"Interlude for Family" Lone Gunmen Headquarters Wednesday, June 21st, 2000. I pull the phone away from my head long enough to yell at Byers and Frohike. "Hey, is it cool with you guys if Angela spends this weekend here?" I'm sure I can hear the gears grinding in their heads. Finally, Frohike calls back from the back workroom, "Yeah, okay." Awesome. "They're okay with it. See ya Friday night," I say into the phone before I hang up. I walk down the hall to where the guys are messing with some files Agent Scully left with us. "Thanks, guys. It's just until Sunday afternoon, like usual." Byers waves me off. "Don't worry about it. You know she's always welcome here." "Yeah, as long as you guys keep it down," Frohike adds. "Last time she was here none of us got much sleep." Oh, yeah. I try not to giggle. "I can't promise you anything, but I'll do my best." Man, my roommates rock! ******************* Friday, June 23rd, 2000 6:15pm "Daddee! Daddee!" Angela is really excited to see us. Frohike barely has time to open the door before the tiny ball of blond energy comes hurling toward me. "Hiya sweetie!" I say as I squat down to greet her. Then, "Oof!" She slams herself into my chest and wraps her little arms around my neck. I have no choice but to pick her up so I can stand to talk to my ex-girlfriend. "Hi, Kate. How's everything?" I say to her. We had only dated for a few months, and didn't find out about little Angie until after we'd broken up. But we're still friends; that's why she has no problem leaving our daughter with us guys when she has business out of town. "Things are good," Kate replies. "Just some meetings in Atlanta; some corporate take-over of a smaller gaming company, the usual." "Sounds like fun. How's Angie been?" "She's been really good. She's mostly potty-trained, but you know...still have to keep an eye on her." "Right. Well, I think we can handle it," I look at my friends for backup. They nod enthusiastically. They love Angie almost as much as me. Kate smiles and shakes her head at us. "Well, at least I know she'll be safe with you guys in your bomb shelter here." She unslings the black athletic bag from her shoulder and lets it drop on the floor. "Here's what she'll need for the weekend. I assume you people still eat like frat boys, so I included some healthier food for her." I turn in time to see Byers blush at her motherly tone. Guess it's my turn to defend us. "Actually, Frohike's getting to be a really good cook." "Yeah, right," Kate counters. "Anyway, I gotta run, train leaves in about an hour. I'll see you guys on Sunday," she tells us. She leans in to plant a kiss on Angie's forehead before turning to leave. "Bye, guys," she says as Frohike opens the door for her. "Bye, Kate," chorus the three of us. "All right, munchkin, down you go," I tell Angie as I lower her to the floor and hold her steady for a moment to make sure she stays on her feet. She's almost four now; two more months. And man, is she getting heavy! She stands there for a few seconds, not sure what to do. Then she spots Byers and a big grin busts out on her pale little face. "Jahee!" she cries as she hurls herself toward him. I guess she's trying to call him "Johnnie" but missed some consonants. Whatever, Byers is more than happy to let her call him whatever she wants. Before he knows what hit him she's wrapped around his legs, and he has to grab the edge of the table to keep from losing his balance. "Easy, kiddo!" he laughs as he pries her off his leg and picks her up. He carries her toward the chair in front of his computer and sits down, maneuvering her so she's sitting on his lap facing us. Now they are both looking at Frohike and me. "So, what now?" Frohike asks us. Hmm, good question. It's been a while since she's stayed with us; nearly seven months. Her other visits she spent most of the time sleeping or doing other normal toddler things. But now, she's full of energy, ready to explode. "Well, let's see what Kate left with her," I say as I start rummaging around in the bag. Clothes, training pants (yikes, but still better than the diapers), various packages of toddler munchies. Ah ha... "Here we go," I find something promising. It's a computer game. Figures; Kate works on games, and tests them out on the kid. I look up to see Frohike raise his eyebrows in amusement. "Don't look at me," he says. "You're the one who dates your own kind." Sighing, I climb to my feet and head over to where Byers is still sitting with Angie, apparently having an in-depth conversation with her about how the CIA is behind all the annoying educational shows on PBS. "Byers, wait until she's a little older before you start messing with her mind," I cut him off, then hand him the CD. "Here, see if she knows what to do with this." He looks at the case, then gives me a wary look. "And