by Raven
February 14th, Valentine's Day
9:32 p.m.
ey, Alex? Can I have another one of your chocolates?" Fox had
raised the lid of the expensive truffles, eyeing them hungrily,
but making no move to touch them. If he'd learned anything
living with Alex Krycek, it was that you didn't touch his treats
without permission.
"Of course, love. Walter meant for us to share them, that's why he bought such a big box." Alex came back into the room with a tray of coffee and, after depositing it on the table, pressed a kiss to his chocolate benefactor's smooth head.
"Besides, if I buy each of you a box, you fight over them. If I buy one of you chocolate, you share. It makes no sense, but I stick with what works." He grinned up at Alex, having pulled the smaller man down for a proper kiss, before reaching for a cup of the brandied coffee.
"I like sharing with Alex. It makes the truffles taste better. Makes you taste better, for that matter." Fox grinned, choosing a dark chocolate, and plunking down on the sofa. Walter was in the white armchair, and Alex had settled on one of the throw cushions in front of the fireplace.
Fox looked at him with some concern. For a month now, Alex had been...different. It was nothing bad, he sensed that much, but his lover had been distracted, eyes frequently staring off into the distance, face inscrutable. Knowing Alex as he did, Fox had said nothing, only asked Walter if he'd noticed it, too. He had, and together they had settled in to wait until Alex was ready to confide in them. They had the feeling it wouldn't be long, Alex seldom held out on them anymore, his trust and faith in them and their marriage strong after five years.
"Fox, Walter, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. I know you guys have noticed that I've been a little pre-occupied lately. You gave me space and time, and before I say anything else, let me say thanks for that. I appreciate it, honestly."
"You're welcome, Rat." Walter murmured it, not wanting to interrupt, but unable to stop being polite. Fox only smiled warmly at Alex, hazel eyes encouraging.
"There's nothing wrong, you should know that up front. Nothing's happened. Nothing has to happen, either. But there's something about me that you guys don't know, something I've kept secret for nearly twenty years now. It's not something I ever thought I'd tell you, to be perfectly honest, thought me and the Doc would take it to our graves."
Doc was Alex's nickname for Scully, given because calling her 'Scully' brought back too many painful memories from early in their relationship, and calling her 'Dana' had been too personal, too intimate for either of them. Walter had thought that ridiculous, until he'd heard the way Alex's voice hugged and caressed the name, no matter how casually he said it. It was just the mix of soft consonants and vowels, but it was disturbing. When Scully had become his personal physician, Alex had asked if he could call her 'Doc,' and she'd assured him it was fine. Now, it was affectionate.
Alex had paused, sipping his laced coffee and obviously remembering something. Walter and Fox remained quiet, not wanting to risk making Alex stop talking. Now, with a deep breath, eyes on the fire, Alex continued.
"That changed a few years ago. When we got together, when we got married. Even then, I didn't think I'd tell you, but now, after three years as lovers and another five as your spouse, I have to tell you. What's more, I want to tell you. But it isn't easy for me. I'm a little afraid." His eyes darted to each of them, needing them to understand. "Not that you'll be mad at me, or hate me or anything like that. But just because I don't know how you'll react, what you'll think. I've tried to figure it out, but there's no way to even guess at what this will do to you, to us." He paused, swallowing hard, and stood, moving to the wall.
They had a safe, built in, and hidden under a false panel. Alex opened it now, and drew out a small locked metal box. He held it carefully, and Fox saw a faint tremble in Alex's hands as he placed it on the coffee table between them.
"You asked me what this was when we first got together. I told you it was something deeply personal, something I couldn't share, and you've both accepted that. You only tried to pick the lock once, Fox, and I know you didn't really try then. You just had to tell yourself you'd made the attempt so you could leave it alone."
Fox blushed. He didn't know Alex had known about that, but he was glad he'd never tried again. He shrugged, meeting the faintly amused looks from his husbands.
"Walter, Fox, this box is from before. Way before. I've carried it everywhere I could, I've put it into the safest storage imaginable when I couldn't, and I've damn near destroyed it more times over the years than I can count. I stole it, but it was mine, make no mistake about that, there's no one else on Earth that had a right to it."
His voice quivered with feeling, but he took another deep breath, shaking himself slightly.
"I'm getting off track, sorry. Okay, you both know that when I was eighteen, I was experimented on, used by the Consortium scientists for nearly a year. You also know why. As has been commented on by more than one person, I'm not entirely human." Fox and Walter had tensed at the first mention of the experimentations. Scully had, with Alex's consent, filled them in on almost everything that had happened. She'd also helped Alex break the news that, like Fox, he wasn't simply composed of human DNA. Fox's was subtle, small changes in very specific areas, designed to increase his psychic awareness and mental abilities, and remain undetectable by most standard medicine. Alex's was more dramatic, more apparent.
His tolerance for pain, his ability to survive extreme temperatures and conditions, his quick agility, both mental and physical, were all tied to his alien physiology. He'd been a hybrid, like Fox, until he turned eighteen, and the Consortium had needed a weapon and a guinea pig. The characteristics had been brought out, and other latent enhancements induced, to be triggered as desired by those in charge. Fortunately for Alex, the need for a weapon was greater, and he was released before full experimentation was complete.
"I took this box, the last day there. They were shutting everything down, things were starting to go sour already, and they were switching to out-right cloning projects. I killed three men to make sure this box went with me, and that no one knew I had it. I don't regret their deaths."
Alex's face grew hard, bitter, then he looked at the box, and his features softened again, thawing.
"Inside this box is the biggest change they made to me, the most overt." Alex opened the chest, turning the lock carefully, and laying it aside. It had a micro explosive, and he was damn glad that Fox hadn't tried any harder to open it, or his husband could be missing fingers. It was designed to take a casual attempt, but a serious effort would have set it off.
Inside, nestled in black protective housing, were five tubes, each a darker green color than the one before it. Under the five was a syringe and a small vial, containing a dark red liquid.
"I've spent years coming to terms with these tubes, with what they meant, could mean. I've treasured them and despised them and been terrified of them. But I've never been grateful for them, not until recently. Fox, Walter, what I'm going to tell you is going to be a shock. It's not bad, I swear, but I can't think of a way to break it to you gently, so here goes. If I use these tubes, in the right order and with the right preparation, I can become pregnant."
Alex paused, searching their faces. He saw shock and curiosity, saw that they were stunned, rightly so. He stood, carried the coffee things back into the kitchen, giving them time, and then took his spot again. Walter and Fox hadn't spoken yet, knowing there was more to come. But the look they were sharing spoke volumes, and Alex gave the silent conversation a few more minutes before resuming his tale.
"I have an artificial womb already in place, it's got all the necessary placental attachments that would normally form. In other words, my body's got a fully functioning womb and placenta already, it's just in a dormant state. These chemicals will activate them. I know they work, because I've already been pregnant once, during the experimentation process. They aborted me at the third month, that's what the vial does. There was nothing wrong with the fetus or my systems. It was a normal healthy pregnancy and would have gone to term. They aborted it to run tests on the fetus. It was a boy, and he was perfectly normal and healthy in every way, would have gone full term with no complications. The men I killed are the ones that performed the vivisection."
