So, I originally started this story to play with the idea of what happened before "How the Ghost Stole Christmas." Why exactly Mulder was there. My idea was that he was there because he wanted to plan something nice for Scully, but it ended up not going how he planned. And then I had to end what happened after. If you decide you want me to continue, I will. The next chapter would be Christmas at the Scully's.

How Mulder and Scully Spent Christmas

It was a cold night in December, a week before Christmas to be exact. Mulder sat at his desk in the dim light as he watched the light snow fall outside. He was also on the phone with Scully, enjoying her company, with her not exactly being there. He had invited her over earlier that day, but un-expectantly she had declined... and was very remorseful on her part at the same time. She wanted to spend time with Mulder. In fact, she would have rather went over Mulder's than doing what she was actually doing. She was Christmas shopping. Actually, she had invited Mulder to come join her, but that's one thing he didn't want to do. He was just at the mall about a week ago... picking up things for his very small Christmas list, which actually included Scully, even though they decided not to exchange gifts. But, nevertheless, he would've gladly accepted Scully's invitation to wait in lines at various stores for roughly 20 minutes per line if it weren't for an idea which popped into his head at the very last second.

He continued to listen to her go on about her day, about how bad the roads were, how adorable the children at the mall were, and about how obscenely long the lines were.

"Honestly, Mulder... you're lucky you didn't go. I know you would've hated it." Mulder laughed.

"I would've paid to see your face as you waited." He got a giggle from her. The image he had conjured up in his head of Scully with her insanely adorable pouty impatient face on was priceless. He would've given anything to see it in person. He always teased her at work so that pout would play on her lips.

"Again, I'm sorry I couldn't come over. I would've much rather done that then go shopping," She sighed. "Yet, I'm sure you would have me watching Caddy Shack like last time." A vibrating chuckle erupted from his chest.

"Hey, don't worry. Next time I'll let you make me watch the Titanic."

"Hey!!! Don't knock that movie. It's truly magnificent. Didn't you hear how well it did in th-... wait, of course you didn't."

All of the sudden there was a knock at the door, grabbing Mulder's attention making him alert. He sat up right.

"Actually, Scully I got to go."

"Oh," Clearly she was taken off guard.

"But hey... I'll see you tomorrow."

"Mhmm, I'm going to go to sleep anyways." There was another knock at the door. And Mulder was sure that if he didn't answer the door in 15 more seconds his visitor would use some sort of tool, which he never heard of, to unlock the door.

"Good night, Scully." He said softly, forgetting about the visitor in that moment. All of his love, sincerity, trust, and affection were reflected in just those three words. Scully's heart fluttered at the sound of his voice sounding like velvet. She heard the emotion he said it with.

"Good night, Mulder." He smiled as he hung up his phone. He had heard his emotions mirrored in Scully's words. She felt the same. It was something they both knew, but didn't dare act on... for a reason that they didn't even fully understand. He went to go answer his door. Just as he was five feet away from the door, it opened. It wasn't completely unexpected that that would happen... not with who his visitor was of course.

It was Byers, and along with him he had brought his laptop, then again he almost always had his lap top with him.

"Sorry, I was on the phone."

"With her?" Mulder nodded. Byers was in on his little secret. Actually, that was precisely why Mulder had asked him to come over that evening. He wanted to plan something special for Christmas Eve for Scully. "Well I found the perfect thing for you." Byers and Mulder crossed over to Mulder's couch and sat down. He placed his computer on the table before them. When he opened it up there was an internet page open.

"Christmas Urban Legends," Mulder read aloud. Byers clicked on a link which read, 'Maryland.' He was redirected to a page with different genres on it.

"Romance, right?" Mulder nodded, not tearing his eyes away from the computer screen.

Again, they were redirected to a page, and after searching through stories and pictures he came across one that stuck with him. He didn't have to look any further; he knew that one was the winner.

The house was a large gothic style architecture one with big geometric windows, circles, squares, rectangles, and it was dramatic. On the left side of the house, when looking at it, there was a tower like structure, which towered to the top floor. The house looked like a doll's house... a rather eerie doll house with a fog hanging around it.

And if the house's picture wasn't enough to capture him, the story completely did it.

