"Byers' Dreamworld"
 By: Angela W.
 Category: Alternate universe/Mulder & Scully married
 Rated: G
 Summary: Remember the dream Byers had at the beginning of "3 of a
Kind"? This expands on it. A lot. Alternate universe.
 Disclaimer: None of the characters mentioned in this story belong to
me. They are the property of Chris Carter and 1013 Productions.
 Archive: Feel free to archive anywhere!

 John Fitzgerald Byers tugged off his tie as he started up the steps to
his charming, Cape Cod style home. TGIF! he thought. It was the
beginning of a three day weekend, Suzanne and the girls were waiting
for him, and they were hosting a party for all their friends to
celebrate Memorial Day!
 "Daddy, Daddy!" screamed Jill and Jackie as they ran out to meet him.
Byers swooped his younger daughter up in his arms and enfolded the
older one's hand in his. They wandered out into the backyard, where
Suzanne was putting the finishing touches on the decorations for the
party. He slid his daughter down to the ground and held open his arms
to his wife. As always, she smiled and kissed him.
 After he'd changed and gone back outside, little Jill ran up to him
again. "Who's coming to the party, Daddy?"
 "Let's see. Suzanne, is everybody coming?"
 "Unless somebody's kid has come down with something in the last 24
hours — always a possibility when you're dealing with this many little
ones — everybody will be here."
 "Okay," Byers said to his daughter. "The Mulders are coming. And the
Langleys. And the Pendrells. And the Skinners. And Mr. Frohike."
 "How come Mr. Frohike doesn't have a Mommy?"
 "A. . . oh, you mean a wife? Like Mommy is Daddy's wife?"
 "Yes."
 "He just doesn't, honey. God's plan is different for everyone. Most
people do get married, but not everyone."
 "Could he get married someday?"
 Personally, Byers doubted that his over-40, never-married friend would
ever tie the knot, but he supposed stranger things had happened. "Well,
yes, I guess maybe he could, but I don't know if he ever will."

 "Mulders are here!" Jackie yelled as a car pulled into the driveway.
 Suzanne smiled as Emily Mulder ran out to join Jill and Jackie on the
swingset. Fox and Dana followed. The two women liked each other a lot
and had a lot in common. Both had medical backgrounds, but both had
chosen to work only part-time during the years their children were
small.
 "How are you feeling, Dana?" Suzanne asked.
 "Better. I'm finally over all the morning sickness. But, I swear, I'm
as big at four months with this baby as I was at six with Emily!"
 "You always show more and sooner with the second one," Suzanne agreed.
 "Want some iced tea, sweetheart?" Fox asked his wife.
 "That would be great!" she responded with a smile.
  A few moments later, Fox returned with two large glasses of tea. He
handed one to Dana and she thanked him with a quick kiss. "You need to
sit down, Dana," he said.
 "I'm fine, Fox," she said, rolling her eyes just a little at his
overprotectiveness. Actually, she enjoyed having such an attentive
husband, but he tended to go a bit overboard when she was pregnant.
 "I'll bet you've been on your feet almost all day out at Quantico."
 Realizing that her husband would soon have means to independently
verify her duties at work that day, Dana muttered, "I'll sit."
 Fox grinned. She stuck her tongue out at him.

 The next couple to arrive were Sharon and Walter Skinner. Walter had
been Fox and Dana's boss when they had worked as F.B.I. partners in the
days before their marriage. Now he wasn't the direct supervisor of
either of the Mulders, so socializing with them wasn't a problem.
 "Where's Mitch?" Suzanne asked. The Skinners had only one child, a
teen-age son. Unlike most of the couples at the party, both Sharon and
Walter had always worked full-time at demanding jobs.
 "He's spending the night at a friend's house," Sharon replied. "A
party where everybody but him is either under the age of eight or over
the age of 30 just isn't his idea of fun nowadays."
 "I understand," Suzanne said.

 John smiled as the next guest arrived. It was true that Mervyn Frohike
didn't have a "Mommy" of his own, but the man had been a good friend to
all the couples there for many years. Frohike soon joined the Walter in
what he laughingly referred to as the "middle-aged corner' of the
party.

 "Mommy, Mommy!" hollered Emily, running up to where Dana, Suzanne and
Sharon were sitting. "Aunt Melissa and Uncle Sean are here!  And Baby
Kathleen!"
 Suzanne had to admit that the Pendrells were a bit of a contrast to
each other. Sean was shy and quiet in social situations, quite
different from the lively, free-spirited Melissa. They had the only
completely traditional marriage of the guests, Melissa having quit her
job to become a stay-at-home Mommy when Kathleen was born almost a year
ago. Having her at home full-time has certainly been a blessing to me
and Dana, Suzanne thought with a smile, since Melissa was always
willing to help out if something went askew with the usual childcare
arrangements in the Mulder or Byers families.
 "Hi, Dana. Long time, no see," Pendrell commented dryly.
 Dana giggled. It was a family joke, because she and her brother-in-law
worked just down the hall from each other at Quantico and saw each
other virtually every day that Dana worked. 
 "Hey! My favorite sister-in-law and my favorite niece," Fox said as he
came up to kiss Melissa and Kathleen.
 "You know, Fox," Melissa said, "eventually she's going to be old
enough to understand that I'm you're ONLY sister-in-law and she's your
ONLY niece."
 "Well, you'll always be my only sister-in-law. I guess the niece thing
is subject to change, but that depends on you, and Samantha, and Bill,
and Charles."

 The last guests to arrive were the Langleys. If there was a bit of a
contrast between Melissa Pendrell and her husband, it was as nothing
compared to the contrast between Samantha Mulder Langley and HER
husband.  These two didn't look like they'd be comfortable sharing the
same neighborhood, much less the same bed!
 If the Pendrell's marriage was completely traditional, the Langleys
was anything but! Samantha worked full-time as a lawyer for the state
department. Her husband worked out of their home part-time, as a
freelance computer troubleshooter, and was also a stay-at-home Daddy to
William, their toddler son. The couple obviously adored each other,
though, so Suzanne supposed it was a case of "opposites attract". At
least Samantha had improved on Langley's appearance somewhat since
their marriage. He still had long hair, but he generally wore it pulled
back in a neat ponytail nowadays, and she'd made him exchange his
thick-framed black "dork" glasses for trendy wire rims.
 After exchanging greetings with the rest of group, Langley looked at
his son and said, "You are SERIOUSLY outnumbered here, dude! I think
somebody - here he paused and glanced at Dana — "needs to have a baby
boy to try to even things out a bit. Geez! Four little girls and you!"
 "Hey, give him about ten years!" Fox said. "Then, if he takes after
his Uncle Fox , he'll be QUITE happy to be surrounded by all these
pretty girls."
 "Hit him for me, will you, Samantha?" Dana called out to her
sister-in-law. "I don't feel like getting up to do it."
 Samantha playfully bopped her big brother on the arm, then grabbed her
son from his father and went over to sit near the other women. 

 Byers surveyed the backyard from his position at the grill. The three
little girls were laughing as they played on the swingset, the two
babies were sitting on a blanket near the women and the men were
talking and drinking beer.  What a wonderful life, he thought!

Author's e-mail address: tapw63@yahoo.com.