Title - The Twig Series:(4) Sharing the News
Author - Megan Sullivan
E-Mail address - lessa1@geocities.com
Rating - PG
Category - S R H
Spoilers - None, really.
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance
Summary -  Fourth story in the Twig Series:  The Scully clan gathers to 
celebrate a birthday and Mulder and Scully reveal their secret.  

Well, here it is.  Story number four in the Twig Series.  Don't forget 
how much I love feedback.  It's the only salary I get from this writing.
  So please send me some kind of feedback, in whatever form you desire. 
 Praise, flames, hate mail, just so I know someone's reading.  Please 
please please please...  The main reason I'm writing this story is 
because I got a lovely letter from a reader who liked my stories.  So I 
decided to finish this one.  And maybe I'll write another one too.

Oh, and just so you know, this series was begun before I saw the episode that
introduced Tara Scully, and it's probably become an alternate universe story 
because of this.

The Twig Series: Christmas Mayhem
The Twig Series:(2) To Dance
The Twig Series:(3) Yes Mom, It's True

"A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream 
while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the 
right to dream."
- Gaston Bachelard 

Ok, the plot idea is mine, but not too much else is.  All X-Files 
characters are the property of Chris Carter, Fox, and 1013 Productions 
(and probably some other people).  I have no malicious intent when using 
these characters.  I'm not making any money off of this story and 
neither is anyone else.

Enjoy!  - July 11, 1998.


The Twig Series:(4) Sharing the News
By Megan Sullivan


***********
January 23
***********

Scully peered into her living room and sighed.  "Mulder."  She wasn't 
really irritated, just a bit amused.  Mulder was fast asleep on her 
couch.  And he was snoring.  She had left him alone for five minutes 
while she applied a bit of makeup and the man managed to pass out.  
"Come on, Mulder, you've got to get up," she said, nudging him in the 
side with her knee.  He continued to snore.  "We're going to my mother's 
house, remember?"  Mulder rolled over, mumbling something 
incomprehensible.  "She's feeding you, don't forget."

Mulder rolled back over and opened one eye, peering at her.  "Hi 
Scully," he said sheepishly.

"Mulder, why are you asleep on my couch?  Aren't you sleeping well?" she
 asked, the doctor in her surfacing as she sat down on the edge of the 
couch.

He sat up, straightening his clothes.  "You know me, Scully.  I can fall
 asleep at the drop of a hat.  And besides, your couch is just so 
comfortable.  Much better than mine."

She laughed. "Well then, Mulder, you have two choices.  You can stay 
here by yourself and sleep on my couch, or you can come with me to my 
mother's house and celebrate Evan and Reed's birthday with my family."

He grinned and kissed her on the cheek.  "Your mother's going to feed me.
  That's incentive enough."  He stood up, pulling her up after him.  
"So," he said, turning to look at her.  "You ready to go?"

Rubbing her eyes, she nodded, chuckling.  "Just give me a second to put 
on my coat.  It's cold out there, you know."

"Yeah, the snow on the ground kinda gives that away."

She poked him in the side, rolling her eyes.  They both slipped on their
 coats and gloves and Scully placed a red scarf around her neck.  Together, they left her apartment, Scully locking the doors behind them.
  Mulder's hand found its way to its usual spot, resting at the small of 
her back and he led her out of the building.

***********

After driving for a while, Mulder looked over at Scully and decided she 
looked a bit nervous.  The tip of her index finger was placed between her
 front teeth.  This was her alternative to biting her nails.  "Scully?" 
he asked curiously.

She jumped slightly and pulled her finger out of her mouth as if caught 
doing something she shouldn't.  She turned and looked at him, one eyebrow
 raised.  "Hmm?"

He grinned at her reaction.  "Scully, what's wrong?" he asked, bouncing 
his gaze back and forth between her and the road.

She blushed slightly as a sheepish grin appeared on her lips.  "Nothing.
  It's silly."

"How can nothing be silly?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but her face held a grin.  "Promise you 
won't laugh?"

"I can't promise that.  What if it's really funny?"

"Mulder," she groaned.

"All right, all right.  I promise I won't laugh."

She took a deep breath.  "I know it sounds dumb, but I'm nervous about 
telling my family about us.  It's not that I don't want to, because I do,
 it's just that I know I'm going to end up being embarrassed by my 
brothers in one way or another."

He grinned but didn't laugh.  "You're right, Scully, it does sound dumb,"
 he said.  "But I know what you mean.  Though I really don't think you 
have any reason to worry.  How are your brothers going to embarrass you?"

