Like a Valentine

Part Seven

"Anybody miss me?"
His voice is soft and sleepy down the line. He misses the shit out of them, that's for sure. Scully and Emily remained back in Virginia while Mulder lies alone on top of the comforter of a lumpy motel bed somewhere in Tennessee. Again, running after his ghosts. Since the case was only one sent through tip email from the three stooges- The Lone Gunmen- he took off alone. Scully's been cutting back on her fieldwork as of late. He doesn't blame her one bit. Hell, even he turned down a possible sighting of Nessie two weeks ago. Whether he'd like to admit it or not, he's changing. Not because he feels he has to to keep the other side of the bed occupied, but because there's a little girl in the mix that he loves so damn much it hurts.
"Is she asleep?"
Scully hums, he can sense her warm smile. "We're trying."
"Can I talk to her real fast?"
He hears Scully pull the phone away from her face and call out for Emily.
"Mulder!!!" She's just as exuberant as the moment he'd left her.
"Mulder when are you coming home?"
Home. His heart palpitates.
"Soon, kiddo. Very soon."
"Are you gonna bring me and mommy back gifts?"
"Emily—" Scully scorns, but not too hard.
"Of course!" Mulder chimes in. How could he not? He'd spent most of the day in little gas station gift shops anyway.
"I miss you, Mulder."
"I miss you too, bug. Listen, I want you to go to bed and get some good sleep."
"How many sleeps until you're home, Mulder?"
"Two sleeps."
"Okay......" He can hear her tone fall off the edge.
"Hey. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? And when I get back...maybe we convince mom to take us to the Aquarium again?"
Scully's grinning from ear to ear. Something about Mulder referring to her as mom, and Emily as bug warmed every fiber of her entire being.
"OKAY! AND THEN ICE CREAM!"
"—Yes. And then Ice cream. Okay, go to bed. I–"
"Love you!" She finishes his sentence before the tip of his tongue can even reach the back of his teeth for the L sound.
"I love you too. Put your mom back on the phone."
He hears the sound of Scully taking the phone back, kissing her daughter and telling her to do as she was told.
"You there?" She asks, sinking down into the mattress.
"I am. But I wish I were there with you." His voice took a dive, plunging into something so very low ... husk even.
"She said she loves you..."
"She did." He's grinning so damn much.
"Guess that makes two of us, huh?"
"Guess that makes me the luckiest son of a bitch in the entire world."
"Mulder?"
"Scully?"
"Please do hurry home."
"Home... I get to call your place home now?"
Silence.
"If you'd like."
Silence.
"I think I would....but I have conditions."
Scully giggles, throwing her hand up over her mouth,
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"My fish get to move in too."
"Deal. I think Emmy would really like that..."
"I love her so much, Scully."
"I do too."
They're both getting pretty tired now. Each silence between growing just a little longer.
"Scully, you there?"
"Mmm...you should get some rest, Mulder."
He laughs. She always says that.
"I think you should get some rest too, Scully."
"Oh hey, Scully?"
"Yeah, Mulder?"
"I love you too."
"And I love you back, Mulder...and just so you know...if you've already named your fish...prepare for Emily to rename them."
He smiles again, his cheeks damning him for it.
Emily can change the names of his fish all she wants. He's not sure that there's anything he wouldn't let her do. He loves that kid....so much so it makes him question
... everything.