Part Seven Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-December 30: Churching Day The phone call came early that morning, startling Mulder out of a sound sleep. Not for the first time he regretted leaving his cell phone on the nighttable. The call was simple and to the point: in Tallahassee, Florida the body of an ex-FBI agent was stolen from its grave. The odd thing was, it looked as if said dead person had tried to claw his way out from the inside, and could he and his partner please come down there to investigate. Mulder agreed, he didn't really have much choice especially since the agent on the other end said A.D. Skinner had already approved the trip, hung up the phone, and buried his face in the pillow. "What was that?" Scully asked, her face close to his ear. Mulder groaned into the pillow. "You'll find out in a second, the next call's heading for you." Sure enough Scully's own cell began to ring and she picked it up. After a few minutes of listening she clicked the phone off and she slumped back against the pillow. "A robbed grave that looks like the body clawed itself out of it," Scully sighed. Mulder lifted his head off of the pillow and set it back down on Scully's shoulder. "S'right up our alley," he muttered, rubbing his nose against her shoulder. Scully tilted her head and leaned it against his. "You want to get there first, or should I?" she asked him. He pushed himself up to a sitting position. "I'll get down there first, you can get Rhiannon settled at Nora's. Besides," he grinned impishly at her, "we wouldn't want to give them any ideas showing up together, now would we?" Scully gave a little laugh and rubbed his arm. "Get moving into the shower Mulder," she said, giving him a slight push. She got out of bed herself and headed for Rhiannon's room. The baby was still sleeping and Scully was loathe to wake her up but she had to, in order to feed her breakfast before they dropped her off at Nora's. After a few minutes of gently rubbing her back Rhiannon opened a pair of sleepy eyes. She rolled over and saw Scully standing there. "Mama," she said sleepily and lifted her arms so Scully could pick her up. Rhiannon had been through this before and she knew that she couldn't go back to sleep just yet. Scully carried her into the kitchen and set her down in the high chair. She walked over to the pantry, pulled out a box of Cheerios, and poured it into a bowl with some milk. She set it in front of Rhiannon so she could feed herself, but if she played with her food too much, Scully was going to have to feed her. Then she moved over to the coffee maker and started it up, knowing that the extra jolt of caffeine would help both of them get moving a little faster. Soon Mulder came rushing into the kitchen, hastily tying a tie around his neck. Scully pushed a cup of coffee towards him. "Thanks," he said, pausing to take a sip. "The Bureau dropped the case file off at the airport, do you want to pick it up?" he asked. "No, it's okay," Scully said. "You read it on the way down and fill me in when I get there." "Okay," Mulder said. He leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "I'll see you in a little bit." He then leaned down and kissed Rhiannon on top of the head. "Bye bye Dada!" Rhiannon called after him, waving her spoon around in the air. "See you soon," Scully said, and soon she heard the front door close after him. When Rhiannon was finished eating she carried her back into her room and dressed her, also trying to keep her from pulling off her socks as soon as Scully put them on. She set her on the floor and grabbed an old diaper bag from out of the closet and tossed some supplies for Rhiannon in there: a few diapers, an extra outfit just in case, and some toys if she got a little homesick. Scully checked the clock, which read 7:30. Perfect timing, Nora should just be opening up shop. She stared down at her pajamas, which she realized she wouldn't have time to change out of just for this trip one flight down. Oh well, it wouldn't kill her. Scully shouldered the bag, took Rhiannon's hand and they started out for the elevator. The elevator ride went quickly and soon Scully and Rhiannon were knocking on the door to the daycare center. Nora pulled the door open. "Hi Nora," Scully said. "Another sudden job?" Nora asked. "Yeah, the phone woke us up this morning," Scully sighed. "Are you going to be back by tonight?" Nora said, reaching for her schedule book which held the names of all the kids that were going to be there that day. "I don't know yet. I'll give you a call by 4 p.m. to let you know what's going on." Scully knelt down to look at Rhiannon and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you soon, sweetie," she said. Rhiannon kissed her back and said "Bye Mama." Scully handed her off to Nora. "Thanks so much. I've got to go get dressed now." Scully ran to the elevator, decided not to wait and dashed up the stairwell. Half an hour later she was ready and on her way to Florida. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder and Scully walked out of Skinner's office holding the newest information he'd given them on the grave robbing: that three similar ones had happened over the past six months. Scully sighed as they walked into the elevator and Mulder hit the button for the basement. "As soon as this case is over we're taking a few vacation days. We'll shut off all communication so they have no chance of reaching us," she said. Mulder grinned at her. "It's an interesting case, you have to admit. Grave robbings, magic circles in goat's blood, now this Millennium Group connection, it's got the makings of a hell of an X-File." Scully leaned back against the metal wall of the elevator. "I don't care. I though we'd have a vacation now, but the Bureau obviously has a different opinion," she grumbled. The elevator doors opened onto the basement floor and they walked to the office. "We can take some vacation time after the case is over. I'm sure that after disturbing our initial vacation we can oh so subtly guilt them into giving us vacation time," Mulder said. "I hope so," Scully said, reaching for her jacket. "So where exactly are we going?" she asked. "Hartwell Psychiatric Hospital. There's a man there who's had some ties to the Millennium Group in the past. Well, actually, he's gone against them," Mulder said, sliding his own coat on. "Hopefully he'll be able to answer a few of our questions." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder stared silently out the windshield as he drove them back towards D.C. Frank Black was less of a help than he'd have thought he would be. Mulder had thought that after all Black had been through with the Millennium Group he would have been more eager to work against them once more if they were doing something wrong. One thing he realized, as Scully had mentioned, was that he and Black were an awful lot alike. Mulder knew he had the potential to end up the same way, alone in a mental hospital having lost everything. But deep down he knew that he wouldn't go that far. He had Scully there to rein him back in, to let him know when he'd gone too far and when it looked like everything was lost to give him hope again. She was his balance. Now too, he had Rhiannon, the beautiful little girl he never thought he would have. Those were his reasons for not letting himself get that far to the point of obsession anymore. There were more things to live for than just proving the Consortium wrong. Scully saw his clenched jaw and reached out to place a hand on his arm. "You okay?" she asked. Mulder let one eye move over to her. "Yeah. A little disappointed, I thought Mr. Black would have been more helpful. But other than that I'm okay." "Good," Scully said. Mulder removed one hand from the wheel and took Scully's hand in his, intertwining their fingers. They stayed that way for the rest of the drive. When they got back to the apartment, Mulder decided to pick up Rhiannon at Nora's, getting the sudden urge just to give his little girl a hug. He knocked on the door and an extremely tired looking Nora opened it. "Long day?" Mulder asked. Nora groaned and slumped against the doorjamb. "Don't ask. Let's just say that a bunch of them were being especially rowdy today." From behind Nora he heard Rhiannon shout "Dada!" and the sound of little feet running in his direction. He knelt down and swept her up into a hug as she ran towards him. "Hey, baby," he said, kissing the top of her head. "Are you going to need her watched again tomorrow too?" Nora asked. "Yeah, probably," Mulder said, holding Rhiannon in his arms. "Okay," Nora said. "I'll see you then." "Gotcha," Mulder said, and walked to the elevator. All the way up he held Rhiannon tightly in his arms, for some reason just wanting to have her close. Maybe this case was affecting him more than he thought. Maybe it was the comparing of what could have been with what really was. That for once in his life, he was happy, and he didn't want to lose that. Mulder walked into the apartment and walked around, looking for Scully. He finally found her laying back on the bed, her shoes kicked off somewhere near the foot of the bed. He placed Rhiannon down on the bed, and she ran over to Scully and gave her a hug. Scully wrapped her arms around Rhiannon and snuggled her close. He laid down next to the two of them, beginning to relax after the long day. He was close to slipping off to sleep when he felt something poking him in the arm. Mulder looked down to see Scully jabbing him in the arm with the Christmas book. "Read to us," she grinned, even though her eyes were closed. Mulder smirked, knowing he wouldn't be able to refuse her. He sat himself up against the headboard and started to read. 'On the morning of Churching Day, the people going down to market and the people coming back with their purchases collected in little groups in Lee Street, making polite conversation about the weather and the children and how to use up leftover Christmas beef, and all waiting to see if the stories about Francis Vere and Annaple Kitson were true. Annaple flounced down to the kitchen as soon as she was dressed. She refused to take any responsibility for the livestock; James, Prudence, and Christopher had to do all the feeding and cleaning out. While Annaple stayed in the kitchen, crossly snipping bacon rind and pretending she wasn't a bit interested in possible presents, the children toiled around the house and the courtyard, feeding the partridges, the doves, the hens, and the birds, watering the pear trees, and cleaning out the coops....' XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Part Seven-December 30: Churching Day Part Eight Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-December 31: New Year's Eve Mulder was awoken by the sound of soft voices talking next to him. He peeled open his eyes and saw Scully sitting up in bed with Rhiannon on her lap. He watched them play little games, Scully seeing if she could her Rhiannon to identify different body parts and Rhiannon playing Peeka-Boo with Scully's hands. Soon Scully and Rhiannon noticed he was awake and he smiled at them. "Good morning," Scully said. Rhiannon crawled over to him and rubbed his face with her hands. "Hi, Dada," she smiled. