decided to go into town and do some shopping, after Scully had had to tell Mulder for the tenth time he needed clothes and that no, he couldn’t wear those old ones just to seduce her.
Scully helps Mulder pick out new suits for his new job.
Let me carry some of the pain for you
Suddenly warm hands were touching him but he didn’t react. He couldn’t react, feeling so distant from everything. Scully was speaking, he recognized her voice, but not her words, those were like a white noise in the back of his head, which was so loudly screaming.
“I am better Scully, for real” he didn’t realize he had started talking at first, but he couldn’t stop, tears fogging up his vision.
Mulder panics, thinking Scully will leave him again.
touch.
Things had changed again in the last period though, she had come home; she had been spending time there with him more and more frequently. He understood her necessity to take things slowly, to test the territory before diving in head first, but he felt ready for it.
Mulder is glad to have Scully back.
Mulder, Scully and Elon Musk
She pushed him away and swatted at his arm. “You woke me up early to talk about Elon Musk??”
Mulder wakes Scully early for Elon's rocket news.
grumpysimon's Morse Code
He asks you for a pen. The genius always loses things. Your coffee comes and he spills a little on the napkin. He taps on the table. Morse code, maybe. You’re too tired to figure out what he’s saying to you in secret. You say his name and that smile is more crooked than ever.
Scully secretly loves Mulder's obsessive passion.
@baronessblixen/Baroness_Blixen's
Belong
He closes his eyes and counts. What will it be, he wonders. The sound of a car or their creaky door?
Another minute passes before he hears the soft squeak behind him.
Mulder tells Scully he's "done okay without her."
A few months after they're back on the x-files, Mulder's notices that his neck and shoulders are sore.
Mulder feels better and promises - with a wink - to do the same for her, she just needs to ask. She doesn't ask but Mulder knows her feet are sore a few days later, after hours of walking around. He silently starts massaging her feet while consorting in his hotel room, half-empty take-out containers on the bed next to them....
Mulder doesn't replace his chair-- which is just fine, because Scully becomes his masseuse.
Mulder giving Scully a foot massage
“Exactly. My feet hurt and I need a break. I’m not…” She trails off again as she massages her foot. 
“Not young anymore?” Mulder offers and her head shoots up like a rocket, her eyes shooting daggers. 
“Not used to it anymore.”
Post Ghoulie Scully's high heels finally catch up to her.
There's No Place Like Home (Ao3)
He loves her stubbornness. Once, she told him that she fell in love with him because he was stubborn. Well. That was the pot calling the kettle black. No one is as stubborn as his Scully. 
AU-- Nothing Lasts Forever Mulder brings an injured Scully home.
Growing Old (with You) (Ao3)
“Just wait til you’re my age,” he jokes.
“55 looks good on you.” She proves her point with a kiss on his nose. “I can only hope to look as good as you when I turn 55.”
“You will. And I will remind you of it. If I’m invited to your birthday, that is.”
“You’re always invited to my birthday.”
Scully drops in for Mulder's 55th, assuring him his aging concerns are overblown.
A Study in Chemistry
"I didn't know you cared for this kind of movie, Scully." Mulder, sprawling on her bed, in her motel room, looks slightly disgusted at the small screen where two generic actors share a truly boring, less than passionate kiss in a typical, cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie.
"I don't," she says, returning her attention to the case report they're supposed to be working on. Despite his words, Mulder's eyes are glued to the movie and Scully can't help but smile.
Mulder and Scully bridge the gap between them-- and all because of Hallmark and memories.
Surprises Are Best Served Ice-Cold - Chapter 1
They both start towards each other at the same time, laughing.
“Mulder, I don’t remember how to stop,” she says, trying to get her skates under control.
“I’ve got you,” he says calmly and she hopes he’s right because she loses her balance, stumbles the last few steps towards him and crashes right into his chest, knocking him to the ground.
Mulder surprises Scully with a frozen over lake for Christmas.
A Day in May (Ao3)
Mulder puts on cheesy Christmas music and turns down the lights, creating a mood. They share a cup of sugary hot cocoa with mini marshmallows and whipped cream. When Scully raises her eyebrows at the cream, Mulder dips a finger in and deposits a blob on her nose.
“Live a little, Scully.”
And she does.
Mulder forgoes sleep to help Scully decorate their tree on Christmas Eve.
Night Out
"I can't breathe." Mulder is pouting. She wants to be angry with him - all of this is his own fault, after all - but he looks so miserable and yet so adorable that she feels sympathetic. She strokes his cheek and smiles at him.
"I'll make you make some soup."
"Are you sure I'm not dying?" he asks again, coughing. She offers him some tea and he sips it noisily.
Mulder gets sick after a night of Squatchin.
@wtfmulder/@momdadimpoppunk​‘s (Ao3) 
post-Plus One
“You reasoned your doppelgänger out of existence,” he says flatly. She smiles against his bare shoulder, nodding.
“She was a very reasonable woman.”
He laughs softly, the rumble of it caressing her cheek. 
Post Plus One Mulder and Scully catch a few winks.
ficlet; twenty-six years
On her side of the desk, he has procured for her a plain blue baseball cap, a skinny caramel macchiato, and a not-skinny blueberry muffin.
She sits down as he hums and types away at something, taking a bite of the muffin and putting the cap on her head.
Scully always guesses which anniversary Mulder is celebrating.
fluff 🤢
They’re packing up the basement just one last time. They both learned early in life that saying goodbye is so much easier when it’s a choice, and the moment holds no bitterness, no fear.
Post Revival Scully finds flowers she'd once given Mulder in their basement office.
@myassbrokethefall's untitled rm9sbg93zxjz post-ep
Scully had chanced to see a picture of a blobfish on the internet some months ago and he wasn't sure he had ever, in their years and years together, seen her laugh so hard. It was one of the best things that had ever happened to him, frankly, watching the outsizedly hysterical reaction of Dana Scully MD, his serious scientist partner, to a picture of a lumpy, slimy, theatrically frowning fish on the internet. He had brought it up at every opportunity for weeks, renamed the wireless network at the house Blobfish Cove, found a way to work a reference to it into a meeting with Skinner, once printed out a picture of it and left it on Scully’s pillow, and watched in utter delight as she got the helpless giggles every single time. (Even the Skinner time. He hadn't even asked, just looked wearily at some point behind their heads for a few seconds before sighing and continuing on.)
AU-- Robot episode Mulder dreamed up the whole thing.
@onpaperfirst's (Ao3) Honey Hi
The doors slid open and Mulder wrangled a cart from the corral.
“They set up the little rooms and it makes you feel like you’re at home,” she said. “It dulls your senses. You forget you’re in public. And all of a sudden you’re in the middle of a fight about which rug matches the couch.”
“Let’s not fight in Ikea, Scully. It’s so bourgeois.”
Part II to Home, Home, Mulder and Scully's romantic life is examined through the lens of perfectly balanced humor... and their IKEA trip.
@ghostbustermelanieking's (Ao3) bearing north (Ao3)
“The cops out front will stop him,” Mulder says comfortingly.
She nods. Her skull is still pounding, but she feels limp in his arms, safe. “I tried to fight him off,” she says. “I almost did. But he got angry and shoved me into the pool. I hit my head.”
Mulder takes Scully home after she's injured while pursuing a perp.
"You’re beautiful, you know that?” (Ao3)
She turns her eyes up to meet his, burning blue eyes in the night. “You’re… all I have left now, Mulder.” Names are left unsaid between them, but they all register in his brain, like a knife. “I think my leaving was for the best, but I’m ready to come back. You’re my family, Mulder.”
Scully proposes to her Mulder.
@settle-down-frohike's Headcanon: It started after her first disappearance, on a flight to nowhere North Dakota.
It started after her first disappearance, on a flight to nowhere North Dakota. She was flipping through a dossier and he was dozing, as per usual. She heard a mumbled version of her name and threw a distracted “Hm?” his way without glancing up. “Scully.” Firmer, more forceful this time. She looked over, annoyed, and spat “What Mu-“ and realized he was still asleep, but fitfully so.
My Struggle II Scully hopes she can comfort Mulder once more.
@lilydalexf/LilydaleXF 's My Andromeda
He looks back at the road and answers honestly, "I didn't watch many shows. The ones I really wanted to see I wasn't allowed to watch. Except after excessive begging."
"And on nights you could successfully sneak into the TV room after your parents fell asleep." It's a statement, not a question.
"You know me so well, Scully."
Mulder and Scully imagine a night of stargazing.
Eternity Awaits
"Mulder…. We need to go to bed."
"You don't want to freeze together?"
"Not on this decrepit couch I don't."
Post This Mulder and Scully discuss their eternal conversations.
