AUTHORS NOTE

I wrote this for Raven, after receiving her very thorough request. I don't usually write fluffy stuff, so I was pleased to be asked to give it a go. I quite enjoyed it, once I got going.

Of course, Scully, Mulder, Bill, Charlie, Tara, Matthew and Bailey are not my inventions, but I did have fun giving them all a much extended family to party with.

Earthrite

Spooky Who?

Dana Scully pulled her collar up around her chin, trying to keep out the biting cold wind that stirred the fallen leaves all over the path. Her partner, Fox Mulder, climbed out of the other side of the car, pocketing his keys and looking up at the grey, shingled house. It was old and classic, neatly painted in pale grey with white window surrounds and gutters under the tiled eaves. The huge lawn sloping down to the road was recently cut and a smart, dark blue SUV stood in the driveway. If the place had been old and unkempt it would have been decidedly creepy looking, with its numerous odd sized windows, dark roof and even a pointed turret on one corner.

Mulder smiled across the car roof at Scully.

"I didn't know kids still did that," He grinned, pointing up at several swinging 'ghosts' hanging from a massive tree in the front yard. Each one was carefully put together using a couple of broom handles and a white sheet. Mulder pictured the happy family who would have spent last Sunday afternoon hanging these ghouls from the branches.

Scully smiled, lifting a heavy bag from the trunk of the car and heading up the path towards the front door, picking her way carefully between the sea of bobbing, bright orange pumpkins gathered around the porch. Mulder followed, looking warily around him as Scully reached up and jangled the old bell rope by the door.

"Relax, Mulder," She said, "it'll be just fine."

Mulder and Scully both nearly leaped out of their skins as a pale, blood streaked face appeared at the window beside them. A scream rang out from inside the house. Mulder looked questioningly at Scully, his eyebrows raised, a slight 'Oh, you think so?' look on his face. Scully grinned bravely back at him. A skeletal hand reached from behind and grabbed the face across the mouth, pulling it back into darkness. Scully grinned some more.

"Marmee, Marmee, it's Aunty Dana," Shrieked a delighted voice from behind the door and it was thrown open to a whirl of rushing, hugging infants. Some of the kids were already dressed and made up in their Halloween costumes, others dashed about excitedly tugging at sheets and witches hats, trying to dislodge them. Amid the chaos MaryJean beamed and ushered them into the hall.

"Dana," She cooed excitedly, warmly embracing her sister-in-law, who she saw far less of than she would like. "C'mon in. Oh, it's so good to see you. And your, ah…"

"MaryJean, this is Mulder," Scully made hurried introductions, over the shouts and giggles of her assembled nieces and nephews. Her smile broadened as she ducked aside to avoid a small, half-dressed child barrelling along the hall. "That's not Betty?" She queried, pointing after the whirlwind, "She's grown so much!"

Mulder nodded a smile at MaryJean, standing awkwardly, observing all the mayhem, the embracing women, their delighted smiles and sparkling eyes. He wondered what the heck he was doing here, intruding in Scully's private, most intimate time. His encounters with her family had always been difficult and emotional, from the almost stifling warmth of her sister, Melissa, to the cold, disapproval of her brother, Bill. Scully's mother seemed to be the only one of them who was able to allow Mulder to be who he was in Scully's life. Someone who cared for her deeply, but didn't have to mean more than that, even if he felt he wanted to be. So now here he stood, neither brother nor lover, more than colleague. But, he hoped, a trusted friend.

Scully broke him from his reverie, taking his arm and guiding him through to the kitchen, hot and sweetly scented with baking. The women chattered on about the growing children, daunting amounts of work still to be done on the house, how hard Charlie worked. Mulder gazed longingly at the heap of fresh cookies under a cloth on the counter. Mmm! They smelled good. He could just feel them melting in his mouth.

