From: "Athos - - -" Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 01:40:33 GMT Subject: Circles Unbroken: Bleak Midwinter Source: xff Title: Circles Unbroken: Bleak Midwinter Author: Athos. Athos_too@hotmail.com Keys: Scully Slash. Scully Other. Vignette. Romance. Summary: This story will make little sense unless you have read _Circles Unbroken: Journeys End in Lovers' Meetings_ which introduced Lee Caldwell, Scully's lover. In this holiday episode, Lee and Scully take a walk on Christmas Eve. Rating: PG for innuendeo. Archive: Please post to Gossamer and ATXC. The Circles Unbroken stories may be archived anywhere in a responsible manner, as long as they are not changed in the process. Disclaimer: The character of Dana Scully is not mine. No profit is being made by this use. Lee Caldwell is mine, and should not be used without permission. **** Circles Unbroken: Bleak Midwinter **** *What is that? Angel choirs?* Lee Caldwell stepped into the living room and shut the door. She could hear Scully's pleasant voice singing in their kitchen. *Now that is something nice to come home to.* She brushed the snowflakes from her dark hair and hung up her coat. "It's me, babe. I'm home." And from the kitchen: "Damn it!" Lee quickened her pace and stuck her head through the kitchen door. "What's the matter?" Scully turned, wearing what Lee had come to categorize as her lover's 'wise ass cat that swallowed a canary' grin. *Uh oh. I think I'm in trouble now..* The redhead sighed. "Damn it. Same old same old. I was sure this was the day my mystery lover would sweep me off my feet into her strong arms, and whisk me away to the Caribbean." She paused; "or at least take me to the food court at the mall. And what do I get? Only you." Lee smiled, and crossed to the sink where Scully was just finishing the baking dishes. The smell of oatmeal cookies filled the room. She pulled Scully into an embrace, stroked her hair. "I'm sorry to be such a disappointment; I hope I'll at least do until someone better comes along?" Another sigh. "I guess you'll have to. Christmas trees and eggnog make me feel amorous, and it _IS_ Christmas Eve." "Eggnog? You started without me?" Scully stretched up and kissed the taller woman. "You know I wouldn't do that; sit down and I'll bring you one." Lee returned the living room and sitting in the middle of the couch across from their Christmas tree. The strings of mini lights were the only illumination in the room. Scully entered, delivered a highball glass and sat down by her side. She turned to Lee and raised her glass in a toast. "To you. My exotic mystery lover who wines and dines me at the Taco Bell." "No. To us." Lee gave their standard response, and sipped the eggnog. She made a face. "What did you put in this, turpentine? That sure isn't rum or brandy like Martha Stewart recommends." "It's whiskey. Cheap rye whiskey. My father always said he wanted to taste something in his eggnog." She smiled. "Remember, he was a sailor.." She rose, went to the kitchen and returned. "Try it with some more nutmeg." Lee sipped cautiously. "That's better. For a minute there I thought you were trying to clear a path for your mystery lover." Scully took a small sip. "Well, there is that." She snuggled against Lee. "I wouldn't worry too much though; it's been too hard training you. I don't want to start over." They sat for a few moments, sipping the eggnog, smelling the tree, looking at the snow falling outside. Lee took Scully's glass, placed it with her own on the table. "I believe someone mentioned l'amour." She kissed Scully thoroughly. "Now, love of my life, we have a decision to make. Trip the horizontal fantastic, or walk in the snow like we talked about? I'm asking you now, cause if I kiss you again it's a moot question." "Ah. Let us consider the viable options then. We get good snow in DC once in a blue moon, especially on Christmas Eve. That's on the one hand. On the other, same old same old is always here." Scully kissed Lee gently, stroking her cheek. "So Carpe Diem dictates we walk in the snow." Another soft kiss, and a whisper. "That makes me amorous too..." **** Scully returned to the living room, adjusting her Sig in a shoulder holster. Lee stared. "Do you really think you need to wear that?" Scully shrugged. "This is DC, Christmas Eve or not. Two women are going walking into the park. Just think of it as insurance that they come walking out of that park." She stepped to Lee, put her arms around her waist, and looked up into the brunette's eyes. "I love one of those two women very much, and plan to keep her safe for me, ok? Humor me on this one please." Lee leaned down and kissed her. "Ok." **** "What was that carol you were singing? I don't think I know that one." Lee held Scully's gloved hand as they walked. "It is a little unusual, but I've liked it ever since I heard it back in college." Scully began to sing: "In the bleak midwinter, frosty winds made moan Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone. Snow lay all around him, snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, long long ago. What can I give him, poor though as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. If I were a wise man, I would do my part. What can I give him? I'll give him my heart." Lee looked around at the darkened park. They were not near a lamp, so it didn't take too much imagination to conjure up the frosty bleak images of the song. "I like it. It seems real." She squeezed Scully's hand. "And I like to hear you sing." "Just your little song bird, huh? A woman named Christina Rosetti wrote that. My roommate, the English Major, told me she was part of some literary movement about a hundred years ago. That name always stuck in my head. Christina Rosetti; seems exotic." Lee brushed snowflakes out of Scully's red hair. "You're pretty exotic yourself. Kiss, please..." And she suited the actions to the words. "My very own angel choir," she whispered. Scully didn't answer, but slipped out of the embrace. Ahead of them the path curved before a small steep slope, covered with snow, and perhaps seven feet high. Scully ran to it, lay down on her back with her legs together and her arms out. She began to open and close her legs in the snow, and move her arms up and down. Lee stood before her, mystified. "Dana! Are you nuts? What are you doing?" Scully smiled up at her. "You'll see." She raised her hands for Lee to pull her up. Standing at Lee's side, she pointed at the depression in the snow where she had lain. With a little imagination a shape, like a child's drawing of an angel, could be seen. "There. An angel just for you, Lee Caldwell." Scully stretched up and kissed her on the cheek. "Your angel looks lonely, though." *The things I do for love...* And aloud Lee said, "Ok subtle one; I can take a hint." She lay in the snow next to the Scully angel and repeated Scully's movements. In a few moments, two angels lay in the snow, side by side, hand in hand. They stood and admired their creation together. Lee put her arm around Scully's waist, said, "I don't ever want to forget this moment. I want you to remind me of it when we're old and gray." Scully turned to her, put her arms around her neck, kissed her softly. "Your angel promises." She ran her hands down Lee's back to the seat of her jeans. "But you're all wet!. We better get home and let me get you out of those wet clothes." "Dana? Isn't that out of character for an angel?" "Split personality. Sometimes I'm a horny little devil, too." And they turned for home, snow falling about them in the dark. Later that night, the wind came up and blurred the line between the two snow angels, turning them into one. **** finis. Thanks for reading. Comments may be sent to Athos_too@hotmail.com