Canceled (PG, MSR)

Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully are in excellent hands 
 (even though they're not in mine). All things X belong to Carter, 
Fox and company. (YELL, SCREAM, HOOT, HOLLER, APPLAUD)

Summary: A canceled vacation can be an amazing thing.

Notes: - I really have no idea who Saint William is, or even if there
 is one (probably causing every nun in my twelve year Catholic school
 history to drop dead in disbelief)
- Comments welcome at   ac4320@wayne.edu     but if they get too nasty,
 I may be forced to put a hex on the sender.

Canceled
L Sprys


"Well, Mulder, either we finish everything here or we take it back to my
 place where we can work on the computer and get some food. I refuse to
 let this  mountain of papers sit until after Christmas."

"Since I have to take you to the airport in the morning, why don't we work 
at your place. Then, if you don't mind, I can sleep on your couch. It would 
make it easier tomorrow morning. "

Scully shook her head at him, "anything to be able to see me in my pajamas
 you perverted pig."

"I take that as a yes, I can stay at your place."

"As long as you promise not to torment me incessantly, yes, you can stay. But
 no trying to get out of working. I'm not doing all these reports myself."

"As part of my gift to you, I'll do my share with a minimum of complaining."

"If you actually make it through the night, I'll consider it my whole gift."

"Then what am I going to do with the Chia Pet I got you?"

"Throw it in the black hole you call a closet and leave it there."

"Cute, very cute."

"I do try. Come on, I'm hungry and there's cold Chinese in my refrigerator." 

"Lead on doc," Mulder said, holding Scully's coat open for her. 

She slipped her arms in, thinking that she should have asked Mulder to come
 home with her for Christmas. She knew he'd be spending it alone in that
 apartment of his but she didn't want to subject him to her brothers. They still
 blamed him for all that had happened. "Thanks," she said in a quiet voice.

"Anything to be of service. Now if you don't take me home and feed me right
 now, I may be forced to sing Elvis for the rest of the evening."

"I don't think so," Scully called over her shoulder, high tailing it to the stairs 
that led out of the basement. Mulder took off after her and both arrived in the 
lobby, out of breathe and laughing. 

"You cheated, Scully. No fair," Mulder said, shooting her a grin.

"All's fair in love and foot races Mulder. Your just mad because you got beaten
 by a girl," she playfully snubbed his nose and gave him a grin that seemed to
 light up the entire building, 

"I let you win 'cause it's Christmas. Any other time I'd have beaten the pants
 off  you."

Scully looked him square in the eye with her hands on her hips, "anything to
 get me out of these clothes. You really are a pig aren't you?"

Mulder laughed at this, then realized that he and Scully had an audience.
 Skinner was talking to another agent a few feet away and about nine others 
were within earshot. Scully tried to hide her smile as Mulder's face began to 
turn red in embarrassment. Skinner just looked at them,  shaking his head,
 "Beginning the holidays a little early are we?" 

"No sir. Just trying to prove the male species is superior." He received a thump
 on the back of the head from Scully for that comment and Skinner couldn't 
help but smile. 

"Guess I have to prove you wrong again, huh?" Scully said, then turned heel
 and took off towards the door. Mulder called a quick merry Christmas and chased
 after his partner. 

Skinner just stood, amazed. He had never seen either of his most reliable agents
 act like that before. He just shook his head and muttered to himself, "I don't
 think I'll ever figure out how those two work."

Once Scully shot out the door and stopped on the sidewalk, she realized how
 foolish they must have looked, especially in front of Skinner. Mulder emerged 
from the swinging doors a second later and skidded to a stop next to her. "I believe 
we have just officially proven that we are nuts. No doubt in anybody's mind now."

"I still won Mulder, you can't doubt that one either. I do agree with you however,
 we've probably just committed ourselves to that basement for the rest of our 
careers."

"Well, at least were together in our condemning. There's no one else I'd rather be
 confined to a dank, dark, bug infested place with."

"Thanks, I think." She began walking towards the cars, "will you at least admit
 that I have a  shot at being superior?" 

Mulder suddenly grabbed her arm when he slid on a patch of ice "at least you 
 seem to be pretty good at  keeping  your  balance."

Holding his arm, she raised an eyebrow, "I'm good at a lot things Mulder."

"Can I just have one guess at what you're good at, just one," his perverse thoughts
 running away from him. 

"Not on your life." They had reached the cars and Scully called to him over the top 
of the door, "see you in a few minutes."

Mulder reached the house first and let himself in. He had the food pulled out and
 the curtains shut by the time Scully arrived. She walked in the door and held up her
 hand, "don't even say it. In trying to beat you here, I seem to have caught every 
old lady and red light in Washington."

As a peace offering, Mulder held out a plate of  sweet and sour chicken, "sorry."

"What, no chopsticks?" Scully asked, refusing to let that smile of his cause its
 normal reaction. 

To her surprise, Mulder whipped a pair out from behind his back and handed them
 to her in a flourish and a grin. Taking them, "if you bottled and sold that charm of 
yours Mulder, you'd be a millionaire."

"That's ok. I'd rather use it to make you smile." He grabbed his plate and made his
 way to the couch, walking past Scully, who just stood there in amazement, staring. 

She didn't move until that familiar voice emerged from the other room, "I know 
you're
 in the presence of greatness, but you can sit next to me. I don't bite unless you wan
t me to." She grabbed her drink and settled on the couch next to Mulder. 

She flipped on the news to see what the weather would be like tomorrow for her
 flight. The weather man mentioned a possibility of snow but not to worry, it would
 only be a dusting. Mulder picked up the remote and turned to the Sci-Fi station, 
finding a  Lost In Space marathon. He glanced at Scully to see if he could leave it 
on and realized she was watching intently. "I never knew you liked this show."

Scully replied, never taking her eyes from the screen, "I used to watch it all
 the time. Bill would tear it apart, telling me I was silly for watching. I still get
 a kick out of the professor and Will."

Mulder gave her a look of total disbelief, then decided not to question. He settled
 back and watched both the show and Scully. She had managed to throw him
 for a loop yet again and it amazed him. 

When the show was over and the Chinese food had been eaten, Scully flicked the 
TV off and held out her hand to haul Mulder off the couch. "I still have to pack
 so how 'bout we get the work done now, then we can watch some more."

"Never argue with the superior of the species. Point the way to the work before I 
change my mind.


