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Had Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully ever expected to be a mother? Yes. When she was a child, she had thoroughly imagined it. However… life happened. And in more than one way. So she put the dream away. For good.
But now here was William, her perfect baby boy, and almost an entire year old. Scully loved her son fiercely. Did it escape her attention that the boy was odd, peculiar, maybe probably even extra-terrestrial? No. The innumerable odd events concerning him while he had been in utero were certainly more than enough.
Still, William was a baby. Just what did that mean? Even periodically? Babysitting.
Last time? The Gunmen had undertaken the task. Scully desperately needed to catch up on grading school papers. That part of the evening went well for her. But… not so much for her friends. William had had an exploding diaper. There was also a small stove fire at the journalists’ HQ. Were the two events related? No. But Scully did arrive to the building at the same time as the fire department. So that was fantastic. On the other hand… Melvin Frohike now knew that he was vastly allergic to shellfish. A lesson had been learned that night. Depending on whose version of events was received.
Now time for the present…
Scully had to catch up on errands. It really would be easier to do it alone. Unfortunately, her mother was off antiquing with friends in Raleigh. The Gunmen had go to Atlantic City. But Scully knew it’d be awhile before she asked them about babysitting again. So who did that leave this time? None other than Monica J. Reyes. The woman was also quite ecstatic.
“Hey.” Monica picked William up from there he had plunked himself at her feet. “I’ve got this. Go. I have looked after William before.”
“Yeah.” Scully slung her purse over her shoulder. “It’s one very pleasant Saturday and my only task is just buying enough groceries to last for the rest of the week.”
“Well,” Monica’s heart fluttered when William chose that moment to hug her. “Don’t shoot the messenger, but I believe you also said something about going to the post office to send off your bills? And to mail a birthday card to Aunt Olive. Right? Would she be the aunt that was friends with ‘Sister Spooky,’ the schoolteacher nun?”
“Mm-mm.” Scully breathed a sigh of relief when she double-checked the front pocket of her purse to see that the post-related items had already been tucked there beside her car keys. “That was Aunt Isabella. She was best friends with Sister Spooky. Because of that? I knew her for my entire life until she passed away. But she was also my geography teacher. I’ll never forget the capital of Brazil, though. Or China. Knowing Sister Spooky also made holiday dinners in the states just wild.”
Chuckling, Monica said, “I’ll bet. And Sister Spooky’s actual name was actually Sister Callahan. Right?”
“Yeah. First name of Scholastica.” now Scully studied her friend. “I only told you about during that long ride to Georgia. You still remember?”
“I do.” Monica shrugged. “What side of the family did Aunt Isabella belong to? I also remember she is no longer with us because you left for her funeral not long after I arrived to the basement unit. Indulge me. Please.”
“Aunt Isabella was my dad’s twin sister and she was a whopping five minutes older than him. But she also fully believed in the whole thing about children being seen and not heard. I guess that’s part of why she was an actual spinster.” Scully recalled. “However… It was a long day when five-year-old me learned at a family reunion that the aunt you’re not fond of has the same birthday as the father you truly worship because they were fraternal.”
Monica marveled, “Wow. That’s amazing. My siblings and I went to a boarding school just outside Mexico City. But I can promise you that my adoptive parents made sure the place wasn't run by nuns. Thank God.”
But Scully blurted, “You’re adopted?”
Monica nodded. “Yeah. I’m from Texas and was raised by a couple in Mexico. That’s rather a tale. None of it is a secret, but it just really doesn’t come up every day. No idea who my biological parents are. And you know? I’m fine. My adoptive parents are called Guillermo and Margarita.”
“Wait.” Scully said in surprise. “Guillermo and Margarita? Those are the Spanish versions of my parents’ names…”
“Correct.” said Monica. “But if Aunt Isabella was your father’s twin, I suppose that means that Aunt Olive is the big sister of your mother?”
“Gold star.” Scully praised. “Aunt Olive really is as kind as can be, and she’d come visit us no matter where we were stationed. But now? She’s a little batty and has a fading memory.”
“Uh-oh.” Monica winced. “How’s that?”
“She’s got Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s.” lamented Scully. “I visit her all the time. She would also really light up when I was pregnant because it seemed to be the one outside constant that she could keep track of. Her birthday is next week. Now she lives at a care home near my mom’s house in Baltimore.”
“Well,” Monica said. “That’s excellent that she isn’t terribly far. Would popping a card in the mail today be an extra measure if you and William can’t get there on the day-of?”
“Mhm.” Scully zipped up her coat and shut her purse. “You also mentioned that John will come by…?”
“Perhaps in about forty-five minutes.” Monica told her friend. “He has to drop off a book he borrowed.”
Voicing amusement while she slipped on her shoes now, Scully asked, “Just what reading material could you and he meet in the middle on. For fun?”
Monica said coolly, “Frank Herbert’s Dune.”
“Wow.” Scully felt impressed. “Not bad. Any last questions?”
Monica turned apprehensive. “The fire department didn’t really show up for William’s last babysitting adventure. Did they?”
If anything, Scully felt amused. She had been through a lot with each of The Lone Gunmen during these past years. All of them were even amongst the best people she’d ever known in her life. Naming them as William’s godfathers? Definitely a no-brainer. But asking them to babysit? Well… it’d probably be awhile before that happened again. The one silver lining? Scully had caught up on what needed to be completed.
