Disclaimer: Not making any money, don't own the boys, yada yada yada
But I do promise to put them back when I am done with them.
No X Files characters were harmed during the making of this little fic.

X Files fan fiction. Rated NC17 for slash, language and angst

Pairing: Sk/M/K

Summary: The boys spent their second Christmas together

Thank you to Bianca for coming up with this wonderful
title, it helped inspire this little piece.

This can be read anywhere within the Past Universe time line.

ONE

"But it's his first proper Christmas Walter, we have to make it special for him." Fox said.

Walter nodded. "I agree Fox, but you know how he gets this time of year. I just don't want to put him under more stress then necessary, that's all."

"Look I'm not talking about a huge party or anything, just a few close friends, you know, The Lone Gunmen, Dana, John Doggett, they could bring William, you know how much Alex loves to see William." Fox was almost pleading now.

"I know...I agree, but the way Alex has been lately, I don't think he could cope with any kind of celebration right now."

"Well can we at least get a tree?" Fox asked, he saw the doubt in Walter's eyes. "Oh come on Walter....a tree for God's sake, everyone has a tree."

"Not if you are Jewish." Walter joked. He saw the look on Fox's face, then relented.

"Oh okay, a tree, a small tree Fox, you know what happened last time we brought a tree into the house."

"Yeah, I remember, Alex took off and it took us three days and the help of missing persons to find him."

"I was half out of my mind with worry for him, I had no idea what he was going to do." Walter said. His face had become grave, remembering the frantic search for their distraught lover. He also recalled how upset and worried Fox had been as well.

They had finally managed to track the missing young Russian down to a run down bar in one of the worst areas in Washington. He had been passed out over a table while several bikers were standing around placing bets on who was going to fuck him first.

Walter and Fox had turned up just in time.

They had gotten the still unconscious man home and had taken him upstairs to their room to sleep it off.

After Alex had woken up, he had one hell of a hangover and one hell of a telling off from both his worried and now angry lovers.

Alex had sat quietly at the kitchen table while first Fox then Walter administered a tongue lashing that both of them hoped that the younger man would not soon forget. Fox had been furious, ranting and venting until he had finally worked his anger out of his system. But Walter had sat down and calmly explained how worried and what sort of hell that Alex's actions had put them both through.

By the time the Walter had finished, Alex was resting his head on the table, sobbing inconsolably, his slender frame shaking with sorrow.

Both Walter and Fox had gathered the distraught man into their arms and together they comforted him. But after that, around Christmas time, they always had to keep an extra eye on him.

They had discovered bit by bit, that Christmas was a painful time for Alex, he had never really had a Christmas. When he was young, there had been gifts and a tree. His family had celebrated the Yuletide in proper Russian tradition, but after he was taken to join the Consortium, any sort of holiday or celebration was denied him.

As Lucas had been so fond of pointing out, operatives had more important things to then celebrate meaningless holidays.

So every Christmas had been spent by either stalking an intended assassination victim, or doing some covert surveillance.

But he never spent a Christmas with anyone that he loved.

When Walter and Fox found this out, they resolved to make every Christmas together special. But Alex resisted every attempt, the same with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Valentines Day.

In short, Alex hated every kind of holiday that there was...but Christmas, that held a special loathing for him.

So Walter had decided to talk to Fox about skipping Christmas this year, no tree, no presents. Just a quiet day at home in front of the fireplace.

And as predicted, Fox had been less the thrilled. He too had not had very good Christmas's after his sister Samantha had been taken, but as least his parents had managed to pull something together every year.

All of Walter's Christmas's and holidays had been wonderful, he came from a close knit Russian American family that had always gathered together for every special day, so it was a sacrifice for him to have to cancel this year, but his mother and father had been most understanding.

At first they had not really understood why their ex-marine son had taken up residence with two younger men, one of them an ex spy and assassin that had dammed near killed their eldest son with nanocytes. But after a while they had come to accept it and finally come to like Fox and Alex as much as they liked and cared for all their other sons and daughters-in-law.

"All right Walter, we can forget the tree I guess that's not important, but as least a couple of gifts, nothing elaborate, just a couple of small presents...please?"

Walter grinned and shook his head helplessly. "Oh all right Fox, just turn off the pout and the great big puppy dog eyes please."

"Great." Fox jumped up. "I'll go and get the turkey and all the other stuff that we need for Christmas dinner, and you can go and get the presents. I have a list up in my room, wait here and I'll get it."