By the time they had finished most of the paperwork, it was well after eight. Mulder 
offered to finish up the tail end of the grunt work so Scully could go and pack. 

"To what do I owe this generosity to?" Scully asked in amazement, "and what will
 I have to do in return?"

"If you can manage to dig me out some real clothes to put on, I believe we can 
call it even," Mulder replied, looking down at his navy blue slacks, "these dress
 pants are getting real annoying."

"If only every proposition was that easy to repay, I'd be making deals right and
 left. Be right back." Scully left the room and returned a moment later with a faded
 pair of Mulder's jeans and an extra large thermal shirt. She tossed them to 
Mulder, "I forgot I had these. They got mixed up with my stuff on the last 
assignment."

Mulder nodded, then held the shirt in front of him, "Scully, is there a time in your
 life you haven't told me about, namely the time when you weighed 300 pounds. 
Good 
lord this shirt is big, even on me. "

Scully laughed at Mulder's expression, "I usually sleep in it in the winter. You know
 how cold I get and that is the warmest thing I've ever found."

"Are you sure you don't want it then?"

"Mulder, I wouldn't have offered otherwise. Be out in a couple of minutes." 
She returned to the bedroom and left Mulder to change. 

As soon as Mulder slid the shirt over his head, he caught a hint of Scully's
 smell in the material: a mixture of lemons and strawberries. He stood still for
 a moment after she had left and let the gentle scent envelope him. His mind
 turned involuntarily to the thought of Scully wearing only the shirt, picturing 
her sleeping in it, so close to her skin Mulder could almost feel her with him. 
He lifted the shirt to his nose, caught in his daydream; not noticing Scully had 
come back into the room with her suitcase. 

Scully stood for a moment, watching her partner, thinking how right it looked
 for him to be standing in the middle of her living room. She sighed and the
 sound caught Mulder's attention. He turned sheepishly, stammering, "you 
strawberry soap, don't you?"

She looked at him mysteriously, hoping he hadn't realized how long she had been
 standing there, "that's privileged information for me to know and you to find out."

"Do I sense a challenge?"

"And you only graduated second in your class. I think you were robbed!"

Mulder tossed a pillow at her head and sat down in front of the stack of papers
 on the kitchen table, muttering to himself, "you must pay. Don't know where,
 don't know when, but I'll get you."

Scully laughed and returned to the bedroom, coming back a few minutes later 
with two stacks of clothes that she dumped on the couch. She sat on the floor and 
opened the suitcase. She began to fold her clothed with meticulous accuracy,
 packing them carefully into the bag. 

Mulder couldn't stand it anymore. He scrawled his name carelessly  on the bottom
 of the last report and walked to the couch, "what in the name of reticulan are you 
doing?"

"I'm packing, Sherlock."

"But why are you folding everything again. It was fine when you brought it out here."

"Because when I fold them like this, I can get about half my closet into one suitcase
 and everything still comes out neat. Unlike someone else's clothes I know," raising
 an eyebrow in Mulder's direction.

"You realize Scully," as he sat down next to her, "that you're digging yourself into an
 even deeper hole of revenge."

Poking him in the ribs to make him smile, "I know but it's just so much fun."

"Arrggh ...," Mulder rumbles as he flicked the TV back on and found the Lost in
 Space marathon.

Around midnight, after finishing a bowl of popcorn and a half jar of peanut butter,
 Scully was  asleep on the couch and Mulder could feel his eyes getting heavy. 
He turned the TV off and walked quietly into Scully's room. He pulled the 
comforter off and  tugged the sheet back. He then walked back into the living
 room and picked Scully  up, trying not to disturb her sleep. He carried her to
 her room and laid her on the  bed, pulling the covers up over her. He 
hesitated, then leaned down and gave her a  light kiss on the forehead
 and one on the cheek; then  said a soft goodnight and  partially closed the
 door. Mulder opened the linen closet and discovered two blankets  and an 
extra pillow. He took these and made himself comfortable on the couch,
 smiling because he knew that the only dreams he would have tonight would be of
 the beautiful red head in the next room.

Scully could feel herself being carried into her room. She knew it was Mulder and
 decided not to object, enjoying the feeling of his arms under her and her head on
 his shoulder. After Mulder had laid her down, he did something she wasn't
 expecting: he kissed her goodnight. Scully was able to hold back her smile until
 Mulder had left the room because he would have been  embarrassed if he knew
 she had been awake. She rolled onto her side and curled up under the sheets,
 wishing she could have kissed him back. 


Scully awoke about four -thirty because she felt someone hovering over her
She opened her eyes cautiously and discovered a pair of hazel eyes staring at her.
 "What are you trying to do, turn all my hair gray at once, I almost hit you, 
you know?"

"You know, even with gray hair, you'd still look good. Come with me."

Sitting up in bed, "why? What's going on?"  She got out of bed "why is it so
 cold in here?"

He took her hand and led her out into the living room, "just come on." He led
 her to the window and pulled the shade up. Outside the world was white and
 covered with a thick blanket of snow, with more falling every second. Scully 
just stood in front of the window, staring at the snow falling past. She shivered
 when she felt the draft coming in. Mulder grabbed the blanket of the couch and 
stood behind Scully, wrapping the blanket around both of them. "It must have
 started right after we got here. I closed the shades before you came and neither
 of us looked out again. Also, it's cold in here because the power seems to
 have gone out."

"I guess I'm not going anywhere tomorrow . . . I mean today," Scully said with
 disappointment in her voice. 

Mulder put his chin on her shoulder, "I'm sorry. At least you'll have a white
 Christmas this year."

Scully smiled at him, "it could be worse." Turning back to the window, "it is 
beautiful though, isn't it? We rarely get snow being so close to the ocean."

Mulder pulled the blanket a bit closer around them, "that's why I woke you up. 
Snow always looks it's best as it's falling. Besides, I also wanted to see if you
 were warm enough."

"Always looking out for me, huh? Well, I think I can live with that. Follow me sir." 
Scully turned them both slowly around, not leaving Mulder's embrace and walked 
into
 the bedroom with Mulder's arms still around her, laughing and trying not to fall. 
Both
 sat down on the bed and Scully turned on the battery operated clock radio on the 
night
 stand. She turned to the news station and discovered that about a foot of snow had 
fallen 
already, with  at least another ten to twelve inched expected; drifts up to four feet 
high
 and a wind chill of thirty below expected to go lower. She shivered again and turned 
to
 Mulder,  "Come on. Help me lay some towels under the doors and windows to stop 
the
 worst of the drafts."