She sighed.  "I just know they're going to start making comments.  Or 
they'll start telling old stories.  They mean it in good fun, but I 
always end up feeling embarrassed or humiliated."

"They won't humiliate you, Scully.  Besides, who are you afraid of being 
embarrassed in front of?  The only people there will be your family and 
me."

She sighed again, then grinned.  "You're right.  It's dumb."

After a moment of silence, Mulder spoke again.  "So, what kind of stories
 do your brothers have to tell that cause you to get so embarrassed?"

"Mulder!"

***********

As they pulled into her mother's driveway, Scully noticed that there was 
only one extra vehicle in the driveway, the minivan belonging to Bill and
 Ev.  As they got out of the car, Scully commented to Mulder about the 
missing vehicle.  "I expected Charlie and Jean and the kids to have 
arrived much earlier.  I can't believe Evan and Reed didn't want to be 
the first ones here."

Mulder shrugged as he opened the front door for her.  "Must be an X-File,
 Scully."

"No other way to explain it," she laughed as she stepped through the 
doorway.  "Mom?" she called as Mulder followed her in, shutting the door.

Maggie Scully popped her head out of the kitchen.  "Dana!  Fox!  I'm so 
glad you're here," she said as she walked towards them, wiping her hands
 with a dishtowel.  She embraced each of them quickly.  "Bill, Ev, and 
Katie are in the living room, I believe.  The older three are in the 
backyard, attempting to build a snowman.  Charlie just called; they're 
running a bit late.  They let the boys have a slumber party last night 
and it seems that the kids stayed up all night.  The boys had been 
sleeping since the other kids left and when Charlie called, they had 
just gotten up.  They should be here within the hour."

Scully laughed.  "I figured Evan and Reed would have wanted to be the 
first ones here, seeing as it is their birthday."

"According to Charlie, they did," Maggie grinned.  "Jean insisted they 
get some sleep before they come."

"Smart woman," Mulder commented.

Maggie chuckled with a nod.  "Now you two go on into the living room and 
make yourselves comfortable."

"I'll help you in the kitchen, mom."

Maggie shook her head.  "Oh no you won't.  Take Fox and go visit with 
your brother and his wife."

Scully laughed.  "Yes ma'am."

As Maggie walked back into her kitchen laughing, Mulder leaned over 
Scully's shoulder.  "You heard what she said.  Take me."  She spun in 
surprise and looked at him.  He looked like the cat who had swallowed 
the bird.  She poked him in the stomach and rolled her eyes.  Then she 
turned and headed into the living room, Mulder right behind her.  They 
found Bill and Ev sitting on the loveseat.  Bill was bouncing Katie on 
his knee.  Both adults grinned as the pair entered.  

"Dana, Fox, hello!" Ev beamed.  "So nice to see you two again."

Bill looked over at his wife, an eyebrow raised sarcastically.  "Dear, 
it hasn't been _that_ long since we've seen them."

Mulder chuckled.  He was giving her the same look Scully gave him before
 she made some smart remark.  Must run in the family.

Scully grinned.  "I'm glad you're so excited to see us, Bill.  Really.  
It's heartwarming," she deadpanned.  Bill began to laugh.

"Oh, you know what I mean, Dana.  I'm glad to see you.  But I think Ev's 
just happy to see you two together."

That remark earned Bill a quick glare from his wife.  "Bill, hush," she 
admonished before turning to beam at Mulder and Scully.  "I'm simply 
glad you're here.  I know the kids will be happy to see you too.  They're 
hoping for a rematch in that snowball fight."  

Scully and Mulder seated themselves on the couch, far enough apart as to
 not raise anyone's suspicions.  "I agree with them there.  That wasn't 
a fair fight," Mulder grinned.

"What, Mulder, upset that the girls beat you?" Scully laughed.

He laughed and nodded.  "Exactly."

Bill feigned a hurt look.  "Hey now, I was on that team too.  What would 
you women have done without me?"

"Won a lot sooner," Scully retorted.

Before Bill could reply, the sounds of yelling children could be heard 
outside.  Maggie peeked her head into the room.  "Bill and Ev, the kids 
want you to see their snowpeople.  Actually, I think they want you to 
determine which one is best."

Ev laughed and stood up.  "Oh no, I am not judging snowmen again.  Last 
time I did that, someone ended up sulking for the rest of the day," she 
said as she headed towards the back of the house.

Handing Katie to Scully, Bill hurried after Ev.  "Well, you were the one 
who said my snowman looked like it had been hit by a freight train."