you think I'm warping her mind," he mumbles as he adjusts their position to face the monitor. Apparently, she does know what to do with it. I'm not sure who she gets the computer knowledge from, me or her mother, but she's pretty good for someone who's not even four years old yet. The rest of the night was spent like a usual night at our place, with the exception of cleaner language and more kid-friendly movie viewing. We ordered a pizza, and the other guys got a good laugh watching me try to get Angie to eat it without making too much of a mess. Let's just say she needed a bath after dinner, and I needed to change my shirt.... and jeans...and shoes. Anyway, by the time I got both of us cleaned up, it was almost eleven. When I come back into the office after changing I see Angie is close to passing out in Byers' lap. He smiles up at me, and I reach down and scoop her up into my arms. She's so tired, she doesn't even care who's holding her, she just clings to me and burrows into my shoulder. "Looks like she decided it's bedtime," I say quietly. Byers and Frohike just smile and nod, which is what they usually do most of the time Angie is around. "I'll see you guys in the morning; I'm sure she'll wake us up early enough." The guys say goodnight, and I carry Angie back to my room. Since she's not around very often, I never bothered to set up any place for her to sleep; she just sleeps with me. Trying not to jostle her too much, I stretch out flat on my bed and pull her up so she's laying on my chest. Her head rests heavily on my breastbone; man, she IS heavy. But it's okay. It's a good heavy. I can't get to sleep this early, never have. I stay awake for a couple of hours and just enjoy the company of my daughter. I feel her shallow breathing against me, her heart beating like a rabbit's. Absently, I stroke her wispy blond hair (courtesy of moi) and listen to the sound of her sleep. I close my eyes; her warmth seeps into me, so soft, comfortable. I can't remember the last time I was that trusting, feeling so safe. I don't know when I fell asleep. ******************** Saturday, 3:20pm Frohike opens the door for Byers, Angie and I when we get back from our day out. We spent the past few hours playing in the public park down the street. I even managed to talk Byers into wearing a pair of Dockers and a sweater, practically naked for him. By the time we get back home I'm having to carry Angie; we wore her out letting her chase us in the park. She's practically asleep in my arms, leaning most of her weight against my chest and burrowing her face into my t-shirt. I can tell it's nap time. I opt to lay on the couch that's in the corner of the office, so I can still listen to the guys. We're working on some files for Scully; it's been a month since Mulder's been gone, and she's still working harder than ever to find him. We all know where he went, but we can't just sit back and let him simply be gone. We have to keep ourselves busy, distract ourselves trying to find him. And with Scully's pregnancy...that just makes us worry about her more. Frohike interrupts my thoughts. "Scully called while you guys were gone; she's coming over around four-thirty to check on what we've got." He doesn't need to add that we've got nothing. "Okay," I reply, laying my head back and holding onto Angie so she stays on my chest. ********************** 4:36pm I can hear the locks turning as I wait for Frohike to let me in. He opens the door and smiles at me warmly. "Come in, Agent Scully." I smile back and brush past him as he closes the door behind me. It seems unusually quiet in here... Byers smiles at me as I enter the main office area, but doesn't say anything. This is getting weird... Frohike comes up behind me and indicates for me to sit down in one of the chairs at the workstation. Before I can start talking he holds up his hand to stop me. "Hold that thought; I've gotta go wake the kids," he says softly, and turns away. "What? Frohike, what do you mean, kids?" I ask him. I'm stunned. He looks back at me and gives me another one of those warm smiles. Then he waves for me to follow. I do; I'm curious now. I duck around the corner of a bookshelf and stop dead in my tracks at the scene in front of me. It's Langly; he's sprawled on the couch, obviously asleep, with a tiny little girl draped across his chest. I can't speak. I look at Frohike; obviously my face gives away my surprise nicely so I don't have to say anything. He reaches down and shakes the leg Langly has dangling over the arm of the couch. *********************** I don't remember falling asleep, but obviously I did because the next thing I know someone's tugging on my leg. I open my eyes; it's Frohike, with Agent Scully next to him, apparently in shock. I try to say hi, but only manage an inarticulate grunt. That's