After they had done that, Scully said, "well, I think I'm going to go back to sleep for
 awhile."

Mulder looked toward the uninviting couch with a pitiful look on his face. The last 
thing
 he wanted to do was go back to sleep on the cold cushions. Suddenly, Scully called
 from the hallway, "well, are you coming or not?"

Mulder walked to the hallway, "what?"

"I said, are you coming or not? I couldn't live with myself if I made you go back
 to that couch; the draft alone will give you pneumonia. Besides, I need something
 to press my cold feet against and I think you can handle the job." She turned and
 hopped into the bed, squealing like a little girl as she crawled under the cold covers.
 Mulder got in as well, and they both lay shivering and laughing until the sheets
 warmed up. Scully was still cold  and she curled up against Mulder, who gathered
 her up and put his arms around her, "you know you'd be warmer if you weighed
 more that five pounds."

Scully thumped her knuckles on his forehead, then laid her head on his chest. "Just
 for that comment my friend," she finished off her statement by  pressing her feet
 against Mulder's leg. He jumped in shock and Scully laughed, "you're a good foot 
warmer Mulder." She settled in and drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
 The last thought Mulder had was how in the world had he ever been so lucky.
 He kissed the top of Scully's head and fell asleep with the smell of lemon and 
strawberries  surrounding him.

Mulder woke up about eight because he was cold. He discovered that Scully had 
gotten up and taken her warm body with her. Mulder rolled out of bed, pulled
 the comforter around him and walked into the living room. He noticed Scully 
standing in the kitchen, so he detoured that way. The cold linoleum took him 
by surprise and he jumped back onto the carpeting. Scully turned around,
 "I didn't wake you did I?"

"Indirectly. I discovered that your icy feet weren't tucked under my leg so I
 decided to get up and investigate."

Offering Mulder a hot cup of tea,  "at least the stove runs on gas. We can eat
 a hot meal if nothing else."

Wrapping his hands around the hot mug, "or we could crawl in the oven."

Laughing, Scully handed him a bowl of oatmeal as well and a spoon. "Don't let
 me forget to call mom. I just hope she doesn't yell too loudly."

Sitting down on the couch and laying another afghan over their laps, "why would
 she yell, doesn't she know that you don't control the weather?"

"But she wanted me to fly out yesterday morning. Since I decided to stay, this will
 somehow turn out to be my fault."

"Well, just blame it on me. I mean, hell, it probably is my fault anyway."

"Only if you control the weather, and from my scientific standpoint, even you 
couldn't manage that one."

"Never doubt me Scully."

After finishing breakfast, Scully picked up the phone, "might as well get this
 over with before you cause fire, famine and flood." She dialed her brother's
 number in Texas and after two rings, Charlie answered. "Hi Charlie, is mom
 there?" After a minute, Mrs. Scully came to the phone. She broke the news as
 gently as possible about no being able to fly in. From the look on Scully's face, 
Mulder thought her mom was taking it rather well. Scully explained what had
 happened and told her that she would be fine. No, she wouldn't be spending
 Christmas alone, Mulder was here with her. It took another minute to explain 
that and when she was done she handed the phone to Mulder.

"Hello," Mulder said into the phone rather tentatively. He suddenly broke into
 a smile, said goodbye and handed the phone back to Scully. 

She listened for a moment, then hung up with a puzzled look on her face. "What
 did mom say to you? All she said was good bye and then laughed. What's going 
on?"

"Your mom told me that I had to exact revenge for her and she told me to offer 
you two choices: either make you eat steamed cauliflower, which I could never
 do to anyone; or this," with that little warning, Mulder grabbed Scully's feet and
 tickled them mercilessly until Scully was in tears from laughing so hard. Mulder
 finally stopped, "she also said to make sure you keep warm and to wish you
 a merry Christmas."

Scully struggled to sit up and with Mulder's help, she finally was able to.
 He still hadn't let go of her feet, so she was half straddled across his legs.
 "You know Mulder, if we don't find some warmer clothes, we're going to
 freeze in this position."

Still not letting go of her, Mulder raised an eyebrow, "I could handle that."

Shaking her head at him, "only you Mulder, only you. Come on, let's go find
 you a toothbrush and some warmer socks." She rolled off of him and held
 out her hand, pulling him off the couch. 

After a toothbrush had been found and Scully had produces a pair of wool socks, 
Mulder make them both another cup of tea. He carried the steaming cup to
 Scully who was standing at the window, watching the snow continue to fall. 
"How come so quiet all of a sudden?"

Scully took the cup from Mulder, "it just doesn't seem much like Christmas.
 I didn't put the tree up or hang any decorations. It feels kind of empty all of
 a sudden."

"Should I be insulted," Mulder asked playfully.

She turned and gave him a small smile, "no. If you weren't here, I think I'd
 go crazy. It's just that this was going to be the first normal Christmas since 
dad died. It's been four years but for the first time, mom seemed to be looking
 forward the Christmas. Now I can't be there and I guess I'm feeling sorry
 for myself."

Mulder set his cup down on the table and took Scully's out of her hand, placing
 it next to his, "well then, why don't we change that. You've got to have your 
decorations around here somewhere. I say we hang them up, trim something 
that resembles a tree and have what could very well turn out to be the best 
Christmas I've ever had."

"Really? You said you didn't even enjoy this holiday or any holiday for that matter."

"It's just that I've never had anyone to enjoy them with." Mulder touched her hand, 
"show me Christmas Scully, please."

She looked at him and for a moment, Mulder believed that Scully could see directly 
into his soul. Suddenly she smiled and kissed his cheek, "come on sir, get your
 coat because we're about to venture into the basement to get the boxes."

"We have to go into the cold, dank, dark nasty basement? I think I've changed my
 mind, who needs decorations?"

Scully grabbed him good naturedly by the ear and pushed him toward the door, 
"we do. Remember, no arguing with the superior of the species."

"Superior my ass. Just a lot more beautiful." With that, Mulder helped Scully on 
with her coat, picked up the flashlight from  the table  and  together, they
 ventured into the frigid    basement.

After a few minutes of searching, Scully spotted the boxes marked Christmas. 
She slid the larger one to Mulder and picked up the smaller. Mulder hefted the
 box up and carried it back up to the apartment as Scully locked the door and 
followed. 