Mulder realised he was being watched. He returned the glare of a small witch, who stared out at him from under an enormous hat. An ugly wart clung to the side of her nose and her blackened tooth showed when she suddenly broke into a grin. Mulder wasn't sure which gaps were painted in and which ones were for real. He smiled back at her, bending to her level.

"You tried any of those yet?" He asked, indicating the pile of goodies with a jerk of his head.

"Nope!" The gappy grin replied. The girl glanced up at her busily chatting mother. "Marmee says we can't eat a thing 'til everyone's here." She looked straight at Mulder, then to left and right, making sure she wasn't overheard. "But I know where the 'Trick or Treat' goodies are hidden." She sang, just loud enough for Mulder to hear. She waited, wide eyed, to see what his reaction would be. Would he tell her she ought not to know something like that and he was sure a good girl like her wouldn't sneak any treats before her Ma said she could? Like all the other grown ups always did.

Mulder didn't even have to think about this one.

"Will you show me?" He asked, his eye brows raised and a slightly pleading look in his eyes. The little witches face broke into a huge smile as she grabbed his hand and lead him from the kitchen. She stole a look back over her shoulder to make sure her mother wasn't watching. Her heart nearly stopped, but Aunty Dana just winked at her as she left. With her professional ability to follow many more than one thing at a time, Dana Scully hadn't missed a thing.

More screams and yells of excitement heralded the arrival of Charlie, Scully's strikingly handsome younger brother. He appeared in the kitchen, two small children dripping from his broad shoulders, wearing his usual relaxed and comforting smile. Dana wondered how he had managed to get life so right. Always strong, and passionate about big vehicles, Charlie had steadfastly withstood the pressure of a naval family and gone his own way, never for a moment giving anyone the idea that he would ever even consider joining the armed forces. She couldn't remember his even having to have a flaming argument about it with their father or with their older brother, Bill, who had followed Dads led into the Navy and didn't see why it wasn't good enough for the rest of the family. Especially the male members. But Charlie had just steadily got on with his life, gaining a degree in mechanical engineering, spending some years in development and design for Bere, the largest manufacturer of farming and road construction machinery in the country.

Then Charlie had had the unbelievable good fortune to meet MaryJean, the woman who would not only care for him, love him and share with him the lifetime of raising their five kids, but who was also an incredibly practical woman herself. She had studied at agricultural college, spent a few ears working on the massive prairie farms of the mid-west, before meeting Charlie.

Dana looked at them now, sharing a loving embrace, the warmth of their home and family, and the plans for the rest of their lives wrapped around them like some huge patchwork blanket. A sad little smile lifted her lips until, noticed by her kid brother, she was swept up into an enthusiastic hug. Laughter and tickles ensued in equal measures until she had to thump him in just the right place on his upper arm to make him stop.

Mulder lingered at the back door, having followed the small witch who now hung from Charlie's wrist back into the house from a fruitless search for treats around the back of the garage.

"Oh, Mulder," Scully gasped, forgetting herself and rushing over to him on a wave of excitement and grabbing his wrist, just like the little witch now held Charlie's, "There you are," She sparkled up at him, "Come and meet Charlie. Charlie, this is Mulder."

Mulder felt the warmth in Charlie's handshake and returned his generous smile with a polite, "Please to meet you."

Charlie's son, Bailey, an older boy who almost reached Mulder's shoulder, looked enquiringly up at them now, black sunken eyes and gruesome fangs adorning his whitened face.

"Mr Mulder?" He queried, "Your Mr Mulder, Aunt Scully?" He looked at his aunt now, remembering words he had over heard between his two aunts, he theatrically clutched his hands to his heart and repeated, "'Oh, Tara, you'd forgive him for being a bit nuts, if you saw his eyes!'" He now repeated in a falsely high voice, a terrible imitation of Scully.

Charlie and MaryJean both laughed as the boy ducked hurriedly out of the room and Scully flushed scarlet, her eyes wide and her mouth slack with shock and embarrassment. Mulder chuckled quietly to himself examining the floor. Then he glanced up, catching Scully's eye with a wry smile before she marched through to the living room rounding up kids loudly and promising everyone a story.

