I rushed this one out for Christmas, so I may be
reposting it in a few days with a few tweaks... About 100
degrees over here in Australia at the moment. Enjoy your
snow! Merry Christmas everyone. Thanks for reading and
for your stories.
TITLE: "Having a Happy X-mas" (1/2)
BY: Ten
E-MAIL ADDRESS: kristena@ocean.com.au
CATEGORY: S, A, H, MSR
RATING: PG-13 for an implied adult image or two
SUMMARY: Let's continue Christmas morning 1998...
TIMESPAN/SPOILER WARNING: Continues "How the Ghosts Stole
Christmas", refers to "Triangle", "Dreamland" I & II
(minor), the movie, a few oblique references to other
episodes from past seasons like the "Emily" double.
NOTE: This is another of my 'no I haven't seen these
episodes yet but I've read a lot about them and I just
can't wait until Feb/Mar to write this!' stories.
ARCHIVE INFO: It goes to Gossamer through xff. Can be
archived anywhere as long as my name, addy and disclaimer
stay intact.
FEEDBACK: Love it.
THANKS TO: Mac for some key ideas and encouragement and
the Wimsey books info.
DISCLAIMER: The X-Files and the characters of Mulder and
Scully belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions
and Fox Broadcasting, and are used without permission. No
copyright infringement is intended, no profit will be
gained.
The X-Files: "Having a Happy X-mas" (1/2)
By Ten, December 1998
Eagerly, Mulder and Scully ripped at the wrapping paper
on their presents. He paused for a moment and watched
her. "I thought you'd be a neatnik."
"It's CHRISTMAS morning, Mulder!" she enthused. And here
she was at about four in the morning in her partner's
living room. Scully finished destroying the wrapping
paper and stared at the clear plastic tube within. "Oh
Mulder..."
It was a gift set - a deep blue silk scarf and a bottle
of perfume. She turned to him and saw him go red, even in
the dimness.
"I um, er, the colour - I thought it...would suit..."
"It's lovely." She momentarily forgot to thank Mulder as
she opened the tube and carefully pulled the bottle and
scarf out. /He's nervous because this is the most
'intimate' present he's ever bought me. Well, this is the
first Christmas after our near-kiss,/ Scully told
herself. The kiss that they hadn't mentioned since. And
also it was the first Christmas after his declaration of
love that she'd let slide as drug-induced babble. After
all, he was rambling about Nazis and being in 1939 at the
time. Unfortunately.
She held up the scarf - it was large and could almost be
used as a wrap. The swirls of deep blue looked like
galaxies turning. She draped it over one shoulder and
tilted her head as she sought his reaction.
Mulder nodded in satisfaction.
"So it does bring out my eyes?"
He chuckled and nodded as he looked down.
She left the scarf draped over her and held up the
perfume, pulling the top off. She smelt it and made an
approving noise, squirting a little on her wrists and
dabbing it behind her ears. "You do have good taste!"
"In some things."
"Thank you." There was a slightly awkward moment. Scully
was aware that this was the point where normal people -
whether lovers or friends or family - would seal their
gratitude with a hug and a kiss. Even if just a short hug
and a peck on the cheek. But she and Mulder just perched
on the couch. She cleared her throat. "Now open yours
before it goes off."
"Oooooo!" He did so.
It was a book. One from her favourite series: Dorothy
Sayers' Peter Wimsey mysteries. Peter Wimsey was a
brilliant and eccentric man in the 1920s, an Oxford
graduate, with insights not quite like normal people. He
came to the defence of a woman accused of a murder she
didn't commit. Her name was Harriet Vane and he fell in
love with her at first sight. He got her acquitted and
pursued her - she loved him but basically refused to
admit it for very complicated reasons. They solved crimes
together; it was five long years before they even kissed,
and he respected her boundaries, understanding that she
was afraid of getting close. /After a long time, they
finally admitted their love and married.../ Scully
reminded herself. It was a wonderfully good and solid
union. The beauty of the books were that they were
incredibly literate with very intelligent characters who
were, in their own way, extremely romantic.
Books in this series were the ones she most often carried
around with her in her luggage, not tired of reading them
over and over again. /Wishful thinking?/ Mulder had
occasionally commented at their presence and had seemed
interested when told a bit about the plotlines.
"This looks great, thanks," he enthused, reading the back
cover. Then he opened the book and saw the inscription:
"Dear Mulder, Now you'll finally be able to find out
what's so intriguing! Hope you agree with me. Best
Wishes, Scully." His smile increased.
Scully smiled happily and watched him, then picked up a
corner of her scarf and drew it through her fingers.
Again and again. After a minute she shifted and leaned
forward to clear away the wrapping paper. Mulder put down
the book and passed his bits of paper over. Even though
they'd both torn into their wrappings, somehow Scully's
was still in one piece, albeit ragged; Mulder's was just
in pieces. Scully collected the paper into a stack on the
coffee table, then hesitated. The trash can was over on
the other side of Mulder's desk.
She knew that once she stood that the moment would be
gone. One part of her mind was sternly saying: /Get UP.
Get up NOW./ but the other was saying: /SIT!/ like she
was in obedience training.
