“Terms of Endearment” is episode seven of season six of The X-Files.
A couple are having a sonogram. The doctor says he doesn’t want to alarm them or jump to conclusions, but he isn’t able to perfectly explain it. They see a development; an abnormal deformation of the vertebrae and something growing on the plates of the skull. The man, Wayne, leaves the room, upset. The woman, Laura, follows him, and says it might be nothing. He just wants their baby to be normal.
That night, at their home in Hollins, Virginia, Wayne gives Laura a glass of warm milk as she’s in bed. They go to sleep, then Laura wakes up with fire around the bed and a demonic figure at the end. Wayne isn’t there. The figure grabs Laura, and she bites him on the shoulder. He’s then seen with the baby, but it’s got horns and a tail. Laura is woken by Wayne. Everything looks normal. Wayne says she was having a dream. Laura says it was trying to steal her baby. Wayne notices blood on his hands. Laura’s baby seems to be gone.
At the FBI, a Deputy Stevens is talking to Agent Spender about the case. Laura described it in such unusually vivid detail that they had to take her at her word about the baby being abducted. Stevens has heard they specialise in stuff like this. Stevens admits that yes, Laura is his sister, but they’ve been saying things about her, especially after abnormalities were discovered in the ultrasound. Spender says it will be put right into the priority caseload. Then shreds the case when Stevens leaves.
Stevens pulls up outside Wayne and Laura’s home. Mulder is with him. He has the shredded file, stuck together. Mulder doesn’t want the deputy to tell anyone; the FBI likes to keep their work hush-hush. Or, more accurately, Mulder shouldn’t be working the case. No, Stevens doesn’t need to thank Spender; Mulder will do that himself.
Mulder goes inside and speaks to Wayne and Laura. Laura describes what she saw, and what the baby looked like. Wayne mentions the doctor telling them about the complication, and that he woke Laura up. Mulder says that, according to Laura’s statement, she reached over at one point and Wayne wasn’t there. Wayne points out that was a dream. Yes, it was. Can Mulder borrow their phone?
Scully is at the US Department of Agriculture doing a background check when Mulder calls. She wants to know where Mulder is. He wants her to take a look at some charts. Scully tells Mulder they are supposed to be doing background checks, not X-Files. Mulder replies that what Spender did was inexcusable. Scully asks how rooting through Spender’s trash is any better. Mulder asks if that’s any different to the assignment they’re stuck with. Scully points out she’s the one stuck with it; Mulder isn’t there. Mulder mentions about the impregnation of unwitting women. Scully finishes it off; she just saw Rosemary’s Baby. Wayne is listening in on the baby monitor.
That night, Laura goes looking for Wayne. He’s outside, burning leaves. He also digs up a small bundle from the leaves and places that in the incinerator too. Laura approaches the incinerator and Wayne comes behind her. She wants to know what he’s doing. Burning leaves. At this time of night? It was in the job jar. As Laura leaves, Wayne can be seen crying.
Mulder is asleep in his car and is woken in the morning by Scully ringing him. She’s been going through the charts and has found the birth defects, which she describes. She doesn’t seem to believe that some describe horns. However, she does think Laura should be arrested under Virginia law, as abortion during the third trimester is illegal. Labour appears to have been induced by mandrake, which also causes hallucinations. Wayne drives off as Mulder is on the phone. Mulder doesn’t seem to agree with Scully’s conclusion and gets out of the car. He heads to the house and seemingly knocks on the door. But this is answered by a different woman, as it’s a different house. And the man knocking is Wayne. The woman, Betsy, asks why he knocked. He forgot his key. This is another wife, and she’s pregnant too.
The local police are at Laura’s with Mulder. She only took a herbal sleeping aid. Her brother, Deputy Stevens, doesn’t want her to talk without a lawyer. Mulder isn’t arresting her. Wayne returns home and Mulder tells him he doesn’t want to arrest Laura. He’d hate like the devil for that to happen. So, allow the deputy to search the premises so they can clear up any misunderstanding. Wayne agrees. With the police taking supplements, then searching the yard, Laura asks Wayne why she feels guilty. He tells her a story about how he found her in bed with their baby in her hands, chanting over it. All he could do was wrap the baby up and make sure no-one learned the truth. Outside, the police have found something in the incinerator.
Though Laura is arrested, Mulder doesn’t believe she’s the guilty one. He tells Wayne he knows what he is. Seemingly a demon who is desperately trying to have a non-demonic baby. And has been trying for years. There is, however, a twist to the story.