A UNIQUE CREATION by LARI R TITLE : A Unique Creation AUTHOR : Lari R CLASSIFICATION : G, MSR SPOILERS : "Requiem" and a tiny one for "Emily" DISCLAIMER : These wonderful characters do not belong to me. If they did, Mulder would always be wearing his glasses. FEEDBACK : YES PLEASE to : docs.ipp.ldr@ sk.sympatico.ca ARCHIVE : Sure, anywhere including ATXC, Gossamer, and Spooky's just so long as these headers stay intact. Please do not send to Ephemeral as I have already done that. If possible, let me know so I can come and visit. SUMMARY : Scully endeavors to save a precious moment to share with Mulder. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS : A special thank you to the ever resourceful and amazing Sybil...beta and friend extraordinaire. Thank you for being there for me. You rock, Sybil, ducks and all. I want to thank Mel and Jewel for the *stimulating* late night chats and for their generous tweaking. I would also like to take this opportunity and thank TBA for all the fun we have had in the last two weeks. A UNIQUE CREATION She was back. I realized five months had elapsed since I first made her acquaintance. I remembered the day clearly. It was a glorious fall afternoon and I was basking in the glow of the news I had just received. It was the day I found out I was pregnant. I was sitting at the counter of my newly opened store, "Small Delights", sipping some herbal tea and munching on a muffin when she walked in. She caught my eye in spite of the multitude of people around me. Her auburn hair glinted in the afternoon sun while her piercing blue eyes looked uncertainly at the vast array of baby apparel around her. An offer to help by one of my assistants was politely rebuffed with a gentle shake of her head and a lovely half smile. She looked like the consummate business woman with her stylish black pant suit, perfectly groomed hair and subtly applied make-up. She was beautiful; an old-world beauty that was reminiscent of the Garbo's and Marlowe's of a bygone era. She certainly did not resemble most of the pregnant and harried mothers that were shopping in the store. I assumed she was most likely shopping for a gift for someone else. I observed her walking to the newborn and infant section of the store which was in close proximity to my perch at the counter. She tucked her fiery red hair behind her ears, took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. A soft little smile lit up her beautiful face as she picked up a lovely white layette. She touched the Victorian lace collar longingly with a gentle caress and returned the garment to its rack. She looked wistfully at colorful little socks, little sweaters and little pants. I then heard her chuckle loudly at a pair of pyjama's that had little UFO's and aliens appliqued on it. This was the first article she kept and reluctantly gave up to my assistant to take to the counter. Her sudden gasp a few minutes later alarmed me until I realized the source of her exclaimation. She held up a magnificent quilt. It was in a pearly shade of ecru, hand embroided with silk ribbons and silk thread. The ribbons and thread were intricately woven together to create a delicate profusion of rose-buds and forget-me-nots in a myriad of pastel colors. Embroided across the front of it were the words, "Our Precious Baby". "I know, I had the same reaction when I first saw it", I said to her as I quietly approached from the rear. She looked at me with a distressed expression on her face. She was standing there staring helplessly at me with her eyes looking suspiciously bright. "Are you okay, ma'am?" She quickly nodded her head in response. "I'm fine. Yes, the quilt is lovely," she said in a hoarse voice and cleared her throat. "Mmm, it came in yesterday. It's hand quilted and embroided. A unique creation actually. I was tempted to keep it for myself except that my mom would never have forgiven me. She is a wonderful quilter and would be outraged if she did not have the honor of making her first grandchild's quilt," I rambled on hoping to allow her time to regain her composure. "You're pregnant?" she asked while pushing an unruly strand of her hair back with fingers that were not quite steady. "Yeah. Just six weeks though. It's like an occupational hazard around here surrounded by babies all the time." She smiled and placed one of her hands on her lower abdomen. It then dawned upon me that she was also pregnant. My quick gaze also noticed the distinct absence of a ring. "How about you? When are you due?" I asked staring at her flat tummy. She looked surprised initially, but just took a deep breath and said, "Ten weeks...I am due sometime in May." "Your first one?" I pressed on. "In a manner of speaking, yes. This is our first child," she answered very carefully. "I am Stephanie, by the way," I said in introdution. "Umm, Scul...Dana," she said and smiled in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Dana. I'm going to stop distacting you and leave you to your shopping. Holler if you need any help. By the way, the UFO ensemble you chose has a matching hat and pair of socks if you're interested." Dana gave me a delighted laugh and insisted on purchasing all the accessories that accompanied the outfit. She browsed around in the store for about twenty minutes and made repeated trips to admire the quilt but