"Well, I -" She looked at the paper and then at Mulder.
"Merry Christmas, Scully," he said softly. "Thanks."
Then with a joint nervous chuckle, as if to say 'What's
the matter with us, we're adults!', they slid forward
into a hug. It was going to be a short 'thank you, have a
great time' hug, but...
Once she felt Mulder's arms around her, the fear
disappeared and she wanted to stay there forever. One
side of her mind was yelling /Pull AWAY, Pull away!/ and
other was going: /At last...I'm going to set up home
here. Nice warm tones on the walls, I think./ Scully
usually did pull away at this point in these rare
embraces, but this time she didn't.
/My Christmas present to myself./
Mulder moved slightly and his lips briefly brushed her
cheek before his face settled back against her hair. He
breathed in the perfume. Scully snuck her own 'we can
dismiss these as thank yous' kiss by quickly pressing her
lips against his jaw, then settling in the crook of his
neck again.
And they sat there, revelling in hugging each other for
longer than they had ever dared, and both waited for the
other to move away.
Scully could feel the slight tension in his shoulders,
just like in her own. /We're just hugging. If this is a
simple hug, then why are our hearts racing so much?/ She
kept her arms around him and didn't move. She had no idea
how much time passed, but then Mulder's hand on the back
of her head began to stroke through her hair. He must
have realised what he was doing, because his hand froze
half-way through a stroke, and he pulled it away.
"I like that," Scully said quickly.
There was a pause. "You do?"
"Yeah."
Pause. Then his large hand settled back in her hair and
resumed stroking.
Scully was just letting herself relax when Mulder shifted
again and she braced herself, schooling her expression
for when they let go. But he didn't let go - he carefully
moved them both backwards so they were resting fully
against the couch. Not so much hugging as holding.
Mulder put his feet up on the coffee table, sitting side
on, arm around her waist, other arm up so his hand was
still in her hair. "Is this okay?"
She nodded her agreement, legs tucked up under her,
despite how much she wanted to twine them with his. She
stroked his back.
Time passed. Pulses slowed, tension relaxed. They enjoyed
the holding. They even dozed like that for a while.
Eventually Mulder raised his head and whispered, "Scully,
it's past six. When did you want to go to your Mom's?"
/Must you bring reality into this?/ She had known the
holding couldn't last, and that Mulder would eventually
bring her 'family role call' up. He would be feeling
guilty for keeping her from her family today, even though
she had come to his apartment of her own volition.
Before she could reply, her cellular rang, parting them.
"Yes, Mom, I...slept in. I'm in the car right now."
/Otherwise you'll be making assumptions about who I was
sleeping in with, seeing you couldn't get me on the home
phone./ "No, let everyone start. Don't wait for me...
Really, let Matty go to town. Don't restrain him. I'll be
over soon. Yes, I'm being careful - I can see it's
snowing."
She hung up. Mulder gathered up the paper and binned it
and Scully collected the perfume bottle and her things
and Mulder walked her to the door, both chatting about
trivial festive stuff. He opened the door and they stood
facing each other. Mulder reached out for the scarf,
which was still draped over one of her shoulders, and
pulled it around and secured it so that it wouldn't fall
off.
He ran his hand through her hair again. For a second the
hand rested on her neck and she was back in the hallway
before the bee, but then the touch was gone. "Thanks,
Scully. Thanks for coming and for my present. Have a
great Christmas."
"You too. Thank you. I'll see you in a few days, huh?"
Then she was out in the hallway, breathing hard, and the
door of 42 was closed.
She gave a soft sigh and headed for her car. She started
the engine and turned the heater on, but didn't drive
off. Dana sat there in silence, watching the light
snowfall, fingering the scarf occasionally and thinking
about the events at the mansion. Ghosts. Oh yes, she
believed in ghosts. She had before last night - she just
had never wanted to admit it. She had seen more than her
share of spirits: two on the bowling alley case, years
ago her own father, recently the angel, the devil-
creature and...
She blinked hard. Even a vision of Mulder himself after
the boxcar fire. /So what does that say about me?/
She sat there, thinking of the family get-together she
was missing. In a way she was glad that she had missed
seeing Matthew opening his presents. It would trigger too
many memories. It wasn't so bad when he was a tiny baby
in arms, but now he was pretty much walking and a little
person and...
...and Charlie's kids would be there too. They were
older, but... A whole spectrum she had missed and would
miss.
Eventually she got out of the car and went back up to
Mulder's apartment.
There was no reply when she knocked. /Jogging in this
weather? Did I miss seeing him go out?/ She went in and
after a few minutes found him in his reclaimed bedroom,
stretched out asleep on the waterbed. The mysterious
waterbed that had appeared a few weeks ago. Mulder's
theory on it was that the Consortium or aliens were
either messing with his mind or trying to get him a life.
Scully quietly went around the side of the bed to look
down at him. Her book was lying half over his chest, as
well as being open - Mulder was into it already. /Well,
it's not like he's got anything else to do today.../ she
thought sadly. /Is that why he wanted me there last
night? He never answered me when I asked him.../
He stirred and shifted, and the waterbed rippled around
his form. Scully closed her eyes, remembering him face-
down in the ocean not long ago. She remembered her sheer
panic from the moment that the Gunmen told her he was
missing at sea. She had never had to go through that with
her father or brothers, and they were the ones in the
NAVY, for God's sake!