Then came the call from Byers about the diaper disaster he reported as having been rectified. Scully could only pretend she hadn’t heard Langly fussing at Frohike in the background, saying that having a commercial-grade fire extinguisher out was not a sign of obnoxiousness but caution. Better to safe than sorry. Right?
Scully found each of hers huddled together outside their building. William was in Byers’ arms. Beside them? Langly looked exasperated, even though he still had the fire extinguisher in hand. Frohike had the good sense to look sheepish. And Byers looked like he just wanted to disown the other members of his trio. For now. But William? The boy just grew ecstatic at the sight of his mother.
Frohike sputtered, “I can explain.”
Scully hoped so. Glaringly present? Firetrucks.
“Yeah.” Scully sighed. “There were actually two firetrucks. My life has just not been quiet since the morning I first knocked on Mulder’s door.”
“Hm. I hope you can tell me about that day some time.” now Monica opened the front door now. “There’s really nothing like a firsthand account.”
Heeding the hint, Scully said, “Anyway… I’ll just be gone an hour. At best. Okay?”
Monica bobbed head. “See you then.”
William didn’t fuss when his mother left. Although that was only because he emitted a sigh much bigger than himself.
“Wow.” Monica closed the door as she looked to her tiny charge. “Baby boy, it isn’t nap time. Just what are you up to?”
The little boy just sighed again before curling up against his caregiver. At the most… William Scully III was plotting. Just about anything was possible when he was around.
Eventually…
Doggett made it over to Scully’s apartment after finishing the last of his more drab Saturday errands. Final stop? Returning Monica’s copy of Dune. Truthfully, Monica didn’t live too far from him. But she was in closer-than-usual proximity today because she was minding William. And it was lucky that Doggett had to go through Scully’s Georgetown-central neighborhood to get to the takeout place he would order food from before heading home to catch sports highlights on television. Stopping off to drop off a book first? That’d be a cakewalk. Surely.
When he knocked on the door of Number 35 at 3170 West 53rd Road, Monica bade him enter. Doggett followed through. Even closed the door.
“Hey.” Doggett began. “I… Monica, what…?”
The lady was as breathtakingly beautiful as always. Even in her casual off-the-clock wear. But now Monica stood atop one of Dana Scully’s dining chairs. Most of all? She was childless.
“Am I saying the boy has anything like super-speed? No. That’s preposterous. Even for me.” but now Monica bore the air of someone trying to convince themselves they weren’t a lunatic. “I know that William is a tad peculiar… but for someone who’s nearly a year…”
“Great.” Doggett sighed. “What did you do?”
“I completely cleaned William up of a wicked exploding diaper up after I fed him, and then we disposed of the beyond-savable clothing in the hallway chute, cleaned up the food mess in here. Then? I put him down...”
But Monica sounded both defeated and amused. While always down for a challenge, the current situation was most certainly not something she’d even dreamed of anticipating before. At all. Why was her life around the Scullys never quiet?
Now sighing, Doggett said, “William’s running around here in ‘super charge’ mode. Isn’t he? But does he at least have new clothes on? And a fresh diaper?”
“Yeah. And thank God.” Monica said with relief as they heard William’s giggles elsewhere in the dwelling. “Our tiny friend just really loves yam purée.”
“Monica,” Doggett said suddenly. “Look.”
She followed his gaze. While William had yet to return to the front of the apartment, his giggles were very loud. Cherry on top? Some of the living room had begun levitating. Because why not?
Meanwhile…
Scully was feeling pleased with herself. All of the out-of-home chores were done, and at the grocery store, she’d even been able to stock up on William’s favorite purée of yam. They were nearly out. William always grew more lively after consuming that particular vegetable because he really did love them. And even though Scully didn’t understand it, she knew it meant that they were past his over-exaggerated but comical dislike of spinach. Thank heavens for that.
Scully also felt amused. She’d managed to get all of her groceries from her car, all in one go. How? By way of push cart. Dear Aunt Olive, on one of her better days, had sent her a new one. As a ‘just because’ present. The thing really came in handy, especially on a day like today. She was filled with apprehension for some reason. And she couldn’t say why.
But Scully schooled herself when she noticed that Doggett’s car was parked neatly in the visitor parking lot aside Monica’s truck. He was a good man in a storm. Usually.
However… Scully could only sigh in exasperation when she entered her home to find both of her visitors now standing atop her dining room chairs, exactly like they felt worried about something. What was more? Some of her bigger furniture pieces in the living room were… levitating? Had Scully not seen so many extraordinary things in the past before, knowing that her not-immediately-visible offspring was making things float again, was but a secondary concern. The first? Getting to the bottom of why both of her friends were acting as if they’d seen vermin.
“You guys, what the hell?” Scully closed the door and moved her cart out of the way. “I was only gone for an hour. Come on. I know it’s been awhile since that artifact incident, but where is my boy?”
Her companions pointed a spot near Scully, chiming as one, “There.”
Scully followed their gaze. William came to a perfect perch on the back of the sofa, easy as pie. But he’d worn himself out. And William was really having a yawn.
Doggett said to Scully as he disembarked from his perch, “Did the fire department really come around when William was last babysat?”
Nodding, Scully said, “Uh-huh.”
“See? Told you.” Monica said to Doggett as he helped her down from her own perch before turning her attention to their host again. “Dana? I can explain…”
“Good.” Scully picked her son up from the sofa. “Both of you are staying for lunch. Okay? I’m ordering pizza. But I really wish to know exactly why I came home to the sight I did because I was only gone for an hour!”