From: picard1@execpc.com Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 22:54:49 -0600 (CST) Subject: X-MAS STORY: Love's Pure Light (1/1) MSR (Author's notes: The characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are property of FOX and 1013 Productions, not to mention Chris Carter. Thanks a bunch for the holiday loan, Chris!) SPOILER WARNING: Very very slight reference to events in "Demons" and "Redux I and II"...don't blink or you'll miss them. Also, as far as this story's concerned, the "Christmas Carol/Emily" two-parter didn't happen. (Warning: MSR ahead!! No explicit scenes, just a romance beginning to bloom. With the plethora of X-Mas stories that exist among the virtual airwaves, I wanted to contribute something of my own. I also wrote it in a dialogue-only style, so narrative doesn't get in the way. Enjoy!!!!) T H E X F I L E S: "Love's Pure Light" By: Scott J. Hauenstein J. EDGAR HOOVER FEDERAL BUILDING DECEMBER 23, 1997 7:00 A. M. "Good morning, Mulder...." "Greetings and salutations, Scully..." "What's got you so cheery this morning?" "Hey, what can I say? Tis the season, yada yada." "Hmmm... last full day today. Looking forward to some R&R?" "I guess..." "You guess? Don't you have any plans? Aren't you going home to spend Christmas with your mother?" "No...she's going to be staying with some family friends for the holiday. We've exchanged gifts already....our way of making peace with one another after all the things I said to her." "What did you get her?" "Well, she had been admiring a gold bracelet she saw in a catalog back when she was recovering from her stroke...so I took the plunge and got it for her." "That's very sweet of you, Mulder. What did you get from her?" "A leatherbound edition of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. The complete compilation...the poems, the stories...everything." "Sounds very nice..." "Mmm-hmm....what about you, Scully? Going to spend it with your family?" "We had Christmas last night...my mother is visiting my brother and his wife. I chose to spend the holidays here at home." "Me too....imagine that...two lonely souls at Christmas...doesn't seem right." "No..........Well, actually, that's why I came in early. How would you like to come over for Christmas Eve? It doesn't make sense for us both to be alone." "Why, Agent Scully...I'd be honored to spend Christmas Eve with you...thank you." "You're welcome....just bring the wine." "Wine? Planning on getting me drunk and taking advantage of me, huh?" "In your dreams, Mulder..." "How'd you know?" "Mulder!" "Heh heh heh...no problem. What time?" "Say around 7:00?" "Sounds like a plan! I'm looking forward to it." "Me too....oh, remember: no exchanging between us! We agreed!" "Oh...yeah...I remember." "Good...now get to work, slacker!" "Me? A slacker? Surely not!" "Sure, fine...whatever..." "Heh heh heh heh..." DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT DECEMBER 24, 1997 6:58 P.M. DING DONG!! "Who is it?" "The Alien of Christmas Past..." "Very funny. Come on in..." "Ho-ho-ho, my god!" "What is it?" "You look absolutely stunning tonight, Scully! I feel like a delinquent being so dressed down." "That's all right...actually, I was just trying it on. It's a little gift I bought myself. I'm thinking of taking it back...honestly, I don't know what got into me when I bought it." "Don't take it back, Scully...you look incredible." "You really like it?" "Like isn't the word I'd choose...more like enamored..." "Well, if you like it so much, I'll let you wear it. I should've tried it on at the store...it feels a bit tight on me..." "Why do you think I like it so much?" "Ugh...should've seen that one coming..." "Heh heh... seriously, it really looks beautiful...almost as much as its wearer." "Oh, Mulder...that's very sweet of you." "Just telling it like it is... Ta Da!!" "Mulder!! This wine is one of the most expensive kinds on the market." "Yes, I know....despite the fact that I work for the Federal Government, I am occasionally able to be frivolous and buy something nice....like this." "Damn you, Mulder...I told you..." "I know, but I had to get this for you. Want to open it now?" "No!! We'll wait till later...I can't believe this...you're damn lucky I got you something too, or you would be in some serious trouble for giving me a guilt trip." "Oh, sure...so you could give me a hard time. Funny how things work out, wouldn't you say?" "Indeed! Take off your coat and relax...I'm going to change..." "No...stay as wonderful as you are..." "I mean my clothes, smart aleck..." "I'll open the wine....care for a snort, Scully?" "I'll settle for a glass..." "Heh heh heh heh..." MOMENTS LATER.... "How's this look? Casual enough for you?" "You look beautiful..." "Mulder...I'm in sweats..." "What's your point? Hmmm...I made you blush..." "No you didn't...I'm just warm from changing..." "Uh-huh. Have a seat." "Oh!! In my own apartment!! May I?" "Please do, Scully..." "Can I make one request of you?" "Ooh...anything!!" "Get your mind out of the gutter...that's not the request, by the way." "Does that mean you condone any gutteral behavior I may express this evening?" "You can be very exasperating sometimes.... What I was going to say was, can we be on a first name basis for tonight, at least?" "Of course, Dana." "Thank you...Fox." "Will you sit down? You're making me dizzy!!" "Just a second...I'm just going to put some music on the player..." "Oooh...the one with the cats that meow Christmas carols?" "God, no!!! The dogs." "Even better!" "You have some weird tastes..." "Yes, I know......Hey..Manheim Steamroller! My favorite.." "Mine, too..." "Now, will