Apostrophic/@mappingthexfiles's
This
Mulder said Push a third time and they both groaned with the effort of heaving the massive piece another three feet, barricading it firmly against the bedroom door.
“What does this,” he gasped, “remind you of?”
Scully, drawing in deep gulps of air, pushed herself up on her elbows, propped on the edge of the chest. She did not say the fleeting thought that had gone through her head: maybe it was not a bad thing Mulder had not been present at the birth of their child.
“Um,” Scully said.
“Yeah,” Mulder said. Panting out, “Towers of furniture.”
Post This Mulder and Scully move their furniture back into place.
The Scully Treehouse of Horror
The automatic taps don’t turn on and off for him. He’s invisible to its sensors. The alarm, on the other hand, blares every time he walks in the door. Sometimes, even, once he’s inside the door and has been for some time. He’ll get up at night for a drink of water and Scully gets jarred out of postcoital bliss by the klaxon siren of intruder alert, intruder alert, Mulder cursing at the sink in the kitchen, yelling for Scully....
If she yells back for him to punch in the code, he does the wrong birthdate or botches the spelling of Queequeg. More often than not, she pads out in bare feet, tying her robe, entering the right code, filling the glass with cold water, sleepily herding a grumbling Mulder back to the warm bed.
Scully's house hates Mulder; and she loves him all the more for it.
Lapsed_Scholar's Wake-Up Calls
On their way into work, his phone rings. It’s just a wrong number, and the other commuters don’t really take any notice, but Scully arches her eyebrow.
At her questioning look, “Do you recognize this theme?”
“Vaguely. Should I?”
“It’s our theme song, Scully! And I think it suits us. Kind of spooky.” A beat. “Don’t you remember our movie?”
If possible, her eyebrow climbs higher.
Mulder always ratted he and Scully out to people-- and still does now, years and years later.
@slippinmickeys/SlippinMickeys's
Prompt: ballet slippers, chocolate pudding in a can, Wyoming
It was like a Carlton Varney fever dream; like a brothel with aspirations. Mulder actually paused in the doorway and leaned back out to double check the address number on the side of the house.
“Wow,” Scully said, daintily setting down her suitcase a few feet inside the door. She wanted to make a joke, but Mulder looked appalled.
Mulder books a truly terrible vacation spot.
Prompt Drabble Collection - Chapter 12
“I want something I can’t make.”
It was Day 18 of self-isolation and if you looked at quarantine like the stages of grief, they had rolled easily past panic and guilt, skipped loneliness altogether and were deep in the grip of isolation.
Scully shot him a look.
Mulder and Scully are sick and tired of COVID quarantine.
Prompt: Mulder & Scully vacation Christmas/Hanukah at the Quonochontaug cabin post season 11
“When was the last time you stayed here?” she asked, wrinkling her sensitive nose at the smell of dust, of mildew.
One suitcase on the floor at his feet, one still in his hand, Mulder closed the door behind him, his face ponderous. “Overnight?” he clarified. “I think I was nineteen?”
Post Revival Mulder and Scully spend the New Years in the old Mulder summer home.
outsquatchin94's Joy to You and Me
“Those hipsters… But Scully, that was such a look. Also, I hate to break this to you, but I’m quite sure it’s in the back spare room somewhere in a box.”
For a moment, he thinks she’ll spring off the couch and go find the offending object. She doesn’t though, she only smiles a little.
“I think we turned out okay in the end, even without the sleeping bags.” And Mulder has to agree with her.
Mulder and Scully discuss her old jacket.
@msrafterdark/msrafterdark's A concept : slow dancing on an ill lit front porch late in the evening while it’s thundering and maybe just starting to rain?
When they’re like this again, as though no time has passed, the pleasure of the familiarity is so good it almost hurts her. To have him well again, to be safe and wanted and in his arms is only made sweeter by the fact that the knocks and falls they have taken ultimately only made them stronger.
Mulder and Scully, the Unremarkable House and dancing.
@tofuttim's Comfort and Chaos (Ao3)
The rain pelted relentlessly against the windows of the small cabin. The night air was cold, but inside the cabin, a fire and a shared bed with Mulder kept her warm. The sound of the storm thrusted her thoughts back to the beginning. 
The beginning of forever.
Scully asks Mulder what he remembers about their first case.
@defnotmeyo's (Ao3) The Cost of Living is Just Right
The beds are wrapped in white and light grey sheets with sky blue pillow cases on the spare pillows. The tables all look like something you would have seen on the Jetsons.  
It takes a bit of time for Mulder to feel comfortable at Scully's apt.
Ingot Silver
“Birthday time, huh? We could go uh,” he licked some sauce off his finger as he moved a dish over to the sink, “we could go squatchin’.” He turned and winked at her.
Mulder learned plans an evening dinner for he and his Scully.
the “before i even needed glasses” line
Then, on days he doesn’t hate himself (and those days are multiplying and growing closer together all the time), he remembers he has a son, healthy and alive. He has the love of his life and while she’s not home yet, her toothbrush is back in his bathroom.
Post Cathedral episode Mulder isn't letting his homie get away ever again.
It really looks like Mulder when youre seeing two of everything.
“Mulder… you… you hurled a raccoon down our stairs.”
He shrugs, sheepish as ever.
“Like… you hurled him.”
“It was for Daggoo!”
A raccoon holds the Mulder-Scully household hostage.
I always laugh at that bit in detour where mulder is like “if ur lucky u get seventy-five (75) yrs. if ur rly lucky u get eighty
She refrains from rolling her eyes, instead slides in front of him and slinks an arm around him, patting that soft of his oblique threatening to turn into a love handle.
“Charlie has a decent head of hair,” Mulder mumbles.
“Charlie is four years younger. And you made it passed 50, Mulder. You won.”
Scully reassures Mulder he still looks gooooooooood.
BONUS (HAD TO INCLUDE THESE FOR THE MSR)
@monikafilefan/MonikaFileFan's
Language of Love: Prompts of Angst and Romance - Chapter 6
A sudden rise in emotion crests in her throat when she sees the wondrous look of awe and admiration seize the love of her life.
It’s the exact look she saw grace is face eighteen years ago.
“Mulder…” she whispers, raking her fingers through his silky hair as he grins up at her with a trembling chin.
Post Revival Mulder feels his baby move during the witching hour.
39 and 82 from the prompt list 😁/Just Breathe
“She’s here and she’s beautiful, honey, she’s just—”
“What, Mulder?” Scully shot up onto her elbows with her heart in her throat. “She’s just what?”
“It’s fine. She’s fine, Scully. She just looks like a he.”
Her jaw dropped. “What are you—are you sure?” Their slippery, pink baby covered in layers of vernix and blood mewled in protest as Mulder lifted the tiny bundle away from the comfort of his warm chest and pointed wide-eyed between its legs.
Mulder and Scully and unexpectedly fast Halloween baby makes a chaotically competent three.
RoseThornhill's
Spooky Mulder: The Revenge
Excited dad!Mulder wants a spooky theme for his Halloween daughter's name.
Alice is a Punk Rocker
Mulder, Scully, and their Halloween baby are happy together, despite a few bumpy patches.
@myownsuperintendent/MyOwnSuperintendent’s Renewal
She tries to shift in the bed, to touch him too, and he stops and pulls back.  “Don’t try to sit up,” he says.  “They made me promise I wouldn’t disturb you.”  He’s trying to smile at her through the tears in his eyes.  “You’re all right,” he repeats.  “Please don’t scare me like that again.  Not ever again.”
Post Revival Scully loses a lot of blood during delivery, which helps convince Jackson to stay with his family and new sister a bit longer.
Thanks for reading~
Enjoy!
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audiofanficpod · 6 months
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Rainy Thanksgivings Aren't As Bad As They Seem by @baronessblixen
Read by @msrtheatre0223
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Please leave the author a comment if you enjoyed their story 😘
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xfiles-fanfic-recs · 1 year
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"Dreams Are Made Of This" by @baronessblixen​
November 15th, 2018
Scully loses herself in daydreams and accidentally kisses Mulder.
890 words
T+, Fluff, UST
IVF Arc
Link
Favorite Part
Mulder worrying about the IVF when Scully calls trying to apologize for kissing him.
Memorable Quote
“I kissed you, Mulder!” Even though she is alone, she blushes.
“I thought you were sick or that something was wrong.”
“I kissed you,” Scully repeats.
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medicaldoctordana · 1 year
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27 for the kisses, msr!
27. Celebratory Kiss
Read on ao3
@today-in-fic
The year was 1994. Scully had only come over to his apartment to drop off his files. When she opened the door and saw Mulder in his Knicks jersey, she knew that he had called with this ulterior motive in mind. She didn’t want to stay for the game. She had little interest in basketball. And sitting on her coworker's sunken leather couch watching him get drunk and yell at a sports game was not her ideal picture of a night off.