He began rummaging through the boxes as Scully disappeared into her bedroom.
 She emerged a moment later with dust in her hair and another box. "I had
 forgotten this wasn't downstairs." She set the box in front of Mulder, "your tree."

Mulder opened the box and discovered an artificial Christmas tree. It needed to
 be put together but still, at least they wouldn't have to trim the TV like he had 
originally planned. He got to work will Scully began to pull things out of the
 bigger box. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that Mulder startled
 her when he tapped her on the shoulder, "help me." Scully turned and burst 
out laughing. The tree parts were strewn all over the floor and Mulder was looking
 at them with a dazed look on his face, "I say we just decorate the TV like I
 had planned. 

"Partner to the rescue." She sat down  and twenty minutes later, the tree was
 assembled and standing in the corner, waiting for lights and ornaments. 

Mulder leaned his elbow on Scully shoulder, using her as an armrest, "I'm just
 damn good."

Scully suddenly moved sideways and Mulder had to struggle not to fall on his face.
 Once he regained his balance, he got on his knees and wrapped his arms around
 her feet, "oh great one, I'm not fit to be in your presence. Forgive me. I have not
 the Christmas tree touch. "

"Get up you buffoon. Don't grant me superiority yet because lights have never been
 my strong point. If you put them on for me, I'll forget about the whole assembling
 thing," Scully said, with a twinkle in her eye. 

"I can do that, I mean, how hard can it be."

He found out quick enough when he began. Mulder made the comment, "this would
 be easier if we could turn them on. Between the green branches and the green
 wire, I can't see where I'm putting them. They'll probably be in one clump in
 the middle of the tree."

Handing him another string of lights, "it'll give it character. Whatever it looks 
like, it'll be perfect."

Taking the string from her, "promise?"

"Promise. I'll love it no matter what it looks like."

Mulder raised an eyebrow in her direction, "brave one, aren't you?"

Raising an eyebrow back, "I've stayed with you all these years haven't I?

He finished putting on the last string and took a seat next to Scully on the floor. 
"Well, should we put the ornaments on or find something warm to drink because
 my hands are starting to go numb."

"Definitely  a drink. Hot chocolate sound good?" Scully asked, getting up and 
walking into the kitchen. 

"When does hot chocolate not sound good?" Mulder began riffling through the
 cupboards, "got any marshmallows?"

"Middle cupboard, second shelf."

Mulder found them exactly where she said. He closed the cupboard, "you are way
 to organized for your own good. You do realize that."

"But if I wasn't, you wouldn't have your marshmallows now would you?"

"I concede. Besides, I need someone to keep my mess from taking over."

Handing him the cups, Scully poured the milk and stirred the Nestles' Quik in. 
Mulder dropped a handful of marshmallows in each while Scully hunted down
 some Oreos. She sat across from him, "you know something. I haven't had those
 boxes open in four years. The last Christmas I decorated was the year dad died."

Dipping his cookie in the mug, "I haven't had a real Christmas since I was thirteen.
 Mom tried to make that first Christmas normal but it hurt to have a good time
 without Sam. It was pure torture for me and ever since then, I've avoided Christmas
 at all costs. "

Scully saw the far away look in his eyes, "maybe we should just put everything back
 in the basement and forget about the whole thing."

"Hell no. I am not taking that tree apart. You promised me Christmas and I've never
 known you to go back on a promise. You know what," Mulder said, looking over
 the top of his mug, "I think you're the only one I ever could enjoy a holiday with. 
Actually, you're the only one who makes things come alive for me. Without you, 
I think my world would cease to exist." He reached across the table and touched
 Scully's fingertips lightly, "you make the world real."

She put her hand over his for a moment and said quietly, "come on, the tree's 
waiting.
 This is going to be the best Christmas yet." She let go of his hand and picked 
up the mugs, putting them in the sink. He followed her out the doorway, with
 his hand lightly on her back. 

They began digging through the ornaments, with Scully sharing the stories
 behind some of them. Mulder asked, "where should I hang them?"

Scully smiled, "it's your tree too  Mulder. Hang them anywhere you want."

"But what if it looks funny when it's done?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

"Then it will look funny. It's our tree Mulder, do what you like. Use your
 imagination, have fun with it."

He tentatively hung the first bulb, "all right. Here we go."

About an hour later, the ornaments had been hung and the garland strung. All
 that was left was the angel. Scully gently pulled out a carton  from the bottom
 of the box. Mulder watched in silence as she lifted it out and stood it on the coffee
 table. "It's beautiful. Where did you ever get it?"

"My mom and dad gave it to me the year I moved out. They said I may not have
 furniture but I'd have the angel for my tree. Dad picked it out when he was in Italy
 for two weeks for the navy." She handed it to Mulder, "would you mind putting
 it on for me?"

"Are you sure?"

Scully nodded her head, "yeah."

When he had finished, they both stood back admiring their handy work. "I think
 we did a pretty good job."

Scully put her head on Mulder's arm, "I think we did too."

They had been too busy with the decorating, that neither Scully nor Mulder had
 heard the wind pick up. Mulder walked to the window, looking outside to see
 if the snow had stopped. "Come here, I think it's slowing down."

Scully walked up next to him, "it is, but look at how hard the winds blowing. 
Those drifts are going to be a lot higher than four feet. You can't even find the cars 
now."

Mulder closed the curtains back up, "what time is it anyway?"

Scully looked at her watch, "wow, it's five-thirty. No wonder my stomach is
 yelling to be fed. You want to clean up in here while I scrounge up some
 food. Soup ok?"

"Just make it hot. It's gotten colder in here." He pointed to the window, "you
 think if I hung a quilt over the window, we could stop more of the drafts.
 Most of the cold air seems to be coming in through there."

"Go for it. Get the other one from the closet and try. All it can do is not work."

When Scully came back into the living room about ten minutes later, Mulder 
had successfully hung the quilt over the curtain rod. "It seems to be staying up
 there. Hopefully, it'll work. I really don't want to wake up resembling a popsicle."

Scully put on her best sarcastic look, "don't worry Mulder. The only way you'd
 resemble a popsicle is if you had a stick up your ass and I don't recall seeing
 one. At least not lately."

Mulder just looked at her in admiration, "you've gotten much better with your
 retorts. Give it a couple more years and you'll be ranked right beside me on 
the pain in the ass scale."

"I'd bow but I have hot soup in my hands. Here, take your bowl and enjoy."

Giving her a sly grin, "warm soup from a hot babe on a freezing Christmas eve.
 Sounds like a workable plan to me." He took the soup and set it on the coffee table. 

