Title: Great Expectations: 14 - Autobiography in Motion 
Author: Emily Sim
Rating: PG
Classification: V
Keywords: UST 
Spoilers: Per Manum
Disclaimer: Still don't own them and I always put them away dry 
after playing with them
Feedback to: xf_emily_sim@yahoo.ca
Beta Kudos: to xdks, Tali, Siggy, Any left over mistakes are 
mine.

Additional chapters available here: 
http://www.geocities.com/bellefleur1013/Great_Expectations_toc.ht
ml


**************

Mulder had never been so exhausted in his whole life. And he 
wasn't doing any of the hard work. He'd also never felt so 
incredibly helpless. Inadequate. Deficient. He ran a dampened 
cloth across Scully's forehead. Her eyes were closed and for the 
moment she was resting. Moment was the key word here - the 
moments were getting shorter and shorter, although it felt like 
years to him. 

She stirred and her blue eyes opened and focused on him. "Again."

Mulder braced himself for the squeeze of death. That was how he'd 
begun to think of this new strength she seemed to have acquired 
in her hands. She gripped his with both of hers and he was amazed 
to find his still attached to his arm when the contraction was 
over. 

He leaned in close. "Try and relax, Scully. Breathe through it." 

She grunted in response and squeezed harder. They had been at 
this for too many hours now and Mulder wasn't sure if she could 
take anymore. Hell, he wasn't sure if _he_ could take anymore. 
Things had calmed down somewhat since their frantic arrival 
several hours earlier with what appeared, to both men anyway, to 
be a medical emergency. Thankfully, it wasn't anything more than 
a sudden start to her labor.

The last two hours she had grown quieter, not having the energy 
to do more than lay back and close her eyes between contractions. 
He had an overwhelming urge to shove her over and tell her to 
relax, that he'd take over for a while. 

"Mulder?" 

"I'm right here, Scully." He flexed his fingers. 

"Make it stop."

"Oh, Scully, I wish I could, Sweetheart."

"I want to go home."

She tried to push herself up, hampered by the monitors attached 
to her stomach and the IV in her arm. Mulder attempted to settle 
her back down on her side. "Just a little longer, Scully."

"Again." He leaned in close hoping that speaking directly into 
her ear would help her focus on him and ride the contraction out. 
He gritted his teeth as her hand gripped his. God, she had a grip 
like a tire iron. 

Mulder was starting to get worried. Up until an hour or so ago 
the room had been Grand Central Station. Who knew the designation 
'teaching hospital' meant every medical intern and wannabe from 
Annapolis to Capitol Hill was going to come by and have a look. 
He'd seen more of Scully in the last few hours than he wanted to. 
And he'd shared those viewings with far too many other people. 
He'd finally corralled the nurse assigned to Scully and read her 
the riot act. Complete with badge waving. The badge hadn't 
impressed her much, but his slightly manic tone must have, 
because she cleared the room citing distress to mom and baby. 

It didn't help matters that he felt ill equipped to support her. 
He'd done some reading on Lamaze, but they never did get the time 
to watch the video and practice all the heeing and hawing that 
went along with it. And they weren't fooling any of the nursing 
staff; they kept looking at him like he'd let everyone down. He 
wanted to tell them it wasn't his fault the babies decided to 
come early. 

"Mr. Scully?" The nurse tapped him on the shoulder. 

"Mulder."

"I'm sorry?" She moved over to the machine that was silently 
keeping track of the babies' heart rates.

"Never mind." He flexed his fingers in a bid to get the blood 
flowing again. 

The nurse inspected the sheet of paper the monitor spat out, and 
her furrowed brow was causing Mulder no small amount of distress. 

"Dana?" The nurse moved closer. "I'm going to give you a little 
oxygen and move you onto your left side, okay?" 

"Mr. Scully --"

"Mulder."

"Pardon me?"

"My name is Mulder."

"I'm sorry. Mr. Mulder. If I could get you to help me turn her 
over," -- she gave him a smile he knew was meant to assure him -- 
"I'm going to go ahead and call Dana's doctor."

"What's wrong?" 

"Mulder?" Scully's speech was slow and quiet. "What's going on?"

