Title:  "Merry Christmas, Scully."
Author:  Vickie Moseley
Summary:  How did Mulder and Scully spend Christmas Eve,
1999?  Could qualify as a pre-ep.
Spoiler:  Millennium, but only in the authors notes
Rating:  PG (surprised, aren't you ;)
Category:  V Slight A UST (for now)
Disclaimer:  I bow before you, most exalted Surfer Dude.  I would
never infringe on the copyright for this season.  But when you leave
little questions unanswered, what do you expect me to do?
Author's notes at the end.  Dedicated to all my betas, Susan, Sally,
Donna, Jenniferanne.  Love you all.  And Laurie, there's another
one coming to tie up the other loose ends <G>

"Merry Christmas, Scully."
by Vickie Moseley
vmoseley@fgi.net

She tiptoed into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.  The
floor below her was filled with laughter and the background white
noise of Handel's Messiah.  Still silently, hoping the floor boards
wouldn't creak and give her away she moved over to the night table
next to the bed where the phone sat.  She was supposed to be
checking on Matty, who was sleeping at the other end of the hall.

She picked up the phone and dialed quickly, using way too many
numbers for a single phone call, but assured that the transaction
wouldn't be appearing on any of her brother's phone bills in the
near future.  She waited three rings and glanced at her watch.  He
had to be home.  He had to be awake.

"Mulder."

She let out a breath in relief.  "Mulder, it's me."

"Ho ho ho, Scully.  This isn't one of those Christmas Eve prank
calls where you ask me if my refrigerator is running, is it?"

"No, Mulder," she said smiling and making herself comfortable by
sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard.  "And besides,
you know I never bring up the subject of your refrigerator.  There
are some things even a pathologist finds gross and disgusting."

"Ah, this is one of the annoying Christmas Eve prank calls where
you call me up just to insult my appliances," he said and she could
hear the squeak of his sofa springs, the quiet moan of the leather
against his jeans.  In the background, Marley was warning Scrooge
to change his ways.

"So, aren't you supposed to be eggnogging it up with the
relatives?" he asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had
developed.

"I have been.  It's been great."  She hoped that sounded better to
his ears than it had to hers.

"Sounds like it," he replied, and she knew he was unconvinced. 
"So, how's your mom, how's your brother Charlie, how's Tara,
how's what's her name your other sister-in-law, how's Matty," he
chanted in a singsong.  It made her smile again, especially for the
notable omission.

"They're all fine.  Bill's fine, too," she said with a wicked grin.

"Oh, good.  Then I can sleep easy tonight," Mulder dead panned in
return.

"Mom says to tell you Merry Christmas."

"She knows you're calling me?" he asked, surprised.  "You're
taking a big risk, don't you think?  Not to mention the fact that
you're only in Newport News and Bill could very possibly find a
way to come up here tonight and break my scrawny neck."

"I didn't tell her I was calling you, Mulder.  She guessed when I
told everyone that I was coming up to check on Matty."

"No one else was suspicious?"  She could almost see the worried
expression on his face.

"I'm the FBI agent in the family, Mulder.  No one else was the
wiser.  And besides, I'm just calling you.  It's not like I'm hiding
you under the bed or anything."

"I'm getting a really great image in my mind here, Scully, but I
think it ends with my bloodied remains being removed from the
scene in a body bag.  What they can find of it, of course."

"So, how has your Christmas been.  Have you talked to your
mom?" she asked, deciding it best to steer the conversation into
safer waters.

"She called while I was on a grocery run.  She left a message. 
She's in Florida visiting my uncle in the nursing home.  Told me not
to bother calling back, she's in a motel and will be running back and
forth between the two places."  His voice was even, but she could
hear the sadness there.  It broke her heart.

"Well, she did send you that really great present," she said softly.

"Yeah.  Neat.  A DVD player.  Now I'll just run out and spend a
fortune replacing all my VHS format movies," he said sullenly. 
"Hey, enough about me.  How many packages have 'to Dana' on
them under the tree?  Any of them rattle?"

"Well, I have this one that's been taunting me since some elf put it
in my coat pocket.  I was hoping I could get permission to open it
early."

"Well, I don't know.  I have it on good authority that you were
naughty once or twice this year.  It might be sticks and coal," he
chuckled.  "Besides, if you get to open that one, I get to open the
one that appeared magically under my fish tank the day you left the
office early to pack.  Damned mice are getting gutsy in this place."

"I think it's safe to open that one, while I open this one."

"On the count of three," he said playfully.  "One,  . . . one and a
third, . . . one and three sixths . . ."

"Mul_DER!"

"Two, three, open!"

She ripped off the paper to the sounds of him grunting against the
taping job she'd done on his package.  It wasn't lost on her that her
present had been professionally wrapped and the box was from a
jewelry store not far from the office.  She ran her fingers over the
gold lettering, not daring to go any further.

"WooHoo!  The Star Wars Trilogy on DVD!" Mulder crowed in
her ear.