The vivid blue of the scarf caught her eyes again as she
opened them, and she was suddenly struck by a just as
vivid image of herself lying on that bed, next to Mulder.
VERY next to Mulder. She could smell the new perfume. And
she was naked except for the scarf, which was
strategically draped over her torso, and she was saying
very sultrily: "Merry Christmas, Fox..."
She blinked. /Water! I need water. Waterbed.../ She could
feel the silk against her bare skin and Mulder's skin
against hers... She dearly wished it was a premonition.
And not of next X-mas, either. New Year's resolution?
/What's stopping you?/ her mind said. /Joint Christmas
present with guaranteed long-term - ETERNAL - prospects!/
Mulder woke up. He gave her a muzzy smile, then half-sat
up, startled. The book fell onto the mattress.
"Sorry," she apologised.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She watched him try to sit up, battling the
swells of the waterbed. He cursed. She laughed. "I didn't
think you'd sleep there. I thought it would make you
seasick." She remembered the sea journey off Norway about
four years ago where Mulder had spent the better part of
twelve hours throwing up rather than looking for
meteorites or lost ships. And how he was a little green
in the boat while searching for Big Blue. Her personal
theory about Mulder's near-drowning in the Devil's
Triangle wasn't that the storm had wrecked the boat as
much as he was probably throwing up so much that he lost
control of his craft.
He shrugged as he considered the waterbed. "A few weeks
ago I tried it out and found it was okay. I also saw that
the morning light is better in here, not as glary - guess
I'd forgotten - so I came in to read the book and relax,
and I guess the bed just rocked me to sleep..."
They grinned, then his expression became serious,
especially when he looked at the time. "Really, Scully,
what's up? You should be at your mom's."
Scully remembered Lyda's words: *Oh, you poor child. You
must have an awful small life. Spending your Christmas
Eve with him... Running around chasing things you don't
even believe in.*
Dana swallowed. "Don't you want me to be here?"
"No! I mean - I'm glad you're here, but your family..."
"I want you to come with me to Mom's for Christmas
dinner."
"But I -"
"I really want you to be there."
"Are you sure? I mean, I'd be imposing. And after last
Christmas -" he said very quietly.
"That's one of the reasons why I want you there."
"Oh."
"I really wanted you there last Christmas - even before
the murder, even before everything happened, and then
when I got the lab tests that morning I wanted you there
even more, but I didn't call..."
Mulder got up and put his hands on her arms. Their
embrace was brief though. /I *do* have a full life,/ Dana
thought, but she couldn't help wondering if Mulder was
just coming to avoid a lonely Christmas himself or that
he felt guilty.
"I'll be right there the whole time. Give me a few
minutes to get ready."
"I'll tell Mom that you're coming."
"I don't have any presents -"
"Well, it's not like they have any for you!"
Mulder raced between bathroom and bedroom. Scully was
waiting for him out in the living room. He was just about
to go join her when he remembered the other gift he'd
bought. He'd been in the accessories section of a
department store looking for a present for Scully, and
been torn between the deep blue scarf with the perfume,
or a smaller silk scarf on its own that was the same rich
red as the ballgown that her 1939 counterpart was wearing
when he met her in the Devil's Triangle. So he bought
both scarves and ended up deciding to go with the blue,
thinking he would give her the red one for her birthday.
But now he could give it to Maggie. /Perfect!/ He grabbed
the already wrapped package and put it in his jacket
pocket. As for presents for everyone else at the
gathering, well, the best he could do would be to stay
out of their way and try not to ruin this Christmas for
them too.
*Most people would rather stick their fingers in a wall
socket than spend a minute with you.* Maurice's very
unghostly voice rang out in his mind.
No - Scully WANTED him there. Not just as someone to lean
on if the memories became to much, but as himself. She
had come back for him just now. And admitted that she
wanted to be out there on x-file pursuits with him. Now
that was a wonderful Christmas present.
Maggie greeted them at the door. She hugged Scully and
admired the scarf. Then she hugged Mulder.
"Hello, Fox."
"Hello, Mrs Scully. Sorry for the short notice."
"Not a problem, dear. I always cook enough for an army -
or navy!"
She led them in, but Mulder could see a slight
apprehensiveness in her eyes. He couldn't blame her.
Maggie was probably wishing last Christmas away. /And any
time I turn up, it usually means trouble./
After they had removed their coats and gathered up
Scully's presents for her relatives, Maggie said, "Your
aunt Selene has brought along a surprise guest: your
great aunt Elena."
"Aunt Elena? That's great!" Scully turned to explain to
Mulder. "I've never met her - she's lived in England for
decades. Ninety-something. But she's a feisty lady; I've
heard a lot about her. When I wanted to join the FBI, she
wrote to Ahab telling him to get off my back!"
"She's over on holiday. Apparently a snap decision,"
Maggie explained.
"Oh, one interesting bit of family trivia, Mulder.