Shaking her head at him, "Mulder, what am I going to do with you?"

"Eat with me, enjoy the tree and share my soup," he said, noodles hanging out 
the corner of his mouth.

Taking residence next to him and stealing his spoon, "don't mind if I do."

 After they had polished off the soup, Mulder picked up the pot and the spoons
 and carried them to the kitchen. He hunted around a minute, then found a 
couple of candles in the drawer. He set them in holders, lit them and carried 
them out to the living room. He set them on the table and turned to find Scully
 half asleep on the couch. "Mulder, I'm cold."

Sitting down at the foot of the couch, he took off Scully's shoes and began
 rubbing her feet, trying to get more blood circulating. Her eyes began to close
 a moment later so Mulder got up and covered her first with a blanket, then 
laid her down comforter over the top of that, tucking it around her on all sides.
 For a moment he contemplated about what he should do. A giant yawn decided 
it for him. He took off his shoes and found a second blanket. After blowing
 out the candles, he wrapped the blanket around himself, then crawled under
 the comforter. He didn't want to disturb Scully too much so he sat Indian style
 on the end of the couch, put Scully's feet on his lap and got comfortable, pulling
 the quilt over him. He laid his head on the back of the couch and continued to
 slowly rub Scully's feet until he fell fast asleep as well.

Around eleven- thirty, Scully slowly began to wake up. A steady low hum had 
brought her out of her sleep. She stuck her head out of the cocoon that Mulder
 had put her in and listened with her head cocked to one side. It took her a
 minute to realize it was the refrigerator that she heard. Scully looked down 
to see Mulder quietly asleep at the end of the couch. She still had her feet
 on his lap and she gently began tapping her foot against his thigh. A minute
 later, Mulder raised his head up suddenly and looked at Scully, "you do realize
 that is not my thigh you are hitting."

Scully turned red so fast that Mulder had to laugh. To try to save what dignity
 she had left, Mulder asked, "why did you wake me up? Feet cold again?"

Grateful for the distraction, "oh yeah, the power's back on. The hum from the
 fridge woke me up."

Mulder raised his eyebrows, "that was fast. I was figuring on at least two
 days, if not more."

"Well, two of the guys in the next house over work for Edison. Must have
 pulled some strings." Scully got out of the warm nest on the couch and ventured
 to the window. "Although the heat doesn't seem to have done much yet." She 
lifted the quilt over the window, then looked around the shade. "Oh wow!"

Mulder got up, bringing the quilt with him, and looked over Scully's shoulder.
 Outside the world was a blanket of white. The streetlights cast an orange
 glow over everything and the reflection off the snow caused the sky to appear
 a deep orange-red color. "I don't think I've ever seen this much snow here
 in my life." He offered half the quilt to Scully, who gratefully wound herself 
up in it. "Aren't you glad you're not in Texas now."

Giving his half a smile, "I guess you're a pretty good substitute."

"I'm going to take that as a complement and leave it at that."  He dropped
 the blanket over the window back in place and turned Scully around so she
 faced him. "What do you say we turn that tree of ours on? See just how 
funny it really looks."

Scully's eyes lit up, "just let me get ready." She walked over the couch, sat
 on the floor facing the tree and closed her eyes. "Now, close your eyes and
 plug in the tree but don't look at it till you sit down here. I don't want either 
of us to see it first or last."

"How am I supposed to plug in the tree with my eyes closed and get back to 
you without being able to see a thing? Perform a miracle?"

Scully opened one eye and looked at him, "maybe not a miracle but for me,
 will you try?"

"Why am I doing this again?"

"When all of us were together, we would decorate the tree but never turn the 
lights on until Christmas eve. We'd all line up in front of the tree and on dad's 
orders, we would close our eyes until he turned the tree on. He'd count down,
 then we'd all see the tree at the same time. It was the one thing I think, 
dad got the biggest kick out of. He used to laugh and joke about how  we looked. 
He was happiest when he got to see the sheer joy on our faces. It was his night 
and we loved doing it for him."

Mulder stared at Scully's serene face, with her head tilted up toward the tree in 
anticipation. "Well then darlin', shut those eyes tight 'cause here comes our tree.
" Mulder felt around until he found the panel to plug the cord into, then he
 felt his way over to sit next to Scully. "On three. One, two three."

Scully opened her eyes and saw one of the most beautiful trees she had ever 
seen. Mulder glanced sideways and saw the look of enchantment on Scully's
 face, which sent warm shudders through his body. He hadn't seen her that
 happy in a really long time, nor that content. Scully turned to him, "isn't it perfect?"

Looking into her eyes, "yes, it's magnificent." Both knew that he wasn't only
 referring to the tree. Scully laid her hand on his and put her head on his
 shoulder, "thank you for being here with me."

Mulder squeezed her hand, "there's no place else I'd rather be."

"You know Mulder, I think dad would have liked the tree."

"I think so too." Mulder looked up at the angel, "merry Christmas Mr.
 Scully," he said quietly.

"Merry Christmas dad," Scully looked up and kissing Mulder softly on the 
cheek, "merry Christmas Mulder."

The heat had kicked on  as soon as the power was restored and about ten 
minutes after they had turned on the tree, "you know what, I think it's starting
 to get a little warmer in her."

Mulder got off the floor, "be back in a second. I'm going to go open the bedroom 
door. Get some hear circulating in here. Maybe I won't need that stick up my
 ass after all."

Scully laughed and relit the candles on the coffee table. Mulder came back out,
 "how dare you attempt to seduce me on such a holy day. Heathen, heretic, 
blasphemer."

"We never were ones to follow the rules. I just prefer to let the tree lights shine
 by themselves for awhile. They cast such mysterious shadows and colors, I
 hate to make them compete with a plain, unimaginative, boring kitchen light."

Mulder sat back down next to her, "you've got one heck of a romantic trapped
 in that cynical scientific body of yours haven't you?"

"I figure if you're going to suspend disbelief  one time a  year, it might as well
 be at Christmas. Don't you agree?"

"Maybe you really are a member of the superior species."

Scully poked him in the ribs and leaned against him like a small child would
 while sitting in Santa's lap, "that's what I've been trying to tell you."

Mulder looked at his watch then turned to Scully, "I can now officially tell
 you Merry Christmas. It's exactly eleven  seconds after midnight and I
 can honestly say that this is the best holiday I've ever had, and that includes
 April Fool's day, which has just been bumped out of first place."