"I'll get you Phantom Menace for your birthday, if it's out by
then," she said with a smile.  She still hadn't opened the lid to the
box in her lap.

"OK, Scully.  Tell me.  You hate it, right?  Wrong color.  We can
return them . . ."

She lifted the lid with trembling fingers, then saw the gift and 
sighed contentedly.  Earrings.  Small, tasteful.  Shaped like tiny
snowflakes with one point rubies in the center and at the tips.

"Mulder, they're beautiful."

"I told the lady you wear a lot of gray and black.  She said they'd
go with those colors."

"Mulder, they are . . . just beautiful," she sighed again.

"Good.  Now, hide them before Bill finds you with them and figures
out who gave them to you.  I really want to live to see 2000,
Scully," he said teasingly.

She didn't want him to hear the sniffle that she couldn't stop.  At
least he couldn't see the tears.

"Scully?  Scully, what's wrong.  Look, I'm sorry.  I know I
shouldn't keep dissing Bill.  He's your brother and he has every
right . . ."

"No.  No, he doesn't have any right, Mulder.  He cornered me in
the kitchen today when the others were out stocking up for tonight. 
He said 'for mom's sake' I should quit and get a 'real job'.  Those
were his exact words.  'A real job'.  Mulder, goddamn him, I
_have_ a real job!  I love my real job!  My real job means more to
me than . . ."

"Scully, it's all right.  Damn him!" Mulder cursed under his breath. 
"Look, Scully.  You have to understand.  Bill is a brother.  A big
brother.  And I'm pretty sure that if Sam were around right now
and had a job like ours, I'd be cornering her in the kitchen and
begging her to quit it, too.  That's just the nature of the beast,
Scully.  That's what big brothers are for."

"Mulder, you, of all people, don't have to defend my brother.  You
would never tell Samantha who she could have for friends.  You
wouldn't take every opportunity to grind home the fact that she
worries your mother and she's never around when needed and . . ."

"Scully, shh.  C'mon now, Scully.  Stop crying.  Scully you can't
go back to the party with tear streaks and red eyes.  Then Bill really
will come kill me and he'll get Charlie to drive the getaway car. 
C'mon, Scully, don't do this, please," he begged.

She drew in a shaky breath and sniffed once or twice more.  Then
she looked down at the earrings.  They really were beautiful.

"Mulder, you outdid yourself this year," she said as she wiped her
eyes.

"Yeah, well, you deserved something a little special.  You, ah, you
did some really good stuff this year, Scully."

"WE did some good stuff this year, Mulder.  Together, we did
some really good stuff.  I'm glad you're here and well and we can
keep doing good stuff."

"Can't fault that logic," he said with a chuckle.

"You know what I really wish, Mulder?"

"Are you sure you want to make this confession right now, Scully? 
My phone has been known to be bugged at times," he reminded
her.

She smiled.  "Oh, I'm safe with this one.  I wish you were calling
me to tell me we have a case.  I've had just about all the
'eggnogging' I can handle for one year."

"Well, I really wish I could oblige you, Scully.  But I thought, after
last year . . ."

"I said a 'case', Mulder.  Not 'ghostbusting'," she corrected him. 
"Just a case.  Something Skinner would hand us.  Something to sink
our teeth into, something to get our hands dirty . . ."

"My grandmother used to always tell me, Scully.  Be careful what
you wish for.  It just might come true."

The sound of her name being called interrupted her reply.  A soft
knock on the door and her mother stuck her head into the room. 
"Dana, Bill's been asking for you.  He seems to think you know
where the nutmeg is for the eggnog."

"Be right there, Mom."

"And tell Fox I said 'hello' and 'Merry Christmas'," Maggie smiled
before leaving and closing the door behind her.

"I heard that, Scully.  Quick, get that nutmeg.  Gotta keep the guy
happy," Mulder joked.

"I'd prefer it if he passed out but he's being a Grinch with the rum
this year.  Said he didn't want any of us to drink in front of Mom. 
So I caught Mom slipping a shot in her cup when Bill wasn't
watching."  He joined her in a chuckle.  It felt good to hear his
laughter in her ear.

"When you get back, I want a play by play of the tree action."

"Will do.  I'll be in the office early on Tuesday."

"Sounds good," Scully said.  "Mulder, I really do love the
earrings," she whispered.

"Next expense report, we'll watch Obi Wan and Luke over here. 
I'll even spring for the pizza."

"You should.  It's your turn," she laughed.  "Merry Christmas,
Mulder."

"Merry Christmas, Scully.  See ya soon."

the end.

Author's notes.  When I first saw the episode 'Millennium', I
couldn't believe that Mulder was just getting around to telling
Scully Merry Christmas on the 30th of December.  They had to
have talked to each other sometime over the preceding week.  But
he said it like there was more to it.  This is what I think brought
that comment about.


Vickie

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Season's Greetings:

Peace and Joy!

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