Apparently Elena used to l-" Dana was interrupted by a
man who turned out to be her Uncle Ferdinand wandering
into the hallway looking for the facilities. He gave her
a hug and was sent in the right direction. Something
suddenly occurred to Scully. "Did you have any presents
to give Aunt Elena?" she asked Maggie.
"I gave her a blanket I'd crocheted for Matty -
fortunately it wasn't a babyish design and I hadn't used
bright colours. She can use it in the wheelchair."
There were people everywhere in the living room and
wandering in and out to various other rooms. Wrapping
paper was piled up in corners, and toys and opened
presents covered every available surface. Mulder took
this in as Dana was immediately swallowed up in a sea of
people laughing and hugging her. He stood back, holding
an entire backseat-load of bagged presents.
"I'll introduce you when things calm down a little,"
Maggie promised. "Here, let's spread those presents out
under the tree and Dana can hand them out."
Mulder saw a lot of presents for Scully were waiting
untouched under the tree. It would be good to see her
face as she worked her way through them.
He heard a woman's voice say, "Dana, what a lovely
scarf!"
"Mulder gave it to me."
Tara. Mulder swallowed as he bent back to his task under
the tree. That meant Matthew was there, but did it mean
that Bill was here too? He hadn't really thought about
that. All he'd thought about was that Scully had come
back to ask him to come to the party because she wanted
him there. And how much he had wanted to be with her. Now
he had to get through hours of small talk with people who
would want to keelhaul him the second Scully's back was
turned.
*A lonely man chasing paramasturbatory illusions that you
believe will give your life meaning and significance and
which your pathetic social maladjustment makes impossible
for you to find elsewhere. Spend every Christmas this
way... Alone?*
/This could be a very uncomfortable day... But I'll
survive. There are worse things than being with a healthy
and happy Dana./
"Oh Matty, how you've grown!"
To anyone else, Scully's voice sounded normal, but Mulder
could hear how it was slightly choked. Instantly he was
at his partner's side, slipping his hand into hers as he
looked down at the baby crawling around Tara's feet. "He
sure has. Hi, Tara." He felt Scully's hand squeeze his.
She didn't let go.
Tara smiled, but she had the same expression on her face
as Maggie, only slightly less hidden. /Less practice at
it,/ he thought.
"Good to see you again, Mulder."
"Everyone," Maggie called, "this is Fox Mulder, Dana's
partner."
Mulder smiled, just wanting to crawl under some wrapping
paper as everyone eyed him. By the looks and some quick
whispering, rumours had been flying, sailing, driving,
sprinting and galloping around for the last few years.
The fact that he and Scully were still holding hands only
added to it. "Merry Christmas, everyone," he managed,
while turning 180 degrees.
150 degrees into the turn he saw Bill glaring at him from
over near the fireplace. /Wonderful./
Almost at the end of his turn, his eyes met those of
someone over in a corner. The occupant was an old lady in
a motorised wheelchair, eating a cookie. She stared at
him. Her eyes widened. Mulder inwardly sighed. /Billy boy
has done a sterling pre-publicity campaign on me./ Time
stopped for a second. Suddenly she coughed and made a
choking noise. Instantly all attention was on her.
"Auntie Elena! Are you all right?"
/Oh God, I don't even have to touch people to hurt
them... I'm the male Medusa!/
Scully surged forwards and everyone let her, grateful
that there was a doctor in the house. Mulder followed,
but even before Scully reached Elena, the old woman had
recovered enough to speak. "Oh my, I'm all right, dear."
She kept looking at Mulder.
/Yes, your great-niece's Happiness Destroyer does not
have two heads and fangs. I'm surprised too./
Elena reached out to pat Mulder and Scully's hands. She
seemed hesitant to touch Mulder, but once she didn't
spontaneously combust on contact, she appeared reassured
or relieved. "A biscuit went down the wrong way. I
thought these dentures could handle them. I'm sorry for
the fuss." She coughed again mildly, smiling at the two
agents, scrutinising them with frank curiosity. "You must
be Dana."
"Yes, it's wonderful to meet you at last." Scully made
sure that she was okay, then bent down and hugged her.
Mulder saw was Elena *still* watching him closely while
her head was on Scully's shoulder. He gave a weak smile
and looked away.
A rather loud stage whisper sounded from behind them. A
child's voice. "When's Auntie Dana giving me my present?"
"Nathan!"
"But it's right there and it looks soooooo interesting!"
Elena laughed. Scully hovered. Elena gave her a gentle
shove. "Go on, dear."
"But I want to talk to you."
"And I you, but I'm not going anywhere. You can catch up
with me a bit later on." She looked straight at Mulder
when she said the latter sentence. He shuffled nervously.
Scully alternated between handing out the presents she
had brought and opening the presents that were waiting
for her. Though she did sensibly give her nephews theirs
first. Mulder sat and watched her, feeling Elena's eyes
on him, and noticing whispers as people looked at Scully.
Whispers along the lines of:
"We nearly lost her a few years ago."
"Which time? Her coma or her cancer?"
"What about that partner that's with her? Wasn't invited.
What do you make of THAT?"
"Did you hear about last Christmas, when Maggie and Dana
went to stay with Bill?"
"Maggie hasn't said much about that. But Daniel heard..."