Scully was still recovering from their trip to the Olympic National Forest. Quarantine had been isolating and exhausting. Her rash had finally cleared up but her energy levels were not quite there yet. A night just sitting around with Mulder didn’t sound all that energy draining, but she was worried if she stayed, she would be too tired to drive back home.
He had a mostly empty beer in his hand when the door swung open. His jeans were falling off his hips, courtesy of his quarantine, and his hair was already a mess from excitedly and nervously watching the start of the game.
“Scully, you're here!” He acted all surprised like he wasn’t the one to insist she deliver the important files he needed by tonight.
“Mulder,” She greeted him cordially with her ingrained skeptical tone. “I see these files are so important you’re even going to read them during game night.” She flapped the files against her hand like a detective in a drama movie. Scully loved the playful partnership they were starting to cultivate, she was having fun.
“Yes. In fact, they're so important I’m going to need you to come in and help me with them.” He tried to usher her in with the had that held his drink.
“Mulder,” she said in that tone, the same one she uses when he ropes her into all his wild goose chases and she’s realized what he’s done.
“Come on, I’ve got a cold beer for you. Or warm, I have a couple warm if you like it better that way.” Mulder rambled on about beer temperatures while he looked all around her and not directly at her. “I don’t know that about you Scully, do you prefer cold or warm beer?” He made eye contact when he asked his question, wanted to reach out and poke her to make sure she was paying attention to him.
Finding him curious and entertaining, Scully decided she could handle going in for the night. The longer she stood in his doorway, the more she longed to be inside with him.
“Sure,” she said. “Fine,” she relented. “Whatever,” she shrugged and beelined to the couch and cold beer.
Mulder smiled and closed the door behind her. He followed her to the couch, delighted that she wanted to be with him. Maybe wanted was a strong word, but she was becoming the only person he could trust. She was important to him.
“Who’s winning?” She squinted at the team names on the screen. The distance and quality were abysmal. He was probably going to explain the whole game to her anyway.
Mulder settled back on the couch mirroring Scully and they took swigs of their beers in unison. Mulder finished off his beer and began to give Scully the rundown on the intricacies of basketball and why this game was so important.
Three or four beers in, Scully was glad she stayed and Mulder was deliciously happy for once in his life. He noticed it more when she was around. 
“FOUR- THREE- TWO- ONE!!! GAME OVER! KNICKS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!”
The TV announcer gave Mulder the best news about the Knicks since the previous year when their starting record was 7-0, beating their previous best season start at 5-0 in 1969. The Knicks hadn’t made it to the playoffs since 1973. He was just a kid when it happened, before Samantha had been abducted. Having Scully here to celebrate this moment with him felt a little more like home.
They both had been sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if the game would end in victory. When it had, they jumped up and Mulder pulled her in for a celebratory kiss on the mouth. He held her face with his hands and made a loud smooching sound.
“Scully, we won!” He yelled into her face after smacking back his lips.
“Mulder!” She was breathy, a mix of excited, confused, and tipsy. It was a celebration, not a move to be pulled. He was already pointing back at the TV and draining the last of his beer. He flopped back to the couch and took a moment to sit in his glee.
“Thanks Scully. For coming in. Staying for the game. I had a lot of fun. Maybe you’re my lucky charm. I’ll have to entice you into watching more games with me. Maybe I’ll buy some tickets and take you to one. Who knows?”
Scully looked at her watch and decided she needed another hour at least before she could drive home.
“I can’t leave yet, Mulder. Tell me more about how Canada started this whole basketball thing.”
Mulder perked up and watched the glow of his fish tank behind her head while he explained it all to her.
“Well, in Canada, they had a closed net, as opposed to the open net in the U.S.- hence the name basket-ball. The evolution from basket to a net design happened because ball retrieval was hindering the speed of play…” Mulder left the TV on while he droned on about the history of basketball. He watched her eyes droop every now and again and would tap her shoulder and ask her if she wanted to hear more or go home. She ended up leaving before he could explain how trading players worked. Scully drove home with a strong feeling he’d follow up with his threat to buy her tickets to some sports game.
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frostbitepandaaaaa · 1 year
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Happy birthday! 🥳🥳🥳
thank you love!! your are too kind!
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dangerscully · 2 years
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Happy birthday! While I know nothing about bcs (other than what you guys put on my dash), it seems to have been bad? I hope you will still have a lovely day today anyway 🥳
thank youuuu!
(you should watch better call saul, even when it hurts like today it's still amazing)
but yes i started off my morning with
pain
but have had a decent day — went to coffee shop and finished off my book while eating carrot cake, then got a burrito and came home to play some games online with friends. it's been lovely!
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unremarkablehouse · 1 year
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List five things that make you happy, then put this in the ask box of the last ten people who reblogged something from you. Spread the positivity ✨💛🌻
Thanks for the Tag
I decided to make this the internet edition of ‘5 things that make me happy’:
1. Cute animal videos, pictures or memes
2. Discovering people who share my twisted sense of humor or interests, especially when very few people IRL get me
3. Awesome fanfic or fanart, I get so inspired by how creative people are and just love that they share their work
4. New random factoids or deep diving for hours on a topic.
5. That communication online is like a drawbridge. I can connect with my family and friends who all live in different time zones and countries, but I also have the power to block and mute people too. I wish I could mute people in social situations, everyone calls me eccentric when I walk away mid conversation with someone I’ve decided to disengage with but sometimes people are just better in the abstract
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fine-nephrit · 3 months
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🥏 TXF Fic Rec #12: "It's a Cat's Life" by Baroness Blixen
I first got into fic reading by stumbling upon @baronessblixen’s writing on Tumblr, and a new world that is the fanfic wonderland opened up to me.
The Queen of Fluff, ever so prolific, writes stories that are the Disneylands in my fic-land, giving a cozy, ineffably nostalgic comfort.
Today’s fic is so cute, amusing, and adorable, as usual for her works. It’s well written and has a heart. And there is a chubby, fluffy cat driving up the fluff meter to eleven.
---
🥏 AO3 link
Length: Short, 5,000+ words Season: season 6, sometime after 6x18 Milagro Relationship(s): M/S UST to RST Tags: Fluff, Humor, Episode-related Rating: Teen/PG-13
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atths--twice · 25 days
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Imagine The X-Files reboot happens. We’re introduced to new agents working in the basement. They find themselves stumped on a case and they look at one another and nod.
Cut to a coffee shop and we see Mulder and the agents. He’s smiling, looking at the file, and thinking of so many things as he listens to them.
“Wow. The case sounds incredibly interesting. I definitely would be all in a few years ago. But now…” He checks his watch and smiles again. “I gotta pick my daughter up soon. I’ll offer what advice I can, but I can’t be late for her.”
When he leaves, we see him watching them, somewhat wistfully, but then his watch beeps with a previously set alarm to pick up his daughter. At the same time, he gets a message from Scully about dinner, asking if he’s still cooking or if he wants her to pick something up on her way home. He grins and nods his head, knowing he’s made the right choice.
And then maybe a young female agent comes to the hospital seeking out Scully, needing some additional advice. She hints at what she knows of Mulder and Scully.
“Oh,” Scully laughs softly, shaking her head. “You have no idea.”
And she crosses her arms and we see that she’s wearing a wedding ring.
These two deserve happiness and family and love- everything they haven’t been able to have. I would love to watch a new group of people working cases so long as the story is good and the chemistry is there.
And if we got to have little chances to look in to Mulder and Scully‘s life… yes please. ❤️
Let me make an addition especially for @baronessblixen because I completely agree with her. 💕💕
I want to see them with their kid. I want to see them enjoy their time with her. Maybe we see her schooling the agents somehow and Scully looks at Mulder and he looks at her and they both say “that’s all you” and then everyone laughs.
I want to see both of them interact with her together doing something as simple as just being at home. Like I NEED it so badly. If we got that, like the “what if” scenarios we saw in the revival, (minus the alien aspect of it) I would be so incredibly happy. ❤️❤️
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amplifyme · 3 months
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WIP Game
RULES: Post the last sentence you wrote (fanfic / original / anything) and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence.
I was tagged by @randomfoggytiger. Thanks!
My dreams are larger now.