good enough for Frohike; he laughs and reaches down to get the dead weight off my chest so I can breath again. "I'll take care of her; you and Byers can go over the files with Scully," Frohike tells me. I nod and try to stand up. I discover rather suddenly that Angie had been sleeping on my left arm and now I have no feeling in it. Unfortunately, I don't realize this until I try to support myself with it and fall back onto the couch. Scully reaches down to give me a hand up. "Thanks," I finally manage to sound awake. She is looking between Frohike (holding the now-stirring Angie), and me, giving us a face that indicates that she thinks we've lost our minds. It takes me a moment to realize that she has never even heard about my daughter, let alone met her. "Oh! Scully, sorry. I totally forgot; this is Angela, my daughter. She's visiting for the weekend," I rattle on, hoping I don't sound too stupid. Scully's eyes just get wider, and she looks at Angie again. "You have a daughter??" she croaks out. I try not to sound too insulted. "Yeah, she lives with her mother, my ex-girlfriend, in Arlington." Frohike motions to me that he's going to get Angie taken care of; all those post-nap little kid things. I lean across and brush my lips against Angie's soft hair, and nod for him to go ahead. I take Scully's arm and pull her with me back to my computer. I think she's recovered from her initial confusion. I smile at her, and she smiles back, a sweet, understanding smile I've never gotten from her before. After showing her our lack of results on the information she asked for, I continue to surf around for a few minutes, lost in thought. I glance up to see Scully looking at me strangely; when I catch her eye she blushes. "You okay, Scully?" I ask for the millionth time in the past month. She jumps; I guess she wasn't expecting me to say anything. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She pauses. I wait for her to continue. "It's just...well, I never saw you as a father before," she tells me softly. Ah, so that's it. I smile. "Yeah, it's hard to believe sometimes. But, there she is...you know?" She nods, understanding. She looks down at the table, then back up at me. Her eyes are damp; she smiles sadly. I have a feeling I know what she's thinking about, but I don't want to push her into the same painful conversation. But she does speak. "Well, at least now I know who to ask for help when this one comes," she places her hand on her abdomen. "Scully, you've always known we'll be here for you, no matter what happens," I tell her reassuringly. "Yeah, I guess I do," she says. Frohike finally returns with an alert and restless Angie. He plunks her into my lap. "Here, she's all yours. I'm sure she's hungry by now; I'll get her something to eat," he says, then heads for the kitchen. I twist Angie around so she faces Scully. "Now, for some formal introductions. Scully, this is Angela Langly Adams. Angie, say hi to Agent Scully." Angie presses her head back against me and tries to hide in my shirt. Scully actually giggles. "Looks like she's shy," she tells me. I wrap my arm around Angie and hold her tight. "Don't worry, if she can get used to Frohike, I'm sure she'll be fine with you after a while." And she does. Within ten minutes Angie lets Scully hold her in her lap, and the rest of us watch, fascinated. Her maternal instincts are running rampant, and Angie is loving every minute of it. Finally, Scully tells us she has to go, albeit reluctantly. She hands Angie back over to me and follows Frohike to the door, calling goodbye before she disappears. Byers, Frohike, and I all look at each other, and know we are thinking the same thing. Man, Mulder better come back before Scully has that baby. **************************** Sunday, 1:42pm "Okay, sweetie, time to go home," Kate stands up to leave. She picks Angie up, resting the little girl's bottom against her own hip. Langly offers to help her carry the stuff out to the car, but Kate waves him off. "It's okay, I've got it." She turns to face all of us. "Thanks again for taking care of her, guys." "She's welcome here, anytime," I say to her, mostly out of habit. I motion to Byers to follow me down the hall, and he understands. We let Langly say goodbye to his daughter in private. When I hear the locks being bolted, I know it's okay to come back to the office. I take one look at Langly and my heart nearly stops in sympathy. He's trying so hard not to cry. I go to him and embrace him tightly, and give him as long as he needs to compose himself. This happens almost every time he has to see his daughter leave. When he finally pulls away, he smiles at me gratefully. I recognize that look in his eyes; yup, definitely in love. He's fallen hard for that little girl of his. ********************************* The end.