you sit down?" "Did you pour the wine?" "I certainly did." "Then, I'll sit down." "Oh, I get it...only for the alcohol, not for me, huh?" "You know me so well, Fox. Satisfied?" "Definately. Now may we open our gifts?" "Geez...you're just like a little kid!" "I'm a kid at heart..." "Here you go. Merry Christmas, Fox Mulder." "Oooh!! A Bedtime Ernie???" "Fox.." "A Tamagotchi!!" "Don't get me started, Fox... open it." "Okay.....Oh, Dana...This is great!! The Science Fiction Classic Collection: The Greatest Short Stories'... You must have heard me talking about this." "Heard you? You mentioned it almost every day since Thanksgiving...you even found ways to refer to it in recent cases!" "What can I say? I'm a big one for subtle hints. Thank you, Dana...this is great. Now, open yours." "Okay....you shouldn't have done this, Mul--I mean, Fox..." "I wanted to." "Hmm....let's see......oh, my God....oh, Fox...." "I thought you'd like it..." "Oh, my God...." "I needed a gift idea...I knew you'd be suspicious if I asked you. Your mother was holding on to this for you...it was Melissa's favorite charm. It was warped and tarnished from wear...I told her I could fix it,and she said I should give it to you. I bought it from her and got it fixed." "How..." "Our dear friend Frohike, strangely enough. It's amazing what he can do when he's not lusting after you and chasing conspiracies... Dana...you're crying." "It's...so beautiful, Fox...I nearly forgot about Melissa's charm necklace. She knew I always liked it..." "Now, her spirit goes with you..." "Fox...I don't know what to say...." "Well, 'Thank You' works in a crunch." "Thank you so much, Fox.." "Anytime...always...mmm...I like the feeling of your arms around me..." "What?" "You heard me." "I know...I just had to make sure I heard correctly." "Well, I'm not going to lie or ignore it. I like being with you, Dana. Working or otherwise." "I like being with you, too...a lot....maybe more than I should." "What do you mean by that?" "Fox....we have a wonderful working relationship. Sure, we have our moments where we disagree, but any partnership has that. You're not just my partner...you're my friend. You're probably my best friend...I just can't help but wonder sometimes what would happen to us if we..." "Took the next step?" "Yeah..." "I've thought of that a lot, too....more than you might think. What do we do?" "What can we do, Fox? Relationships under circumstances like ours can be disasterous. I don't want to lose you as a partner and a friend...especially as a result of a quarrel between lovers. We've come too far to let that happen." "Why do you think anything like that would happen?" "I don't, Fox...at least, I don't want to. But can we afford to take the risk? So much has happened to us lately..." "Dana, you said you've been thinking about this. Haven't you given any consideration to how good it could be?" "Yes, I have...very much. More often than not I think about how much I want to go forward with our relationship...cross that line between partner and lover and the rest of the world be damned. But more and more, the danger of it all is becoming apparent. I wish I didn't have to think or say this, Fox, but sometimes I wonder if it is ever meant to be between us." "I wish you didn't feel that way." "I'm sorry, Fox..." "Me too....I should go." "What?!? Fox!!!" "I shouldn't have said anything...now I've made everything awkward...I'm sorry..." "No!!!! I don't want you to go!" "I don't want to go, either...but I can't hide my feelings for you. I've kept them bottled up for far too long." "Fox..." "Let me finish, Dana. If there's any time to tell you, now, tonight, is the time. When you showed up in that basement for the first time, I wasn't sure I could trust you....I was convinced you were sent in to spy on me. But I quickly began to think otherwise. A few months ago, I almost lost you forever. I can't begin to tell you how much that scared me. I felt like....like I was losing the only part of my life that mattered. You've become the only person I could ever trust. You are my reason to go on, Dana. I'm lost without you." "You are the most important person in my life, too. When I was in that hospital, I had a lot of time to look back, to think about my life. All I wanted to think about was you. I needed you there, Fox. I felt empty each time you left that room. I don't know why I haven't been able to admit it before now. I can't even begin to think about where I'd be without you." "Well, for one thing, you wouldn't be chasing EBE's with "Spooky" Mulder." "I'd rather do that, if it meant being with you." "Wow..." "What?" "I was just feeling a little overwhelmed....that sounded so good...what you just said." "It felt good to say, Fox." "Dana?" "Yes?" "Are we crazy for doing this? I mean, we both know how we feel about each other...I want to explore those feelings..." "So do I." "I think we can do this...I want to be with you so much...." "Fox..." "Yes?" "I think I may be falling in love with you." "Is there a soft surface nearby? I think I'm about to faint from too much happiness!" "Kiss me, Fox...please..." "Mmmmm....god, that was good..." "It's going to get better, Fox...so much better..." "Mmmmmmm...you know, we never drank our wine." "You're right. Come on..." "A toast, Dana....to...hmm...." "To love's pure light, Fox." "To love's pure light..." "Cheers..." "Mmm, this is excellent." "Well, I'm a man of taste. You're a prime example of that. Merry Christmas, Dana." "Merry Christmas, Fox..." THE END Well, what do you think? I hope to hear from you with comments!! Write me at picard1@execpc.com!!