Alex's face showed a streak of intense pain, and then smoothed out again. It was obvious that while the thought still hurt, he'd made peace with it. He turned now, facing Walter and Fox.
"I'm telling you this now, because I can't keep it from you any longer. It's the last secret, my last one from that time. That's part of the reason for telling you, not wanting there to be any more secrets. But there's another reason, the reason I'm telling you this now, why I chose tonight. I love you. Both of you. And I love our life, what we have is a beautiful, wonderful miracle, and I'm grateful every damn day for it. I don't need anything else, anything more. But we could have more. It could be more. I can have a child, our child. I'm the mother, I have my own eggs, also dormant. They would combine with your sperm, and we could have a child, the three of us, together. Our child."
Alex's bright green eyes were sparking with his emotions, darker than usual and frosted with tears.
"I know this is huge, I know you never could have imagined this as a possibility, not beyond adoption. I also know it's something we've never talked about. It's a decision that will change everything, either way, it's going to affect us, all of us, and for that, I'm sorry. If I've ruined something, made our marriage weaker, then I pray that you both and God will forgive me. But I had to tell you, you deserved to know that the chance was there. I had to tell you, because I want it. I've gone around this a million times, a million ways, and I always come back to the same thought. You're my husbands and I love you both. I can carry your child, and I want to carry your child, I want to have your baby, to create a child out of our love."
Alex's face was streaked now, and his face was full of naked longing, need and yearning.
"I said that nothing had to happen, and it doesn't. Either we all agree that this is the right thing to do, we all want it, or it does not happen. No resentment, no bitterness, I swear it. I may want this with my whole heart, but I also want it to be right. I've seen too many clones, too many children made for the wrong reasons, too many abandoned children used badly. I can live with it if the decision is no. I couldn't live with it if one of you didn't want the child. So, please believe me, I can accept it, either way, am prepared to deal with either decision. Trust me, please, don't do this just for me, out of fear or pressure. I beg of you, do not lie to me or each other, or yourselves."
Alex closed his eyes for a moment, then took a final deep breath.
"I know I've laid a lot on you, here. I don't expect an answer, wouldn't take it if you gave me one, not tonight. Think about it, for at least six months, and think hard. Don't be afraid to ask me questions, to ask Doc questions, I've told her I would give consent for her to answer you. Look around, watch, and think, really think. We'll talk it to death, I'm sure, and that's okay. Then go somewhere alone and think again, away from me, from each other, and make that final decision. Six months. They're going to be long hard months, make no mistake. This is going to be scary, going to be rough, but I believe we can get through this, and make the decision that's right, no matter which decision that turns out to be. So, six months, to give us time, to let us be sure, to let us commit and back out, to let us fight and make up, to let us be terrified and comforted."
Alex closed the case, locked it carefully, and put it back in the safe. He then walked slowly from the room, heading upstairs and to their bedroom. Fox and Walter heard him close the door, heard him start to cry. Any other time, they would have been upstairs in a heartbeat, comforting Alex, doing anything to stop the tears. Tonight, they just sat there, unable to move, trying hard to get a handle on what they'd just been told.
At last, silently, Walter moved. He paused by the couch and held a hand out to Fox, who took it in continued silence. Together, they joined Alex in the bedroom. Lying down on either side of him, they held their shaking lover, until the three of them drifted off into a light slumber. Not one word had been exchanged.
The morning found the bed missing one occupant. Alex had awakened early, and gone downstairs to make coffee, which he then ignored. When Fox opened his eyes, he reached out to Walter, waking him.
"Walter?"
"Hmm?" The brown eyes opened, took in the empty middle of their bed, and reached for his glasses.
Together they went downstairs, finding Alex in the kitchen, staring out the window.
"Hey, Rat, you're up early." Walter's voice was gruff but gentle, and Alex dared a look.
"Yeah, you sneaked out on us, babe. No fair." Fox grumped it affectionately, and Alex sneaked a peek at him, too.
"I thought you guys might need some time this morning, without me there." It was said hesitantly, and Walter shook his head.
"That's not quite true, Alexi. You skipped out because you were afraid." It was a mild chide, and Walter took one of Alex's hands as he said it. Fox took the other, and added his own.
"You didn't want to be there when we woke up, because you were afraid of what you'd see when we first opened our eyes and looked at you."
"True." Alex confessed it to the floor, and Walter's mouth twitched.
"Used up all your trust and faith last night, huh?"
Alex heard the tease and took a shaky breath. "Something like that. All my bravery, at any rate. So, help me out here. What do you think about what I told you?"
"Personally, I'm still trying to get over wanting to kill those bastards with my bare hands. I'm not sorry you killed them either, love." Fox, eyes sparking with hatred, pressed a kiss to Alex's temple.
"I admit, I'm not sorry either, babe. I just hope you weren't merciful." Walter's mouth found Alex's other temple, and the younger man shuddered.
"You aren't mad? Because I didn't tell you before now? Or because I told you now?" It was a quiet question, but full of an almost desperate need to know. Alex was near tears again, the night having taken a higher toll than he'd imagined, or let on. When they hadn't spoken last night, it had hurt him deeply, despite the fact that he knew it was just shock keeping them quiet.
"No." They said it together, and Walter tightened his hold, feeling Fox do the same.
"I can't speak for Fox, but I for one am glad you told us. It's still vaguely unreal to me, but I'm grateful for the truth. And, I admit, intrigued."
"Me, too. Alex, I don't know how I feel about what you told us yet, it's still too soon, but I don't regret the telling. I couldn't, Alex, not when you were only trying to tell us how much you love us. Whether we decide to have a baby or not, do you know what it means to me that you want to have our child? That you're willing to go through god knows what, and bring up such horrible memories, because you love us? Incredible, just like always. You amaze me, Alex."
"Alex, I don't know what I'll decide. But I do know that, like Fox, just the fact that you're willing to do this, that you want to do this, can only make me love you more."
Alex let the tears fall, and this time, Fox and Walter were there to comfort him before the first one landed.
April 6th, Saturday
3:20 p.m.
"Alex?"
"Yeah, Walter?" Alex was at the computer, working on an order for some seeds. They had a large garden, and Alex loved working in it, but hated the local nurseries. He was fond of finding exotic flowers that could tolerate their weather, and spent time on-line, searching for new plants.
"Are these drugs like fertility drugs? Would you end up with more than one fertilized egg?"
Walter and Fox had both begun asking questions after the first week of being told. They never really just sat down and talked about it, but out of the blue, one or both of them would come to him with an isolated question.
Alex looked away from the screen, but answered casually, "Not likely. It was designed to duplicate most human pregnancies, and the majority of those are single births. There is a small chance, the same one any human woman has, for a multiple birth, but aside from twins, the odds are nearly astronomical, and even twins would be a real exception. The odds of having only one fetus are nearly 100%."