After the present-giving was complete, members of the
family began drifting into other rooms or outside. Scully
had fallen into animated discussion with her younger
brother, Charlie, in the higher section of the living
room. Mulder didn't know why, but he had always felt that
Charlie would be more of an ally than Bill. Or hoped.
Five minutes in Charlie's company had bundled away that
illusion: nine year old Nathan, his son, had wanted Dana
to come out and play catch. Mulder read the look in
Scully's eyes and offered to substitute. Charlie made
sure that Dana was distracted then told him, "I can't do
anything about you being around my sister, but stay the
hell away from my kids. Got that?"
"I just wanted to -"
"Be grateful that Mom and Dana put up with you. Don't
expect any favours from the rest of us."
So now Mulder couldn't go back to Scully's side right
away - she would wonder why he'd come back so quickly and
would figure it out. Then a verbal or physical fight with
her own brother would ensue.
/Damn, I forgot to give Mrs Scully her present!/ Mulder
realised. But Maggie was never in the room long enough to
pin down - she was rushing around getting drinks and
soothing grandchildren and organising dinner. Plus he
would have felt very awkward piping up during this
Christmas ceremony when it wasn't his family. /Hell, I
even feel uncomfortable when I'm at my mom's. I'll give
it to Mrs Scully in the kitchen. That'll be better./
He got up to retrieve the present out of his jacket, but
on his way out of the lower section of the room he
noticed Elena and went up to her. "Um, Mrs -" He realised
he didn't even know if she was a widow or unmarried. A
quick glance at her left hand showed the rings. /Okay,
but Mrs What?/ "Mrs Elena, can I get you anything?" He
waited for her to scathingly tell him off for his
presumption or for any of his other litanies of evil.
"I'm a Carter - Maggie's side of the family." He tried to
look for a resemblance to Mrs Scully, but didn't want to
stare. "Auntie Elena is fine. And I'm fine too, thank
you, dear. I'm mobile." She tapped the frame of the chair
and gave him a friendly grin. Apart from her legs, she
seemed to be in excellent health for her age. He noticed
she had very vivid blue eyes. "So, Mulder, you've been
Dana's partner for six years now?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She opened her mouth then glanced just behind him and
straight back into his face. She said, "Mulder, would you
be an angel and go give Maggie a hand in the kitchen?"
"Um, sure."
"Good lad."
Confused, he moved away, only to hear her say a second
later: "Bill, love, could you go get that scrumptious son
of yours out of the playpen and give me a good look at
him?"
Mulder looked back. Bill had clearly been heading for him
with the ruthlessness of a torpedo, but at Elena's
request the naval officer stopped and turned. She was
smiling at him, all white-haired innocence.
Bill glanced at Mulder, his jaw set. Then he said, "Sure,
Auntie," and headed for the playpen.
Elena winked at Mulder and made a 'shoo shoo' motion with
her hands. Mulder took the opportunity and did as told.
At his insistence on helping, Maggie had him carry
bottles of wine out into the dining room. Scully soon
appeared - he wasn't sure if she was wanting his company
or merely wanting to help out or avoiding the kids on
this near-anniversary day - and she started placing the
silverware. The sides of the dining room opened out into
various rooms: the kitchen, hallway and the lower living
room. At one stage he caught a glimpse of Scully looking
at her scarf in a wall mirror. She had a wonderful smile
on her face. After that, so did he.
Then Scully started talking to cousin James in the dining
room doorway that led out into the hall, and Mulder
realised that there was a sprig of mistletoe directly
above his partner. Neither she or her cousin were aware
of it. Mulder swallowed, considering.
"Mistletoe alert, Mulder!" Elena said from waist-height a
metre away.
Mulder jumped. He hadn't even heard the hum of the
wheelchair.
She grinned at him. "But watch out for the right-hand
punch."
END PART ONE OF TWO.
TITLE: "Having a Happy X-mas" (2/2)
BY: Ten
E-MAIL ADDRESS: kristena@ocean.com.au
CATEGORY: S, A, H, MSR
RATING: PG-13 for an implied adult image or two
SUMMARY: Let's continue Christmas morning 1998...
TIMESPAN/SPOILER WARNING: Continues "How the Ghosts Stole
Christmas", refers to "Triangle", "Dreamland" I & II
(minor), the movie, a few oblique references to other
past seasons episodes like the "Emily" double.
ARCHIVE INFO: It goes to Gossamer through xff. Can be
archived anywhere as long as my name, addy and disclaimer
stay intact.
FEEDBACK: Love it.
DISCLAIMER: The X-Files and the characters of Mulder and
Scully belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions
and Fox Broadcasting, and are used without permission. No
copyright infringement is intended, no profit will be
gained.
XxX
From Part One:
"Mistletoe alert, Mulder!" Elena said from waist-height a
metre away.
Mulder jumped. He hadn't even heard the hum of the
wheelchair.
She grinned at him. "But watch out for the right-hand
punch."
XxX
He gaped. Dazed by the implications, he looked to the
hallway door for an instant, to see Scully and James had
gone, then turned back to Elena.
"Scully?" he gasped.
"That's what you called me, Einstein." Her eyes were
twinkling. "You never did ask my name. Though at the time
I wasn't inclined to give it to you."