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "G'morning to you too." Rhiannon mover her hands to his nose and grabbed onto it. "Nose," she said proudly. Mulder's eyes looked up to see Scully vainly trying to hide a laugh behind her hand. He glowered at her, but then began to smile himself. "Be grateful you didn't inherit it," Mulder said as he gently pulled her hands off. Rhiannon giggled and laid down, resting her head against his chest. "So what's on the schedule today?" he asked. Scully shrugged. "I don't know. I think maybe we could head into Hoover and see what else we can dig up on the Millennium Group," she said, then she sighed. "And all this on New Year's Eve, a day when we should be sleeping late in expectation of being up until the next morning." Mulder looked up at her. "Well, it's the ideal time for the group to strike, on the eve of the new millennium." Scully arched an eyebrow at him. "Mulder, the new millennium doesn't start until--" "Don't get all technical on me," Mulder cut her off, smirking. "No one likes a math geek." Scully was not amused and took a throw pillow and thumped him over the head with it, much to Rhiannon's delight. "You're getting a real laugh out of this, aren't you?" he asked her. Rhiannon nodded. Scully moved closer to the two of them. "Why do I get the feeling it's going to be a long day?" she asked. "Because it's always a long day when it comes to us," Mulder said, thinking about past cases. Scully looked thoughtful for a moment, then reached onto her nighttable and grabbed the Christmas book. "Might as well read now, who knows where we'll be tonight," she said, shooting a half smile at him. Mulder moved closer to her, and Rhiannon sat up between them. When they were all comfortable Scully began to read. 'On the last day of the year, the mayor's men always processed around the town and the children came running out of the houses for the traditional gifts of oranges and buns. But this year, the men found themselves marching up and down empty streets. Their bell clanged sadly, and their calls of "Come out, come out, the year is dying" had no effect. All the children and most of their parents were in Lee Street, outside the Kitsons' house, waiting for a different procession. The grown-ups weren't even bothering to make polite conversation about the price of candles and the chances of snow: They were openly wondering what Francis would send today. The children were admiring the dolphin-mounted marble boys that the builders had set on either side of the bridge to the Kitsons' door. Water spouted merrily from the dolphins' mouths into the stream....' XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder had a slightly stupid grin on his face as they walked into the hospital elevator, but it wasn't because of the day. The day itself was hellish, a mixture of zombies, one too many millennium prophecies for his tastes, and something resulting in Scully getting a nasty scratch on her neck and his right arm with a nice gash and a sling. But that was certainly not why he was smiling. He was smiling because he'd kissed Scully, which he had done many, many times before, but this time it was different. It was at the stroke of midnight on the first day of the new millennium in the middle of a hospital waiting room. In public. Where anyone could see them. Okay, it went against all the rules they had made for themselves to prevent their relationship from getting found out, but he couldn't resist. It was such perfect timing, a once in a lifetime opportunity. Scully was still looking with a sort of half smile on her face and Mulder had his arm around her. Once they were on the elevator, Mulder tried to explain his reasoning. "Look, Scully, I know I shouldn't have done that but the tim--" Scully cut him off with her fingers over his lips. "Mulder, be quiet," she grinned. "No one's going to notice two people kissing on New Year's, of all days." Mulder looked bashfully down at the floor of the elevator. "I know. I just thought you were kind of mad because you weren't really responding." Scully arched an eyebrow at him. "You want to know why?" she asked him, an enigmatic grin forming on her face. Mulder nodded. "Because," she said slowly, "I would have reacted like this." She pushed him back against the elevator wall and kissed him hotly, using her lips and teeth and tongue. When the bell rang and the doors began to open she pulled away. "Now that could not have been passed off as just a simple New Year's kiss between friends," she grinned at him and walked out of the elevator. Mulder followed after her with an astonished and delighted look on his face, feeling weak kneed and a little breathless. They walked out to their car, with Scully taking the driver's seat because Mulder's painkillers were starting to kick in. He was feeling no pain at all, but there was the inevitable grogginess that came along with it. While they were driving Scully spoke again. "I talked to Skinner while you were getting your arm stitched up. We've got vacation time until the 10th. The first three days are official sick leave, but he's looking at the whole thing as sick time so there's a slim to none chance that we'll be bothered." "Thank God," Mulder sighed, slumping back in his seat. He spent the rest of the ride half-asleep, the day and the painkiller's catching up with him. He became more aware when Scully shook his good shoulder, telling him that they were back at the apartment. He got out of the car a little shakily, and Scully moved to wrap an arm around his waist, giving him the support he needed. Slowly, for they were both near exhaustion by this time, they made their way into the apartment building and onto the elevator, hitting the button for the fifth floor. Mulder felt his head dropping onto Scully's and his eyes falling shut in the beginnings of sleep. He was jolted awake by the slight movement of the elevator signifying they were at the fifth floor. They walked to Nora's apartment and saw the lights on under the door and heard the noise of a party going on, so they knew it was okay to knock on the door and pick Rhiannon up. Nora opened the door, her face slightly flushed with the excitement of the night. She started a little when she got a good look at them. "Whoa, what happened?" she said. "Long story." "Don't ask," they said simultaneously. Nora nodded. "Okay. Let me just get Rhiannon, she's asleep along with the rest of the kids." She disappeared for a moment and then came back carrying a sleeping Rhiannon in her arms along with the old diaper bag draped over one shoulder. "Here you go," she whispered, handing Rhiannon off to Scully, who cradled her carefully in her arms, and the diaper bag to Mulder's good arm. "You are going to come over tomorrow, right?" she asked quietly. "Yeah," Scully nodded, speaking just as quietly. "We'll see you then." Mulder and Scully walked into their own apartment, close to falling asleep on their feet. Scully went into Rhiannon's room and laid her down in the crib, covering her carefully with a blanket. She stroked her back lightly for a minute and then went into their bedroom. In there Mulder had stripped down to his boxers and sliding under the covers. "Be sure to prop your arm up on a pillow," she told him as she got into her pajamas. "Okay," Mulder said, taking one of the pillows from behind him and placing it under his right arm. Scully slid into bed on the other side of him and rested her head on his chest. "Happy New Year," she whispered, and she felt Mulder brush a kiss against her head. "Happy New Year," he whispered back, and then "Love you," said softly against her hair. "Love you too," Scully said with a soft smile in her voice. Within seconds they were both fast asleep. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Part Eight-December 31: New Year's Eve Part Nine Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-January 1: New Year's Day Luckily Y2K hadn't hit them too hard. The power had faltered a little, but the rest of the time it worked. The broadcast and cable channels were still active, meaning the satellites hadn't fallen out of the sky due to mechanical failure. And their computers were still working due to some well placed tinkering by the Gunmen. That afternoon found Mulder and Scully in front of Nora's door (at her request) waiting for her little mock up of a New Year's Day dinner party. It wasn't really a true dinner party, it would only be themselves along with Nora and her husband Rick, and their three kids. Rhiannon hated their kids, they were a wild bunch who were always running around her and pulling at her hair and scaring her. She grabbed tightly onto Mulder's leg when Rick opened the door. "Hi," he said. "C'mon in." Mulder pried Rhiannon off his leg and picked her up, holding her in his good arm (the other one was out of the sling, but still sore). She buried her head in his neck as they walked into the apartment. Rick led them over to the living room, where Nora was setting a nicely prepared plate of hors d'ouvres out next to the snacks Rick had set up in preparation for the long stream of football games he had every intention of watching. Their oldest son Alan was camped out on the floor next to the table, his eyes fixated on the television. "Sit down," Nora said. Mulder looked warily over at Scully, who shot him a look saying: 'Behave. Be good, don't make too many weird comments, and we'll get out soon'. They sat down on the couch, Rhiannon still holding on to Mulder. Nora sat down on the loveseat. "So what happened? Yesterday his arm was in a sling and you looked like you'd been through the wringer." Scully glanced at Mulder, her look saying this time 'what story do you want to tell them that won't scare them away?' Mulder decided to handle it. "I, um, I was accidentally pushed into a loose piece of chain link fence," he said, picking something safe and leaving out the details. Rick snorted. "What's the matter, Mulder? You can't take a little scratch like a man?" Mulder looked at Scully. This was one of the reasons he's voiced earlier to her why he didn't want to come. Rick was a chauvinistic creep, plain and simple. He bit back his response and looked up at the ceiling. It was going to be a long day. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX They got the chance to leave a little earlier than they had planned when Nora's kids began chasing Rhiannon around the apartment and she tripped, getting a mild rug burn on her face and scraping up her knees. Scully scooped up Rhiannon and Nora gracefully excused them, going off to scold her own kids. "I'm glad to be out of there," Mulder sighed when they got into their own apartment. "I know it wasn't fun, but Nora did invite us and I couldn't say we had work on New Year's Day," Scully said, looking back at him as she carried Rhiannon into the bathroom to clean her up. "You know, I realized something today," Mulder said, following them into the bathroom. "How Rick and Nora are is considered normal. And now I know why I'm glad I'm not normal. They are seriously scary!" Scully arched an eyebrow at him as she set Rhiannon down on the counter. "Mulder, people think you're scary. People think that Nora and Rick are Mr. and Mrs. All American Family." She bent down to reach under the counter for the first aid kit that was always kept down there for Mulder's ever present injuries and pulled out some Band-Aids and disinfectant. Mulder grinned. "Oh, believe me, I know people think that I'm weird. But if that's the alternative, give me weird." Scully sighed and shook her head, grinning. Mulder was weird, crazy, spooky, all of those words applied to him, but that just made her love him all the more. She tilted Rhiannon's face up to the light to get a better look at the rug burns. They were pretty mild, a little bit of ointment should clear them right up. She grabbed the tube of Neosporin, squeezed a small amount out on to her finger, and gently spread it over Rhiannon's face. Rhiannon tried to squirm away as she did this, but Mulder carefully held her still. Next she bent down and took a look at her knees. They were scratched up and slightly bleeding. "Mulder, hand me a wet washcloth please?" she asked, and soon one was in her hand. She gently sponged off the traces of blood, put more Neosporin on and covered the scrapes with Band-Aids. She leaned over and kissed right over the Band-Aids. "There, all better," she smiled up at her. Scully reached up and brushed away the stray tears that were straggling down Rhiannon's face. Then she turned to Mulder. "While we're in here I should take a look at your cut too." Mulder winced and looked to the door as a means of escape. Scully grabbed his chin and pulled his face back to her. "Off with it, Mulder," she said. He grinned at her. "If only you were saying that to me in a different situation," he smirked as he took off his sweater and offered his right arm to her. Scully unwrapped the bandage from around his arm and carefully pulled it away from the stitches. After a few minutes of careful examination she re-wrapped it. "It looks fine," she said, putting a fresh bandage from the first aid kit on. "Aren't you going to kiss it better?" Mulder pouted at her. Scully looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Later," she grinned. "I keep thinking there's something we have to do first." She set Rhiannon down on the floor and they walked out of the bathroom. In the middle of the hallway though Scully stopped. "What is it?" Mulder asked. "I just remembered what we have to do," Scully said. "Pack. And if we don't do it tonight we're just going to be rushing in the morning." She turned on her heel and walked into their bedroom. "Mulder, get Rhiannon's things packed, please?" she called out. "Okay," Mulder said, taking the change of events in stride. He went to the hall closet and pulled out a small duffel bag. Then he went into Rhiannon's room, with her following. He dropped the duffel bag on the changing table and bent down to her level. "So what do you want to bring to your great-grandma's house?" Rhiannon walked over to the crib and reached between the bars, pulling out the grey seal they'd given her for Christmas. She walked back over to Mulder and handed it to him. "Silky," she said. "Yes, ma'am," Mulder said, putting it in the bottom of the bag. "What next?" he muttered to himself. 'Okay, Mulder, start with the basics,' he thought. "Hey, Scully!" he called out. "How many diapers do you want to bring?" "Just toss a pack in," she yelled. "If we need more we'll pick them up there." Mulder put one pack of diapers in and then went over to the drawers. He pulled open the first draw, stared at for a minute and then removed enough socks to last the trip. Making his way down the drawers he pulled out various tops, shirts, sweaters, dresses, everything a little girl could need for a vacation. He had to admit that they spoiled her a bit, but she was their little angel, they had a right to it. Scully came in soon to see how the packing was going. The clothes were a little messy in the bag because Rhiannon had helped put them in there, but otherwise Mulder had done a good job. She wandered back into her room to look at her own packing. She'd covered her own basics, pants, shirts, a nice outfit just in case, underthings, pajamas. Now it was time for Mulder's things. She knew he'd be grateful that she saved him the trouble, but as she'd learned from experience if she dressed him 'too damned preppy' (his words) he'd put up a stink. She decided to keep it simple. Jeans, shirts, with a pair or two of nice slacks tossed in just in case, and any other necessary things. There was a scuffling sound behind her, and she turned around to see Rhiannon trying to push her bag into the bedroom. "Awl done!" she said proudly. Scully went over and knelt down next to her. "Yeah, you did a good job," she smiled, "Where's your dad?" she asked. "Right here," Mulder said, stepping over the two of them. Scully watched him as he predictably went over to the suitcase to see what he'd packed. She heard the sigh of relief and then he came over to sit next to the two of them. "You all packed too?" he asked her. "Yeah," Scully said. "I've got enough to last us until the ninth." "I'm still shocked that Skinner gave us that much of a vacation," Mulder mused. "He's not as bad as you think he is, Mulder. He has helped us in the past," Scully said. "I know that but sometimes he seems awfully shifty," Mulder said, thinking of past occasions. "But he's gotten better ever since your last visit to the hospital," Scully said, referring to his little trip to the mental hospital. Mulder shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point there. Hey, what time do you want to leave tomorrow?" he asked, taking a total U-turn with the subject. Scully gave him an odd look but went along with it. "Maybe sometime around noon, I guess. That way we get to sleep in and beat the early morning rush on the 95." "It also means we're going to hit rush hour traffic when we get up to New York," Mulder pointed out. "Either way we're going to hit traffic. I personally believe we deserve sleep in for once," Scully grinned. Mulder laughed. "I've no complaints with that." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Later that night Scully getting ready for bed, brushing her teeth as Rhiannon sat on the counter watching her and brushing her own. She put down her brush and took Rhiannon's going over the little girl's teeth to make sure she did a good job. When they were both finished she took her back into the bedroom. Scully was having one of those nights where she wanted to keep her little girl right by her side, and she would sleep with them. Mulder didn't mind at all, it was fun, a reassurement that they were a family now. They would all snuggle up together, Scully holding Rhiannon who would be lying half on Mulder's chest who had his arms around both of them. It was one of the best things they'd both experienced. In the doorway to the bedroom Rhiannon stopped Scully by practically yelling "No, no, no!" "What is it?" Scully asked, a worried look on her face as she stroked her hair. "'Tory," Rhiannon said determinedly. Scully laughed. This was one tradition Rhiannon was picking up on quickly. She knew it was a good thing that her daughter grew up liking to read, it was a lot better than some people she could mention. Her older brother was one of them. He hated reading, as a matter of fact, the only thing he ever really read growing up was either a Sports Illustrated or a Spider Man comic book. "It's still in here," Scully said, carrying her over to the bed. Mulder pushed back the covers for the two of them and she slid in, handing the little girl off to Mulder. Rhiannon giggled and snuggled up against Mulder, who wrapped his arms around her. Scully looked over at Mulder and smiled. "At your daughter's request," she grinned as she grabbed the book off the nightstand, "we're reading another chapter tonight." "That's fine with me," Mulder said, holding his little girl close. 'As soon as breakfast was over on New Year's morning, Prudence and James and Christopher gathered by the window. Annaple was sitting at the table, pretending she didn't care, but when Christopher shouted, "Look--here they come!" she got up and strolled over to join the children. Seven more swans came sailing up the gutter, the usual procession of workmen and messengers made its way through the usual crowd, but Prudence hardly noticed them. She was staring at eight dairymaids, with yokes across their shoulders and milking stools under their arms, leading eight small cows garlanded with ivy. "I will not have those cows in here!" Annaple said furiously. "A swannery at the front door, a courtyard full of geese and hens and partridges, every window blocked with bird cages, an orchard on the stairs-- I can put up with these things if I must-- if Papa won't do anything to stop this silliness--but I will not have this house turned into a cowshed....' XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End Part Nine-January 1: New Year's Day Part Ten Disclaimer and archiving info in part one XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-January 2: Dancing Day Scully walked around the apartment, making last minute preparations for the trip. First stop was the kitchen, checking if everything was unplugged, nothing in the fridge would go bad while they were away, and the lock on the window was securely in place. Next came the bedroom, seeing if they'd brought everything they'd needed, and once more checking if the window was locked. The same procedure was repeated in the bathroom, Rhiannon's room, and the spare bedroom. Last was the living room, pulling out the plugs on the television and stereo. The front door opened and Mulder walked back in. "Okay, the bags are in the trunk, I put the car seat in. Is everything set up here?" "Yeah," Scully said. "It's all locked up." She bent down and picked up Rhiannon's travel bag, the same old diaper bag, but this time it was filled with various snacks along with the previous supplies. Rhiannon hopped up excitedly. This was her first ever vacation, she was excited to be going someplace new. She ran over to Mulder, who grabbed onto her hand. "Let's get moving then," Scully said. They exited the apartment, locked up behind them, and headed onto the elevator. Once at the car Scully lifted Rhiannon into the car seat and safely buckled her in. Mulder slid into the driver's seat and started up the car. Scully arched an eyebrow at him as she slid into her own seat. "Are you sure you'll be able to drive with your arm?" Mulder flexed his right arm experimentally. "I'll be fine. It still stings a little, but I'll be able to drive." He gunned the engine and the car pulled out onto the road. Scully leaned over and pulled a map out of the glove compartment. She looked it over carefully and then spoke. "Going by this it should take us about five hours to get there," she said. "So accounting for traffic and bathroom breaks it'll take more like six and a half hours. We should be there by seven tonight," Mulder said, finding the entrance to the highway and steering the car onto it. Scully glanced over her shoulder to check on Rhiannon who was playing with some dolls stuck in her car seat, then turned back and settled in for the long drive. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "Where exactly are we?" Mulder asked, peering out the rain soaked window. The further north they went, the worse the weather got and now they were driving through a steady rain. "I think," Scully said from behind the road map, "we're somewhere in central New Jersey." Mulder winced. "I think there's a rest stop coming up. I'll pull over and see where we are." "I could use something to eat too," Scully said. He pulled the car into the rest area lot and after unbuckling Rhiannon from her car seat made a mad dash through the rain for the doors. Once inside Scully brushed the rain off of her jacket and turned to Mulder. "You go find a table and I'll get us something to eat. Any requests?" she asked, handing him Rhiannon. "No salads?" he grinned at her with a helpful look on his face. Scully arched an eyebrow at him as she walked off into the food court. Mulder grinned again and hoisted Rhiannon a little higher with his good arm. They made their way over to the collection of tables and settled on an out of the way booth near the windows so Mulder could stare out them and hope the weather let up soon. He dragged one of the portable high chairs over and set Rhiannon in it, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see over the table. Next, he took off her jacket and draped it over the back of the booth to dry off. Mulder'd thought that the table he'd chosen was in an out of the way area, but there must have been a door behind him because some new voices began to come onto the scene. "Why exactly are we stopping?" someone said, a girl, probably a teenager. Then a man spoke. "Because your mother needed to use the bathroom." A derisive snort, and then the teenager spoke again. "We're twenty minutes from home! If it was me or Missy, you'd tell us to hold it." Another girl's voice spoke. "She's got a point, Dad." Mulder heard a scuffling noise signifying that they'd sat down in another booth, maybe one or two behind them. He was tempted to look but he knew that they probably wouldn't want an audience listening to them. There was a surprised noise from behind him, and then the first girl spoke again. "I know! All that red wine she drank finally got to her." "Watch it," the father said. "Look, we'll be out of here soon, so calm down." "Just get me home by nine and I'll be happy," the first girl said. Mulder could hear a grin in her voice. The second girl groaned. "You are a sad, obsessed person," she said to her sister. "I'm not obsessed, I'm devoted. Besides, it's a new episode tonight," the first girl said. "Which I'm sure you already read the summary for online this morning," the sister sighed. "And it sounds like there's going to be some great shippy moments tonight. I can't miss that," the first girl retorted quickly. 'Shippy?' Mulder wondered. "So? You've probably had the tape set up to record since before we left," the sister said. "Eyh..." there was a pause. "Your point?" The sister groaned. "Mulder?" he heard Scully say. She was sliding onto the bench opposite him and pushed a hamburger his way. "Thanks," he said, unwrapping the paper and taking a bite. Scully cut some chicken nuggets into smaller pieces for Rhiannon and placed them in front of her. Then opened up her own chicken pita and unfolded the map, spreading it out on the remaining table. "I think we're....here," she said, pointing to a spot on the map. Mulder leaned over to get a better look. He traced a line with his finger. "So if we take this road up here, and then into the city I can find my way from there. It shouldn't take more than another hour and a half from here." Scully sighed and ran her hand over her face. "God, it feels like we've been on the road for longer than that." Mulder reached out and tugged at her hand. "Don't worry, soon we'll be there," he said with a reassuring smile. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully jolted out of her reverie when the car came to a stop. For the past half-hour she'd been in a light doze, the hours on the road all blending into one another. Rhiannon had similar thoughts, she'd been asleep for the past hour herself. Mulder ran the tip of his finger down her cheek. "We're here," he said. She looked out the window and practically gaped. The house was big, even for one in the middle of the city. It was the length of three brownstones, about five stories high, and was very well taken care of. "Mulder, you never told me that her house would be this big." To her surprise, Mulder blushed. "Well, I don't like to make a big deal out of it. Most of the money was inherited too, and my great-grandfather wasn't exactly legal with the way he earned most of it." Scully smiled and ran the back of her hand down his face. "It's okay, I'm just surprised, that's all. I mean, you had hinted at it, but you did tone it down a lot," Scully said. "Well, would you feel any different if you knew my family had money or not?" Mulder asked, a little bit nervously. "No," Scully grinned. "I didn't fall in love with your wallet, just you. Remember that," she said, tapping a knuckle against his cheek. "Yes ma'am," he smiled. "I'm going to head in first, give them a little warning first. I don't want to be the cause of my grandma's heart attack." "Okay," Scully said. "Just give me the word and I'll come in." Mulder exited the car and dashed up the sidewalk. It was still raining out, but now night had fallen too, not a fun combination. He ran up the stoop and pressed the doorbell, hoping that someone would answer soon. Shortly the door was pulled open by Penny Liu-Cooper. "Fox, get in here before you get sick!" she said. "Hi, Penny," he said as he moved into the foyer. He looked down at the smaller Asian woman. Penny had been working for his grandmother as a cook since she was 18 in 1971 and going through cooking school. Now she was married, had kids, and co-owned her own restaurant, but she still kept working for Vera Mulder, cooking and taking care of the house sometimes. Having rented out the apartment on the top floor of the brownstone house also helped because she was so close by. "How was the trip up here?" she asked. "Long," Mulder sighed, trying to brush some of the rain out of his hair. "You didn't fly up here?" Penny asked, puzzled. "Uh, no," Mulder said, trying not to look nervous. He guessed that Vera hadn't told her that he was bringing someone else with her. "It was easier this way." Penny shrugged. "Okay." Mulder looked around the foyer. "Hey, where's Gram?" he asked. "In the family room," Penny said. "Thanks," Mulder said, and headed down the hallway towards the back of the house. The part he was heading to was more casual than the rest of the house's old fashioned elegance. This was the part that actually looked lived in, rather than just a relic from an older time. He walked into the family room, a large room filled with comfortably worn couches, bookshelves filled with not just books but other curiosities the family had collected over the years. A fireplace crackled merrily, giving the room a warm glow along with the TV buzzing in the corner. His grandmother, who still looked the same after many years, long white hair braided down her back, and dressed in a long dress, sat on one of the couches talking to Penny's oldest daughter Amy, who had a history book open on the floor and a notebook propped up in her lap. Vera looked up when she heard Mulder walk in, and her face broke out into a smile. "Hello, Fox," she said, smiling. "Hi Gram," he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. Amy looked up. "Hey, Mulder, long time no see," she said, sounding exactly like her mother. "Whatcha up to, Amy?" Mulder asked. "I've got a project for history due tomorrow, and she's helping me because she's actually lived through the stuff we're studying," Amy grinned. Mulder nodded. "Hey, is it okay if I have a few minutes with my Gram here?" he asked, sitting down on the couch. "Sure. I've got enough info here to B.S. something good," Amy said, and ran out of the room. Vera turned to Mulder after Amy left. "So, you said that you were bringing someone else with you. Where are they?" Mulder let out a light laugh and looked down at his shoes. "You always had a good memory. Actually she's waiting out in the car. I just didn't want to totally shock you by coming in all at once." "Well, bring her in!" Vera smiled. "Okay," Mulder said, standing up and walking back to the front door. From the car Scully saw him open the front door and saw him wave at her, giving the signal to come inside. She opened her own door and stepped out, carrying Rhiannon with her, having moved her from the car seat to her lap while Mulder was inside. She ran up to the front door and Mulder quickly shut it after her once she was inside. "You ready?" Mulder asked. Scully bit her lip and nodded, feeling the nervousness radiate through her stomach. Mulder placed his hand on her back and guided her through the house to the family room. By some twist of fate Penny and Amy had cleared out and Vera was alone in the room. "Gram?" Mulder said, and Vera looked up at him and Scully who had just appeared in the doorway, carrying a curiously clothed little bundle. "This is my partner, Special Agent Dana Scully." "Hello," Vera smiled. "I've actually heard quite a few very good things about you." Scully blushed slightly and stared at the floor. "Thank you," she said. "And who else is there?" Vera asked, peering curiously at the sleeping bundle in Scully's arms. Mulder and Scully stared at each other for an endless moment. It was now or never. "This is Scully's daughter, Rhiannon." He paused, and took a deep breath. "Actually, she's our daughter." Vera looked back and forth from Mulder to Scully to Rhiannon, and then she smiled knowingly. "A very special secret indeed," she said, remembering their earlier conversation. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully closed her eyes and leaned back in the bed. The day was overall a success. Vera had taken the news very well, delighted in the fact that her favorite grandchild had had a child of his own now. She could see what Mulder loved about his grandmother, she was a wise, caring, genuine person, who loved her family very much and would never let anything hurt them if she could. That was something she knew Mulder needed growing up. She re-opened her eyes and stared around the guest room her and Mulder had taken. It was bigger than their own bedroom at home, with walls furnished with a richly patterned wallpaper and a lovely canopy bed made from a dark mahogany wood. Vera had explained to her that her father had imported the bed from Russia after he had moved to New York. Mulder walked into the room from the bathroom and slid into the bed, mindful of Rhiannon who Scully had decided would sleep with them again tonight. The bed was big enough to hold all three of them comfortably. Mulder leaned over her and kissed Scully. "Today went better than I could have hoped," he said. "Definitely," Scully agreed. She looked down at Rhiannon who had woken up enough to demand a story, and was now holding the Christmas book in her hands. Rhiannon held the book up. "Wead, pwease," she said, putting the book on Scully's lap. Scully looked over at Mulder and they started laughing, for no reason other than they were happy, and Scully rested her forehead against his. "Okay," she said between laughs. She opened the book to the next chapter and started reading. 