Tagging @nobodysuspectsthebutterfly @storybycorey @weshallflyaway @baronessblixen @ladytp
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lilydalexf · 29 days
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👽 X-Files Season 7 Fic, Part 11
There are so many great stories set in season 7 of The X-Files! Here are even more, following seven prior sets of season 7 fic recs. There are a lot of good season 7 stories. Enjoy! Parts 1 ** 2 ** 3 ** 4 ** 5 ** 6 ** 7 ** 8 ** 9 ** 10 Aquinnah by Anjou Axiom by allimarie Birthday Series by @syntax6 Hallowed by OnlyTheInevitable (@gaycrouton) Harmonice Mundi by @aloysiavirgata Into the Light by @msrafterdark keeping count by scullyism Learning Curve by JLB Mezzo Luna by msk Secret Spots by @baronessblixen Strangers and the Strange Dead by Kipler throat, eye and knucklebone by audries (@audriesfic) Untitled by @aloysiavirgata Untitled by @aloysiavirgata Untitled "Millennium" fic by @aloysiavirgata Untitled "Orison" crossover fic by @aloysiavirgata Wishes by @baronessblixen
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randomfoggytiger · 1 month
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Collector's Edition: Bill Scully, MSR, and Pain (Part I)
How to melt the Abominable SnowBilly, Season 2 through Season 7 (IVF arc not included.)
**Note**: I had to eliminate fics not specifically related to an illness or injury because the word capacity on Tumblr is uncharitably short.
Loose chronological order below~
SammyLovesASOIAF's I Don't Want You Like A Best Friend
He chuckled to himself. The Scully siblings were a weird juxtaposition of different traits. Bill Jr. was strict, Melissa was carefree, Scully was careful, and Charles—well, he was always in absentia. 
AU-- Post One Breath Mulder is almost creamed by a firework before Bill Scully saves him.
@living-in-unreality/@television-overload/ContentsPriceless's beautiful (Ao3)
The pieces slowly come together in his mind, everything he knows about Fox Mulder. His mother must have seen it long ago, hence her willingness to help him this morning. And he would have stood in the way.
Bill Scully can see the love in Mulder's attempts to paint on Scully's makeup for her.
MldrItsMe's A Favor
“Should Dana be out of bed?” Bill grumbled.
Mulder involuntarily squeezed Scully a little closer to himself. “She asked me to,” he said. He thought better of adding “hold her” and just let the situation speak for itself.
AU-- Redux II Scully is suffering on her deathbed: 96 pounds and swiftly losing independence.
@scully-loves-ruthie's cancer arc: mulder sneaks a dying scully out
Bill will storm into her hospital room after, a firecracker beneath a teacup ready to explode sending the fine shards of his rage into the newlyweds.  He’ll find himself frozen his fuse stamped out at the sight of his sister’s frail and fading body wrapped like a puzzle piece inside Mulder’s arms, the couple sound asleep.
AU-- Redux II Bill doesn't rip Mulder's head off after finding out he and Scully were quickly married.
intrepidment's Bill and me
"You had talent for medicine, Dana, everyone admitted that. You would've had every right to be haughty, but you never flaunted your talent then. Then you changed your mind, you became an investigator, and suddenly you're this overconfident professional."
I opened my mouth to rebuke him, but I had to admit he was right. Somewhat. 
Post Redux II Bill and Scully have a siblings' semantics fight over Mulder's napping body.
amorfati3215/Amorfati32’s (FFN) Number 9 for the dialogue prompt.
Mulder hasn’t got very far when he hears Bill call out, stopping him in his tracks. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
Post Redux II Bill gives Mulder his version of a blessing.
@lotsoforangesoutside/@lotzzoforangezoutside‘s (Ao3) Seven Pound and Six Ounces (Ao3)
He’s never held a day-old baby before this one.
And now, Fox Mulder can proudly say that he has held one, changed his diaper, and napped with the tiny thing like a log in the cradle of his arm.
With his other arm held by one Dana Scully, his hand holding hers. On the sofa in her big brother’s living room.
Post Emily Bill lets Mulder and Scully be.
soverysesual's The Truth Not Considered
He frowned as he observed the scene in front of him: his sister was sitting up, her head resting in an awkward position as she dozed, the mug of tea precariously balanced in one of her hands, while Mulder held her other hand grasped between both of his, as if he was clinging to her for dear life.
Post Emily Bill (reluctantly) helps Scully get comfy next to Mulder.
Marguerite's (Ao3) When the Bough Broke
Bill is standing between us and the embers of last night's fire. Scully has not stirred; I still keep her within the circle of my arms. Her brother's face is unreadable. I make a helpless gesture with my hand, but he stops me and points to my face. It's still wet with tears.
Post Emily Bill finally understands and becomes comrade-in-arms.
pen-paper-aliens/theficisoutthere/aka PPA's 95 ❤️
She’s still holding that hand when we walk in, nobody notices, or if they do, they don’t care. Bill notices too, but even he doesn’t say anything. What do you say to a mother who lost a child she never knew? 
AU-- Post Emily Bill lets his sister find comfort in her partner.
Jen's (mulderscreek)
Christmas Eve & Airports and Christmas & Mrs. Scully's House
"He's upstairs," Dana said and could swear she heard Bill mutter something under his breath. 
AU-- S6 Scully convinces Mulder to join her and her family for Christmas and ends up nursing his unexpected strep throat.
@baronessblixen‘s (Ao3) 
Christmas With The Scullys (Tumblr)
“My bed,” she says, just to clarify. She hears a clatter from behind her and doesn’t need to turn around to know that Bill is there and listening.
S7 Bill and Scully battle it out after she brings an injured Mulder to the Scully family Christmas party.
O Holy No - Chapter 7 (Tumblr)
“Where’s the guy?” he asks, chewing with his mouth open.
“Do you mean Mulder?” Her brother nods, stuffing more chips into his mouth. It reminds her of when they were teenagers and Bill, towering over her and Melissa, would steal their snacks and interrogate them, claiming it was his duty when their father wasn’t home.
AU-- Mulder and Scully, newly minted couple that they are, both fly out to Bill's house for Christmas... and are greeted with unexpected shenanigans.
Shoshana's
Almost Home (4/4)
"Hey, wife," he said, approaching her from behind.
Mulder wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder.
"I don't think Bill suspects a thing," she told him gravely.
AU-- Post Requiem Mulder is returned with ongoing medical complications; but that doesn't stop the leftover Conspiracy or Bill Scully's lingering concerns.
And salliejohns's
Mr. Mulder, Mother Maggie, and Empty Place Settings
It was a big risk, but it paid off well. We were able to establish contact with our old boss and he came through for us, sending Bill Scully, Jr. a cryptic message about his dry cleaning.
AU-- S9 Bill is happy to find his sister and her partner alive in California; but that doesn't erase the pain of losing touch with his mother while Maggie raises baby William in hiding.
Hestia01‘s (Ao3) The Next Great Adventure Chapter 1 and Chapter 5
"Bill, they're here!"
Bill looks around, now looking concerned for his mother's grip on reality. "Who's here?"
"Dana's here! She brought Fox along, too! You can't see them, but they stayed!"
Giving his mother a pitying look, he nods indulgently. "Sure, Mom, whatever helps."
AU-- The crack adventures of Mulder and Scully after death (Skinner hoarding their poster and Bill getting his comeuppance included.)
@incidental-ao3/incidental's
Keep It All the Year
“Where’d he go?” she asked. He shrugged.
“Got in a cab,” he said. “I don’t know where to.” Scully groaned.
“Maybe one of you should stay put so the other can find them,” he said, but she wasn’t listening at all.
“He left his phone at the hotel, I bet he went back to get it,” she said, barreling passing Bill down the stairs and grabbing the keys.
AU-- S6 Mulder is dragged out to Scully's torturous family Christmas in San Diego, where the franchise becomes a complete disaster all the way 'round (Diana included.)
bluesamutra's una via - Chapter 4, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6
Dana had been at death’s door before he showed up at the hospital with a computer chip and a story straight out of a Michael Crichton book.  Bill had stood by in disbelief when she, a woman of science, trusted him enough to put it in her neck.
And yet.
And yet, he had watched from the shadows of her room, unseen, when Mulder crept into her room that same night and wept silently into her hand. 
AU-- Post Amor Fati Bill Scully's family reunion takes a serious turn when Matthew almost drowns and Mulder injures his shoulder during the rescue.
@scully-eats-sushi/ijustknew's
You're Not Alone and You're Not Alone II
She’d barely stepped inside their mother’s home before Bill had started inspecting her injuries, making her instantly regret not wearing a turtleneck. He went so far as to grasp her chin and tilt her head up to get a better look at them. Irritated, she’d shoved his hand away and declared “I’m fine” before stepping past him to embrace her mother.
Post Millennium Mulder and Scully are navigating their relationship post episode, with their own personal complications as well as her family, profiling, and on-the-job demands.
Red0313's Nothing Breaks Like a Heart
We make eye contact. He knows I am awake. I can’t even fake it. This should be good. Kick a man while he’s down, literally.
“Mister Mulder, I see you’re going to be just fine. That seems to make my sister very happy,” he huffs. Something’s eating him up.