Mulder felt like he would pass out from the shock.
"Though," she continued thoughtfully, "you might not be
the Mulder I knew. You could be a grandson or great-
grandson. But from what one of the sailors told me, the
dates fit."
"It was me. And it was you!" THAT was why she was calling
him Mulder instead of Fox. He had thought that Maggie or
Dana had warned everyone... He stared at her. /This was
what a ninety-ish year old Scully will look like. And I
didn't imagine 1939! I was *there*.../ He smiled. "The
Queen Anne. The ballroom. Jeepers Creepers. I was dressed
up as a Nazi and you threatened to show me the stars on
the American flag."
She smiled back. "It is you," she said, satisfied.
"For me it only happened last month..."
"The sailor said you insisted the date was November 16th
1998. Just as well we're meeting after that, or you'd
think I was dotty if I came up saying I knew you."
"I believe in extreme possibilities!"
She laughed. "I got a fair surprise when I saw you both
there - Dana looking like me at that age, and YOU... I
knew you weren't a ghost. Her resemblance was mentioned
through the years by family members, but with me way over
in England...and with my line of work back in the war I
didn't like to be photographed much... A habit. I often
thought about you, and how you called me 'Scully', and
then when Maggie *married* a Scully... Not to mention
when letters began mentioning a 'Mulder'. I just couldn't
believe it until I saw it with my own eyes."
He chuckled. "I can understand that."
"Did you tell Dana?"
"I tried to tell her...but she didn't believe me."
"Oh well, it could be our little secret. The others think
I'm senile enough when I tell them some of what I did in
the War." She sighed. "Twits."
"The Queen Anne - you did what I said, you turned it
around!"
"Call me crazy, but I trusted you." She shook her head at
the memory.
"Scully found the ship in the Triangle in 1998 - she said
it was deserted, a ghost ship."
"We sent out a mayday, another ship came, evacuated us,
arrested the Nazis we had captured. I made sure that
Thor's Hammer was safe. The other ship was going to put
people aboard to do a final search to make sure there
were no more Jerrys lurking, then have a skeleton crew
bring it home, but the Queen Anne...vanished...
Headquarters classified my report and fed stories to the
other passengers about the Anne being torpedoed."
"Same old government. You saved the world, Elena! Thanks
for ensuring that I existed."
Her eyes sparkled and she gave him a light shove. "I'm
sorry that I punched you, Mulder. It's just that in those
days women didn't go around letting men they'd only just
met - and apparent crackpots at that - take liberties!"
"Yeah...well...I'm sorry..."
"Why? I was into the kiss! Propriety just got the better
of me. But I don't think Dana will object quite so
strenuously."
He blushed holly-red.
"Next time she's under the mistletoe, go for it. I'll
take out any competition."
Mulder laughed, then an idea struck him. "Wait right
here; I'll be back in a minute." He quickly returned and
held out the unlabelled present. "Here. For my other
Scully."
She stared at him. "Go on," he encouraged.
She opened the paper with fairly nimble fingers and gazed
in awe at her ballgown-red scarf. "You are a very special
and unique man, Fox Mulder, no matter what the decade."
He kissed her on the cheek. "Same to you, Elena, only
gender-flipped."
He helped her put on the scarf and brought a mirror over
for her. Then she went to get stronger lipstick. A few
relatives had wandered through in the interium, saw the
scene and blabbed in amazement to everyone else. So when
Maggie announced for everyone to congregate in the dining
room to eat, all eyes were on Mulder.
Scully approached him as Maggie was organising who sat
where. "Well, sounds like you've made a good impression."
"Sucking up to the oldies," Bill muttered. When Mulder
had first gone to help Maggie, Bill had tried several
more times to grab Fox Mulder before dinner in the
periods he was alone in the dining room and take him away
for a little chat, but each time Elena had obsensibly
appeared in his way.
With excuses like:
"Bill, can you reach that for me please?"
"Love, I've been reading up about the navy, but in my day
it was different. Can you explain...?"
He had gritted his teeth and behaved. Reached. Presented
Matthew for inspection - a LONG inspection. Talked about
the navy. Generally been respectful and kind beyond duty
to one of his elders. Didn't snap once. Then he'd nearly
swallowed his teeth when she ran over his foot on his
fourth attempt to reach the dining room.
"Sorry... Damn thing's got a mind of its own sometimes."
She smiled sweetly and wrestled with the wheelchair
controls. By the time she got out of his way, naturally
enough, Scully was back at Mulder's side.
So by this time Bill was mad enough to make the mistake
of accusing Mulder within his sister's earshot, Scully
stepped towards him, but Mulder tugged at her sleeve.
"Yeah, Elena's a great lady."
Elena came back in. Everyone admired her scarf and she
was insistent on sitting with Scully and Mulder.
"That's a lovely scarf, Mulder," Scully said approvingly.
"It's your colour, Scully," Mulder agreed, then just
smiled mysteriously at her frown.
"That bright? I don't think so."
"Trust me."
"Those colours really make me feel alive," Elena told
them. Making sure that Maggie wasn't in earshot, she
said, "I love the blanket, really, but it's a shame that
when people are buying for the elderly that they don't
consider bright colours. Everyone thinks that we all
walked around in a landscape of black and white during
the War, that bright colours were invented in the
psychedellic sixties..."
