"I thought so, at the time." He'd been so sure it was the right choice. That it meant he wasn't taking Scully away from the life she deserved: a normal one, filled with family and friends and the joy of their son.

And what was the alternative? Squatting in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, out of reach of help if William got sick? Trapped, if they ended up surrounded, Ruby Ridge style? Whatever their family was worth, he was sure his presence would only choke it off before it had time to grow - but it ended up being his absence that did that.

He feels that familiar weight in his chest, a rock taking up the space he's supposed to be using to breathe. "I never should have left you. How could I blame you later, leaving me?"