S7 Bill observes his sister's pain and penance after Mulder takes a bullet for her.
Susan Proto’s Barbecue Series 14, The - Labor of Love
She must have picked up Matty, because all I hear from him now are soft whimpers instead of hysterical crying. And then I hear her ask, "What happened, Bill?"
"He got hit by the Harley. He ran into the street and got hit by the Harley."
A Harley?
AU-- Mulder has been bullied by Bill for years, and finally sets his foot down after the other throws away his engagement ring.
@tatooedlaura-blog/tatooedlaura/Laura Sprys​’s Always Been Yours
Mulder was out of the shower and in the kitchen helping Scully with a makeshift dinner when Charlie and Bill walked through the door. Scully's eyes swam again when she saw her older brother. Hugging her tightly, he looked over toward Mulder and nodded his head.
In shocked surprise, he walked over a shook Bill's hand, "hello again."
AU-- S7 Maggie is unexpectedly killed in a car accident; and Bill keeps to himself while Mulder prevents Scully from falling apart.
Thank you for reading~
Enjoy!
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audiofanficpod · 1 year
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Making It Work by @baronessblixen
Read by @msrtheatre0223
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Please leave the author a comment if you enjoyed their story 😘
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television-overload · 3 months
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chance encounter
an X-Files Fanfic
Read on AO3
Summary: "Six months after becoming fugitives from the US government, Mulder and Scully have a chance encounter with someone that is very important to them."
Word Count: 6,556
Tag List (let me know if you want taken off or added!): @today-in-fic @agent-troi @baronessblixen @captainsolocide @cutemothman @edierone @enigmaticxbee @figureofdismay @frogsmulder @hippocampouts @invidiosa @mulderscully @perpetually-weirdening @randomfoggytiger @skelavender @slippinmickeys @teenie-xf @whovianderson
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It was him.
There was no way to explain how he knew, but he did.
The little baby sitting in the puddle deep water at the end of the pool was William.
His hands, still chubby like they had been in his infancy, splashed excitedly, and Mulder could hear his squeals of delight over the sounds of the other children playing. An electric yellow swim shirt paired with a dinosaur-patterned bucket hat kept him shielded from the hot California sun, and he wore striped yellow and blue swimming trunks.
Mulder thought he'd never seen a swimsuit so small.
What were the odds that of all the places they could have traveled to, he was here?
They'd been on the road for 6 months, stopping at unremarkable motels and campgrounds all the way, never staying in one place for more than a few days at a time. It was a fluke they were even here at all.
Perhaps fate.
The hotel was certainly a step up from their usual accommodations, but Mulder had insisted. It was their anniversary, he said. Anniversary of what, Scully wasn't sure. The progression from coworkers to friends to lovers happened so gradually that it was hard to pin down a particularly important date for anything. But he wanted to celebrate, to find a brief reprieve from living in darkness, so they splurged a little on this modest, if slightly run-down, hotel by the ocean.
Where their son and his new family just happened to be vacationing.
He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about this possibility. In those nights where Scully was extra quiet, eager to fall asleep at the end of a long day, of course he'd lay awake and think, what if.
What if we found him? What if we saw our son again? What would we do?
The idea was so far-fetched that he hardly gave it any real consideration. His thoughts ranged from “steal him back, take him with us” to “pretend you never saw him and flee town.”
The urge to do the latter was strong. It was not safe here. They'd given him up for this very reason, what would be the point if their being here got him injured or worse? Was it really worth the risk to William? To Scully?
His next thought was 'Should I tell her?' Should he tell Scully he'd seen him? Would she want to see him too, even if from a distance?
The loss of their son had broken her heart. Broken his too, but not in the same way. She had spent months with him, almost a year, only to be forced to give him away with little time to prepare.
He knew she felt the loss like a phantom limb. Even all these months later, she still awoke with his name on her lips, panic written on her face as she looked around for him. It drove a stake through his heart every time, yet part of him felt he deserved it after leaving her to deal with it herself.
He watched the boy.
He'd only come out here to enjoy the sun, sit on one of the loungers for an hour or so while Scully took a nap in their room. It was a much more comfortable bed than they've had in a long time, though that wasn't saying much.
He hadn't bargained on having his whole world tipped upside down in the short time they were apart.
As stressful as it was, life on the road lended itself to relatively simple decisions. Fast food or canned? Motel or campground? Will you drive, or should I?
This was different.
Should he tell Scully?
The thought of keeping this from her made him feel sick. He couldn't do that.
Then again, would it hurt more to know? Ignorance is bliss, they say.
Mulder had never believed that, though.
The Truth, with a capital T, was the one thing that connected him and Scully. Though their beliefs and methods differed, they valued the Truth above all else. That was what drew them together. That was what propelled them forward, even now.
She had to know. She had to know her son was here, even if knowing might hurt.
She could make the decision for herself, whether she wanted to see him or get as far away from here as possible. It might be the last decision she makes as a mother, who would he be to keep that from her?
She might never forgive him.
Swallowing back emotion, Mulder stood to his feet, trying not to draw attention to himself as he made his retreat. His sunglasses thankfully hid the redness of his eyes, a small mercy in this endlessly unfair life.
He stole one last glance back at William. There was a chance this was the last time he'd ever see his son, his baby boy. If this was it, he'd treasure this moment for the rest of his life.
A woman dropped down beside William, showing him how to cup the water in his hands and throw it.
'A quick learner,' Mulder thought, watching as he gleefully tossed small handfuls of water in the air, giggling as it rained back down on him.
Okay. He could do this.
Find Scully. Tell Scully. Find Scully.
He rushed into the moldy-smelling hallway of the hotel, not bothering to take the elevator up to their floor. Instead, he took the stairs two at a time, finding himself out of breath by the time he reached the 4th floor.
He nodded politely at a passing family decked out in beach gear, not wanting to draw suspicion. Once they were gone, he gave a quick rhythmic knock on the door to let Scully know it was him, then slipped his key card into the slot to unlock it.
The room was still dark, the curtains drawn tight to block out the midday sun, and he could hear soft breaths coming from the lump on the bed.
His heart twisted involuntarily as it so often did when he looked at her.
“Scully,” he whispered, approaching the bed. “Honey, wake up.” He settled on the side of the bed, placing a gentle hand atop her shoulder and jostling her just so.
“Mm,” she hummed, curling into her pillow. A good nap, then. That was nice, at least.
He shook her again, saying her name a little louder. “Scully, you need to get up.”
This time her eyes opened, sensing the serious undertone to his words. He could tell she was waiting for bad news, for him to tell her they needed to leave again. Wanting to put her worries at ease, he tried to smile.
“What is it?” she asked, blinking at him in confusion.
“Uh—” he hadn't gotten this far in planning what to say. But she was waiting for him now, so he needed to say something quick. “Scully, I saw some people outside...”
“Government people?” she asked, sitting up suddenly, ready to start packing.
“No, not the government,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders soothingly. “Scully—it's William.”
He could see the moment his words hit her. She blinked, like she might think she was still dreaming, but she saw the truth in his eyes. Her expression shifted.
He wasn't sure what reaction he expected, but his first guess wouldn't have been anger.
“Did you know he would be here?” she asked, her voice laced with hurt and betrayal. “Mulder, I told you not to look into it! Why—Why would you...”
“I didn't know,” he promised, begging the tears in his eyes to keep from falling. He clasped her hands in his, pulling them from their grip on the fabric of his shirt. “Scully, I swear I didn't know. I was just out at the pool, and—”
“You're sure it's him?”
His heart broke looking at her. Equal parts hope and dread, she didn't deserve this.
“Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure.”
She let out a shuddering breath.
“What do you think about that coincidence, huh?” he said, hoping to lighten the mood.
She shook her head.
“Mulder, we can't see him. It's not safe, it's not—”
“I know.” He didn't like interrupting her, but he didn't want her worrying unnecessarily about things she shouldn't. They had enough of that already, these days. If she didn’t think it was a good idea, he’d be okay with that. “We can leave, if you want. I just thought you should know.”
Her blue eyes met his, brimming with unshed tears.
“Is—Is he…?”
“He's beautiful, Scully,” Mulder answered her unspoken question. “He looks happy.”
She choked out a sob, and he immediately enveloped her in his arms, holding onto her tightly. She clutched at him like a life raft, and he ran his hand over her back in comforting circles, murmuring soft words into her ear.
“What do you want to do?” Mulder asked, knowing that time was ticking, and the little family might not stay out there much longer.
Scully sniffed.
“We could—we could go see him,” she said uncertainly, looking at him to decipher his thoughts on the matter. “From a distance.”
Mulder nodded, then stood, helping her to her feet.
