Title: This Is How It Happened
Summary: After rewatching "Hollywood A.D." a little idea popped into my head. AU, after the revival. Will finds himself living with his biological parents and comes across a B rated film from the late 1990s perfect for family movie night. Pop culture at it's finest.
A/N: I am trying to conclude "My Endurance" but I find myself with major writer's block. So I binge watch Netflix, and, in rewatching "Hollywood A.D." a little idea pops in. Consider it a oneshot. Fluff. I love writing fluff. Again, no beta on this.
Disclaimer: The usual suspects. I own nothing. Never did, never will. I merely borrow Chris Carter's creations for entertainment. Nothing is being made here.
…
Will never could sleep. He had always considered himself an insomniac for as long as he could remember. He learned recently perhaps he took that after his biological father. Just like his love for sports, his gangly height, brown hair, and love for conspiracies and the paranormal. But he had his mother's startling blue eyes, 'the ever critical eyebrow' as his father called it, and love for anatomy and science. It was a bit weird living with his biological parents for the first time ever, but at the same time, he actually felt like he belonged. And he could feel their love. There was no doubt.
But it was two a.m. in the morning. He couldn't sleep. Nothing new there.
In the rural farmhouse in northern Virginia, he squinted as he clicked on a video on YouTube labeled 'X-Files Cops'. He thought it cool his parents worked together and were FBI partners. The conspiracy theorist part of him relished in it, while at the same time, he thought it was a no better way to learn about his parents' work.
They talked about the X-Files loosely. He knew that is what they worked on now, just like they did in the past. It involved aliens, conspiracies, and all aspects of the paranormal. But the YouTube video of the old Cops episode, he was able to see his parents in their youth. He smiled, seeing his mother with the same eyebrow arch, his father was the same interest and hunger for the truth. For once, he actually felt like he belonged.
He watched the 20 minute video and smiled when it ended. His parents. His family. His mother and father. It filled him with such pride, joy, and love. He actually found where he belonged.
Will rubbed his forehead, running his fingers through his rakish brown hair and scrolled through the other links, looking for other any other interesting video links. Then he found a bootlegged version of The Lazarus Bowl. Will narrowed his eyes thoughtfully before clicking on the video link.
…
Mulder stretched his aching back as Scully came behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Friday night," she whispered, kissing his shoulder.
"Friday night, movie night," he responded, seeking her lips in a kiss. "It's Will's turn too."
"What do you think," she whispered thoughtfully, "about having him home?"
"Surreal. But I love ever second of it."
"We're a family."
"That we are."
"Speaking of which, where is our son?"
There was a loud crashing in the driveway and Mulder and Scully winced at the same time. "He's too young to drive, Mulder."
"Fifteen. He has his permit."
"And you let him?"
"It was down the street to a friend's house."
"A permit implies he is still learning. It does not give him the right to drive up to town whenever he wants to take out our trashcans!" Scully scolded, letting Mulder go.
"He was learning!"
She stormed to the front door but her anger dissolved when she saw her gangly son smiling at her happily. "I got our movie, mom!"
Mom. Scully allowed herself to smile and relaxed feeling Mulder come up behind her. "Redbox?" he guessed.
"Nah. I actually had to talk to a friend about it. It's a bootlegged copy of a movie," he answered. "Dad will definitely like this one."
Mulder glanced at Scully who merely shrugged her shoulders. "You know your parents are FBI agents, right, Will?" he teased.
"Well, this movie has FBI agents in it," he shrugged, smiling. "Does that make you feel better?"
"He's too much like you," Scully whispered, kissing his cheek. She smiled at her son. "Hopefully, you did not wreck the car too badly. Do you want pizza or Chinese, Will?" she asked, ushering her son into the kitchen.
Mulder just grinned, following Scully and his son into the kitchen.
…
Will had been awfully quiet about what the family movie night was going to consist of. They ended up settling on Chinese and settled in the living room once it arrived. Mulder and Scully sat together on the couch and Will sprawled out in the floor with a pillow, blanket, and Daggo by his side. "So, go ahead and press play, Will," Mulder instructed. He glanced at Scully, who hand pulled a blanket across her lap and legs and nestled her self by his side. "Comfortable, Scully?" he whispered loving, kissing her head.
She nodded. "Will, are you sure you're okay on the floor? The loveseat is all yours and Daggoo's."
"Oh, I'm good, mom," he grinned, hitting play on the remote.
Mulder relished in this moment but immediately began to frown when the feature presentation appeared on screen and he saw a familiar studio logo. Then the title. The Lazarus Bowl. Scully immediately started laughing and Mulder frowned even more. "No. No!"
"Mulder, calm down," Scully soothed.
"Why, is it that bad, dad?"
Scully looked at Mulder indulgently, mischief in her eyes, and then he glanced at his son, the same look in his own blue eyes. "For the record," he coincided, snuggling next to Scully, "it doesn't do us justice. Or the X-Files. But this once. Just this once. I'll let it slide, Will."
Will grinned and turned back to the movie. He felt Scully's lips on his temple as she whispered. "I might still be in love with Associate Producer Walter Skinner," she teased.
He chuckled, pulling her close. "I'll change your mind later."
…
Scully watched her son laugh throughout the movie, mainly at how outrageously his parents were portrayed. Mulder found himself smiling and thought maybe this was a good way about introducing his son to their life's work. "Were their really zombies?" Will asked, turning to face his parents as the climatic scene of Gary Shandling's Mulder fought off the Cigarette Smoking Pontiff's Zombie Army.
"No," Mulder said.
"But we have seen zombies before," Scully added. "Right before the millennium."
"No way," Will challenged.
Scully placed a finger to her lips and motioned to the picture. "Watch the end, Will."
Will turned his eyes back towards the movie as Tea Leoni's representation of Scully found herself in a tomb with Shandling's Mulder. He snorted, seeing this unrealistic portrayal of his parents. "Were you ever like that, mom?"
Scully smiled indulgently and nodded to the screen. Will watched as Leoni's Scully frowned uncomfortably. Shandling's Mulder mumbled uncharacteristically about their awkwardness as friends but Leoni's Scully confessed she was in love with Associate Director Walter Skinner. Will had met his parent's boss once or twice and raised an eyebrow looking at his mother. Mulder was laughing as Leoni's Scully confided Skinner had a bigger flashlight than Mulder. "Mom, is any of that true?"
"You wouldn't have been born if that was true," Scully replied, watching the terrible ending of the film. "Besides, I love him to much." She gazed at Mulder affectionately and stole a kiss. "Now, don't you have an early start tomorrow?"
"Yeah, yeah. School projects and start studying for those SATs." He pulled himself up from the ground and kissed his mother and wished his father a good night. "Ain't going to Oxford for my medical degree without it, right?"
Mulder chuckled and replied, "Good night, Will."
"Sweet dreams, Will," Scully added.
They watched their teenage son disappear up the stairs with Daggoo right behind him. Scully sighed and rested her head on Mulder's shoulder. "I imagine he might have found that Cops episode online too."
"Let's not say anything just in case."
"Agreed."
There was a long silence as Mulder gazed thoughtfully at Scully. "Are you really in love with Associate Produce Skinner, after all these years?"
"No," Scully teased, kissing him passionately. "Maybe I should remind you."
-End.