Walter sighed, one thing about Fox Mulder, once he had an idea fixed in his head, there was no way you could budge him from it.

He was soon back down, list in his hand. "I have written everything down for all of us." He told Walter as he handed him the list.

Walter read it, chuckling. "So not only have you included the gifts that you intended on buying, you have also included gifts from myself and Alex as well, Fox, you are incredible, you know that don't you."

Fox grinned, his hazel eyes alight with pleasure at a job well done. "Well I knew that you were thinking of canceling Christmas this year so I thought a little planning ahead couldn't hurt."

"Brat." Walter replied affectionately. "All right then, and I'll relent on the tree, but Fox, I don't know how Alex is going to react to all this, last year was supposed to be our first Christmas together and it sent him into a complete spin. I just don't think this year is going to be any better. All I am trying to say is please don't expect to much."

Fox nodded, subdued. Then he looked up at Walter, his eyes dark with worry. "Do you think maybe I'm just being selfish?" He asked.

Walter reached out and gathered the younger man into his arm, holding him close.

"No, of course not." He reassured Fox gently. "Maybe it's time that Alex learned to get past what happened to him, he has to learn to start dealing with things like this, so I guess now might be the time to start."

Fox nodded, still not quite sure, but pleased that they were going to have a more traditional Christmas all the same, he was just hoping that he was not being too selfish.

Walter stood up, laying his hand on Fox's shoulder reassuringly. "This is going to be a good Christmas for all of us, I am going to make sure of that."

"Okay." Fox replied. "But the big question is, how can we get Alex to enjoy it?"

Walter sighed, the exact same question had been going through his mind." "Well, we are just going to have to be patient and understanding..and watch him like a hawk so he does not take off on us again."

Two

Alex knew that something was up when Walter had asked him to to to the supermarket for a few things. He had written a list and shoved it into Alex's hand.

"It's just a few odds and ends that we are low on." Walter had told him. Alex had left happily enough. He did not mind going to the super market, it was one of the things he did that made him feel useful and part of the family that the three of them had made.

He glanced at the list, the first item on it was milk.

That's strange, we have milk." He thought, he'd had a glass when he had first come back inside. He had been shoveling snow off the sidewalk, until his good arm had started to ache, so he had decided to take a rest for awhile.

The next thing on the list was a loaf of bread. But we have bread as well, I got two loaves yesterday.

Sugar Pops, since when did we eat those? He frowned, they did not need any of this stuff. This was not like Walter at all, he never sent Alex on useless errands. Okay, so what the hell was going on?

"Do you think he suspected anything?" Fox asked as he and Walter carried the large tree into the house.

Walter chuckled. "He should, I wrote a heap of stuff on the list that we either did not need, or don't use."

They both wrestled the tree into the living room, then Walter went back out to the car to get the ceramic pot that it sat in.

Carefully they lifted the tree up and set it into the pot.

"There." Fox said, satisfied, they both shifted the tree and sat it near the large window.

"I'll go and get the decorations, we'll be able to get it done before Alex gets back home." With that, he headed upstairs to the large closet where they stored all their stuff.

After a couple of trips down the stairs, hefting large cardboard boxes, Walter and Fox soon had the tree covered in sparkling decorations.

"Now all we need are the lights and we're done." Walter said, stepping back to look at the now transformed tree. He reached out to straighten one of the crystal angels hanging from a branch, it was a family heirloom inherited from a great grandmother, who had bought the set from a tiny little shop in Kiev.

"Uh oh, Walter, I can't find the Christmas tree lights." Fox was kneeling on the floor, rummaging through the cardboard boxes.

"They should be there." Walter knelt down and started going through the other cardboard carton, but no Christmas tree lights.

"I can run down to the hardware store, they had some lights on special." Fox suggested.

"Sure, but come straight back, I want to get the tree finished before Alex gets back." Walter replied.

Just then the front door opened and Alex walked in. He was carrying a couple of shopping bags.

"I'm back." He called out as he carried the bags into the kitchen. Both Walter and Fox looked at each other nervously. Then Walter called out. "We are in here Alex!"

He set the bags on the kitchen table and walked through into the living room... and stopped dead.

"Well?" Fox said. "What do you think?"

Alex stared at the shimmering Christmas tree for a moment, then without a word, turned on his heel and stalked upstairs.

Fox exhaled noisily. "Okay, so maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

"I'll go to talk to him." Walter said, glancing upstairs.

"All right, and I'll go get those lights." Fox grabbed his keys off the hook near the door and walked out to his car, while Walter went upstairs to speak to Alex.