eventually left without it. ******************************************************************* She was a regular visitor after that, usually about once a month. Dana always came in alone, often looking forlorn and occasionally tired, but always alone. The first thing she would focus on when she entered the store would be the expensive hand made quilt. I could tell she was always relieved when she discovered it was still there. She would stare at it with a wistful gaze on her face as if the sight of the quilt conjured up bittersweet memories. She often also longingly caressed the embroided words, "Our Precious Baby", and would smile softly to herself like she had a precious secret that nobody else was privy to. She seemed to be enjoying a healthy pregnancy. Her skin had a radiant glow and her hair was wonderfully lustrous. It still amazed me that she managed to maintain her chic appearance even with her maternity clothing and burgeoning waist line. Her hair was longer at each visit and curved lovingly around her face giving her a softer look. Dana always took the time to enquire about my pregnancy and assured me that morning sickness, apart from being a misnomer because it certainly struck at any time of the day, eventually passes. She never spoke about the father of her child. This did not surprise me as it was clear that she was a very private person. Dana had a passion for shopping for her unborn child. She always left the store with an armload of clothing and accessories, but she never purchased the quilt which I could tell she loved dearly. I needed to know the reason because it broke my heart everytime she left without it. It was also stressful for me whenever another customer expressed any interest in it because I began referring to the item as "Dana's quilt". I actually started making disparaging remarks regarding the quality of the quilt to discourage other potential buyers. "Dana, I have to ask you something. If I'm being nosy, tell me to mind my own business?" I bravely asked one afternoon while packing away the sleepers, bibs and socks she had purchased. It was a quiet afternoon and the store was deserted. I nervously held in my breath while waiting for her response. She was busy writing a check and looked up with an enquiring look on her face. "It's about the quilt. Why haven't you purchased it, Dana? You obviously adore it. I saw you fall in love with it from the first moment you laid your eyes on it." She slowly placed the pen on the counter, licked her lips and looked at me. "I will buy it...as soon as I find...when Mulder comes home. He has to be here when I do. I need for him to share this with me," she uttered in a soft whisper. Her lips began to tremble while her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at me in absolute despair. "Mulder, is he...the father? Has he been away?" I asked in a hesitant voice. She nodded her head vigorously. I clutched her hand and shook my head in understanding. ******************************************************************* * She was back. She was close to eight months pregnant and still had a radiant glow about her. Her lustrous hair was down to her shoulders and curled flatteringly around her full face. She was wearing a loose blue oxford shirt that looked suspiciously like a man's shirt, black pants and a tailored matching coat that blended expertly to create a charming image. Her routine was the same as before as she made a gangway to the linen section. There were two distinct differences today, however. She had a breathtaking smile on her face and she was holding on to the hand of a tall, handsome man with beautiful hazel eyes. He was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater, snug black jeans and a black leather jacket. He appeared to be transfixed by the sight of her and was focused solely on her. He gave her an indulgent smile as he followed her waddling form to the back of the store, his hand placed possessively in the small of her back. I was close enough in my usual seat at the counter to notice that he made one stop to look at a little sweat suit and a NY Knicks basball cap before Dana commanded his attention. I couldn't help but notice the delighted look he sported once he made these discoveries. Dana shyly presented the quilt to him and waited for his response. He looked at it for several long seconds. He gently traced the words, "Our Precious Baby", that were embroided across the quilt with a long finger. He then bent his head down to hers such that their foreheads were touching. He took her hands into his and placed them on her distended abdomen and whispered, "Thank you, Scully. Thank you for waiting to share this moment with me. Thank you for the most precious gift any one could have given me...for us, for him." His expressive face revealed the love he felt for this beautiful woman. He then cupped her face in his large hands and kissed her gently on her lips. Dana wrapped her fingers around his wrists and returned the gesture passionately. The bright, afternoon sunlight glinted off the matching gold rings they were wearing. I looked away with misty eyes and prepared myself to sell the quilt, a unique creation that finally belonged to this couple who shared a unique bond. Mulder was back home. THE END FEEDBACK WILL BE CHERISHED at : docs.ipp.ldr@sk.sympatico.ca