'The French hens woke up early and began squawking their hatred of England. The geese and the swans uncurled themselves and hissed. The partridges began to cluck. The songbirds chirruped and fluted. Soon after this, the Kitsons stirred and yawned, pulled pillows and blankets over their heads, and finally gave it up, opened their eyes, and stretched. "This isn't my idea of the dawn chorus," Annaple said crossly, as she sat up in bed and unplaited her hair. "Not romantic enough?" Prudence said. "Would you rather have a piper? Oh, how lovely, it's Dancing Day. I must find my red shoes." The crowd began gathering soon after eight o'clock. Christopher took out jugs of milk for them. "I don't care if the balance of trade tips right over," Annaple said as she poached the breakfast eggs in milk....' XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Part Ten-January 2: Dancing Day Part Eleven Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-January 3: Adam's Day Mulder walked through the halls of the old house, re-learning the once familiar territory. There were both good and bad memories contained there, of parties and baseball games. The bad memories were pushed back into the recesses of his mind, but sometimes one would pop back up, like the time his grandfather called the police on his father because he'd tried to take Mulder out of the house against the social worker's and court's request. But the good memories overshadowed the bad ones. Rhiannon decided to go with Mulder on his walk and followed him around from room to room. It was a wonderful exploration for her, seeing new things she would have never seen at home. Mulder had to keep pulling her back though, sometimes she'd explore through some glass trinkets or anything else potentially dangerous that could break and hurt her. Or, she was just going someplace she shouldn't. He walked through the room he'd inhabited when he was a boy. Most of the decor had changed, any posters and wall decorations that didn't go to with him to Oxford were taken down and probably tossed somewhere in the attic. The bed was still the same though, right down to the old plaid comforter that came in handy when the heater used to die suddenly in the middle of winter. 'Scully in my childhood bed,' he thought with an evil grin on his face. 'Now that's a nice idea.' He shook himself out of his thoughts when he noticed Rhiannon trying to climb up the bookshelves. Mulder pulled her away from the shelves and he decided it was time to head back to the rest of civilization. In one of the downstairs hallways he nearly crashed into Penny's husband, Ben Cooper. Ben was Penny's total opposite, tall, fair-haired and pale, very quiet, almost stereotyping the college professor he was. "You don't have classes today?" Mulder asked. "Nope, not until the seventeenth," Ben said and continued on with his business. Vera let Ben and Penny and their kids use her house often. Even though they had their own good-sized apartment on the top floor, Vera said the house was too big for her alone and always invited them or someone else in. After searching around for a little while he finally found Vera and Scully in a smaller sitting room, one that Vera liked to call her picture room. At first glance the room could be kind of creepy with the hundreds of pictures on the walls staring back at you. After a while though it became comforting almost. Generations upon generations were on the walls, some dating as far back as when the first cameras were invented. Scully and Vera were sitting on a couch paging through a photo album. Mulder stopped short in the doorway, worrying what exactly was in the album and if Scully was exacting the promise he'd made a few days back. Rhiannon unexpectedly announced their arrival by accidentally crashing into his legs and giggling. The two women looked up and Scully grinned, a slight hint of mischief coming through in the smile. Mulder really began to worry about what was in the album. "Whatcha up to?" he asked. "Oh, just looking through some pictures," Scully said innocently as her mischievous grin got even wider. "Uh oh," Mulder said, walking over to them. Seeing as there was no room left on the small couch he sat down on the floor by their feet. He craned his neck back to check the contents of the album and cringed. Scully caught the look on his face and patted his head. "You were such a cute baby," she said, trying hard not to laugh. Mulder groaned and covered his face with his hands. Rhiannon walked over and patted his head just like Scully did, which got a laugh from the adults. "Come here, devotchka," Vera said, enlisting Scully to help lift Rhiannon up onto the couch between them. "Devotchka, what's that?" Scully asked. "It's Russian, it means 'little girl'," Vera said. "I use the words sometimes just to make sure I remember them. I tried to teach this one here once when he was a teenager," she said, nudging Mulder with her foot, "but needless to say it wasn't a successful attempt." "I'm no good with languages," Mulder said. "I have trouble with Spanish, how do you expect me to do well with something that has a totally different alphabet? Scully's better at these things than I am." Vera looked over at Scully. "I took some German in College and picked up on it pretty well," she said. Scully sat back, sinking into the couch cushions. She looked around the room. "Are these all pictures of family?" she asked. "Yes," Vera said. "Going back years and years. It's a lot easier than keeping a family tree, although I know something's written down somewhere." She pointed to an older, black and white picture set over the fireplace, slightly larger than normal. "That one's my favorite, it's of me and my husband long before we were married." Vera was sitting on the edge of a desk, dressed in the typical attire of the Roaring Twenties, bobbed hair and a knee length dress. Opposite her, sitting in a chair was a young man dressed in a three piece suit, although the jacket was draped over the back of the chair. Both their faces were turned to the camera with slightly shocked looks on them, as if someone had surprised them by taking the picture. "Your grandfather looks an awful lot like you, Mulder," Scully said. "That they do," Vera said. "It always surprised some people how much of a resemblance they bore to each other." She stroked Rhiannon's hair gently. "And soon there'll be a picture of you up there too." Mulder looked up at Scully, knowing that this wouldn't be a good thing. "Um, Gram," Mulder said, "we'd appreciate it if you kept any pictures of her away from public viewing at the moment." Vera nodded. "Yes, you did say she was a secret. But what about the two of you? Does anyone know about the two of you?" "Very few people do, no one connected with our work does, and you're the only one in either of our families that do," Mulder said. "We can't even get married because someone would find the records of it." "Not even just the ceremony?" Vera asked. "Huh?" Mulder said. "You mean like just having a priest or minister perform the marriage ceremony rather than getting an official license?" Scully clarified. "That's exactly what I mean," Vera said. Looking between the two of them she saw that she'd opened a can of worms judging by the looks on their faces. "Well, I've got to go make a few phone calls about an art show I'm sponsoring. I'll be back shortly." With that Vera stood up and walked out of the room. "A ceremony," Scully whispered, almost to herself. Mulder turned around on the floor to look up at her. To him, religion didn't mean much, they both knew that. But to Scully, ever since her cancer religion had taken on more of a significance. And so the decision to do a marriage ceremony would lay in her hands. And whatever she decided, he would go along with. "It's up to you," he said quietly. "I know," Scully nodded, knowing the same things Mulder did. Suddenly she took a deep breath and stood up. She had to think, but the walls seemed to be closing in on her there. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to go for a short walk." She walked out of the room and, just stopping to grab her jacket, she walked out of the house into the cold winter's day. 'A marriage ceremony,' she thought. To tell the truth it was something that had bothered her since before Rhiannon was born. Technically in the Church's eyes Rhiannon was illegitimate because she wasn't married when they had her. Scully didn't want her child to be illegitimate, even though she knew that both her and Mulder treasured her more than anything out there. To Mulder, she knew, that this wasn't bothering him as much. At first, when Rhiannon was just born, she thought that the reason he didn't want to get married (along with the obvious reasons of getting found out) was because of a fear of commitment, like some other men she'd dated. But she soon saw that wasn't the reason, Mulder was as committed to Rhiannon and her more than anyone could have imagined. She then figured out that to Mulder, marriage was more of a religious thing, even with the civil part of it which required the certificate, and religion and Mulder just didn't mix. After walking for a little while she found herself in an abandoned lot which had been transformed into a public garden. Scully wandered in there and sat down on a bench in there. Mulder had told her the decision was up to her, and he was right. They were both in this for the long run, they knew that deep down when they first admitted their feelings for each other. 