Midway through dinner, Matthew put on a dazzling scene-
stealing display of adorable faces and baby speak from
his highchair. Scully watched him intently, then Mulder's
hand covered hers on the tabletop. And suddenly the sight
was bearable. Five minutes later she reached for his hand
undernearth the table and they remained like that as much
as possible through dessert. By the end of Christmas
pudding she was even geniunely laughing at the baby's
antics instead of feeling so hollow inside.
Dinner was over. People sluggishly and satedly wandered
off to find comfy chairs of any description or to wash
dishes or go home.
Mulder went into the kitchen to see if Maggie had enough
helpers while Elena and Scully remained in the dining
room. Scully began cleaning up the table. She could have
gone out and played with the children now that Mulder had
been there to empathise with her and help her find an
inner balance to make it through the day. Yes, she needed
to feel sad over what she had lost, but she also needed
to be glad for what she did have. She felt drawn into
Mulder's vicinity, as usual.
Elena started stacking plates. Scully opened her mouth to
tell her great-aunt that she didn't have to do that, to
at least leave the difficult things, but then a
kindredness came over her. She knew that this woman would
not appreciate being told not to do something, however
well intentioned. No matter that she was wheelchair-
bound, Elena would find a way to do it, and do it well.
And she was. As they worked companionably, Elena said,
"He must love you very much, Dana."
"S-sorry?"
"Mulder."
"Ah, well... I asked him to come. He was going to spend
the day alone. He was lonely, so he came."
"And he did come, knowing full well that he would be
surrounded by the enemy. Lonely people don't wander out
of their trench towards the opposing side just because
they want a little company. That boy is in love."
"Well, um..." She remembered Mulder's groggy *I love you*
and stayed silent.
"You're both going through a lot in being here. But I can
see how much you boost each other. And he's quite a
kisser, dear, but don't just take my word for it!" Elena
moved around the table in the other direction, gathering
plates on her lap. Over the hum and the chink, Scully
thought she could make out her great-aunt talking to
herself: "Nearly sixty years... One kiss. Two husbands,
four kids, ten grandkids, three great-grandkids and eight
dogs later, and I still remember it..."
Scully stared at her. /She probably kissed him when he
gave her the scarf. That's it. And she's just remembering
something in her past./ Then Mulder came back into the
room and the conversation ended. Elena soon excused
herself and glided back into the lower living room.
Mulder looked up as he was stacking the remaining plates
and saw that his partner was standing under the mistletoe
again, reading over a joke found in a Christmas cracker.
He swallowed, then tradition and desire sent him striding
towards her.
Bill Scully was in the living room and saw Mulder through
the doorway. He headed right for him, ready to drag him
out into the garage to tell him a few choice things,
whether Dana was present or not.
Elena steered her wheelchair into him. Well, to block him
from getting through the doorway at least, but he was so
distracted that he didn't stop in time and banged his
shin on the frame. He just managed to cover up a yelp of
pain. Bill looked down at Elena, knowing that she was on
Mulder's side, but expecting another wide-eyed 'oh sorry
love didn't see you there' routine.
But Elena had the Scully spirit. Or rather, her
fiestiness had been passed on to Dana Scully, and it
wasn't in this woman's nature to hide her true self for
too long behind an act of senility . Elena burned with
fire as she glared up at the naval officer. "Young man."
Her voice was deadly serious. "There are some things in
this world that we have to stand up against at all costs
- like Nazism, for example. But there are other things
that NO ONE has the right to stand in the way of. You
leave your sister and her lover alone. Do you
understand?"
He stiffened, going rigid. "Aunt Elena -"
"I'm not an empty-headed little thing whose head is
turned by the gift of a scarf or false sentiment. Fox
Mulder is very genuine." He scowled. She gave him an even
better scowl. "Enough of the lemon-expression, boy - I've
faced Nazis who have held guns to my head. You don't
intimidate me." She saw him roll his eyes - like he'd
forgotten that she could actually see that far up. /Oh
for the days when I could kill with my bare hands...I'd
at least kick his bum but good. And he's part of our
defense force - golly God! Lucky we've got Fox and
Dana... Hey, I could kill him and plead senility./ "You
want the best for your sister - their path may be
difficult, but no one else could love her more. Accept
it."
"You have no idea what he's caused her to lose."
"Bill, would you say that Dana is a very intelligent
woman?"
"Yes."
"She may have lost a lot, but she still wanted to be with
him today. For him to come here."
"She's got sense apart from when it comes to him!"
"Strange - I remember a letter from your mother about
eight years ago that said you were nearly climbing the
walls because Tara was being courted by someone else,
just when you'd realised that she was the only one for
you. This other lad had so much and you didn't feel like
you could offer her anything, but she chose you. And you,
who was usually as 'romantic as a stick insect' I believe
the quote was, were so happy that you nearly bought out
an entire flower shop. The resulting credit card amount
cut into the honeymoon budget but neither of you cared.
Both you and Tara may have acted just a tad insensible
there, don't you think? Love is a funny thing."
