From: Anne Haynes Date: 20 Dec 1998 07:06:43 GMT Subject: White Christmas 1/1 DISCLAIMER: Mulder, Scully and the others here belong to Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen and the Fox Network. I mean no infringement. CATEGORY: V, R RATING: PG-13 KEYWORDS: MSR SPOILERS: "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" SUMMARY: A meeting on the Mall "White Christmas" by Anne Haynes AHaynes33@aol.com I don't recognize her at first--maybe because I've never seen her in a cap. It's a knit toboggan, forest green, covering all but the very ends of her red hair. Her normally pale face is pink with cold and exercise, and she's laughing. I stand there at a short distance, watching her laugh. It's enchanting and rare. I almost feel like a voyeur. There are a couple of children with her--a carrot-topped boy of six or seven and a smaller child with sandy hair and a snub nose that looks like a bright pink button. They're laughing with her, laughing and kicking up snow and dirt in equal measure. The white Christmas is really only gray; only two inches of snow fell, barely covering the grass on the Mall with a coating of crusty snow. Still, it's one hell of a Hallmark moment. Tears prick my eyes. I tell myself it's the cold. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" The voice startles me. I turn my head toward the speaker. He's a man in his early thirties, freckled and handsome in a sturdy, salt-of-the-earth sort of way. I see a little resemblance-- not to Scully but to Bill Jr., her old brother. So this is Charles Scully. "You're Mulder, aren't you?" I nod and hold out my hand. What the hell, I think--even Bill Jr. had the manners to shake it before he started calling me names. Charles shakes my hand and then sticks his bare hands back into his pockets. He moves closer, maintaining a polite but companionable distance. "Funny--you don't look like I thought you would." I'm vaguely amused. "How's that?" "Like a sorry son of a bitch." I can't help smiling. "Been talking to Bill Jr., I see." "Yeah." He smiles slightly. "I'm glad Dana called you to come here. I admit, I've been curious about you." The feeling's mutual, Chucky. Scully catches sight of me then. Her face lights up like a candle, and I swear to God I think I'm gonna faint at the sight. She grabs up the smaller of the moppets she's playing with and crunches through the slippery crust of snow toward Charles and me. We share a look that should have melted the snow. She's thinking about last night and how we chose to keep warm as the snow fell outside my apartment window. I'm thinking about it too. Hell, it's all I've thought about since I pulled her soft, sweet body beneath mine and opened the door to heaven. I hope Charles isn't watching us closely. He may not be as hostile as Bill Jr. but I bet he wouldn't think twice about kicking my ass. He's too busy gathering up the tow-headed toddler who's practically throwing himself out of Scully's arms. A closer look and I see the child is a girl, not a boy like I'd originally thought. Cute little charmer, grinning at her father. She looks a little like Emily. I look at Scully. She meets my gaze with a knowing look, her smile bittersweet. I don't care if Charles is there; I reach out for her hand. She takes my hand, her fingers icy. I close my fist over them, warming them. "This is Kelly," she said softly, leading me closer to her niece. "And this--" she tugs the dark blue Braves cap down over the red-haired boy's eyes-- "is Patrick." Patrick makes a little face and beams at Scully with a gap-toothed grin. She melts at the sight, and I learn something brand new about my ever-surprising partner. She's a sucker for little boys. Nice to know, I think. I was once a little boy. I remember how it's done. Useful information. "I see you've met Charlie." I nod. Charles smiles and shifts his daughter to one hip. She pats his face with her snow-crusted mittens, and he dodges and ducks to avoid the sodden, muddy caresses. His grin is contagious---he seems so damned happy just to be alive. I wonder what that's like. To just be happy--no reservations. No doubts. Scully moves in closer to my side as if seeking my warmth. One arm slides around my waist under my jacket, and I glance at her in surprise. She returns the look, a question in her eyes. I reassure her by draping my arm over her shoulder and pulling her close. Her lips curve just a bit and she tucks herself neatly under my sheltering wing. I'm surprised by how perfectly she fits there, and then I'm surprised by being surprised. Of course she fits. Every time I turn around, Scully proves to be another missing part of the puzzle I call my life. She has filled in blanks I didn't know I had. Charles cocks his head slightly, looking at us. Scully meets his gaze evenly, and I take my lead from her. He lowers Kelly to the snowy ground and bends to talk to his son. "I think there's still enough snow for a snowman, Pat. Why don't you show your sister how to make one?" The children scamper off, not too far but out of earshot. I assume that's on purpose when Charles next speaks. "Bill would shit a brick." "None of his business," Scully says shortly. "He thinks Mulder is some sort of Svengali, luring you into some weird cultish mindset," Charles adds, not pulling any punches. I try not to wince. Scully scowls. "Bill has his head up his ass." "Well, you'd better hope it stays there. Because if he had any idea about---this---" He motions toward us. "What about you?" I ask the question that Scully doesn't seem worried about. "I don't stick my nose where it might get flattened." About as close to a blessing as I'll get from a Scully brother. I'll take it. "I'm going to take the kids back to Mom's---get them dried out and warmed up." Charles glances at his sister. "You can catch a ride with Mulder, can't you?" She nods. "He can take me to pick up my car later." "What do you want me to tell them?" "Whatever you want." A devilish glint brightens his blue eyes. "Anything?" She grins. "Well, not ANYTHING." He bends and kisses her forehead, then cuffs me on the arm. It's not a friendly pat. I get the message loud and clear--hurt her and die, punkass. He gathers up his kids. They whine a bit, but they're good kids. Patrick trots alongside his father, talking a mile a minute. Kelly twists around in her father's arm to blow sloppy kisses toward Scully. I catch an errant one and tuck it inside my heart. "So that's Charles." She nods, her cap tickling my chin. "Yep, that's Charles." "I like him. He didn't even call me any names." "Bruised your arm, though." And you shot me once, I think. You Scullys have strange ways of showing affection. "So...what now? We build a snowman?" "I was thinking of something a little...warmer." She curls her small body into mine, until we're belly to belly. Well, okay, her belly is actual somewhere in the neighborhood of my zipper. And only the cold is saving her from a belly-full of extra happy Mulder. But only barely. "Take me back to your apartment, Mulder." I decide I like it when she gives orders. == End == Anne Haynes My XF Fanfic is stored at http://members.aol.com/ahaynes33/index.htm