"Okay. Thanks."
"No problem."
Walter left, chewing his lip thoughtfully. He went into the bedroom and found Fox getting ready for a shower.
"Alex says it would almost certainly be just one. Slight chance for twins, that's all. Normal pregnancy chances for anything else." They frequently filled each other in on the newest info, not wanting to ask the same question twice.
"That's good, then. Shower with me?"
"Sure."
Neither man had discussed what he felt with the other, not yet, but they were both nearing a decision. Still, a couple of more months wouldn't hurt.
June 23rd, Tuesday
8:43 a.m.
"Alex, you'd have the baby by C-section, right?"
"Yes. There's a sort of pre-made seam to be opened, it'll be very near the surface by then."
"Will you...will you be lactating?"
"Yes. The chemicals are designed to make me a fully functioning parental unit. I'll be able to breast-feed, I've got enhanced milk ducts, again, lying dormant."
"Is that why your nipples are so sensitive?"
"Sheesh, Fox, I hope you're alone. Yes, in part." Alex chuckled, a bit embarrassed. He heard Fox's answering laugh, and knew his husband was alone.
"Thanks, Alex. Hey, what's for dinner tonight?"
"My chicken casserole. And yes, I'm putting in the vegetables."
"Okay. I'll get a burger on the way home."
"You do and you'll eat it standing up."
Fox laughed out loud again, knowing that would be the reaction. "Understood. I'll see you tonight, love." He hung up, turning back to his work with a smile.
July 4th, Sunday
1:34 p.m.
"You're sure he's not going to be home for an hour?"
Fox nodded, and Walter sat down on the couch beside him.
"Then it's time. I feel bad sneaking around, but I want to know what you think before I head off to think."
"Me, too. I mean, we've discussed lots of what if's and possible situations, but you've never said what you feel about it, not really." Fox was worried, Walter could tell by the way he was twisting his wedding band.
They had talked it to death, as Alex had predicted, going round and round. Scully had told them in clinical terms what to expect before, during and after. They'd each read an assortment of baby books, and viewed videos. The best conversation had come after they'd "borrowed" William for a week. John had been out of town on assignment, and Scully had moved in for the week, available for William, but just sitting back and letting them handle it. She'd made sure to get in plenty of mommy time, so he wasn't confused, but she spent a week not changing a single diaper, giving a bath or feeding. She pumped and they all did a shift at feeding and burping, handling the three a.m. slot admirably.
Alex was in the room almost before she was, and had William comforted, changed, fed and back to sleep almost as quickly as John would have. Fox had a tendency to want to play with him, keeping William awake, but did okay otherwise. Walter had the most difficulty with the middle of the night, but did the best at six a.m., when Fox was a mess. Alex had no trouble at any time, and when she left, her professional and personal opinion was that they'd have no problems adapting, had already begun to do so when the week was up.
They all had a realistic idea of just what kind of hassles and headaches they were in for, as well as the joys that could be found no where else. It was drawing close to time, but Alex still would not hear their opinion, wanting to wait the full six months. Walter and Fox, in a bit of sneaking that should have earned them a spanking from their hubby, had decided to cheat. Needed to cheat.
"I'll tell you honestly, Fox, I'm terrified by the whole idea. I mean, being a father at my age is strange enough, but throw in the circumstances and it's really a terrifying prospect. Our lives will change entirely, we've all discussed that, and I worry what the baby will think once it's grown. About us, about his or herself. It's a lot to lay on a child."
"Yeah, it is, I thought about that. Not only will the child have three gay parents, it'll have a male mother that gave birth due to alien technology."
They were silent for a long time, then both men started to grin.
"You want it, too, don't you?" Walter asked it with a pounding heart, but he was ecstatic at the idea that Fox would agree.
"More than anything. When he told me he could breast-feed, I couldn't get the image out of my head. He'd be upstairs, sitting in that big old rocker, a nightlight shining on him. He'd be humming, and holding a tiny hand while the baby nursed." Fox swallowed hard, and Walter filed the mental image away, knowing it would be real one day.
"So, we all three want it. We're going to do it, Fox. We're going to have a baby with Alex."
"Our baby."
Both men were quiet, lost in a haze of love.
August 14th, Monday
7:15 a.m.
Alex frowned in his sleep, rolling over. God, what was that annoying noise? It sounded like...Fox. Fox was singing. Damn it, they'd discussed this, Fox knew he wasn't allowed to sing in the house before noon...
That was when the words penetrated his foggy brain, the actual lyrics to what his tone-deaf husband was crooning.
"Having my baby...
What a wonderful way to tell me how much you love me
Having my baby...
Alex opened his eyes, sitting up as the sound drew louder. Fox was in the doorway now, continuing to sing. Behind him, Walter was coming in with a bedtray. There was a card propped up on it, and with shaking hands, Alex took it out of the envelope.
"You've been by my side through it all, the good and the bad.
Every day, you make me glad to be alive.
I thought I couldn't love you any more than I already did."
Alex opened the card slowly, nearly afraid to breathe.
"I was wrong.
To the mother of my child, I pledge anew my heart and my love.
Thank you, for having our baby."
Fox and Walter were sitting on the bed, holding hands and looking with love at his incredulous face.
"It's been six months, Alex. And we've decided. We want to do this. Both of us." Walter spoke so softly that Alex barely heard him.
Moments later, the tray, Walter and Fox were all on the floor, landing there when Alex launched himself at them. They stayed on the floor a long time, and any tears that mixed with the laughter, were the result of the same happiness.
October 5th, Wednesday
8:41 p.m.
"Damn it, Walter!" Alex's angry voice sounded loudly through the house, and upstairs in his study, Fox sighed. Taking off his glasses and carefully saving his work, Fox left the study to trudge wearily downstairs.
He found what he expected to find, Walter standing in the middle of the room, jaw locked, shoulders rigid with tension, and eyes firmly on the floor. The man was concentrating on his breathing, trying very hard to remain neutral.
Alex was pacing around the living room, now only ranting in his normal speaking voice, chewing Walter out expressively and with great artistry.
"What now?" Fox mumbled softly, receiving an equally soft answer in reply.
"I opened the window."
Fox's eyebrows rose, and his mouth dropped open. "That's it? You opened the window?"
"That's it." Walter's voice was still neutral, still a forced calm whisper, and Fox silently counted to thirty. Walter headed for the kitchen, needing a drink of water.
Scully had begun the first set of treatments a month ago. She'd warned them that there would be wild mood fluctuations, horrible bursts of irrationality and irritability. PMS on steroids, quite literally. As the blood levels evened out, Alex would gradually return to normal, but in the meantime, he was nearly impossible to live with. The crying jags and depression they could handle. The euphoria and nearly manic behavior was harder, but they could cope. The anger was what was hard. Alex ranted and raved over the least little thing, was hateful and nearly cruel with his words. Now, as Fox heard Alex call Walter a selfish prick for the fourth time that evening, it was too much. Counting abandoned, he snapped.