"Just rest, Scully. I'm taking care of it."

"Don't worry, Dana, Mr. Mulder, it's just a precaution. Your 
doctor left instructions asking us to call if there was any 
change, no matter how small, and the heart rate of one of the 
babies has slowed a little."

"Mul -- " Another contraction left the sentence incomplete, and 
Mulder focused his attention on getting Scully through it while 
the nurse observed the monitor closely.

"Well?" Mulder addressed the nurse.

"That was a little better. Keep her on her left side; I'll just 
be a moment calling the doctor."

"Good." He pulled out his cell phone and was about to dial when a 
disapproving noise from the nurse stopped him. He'd forgotten. He 
turned his phone off and put it away, reaching for the one in the 
room instead. Maggie had come and gone and was waiting for a call 
from him to make her way back when things started progressing. He 
had a gut feeling he should get her back now.

"Fox?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Is everything okay? Is it time?"

"The nurse just left to call the doctor, one of the babies' heart 
rate dropped a little. She says it's nothing, but I don't know. 
Maybe you should head back soon."

"I'm sure everything is ok, Fox. I'm on my way. Let her know."

"Will do, Maggie." When he disconnected it was with a great sense 
of relief. He needed Maggie here as much as Scully did. He leaned 
close and her eyes fluttered opened lazily when he brushed a kiss 
over her cheek.

"Hmm?"

"Your mom's on her way."

"Good."

"Can I get you anything? Ice chips? Back rub? Music --"

"A house?" She appeared a little more alert. "Whatever possessed 
you to buy a _house_, Mulder?"

"Hormones?"

"Hormones, right. That's my line." 

"Don't worry about it right now, just rest while you can." 

"_You_ try resting. I just want -- oh -- Mul --" The words bled 
into a long gasp and an alarm sounded from the fetal monitor. She 
grabbed one of his hands in a mad scrabble as her face contorted 
in pain and she attempted to fold herself over. He watched the 
color drain from her face.

Grabbing the call button, he pressed it frantically, but it 
wasn't needed. The alarm had apparently summoned the troops and 
the room went from a quiet place for the two of them to await the 
arrival of their babies, to what appeared to be a madhouse of 
doctors, nurses and equipment. He was unceremoniously shoved 
aside as the entourage surrounded the bed.

It was a blur of activity. A doctor he'd never seen before 
approached him, the read out from the monitor in his hand. "Are 
you the Dad?"

Mulder nodded, his attempts to speak catching in his throat. 

A gentle, but firm hand on his shoulder helped Mulder focus his 
attention on the doctor addressing him. "I know this is a little 
overwhelming. Lizzie, the delivery nurse assigned to your wife, 
is calling her doctor, but we'd like to go ahead and prep for a 
section. The babies' heart rates have both dropped, indicating 
some distress."

Mulder may have been used to job pressure and the strain it 
brought, but it was no help when watching someone you love in a 
medical crisis. Scully was obscured by the melee of doctors and 
nurses and what he needed more than anything was to know that she 
would be okay, that the babies would be delivered healthy. Labour 
and delivery hadn't been a hot topic between them and he was 
afraid he was responsible for her early delivery with the way 
he'd handled the house issue.

"Are you sure?" Mulder met the doctor's eyes, pleading for 
reassurance.

"We need to get those babies out."  

"Okay."

The doctor's response was immediate. Afterwards Mulder couldn't 
recall the exact sequence of events, nor who pushed him towards 
the washroom with a set of green scrubs to change into, but the 
arrival of Scully's doctor as they were wheeling her out of the 
room was exactly what he needed. His familiarity with both of 
them, and Scully's implicit trust in him, reassured him that he 
was making the right decision when the doctor added his nod of 
assent to the procedure. 

Within moments, Mulder found himself in a small room outside the 
operating theatre, waiting for the nurse to take him to the scrub 
area so he would be allowed in.

******************
 
A nurse led Mulder from the scrub area to the operating theatre, 
pausing just outside the door. "Did you get a chance to do any 
reading with regard to the procedure?"

"No, she still had a couple of weeks to go." 