Scully stood on the back porch, her hands clasped around a steaming mug of spiced wine, watching the three men in her life fussing over the heap of wood in the back yard. Bill had been curt, almost rude, with Mulder when she arrived, but the three men now seemed to be bonding a little over the age-old ritual of fire building. What was it about men and fires?

Scully laughed now as she watched Mulder, in his jeans and lumber jacket, stumbling a little over his heavy boots and trying to fit in with these two very outdoors brothers of hers. She recalled the laughter they had all shared as children, Bill always taking charge, Melissa insisting they check that no little creatures had crept into the timber pile before they put a match to the whole thing. Then the glowing heat on their smiling faces, crack and spit of the fire throwing it's sparks high into the air and the smell of smoke hanging around her for days, no matter how much she washed her long, red hair. She reflected on how her father had never quite got it right with his sons, dropping his guard once in a while to try and joke with them, but never quite making it work.

Now, Bill was trying to take charge again, and failing. Neither Charlie nor Mulder feeling the need of a leader in this situation and enjoying the shared work. Steam huffed from their mouths in the darkening twilight, and the nip in the air brought a red flush to Scully's cheeks again. Then she heard the excited racket of the children returning up the street with their mothers from heir 'Trick or Treat' expedition.

Taking that as their cue, the fathers dashed off into the garage, emerging moments later clad in long black cloaks, and gruesome masks. Suddenly these two strong, upright men were a couple of clowning brothers, lurking around the corner of the house ready to scare the whits out of their wives and children. Scully took the opportunity to wander over to where Mulder heaved a last plank onto the woodpile.

"All okay?" She asked, not looking directly at him, but away towards the sounds of the unsuspecting families.

"Yeah," Mulder smiled, following her gaze, his hands slipping into his jacket pockets.

"Enjoying yourself?" Scully questioned him, now turning to face him.

Mulder paused, looking her straight in the eye, wondering just what it was she wanted to hear.

"I haven't done Halloween like this for years," He said, "We sort of stopped doing this sort of thing after my sister went."

They stood quietly for a few moments, the light fading from the sky and the cold air nipping at their ears and noses. Then a burst of screams, yells and laughter erupted from the other side of the house.

"Looks like they're back," Scully turned to Mulder again, finding that he had stepped up close behind her. His misty breath almost warming her face. He was looking down at her, the pain of his childhood memories clouding his eyes as effectively as their combined breath whitened the air between them.

Neither of them moved, held by mutual understanding and an unvoiced desire to share these feelings, and so many more. Scully reached up a comforting hand to squeeze Mulder's arm, then let it fall to her side.

"Scully," Mulder started, his full lips forming her name differently now, she thought, with something other than the usual 'taking it all for granted' tone. He took a deep breath and continued, "Scully, I…."

"We know what you're doing!" Yelled three high, voices from the back door, as Betty, Jack and Becky burst out into the yard. Mulder and Scully took a hurried step away from each other, Scully smiling a bright greeting to them as they rushed over. Followed closely by the rest of the gathering. MaryJean and Bill's wife, Tara, each carried trays filled with potatoes wrapped din foil, ready to place around the fire for supper. Charlie had a four pack of beer in one hand and the steaming flask of spiced wine in the other, and the older cousins, Bailey and Matt carried a plate each of toffee coated apples.

"We know what you're doing!" The little ones chanted again, skipping around Mulder and Scully.

To Scully's surprise, Mulder suddenly broke into a low, crouching run, roaring at the kids, "Then don't let me catch you telling, or I'll have to feed you to the fire monster!" As they ran in all directions and he raced about the yard feigning this way and that. The kids squealed with delight, dodging about in front of his upraised hands, pretending that they didn't want to be caught. Then Mulder stumbled, Scully wasn't sure if he meant to, and tumbled across the grass, letting out a terrible cry of rage as he went. Betty was the first one there, throwing herself on top of him.