Mulder looked at the child in Scully's lap, who seemed quite content to 
be passed from person to person.  "Scully, your family is great," he 
laughed.

She peered at him curiously, an amused look in her eyes.  "Great?  
Mulder, they're crazy."

"Exactly."

He looked like he had more to say but was interrupted as the doorbell 
rang.   "Dana, could you get the door?"  Maggie called from the kitchen. 
 "I've got my hands full."

"Got it," she replied, plopping Katie into Mulder's lap as she walked 
past.  Mulder stood and followed behind her, the baby gurgling in his 
arms.

As expected, the guests at the door were none other than Charlie and his 
family.  A multitude of greetings ensued.  The twins immediately headed 
for the backyard, Sarah and Mary right on their heels.  Jean began to 
laugh.  "The whole way over here, all we heard was complaining about how 
they were missing out on all the fun.  Supposedly, grandma's house has 
better snow.  They never want to be outside when we're at home," she 
said as she tickled Katie.  The little girl giggled and Mulder handed 
her over.

Laughter and cheers arose from the back of the house.  Over the noise, 
one voice could be heard.  "Mom!  Dad!  Come look!"  For such a small 
child, Sarah sure could yell.

Charlie rolled his eyes.  "Jeannie, we're being paged."

As if to reinforce that statement, a second cry was heard.  "Hurry!"  
They obliged and soon, Mulder and Scully were left alone in the front 
hall.  She grinned at him and sat down on the stairs, five steps up from 
the floor.  Mulder looked at her curiously.  She smiled.

"When I was little, this was one of my favorite places in the house.  I 
used to always sit here on the stairs.  Mom usually wasn't too happy, 
since I was tripped over now and then."  He chuckled softly at the image 
and sat down next to her.  It was a tight fit, but comfortable, provided
 she leaned into him and he wrapped his arm around her.  Neither minded.
  "Of course," she continued, "My brothers would have never let me sit 
here with a boy unsupervised."

He began to laugh.  "So either they trust us or they've realized that 
you could easily deck any guy you wanted.  Which you have done on 
occasion."

"Plus they know I carry a gun." 

"And wouldn't hesitate to pull it on either one of them should they 
interrupt anything."

She laughed.  "Why, Agent Mulder, what would they be interrupting?"

He leaned in to whisper in her ear, causing chills to run down her 
spine.  "My invading your personal space."  He leaned closer to nuzzle 
at her neck, causing her to sigh happily.  He lifted his head and leaned 
in to kiss her when they were interrupted by the voice in the kitchen.

"Dana?  Fox?  Would you two mind coming in here and setting the table 
for me?"

The pair began to laugh and Scully began to blush.  "Mulder, you think 
she knows what we were doing?" she whispered.

He shrugged and untangled his limbs from hers.  "Maybe.  I don't know.  
We weren't actually doing anything.  But if you keep blushing like that, 
there will be no doubt in her mind."  This only caused her to blush 
deeper.  "Scully, now your ears are red.  Who knows what your mom is 
going to think."  Had she been able to blush any more, she would have.  
Instead she buried her face in her hands.  He chuckled and leaned down 
to kiss the top of her head.  "And if we don't show up in that kitchen 
very soon, she's going to send out the cavalry to find us."  This 
brought a smile to her face and she stood up, letting him lead her into 
the kitchen.

***********

As she helped her sisters-in-law carry dishes to the kitchen, Scully 
smiled to herself.  Dinner had gone quite smoothly.  Of course, she 
still hadn't told anyone that she and Mulder were together.  Together.  
She liked using that word.  Dana Scully and Fox Mulder were together.  
Now she just needed to say those words to her family.  Keeping it a 
secret through the meal had been a bit of a struggle.  Her mother 
continually shot pointed glances, eyes darting between her and Mulder.  
Scully hoped the others hadn't picked up on it.

As she set the stack of plate on the counter near the sink, she heard 
someone behind her.  Spinning around, she encountered Ev, carrying her 
own stack of dishes.  Ev chuckled softly as she set the dishes aside.  
"You've been incredibly jumpy tonight, Dana.  Something bothering you?"

She shook her head and began to fill the sink with water.  "No, of 
course not."

Ev nodded but didn't appear to believe her.  As she left the room, 
Scully sighed.  "Why can't I just tell them?  It's not as if he's an 
axe murderer," she mumbled to herself.