“I'm with you,” he reminded her, grasping her hands tightly in his. “It'll be okay.”
With an arm slung around her shoulders, he led her out the door, this time opting to take the elevator down to the ground floor. Scully seemed nervous, almost frightened, and he didn't blame her. He tried to picture how he would feel if their positions were switched, and he couldn't imagine that he'd take it very well. Eventually, they reached the glass doors leading out to the outdoor pool, pausing for a moment.
“They can't see us,” Scully warned, looking anxious and ready to bolt, but she was glued to his side and scarcely able to move without his guidance. He nodded and took her hand, leading her out to a couple chairs in the corner, hopefully obscured enough by the shadow of the fence that they wouldn’t be seen. That bright neon shirt was still there, easy to spot, and Mulder felt tears rising to his throat again. This was the first time they had all three been in the same vicinity since those first few days when he was born.
He squeezed her hand, checking one last time to make sure she was okay. She searched his eyes, trusting him wholeheartedly, and he was certain he had never loved her more.
“Over there,” he said in a low whisper. “With the little hat on.”
Scully followed his line of sight, gasping when her eyes settled on the playful baby in the water.
What followed next was a sob, and he quickly lost his battle with the tears that stubbornly refused to go away. He wrapped his arms around Scully, offering her what solace he could, while his own chin wobbled miserably.
She alternated between sneaking glances at her son and crying into his shirt collar, muttering “Mulder,” desperately as he rocked her back and forth, his hand smoothing out her hair for her comfort as much as his own.
He couldn’t watch anymore. Seeing her like that... it made it hard to stay strong, but he needed to be. For her. He closed his eyes, pleading with the universe never to give her this kind of pain ever again.
When he opened them again, his stomach dropped to the floor.
The woman he'd seen earlier was looking at them, her eyebrows pinched in concern.
He cursed under his breath, his arms tightening around Scully. She was in no state to leave. The best they could do was avoid eye contact and keep to themselves.
But it looked like that wouldn't be enough.
The woman, William's adoptive mother, whispered something to the man she was with, nodding in their direction. His concerned face matched hers, and he nodded. With a sickening lurch, Mulder realized she was getting out of the water, wrapping herself in a towel and heading toward them.
It was too late. They'd been made.
“Scully,” he said, alarm creeping into his voice. She only had a moment's warning before the woman was there, glancing down at them with a worried frown.
“Is she alright?” William's mother asked, empathy oozing from her.
Mulder hurried to compose himself, knowing Scully was a lost cause at this point. It would be on him to get them out of this.
“She's fine, sorry,” he managed to speak, wracking his brain for a believable excuse. Best to stick close to the truth. “We—We can't have children, so—” he nodded toward their son, hoping she could fill in the blanks.
Looking behind her at the boy in the water, her face eased into one of understanding.
“Oh, I know how that feels,” she said, smiling consolingly. “Our son over there is adopted. Every day we thank God for blessing us with him. He's our little miracle.”
Scully grips him tighter, barely restraining a mournful wail. His heart sinks, knowing this interaction isn't going well at all.
He presses a desperate kiss to her hair, wishing he'd never exposed her to this pain. Wishing they were alone in the confines of their hotel room or car so she could let it all out without arousing suspicion. Wishing this woman, as kind-hearted and friendly as she seemed to be, would leave them alone.
“Are you sure she's okay?” she asked Mulder, brows furrowing again.
His hand rubbed up and down Scully's shoulder, and he nodded. “She will be. This is—hard for her.”
“Okay,” the woman said, not sounding fully convinced. “Let me know if there's anything I can do. Like I said, I've been where she is.”
“Thank you,” Mulder choked out, eyes flitting about, looking for their escape.
Through the gate. Through the hotel. Down to the beach.
“Oh, sorry,” William's mother spoke, turning back instead of leaving. “I never introduced myself. My name is—”
“No!” Scully stopped her, looking suddenly panicked and alert.
The woman startled at the outburst, jumping back slightly.
“Mulder, we can't know,” Scully said, looking pleadingly at him. “We can't know anything, we can't!”
“It's okay,” he said softly, coaxing her back from the edges of a total breakdown. “It's okay.” He looked back up at William's mom, smiling an unconvincing smile. “I think we'd really better get going. It was nice talking to you,” he said as he helped Scully to her feet. “Come on, hon, back to our room.”
It was hard to move quickly with Scully desperately clinging to him, but it wasn't the first time they'd been in this position. Once they got back inside, he'd run her a nice warm bath and apologize over and over for everything he'd ever done to hurt her.
They just. Had to. Get. Through—
“Wait.”
He froze.
“You're—You're his parents, aren't you? The ones who gave him up?”
Ice water filled his veins. He could feel Scully shaking like a leaf under his arm.
“We really should be going—” he tried, refusing to turn back around.
Her voice was closer now. “You are. I—there's so many things I've wished I could ask you. At least let me thank you. Please.”
Against his better judgement, he risked a glance back.
“Mulder, we have to go,” Scully begged, now standing on her own and pulling him by the hand. His feet were rooted to the ground, unable to take a single step forward or back.
“Just wait a minute, Scully,” he said, his brain running a mile a minute to calculate the amount of danger each potential course of action held.
He met the woman's eyes, serious.
“Look, this is not easy for her. For us. Our situation right now is—” his eyes scanned around for anything out of place, “We—We really shouldn't be talking to you.”
The woman stepped closer still, a pleading expression on her face.
“It was a closed adoption, I know. But—”
“I'm sorry. We can't.”
Scully looked exhausted, frightened, and sick all at once. Every second they stood there chipped away at her, the anxiety sinking deeper and deeper into her skin.
“You're right about one thing,” Mulder conceded, glancing over at his son and drinking in his unconcerned, innocent features.
The next words nearly choked him with sorrow.
“He is a miracle.”
They were meant to be parting words, a reminder to this woman to never take what she has for granted, but before he could move, a hand landed on his forearm, effectively stopping him.
“We'll let you see him,” the woman offered desperately, near tears herself. “Please. Just a few moments.”
And with that on the table, Mulder was torn.
On the one hand, this woman had offered them something invaluable: a chance to say goodbye, something they hadn't been able to do properly the first time.
On the other hand, it would be selfish. To put their son and his new family in danger simply because they got caught in a moment of weakness... it was unfathomable. He couldn't be responsible for more suffering. He didn't think he could bear it.
“Please?” the woman said again, squeezing his arm.
He had a decision to make. Glancing once more at Scully's crumpled face, he caught sight of the slightest hint of hope. A barely-there gleam that he'd tear down earth and heaven for the chance to brighten.
His decision was made for him.
Cursing his lack of willpower, he turned suddenly to meet the woman's eyes.
“Not here,” he whispered sternly, pointing in her direction. “Give us half an hour, then come to room 409.”
“409,” the woman repeated, nodding. “We will.”
Mulder hardened his jaw, giving one final nod before collecting Scully and hurrying off into the building without another glance back.
“This is dangerous, Mulder,” Scully said worriedly as they passed through the hall, though he knew deep down she was relieved that she might get to see her son again. He only hoped that this risk would be worth it, that they'd be able to find some semblance of peace here and leave feeling less like a part of them was missing when all this was over.
As soon as they entered their room, Scully broke down.
“Oh my god, Mulder,” she gasped, crouching low to the ground and covering her face with her hands.
He immediately dropped to his knees to help her up, ushering her over to their bed.
“Did you see him? He's gotten so big.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, a mix of happy and sad, and though he'd known Scully and her nonverbal cues for so long, he still wasn't quite sure what she needed right now.
“Yeah, I saw him, Scully,” he answered, pulling her into his lap and rocking her gently.
“Do you think they'll really come?” she asked, hopeful, but hesitant.
“We need to be prepared in case they don't,” he answered realistically, thinking of an entire squad of police cars surrounding the hotel with their flashing lights and sirens. “I can pack up the toiletries, you got the suitcase?”
She nodded, grateful to have something physical to do.
Mulder checked his watch. Twenty-five minutes. If they didn't come in twenty-five minutes, it was time to get out of dodge.
“I love you,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and then her lips. “I love you, Scully.”
“I love you too,” she answered, breathing deeply to calm herself. Checking one last time to make sure she was okay, he nodded and released her, each to their own assignments to ensure they were ready to make a quick escape if need be.
As the minutes passed, they became restless. They watched the clock, counting down the seconds until they should have arrived.
Their cutoff time came and went. Mulder was about to call it and give the signal to run, already gathering bags and suitcases, but the subtle knock on their door stopped him in his tracks. He held up a finger to his lips, gesturing for Scully to stay quiet while he checked the peep hole.
The sight before him caused his shoulders to slump in relief.
“It's them?” Scully asked hopefully, reading his body language.