Bill strode off into the backyard.
"Mission accomplished; I've still got it!" Elena said
smugly, then glanced hopefully at the dining room, while
taking up sentry duty to discourage intruders.
Mulder took a deep breath as he halted next to Scully.
She looked up and smiled at him, then back down to finish
reading a joke. "These are so bad..."
"Um, Scully?"
"Yeah?"
"You're...you're standing under mistletoe, you know..."
Instantly she looked up while taking an instinctive step
back. "Oh."
Mulder swallowed. She didn't know, she hadn't realised.
/Should I should I?/
"Scully?"
She looked up at him nervously. She didn't say anything.
But Mulder suddenly felt he should. "One of the ghosts
told me tht I chase illusions I think will give my life
meaning and significance, and in a way that is true,
especially early on in our partnership. But meanings and
significances change. You asked why I wanted you out
there with me - and I didn't answer... I'm not here
because it's Christmas or I'm lonely - I *always* want to
be with you. It's that simple. I wasn't dellusional in
the hospital after the Queen Anne - I do love you."
She was silent, staring up at him with large eyes.
Mulder stepped forward into her personal space and put
his hand on her cheek. She didn't move away. Encouraged,
he leaned down to brush his lips...
...she moved her head so that his kiss pressed home
several centimetres from her mouth. She looked down at
the carpet.
Mulder took his hand off her cheek. "I'm sorry..." he
whispered. This was more painful than the right-handed
punch - or a left. Almost as bad as the beesting. Though
the bee had meant that Scully hadn't turned away of her
own voliton. But in this case...
Scully was shaking her head. "No - no, it's just that -
when we kiss, I want...I want it to be just us. No
mistletoe. No people around that could wander by." She
indicated the hallway they were nearly out in.
He couldn't work out if that was very shaky logic or she
was scared or what. She was right - he didn't want any
risk of interruption either.
"Oh... Okay, sure. Um...I'll gather up the napkins..." He
wondered if they would pick this up later or whether it
would go the way of the near-kiss and so much else.
Scully seized him and hauled him around back under the
mistletoe. He stared.
"Screw it," she muttered; then as she raised herself up
on tiptoe, she said, "I want a sixty year kiss and I'm
not waiting six more years or six more seconds for it."
He leaned down to give it to her. A two hundred year one
if she desired... Their lips -
Uncle Ferdinand popped his head through the doorway,
almost in between them. "Kids, I'm a little lost -"
The wheelchair zoomed across the carpet like an Imperial
fighter. "Ferdinand! You TWIT!" Elena raged - though not
loud enough to be heard in the next room. She looked at
Mulder and Scully. "I'm sorry, I couldn't follow him - he
went out through the upper living room, I couldn't -"
"It's okay -" Mulder began.
Ferdinand looked hurt. And a bit drunk. "I was just
looking for the facilities. It's a big house."
"And you've been visiting it for decades! I'd be more
worried about the lack of facilities in your head! You
just interrupted history!" Elena sent her chair zipping
for him. "Now get out!" She herded him out the door, then
stopped her pursuit. She turned the wheelchair around and
regarded the FBI agents. "You're not going to get any
peace here. Say your goodbyes and go home. That's an
order."
"Yes, Scul - er, Elena." Mulder laughed. Scully looked
back and forth between the two of them, obviously
marvelling at their banter and wondering just what was
going on.
Elena said, "I haven't had so much fun in ages - now it's
your turn. Have yourselves a merry little Christmas."
Mulder bent down and kissed Elena. She mock-slugged him
with her left hand. Then she zipped away.
Mulder turned to Scully, looking almost shy. "Well,
partner, that sounds good to me. We should listen to our
elders."
Scully said, "Don't I get a say in this?"
"Always. But we can stay if you want. I don't want to
drag you away like last night. I know you've been
thinking about a normal life; to just stop driving and
settle -"
She interrupted. "Deep down, I know I'd get bored with
normal. I've always enjoyed a challenge. Extraordinary
can be fun. Though there are some normal things that
normal couples do that I wouldn't mind..." She fingered
her scarf with a sultry grin. "Sooner we go, sooner we
kiss. And the sooner we can make some waves in that
waterbed."
Mulder grinned. "There's no place like home..."
Hasty goodbyes were conducted, hand in hand. Elena and
Scully's smiles were identical. Maggie hugged them and
finally seemed to realise that there was traces of Dana's
perfume on Mulder...
Mulder and Scully shared their first kiss out in the car.
And second and third...the lines between individual
kisses got a little foggy after that. So did the car
windows. Dana made no move to hit him with either fist.
"Let's get out of here before I tear your clothes off
like wrapping paper!" she declared.
"The feeling is mutual."
"My clothing plans involve only this scarf."
"I'll take it!"
"I kind of hoped you would."
"The book you gave me...I really like it so far. Do Peter
and Harriet end up together?"
"Yes. Eventually. One of the best courtships and romances
I've read. Let's give them a run for their money."
At this they headed off to Mulder's apartment.
And two hours later, in magnificent defiance of physics,
two soulmates were able to fuse themselves even closer
together than a certain penny and dime.
THE END (PART TWO OF TWO).
(
geocities.com/msr_xf)