"Christmas, 1917," Mulder said, reading directly from the computer screen. "It was a time of dark, dark despair. American soldiers were dying at an ungodly rate in a war-torn Europe while at home, a deadly strain of the flu virus attacked young and old alike. Tragedy was a visitor on every doorstep while a creeping hopelessness set in with every man, woman and child. It was a time of dark, dark despair. But at 1501 Larkspur Lane for a pair of star-crossed lovers tragedy came not from war or pestilence, not by the boot heel or the bombardier, but by their own innocent hand. His name was Maurice. He was a brooding but heroic young man beloved of Lyda, a sublime beauty with a light that seemed to follow her wherever she went. They were likened to two angels descended from heaven whom the gods could not protect from the horrors being visited upon this cold, grey earth. Driven by a tragic fear of separation they forged a lovers' pact so that they might spend eternity together and not spend one precious Christmas apart. And their ghosts haunt this house every Christmas Eve."

"Wow."

"It's perfect." Mulder smiled, seeing every moment planned out in his head. Then, he frowned. He realized that Scully's wouldn't buy it. There was no way she would. He couldn't even hope.

"What's wrong?"

"She's not going to buy it." Mulder sighed and clicked on the directions link.

"But you're still going forth with it?"

"Maybe she'll like the story." He shrugged.

---
Scully walked up into her apartment, carrying her twenty some bags needing to be wrapped. She hated wrapping. It wasn't that she was bad. Actually, she was really good at it, practically a professional. But she almost always ended up getting a paper cut. Instead of wrapping right that second, although she knew she had too, she plopped down on her couch.

What was it about that night that made her totally and completely un-angry at Mulder? She knew that she should be livid. Thanks to him she would be wrapping all night, and then have to be under the tree at her Mother's by 6 am. But the funny part was, she enjoyed it. Okay, well she was very creeped out and confused. On the ride home she had just come to the conclusion that it was only her imagination acting out an irrational fear, nothing more. But she was with Mulder, and in the end that was all that mattered. The hours they spent in their office were just simply not enough. She wanted to see him more, everyday, forever. To her heart, she was undoubtedly in love, but her brain refused to accept it. Actually, there was nothing more she wanted to do than go to Mulder's. Besides, she did have to give him his Christmas present; she could always use that as an excuse. Anyways, it would be ridiculous to give it to him after Christmas. Why not now?

Scully got up and grabbed her only wrapped present from under the tree, Mulder's. She smiled proudly as she picked it up, imagining his expression when he opened it. Would she call first? No, she would just surprise him.

Mulder sat on his couch, thoroughly bored. He was disappointed in himself. His arm propped up his head as he frowned at his television, which was playing A Christmas Carol, the old black and white version, which held little interest to him. He was feeling a lot like Scrooge right now. He wanted nothing to do with Christmas. He ruined his Christmas by ruining Scully's Christmas Eve. It was supposed to be something special for the two of them, but it just ended up being blown up in his face. And to top it all off, he missed her. He missed her smile, how here upper lip would curl up, the way the tip of her nose would go up and down when she spoke, and most importantly, her blue eyes, which would anchor him to her. She was the exact definition of beauty and even more, but he had missed her for almost the whole night.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, pulling Mulder from his thoughts. He was so enveloped in his thoughts, than at first he didn't know it was his door, but when he did he went to go answer it after shutting off his TV. Once he opened the door he saw it was Scully, and his heart leapt. Coincidentally, hers did as well.

"I, uh... I couldn't sleep.... I was, um..." She said while sighing. Mulder wrapped his arm around her shoulders to bring her into the apartment. He shut the door.

"Come in," He said at the same time that he brought her in. "Aren't you supposed to be opening Christmas gifts with your family?" She had walked into his living room before him.

"Mulder..." She turned around. "None of that really happened out there tonight... That was all in our heads, right?" Mulder was suddenly unsure.

"I-it must have been." He walked up several feet towards her, now only a foot away.

"Mmm, not that my only joy in life is proving you wrong."

"When have you proved me wrong?" He said softly, looking down at her. She looked up and caught his gaze in his own. She was stumped.

"Well, why else would you want me out there with you?"