"Dr. Marks ordered a spinal, so your wife will be conscious 
throughout the procedure, but she won't feel any pain. You will 
be allowed to sit with her, but we ask that you stay in the area 
indicated. Any questions?"

"None." He was itching to get inside the room and his impatience 
must have shown.  

"Follow me, then." She led him into the operating theatre and to 
the head of the table where a stool was set up beside Scully. 

It was a surreal moment for Mulder. The bright lights were a 
sharp contrast to the low mood lighting they'd enjoyed in the 
birthing suite. And all the green -- from the matching outfits 
the doctors and nurses wore to the elaborate drapery surrounding 
his partner -- it was everywhere. 

"Dad, if you'd sit right there." The nurse who had led him in 
gave him a nudge.

He was happy to oblige. He wasn't squeamish, but he wasn't 
exactly eager to watch them slice her open. He was glad to find 
Scully alert when he slipped onto the stool. "Hey, Scully, we 
match." He pulled at the surgical cap he wore, a duplicate of the 
one covering her auburn locks.

"What's happening, Mulder?" He could hear the underlying concern 
in her voice. Everything about this pregnancy had been difficult 
for her, and he knew the hardest part of all was the loss of 
control she felt. 

"Hey," he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the cheek, "I 
recognize Dr. Marks in that mass of green fashion catastrophe so 
it can't all be bad. At least we're not stuck with Large Marge." 
The reference to the moniker they'd chosen for one of the least 
liked doctors in the HMO group garnered him a light laugh.

"Can you see anything yet?"

He ignored her question. There was a limit to what he'd do for 
her, and peeking over the screen was stretching that devotion. 
"Are you sure you can't feel anything?" 

"Dana," -- the doctor addressed her over the screen that 
separated them -- "I'm almost ready to deliver the first baby. 
You shouldn't feel anything more than some pressure."

"I can't really feel it, but whatever they're doing feels like -- 
it's a strange sensation. I don't know how to describe it. Oh 
God, what are they doing down there? It feels like they're 
pulling my insides out."

Mulder gripped her hand and leaned closer in a bid to distract 
her. "What do you think? Boys? Girls? Reticulans?" 

"The way they kick -- oh damn -- what was --"

"Scully?"

"Here we go. Ready or not." The doctor's voice was cheerful. "The 
first one's a girl."

A wrinkled infant was briefly held above the screen and then 
promptly handed to one of the waiting nurses. It was another 
surreal moment in a day full of them. Mulder was trying to 
process what he had just seen when the doctor held up another 
infant, this one squalling, but equally streaked red and white. 
Blood and -- vernix pushed at his conscious. The white stuff was 
vernix. He thought he glimpsed hair of some sort, but the baby 
was whisked away too quickly for him to be sure.

"A matching pair. Congratulations, mom and dad, you've got two 
beautiful daughters." The doctor's smile, hidden behind a green 
mask, was reflected in his eyes. 

Scully attempted to reach up and touch Mulder's face but was 
stopped by the straps holding her to the operating table. "You're 
crying, Mulder." 
 
A lone tear dropped onto her cheek as he leaned forward to kiss 
her. "Thank you."

"Go make sure they're okay. Please?"

"Okay." He patted her hand and, as he stood up, was met by one of 
the nurses.

"Dad?" She touched him gently and indicated he could move over to 
where the babies were being examined. She then stepped in to take 
his place at Scully's head, while the doctors finished the 
procedure. He pointedly looked the other way as he crossed the 
short distance to the isolates that housed the infants.

It was scary, all the wires and tubes surrounding them. They both 
had oxygen masks obscuring their tiny faces, and the nurses were 
too busy calling out numbers and making notes to take much notice 
of him. He cleared his throat, reluctant to interrupt, especially 
if diverting their attention would compromise the care the babies 
needed. At the same time, he needed to know that everything was 
okay.   

"Here's your daddy now." One of the nurses stepped away to 
address him. "I know it's overwhelming at first. They're a little 
on the small side, but quite a good size for twins. The first one 
born weighed 5 lbs 4 oz. She's 19 inches long."
 
"She's okay?" He pointed to the mask. 