Scully nodded her head in approval, "all right. I finally made the top
 of the list."

"Scully, you should know that you've been at the top of the list for a long time."

Together they sat in comfortable silence until almost one. Scully was
 falling asleep on Mulder's chest and Mulder's head was nodding. He left 
her on the floor and for the second time in two days, went to get her bed
 ready. He scooped her up and carried her gently to her room. This time 
however, when Mulder went to leave, Scully kept her arms wrapped around
 his neck. Although she was fast asleep, "stay Mulder, please." His brain
 wrestled with the idea until, "I don't want you to leave."

The innocence in her voice and the fact that her arms looked so warm and
 inviting drove away any resistance. He crawled under the covers with her
 and she immediately curled up next to him, her burnished hair splayed
 across his chest. She sighed in contentment and Mulder again fell asleep
 surrounded by the scent of  strawberries and lemon.

In his dreams, Mulder saw a man he only knew through pictures. Mulder was
 standing in the middle of Scully's apartment and her dad was next to him.
 "Good evening sir."

"Good evening son. It's a lovely holiday isn't it?"

"Yes it is sir. Thanks to your daughter."

"My Dana could always make a holiday seem brighter. I'm glad you helped 
her see the joy in Christmas again. This is the first time I've seen her truly
 happy in many years."

'She's wonderful sir. The happier she is, the better I feel. I would do
 anything to let her stay this content and safe."

"I know you would. I know you've saved her life more than once and for that 
I am most grateful. Keep watch over her, keep her safe as I know you can."

"Sir, I have every intention of doing that already."

He turned and put a hand on Mulder's  shoulder, "I know how much you love
 her. Tell her, don't waste time away like I did. She deserves all the love she
 can get and you can give."

"I promise sir. No one will love your daughter more. Except maybe you." He
 held out his hand, receiving a firm, kind handshake in return. 

"Take care of her Fox. Tell her I'll always be with her." With that, Mulder was
 left standing in the middle of the living room.

He suddenly looked around and realized that he was standing in the middle
 of the living room, not quite knowing if what had happened had been a
 dream or not. He glanced one more time at the tree, then turned and walked 
back to the bedroom. He crawled in  next to Scully and wrapped his arms
 around her, holding her tightly to him.

Mulder woke Scully up at six-thirty the next morning. "Wake up Scully, it's 
Christmas!" 

Scully opened her eyes slowly to find Mulder kneeling on the bed next to
 her, bouncing up and down with the anticipation of  a little boy. Scully 
struggled to sit up, desperately wanting to burrow under the nice warm covers 
again. Squinting in Mulder's direction, "I sincerely hope you don't believe that 
Santa came. Even you wouldn't believe that."

Mulder still had a gleam in his eye, "with talk like that, Santa may have left
 coal in your stocking. It's finally warm in the house, I'm hungry and it's Christmas
 so get your lazy bones out of bed and lets go see what got left under the tree." 
With that, Mulder crawled over Scully and stood next to the side of the bed. 

Scully shook her head at him but she had to smile, "what has gotten into you today?
 Did you finally get the peg lag you've always wanted?"

"Being with you brings out the best in me. Come on." He grabbed Scully's 
and pulled her off the bed. At the door, Mulder stood behind her,  put his hands
 over her eyes and led her into the living  room. Mulder removed his hands from 
her eyes and Scully just stood leaning against him, amazed at what she beheld. 

The tree was lit, the quilt was off the window, breakfast was sitting on the table 
in front of the couch and there were gifts under the tree. Christmas music was
 playing softly in the background and the rest of the decorations had been put up.
 Scully stood in amazement. Mulder whispered in her ear, "what do you think?"

"Mulder, it wonderful." She turned to him, "when did you do all this?"

"About an hour  ago. I was laying there and I thought about all the stuff still
 sitting in the boxes. I couldn't fall back asleep so I decided that your first gift
 would be by way of decorations." Mulder suddenly felt a little embarrassed at 
his enthusiasm, maybe she wouldn't appreciate it after all.

Mulder's nervousness was betrayed in his eyes. She smiled up at him, "it's perfect.
 Now how about we sit here, eat this appetizing meal you've made for me and
 admire your handy work." She sat and pulled Mulder down next to her. 

Mulder let out the breathe he had been holding for what seemed like ages, "I
 was hoping you'd like it. I decided that as long as I could make you smile, the
 pin pricks and bleeding thumbs would be worth it. I never knew a holiday could 
be so painful." He put his thumb in his mouth and gave Scully a look that plainly
 said *I'd do it all over again*.

Scully stared at him mystified, "I don't think I've ever seen you like this before.
 I like it."

"Good. Now eat because the food tastes all right warm but cold I have no idea. 
I'm not the greatest cook ..."

Scully finished of the thought for him, "but at least you're willing to try."

They dug into the eggs, the toast, and the sausage, which tasted pretty good, 
even to Mulder. When they had finished, Mulder picked up the dishes while
 Scully took the juice pitcher and the glasses. After depositing them in the sink,
 Mulder put his hands on Scully's shoulders and steered her back to the living room, 
"on to part two of the morning's events."

They sat down in front of the tree and Mulder handed Scully one of the gifts.
 Suddenly Scully jumped up and ran to the bedroom, returning a second later
 with two wrapped packages of her own. She set them under the tree as well, 
"it's Christmas for you too you know."

She opened the first box that Mulder gave her. Inside she found a white whale
 stuffed animal and a mint condition first edition copy of Moby Dick. "Where
 did you ever find this? It's incredible."

"Haven't you learned yet. Never ask Santa about his connections. Just enjoy."

Scully stared at Mulder for a second, hugging her white whale, then handed 
Mulder the first of his two gifts, "I was going to give these to you before we left 
for the airport. This one was to make you feel a bit better for having to spend
 the holiday's alone."  

Mulder opened the package and smiled at first, then began to laugh outright.
 A pair of boxers with aliens in Santa caps lay before him. He pulled them
 out and discovered one of the most hideous tie's he had ever seen: psychedelic
 colors that almost made his eyes hurt. He loved it the instant he saw it. Scully 
leaned over and pointed to a small splotch of navy blue amidst the array of
 colors, "that's me. The subtle color."

"Scully, just the fact that you shopped for this tie, let alone bought it, tells me
 you are anything but subtle." He tied the tie around his neck and held up the 
boxers,  with a sly grin threatening to break out, "shall I model these for you
 as well?" 