"Come on Jack," She cried triumphantly, "Grab him!"

"Me too!" Hollered four year old Becky, tottering up to the heap of arms and legs.

Somehow, Mulder's arms reached out from the tangle and swooped her up as he rose to his feet. "Gotcha!" He laughed, hugging her close into a cuddle of tickles.

Scully was too astounded to laugh along with everyone else. To them this was her professional partner relaxing in the most natural way. To Scully it was nothing short of a miracle. She looked on open mouthed as the larking around continued, her lovely lips turning up at last to a delighted smile. What a wonder it was to see this side of him. What a heart churning, throat catching, God Damn wonder. She felt her insides twist and leap in a confusion of passion, maternal urgings and love-longing chaos. Finally, she threw her head back and laughed along with the rest of them, feeling an uncontrollable release of all the crazy personal and professional tensions the two of them had shared for so long.

"Well, Bill, I don't know what you're worried about," MaryJean shook her head as she spoke, crossing the kitchen, drying a glass and placing it back in the cupboard. "I've never seen her so relaxed. Why can't you just be happy for her?"

Everyone had headed back inside once the fire had died down, and shared a supper of hot potatoes, sausages, beans and, of course, all sorts of sticky, sweet goodies. The kids were now settled in front of the TV sharing their cache from the earlier trawl of the neighbourhood, the adults sat around the kitchen table finishing off the alcohol. Mulder had offered to check that the fire was dieing down nicely, a task which Bill and Charlie both knew was unnecessary, and Scully had found some reason to 'keep him company'.

"I just think the guy is nothing but trouble. Look at the scrapes he's gotten her into. And what about Melissa? That's all down to him." Bill added, sourly.

"Well," Tara sighed, "There's no doubting their feelings for each other. And feelings just can't be helped. If they take each other to hell and back, there's nothing you, Bill Scully, can do about it."

Outside, Mulder stood staring up at the sky, hands in pockets and with his thick, woolly collar turned up around his ears. He kicked at the ashes on the edge of the fire, which still burned, low now, and gently crackling. Scully came up and stood beside him, hands in her pockets too, a fluffy white scarf hanging around her neck, the ends loose down the front of her jacket. As she looked up at the stars, Mulder's breath misted a faint film between her and the deep, black, icy sea above.

"You're quite something with the kids, Mulder," She said, "I've never…"

"Scully," He cut in, "Don't you think we're missing something?"

"Like what?" She wondered, looking at him now, seeing the pensive look on his face.

"All this chasing after the truth," He said, "Always asking the difficult questions, finding the impossible answers. And there are people like Charlie and MaryJean getting on with life. Having something real and tangible to hold on to at the end of the day." He turned to her now, a mixture of sadness and hope in his eyes. "Don't you ever think you could settle for something like that?"

"I can't imagine life without my work, Mulder, but I do know there is more. For some of us." Scully shrugged, looking back to the sky, "If we can just find our way to it."

"Scully," Mulder took hold of her now, gripping her upper arms urgently, "Can we find..." He didn't know how to continue. Might he loose her now for ever, if he had it all wrong?

She stared up at him, eyes wide in anticipation, her breathing shallow and quickening.

"Find what, Mulder?" She frowned.

"I just…" Mulder said quietly, bending closer to her now, "I just need to…" As his breath warmed her face and she closed her eyes. "I need to know…" Scully gently reached her hand behind his head and pulled him the last few inches toward her waiting lips.

He tasted so good, of beer and cookies. He smelled of wood smoke and that cologne which had been driving her mad for months. She lingered on this kiss, knowing now that there was more than friendship in his heart.

As his arms closed around her, Scully heard a loud crack from the fire, a flurry of orange sparks spiralled into the sky, and she felt that she would happily rise now with them into the unknown darkness. Letting herself go, at last, from all those constraints that had held her emotions in check all her life, and allowing her heart to burn with all the fury of her love for this man, she held, at last, as her lover.