He found the younger man in the bathroom, splashing water on his face.

"Alex, are you all right?" Walter asked hesitantly. Alex turned around, Walter could see that he had been crying.

Alex said nothing, instead he reached out and grabbed a towel and started to dry his face.

"Alex, I know that Christmas is not exactly one of your favourite times of the year, but Fox and I thought..."

"Look Walter if you and Fox want to celebrate Christmas, fine with me." Alex snapped. He tossed the towel back onto the rack and pushing past Walter, headed back downstairs.

"Alex...wait!" Walter followed him down the stairs.

"I haven't put the groceries away yet." Alex headed to the kitchen.

"Shit." Walter muttered under his breath, why had he let Fox talk him into having Christmas? Then he remembered, it had been his idea that Alex should start facing the demons of his past.

Alex started taking the bread and milk out of the bags, putting them away.

"It's funny you know." He remarked as Walter watched him moved around the kitchen. "I was wondering why you sent me to get groceries that we did not need, well now I know." He slammed the cupboard door shut and then turned and headed back into the living room.

"Oh for...Alex." Walter stormed after the younger man, he was rapidly losing patience now.

He grabbed Alex by his good arm and hauled him around.

"Let me go Walter." Alex snapped, trying to pull out of the bigger man's grip.

"Not until you listen to what I have to say." Walter told him, his voice brooking no argument.

"Fuck you!" Alex tried to twist out of Walter's grasp, but it was no good. Walter hauled the furious man over to the couch and pushed him down into it.

"You know how I feel about you cursing at me Alex so knock it off." Walter growled. Alex glared up at him, his face reddening.

"If I want to fucking well curse, then I fucking well will Walter." He sneered.

Walter drew a deep breath. He knew that Alex was acting out because he was frightened and insecure, it was important that he did not react to this deliberate attempt to antagonize, but it was never easy.

"Look Alex, Fox and I, well we talked about this and we decided to have Christmas this year after all. Now we both know how you feel about any holiday but..."

"Is that why you had to send me off on some bullshit errand so that you and Fox could sneak a tree in?" Alex asked. Walter could hear the hurt in Alex's voice.

"We wanted to surprise you." He replied.

"Ha, well you did that all right."

Walter sighed and looked down at his hands. "Okay Alex, I'll admit that maybe we should not have sprung this on you, but all Fox and I are trying to do is too make this special for you."

"I don't want to hurt you Alex." Walter told him gently. He reached over to stroke the soft sable hair.

"Alex listen to me." Walter said. "You can't let what happened to you in the past control your future. Remember what it was I said to you when we first got you home from the hospital?"

Alex nodded reluctantly. "Triumph or despair." He whispered.

"That's right baby." Walter said, nodding. "Triumph or despair, it's your choice Alex. We can't make it for you, you need to choose for yourself."

Walter heard Alex take a deep breath, he knew that the younger man was on verge of tears now, so he waited.

Finally Alex lifted his head up, his eyes red and puffy. "Walter." He whispered, that one word spoke volumes. All the years of hurt and loneliness and fear was in that one word.

Walter gathered him into his arms, holding him, murmuring comforting words as he rubbed slow circles on his back and neck, soothing him.

That was the way Fox found them both when he walked through the front door a few minutes later, carrying a couple of boxes.

"I guess our differences have been sorted out?" He asked with a grin. Both Alex and Walter looked up at him, smiling.

"Yeah they have." Alex replied, using his sleeve to wipe at his damp eyes. "I'm sorry I was so bad tempered about the tree. It's beautiful."

"It will look even better after the lights are up." Fox said as he handed Alex one of the boxes. Alex opened it up, there nestled inside were Christmas tree lights all coiled up, waiting to be taken out and hung on the tree.

Together the three of them hung the light over the branches, being careful not to accidentally bump any of the ornaments down.

After they were finished, Walter switched the lights on, the room was lit with a mellow glow as a hundred tiny softly coloured bulbs shed their glow over the large comfortable room.

"It is beautiful." Alex breathed, then he turned and walked away, his shoulders slumped.

Fox sighed. "It's going to take awhile I guess." He said ruefully.

"Well you know that Rome wasn't built in a day." Walter replied. Together they found Alex sitting outside on the back porch, he was curled up in the old rocking chair that Fox had bought last summer from a place that liked to think of itself as an antique store although in reality it was little more than a junk shop.

