How The Ghosts Stole Christmas - The Next Morning
By Invisible Friends
A short continuation of How the Ghosts Stole Christmas …
7:59 AM - DECEMBER 25 - MULDER'S APARTMENT
Scully's eyes burst open; they see the numbers, 7:59 glow from the front of the VCR player in a brilliant royal blue haze.
"Dammit!"
The body lying next to her stirs and says kindly, "Language, Scully." His eyes remain closed.
"I was supposed to be at my mother's at seven o'clock."
Now Scully will hear all about tardiness and disappointed children from her brother - the Not-Nice-One, as Mulder likes to refer to Bill.
Once she realizes she and Mulder have practically been spooning on the couch, she flies to her feet.
He sits up tiredly. "Hold, on, I'll drive you."
"I brought my car. What did I do with my coat?"
He peers down towards the VCR. "We missed the rest of the movie."
Scully has found her coat. She is doing a full circle looking for something else.
"Side table," Mulder says, mind-reader that he is.
Scully yanks her cell phone out of the charger next to Mulder's phone. "I'll call you later."
"Don't worry, just go."
He follows her to the door. She is about to dart out but she stops instead and looks up at him. "You can come along, if you want. It's just breakfast. And presents. And I guess the kids running around. And … well… Bill."
"Yeah, sounds great. All of it." He leans down and kisses the top of her head. "Merry Christmas, Scully. Give my best to your mother. I'll see you in the office in a couple of days."
She hates things that sound so final. This sticking point shouldn't catch in her mind but it does. "What are you going to do today?"
"Watch a movie. Maybe go see the guys. They like to hack into the Vatican on Christmas."
She rolls her eyes. "God bless us everyone."
0820 SCULLY HOUSE
"Finally! Where have you been?"
Bill has opened the front door before Scully has hit the top step.
"And Merry Christmas to YOU, Bill."
"Ignore him, " her mother calls from the living room. There are four children running around behind her, crushing anything their eight little feet touch.
"Sorry, I had to work late and I overslept," Scully explains quickly. She hands Bill her coat and tries to walk around him.
"Big case?" he asks curiously.
He's fishing. She knows the routine, she just can't figure out why he would be doing it now.
"Everything is fine, Bill. Hey kids," Scully takes the quickest route around her brother and greets her mother and nephews and nieces and sister-in-laws.
"You didn't say you were working last night," her mother says when they are alone in the kitchen,
"I know – it was last minute. What can I help you with? Do you need - What?" Scully doesn't realize her mother knows something she doesn't. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Bill called your cell phone ten minutes ago."
She still doesn't get it. "I didn't hear it ring."
"Oh, it rang. Fox answered."
"Mulder? How could he answer my -Oh, crap." Her hand flies to her coat pocket and digs. She pulls out Mulder's phone. "Great."
"What's wrong?
"I must have grabbed his when I left his apartment this morning."
"Oh?"
Scully puts her hands up. "It's not like that, Mom."
Mrs. Scully folds her arms and smiles. "Do tell."
"We fell asleep watching TV."
Another smile. "You slept over?"
"On the couch. I wonder if he knows I've got his phone."
Chaos erupts in the living room. Bill has to separate two of the kids from killing each other over a strand of tinsel. Over the noise, he manages to hear a knock at the door.
Mulder is standing in the doorway, looking guilty for everything he has and has not yet done to this family.
"Great," Bill seriously considers shutting the door.
"Merry Christmas, Bill. Can I see Dana?"
"You two can't last an hour apart?"
He holds the cell phone up. "This is hers. She has mine."
"Of course she does. Dana is always taking other people's-"
Mulder is saved by the appearance of Mrs. Scully who has had to twist her way through the crowd. "Bill, can you step back and let him breathe - Fox, come inside."
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Scully," Mulder says, trying not to look too smug at the bouncer. "I just came to leave Dana's phone. If you could give this to her, I'll be on my…"
"Mulder?" Scully squeezes her little frame between her mother and brother and the door. "What are you doing here?"
It's a stupid question. They both know what he is doing here, they just didn't count on a crowd to watch an exchange of cell phones, taken by error in one of their apartments where the other, apparently, spent the night.
Mulder holds her cell phone out. "Trade you."
Mrs. Scully pulls Bill away from the door way and leaves the exchange to happen in peace.
"Sorry about that," Scully says, digging for the other phone. She finds it and gives it to him.
"Great minds," he cracks weakly.
"Tired, great minds who own cell phones that look alike at eight in the morning."
He tucks his phone into his coat. "Sorry if I caused any …." He nods towards the door.
"He'll get over it."
"He never looks like he will get over anything when it comes to me."
"That's Bill. Do you want to come in for a minute?"
"God, no."
Scully looks reluctantly over her shoulder. She sees her mother smiling oddly by the couch. Bill is still glaring. His wife is next to him, whispering, 'Be nice.'
"You would be doing me a favour."