'But,' she thought, 'this makes it feel official to me. It gives it a sense of validation, like it's real and right in the eyes of the world, even though a minuscule portion of the world would know about it for now.' Scully got up off the bench, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her. They would go through with this. They'd find a priest who would perform the ceremony and then be married. Now she just had to tell Mulder. She turned back the way she came, trying to get back to the house as fast as possible. She walked up the stoop into the house and dashed up the stairs, hoping that Mulder would be in their bedroom. When she got in there though no one was there. Scully sighed and dropped her jacket on the bed. Her eyes caught sight of the Christmas book lying on the nighttable, and she went over to it and picked it up. It was a book with a happy ending. Now she would have a happy ending of her own. Carrying the book with her Scully walked back downstairs and began looking through the rooms. She found Mulder in the family room with Rhiannon sitting on his lap. They were both watching a re-run of a baseball game on ESPN. For some reason Rhiannon was always engrossed by baseball. She was certainly her father's daughter. Mulder caught sight of her standing in the doorway. "Hi," he said. "Hi," Scully smiled at him. "Y'know, I was just thinking," she said as she walked over to the couch, "This book has a really happy ending." "Really?" Mulder said. "Mm-hmm," Scully nodded. "They get married at the end of it." "Aww, now you spoiled it for me," Mulder mock pouted at her as she sat down next to him on the couch. "Like you couldn't see it coming anyway," she grinned at him. "It does have some relevance to what we were talking about before though. I think I'd like to have the ceremony done." "Are you sure about it?" Mulder asked. She grinned at him. "Are you getting cold feet on me, Mulder?" "Not a chance. You know I'm going to be with you for as long as I'm alive. And even after that, knowing my luck," he smirked. "Good," she said. "Because to me, this makes it feel official." With that she leaned over and kissed him for a good long time, although mindful of Rhiannon who was still on Mulder's lap. When they pulled apart Mulder smiled at her. "It's been official to me for a long time," he whispered. Scully rested her head against Mulder's shoulder and opened up the book. She looked over at Rhiannon who was still watching baseball and knew she'd probably end up reading it to her again later. Other than that, Scully began to read. 'On the morning of Adam's Day, Prudence had her bath in milk. "What's it like?" Christopher asked her. "Odd. You feel like a sugar lump-waiting to dissolve. You keep watching your edges to see if they're going soft." Annaple came briskly up the stairs. "Christopher, I've heated up another potful of milk, and your tub's ready in the kitchen. James should be out by now. Mind you wash properly, and give your knees a good scrub. And the back of your neck, too." "On Adam's Day," Christopher said bitterly, "I thought it was treats all round for the men of the house. So my treat's no bath. And could we please have something not eggs for breakfast?" "You can go without breakfast if you like," Annaple swept out. "I do wish she'd get married," Christopher said. "It's a pity she isn't enjoying all this, like Francis...." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Later that day Mulder and Scully were still in the living room, now watching some movie. Over the past couple of hours they'd talked, making semi-plans about the upcoming marriage ceremony. Scully could tell Mulder was warming up to the idea more and more. It wasn't that he was against it before, but he was just getting used to it more now. Vera walked into the family room, having finished the dealings with the art gallery. She also knew it was okay to enter because she felt that they were back on safe ground once more. "So how is everything?" she asked. "Um, Vera?" Scully said, with a slight hint of nervousness in her voice. "Yes, dear?" "Would it be possible for you to help us find a priest by January 6th?" she asked. Vera grinned, realizing just what Scully was saying. "Just leave it up to me, dear," she said. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Part Eleven-January 3: Adam's Day Part Twelve Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-January 4: Eve's Day The next morning Mulder, Scully, Vera, and Rhiannon sat around the kitchen table making plans. Vera seemed to take charge, because Mulder and Scully were still slightly in shock, and just a little too excited to get things done. And Rhiannon was too busy playing with some Cheerios to care. "Okay," Vera said, making notes on the yellow legal pad in front of her. "First things first. I'm guessing you wanted a Catholic priest, is that correct?" she asked Scully, motioning towards the small gold cross on her neck. "Yeah," Scully said. "Good. I talked to some people I know down at St. Peter's, and I found one who will be able to do the ceremony. Now I just have to call up Father Jimmy O'Doyle and give him the rest of the details." "Whoa, back up a second," Mulder said, putting up a hand. "Jimmy O'Doyle? The same Jimmy O'Doyle who went to my high school? Jimmy 'I can score with every girl in a ten mile radius' O'Doyle?" "You'd be amazed what happens to people after they survive a terrible car accident they shouldn't have," Vera said, reaching for the portable phone on the table. After a few minutes of talking into the phone she clicked it off with a satisfied smile. "Perfect. He'll be here at 7 p.m. on the sixth." "Well that's one thing settled," Scully said. "I don't think there's much else." "You don't have to worry about guests," Vera said, "and Penny's cooking up a meal for after. You need some sort of celebration after such a happy event, a small dinner with us and the Coopers will work fine." Ben and Penny knew about the wedding, without their help, Mulder doubted that they would have been able to pull off the wedding. "So I guess that's it then," Mulder said. "There's two other things I can think of," Vera said. "You need rings. I know you don't have those and the ceremony wouldn't be the same without them. And you'll need nice clothes too." "I've got a suit I could use," Mulder said, dreading the idea of spending an afternoon shopping. "That's good, but Dana here still needs a dress," Vera said calmly. Scully shook her head. "It's okay, I've got a nice outfit with me also." Vera laughed. "Dear, this is your wedding, you deserve a nice new outfit. And you're in New York City, the fashion capital of the world. We can go out this afternoon and look for something." Mulder groaned. "Leave me out of this." Scully smirked at him. "Don't worry, Mulder. Tradition says the groom isn't supposed to see the bride's dress until the ceremony." "Anything to spare me from a day of shopping," Mulder said, leaning back in his chair. "So does that sound all right to you?" Vera asked Scully. Scully shrugged. "Sounds good." Vera smiled. "Good. Just let me call for a car and driver and we'll be able to go." "Oh, no, I can drive us," Scully said. "Don't worry about it dear," Vera said. "Let me handle everything. This is the most fun I've had in a long time." She reached for the phone once more. Mulder shot a pointed glance at Scully, laced with mischief. "You see what I had to grow up with?" he joked. Vera shot him a look back that said 'not funny'. Scully tried hard not to laugh, and Rhiannon just ate some Cheerios. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Some time later Scully found herself walking along the paths of Saks 5th Avenue, looking through the selection of outfits she saw there. Vera walked along aside her, looking as well. Scully sighed and rested her forearm against a rack. "There's so many things here, but I can't find one that I like." Vera stopped walking and faced the younger woman. "It does seem overwhelming, but I'm sure there will be one that just screams to you 'this is it'." Scully nodded. "I guess so. I know there's some things I don't want. I hate to break against tradition in this situation, but I know I don't want a white dress." "This whole ceremony is so untraditional already, I don't think one more thing will make a difference," Vera said. "I also don't look good in all white anyway," Scully smiled. "Hmmm, how about this one?" Vera said, pulling a long, dark blue dress off a rack. Scully shook her head. "No, that thing would be dragging on the floor." "You're probably right," Vera said. After a few more minutes of looking Vera asked a question that had been on her mind ever since they arrived. "Can I ask you a question, Dana?" "Sure," Scully said. "Why do you and Fox always call each other by your last names?" Scully laughed a little, it wasn't an unfamiliar question. "I guess by now it's just out of habit. I know Mulder hates his first name, he once even told me he made his parents call him Mulder." "He did," Vera confirmed. "It's not like they listened though." "When we first met," Scully continued, "we just started calling each other by our last names and it stuck. Now it just seems strange if we call each other anything different." She stopped walking when her eyes caught sight of a dress. She walked over to it to get a better look. It was in two parts, one a long black sleeveless dress, the other a matching floor length sweater-like over dress with gold and green embroidery around the edges. The over dress fastened around her waist with one small button covered in matching black fabric. "That's lovely," Vera said. "Yeah," Scully agreed. "I'm going to go try it on." She disappeared into the dressing rooms and came out a few minutes later wearing the dress. "How does it look?" she hesitantly asked. "It looks perfect," Vera said honestly. The dress was perfect, being just the right size and making Scully look beautiful. "Fox will love it," she said. "I hope so," Scully said with a slight tinge of nervousness in her voice. She got back into her everyday clothes and they went to pay for the dress. Vera insisted that Scully let her pay, and only after a good fight did she consent. For shoes Scully decided on a pair strappy black ones with a good sized heel (4 inches). With that and some other basics settled they headed home. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully sighed as she walked into their bedroom. The shopping had worn her out. It always seemed to, but that was probably because she didn't like shopping all that much. She flopped back onto the bed and toed her shoes off. She felt herself drifting off to sleep, when the bed under her suddenly dipped. Judging by the two scents of aftershave and baby powder it was Mulder and Rhiannon. "Find anything good?" Mulder asked. She opened her eyes and saw Mulder leaning over her with Rhiannon sitting by her hip. "Yes, but you're not going to see it until the ceremony," she said. "A guy can dream, can't he?" Mulder grinned. "Keep dreaming," she smirked at him. Scully sat up and pulled Rhiannon into her lap. "And what's this one going to wear?" she mused. "I know I packed a dress in along with the rest of her things," Mulder said. "She can wear that then." Suddenly Scully laughed. "This just seems so strange, I never thought I'd be dressing my daughter for my wedding." "We've never really done anything normally, why start now?" Mulder said, smirking. "You've got a point there. But there's just something laughable about it," Scully said. She sighed and flopped back on the bed again, taking Rhiannon with her to rest against her shoulder. "God, I'm tired," she said. "Take a nap. You've had a longer day then we had just lounging around here," Mulder said. "But I wanted to read to Rhiannon. I know she likes it when we do and the next few days we're going to be so busy so I wanted to read now when I got the chance to," Scully said with a slight pout on her face. "So you sit back and rest and let me read," Mulder soothed her. "Mmmmm, okay," Scully said softly. Mulder looked around for the book, and then grabbed it from off of the nighttable. He moved back against the headboard, with Scully's head by his hip. Rhiannon crawled up and settled against Mulder's chest, waiting for the story to begin. 