"Enough!" Grabbing Alex by the arm, he simply dropped to one knee, taking his stunned husband down with him, and ensuring Alex landed face down across it. Fox would never punish out of anger, but punishing while he was angry but in control, was another matter completely.
Ignoring the outraged yells of his beloved, Fox brought his hand down hard across the squirming backside, then thought better of it. He paused, drew down the sweats and underwear, and then applied his palm to the now naked rear. Much better. With a grim determination, Fox began spanking in earnest. He wasn't swatting brutally, just very firmly, but he wasn't missing an inch of the tempting flesh. After about twenty loud claps of his hand to Alex's bottom, Fox noticed that his husband was no longer fighting or yelling. Fox paused, and realized with a start that Alex was crying.
A reddened backside, even a well-reddened one, wasn't nearly enough to reduce Alex to tears, and Fox quickly eased him up to kneeling. He'd barely had time to sit Alex up before the younger man was suddenly clinging to him tightly. Fox sat down, and Alex immediately crawled into his lap, sobbing into his chest.
Walter, his face showing the strain, was back in the room and beside them in an instant.
"Jesus, Fox, how hard did you spank him?" Walter wrapped his arms around them both, kissing Alex's temple.
"Not that hard, Walter. I was pissed and I made that plain, but I was careful." Fox was cut off by a tearful, choked voice rising shakily from his shirt.
"That's n-not why I'm c-crying, not be-because of the sp- spanking."
Relieved, Fox cuddled Alex even closer. "Then what is it, baby?"
"Y-you st-stopped me. I was being m-mean to Walter and...and you st-stopped me."
"Alex, why did that make you cry?" Walter hated feeling this stupid, but he just didn't get it.
"B-because I don't...don't want to be mean t-to either of you. But I-I c-can't help it." Fresh sobs greeted this revelation, and Fox gave a bewildered sound of amusement.
"Are you telling me that basically you're crying because you're happy that I spanked you?"
Alex nodded enthusiastically, and snuggled further into Fox's chest.
Over the top of the dark brown head, Fox and Walter exchanged a look of total incredulity, each man thinking the same thing: It was going to be a long pregnancy.
December 25th, Sunday
5:14 a.m.
"Walter? You okay?" Alex moved into the living room quietly, his concern for Walter apparent.
The older man was sitting in his chair, staring at the Christmas tree. No other lights were on, and Alex saw that Walter had been crying. Perching on the arm of the chair, Alex gently put a hand on Walter's shoulder.
"Walter? What is it?" Alex was growing concerned, and he wondered if he should call Fox. Walter's hand found his, and squeezed tightly, careful not to hurt.
"I woke up to go to the bathroom, and it hit me that it was Christmas. This was the time I used to get up when I was a child. I'd run into my parents' bedroom and stand by their bed, trying to wake them up. They'd always pretend to be asleep, but I could see them smiling, and knew they were only teasing us. Finally, Dad would let us pull him, eyes still closed, into the living room so that we could open our presents."
"You miss them a lot, don't you?" Alex offered it in hushed tones. It was hard for him to relate to Fox and Walter's childhood memories. He had a few, but they were vastly dissimilar, and dim. Still, he knew what it was like to lose someone you loved.
"Yes, I do. Now more than ever. But that's not what got me. No, what got me was that I realized that this time next year, we'll have a child at Christmas. Soon, there'll be Santa Claus and reindeer and parades and toys...and I'll lie in bed on Christmas morning and pretend to be asleep."
Walter smiled, and reached up to pull Alex into his lap, holding the man close.
"Alex, I thought...well, I'd given up on having children, especially a child of my own. I can't tell you what a gift you're giving me, how...precious all of this is to me. How precious you are to me. I love you, Alex, and I love our baby, even though you aren't even pregnant yet."
"Walter..." Alex choked up, his emotions still a bit more on the surface, if mostly normal now. He wrapped his arms around Walter's neck and sighed.
"Merry Christmas, Walter."
"Merry Christmas, Alex."
January 20th, Tuesday
3:20 p.m.
"Are you ready, Alex?"
"Ready, Doc." With a hand held by each of his husbands, Alex closed his eyes, bracing for the injection. His feet were in stirrups, his thighs in the braces, held there by velcro and sheer force of will. Scully held the fourth injection in her hands, and with a stern look at Fox and Walter, she swabbed Alex's perineum, and then slid the needle in.
Every muscle in Alex's body grew rigid, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He shook violently, and panted through the arc of flame that was racing along his spine. It was the worst of all the injections, and he knew the migraine to follow would lay him low for at least two days. Finally, the searing tapered off, and Alex collapsed, weak and pale. He had time for a brief smile, before passing out cold.
Walter and Fox pried the fingers from their cramped hands, and set about getting him ready to travel. Fox cleaned him off, sponging the acrid sweat from Alex's body, then dressing him in warm sweats. When he was finished, he gave a nod, and Walter picked Alex up, carrying him out to the car. They could have used a wheelchair, but Walter preferred to carry Alex himself.
"Remember, no sexual activity for two weeks, and no sexual release for Alex for two weeks. Don't let all this be for nothing. Then come back, and we'll do the last shot. After that, resume normal activity. Two to four weeks and he should be a daddy."
"Thank you, Scully. You're still the best." Fox hugged her, before heading to join his husbands.
February 14th, Saturday
2:15 p.m.
Walter got up, leaving his place between his lovers regretfully, but it was his turn. Alex had gotten the phone and Fox had brought the snacks. It was a guy's Valentine's Day, and there just happened to be a game on, so the romantic dinner was planned for later, with cuddling and watching scheduled for most of the afternoon.
He opened the door, surprised and concerned to find Scully there. She'd been coming by every day to check Alex's blood levels, but she'd already been by once today. Alex and Fox had heard her voice at the door, and were now sitting up, staring at her worriedly as she entered the room.
"Doc?"
"Alex, I got the results back on your blood work a few minutes ago. I checked them three times, and there's no mistake. Congratulations, you're pregnant." She beamed at them, her smile faltering slightly when they all remained frozen in place. Alex looked pale and Fox was dangerously close to hyper-ventilating. Walter was just a statue.
"Alex? Are you okay?"
"I'm pregnant? You're sure? It-it worked, I'm pregnant, right now?"
"Yes, yes, and yes. You are pregnant, right now, as of sometime last night, actually. It worked, Alex. You did it, you're officially with child."
She was about to ask again if he was okay, when Alex fainted.
It broke the stillness nicely. Walter came to life, rushing to him, Fox had caught him as he slumped on the couch, and now the two of them were calling his name and patting his hands.
Rolling her eyes, Scully pushed her way between the men, checking Alex's vitals, not surprised that he was already coming around.
"Wh-what happened?"