***********

Mulder walked through the halls of the house, peeking in doors as he 
tried to locate Scully.  She had disappeared after dinner, leaving him 
to fend for himself amongst the Scully men and their offspring.  Finally 
he had escaped, only to discover Scully missing from the group of 
gossiping women in the kitchen.  He peeked out a side window and caught 
a glimpse of her parka.  Grabbing his coat from the hall closet, he 
quietly slipped out the door.  Scully was sitting on the steps off the 
side of the porch, her arms wrapped around her drawn up legs, her chin 
resting atop her knees.  Hearing him step onto the porch, she tilted her
 head to look at him and smiled.  "Hi," she said softly.

He smiled and sat down next to her on the step.  "Hi yourself.  How come 
you're out here all by yourself?"

She shrugged.  "I don't know.  It's quiet.  Peaceful."  She shivered 
slightly.

He wrapped his arm around her protectively.  "And cold," he added.

She chuckled softly.  "And cold," she said as she leaned into his body, 
wrapping her arms around his waist.  "But cold can still be warm."

He pulled her tighter.  "Exactly."  After a pause, he spoke again.  "Any 
particular reason you're out here on the quiet, peaceful, cold porch?  
Hiding from your mean brothers?"

She laughed softly.  "No, though that doesn't sound like too bad of an 
idea, Mulder.  I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"Lots of things.  You.  Me.  Us.  How you always seem to get us into 
trouble," she said, a grin spreading across her face.

"Got me there.  And then you always seem to get us out of trouble," he 
replied, matching her grin.  "And I love you for it.  I mean, what guy 
wouldn't love a woman who could not only kick his butt, but also beat up 
all the bad guys for him?"

She giggled, causing him to laugh.  He leaned in and kissed her on the 
lips.  Her lips curved against his and he kissed them again.  He had 
just shifted to wrap his other arm around her body when they both were 
shocked into silence by a small voice behind them.

"Eeeew!  Gross!"  Mulder and Scully spun around just in time to see 
Billy and Mary peeking out the window.  Before anyone could say a word, 
the two children ran off, yelling for their parents and their cousins.  
Scully pulled away from Mulder and groaned, burying her face in her 
hands.  Mulder rubbed his forehead and shrugged.

"Well, Scully, I guess the problem of how to tell the family has been 
solved."

She laughed, then sighed.  "This isn't exactly how I planned it."

"Scully, in your family, I'm surprised that anything happens the way you 
plan it."

She looked up at him.  "Nothing ever does, Mulder.  Nothing ever does."

He laughed and stood up, then helped her up.  "We should probably go 
inside and face the heat."

"Do we have to, Mulder?  We could just run away to Tahiti instead."

"We could, but Evan and Reed would chase us down to get their birthday 
presents."

She rolled her eyes and together, they went inside.  They could hear 
Mary and Billy recounting the occurrence they had observed on the front 
porch.  Their parents sounded quite amused.  Scully felt herself begin 
to blush, but she continued to walk towards the voices.  They found the 
rest of the family in the living room; the adults looking quite amused. 
 Maggie looked up at the pair and winked at them as she herded the 
children out of the room.  

Charlie decided to be the first to speak.  "So, Fox.  I hear you've been 
witnessed accosting my sister."  

Scully felt her blush begin to deepen.  Mulder protectively wrapped an 
arm around her waist.  "Actually, you've got it wrong.  She accosted me. 
 But the end result was the same."  Everyone laughed.

"So," Ev said, holding Katie's teddy bear, "Are you two going to let us 
know how long this has been going on?"

"The accosting?" Mulder was quick to ask.  Everyone laughed.

"We can go into detail later," Ev replied.  "But seriously, how long 
have you two been in a relationship?  I know I've suspected it for quite 
some time."

"Lots of people have suspected it for quite some time, Ev," Scully 
answered.  "But we've only really been in a relationship since 
Christmas.  Or rather, Christmas Eve."

Jean began to laugh.  "I thought something was up between you two then. 
 But I kept my mouth shut."

"First time for everything," Charlie mumbled, earning him an elbow in 
the ribs from his mother.  He opened his mouth to say something else 
when Sarah came running into the room.

"Grandma?" she asked quietly.

"What is it, sweetie?" Maggie asked, leaning down towards the child.  
Mulder and Scully took this opportunity to seat themselves on the 
hearth.

"Evan and Reed want me to ask you if they can open their birthday 
presents now."