'Eve's Day meant treats for the women of the house, figgy pudding for dinner, wreaths of green leaves for the girls's heads, and the carol singers round yet again. "Oh, my goodness, here they come," Annaple said, as she heard the singing in the street. "Surely they're excessively early? It isn't half past seven yet, and usually they don't come until at least ten." "They have to come round early," James explained, "because Francis's presents take up so much of the morning." The doorbell rang, and he opened the window. The children in the street began to sing. They had high, clear voices, fresh and piercing...." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Part Twelve-January 4: Eve's Day Part Thirteen Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-January 5: Twelfth Night Scully prowled around the home, wringing her hands nervously. It was one day until the wedding and the nervousness was setting in. All the plans had been made, the clothes set, a wonderful dinner made for afterwards courtesy of Penny. The only thing that was missing was the rings. They spent all of the night before and that morning poring over catalogues from jewelry stores but they couldn't seem to find the right ones. Some were too big, some too ostentatious, others just didn't seem to fit them. She walked into the family room where Penny and Ben's younger daughter, Joey, was playing with Rhiannon. Joey had taken a real shine to Rhiannon, and likewise Rhiannon liked Joey. For the rest of the trip Joey had designated herself official baby-sitter, and Scully agreed, because the next few days were going to be hectic. "Hi Dana," Joey said. "Find a nice ring?" she asked. Everyone in the household knew about the search for the ideal rings at this point, it wasn't worth it to keep it under wraps. "Slow," Scully said as she sat down on the couch. Rhiannon ran over to her and tried to climb on to the couch. When she learned she couldn't do it herself she raised her arms in the air. "Up!" she said, asking to be lifted up onto her lap. Scully bent, picked the little girl up and set her down on her lap. "We're still looking," Scully sighed. "It would be a little different if one of us liked one and the other didn't, but we both don't care for the ones we've seen." "Are you looking for a, you know, classic wedding rings or just something nice?" Joey asked. "At this point we can't afford to be picky, but I'd like something where if I forget to take it off when I go out somewhere won't get identified as a wedding ring," Scully said, cradling Rhiannon in her arms. Joey smiled. "This is so cool!" she said excitedly. "What is?" Scully asked. "This whole wedding, secret romance thing. It's like something you would read in a novel, or see on a TV show," Joey smiled. "You do remember that secret is the operative word," Scully reminded her, although with a grin of her own on her face. "I know, I won't tell anyone outside of this house," Joey said. "But what you two have is something people would kill for, myself included, it's so romantic." "It took us a long while to get to this point, Joey," Scully said. "You're only fifteen, you've got plenty of time to find that certain someone." "I know," Joey sighed, "but it's still so sweet," she said with a spaced out look on her face. Vera appeared at the door to the family room. "Dana, could you come here for a minute? I think I might have something," she asked. "Sure," Scully said, and slid Rhiannon back onto the floor. "Now you stay with Joey, okay?" she said to her. Rhiannon nodded. "Oki, Mama," she said. "Good," Scully said and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back." She stood up and followed Vera, who was leading her into the formal living room at the front of the house. When she walked in the room she saw that Mulder was already in there and seated on an over-stuffed couch. Scully went over to sit next to him while Vera went to a shelf covered by a glass panel. "So what's up?" Mulder asked. "I think I might have a solution to the ring problem," Vera said, unlocking the glass panel. "How would you feel about having rings that have been used before?" she asked. Scully and Mulder shared a glance. "That's fine with us," Scully said. Vera turned back to them holding a small wooden box. "Good. Because I think I've got some rings here that you can use." "Gram, you don't have to do that," Mulder said. "Nonsense, Fox," she said as she sat down on a chair next to the couch. "I want to do this. Besides, all they've been doing is sitting in this box, this way they'll get some more use." Vera opened the box, and they saw that inside were two rings. She picked one up and laid it in her palm. It was a simple man's ring, a solid band of platinum. "This was your grandfather's wedding ring." "But I thought you buried him with it," Mulder cut her off. "I did," Vera said. "But that was his good wedding ring. See, your grandfather hated to wear his good ring to work. He was a police officer," she added on a sidebar to inform Scully, "and he knew the ring I gave him on our wedding day wouldn't take damage real well. But he also hated taking his ring off. So I had another ring made for him, one he could wear to work and not worry about." She handed the ring to Mulder. "It's made out of platinum, the strongest metal around." Mulder stared at the ring. His grandfather was someone he admired, a good, honorable man who was a better father to him than his own father ever was. Having this ring would almost be a reminder that no matter what evil they encountered in their work, there was always a good man out there to fight it. "And for Dana," Vera continued, pulling the other ring out of the box, "I have my engagement ring." Scully was about to protest but Vera waved her off. "Like I said, I want to do this so don't worry." She handed the ring to Scully, who examined it. It was a ring made out of the same platinum. It had a square cut amethyst on top and the ring part was crafted of filigreed parts making a fine mesh of support, and turned into a solid band as it curved. "It's gorgeous," Scully said. "Try them on," Vera prodded. They both slid them on, and to their immense surprise they both fit. "Well, what do you think, Scully?" Mulder asked her. Scully smiled at him. "I'd say we just found our rings," she said. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Later that night, when they should have been sleeping, Scully found herself pacing around the bedroom. She was nervous about tomorrow. She supposed that it was normal, but she found herself wishing that her mom was there to answer some questions about what she was feeling. Scully knew that she wasn't getting cold feet, she was set on going through with the wedding. But there was still that nagging nervousness. Would the ceremony go right? Would the priest get there on time? Would someone unwanted crash the wedding? There was also the nagging fear that someone they knew from work would find out, but nothing they were doing was on the official record so that was a bit of a relief. She leaned against the windowframe and stared out into the night. It wasn't as dark as night was in the country, though. There were lights everywhere, streetlights, lights in the homes across the way, cars buzzing by on the street. She was staring so hard she didn't hear the rustling in the bed behind her. "Scully? You okay?" Mulder asked softly so as not to wake Rhiannon who had wanted to sleep in their bed again. Scully turned around. "I'm okay," she said as she walked back to the bed and climbed in. "A little nervous, I guess, but I'm okay." "Getting cold feet?" Mulder joked. "No," Scully smiled, resting her head against Mulder's shoulder. "Just some lingering nervousness that I can't seem to shake. I'm so tempted to just call up my mom and ask her if this is normal, if this is how she felt on the night before her wedding." "I'm sure that'll be a call she'll love to get," Mulder said. "A middle of the night phone call from her daughter to tell her she's getting married the next day to a man that a good portion of the family hates." "Some day we'll tell her," Scully said, looking down at Rhiannon and stroking her hair, who held the Christmas book in her arms. Rhiannon had wanted to read earlier, but had fallen asleep before they got a chance to. Scully's gentle stroking woke her up though, and she grabbed onto the book tighter. "Hi," Rhiannon said sleepily. "Hey, baby," Mulder said quietly, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. Rhiannon held the book out and looked up at Scully with those lost puppy dog eyes. "Okay," Scully smiled, and reached onto the nightstand to turn on a low light, just enough that she could read. She took the book and opened it up to the latest chapter. 'Annaple sniffed, seeing the crowded street, and said, "Perhaps after today Francis will leave me alone." The children looked at one another and sighed. The crowd was turning all one way, as if a wind blew it. Shouts could be clearly heard above the babble. "Here they come! Look, just turning up from the marketplace." "I can hear drums!" Christopher shouted. As the procession came marching up the street, the choir began to sing: "On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me--" The crowd roared the refrains. A boy with a pear tree, the top heavy partridge swaying in its branches. A man with two turtle doves cooing in their cage. ("Christopher, I suppose you had better run down and let them in.") A man holding the last batch of French hens, all squawking angrily. A boy with four robins. Another boy with a box of rings. Six goose girls carrying six geese. Seven black-masked swans sailing up the gutter to tug at the doorbell. ("If this is how a mother bird feels," Prudence said, showering bread to forty-two greedy beaks, "I sympathize.") Forty milkmaids leading forty cows. (Annaple covered her face with her hands.) Thirty-six ladies dancing along. Thirty lords leaping like schoolboys. Twenty-two drummers with scarlet sashes and gilt-tasseled drums...." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Part Thirteen-January 5: Twelfth Night Part 14 Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Thirteen Days Of Christmas- January 6: Feast of the Three Kings The day of the wedding dawned, although the sky was that grey wintry color that hardly screamed festive. Mulder was the first one to wake up in the big four poster canopy bed, and for a minute he was a little disconcerted as to where he was. Then it hit him: he was at his grandmother's house in one of her guest rooms about to get married to the woman he had fallen head over heels in love with, Scully. He stretched out in the bed and caught sight of Scully still sleeping next to him with Rhiannon in her arms. They made such a perfect picture together, he thought. It was times like this that reminded that that he was a lucky man. A few years back he thought he was doomed to spend his life alone, fighting a losing battle with the men who were vying for control of earth. He'd thought that he shouldn't have Scully, no matter how much he was in love with her, because there was someone out there who was a lot better for her than him. Someone who wouldn't endanger her life with every turn. It took Scully very nearly pounding it into his head to convince him that she didn't want safe, that the one that she wanted was him, and no one else. He was the one she was in love with, the one she needed. From there on things took a path neither one of them could have predicted. A daughter, when both of them never thought they would have one, and now a wedding, a near impossibility up until a few days ago. Scully began to shift under the covers, a sign that she was waking up. Slowly her eyes opened and focused in on Mulder's face. "Morning," she said sleepily, her mouth forming a soft smile. "Hi," Mulder smiled, leaning down to kiss her. "Lovely way to wake up," Scully said when he pulled back. Her eyes darted quickly over to the clock. "Less than twelve hours," she said to him. "You nervous?" "Nervous, a little scared, excited, I think all of those apply," Mulder said a little shyly. Scully nodded. "I know exactly how you feel," she said, untangling one arm from around Rhiannon and reaching it up to stroke his cheek. "You know, it's kind of funny," Scully said. "Two years ago on this date was Emily's funeral. It's also the day we decided to have Rhiannon. And now it's going to be our wedding day." Mulder grinned at her. "It's kind of like the cosmic balance is being righted. The funeral being balanced by one of the happiest events, a wedding." "It's going to be a very good day," Scully said. Suddenly she broke out into quiet laughter. "I just noticed something. In my Christmas book, the two characters end up getting married on the 6th also. I remember reading the book as a teenager, and wishing that someday I would be able to find a man like that, who was that in love with me that he would go to such outrageous lengths." "I would do anything for you, Scully," Mulder said. "I know that," she smiled at him. "It's just such an appealing thought to a teenage girl. But I've got you now, that's more than I could have ever thought of when I was younger." "Well, you're stuck with me now," Mulder smirked. Scully grinned. "And that's just what I wanted." She reached for the Christmas book and began flipping through the pages. "If you're planning on reading that now you're probably going to have to read it again when Rhiannon wakes up." "I realize that," Scully said, and began to read anyway. 'On the morning of the Three Kings's Feast, which was Christopher's birthday as well as Annaple's wedding day, Francis sent the twelve pipers to wake his bride. They marched up Lee Street blowing bravely on their pipes, waking not only the bride, but her father and sister and brothers as well, all the livestock--which squawked and hissed and cackled in horror--and everyone else in the street. "Holy Maria!" Prudence said. She shot bolt upright in bed and grabbed for the blankets too late. "I thought I was having a nightmare. Nan, do call out to them to stop." But Annaple, already out of bed and reaching for her wrapper, only said, "You'd better get up; we've a great deal to do. Listen, isn't it romantic?...."' XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully waited impatiently in the front hall. The day had passed surprisingly quickly and now it was time. Her eyes glanced at the grandfather clock that was set in the corner. It read 7:30 p.m. Everyone else was in the formal living room making final preparations, but Scully was told to wait out there until it was time for the ceremony. She supposed it was some remnant of a traditional wedding which she didn't really see the point to. She smoothed her hands down the black dress and over-dress nervously, hoping that everything would be all right. Suddenly Joey appeared at the doorway carrying Rhiannon in her arms. "It's time," she said with a smile on her face. Scully took a deep breath and walked into the room. Standing off to one side was the Coopers, and at the far end of the room in front of the fireplace was Vera, Father O'Doyle, and Mulder, dressed in a suit. She knew the dress was a success judging by the appreciative look Mulder gave her. When she reached them Mulder reached a hand out and clasped hers. "Are you ready?" Father O'Doyle asked. Mulder and Scully shared a glance and nodded in tandem. At that point the ceremony blurred into a collection of moments. "We are gathered here today..." "Is there anyone here who objects to the union..." "May I have the rings, please..." "Repeat after me: I, Fox William Mulder, take thee, Dana Katherine Scully..." "I, Dana Katherine Scully, take thee, Fox William Mulder..." "To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do us part..." "I now pronounce you husband and wife..." "You may kiss the bride..." Mulder and Scully's lips met, not for the first time, but in a kiss that sealed what they had just entered into. When they pulled apart, they saw the smile in each other's eyes and they knew that everything was right. Then the world seemed to snap back into place. Vera went over to talk with Father O'Doyle, and the Coopers came over to congratulate them. Rhiannon practically scrambled out of Joey's arms and into Scully's, who hugged her tightly. There were hugs from Penny, handshakes from Ben, and excited screams from Amy and Joey, who had enjoyed the whole event immensely. Vera clapped her hands, getting the attention of the excited people. "Okay, everyone, it's time for dinner!" she said. The crowd moved into the formal dining room, a large room with paneled walls, a large elegant table, and a magnificent chandelier hanging from the center. The table was set with the best china and crystal, and in the center of the table the platters were full of elegantly prepared dishes. But for all the elegance the dinner was as informal as could be. The high chair next to Scully's chair held Rhiannon, who was happily playing with her dinner. Jokes were tossed around the table, nightmare tales from Penny about some of the things her teenage daughters had gotten into, which had Amy and Joey alternately laughing and protesting "That never happened!" and other stories of general happiness. When dinner was over Mulder slouched back in his chair and sighed happily. The day had gone better than he could have dreamed. He felt a strange sense of happiness and rightness settle around him, and he knew that the events of that day were right, like it was something his life had been leading up to ever since he'd met Scully. He heard a chair move closer to his and then Scully's head came to rest on his shoulder. Mulder leaned his head against hers and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't go to sleep yet," Penny admonished them. "There's still desert!" Mulder groaned and Scully giggled against his shoulder. "I can't eat anymore after that dinner," he called out to Penny. "Too bad," she shot back. "It's your wedding cake, you have to eat it." "Can I smear it against Scully's face?" he asked with an impish grin on his face. "Not if you value your life," Scully said, smirking against his shoulder. "Try and keep some tradition and eat the wedding cake," Vera said. "And you also have to freeze a piece and eat it on your first anniversary." "Ha!" Amy said. "In this house? That cake'll be gone in a week." Penny came back with the cake, a simple round cake with white frosting, and small yellow flowers with silver embellishments, but no writing. "I couldn't decide what to write that wouldn't get someone mad, so I just decided to forget it." "It's perfect just the way it is," Scully said. The cake was cut, dished out, and eaten with no small amount of comments about how delicious it was. Soon the leftovers were wrapped up and a small amount set aside for next year, although it was anyone's guess if it would make it there. The Coopers said their goodnights and headed up to their apartment, taking Rhiannon with them because Joey had graciously offered to watch her for the night. Vera also went up with them, saying that if they needed her she was going to be spending the night in their guest room. "You know they cleared out of here because it's our wedding night," Mulder said as they walked into their bedroom and he shut the door behind them. Scully turned around to face him. "Well, that's a good thing then because I have every intention of spending this night the way a proper wedding night should be." She grabbed onto his suit lapels and pulled him into a long kiss. Somehow they stumbled back to the bed and Scully fell onto it, pulling Mulder on top of her. "Do you know how much I love you right now?" Mulder whispered when he managed to pull his lips from hers. "Yeah, I think I do," Scully smiled at him. "About as much as I love you," she said, and pulled him into another kiss. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 'But Prudence was no longer listening. She said urgently, "The Christmas candle's sinking--quick, blow the others out." James blew out the candles that stood on the table and the chimney ledge and the windowsill. The Kitsons stood in the darkened room watching the last thin slip of Christmas burn away. As they stood there, they heard the clop of horse's hooves and the rattle of cartwheels as Mary and Joseph traveled through the town toward the Sea Gate. A boy was singing the Egypt carol, unaccompanied, thin and far away. They heard one broken like as it wavered into earshot, and then a single verse: "--On Egypt's trackless sand Star-led, the kings and shepherds came, Worshipping, knelt beside his stall; Now Joseph, dream-led, guides the mule Close by the shuttered wall." The singing faded as the cart turned into Keel Alley. Leaning close to the glass, Prudence heard one fading line--"Herod's night-armies rake the town"--and then nothing more. It was very dark now. The shadows swallowed up the big candlestick. They could only see a solitary flame dancing on the darkness. As they watched, the flame flickered and sank, until it was only a bud of yellow, shrinking fast; then a needle's eye, then only a pinprick of light; and then no light at all except the glow of the wick, a single bright spark, fading into the darkness. Prudence, bending over it, smelled the last thread of smoke that floated on the air. Christmas was over. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The End of the whole story! I hope that everyone liked it. I'd like to thank Joey and Lucy for their wonderful help, and getting me to put the story out faster. You guys are wonderful! And to Smurf, Tanja, and anyone else (I'm so sorry if I don't mention you) for just being there! And on a side note, visit my new website? Please? www.geocities.com/Area51/Meteor/7124/index.html XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 'True love, it's the greatest thing in the world.' Miracle Max The Princess Bride XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 'Men will fight bravely and be heroes, but for a last ditch defense against any odds...get a mother.' Lightbringer High Wizardry XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX