From: danak35@yahoo.com   
      
   Keywords, disclaimer etc. in part 1   
      
   A normal Life - What is this love II - part 4.   
   by DanaK35   
      
   The coming weeks were awful for Kate. She worked   
   until she was completely exhausted, took over shifts at   
   the store from Lea, only to come home to an empty   
   apartment.   
      
   She started smoking again, having quit when she'd   
   met Skinner.   
      
   She stayed in bed all weekend and didn't take any   
   calls from friends.   
      
   She got sick, falling into bed with cramps and vomiting   
   whenever she ate something.   
      
   When she didn't get better, she went to see her   
   doctor.   
      
   ***********************************   
      
   "I'm pregnant."   
      
   Lea turned from the paperwork and stared at her   
   friend incredulously.   
      
   "What did you say?"   
      
   "I'm pregnant." Kate's voice sounded strangely lifeless   
   as she sat down next to Lea.   
      
   "How? When?"   
      
   Kate couldn't help but smile. "Well?." but Lea waved   
   her off. "OK, OK, by Walter of course, I am 3 months   
   gone?"   
      
   Kate could very well remember the night it must have   
   happened. They had taken a trip out to Annapolis on a   
   particularly sunny day, one day of respite amongst the   
   emotional turmoil of their complicated relationship.   
   The had ridden in her convertible, laughing an joking   
   all day like children, staying and a fabulous Inn for   
   dinner and ending up taking a room for the night. No   
   thoughts about protection, no thoughts about   
   tomorrow. They had been too consumed by each   
   other that it didn?t seem to matter.   
      
   That had been before Oregon, before he lost Mulder   
   and they ultimately lost touch with each other. Before   
   Kate realized that he loved Dana Scully more than he   
   loved herself.   
      
   "How could you not have noticed?"   
      
   Kate shrugged. "You know that I have never been   
   regular, I put it down to the emotional trauma and the   
   other stress."   
      
   Lea looked at her steadily. "What are you going to   
   do?"   
      
   "I don't know ? what is there to be done?"   
      
   Lea just kept on looking. She didn't want to list the   
   choices. She knew that Kate knew.   
      
   "I need to get away for a few days ? just until I am   
   sure what I want," Kate said.   
      
   'Until the pain goes away' she thought.   
      
   Lea nodded. It was a good idea. "Sure ? I can manage   
   here for a bit, I'll get some college kid to help out."   
      
   That settled Kate went to see her aunt on the coast of   
   Maine.   
      
   ***********************************   
      
   Coastal Maine,   
   One week later   
      
   The quiet beauty of the forests and the sea up there   
   calmed Kate more and more each day.   
      
   She took long walks, listening to the waves and the   
   whispering of the trees, letting herself get spoiled   
   rotten by her aunt Anna, who had always adored her   
   and had given her a home when Kate's parents had   
   died, while she was still in college.   
      
   Walter Skinner was in Kate's thoughts constantly,   
   whether she walked on the beach or sat in the local   
   coffee shop with a book. Her dreams of him were so   
   real that in the mornings, she woke up confused by   
   their intensity it was as if her brain couldn't compute,   
   that she wasn't in his arms anymore.   
      
   Anna soon noticed that there was more than a broken   
   heart behind her niece's stay and one evening, after   
   Kate had suffered an especially vile case of evening-   
   sickness, she couldn?t but ask.   
      
   "You are pregnant, aren't you?"   
      
   Kate sighed and sat down at the kitchen table,   
   nodding.   
      
   "What are you going to do?"   
      
   "I don't know? I have one more week to decide and I   
   can't? I am scared, Anna."   
      
   "Of what?"   
      
   "I am scared I won't manage, I am scared to lose   
   whatever life I have left, to raise my child without a   
   father? I am 31 years old, I should be able to deal   
   with a child, but.. I am just scared."   
      
   Anna sat down next to her and looked at her. "That   
   sounds to me, as if you've already made some kind of   
   a decision?"   
      
   Kate looked up and realized that yes, apart from the   
   fear of actually dealing with the fact that she was to   
   become a mother, she HAD made her decision.   
      
   "Oh my God, you are right? I think I have!"   
      
   Anna hugged her niece to her tightly. "I am so happy   
   for you. You'll manage, don't worry, you have your   
   own business, your own home and the rest will find   
   itself."   
      
   Kate nodded...she would manage.   
      
   She would finally have to grow up.   
      
      
   ***********************************   
      
   3 weeks later Kate was finally ready to go back to her   
   own house.   
      
   When she entered the classic brownstone, which her   
   parents had inherited form her grandmother, she   
   looked around as if for the first time, evaluating the   
   place as a home for her and her baby.   
      
   "It will certainly do," she muttered to herself, taking in   
   the airy living and dining room complete with fire place   
   on the first floor, where French doors led outside to a   
   small walled garden. Her furniture was minimal,   
   bookcases were built into walls, there was only her   
   beloved wide red velvet couch and armchair, low   
   coffee table, the usual TV, DVD-player and stereo and   
   in the dining room an antique buffett and long solid   
   oak table with 6 mismatched chairs.   
      
   The kitchen was downstairs, with a stone floor, fitted   
   wooden cabinets and classic oval breakfast table and   
   it even sported a dumbwaiter running from the kitchen   
   to the dining room.   
      
   Upstairs were her bedroom, master bath, guest room   
   cum office and guest bath, and another smaller room   
   with dormer windows dominated the top floor of the   
   house. She would remodel the guestroom/office into   
   the baby's room and use the top floor as new guest   
   room.   
      
   When she came back downstairs, she noticed how   
   Lea had put some fresh flowers on the hall table and   
   laid our her mail sorted into junk mail, invoices and   
   personal. She took everything into the kitchen, poured   
   herself a glass of water and starting looking through   
   the bills and personal stuff briefly until she came upon   
   a large stuffed envelope.   
      
   No return address just her own in distinctive   
   handwriting. Skinner's handwriting.   
      
   With trembling hands, she opened the envelope which   
   contained a note and a silver picture frame. The note   
   simply said. "Thought you'd enjoy this, I certainly do.   
   Walter." Nothing else.   
      
   She turned the frame and unbidden tears shot into her   
   eyes. It was a picture taken on THAT day at the   
   beach, her and Skinner, arm in arm on the beach,   
   jeans wrapped up above their ankles, laughing,   
   relaxed.   
      
   She had stopped a passing couple asking them to   
   take their picture and had bullied Skinner into standing   
   still.   
      
   It had been a perfect day.   
      
   Now sobbing, she set down the picture and buried her   
   face in her hands, then wiped the tears away angrily.   
      
   She was done crying. From now on she would grow   
   up, take matters into her own hand for her child,   
   coming to terms with the fact that this had been the   
   exception? those few perfect days and stolen   
   moments with him.   
      
   From now own, she had their baby to consider.   
      
      
   ***********************************   
      
      
   Bookends Bookstore,   
   5 months later   
      
      
   The pregnancy hadn't been easy for Kate, she had   
   vomited up to the beginning of her sixth month and   
   was still grateful for Lea being so understanding,   
   having to spend many days at home, too sick to work.   
      
   On those long days she thought about herself, her life,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)