Maggie laughed.  "All right, I guess we've made them wait long enough, 
don't you think?"  Sarah nodded.  "Then I'm putting you in charge of 
getting all your brothers and sisters and cousins in here.  Can you do 
that?"  The little girl nodded again and scampered off to find her 
playmates.  Less than a minute later, the sounds of footsteps were heard 
on the basement stairs as eight children hurried into the living room.  
Bill and Ev vacated the loveseat to give the boys their seat of honor.  
They leapt onto the couch while the other six children found seats in 
various places of the room, all giving them a good view of the main 
event.

***********

The evening had gone quickly and the families were making preparations 
to head to their respective homes.  Scully was helping her 
sisters-in-law bundle up their sleepy smaller children while the older 
ones still ran around the house, not ready to end the fun.  Maggie had 
headed upstairs to get the sleeping Katie and Bill, Charlie, and Mulder 
were attempting to round up the rampant children.  Mulder was the first 
to arrive in the foyer with Julia slung over his shoulder.  He gently 
swung her down to the floor and she giggled.  "Thanks, Fox," she said 
before stifling a yawn.  Charlie and Bill weren't far behind with the 
remaining children, who all obediently found their coats and gloves.  
Scully finished helping Sarah into her coat and Maggie handed Katie to 
her.  Cradling the child, she walked over to stand by Mulder.  He 
discreetly slipped his arm around her, bringing his hand to rest on her 
stomach.  Reed walked over to the pair, Evan right behind.

"Aunt Dana, Fox, thanks so much for the computer games," Reed said.

"Yeah, thanks," Evan echoed.  "They're awesome games."

Mulder laughed. "They sure are."

Scully poked him gently.  "Boys, I have a feeling you're going to have 
to let Mu... Fox come over and play them with you sometime."

The twins laughed. "Anytime, Aunt Dana," Evan replied.

Jean placed a hand on the twins' shoulders.  "Come on, boys.  Your 
sisters are getting tired.  We'd better get going."  The boys nodded 
and went to hug their grandmother before heading out to the car.  Jean 
smiled Mulder and Scully.  "See you two next time," she grinned.  
Charlie walked up behind her, a drowsy Sarah in his arms.

"Nice seeing you again, Fox.  And Dana, go easy on him, ok?"

She laughed and nodded as Charlie and Jean headed out the door.  Ev 
walked over and grinned at them.  "You two do look great with a baby."  
Scully blushed and prepared to hand Katie to Ev when Bill held out his 
arms for the child.

"Come on, Ev, go easy on them," he laughed, cradling his youngest.  "And 
I thought I'd warn you that Danny's decided he's driving home."

"He is not; he can't even reach the pedals," she laughed.  "Great seeing 
you again," she said to Mulder and Scully before following her husband 
out the door.  Maggie shut the door behind them and turned to face the 
pair.

"Well, looks like you've survived yet another Scully get-together, Fox."

He laughed.  "Hey, FBI training's got to be good for something."

"You know you two are welcome to stay as long as you want."

Scully glanced up at Mulder.  "Thanks, Mom, but we really do have to get 
back.  I think the kids wore Mulder out."

Mulder nodded.  "They're a rowdy bunch, Maggie.  Don't know how anyone 
can keep up with them."  Maggie laughed.

"Thanks for doing this, Mom.  It was a lot of fun.  Embarrassing, but 
fun."

Mulder retrieved their coats from the closet and slipped his on.  He 
helped Scully into hers, earning her a grin from her mother.  "Thanks 
for having us, Maggie," he said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.  

Scully walked over and embraced her mother.  "I'll call you tomorrow, 
Mom.  Thanks."

"Anytime.  Anytime," she said, holding the door for them, then closing 
it gently behind them.

Mulder placed his hand on the small of Scully's back as they walked to 
the car.  He opened the door for her, expecting her to slide in.  She 
surprised him by hugging him hard.  "Thanks, Mulder."

"For what?"

"For everything," she said, gently pulling his head down to kiss him. 
 He didn't object.  After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled away.  

"Scully, your mom's probably watching us out the window."

She blushed.  "Oh yeah," she said before climbing into the car.  He 
laughed and shut the door behind her, walked around the car, climbed in 
and started the car, allowing it to warm up.

"Well, Scully, you survived.  And your brothers didn't tell me any 
stories about you.  Of course, I didn't get the chance to ask them."

"You wouldn't!"

"Sure.  You're right.  I wouldn't," he replied, an evil grin spreading 
across his face. 

"Mulder!"


Completed on November 27, 1998

Finally, it's done.  Took a little prodding, but I finished it.  And I 
think I'll start work on the next.  Hope there are some readers out 
there.  E-mail at lessa1@geocities.com