Scully swatted him with the whale, "not right now."

Mulder nodded his head in agreement, "even better idea. I'll show you them later."

He handed Scully the second, smaller box. She carefully removed the paper
 and opened what looked like a jewelry box. Nestled in a bed of cotton was 
a silver  medallion. She held it up and looked to Mulder for an explanation.
 He leaned closer to her, "it's St. William, patron saint and protector of mariners
 and explorers. I thought it would let you know that your dad would always
 watch out for you, since he is a William and we've explored this world more
 than most."

Scully looked up at him with tears threatening to pour down her face. She 
leaned forward and rested her forehead on Mulder's, their noses just
 touching each other, "you're a William too. Now I'll have the two most
 important men in my life taking care of me. One in my thoughts and one
 in my life." She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him with all
 her might. 

He returned the hug and kissed her gently on the cheek, "I was hoping you
 would like it. I've been worried for months that you wouldn't."

Scully pulled away from him a little, "months?"

"Yeah, I've had that since the end of August, I believe. Beginning of September
 at the latest. I found it when we were in Boston on a case. I didn't have
 much money on me but I wanted it for you. I bargaining with the guy for
 an hour. Just to shut me up, he gave it to me for almost nothing."

Scully was taken aback by this. She looked at the medallion, then at Mulder, 
a smile spreading across her beautiful face. "You really are a special one,
 Mr. Mulder, did you know that?"

He put his hand on her arm and grinned, "I do now." With that said, he
 leaned over and gently brushed his lips over Scully's, tentative at first,
 then with a little more confidence. 

Scully found herself kissing him back, finally able to release the pent-up
 passion she had felt for him since the day they met. Suddenly the world
 around them was forgotten as both set about to give the other the greatest 
gift they could, their love.

A couple hours later, both were still in front of the tree. This time however,
 discarded clothing was mixed with wrapping paper and the psychedelic tie
 was draped precariously on a branch of the tree.  "You know Scully. I can
 almost guarantee that Christmas with your family would not have ended like this."

Scully turned over and put her chin on Mulder's chest, "I can honestly say I wouldn't
 have gotten such a good gift either."

Mulder continued to run his hand absently up and down Scully's back, "glad to
 be of service."

At that moment, the phone chose to ring. Scully looked at it, Mulder looked at it, 
both looked at each other, "your mother has some of the worst timing of anyone
 I know."

Scully looked at Mulder in amusement, "how can you be so sure it's mom?"

"Because I'm laying here naked under a Christmas tree with her equally
 unclothed daughter. We've just had what I would classify as the best sex known
 to man. Of course it's your mom."

Scully laughed and reached over Mulder's head to grab the phone. "Hello mom ... 
Mulder told me it was you ... never question things like that mom, just go with it ... 
merry Christmas ... yeah, we opened the gifts a little while ago ... ok."

Scully held the phone to Mulder's ear, "she wants to talk to you."

"Merry Christmas Mrs. Scully ... yeah, she loved it ... no, we kind of got sidetracked 
... 
all right. Bye."

Scully put the phone back to her ear, "yeah, it came back on sometime last night ...
 how is everybody ..." Mulder decided he missed Scully so he began to work his
 hands down her body. Scully started to laugh when he got to her ribs. As 
Mulder found another of her sensitive spots, Scully's eyes grew wide. Mulder 
just looked up at her, grinning. He must have hit on something because
 suddenly Scully said in a rush, "mom, I've got to go. I need to put something ... 
in the oven, quickly. Talk to you later." Scully hung up the phone and both
 proceeded to spend another hour and a half rolling around the living room floor.

"You do know that your mom knows something's up."

Leaning back against him, "at this point, I really don't care."

"Good woman. Now, I hate to do this to you but I really have to go to the bathroom 
or else my bladder will explode and I really don't want to clean that up."

Scully rolled off Mulder and tossed him his new boxers, "time to model, my dear."

Both spent the rest of the day lounging on the couch and in Scully's bed, finally
 falling asleep in each other's arms around twelve. By the next morning, the streets
 had been cleared and salted. Mulder woke up about seven when the realization hit 
him that he had to go back to work. He was one of the few agents who didn't have
 family so he hadn't requested the time off. He quietly got out of bed and pulled
 on the jeans that Scully had washed for him the day before. He dug around in
 her drawers until he found a shirt that would fit him. At least he wouldn't have
 to wear a suit that day. No one else would really be there, he could wear what 
he wanted. After brushing his teeth and silently eating some breakfast, he walked
 back to the bedroom. Standing in the doorway, he took in the beautiful face of
 the woman he now shared not only his life but also his heart. Mulder didn't
 have the heart to wake her so he bent down, giving her a light kiss and in a
 barely audible voice, "I love you." With that said, Mulder wrote a note saying 
he'd be back by four and if possible not to move out of that bed until he got back. 

Scully found the note two hours later and smiled to herself, Mulder rarely if 
ever left notes about what he was doing. Usually she had to turn over every rock 
and stone to find out where he was. She ate a leisurely breakfast, then decided
 she had better go dig out her car and see how the neighborhood had stood up
 to the storm. When Mulder came back about four-thirty, he let himself in with
 his key and found Scully digging through papers on the kitchen table. 

He walked around the table and gave her a kiss, "I would have woken you up
 this morning but I didn't want to disturb that beautiful body of yours."

"That's all right. I realized where you had gone as soon as I woke up. What
 shocked me more was the note you left. I believe that may be the first time
 in your life you've told me where you were going."

"You know me.  Always got to try something new. I ran into Skinner today."

Scully looked up in surprise, "really, I didn't think he'd be there."

Mulder sat down next to her, "ran into him literally. Papers flew everywhere.
 It was a disaster."

"Did you tell him I stayed home?"

"No, by the time he stopped yelling at me for being clumsy and for doing our 
last report wrong, the subject never came up."

"Wrong. What happened?"

"It seems that I filled in the last four sheets wrong, the ones that I did 
by myself."

Scully bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing, "oh no. What did you do?"

Playfully swatting her arm, "I was distracted by you, so technically this
 is half your fault."

"Ha. Well sit down, you can finish off your stuff and I can rework these old 
autopsy reports. They got wet downstairs in the basement. A window broke 
and the boxes got covered in snow."

Mulder shook his head and settled in, "back to the old grind. What a life we lead."