"You fainted. It's not an uncommon occurrence with pregnant people. Your hormones are in flux and emotional shocks can trigger it. But you may have a few faint spells anyway, you know that. It's okay, just try to sit down or lie down if you feel one coming on."
Alex nodded, but he was looking down at his stomach. With a trembling hand, he cupped his still flat lower abdomen, closing his eyes briefly. When he lifted his gaze, Scully gasped.
Radiant was the only word for a smile like that. Alex's whole face was glowing, from the brilliant green eyes sparkling wildly, to the huge smile.
"I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant!"
Glad to see that the words had finally penetrated, she moved out of the way, letting Fox and Walter embrace him.
All three men were now laughing and crying, and Scully tried to make her way to the door unobtrusively.
"Hey, Doc!" Alex's voice stopped her, and she turned back around. Alex had gotten up, and now he stood in front of her, suddenly shy. "Thank you." There was a world of emotion and meaning in those two little words, and she choked up as Alex further reached down to hug her.
Fox hugged her all the time, Walter frequently, but Alex almost never had, despite their ever growing friendship. He simply didn't like to touch or be touched, unless it was one of his husbands. Now, feeling Alex hold her tightly, Scully sent a mental prayer to whomever was in charge of alien-hybrid-gay- pregnant men.
"You're welcome. Now, get back to your husbands, and I'll go home to mine. Valentine's day just got a lot more special for everybody." With a final smile and wave, she left.
As Alex moved back into jubilant arms of his husbands, he had to agree.
June 6th, Thursday
5:47 p.m.
"Alex Krycek! Get down from there, right now!" Walter's scold brought Fox into the room, and Alex saw the dual frowns as he descended the ladder.
"Guys, it's perfectly alright for me to change a light bulb."
"You were on a ladder!"
Walter's face showed that he clearly thought Fox had a very salient point.
"I was only up two steps! Jesus, it's not like I was on the roof! Look, guys, I know you mean well, but we have to talk."
Those words had the same effect on Fox and Walter as on any man. With a sinking weight of unease settling in their stomachs, they followed Alex out of the hall and into the kitchen. He poured a tall glass of apple juice for himself, and took a deep breath before speaking.
"I know you're worried about me and the baby. I know you just want to keep us both safe and healthy and I appreciate that, I really do. But I can't just sit around and do nothing for the next six months either. I want this baby too much to do anything that would risk it, you have to believe that."
"We do, Alex. We know you'd never take a chance on hurting the baby." Walter's voice was placating, and Alex relaxed a little.
"Alex, we don't mean to hover. But...well, there's not a lot we can do to help you, and we want to help. I guess we just want to be part of this so much that we're finding excuses to interact." Fox hated saying it, but it was true.
"Okay, that makes sense, I hadn't thought about it like that. But mother-henning me is not helping. Look, if you really want to help, there are things you can do, right now, real things, that will let you take part. I haven't mentioned them because, well, it sounds selfish."
"Anything." They said it in unison, and Alex chuckled before looking at Walter.
"Find me things that taste sweet. I'm going nuts without my usual treats. I could eat a dozen chocolate eclairs right now, and not even blink."
Alex had no trouble with any of the rest of his diet, but Scully had been earnest in her reminders that the baby's blood sugar levels would match his own. While a grown-up Alex could handle a large helping of sugar, it wasn't good for the baby. She suggested he not even eat an entire candy bar at one sitting. And despite all the assurances to the contrary, Alex didn't trust the effect of artificial sweetener on his unborn child, so he was very limited. It was hard on him, Alex had quite the sweet tooth.
"Done." Walter immediately turned to his cookbooks.
"Fox, my skin's still adjusting to the hormonal changes. I just feel very dry, all over, but especially my feet. If you'd help me with the lotion, I'd really appreciate it."
"Where is it?" Fox was already standing, and all but ran up the stairs to the bathroom at Alex's direction.
When they'd gone, Alex gave a small sigh of relief. It was going to be a long pregnancy.
July 19th, Tuesday
8:53 p.m.
Alex froze in mid-sentence, his words dying on his lips, body going absolutely still.
Since he'd been talking to his husbands in the shower, they were instantly aware.
"What's wrong?"
Alex shushed Fox, but took one of his hands, and one of Walter's, placing them lightly on his protruding abdomen.
Alex hadn't really begun to show until the middle of the fourth month, and then it was just a swelling, a faint roundness a couple of inches above his pubic bone. Now, as he neared the middle of his fifth month, it was a more defined roundness. Fox and Walter felt the firmness of the womb under the cushioning of skin, were straining to feel what could be wrong. Expecting to feel a muscle spasm, they were stunned by a faint stroke instead.
"Did you feel it?" Alex asked in a whisper.
"Yes. Was that the baby?" Fox looked awe-struck, his entire being attuned to the flesh under his palm.
"That was our baby." Walter answered, his age and experience with Sharon's sisters giving him a slight edge. He still looked just as floored as Fox, but at least the idea wasn't foreign to him.
After another long moment, Alex relaxed. "That's it, guys, show's over for now."
Noticing that they were standing under rapidly cooling water, they adjourned to the bedroom.
"Scully said around the fourth month, but that it might take a little longer for me to feel anything, especially since my womb's artificial. I'm going to call her." Alex reached for the phone.
"That was the most incredible thing I've ever felt." Fox was still whispering, and Walter pulled him close.
"Yes, it was. I'm so glad we were together for that."
"I have to write this down somewhere."
Fox moved to the calendar, marking it in a shaking hand. Walter reached for their baby book, found the appropriate page and made the entry, using lots of exclamation points. He chuckled, and added a smiley face.
September 5th, Monday
10:20 a.m.
"What the hell?" Alex looked down at his tee-shirt. He couldn't have spilled anything, he wasn't drinking...
"Walter, Fox!"
The excited shout brought both men, home for Labor Day, in at full run.
"What's wrong?"
"Alex, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I didn't mean to scare you, but look!" He pointed to the tiny damp spots on his shirt, and saw confused frowns.
"You called us in because you want a clean shirt?" Fox asked it neutrally, knowing that the hormones sometimes made his husband do odd things.
"No, no, don't you see? Look at the spots, look at where they are."
Fox and Walter dutifully looked again, noticing now that the spots were even with Alex's chest. Specifically, his nipples.
"My colostrum! My colostrum's coming in, that's what this is." Stripping off his shirt, Alex looked down at his enlarged nipples. Squeezing gently at the tender flesh, another minute drop of watery fluid emerged, beading slightly.
"Oh my god," Walter murmured, a faint smile on his face. Alex had always had a great chest, his nipples wonderfully sensitive. Since becoming pregnant, they'd begun to swell, as had the muscle around them, changing more to small breasts. They were very sensitive now, almost too sensitive for Alex to enjoy being touched there with anything but a soft mouth.
"Alex, sweetheart..." Fox especially had been fascinated with the developing buds, and now he kissed Alex briefly, before blushing. Alex saw the teeth go for that bottom lip, and guessed what Fox was thinking.
"It's okay, Foxlet, go ahead."
"It's for the baby." The quiet demure made Alex laugh softly.
"No, the milk will be for the baby. This is for you."
"You don't think I'm weird?"
"You've always been weird, Fox, it's part of your charm. Now go on, love. It's okay, really. No shame."
Fox, reassured, bent his head. Being very careful, he caught the trace of wetness on his tongue, then closed his lips over the flushed nub, giving the faintest of suckles.
Alex groaned as the sensation raced through him, a hand on the back of Fox's head keeping it firmly in place.
"God, that feels good." Not to be left out, Walter followed suit, and Alex moaned at the pleasure. "Oh, shit! Nice, so nice... Let's go upstairs, guys, huh?" Alex was squirming, and his husbands readily agreed.
Alex had been nearly insatiable lately, a pleasant change from the first few months when he hadn't wanted anything for himself. He'd still used his hands and mouth to love them, but hadn't wanted any reciprocation. A few weeks ago, he'd suddenly begun to almost crave sex, and after a phone call to Scully had given them the green light, they'd been doing their best to make up for lost time.
Now, as Alex lay back on the bed, Walter couldn't help but think he'd never seen anything sexier. Alex's body was showing his pregnancy, the roundness another delightful curve, as were his new, if still small, breasts. His hair was thicker and softer than ever, glowing in the morning light from the windows, and Alex's skin gleamed from the expensive lotions Fox slathered on him morning and night. He was beautiful, and Walter thanked every deity he could think of for giving them this.
October 13th, Wednesday
6:12 p.m.
"Fox William Mulder, you're about to get a birthday spanking you'll never forget."
Alex, sitting propped against the headboard of the bed, grinned at the erotic threat. They'd gone out to eat, a birthday dinner at Fox's favorite restaurant. Alex had been glad that the weather was already cold enough to warrant a long coat, the oversized trench disguising his pregnancy. Once in the back booth, table carefully scooted out, the dim lighting and a loose shirt kept his secret. Although nothing could disguise the pregnant glow that was now simply a part of Alex.
On the street, men and women both turned to stare, and no wonder. If Alex had been handsome before, he was now incredible, and if he was laughing, there was no resisting. John and Scully had joined them at the restaurant, the first time in a couple of months that John had really seen Alex. He proved no less immune than anyone else. To the group's amusement, Mr. Straight-And- Narrow had been caught staring with frank appreciation at Alex over coffee. Scully's polite inquiry as to whether or not she should be jealous had drawn a furious blush from her husband. It had gotten even deeper when, in an attempt to explain, he'd said that it wasn't his fault Alex was "freakin' gorgeous." John had wisely shut up after that, but when Alex playfully gave him a flirty look and wink, Walter had intervened.
They couldn't spank Alex, not while he was pregnant. Well, not on the bottom anyway. But Walter had firmly tapped the back of one hand and growled at him to behave. Since spanking Alex was always more mental than physical, the spat was effective. Apologizing, Alex had stopped teasing, and a relieved John had forcibly turned his attention elsewhere.
Now, back home and the presents unwrapped, Alex watched as Walter reached for a small bag on their bed. Fox, eyes wide with lustful anticipation, swallowed hard as a set of well-padded cuffs were drawn out.
"Yeah?" The word was hopeful, but with a trace of doubt. Fox had always wanted Walter to tie him up, but Walter just hadn't been comfortable with the idea. Alex had always been happy to play that way, but since becoming pregnant, just wasn't up mentally or physically for those games. Fox had missed it, but said nothing, not needing the play, just enjoying it. Walter had noticed, and approached Alex, hoping to find a compromise. An afternoon's talk had shown a way.
"Yeah. I promise you, I'm fine with anything I do to you. Alex helped me and...well, it won't be the kind of bondage you and he play, but it's something, at least."
"Walter, it's more than enough, but you really don't have to do this."
"I know, and I appreciate that. But I want to. I want to try this, Fox. Will you let me?"
"It'd be my pleasure."
A kiss, and then Walter was wrapping the lined leather around each wrist. The ankles were next, and Walter drew out a blindfold.
"I'm going to put this on you, Fox, then take you over my knee. You're getting a spanking from me, then I'll hold you while Alex gives you his birthday spanking." At the concerned look, Alex spoke up.
"I'm not going to use my hand, Fox, don't worry. I'm not telling you what I'm using, but I won't overdo." Alex's hands and feet were always swollen now, not dangerously so, Scully assured them it wasn't toxemia, just a male body trying to cope with all the additional weight and fluids. It made his hands hurt though, and hampered his use a bit. Still, he'd wanted to give his own birthday spanking, and so had done some on-line shopping, looking for just the right thing.
"Well then, let the games begin." Fox was as excited as a two- year old, and Walter didn't make him wait.
Placing the blindfold precisely, he kissed the full mouth below it, then drew the long naked form over his lap. Reaching out, he eased Fox's hands up behind his back, clicking the hooks together just above the top of the cleft. Alex managed to click the ankles together, the hooks large and easy to fasten and unfasten.
A tremble went through Fox, and Alex stoked a hand up the lean calf and long thigh nearest him. Walter had been caressing the slender rear, hand lovingly shaping the firm flesh. He began patting lightly, taking his time, slowly warming the skin. At last, with Fox already squirming from the sensations, Walter landed the first spank. Just sharp enough to sting, it brought a low sound of appreciation from Fox, and he thrust his rear up for more.
"Greedy." Alex , now stretched out on his side so that he could watch Fox's face, teased it into an ear, his warm breath drawing a shudder.
Walter, having rubbed the spot, now chose another, stinging it lightly, then rubbing it as well. Alex let his fingers follow a path down Fox's spine, raising them just before Walter spanked again. By the time Walter had placed the last spank, Fox was lightly pulling at the cuffs.
Alex reached into the bag, and carefully stood. He took a minute to find his balance, his very pregnant shape awkward. Moving to stand beside Fox's rear, he positioned the new paddle carefully. It was round and flat, rubber with a thin metal plate in the wide part. It had a large bulbous handle, making it easy for Alex to hold and use, and the weight ensured he didn't need to swing to get a good effect. It was still light, but the sting was intense.
The first light swat made Fox stiffen.
"Oh my god! What is that?"
"Like it?" Alex brought it down again.
"Shit! Yes, I like it, god, that's good."
"Glad to hear it. Now, be quiet, I want to savor this." Lapsing into quiet, broken only by increasingly needy sounds, Fox was soon squirming wildly, legs kicking as much as the cuffs would allow.
"Last one, Foxlet. Do you want it hard?" Alex studied the darkly flushed bottom, watched the muscles clench and unclench as Fox thought about it.
"Yes. Do it, Alex, really let me have one."
"One to grow on." Alex smacked hard with the paddle, and Fox gave a small cry of blissful pain.