Mulder sighs and stares over her shoulder for the next few seconds. "Sure. Fine. Then I can go?"
"Yes. Just meet the grownups, eat some cookies my mother baked and then make your excuses."
"Couldn't I duck the grownups and just speak to the children. They tend to hate me less."
Scully smiles and pulls him inside before he can change his mind.
She is tempted to tow him around like a toddler; limit his conversation to each sister-in-law, brother, nephew and niece to the bare minimum. But, she must remind herself, Mulder is a big boy and the least he can do is meet the family, and, more to the point, let the family meet him.
She thinks she hears one sister-in-law say to the other something that includes the word, 'cute'. She pretends not to hear because this suddenly embarrasses her.
Two of the children stop running because they want to see who the newcomer is. He isn't Santa Clause and he isn't a Power Ranger so he isn't all that interesting. Still, they are old enough to pretend to be polite when they are asked to slow down to meet, 'Aunt Dana's friend.'
Two shy "Hi's" hit the air. Their feet hit the ground and they are oblivious to the stranger again.
"This is Matthew. He's Bill and Tara's first," Scully's other sister-in-law, Cecile, is saying, holding her nephew. She doesn't know that Mulder and baby Matthew have already met; one year ago, close to this very day, in another city, in a church, in front of a coffin.
Mulder smiles and says the right things you are supposed to say about a sleeping one-year old before he is pulled away to meet two more Scully children.
He notices Scully smiling oddly - as if she is terrified and pleased at the same time. She is holding a glass of eggnog and talking to a tall, dark haired man he has never seen before. He has a terrible feeling that this stranger is some ringer of Bill's to scare Mulder off; bring in the Manly Muscle to show that Dana can have her pick of the littler.
"...my husband Charlie," Cecile is saying to him. Mulder turns. Tall, dark and Not-Bill is in front of him, extending his hand.
"Good to meet you, Fox."
Relieved, Mulder shakes hands and realizes he is talking to Scully's other brother. The sea faring one. The family traveler.
"Heard a lot about you," Charles says.
Mulder's worried face bounces back and forth between the two younger Scullys.
"He's kidding," his own Scully offers quickly.
"Well, I have. He doesn't need to know the context of what I have heard."
Cecile nudges him. "Do you have to be like this on Christmas?" To Mulder she says, "He's being a wise-ass,"
Mulder is trying to smile like a good sport who has no idea what is going on.
Charlie puts him out of his misery and assures him that he has heard mostly the good, all from Dana and their mother.
The name, 'Bill', is carefully left out.
"How did Dana get you through the doorway?"
"By promising me she would get me out the same way."
"Good luck with that."
Mulder likes this brother. Charles is not being an asshole. He is making an effort and given everything he would have heard about Mulder, this must take a lot of effort.
One of the kids, the tallest, slides up to the group. "You work with my aunt?" he asks curiously.
"Yes. At the Federal Bureau of -"
"Can I see your gun?"
"Not now, Ben," Dana interrupts.
"You carry it with you?"
"Not now, Ben," Charles repeats. He knows where this is going.
"I just wanted to see it. You never show me your gun."
"Because I don't carry one anymore."
Bill's deliberately calm voice interrupts. "Mr. Mulder wouldn't bring a gun to a Christmas morning gathering. Would you, Mr. Mulder?"
It seems the entire room has stopped to hear the answer. Even little Matthew is waking up.
Scully steps in front of Bill, gently nudging Mulder out of the way. "Bill."
"What? I am just asking a question."
Bill, his wife calls from the kitchen. Bill smiles self-righteously because he has made his point and he can disappear into the kitchen with his pride intact. The kids resume their playing. Mrs. Scully and Cecile pretend to be talking about something interesting.
"I am wearing my gun, " Mulder whispers to Scully when there is a second between panics.
"Ignore him. You didn't know I would ask you in." She reads his look carefully. "Fine - beg you to come in. You've earned your stripes, Mulder, you can go."
And leave you here? he considers barking back.
"Thank you for this. It was important. To me. And my mother."
He will do anything for Scully. And for her mother.
"Your brother Charlie seems like a good guy. And your sister-in-laws are nice."
"Well, with the exception of an overly protective older brother, the Scullys are pretty much your average family. "
"Don't tell that to the Mulders."
They make it as far as the front door. Scully opens it and lets him step outside first. "See you in the office a couple of days. Thanks for bringing my phone."
"I don't suppose you told them where we went last night."
"No. I didn't. I mean, it was an uneventful evening. Why bore them."
"Your spooky partner takes you Ghost Hunting on Christmas Eve - sounds boring even to me. Enjoy the rest of your holiday, Scully."
With a smile, and a wave, Mulder heads back to his car.
He can see her standing on the front porch as a three year old girl bounces out and shows her a book she found. Scully immediately turns to her niece as if she is the only human on the earth. In a second, she and the girl disappear into the house together.
Mulder watches a moment or two longer, wondering about life - his, Scully's, her family - and slowly drives home.
THE END