He gave a cautious smile back, then unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door.
There they were, William’s adoptive parents.
And William.
It nearly took his breath away. 
This close. They were this close to him, after thinking they’d never see him again. He felt like a dehydrated man in a desert stumbling upon an oasis when he was sure he was going to die.
“Hi,” the woman said, looking more uncertain now that they weren’t out in the open. Her husband looked similarly guarded, but they were here, that was all that mattered.
“Uh, come in,” Mulder said, finding his voice.
He stepped aside to allow them entrance, and Scully immediately stood from her seat on the edge of the bed, wringing her hands in front of her.
“I promise we’re not here to take him,” he assured them, closing the door behind them. “As much as we wish we could.”
Once the door was secure, he went to stand by Scully, placing a hand on her back.
“We were just passing through, I couldn’t believe it when I saw him sitting there in the pool.”
The woman nodded, still a little tense, but wanting to believe him.
“Small world,” her husband said, standing protectively next to his wife and child.
Mulder nodded.
“Look, there’s not much information we can give you. For his safety and yours, this is the way it had to be.”
“I always wondered where he came from,” the woman said. “I thought maybe a teen mom, or someone who just couldn't take care of him, but, you—”
“He was always wanted,” Scully spoke, finally able to speak for herself. Her voice came out strained, gasping for air between words. “I prayed for him for so long.”
Mulder's hand found hers, giving it a squeeze to lend her some of his strength.
“He was our miracle.”
The woman looked down, saddened by this news.
“But you were right,” Scully continued, steadying her voice. “We couldn't take care of him. Our life—it isn't stable enough for a child right now. It might never be again. So, I gave him up.”
“Didn't you have a family member who could have taken him? A friend?” the man asked. “Why a closed adoption?”
Scully shook her head, looking down at her feet. How she had wished she could have sent William to live with Bill and Tara, maybe even Charlie. But it wouldn’t have been enough. It would have only endangered more people she cared about.
“That's something we can't disclose,” Mulder answered for her. “But someday, when he asks, I want him to know...” He breathed, summoning the strength to form the words. “I want him to know that we loved him... so much.” With each breath he took, tears filled his eyes, clogging his throat until he wasn't able to speak anymore.
They would always love him, for as long as they lived. Giving him up wasn't going to change that.
“Well,” William's new mom said through tear filled eyes. “I can't tell you how much it means to us to have him.” Scully bowed her head, nodding along with a steady stream of tears. “I promise to take good care of him. He'll be safe and happy with us.”
“Thank you,” Scully whispered, unable to look the man and woman in the eyes.
“We've been worried about him,” Mulder admitted, “hoping he was alright...” He checked in with Scully, reading her like he was so good at doing, before deciding it was safe to speak for them both. “I think, seeing that he is... is a huge weight lifted off our shoulders.”
Scully gave a nod in agreement, looking up at Mulder with something of a promise. A promise that they would be okay, eventually.
“I can't imagine what you must have gone through,” the woman said. “But we are so thankful. He—I don't suppose you want to know his name?”
“No,” Scully said quickly. “I—we can't. I couldn't handle the temptation.”
The temptation to track him down, just for the chance to see him again.  That was a dream that could never be.
“What did you call him?” the woman asked, and Mulder squeezed Scully's hand again, letting her know it was okay. It was a common enough name, there couldn’t be any harm in telling her the truth.
“William,” she answered. “His name was William.”
To hear it spoken aloud after all this time was a relief. It had been almost taboo the past six months, too painful a word to be uttered. But now, there was something freeing about letting his name hang in the air.
Letting go, Mulder realized. They had to let him go.
“Well...” the woman began again, smiling at them reassuringly. “William is such a bright and curious child. He loves building towers out of blocks and throwing things at it to knock it down. He—He has this stuffed fox he takes everywhere. They're practically inseparable. His first word was 'mama'. He likes watching baseball and hockey with his dad. He—He's everything we could have hoped for, and more. So, thank you. Thank you for making such a beautiful child for us to love.” Her eyes shone with happiness, the kind which Scully wondered if she’d ever felt. “I knew you had to be remarkable people, because he's a remarkable child.”
“And now we know where he gets those lips and that hair from,” the father added, lightening the mood as much as possible, under the circumstances. “He's covered in sunscreen, must be your genes,” he said, nodding at Scully with a smile. And wonder of wonders, she laughed, a sudden, unexpected thing, and leaned into Mulder's side.
“We should let you go,” Mulder said after a moment, hating that it had to be done. “We'll need to be heading out soon.”
“To where?”
“We can't tell you that.”
Will's adoptive father's eyes met those of his biological one, and a look of understanding passed between them.
Adjusting her hold on William, the woman spoke, glancing between them as she did.
“I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you a moment with him.”
Scully's head snapped to attention.
“You've already sacrificed so much,” she continued, “And I trust you. You're doing what's best for—for William. I know you have his best interests at heart.”
Mulder wished, wished, wished he could honestly say it was in William's best interests to be with him and Scully... but it wasn't. The truth of their reality was such that it could never be. Not through any fault of their own as parents—but because of external forces working against them, desperate to tear them apart and leave them with nothing.
But they had failed.
Because what they had was more than nothing. They had each other. And though they would have to live with the knowledge that a part of them was missing, maybe after today they would be able to make peace with what they do have. To live life to the fullest given the circumstances they've been forced to survive in.
In truth, he hadn't felt this hopeful about the future since the moment Scully first placed his son in his arms. There was still a mountain of hardships to surmount, but it didn't seem quite as impossible as before. And it was all thanks to a chance encounter with their son, at the precise moment they needed him most.
“We'll leave you be,” Will's mother spoke, checking with her husband to make sure he agreed. “If you need us, we'll be downstairs having some coffee.”
Scully's brows slanted in worry. “You don't have to go, it's okay,” she said, wanting to stop them.
“You deserve some time alone,” the woman said kindly, shaking her head. “I can see how much you need it, dear.”
Scully's chin wobbled, dangerously close to another round of tears.
And then she was coming toward them, William perched on her hip. She deposited him right into Scully's disbelieving arms, and Mulder immediately felt his throat close, the sight one he'd seen almost every night in the most heart wrenching of his dreams.
This was what he'd hoped to come home to after his time in the desert. This was what kept him sane between bouts of torture in a prison cell. To see it now was equal parts fulfilling and painful.
“I can give you something, a guarantee we won't run off with him,” he choked out, working to free his wrist from his moderately expensive watch. William's dad reached a hand out and stopped him.
“We trust you,” he said with a sad smile. “We'll be back in an hour. Please, take all the time you need.”
And with that, they left the room.
As soon as they were gone, Scully's head dropped to rest against the strawberry blond locks of their son, and she let out a sob.
“William,” she breathed, pressing her lips to his head. He seemed unfazed, and part of Mulder wondered if he still remembered her. If deep down, he knew this was the woman who had once fed him from her own body, sung him to sleep in an off-tune melody, soothed him when he had nightmares...
It wasn't outside the realm of possibility.
The same couldn't be said for him, however.
“I can't believe this, Mulder,” Scully cried, her tears falling into his downy-soft hair. Mulder led her back to the bed, sitting beside her with their son on her lap. “Did you hear what they said? He's so much like you, watching sports on TV, knocking his blocks down... He'll be throwing pencils at the ceiling in no time.”
That brought a small smile to his face, and he leaned to his right to press a kiss to Scully's forehead, his hand falling into place on their son's back.
William leaned away, taking in the new faces with a curious tilt to his head.
“Hey, bud,” Mulder said, offering him a finger to hold. For all the time he'd spent thinking of what he'd say to his kid if given the chance, he was coming up short now that he was face-to-face with the reality. “I missed you so much,” he managed to say, “And look how much you've grown!”
William reached out, holding his hands up in front of him, and Mulder's heart leapt. Glancing at Scully for permission, he slid his hands under his arms, lifting him to his chest and nuzzling him close.
“Oh, Scully,” he said, beginning to cry again, feeling the weight of William on his chest, real and tangible. “Sometimes I thought it was all a dream. But we have a son.”
It was hard to think of him out in the world, when he was hardly more than an idea. But now—he had face to put to the name, a personality to remember. He had a son.
She nodded, watching them with a watery smile. He pulled back just to look at him again, to memorize those chubby cheeks and the way he smelled. The precise shape of his eyes, their color, still the same as his mother's.
“I'm so glad we stayed here, Mulder,” Scully whispered. “To think I tried to talk you out of it...”
“Fate was working its magic, Scully,” he said, cutting her off. “This was meant to be.”
For the next hour, they played on the floor together, using Mulder's keys as a toy to hold William's attention. He was walking now, and took turns toddling between them, excitedly holding the TV remote in one hand and squealing when they praised him for successfully making it without tripping or falling.