"She needed some help to get started breathing, but that's not 
unusual. Both babies will probably overnight in the neonatal unit 
as a precaution. The oxygen you see both of them receiving is due 

to the deceleration - that's the drop in the heart rate - just 
before they were delivered. Her sister came in at 5 lbs 6 oz, and 
just under 19 inches long. She's the one you heard crying. 
They're fraternal rather than identical twins.  I can let you 
hold them in just a minute. Tanya is just finishing up the second 
APGAR score." 

One of the nurses, who he assumed was Tanya, spoke up. "Baby 
number two is ready."

Mulder was pulled closer and a tiny bundle wrapped in pink, her 
face still obscured by the oxygen mask, was gently settled into 
his arms. It was such an overwhelming feeling, he wasn't sure he 
could even identify what it was. Bliss? Joy? It went well beyond 
happiness and he felt like he was bursting with it. He brought 
the infant up close and inhaled her scent. It was unlike anything 
he'd ever smelled or experienced. 

A chair was shoved under him and a nurse propped a pillow under 
his arms, helping him settle the second infant against him. He 
was crying unashamedly, his arms and his heart full. 

"If you'd like, I can carry one over so your wife can see both at 
the same time. She seems anxious to see them. Then we need to 
take a third APGAR reading and have the specialist take a look."

Mulder nodded his assent, reluctantly letting her take one of 
babies. Scully had indeed been anxious. In the background he'd 
twice heard the doctor and a nurse admonish her to stay put. The 
nurse removed the masks which, it turned out, weren't strapped on 
but had been more or less sitting loosely in front of their 
faces, before leading Mulder over to where Scully was still being 
attended to.

"Here comes your new family, Dana." The nurse sitting on the 
stool vacated by Mulder stepped aside and allowed him to come 
closer with the first infant. 

Scully's eyes were wet with tears. "Can you bring her closer?"

"They're beautiful, Scully." 

"Abigail." She softly kissed the baby's forehead. "It means joy."

"Okay. Abigail it is. But we have a matched set here, Scully." He 
stepped back so that the nurse with Abigail's twin could move 
closer.

"Just a minute or so longer, mom and dad. We need to take care of 
some things. Here's your mommy, little one."

The nurse held the infant close enough that Scully could give the 
second baby a kiss as well. "You can name this one, okay?" 

"Amanda." He said it without hesitation. "Abigail and Amanda 
Mulder."

"Mulder?" Her brow furrowed, but the nurse holding the newly 
named Amanda interrupted before she could say more. 

"Time to get the babies back." She led Mulder to the waiting 
nurses where both babies were settled back into the isolates.

A doctor had joined the three nurses and reached out to shake 
Mulder's hand. "Congratulations, dad, I'm Dr. Wheaton. I'll be 
taking care of your girls while they're staying in the neonatal 
unit. Charlotte here will show you where the unit is and let you 
know all the procedural ins and outs. You can meet us up there in 
fifteen minutes or so."

"What about Sc -- Dana?" 

"If you go with Charlotte, she'll fill you in on everything you 
need to know."
 
"Okay." Mulder stepped back to where his partner lay. "They're 
kicking me out now, Scully."

"I can't take you anywhere."

"Just rest for a bit, while you can. I'll make sure everything's 
okay."

"I think I will." She closed her eyes. "Thanks."

This time the kiss he gave her landed squarely on her lips, but 
he wasn't sure if she was awake enough to realize it. He followed 
the nurse out of the operating theatre, anxious to make sure his 
girls were taken care of.

_His_ girls. Oh my God. He was a father. A daddy to two tiny 
girls. Whom he had to protect from guys like - shit. Like him. 
Mulder wiped his face and groaned, hoping like crazy that the 
poets were right and love would be enough. And big locks way up 
high that only he had the keys to. Suddenly the Lone Gunmen 
didn't seem so paranoid, and their security system didn't seem so 
silly. Frohike would think of something that worked. He relaxed. 
He had a few years yet. Lots of time for the Gunmen to come up 
with something.

It then occurred to him that these two little angels were 
Mulders. God, he needed to get the boys on it now.

*****************