Walter turned him over, while Alex found his place on the bed again, and Fox hissed as his sore backside rested on Walter's broad thigh. The hiss turned into a groan as a hand gripped his leaking cock, and began to pump. The palm was slick, Alex had squeezed a dollop of his own lotion into Walter's hand, and now Alex nipped at the back of Fox's neck, while Walter plundered the open mouth. Fox came with a roar, and Walter hurried to unclick the wrists, then the ankles.
Taking off the blindfold, Alex smoothed the sweaty hair from Fox's face.
"Happy Birthday, Fox."
November 28th, Thursday, Thanksgiving Day
1:15 p.m.
"Hey, sweetheart. You okay?" Walter reached out, rubbing strong hands over Alex's back.
"Oh, thank you, Walter. Lower, yeah, that's it. I'm alright, I guess. Must have been on my feet too long, my back's killing me, has been all morning."
"Your lower back?" Scully, over for a brief Thanksgiving visit, came over, kneeling down beside Alex's chair. She did a quick exam, and then began to grin. "Thank you, Alex."
"For what?"
"Getting me out of dinner with my great-aunt."
"What are talking about?"
"Well, I can't very well go to dinner with her if I'm delivering your baby, can I?"
"But I'm not scheduled for two more days...uhn!" Alex put his hands on his belly, holding firmly as the muscles clenched, then relaxed. "I thought I wouldn't have contractions. Is that what the back is?"
"Yep. A few women have their contraction pain concentrated in their lower back. I admit, I didn't expect you to have any regular contractions, based on the information you gave me, but maybe it's a fail-safe. Despite that, let me assure you, that baby's ready to come. Good thing you didn't eat yet."
She stood, reaching for her cell phone. She called her mother, explaining that she had a medical emergency, then reached for her coat. She saw Walter just standing there, looking at Alex with sheer terror on his face, and laughed.
"Fox!"
"Yo!" Coming out of the kitchen, Fox took one look at Alex and Walter and turned to Scully. "It's time?"
"It's time. Grab your keys and get him settled in the van. Walter, go get Alex's bag."
When the man looked up dazedly, Scully saw a chance and took it. Turning him by the shoulder, she swatted him on the behind.
"Now, soldier, move it!" The phrasing worked, and Walter was half-way up the stairs before he realized that Scully had just swatted him, and that he'd said "yes ma'am." He turned to glare, and Alex and Scully burst into laughter, before making the next set of calls.
Fox drove carefully, if quickly to the private clinic. Scully had called in some favors, and they had a full operating room at their disposal, deserted due to the holidays. She'd also arranged for a staff, and now a few familiar faces were waiting for them.
Frohike had many talents, and had worked for a while as a medical technician with the local ambulance service, before being lured away by the electronic world. Scully knew he'd be perfect, and more than capable of assisting. Still, to hedge her bets, she'd spent the last few months working with Byers as well, ensuring that she had ample hands in case of an emergency. Langley had been more than happy to skip the up-close-and- personal aspects, but he'd already scrubbed up and was even now assisting the other two men into scrubs.
Once Alex was inside, Frohike prepped him while Byers began laying out the instruments. Langley took charge of Fox and Walter, getting them suited up and ready.
Soon, they were all in the delivery room. Alex was flanked by Walter and Fox, each man holding a hand, mindful of the IV and monitors. Langley was near Alex's head, back to the action, monitoring the screens with Alex's vitals and the baby's vitals. Scully was doing her final set-up, studying the ultra-sounds Frohike had taken when they'd first arrived.
There was a small piece of tape over one part, and Byers asked quietly, "What's that?"
"They didn't want to know what they were having, so I covered the genitals. I've been doing it before I show them the print outs, it's just a habit now." Scully, pleased by the positioning and appearance of everything, turned back to the table.
"Alright, Alex, it's been long enough for the anesthetic to take effect. I'm ready to start if you are." She'd used Alex's tolerances to good use, designing a quick acting drug cocktail that would let her do the surgery without needing to do a spinal or interthecal. It also wouldn't affect the baby, designed to simply let her numb the surgical site. It had been an option, one Alex had voted for.
"I'm ready, Doc."
"Then we'll begin."
Frohike made an adjustment to the screen that shielded Alex and his husbands from the surgery itself, and Scully made the first incision.
"So, guys, can I ask? Which of you is the other half of the baby?" Langley, who'd tried hard until the last possible moment to pretend the whole thing was a bad dream, couldn't resist asking. Still, Walter noted his eyes never left the screen, and he was obviously focused on his part of the delivery process.
"We both are. It's a little different from your normal conception process. There's a receptor pad where the eggs are. One egg will be released, then his body stores all the other genetic material it receives for a week or so. After that, it takes the best of all the available material, and fertilizes the egg with the manipulated sperm. The baby will have genetic material from all three of us. We're all the father." Fox had rattled off the explanation calmly, smiling behind his mask at Alex.
It was quiet in the room, Scully occasionally asking for an instrument, Langley reporting on the vitals. Fox and Walter spoke in quiet murmurs to Alex, still finding it hard to believe that the time was here. It was calm, lovely and serene, a perfect way to have a baby.
The warm mood was shattered as Langley swore.
"The baby's vitals are dropping. Heart rate's down and so's respiration."
"What the hell?" Scully began working frantically now, and Byers and Frohike beside her were just as focused.
"What's wrong? What is it?" Alex, his own vitals speeding up in response to his fear, all but shouted it.
"It's alright, Alex, there's time, I've almost got it." Scully's hands were moving at an alarming speed, while Langley called out numbers that were lower each time.
"Scully, save the baby. I don't care about me, but you have to save my baby." Alex was crying, trying to see the monitors, but unable to do so.
"Shut up, Alex." It was an order, and Fox and Walter, each just as frightened as Alex, tried to soothe him. They'd known those were Alex's wishes, had talked about the fact long and hard before deciding to go through with the pregnancy. It was his body, his life, his choice, and while they accepted it, both men were praying hard and fast that they wouldn't lose their husband.
"Another minute." Scully breathed it out, sweat standing out sharply on her forehead.
There was a last flurry, and then the tension was broken by the sound of a long loud wail.
"Got it! The baby's fine, Alex, you can see it in just a moment." The three men sagged, crying unashamedly with relief.
Scully handed the baby off to Byers, who quickly suctioned, cleaned the face, weighed and measured, did the pinprick on the heel and took the blood, then wrapped the baby in a blanket.
Scully had clamped off everything on Alex, and now took the baby back, coming around the barrier to hand it to Alex.
"Congratulations, guys. It's a girl."
Alex opened his gown, and Scully unwrapped her, placing her face down on his chest, before re-covering her. Alex held her reverently, while Walter and Fox each clasped a tiny, curling hand.
"She's beautiful." Walter's whisper was like a prayer, and Fox could only nod.
"Perfect. Just perfect."
"You guys got a name yet?" Frohike, helping Scully finish closing Alex, spared a quick look at his friends.
