Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own any of the X-Files characters. They belong to Chris Carter, Twentieth Century FOX, and TenThirteen Productions. No Copyright infringement is intended. Author's Comments: At the end.... Summary: Mulder doesn't believe in Santa. Can Scully change his mind? Classifications: S Rating: G Please send any and all comments to me, good or bad, at katilina@geocities.com. Thanks! Enjoy! Playing Santa By: Katilina katilina@geocities.com http://www.geocities.com/Area51/1513 12/24/97 4:47 PM "Hey, Scully. Do you believe in Santa Claus?" Mulder asked suddenly, looking up from the file he was engrossed in. "What?" she asked, looking at him strangely. He always acted so weird around Christmas.... "Do you believe in S....," he repeated, but she interrupted him. "I heard the question. I was just a little shocked. Of course, I believed in Santa until I was around 10, and then I had to pretend that I believed for my brother's sake. Why? Do you believe in Santa?" she asked. "Yeah, I did when I was kid. I stopped believing once Sam was taken," he said, turning back to the file. This was still a painful topic for him. "Why then? I would think during a rough time like that you would want to hang on to your childhood fantasies," Scully said, walking over to sit on the corner of Mulder's desk. "I woke up Christmas morning and there were no presents for me under the tree. After that, there were never any presents," he said softly, turning up to look into her eyes. "Oh, Mulder," she said quietly, caressing his cheek softly. He smiled quickly and then moved out of her grasp. "It's almost 5:00, why don't you head on home? You probably have a lot to do still," he said, glancing up at the clock. "Mulder, what are you doing tonight?" she asked, walking over to her desk to grab her coat and her purse. "Just going to finish decorating my tree and then watch 'Its a Wonderful Life'. Why?" he asked, running his hand through his hair. "Do you want some help? I'll even bring dinner," she offered, pulling on her coat. "Anytime, Agent Scully. See you around 8:15? Oh, and Scully?" he asked as she was walking out the door. She turned back and looked at him expectantly. "Thanks," he said softly. She just smiled at him and then left, leaving Mulder feeling extremely empty without her. * * * * * * * * * * * * * She had a little less than 3 hours to buy everything she needed. She intended on giving Mulder the best Christmas ever. She was going to play Santa. She had already bought her gift to him, it was tiny gold cross that was similar to her own. Now, all she had to do was get some "gifts from Santa". She hoped she would finish in time. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Scully knocked on his door around 8:30, just slightly late. She had a sedative in her pocket that she intended to drop into his coffee, eggnog, or beverage of preference. In her arms she was carrying 2 bags full of hot Chinese food. "Hey, Scully. Where were you? I was getting worried," Mulder said, opening the door to his apartment. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a dark red sweater. He look stunning. Scully shrugged off her coat and then set the Chinese on the table. "It took a little bit longer at the Chinese place than I intended," she lied, turning to the cabinets and pulling down some dishes. Mulder tried to hold back a smile. It was so obvious that she was lying, now all he had to do was figure out what she was up to. He couldn't wait. * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Mulder, do you want something to drink? I'm getting thirsty," Scully said, starting towards the kitchen around 12:00. "Nah, I'm fine. Feel free to help yourself," Mulder replied, reaching up towards the top branches to hang an ornament. Scully just stared at him in shock. He had to have a drink or her plan wouldn't work. "Are you sure?" she asked, a cold sweat starting to break out on her forehead. "On second thought, why don't you grab me an iced tea? Thanks," he said turning to look at her. "O.k. I'll be back on a minute," she said, and then scurried into the kitchen, trying to get away from Mulder's gaze before he started to suspect. She poured to glasses of iced tea, quietly slipping the sedative into the left glass. She then carefully carried the glasses out into the family room. She handed Mulder the left glass and then started back to work, not noticing that Mulder put his glass next to hers. Just about ten minutes later Mulder started to yawn. "Scully, I hope you don't mind if I turn in. I'm exhausted," Mulder said sleepily. Scully smiled inwardly, the sedative worked faster than she thought it would. "Go ahead. I'll just finish up out here. Why don't you just go into you're bedroom so I won't disturb you. Merry Christmas, Mulder," she said softly, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him squarely on the lips. He just stared at her in shock. "You were standing under the mistletoe," she explained, a smile on her face. "Merry Christmas, Scully," he said, finally getting over his shock and then shuffling into his bedroom and closing the door. She had at least 2 hours of him sleeping soundly, so she better get to work. * * * * * * * * * * * * * That was it. She was finally done. And the bottom of Mulder's tree was completely surrounded with presents. She downed the rest of her iced tea and then peeked into Mulder's bedroom. He was still sleeping soundly. She walked quietly back out into the living room, and then turned off the lights in the room, and turned on the Christmas tree lights. It was beautiful. "I'll just rest here for a minute," she mumbled to herself, yawning as she curled up under the tree and snuggled into a blanket, immediately falling asleep. She didn't notice both glasses still sitting on the table, and the fact that they were both empty. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Mulder stumbled out of his bedroom around 8:00AM, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. What he saw in front of him was amazing. There were presents all around the tree, and in the middle of them was the sleeping form of his beautiful partner. "Merry Christmas, indeed," he whispered, a grin on his face as he walked over to her and gently shook her shoulder "Huh? What?" she asked disoriented, before realizing where she was. "Oh, Mulder! I'm so sorry! I wanted this to be perfect for you!" she exclaimed, looking on the verge of tears. "It is. Do I have to take you back?" he asked softly, deeply touched that she went to all this work for him. "No, I'm a final sale," she teased back, giving him a hug. "Well, lets see what Santa brought me...." * * * * * * * * * * * * * The end. Everyone like this puppy? Send me any and ALL comments. Believe me, be critical. I need the help.... Thanks for reading!