"Well, dear, I'll make you a deal. You wanted to know why I smell of strawberries
 and lemons. I say we go discover that as soon as all this is finished," seeing
 the eager look in Mulder's eyes, "and finished right."

Holding her hand an giving it a squeeze, "I'd say that's a fair deal."

Scully pulled a box out from under her chair, "you forgot to open this yesterday."

Taking it from her, Mulder began opening it, "yesterday, you distracted
 me much more than usual; although you're doing a fairly good job right
 now."  Inside the box was a framed photo of him and his sister. He looked 
at Scully, "where did you get this. I thought it was gone."

"Your mom gave me the negative and I had the lab clean it up for you. I hope
 you like it."

Mulder looked at Scully, the picture, then back at Scully. He suddenly knelt
 by Scully's chair, "would you marry me?"

She leaned over and resting her forehead on his, whispered, "all you had to
 do was ask." With that, Mulder grabbed her in a bear hug and swung her 
around the room. "I'm guessing you loved you Christmas gift huh?"

"Nearly as much as I love  you."

Over the next few weeks, both hit upon a fairly good routine. Usually 
stayed at Scully's apartment, driving into work separately. Neither of them 
knew what to tell Skinner  but they didn't have much trouble telling Scully's 
mom. She hollered in delight, and said that it was about time, she didn't know
 how much longer she could have waited. She also demanded that Mulder stop
 calling her Mrs. Scully and call her mom like everybody else: Mrs. 
always made her feel a hundred years old.

With that obstacle out of the way, Scully and Mulder settled in and were happy
 just to finally be able to enjoy each other. One morning after eating Thai
 food the night before, Scully barely made it to the bathroom. She threw up
 the contents of dinner as quietly as she could because she didn't want to
 wake Mulder, who had been stuck at the office late. 

It happened again the next morning, which Scully assumed was a reaction 
to the fish Mulder had made the night before (she never had really liked fish 
anyway). 

A couple days later, Mulder felt Scully get out of bed. He figured she was going
 to the bathroom; he wasn't worried until he heard her throwing up. He found
 her sitting on the edge of the bathtub with her head in her hands. He sat
 down next to her with worry etched in his brow, "you ok?"

Scully looked at him with a pale face, "I think we need to talk." With that
 statement said, Scully leaned over the toilet again and emptied out the 
rest of the contents of her stomach. Mulder held her hair back and handed
 her a cup of water when she was done. 

"Ok. We need to talk. Do you want to stay in here or go out there?"

"Stay in here. I may need to use that again," pointing to the toilet. "What
 are your feelings on kids Mulder?"

"Kids, kids are good. A little loud and obnoxious at times but generally
 pretty cool," he replied, not picking up on Scully's hint. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I have the sneaking suspicion that about mid-September, a kid
 that resembles both you and me will be showing up and parking himself
 on our doorstep." Scully said all this with her head on Mulder's shoulder, 
not daring to look up and witness his reaction.

It took Mulder a minute to realize just what Scully had said; another minute for
 the information to sink in. He knelt in front of Scully, "you mean ... a  small
 version of me and you will be joining our duo in abut eight months?"

Scully looked down at Mulder and in a small voice, "I'm pretty sure."

"And this is a good thing? Mulder whispered in a tentative voice, looking into
 Scully's eyes.

A small smile began to play at the corner's of Scully's mouth, "yes," she whispered
 back, nodding her head.

Suddenly Mulder grabbed her in hug. "I have never loved you more than I do
 right now. Did you know that?"

"I do now. I love you too."

"I can't believe it. I may have finally done something right. Oh Scully, this
 is fabulous."

Scully's voice of reason broke through his jubilation, "I'm not sure yet. I'm going
 to go over to the doctor's today. You need to go get ready for work. I'll call 
Skinner and tell him I'll be in later."

"Work, are you crazy? I want to go with you. How could I concentrate on
 anything now?" Mulder's eyes flashed in excitement.

"Because if you don't go to work, we're going to be more bogged down that we 
already are. I'll be there by eleven, I promise." She gave him a lingering kiss, 
"now get. I really do have to go to the bathroom now."

Mulder had been right. He was getting nothing accomplished at work. All he
 could think about was Scully and his future son or daughter. Skinner
 became exasperated with him during their nine-thirty meeting because his 
mind kept wandering. Even threats of suspension weren't bringing Mulder
 back. Finally at ten to eleven, there was a tentative knock on the door.
 Skinner opened it, thankful for the distraction. He found Scully standing in
 the doorway, "good morning sir. I was wondering if I could speak to Mulder
 for a moment, if you don't mind."

"No, take him for a few minutes, he's making me crazy." Skinner turned
 and waved Mulder into the outer room. Mulder flew past him like a shot 
and closed the door behind him. Skinner was shocked to hear a sudden
 yell from outside. He cautiously opened the door to discover Mulder with 
his arms wrapped around Scully. "What's the commotion out here?"

Mulder ignored Skinner for the moment and looked at Scully, "I love you."

Skinner's booming voice brought them back to reality, "my office, now!"

Scully held Mulder's hand as he followed her into Skinner's office, "would
 somebody kindly tell me what the hell's going on?"

Scully began, "well sir, I have some news to tell you."

Skinner was now glaring at them both, "I'm assuming it had something to 
do with that little display outside." 

Mulder cut in, "actually, it has everything to do with that little display.
 We just wanted to know for sure before we told you."

"Tell me what?"

Deciding not to beat around the bush, "I'm pregnant sir."

Skinner turned and stared at Scully with his mouth open and his eyes wide, 
"you're what?"

Mulder tried to hide his smile, "pregnant sir. Birds, bees, the whole nine
 yard so to speak."

Skinner, to the shock of everyone, including himself, suddenly hugged 
Scully and shook hands with Mulder. Regaining some of his composure, 
"I'm amazed it took you two this long."

Mulder and Scully looked at each other in complete confusion. Anger,
 rage, yelling; these things they had expected, were used to dealing with:
 what they weren't  used to was congratulations. 

"We've got a lot to iron out here. For now, go home, enjoy. Tomorrow,
 be back here at eight- thirty to decide what happens next."

Both agents, still dumb-founded, walked toward the door. Skinner called
 after them, "please, just don't call the kid Spooky, that's all I ask.
 See you tomorrow."

----
- I know Scully could never have a kid, but I've taken creative license on things
 that don't belong to me anyway.  
- Donations to the "I need to get out of college" college fund as well as comments go 
to 
ac4320@wayne.edu