For a while, they could almost forget this wasn't real. That they weren’t on borrowed time, already risking things they shouldn't be for this blissful moment of being a family.
Mulder got to see Scully as a mother. She saw him as a father. Finally, they had the chance to step into those roles, feeling fulfilled in ways they never could have imagined. It went far beyond any truth that once lay hidden in the X-Files. Nothing in that office of theirs could have given them purpose like this. Only each other, and the life that was formed out of the love that was sparked right there in the basement of the Hoover building so many years ago.
Mulder had always wondered how it would sound to hear the words “da da da” come from a child's mouth, and to know they meant him. Though his babbling wasn't intentional, merely a repetition of the same syllables “da” and “ma” over and over again, he was soaking it in. Committing it to memory. Praying—because only something like this could drive a man like him to prayer—that his son would think about him. Would think about his mother. That he'd grow to know and understand and appreciate the heartache they suffered at giving him away.
That maybe he'd love them too, despite never knowing them.
And maybe.
Maybe.
One day, they'd see each other again.
It was getting late. Scully could tell it was past William's bedtime. She laid him on their bed, and laid down beside him on her stomach, content just to look at him and be near him for however much time they had left.
Mulder joined her on the other side, resting a hand on top of William's gently rising and falling belly.
“I love him more than I ever knew was possible,” he whispered, and noticed as Scully wiped away a tear.
“It hurts, knowing we have to say goodbye.”
Mulder nodded, reaching a hand over William to rub circles on Scully's back.
“But not as much as it hurt before.”
Mulder remembered how Scully screamed, when he first found her in that dirty, abandoned house in Georgia.
“Don't take my baby. Please don't take my baby.”
It was different now.
This time, it was on their own terms. Their curiosities were satisfied, the things they always would have wondered about.
Who he resembled more. What his voice sounded like. His smile and his laugh when he was happy. The way he scrunched his face when he wasn't.
But above all else: would he be okay?
And now that they knew without a doubt that he was? They could let him go.
As much as any parent could let go of a piece of their soul, their own flesh and blood.
He would always be a part of them. They would always wish things could have gone differently. But at least now, Mulder had had a chance to say goodbye. At least Scully wasn't being forced to leave him with little warning, worrying that she was abandoning him to an unknown fate.
A blanket of peace fell over this humble, outdated hotel room. And for the last few minutes they would spend as parents together, Mulder and Scully counted themselves lucky. For this time was a gift, far more than they could have ever hoped to receive.
The same knock from earlier sounded, and a heavy feeling settled in Mulder's chest. He dragged himself away from the bed, while Scully lifted the sleeping William into her arms and held him close.
“How did he do?” their son's mother asked, looking perfectly at ease in a way that calmed and reassured him.
“Great,” Mulder answered. “He—He's perfect.”
The time had come. Scully knew it too. They'd already stayed longer than they should have. He knew there was a long night of driving through pitch darkness ahead of them, and he really, really didn't want to go.
But he had to do what was right for his son. That was all he ever wanted to do, as a father. He just didn't want to be the one to break Scully's heart all over again.
“I guess this is it,” Scully said, sounding calmer than he would have expected. He knew her, though, and he could see the emotions brewing beneath the surface.
It would be a tearful night for both of them.
“Thank you for taking care of him,” she said to William's new mom, stepping fatefully toward her. But before she could pass him over, she paused, looking down at him for the last time in her own arms. “William?” she spoke, her voice strained. “Mommy loves you.”
“Daddy loves you too, baby boy,” Mulder said, never having referred to himself as such before, but wanting to know how it felt.
He cupped the sleeping child's head, pressing a kiss to his cheek, and then another, not able to convince himself that each would be the last.
“I'm so sorry, William. Be good for your mom and dad, okay?”
Scully leaned against him, her strength beginning to wane.
“Goodbye,” she said, kissing him desperately all over, playing with his socked foot and each of his tiny fingers. “I want to believe I will see you again someday.”
As they passed him over, together this time, William's new parents smiled tearfully.
“If—If he suddenly gains an interest in Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster,” Mulder began in a worried, cautionary tone, “just buy him some picture books. He'll be okay.”
Though it easily could have been a joke, no one laughed. In fact, the man and woman nodded, taking his advice to heart. He felt better knowing their son would be accepted, no matter who he grew up to be. The child of the FBI's most unwanted was sure to be a bit of a loner.
“And tell him he'll grow into his nose. Sort of,” he added, this time eliciting a small smile from Scully.
“I promise, we'll tell him every day how loved he is,” the woman vowed. “I'm glad we met you.”
“I'd call it a God-given miracle,” the man said, and he reached out a hand to Mulder to shake. “Stay safe,” he said, then catching sight of Scully's necklace. “We'll be praying for you.”
She nodded, unable to speak.
Mulder's arms suddenly felt empty. He could see Scully felt the same, wrapping hers around her own torso just for something to hold. He enveloped her in an embrace, holding tight to keep both her and himself from chasing after them.
“Bye,” the woman said over her shoulder, her worried eyes unwilling to turn away from the sad couple they'd met. She gave a small, consoling smile, and lifted William's pudgy hand to wave goodbye.
Mulder and Scully waved half-heartedly in return, smiling as genuinely as they could, and watched as they disappeared through the door.
Once they were gone, Scully turned into Mulder's chest and held tight. His cheek rested on top of her head, and they swayed, silent but for the sound of the ocean nearby.
“We're gonna be okay,” Scully said at last. “Mulder—”
She looked up at him, meeting his eyes with sincerity and love.
“We're gonna be okay.”
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agent-troi · 1 month
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show your 4 favorite ships and let your mutuals assume what your concept of romance is
oooh this looks fun thanks for the tag @randomfoggytiger and @deathsbestgirl 🫶🏻🫶🏻
1. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, The X-Files
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2. Will Riker and Deanna Troi, Star Trek: The Next Generation
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3. Chakotay and Kathryn Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager
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4. Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, Star Trek: The Next Generation
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i guess the two main themes are unwavering devotion and mutual pining hehe
tagging @katy-kt-katie @tofuttim @welsharcher @keldabe-kriff @doctorbeverlycrusher @baronessblixen @cipher-fresh @eighthprincessofheart @ellivia @virtie333 @angrywarrior69 and whoever else wants to participate!
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eightnightsofmulder · 5 months
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Eight Nights of Mulder Master List
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The Pre Show: Featuring the Lovely Randomfoggytiger!
𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙶𝚘𝚕𝚍
Wherein Scully and Mulder ponder her necklace. by @randomfoggytiger
Fool's Gold by @numinousmysteries
A Ring and a Promise by @baronessblixen
Night 1: Gold by @agent-troi
Day One: Gold by @welsharcher
𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚎
His Heritage by @numinousmysteries
Wherein pre-Fire Scully attends a not-at-all Jewish wedding. by @randomfoggytiger    
Whatever The Future May Bring by @baronessblixen
Night 2: Heritage by @agent-troi
Day 2: Heritage by @welsharcher
𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙲𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗
Something To Celebrate by @numinousmysteries
 Family Principles by @baronessblixen
Night 3: Celebration by @agent-troi
Wherein Arthur Dales muddies the water post Agua Mala. by @randomfoggytiger
Day 3: Celebration by @welsharcher
𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙴𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
Six Days Until the End of the World by @numinousmysteries
Mulder's introspects post-Drive. (Part I) by @randomfoggytiger
And We Go On by @baronessblixen
Night 4: Endurance by @agent-troi
Day 4: Endurance by @welsharcher
𝙵𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚑 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙼𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜
Small Miracles by @baronessblixen
A Miracle, Perhaps by @numinousmysteries
Night 5: Miracles by @agent-troi
Day 5: Miracles by @welsharcher
Mulder includes Scully in his post-Drive thoughts. (Part II) by @randomfoggytiger
𝚂𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚑 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙳𝚛𝚎𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚕
All The Seeds by @numinousmysteries
Playing to Win by @baronessblixen
Perhaps a Part II to "Something Approaching a Normal Life".  by @randomfoggytiger
Night 6: Dreidel by @agent-troi
Day 6: Dreidel by @welsharcher
𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚑 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙿𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚎𝚜
Déjà Vu by @numinousmysteries
The Best Christmas Yet by @baronessblixen
Night 7: Potatoes by @agent-troi
Day 7: Potatoes by @welsharcher
Pre-S1 Mulder smells a blast from the past. by @randomfoggytiger
𝙴𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚑 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜
Paper Clip Mulder and Scully doing what they do best. by @randomfoggytiger
Look For The Light by @baronessblixen
B'Sha'ah Tovah by @numinousmysteries
Night 8: Lights by @agent-troi
Day 8: Lights by @welsharcher
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