"We decided to let Alex do the naming. He hasn't told us yet." Fox looked at his husband, cradling their daughter to his chest, whispering to her.
"Alex? What's her name?" Walter, still staring at the pink fingers wrapping around his fingertip, could barely speak.
"Her name is Hope Ekaterina. Hope, for obvious reasons, and Ekaterina for Doc."
Scully gasped, and blinked furiously. "Damn it, Alex, I can't sew you up if I'm crying."
"Don't swear around my daughter." Fox said it automatically, not even noticing.
Walter did, and then he looked back down. "Daughter. I have a daughter. I-I..."
Byers, sensing more than seeing, moved, grabbing Langley on the way. They just managed to catch Walter as he fainted.
Scully looked down with mock disgust. "Marines." Shaking her head, she went back to sewing.
Grunting at the strain, the two men dragged Walter over to an empty gurney. It took both of them to get him horizontal on it, and when they finally managed, covering him with a light throw, Langley looked at Fox with bigger eyes than usual.
"I had no idea how big the Big Guy was."
Alex smirked slightly. "You still don't."
Fox chuckled as Langley turned a pale green. "Alex, can I hold her?"
"Of course, love. She's yours, too." Alex wrapped her more securely, then nodded. Fox lifted her carefully, turning her so that he could see her face better.
"Hello, little one. I'm your father. One of them, anyway. You've got three, lucky girl." Fox continued talking nonsense to her, until Walter came around. "This is another Daddy. He's usually not such a wimp, but he was kind of excited at the thought of you."
Walter, mortally embarrassed, let it pass as he caught sight of his daughter again. He held out his hands for her, taking her carefully from Fox. "Hello, angel. We're so glad you're here. God, you're beautiful."
And she was pretty. Her hair was a dark brown with tiny glints of chestnut. Her eyes were still newborn blue, so there was no telling yet what color they would be. Her face was a perfect oval, having been spared the squeezing of a vaginal birth.
The Gunmen were gathered around now, all looking at her.
"She's got Mulder's mouth." Langley's glance was quick, but thorough. Still, there was no missing that bottom lip.
"She's got Alex's nose."
Byers looked at the adorable snub, and Frohike muttered, "Better than the other way around. That's Walter's chin."
"His hair, too. Except she's got more."
This produced the expected smile, and then Scully was coming up. She'd finished with Alex, and now they moved him to a room just across the hall. It was already set up as a post-partum room, complete with bassinet.
"May I, Alex?"
"Sure thing, Doc." It sounded sleepy, and Scully made a mental note to get him settled soon.
She took the baby, the doctor in her going away while the woman and mother looked down.
"She really is lovely, guys. I couldn't be happier for you, honestly. She's a very fortunate little girl. Okay, Hope, we're going to give you to Uncle Melvin now, and he's going to get some more measurements for Auntie Dana, and finish cleaning you up. Meanwhile, we'll get Daddy all squared away. I understand his doctor wants you both to rest."
She handed the baby to Frohike, and turned to Byers.
"Get him settled, I'll be there in a moment. I'm going to finish up the work on Hope. Start another IV, this time just fluid, I want to flush the anesthetic as soon as possible. There's not much, but I want her to be able to feed as soon as she can."
"Feed? You're gonna breast-feed?" Langley looked like he had just seen Santa torturing a small, furry woodland creature.
"These aren't just for show." Alex, a little silly with relief and happiness, flexed a pec muscle, causing the breast attached to it to give a little jump.
"I'm gonna hurl." Langley ran to the next room, suddenly very interested in making sure Alex had enough pillows and blankets.
"Bad Daddy-type person. Very bad," Fox scolded gently, even as he and Walter headed into the post-partum room to help.
"Hey, how are you going to handle the names? I'm just curious," Melvin asked as he assisted them in transferring Alex from the delivery table to the bed.
"Alex is Daddy, Walter is Popi, it's a traditional name in his family and I'm Baba. It's what I used to call my dad when I was very little." Fox had long ago come to terms with his father and their past.
An hour later, Alex's system was flushed, and Hope, completely cleaned, wearing her first diaper, swaddled in a new blanket and with a tiny cap on her head, was ready for her first meal. Alex had gotten a good sponge bath, and was wearing loose drawstring pajama bottoms. The top was even looser because, after much debate and fighting, Scully had convinced him he would need a nursing bra. He was wearing it now, and daring hot death at anyone foolish enough to even think of commenting. His face softened instantly as Hope was brought in, protesting loudly her displeasure with her condition.
"Aw, baby, it's okay, Daddy's here. It's okay, sweetheart." Alex drew open the unbuttoned top, and unhooked the right flap of the bra. Massaging firmly, a bead of milky white water appeared. Alex had agreed to the nursing bra only after he'd spent a night changing shirts. His milk had been in for a week, and there were no fears that Hope would starve.
Taking her, Alex positioned her carefully, rubbing her little rosebud mouth across the nipple a few times, until she got the idea. She mouthed for a moment, then finally latched on, beginning to nurse hungrily. Alex winced as his tender nipple was assaulted, but one look at his daughter feeding drove any cares about pain away.
"She's so beautiful." He murmured it, but Fox and Walter were on either side of him, watching.
"Yeah. So are you." Walter kissed Alex's temple, and Fox found his cheek, careful not to disturb their daughter.
A discreet knock revealed Scully. "Should I come back later?"
"Nah, you're family, come on in."
It was sweet, and Scully smiled as she moved to the foot of the bed. Alex Krycek, nursing. It was surreal and yet beautiful, and Scully had to give herself a mental shake.
"I've gotten back all of her preliminary blood work, she looks fine. As far as I can tell, she's a perfectly healthy little girl. Here is the paper showing that one Hope Ekaterina Krycek was born on Thanksgiving day at 2:45 by Caesarean section, and delivered by me, Dr. Dana Katherine Scully. The hospital name is faked, but I've taken care of all that. Sign here, please."
Alex did so, and Fox looked at the paper oddly.
"You've got Alex listed as the mother."
"So? Alex is a girl's name, too."
"Yeah, but..."
"Mulder, you have a lovely daughter and I'm about to make her legally yours for all time and eternity in about fifteen minutes. Don't screw it up asking too many questions, okay? And don't badger Alex, either. In the first place, he needs his rest, and in the second place, I'm handling all the paperwork, so he's innocent. If you want to spank somebody, it'll have to be me."
"Sounds like fun." Fox teased it, but Walter's face grew stern, and he crossed his arms over his chest menacingly.
"Oh no, you don't. Wait in line. I seem to recall owing somebody a good swat..." He trailed off, turning to an alarmed Dana Scully. He took a quick step and she squealed, ducking out the door and into the hall.
A sound behind them made them look, and they saw that Alex had finished nursing Hope and was now lying beside her on the bed, cuddling her close, arms around her protectively. They were both sound asleep.
Fox reached out to Walter, holding his hand.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Popi."
"Happy Thanksgiving, Baba."
THE END.