"It's freezing out here Alex and you haven't got a jacket on." Walter remarked as he sat down on the old wrought iron chair next to him.

"Neither have you." Alex replied with a watery smile. Fox chuckled and reached down to pull the younger man up out of the chair.

"I know a good way of getting us all warmed up." He said. Walter chuckled. "Fox, I swear, you have a one track mind."

Fox turned to him, eyebrow raised. "I was thinking of hot cocoa actually." He replied, "but if you have something else in mind..."

Together the three of them went back inside.

Three

Alex lay in the middle of the huge bed, his head resting on Fox's shoulder. Fox held him as Walter entered him from behind, kissing the back of his neck.

Alex gasped, arching with pleasure as Walter moved with slow precision inside him.

He lifted his head up to allow Fox to plunder his mouth, kissing him thoroughly.

Fox gazed into Alex emerald green eyes, heavy lidded with passion.

"Spoiled brat." Fox told him affectionately. Alex broke into a slow grin. "That's what you love about me Fox." He replied throatily.

Alex moved his head down to run his tongue over Fox's nipples, making the other man cry out.

"That's what I love about brats." He gasped as Alex delved lower. "They sure as hell have talented tongues."

After the three of them had finished making love, they lay, holding each other, listening to the wind as it howled through the trees. By the sound of it, they were in for a storm.

"Pity the sailors on the sea tonight." Alex mumbled sleepily as he snuggled against Walter.

Walter glanced at him with a smile. "That's an old saying I haven't heard in a long time."

"My mother always used to say it when she knew a storm was coming." He replied, his eyes closed, on the verge of sleep.

Walter sighed and ran his fingers lovingly across Alex's angular cheek.

"*Go to sleep little one, and may you have beautiful dreams*." Walter said in Russian.

Obediently Alex closed his eyes and was soon asleep. Smiling, Walter curled up beside him, throwing his arm over Alex's slender body, his large hands resting on Fox's hip.

His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was, yes, this is where it begins...this is where the healing starts.

Four

Alex had his head stuck in the fridge, rummaging around. "I think we are out of egg nog." He called out.

"Don't worry, I'll go and get some more." Fox said as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

"Okay." Alex said as he closed the fridge door. He walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.
"Fox, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Was the tree your idea?"

Fox looked up at him. "Are you angry?" He asked.

Alex shook his head. No...well I was at first, but not now."

"We did this for you Alex." Fox told him gently. "We did this so that maybe you can start to heal."

Alex reached over and took Fox's hand in his own. "I know." He replied. "I know."

Just at that moment, Walter entered the kitchen. "Hi." he said as he walked over to the stove to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Fox and I are going to the store to buy some more egg nog." Alex said. "Want to come along?"

"No, I have some things I have to do today." Walter replied. "You two go, have fun."

"Fun, going to the supermarket is not exactly my idea of fun." Fox muttered, but he allowed himself to be pulled out of the door and out to the car by a newly enthusiastic Alex.

Walter watched them both go, then smiling he poured himself a cup of coffee and headed upstairs to wrap the Christmas presents.

Five

Alex and Fox were both sitting on the floor, opening their gifts. Walter had sneaked down the night before to place the presents under the tree when they had both been sleeping.

After they had unwrapped all their gifts, Walter poured them all a glass of mulled wine.

"I have a gift for all of us." Alex said suddenly. Walter and Fox looked at him curiously.

"I...I hid it up in the attic when you were both at work." Alex told them both. "I'll go get it."

Presently he came back down into the living room carrying something wrapped in brown paper.

"I hired a local artist to paint it." He explained as he tore the brown wrapping off the frame.

Both Walter and Fox gasped at the wonderful painting that depicted the three of them standing together, against a backdrop of roses. This had been painted from a photo that Dana had taken a few months ago.

"I borrowed the photo and took it to this young artist that lives on Harcard street. He's very good." Alex explained. "I just thought it would be nice to have our love for each other set down in oil, so it would last forever." Suddenly he blushed, embarrassed.

Both Walter and Fox gathered their sweet young lover in their arms, holding him close.

"It's beautiful Alex." Walter told him, kissing his hair. "It's the nicest gift of all."

Alex smiled, pleased, this had turned out to be a wonderful Christmas after all.

Walter and Fox hung the painting up over the fireplace. Then afterwards they sat down to the traditional meal that Walter had prepared.

"You know something." Alex said as they took their seats around the dining room table. "We should do this every year."

Both Walter and Fox stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing, after a moment, Alex joined in.

And outside, the snow had started to fall.