"You didn't want to be there?" He asked surprised. He thought there would've been some part of her that wanted to be with him. She had no answer. "Oh," Mulder said as if he had developed a sudden realization. "That's, um... That's self-righteous and... Narcissistic of me to say, isn't it?" He turned away, truly ashamed, thinking that perhaps Maurice and Lyda were right. But, no of course they couldn't be. He wasn't lonely. He had Scully.

"No, I mean... maybe I did want to be out there with you." Her face was pouty as she said that. It made his heart melt. She was just too adorable sometimes, all the time. They held each other's gaze for a moment or two and a small smile was playing on his lips. That's what he was hoping for, for her wanting to be there with him.

He crossed behind her to where he pulled out a cylinder shaped present. "Now, um... I know we said that we weren't going to exchange gifts but, uh... I got you... a little something." He was smiling shyly as he held up the wrapped tube like present. She smiled and looked up at him through her eyelashes. Her eyes shined like the moon outside, big bright and beautiful.

"Mulder..."

"Merry Christmas."

"Well I got you a little something too." She held up a flat looking rectangle rapped in red, green, and white wrapping paper, which was tied with a green skinny ribbon.

Mulder took it into his own hands, gave a mischievous smile and gave it a shake. She did the same, and they ran to the couch, where they excitedly tore open the presents, just like small children on Christmas morning.

"A taped paper towel roll insert?" Scully questioned looking at her 'present' which she just unveiled. It was a paper towel roll insert with both ends fully taped. Mulder had his open but his present was still in the brown UPS packaging. Apparently Scully had ordered it from a catalog or offline.

"Get the tape off," Mulder said with a smile. Scully did so and a white gold charm bracelet with Amethyst heart shaped stones on it plopped onto her lap. She gasped, definitely not expecting something so beautiful in a paper towel roll insert, let alone from her partner.

"Mulder..." Scully said, obviously speechless as she held it up in front of her.

"It was my mother's... she gave it to me to give to someone when I was about 20..." He studied Scully's expression for a moment before continuing. She had an incredible look of awe on her face. "You both have the same birth stone, Amethyst. And... I honestly couldn't think of a better person to give it to." She looked up at him with a smile. "I didn't have a box to put it in... so this is my creative idea," he held up the brown tube he had packaged it in. "Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's beautiful," He held her gaze, now just noticing how close they were both sitting. "Do I have to put it on myself?" She added with a smile. Mulder took the white gold bracelet and linked both sides together around her wrist. "Now open yours!" Scully urged. Mulder pulled open the box and saw a wallet. "You're incredibly hard to shop for," She told him. "And- I know it's not much, but I knew you needed a wallet."

"No, it's great. Thank you. Come here," Mulder said, keeping his smile, as he pulled Scully into his arms for a hug. When they pulled away, she held his face with both hands, looking into his eyes.

"I really love the bracelet. I can't believe you gave it to me." She kissed his forehead firm and passionate, resulting in him closing his eyes.

"Like I said, there wasn't going to be a better choice. You're everything, Scully." Her smile widened at his sincerity. She kicked her shoes off, brought her feet up onto the couch, and lay against Mulder's chest. He used the remote to flick on the TV; A Christmas Carol was still on.

"What time do you have to go?" Mulder whispered, unmoving. He didn't want to shift his body at all now that Scully was with him, on him, using him for a pillow. Scully glanced at her watch; it was 2:30.

"I have to be at my mother's by six," Scully said in a voice that was just as low and soft. "But I honestly don't feel like driving. I'm too exhausted." She yawned.

"Here," Mulder shifted out from under her body so he could get up. He took her hand, pulling her up. "I'll find you something more comfortable to wear." He pulled her into the bedroom, where he dug through his drawers, finding her a pair of pants and a t-shirt. Scully took them and went into the bathroom to change, leaving Mulder in his room to change too.

When she came out of the bedroom she found Mulder on his couch flipping through stations until his TV was finally set on video 1.

"We're watching a movie?" Scully questioned, staring at the blank blue screen.

"Yep," Mulder said with a smile and held up The Titanic. A wide smile spread across Scully's face as he got up to put in Tape 1. When he returned to the couch, Scully was already under a tan blanket, waiting for Mulder. He laid down, his head on top of a brown pillow. Scully lay down on top of him, snuggling into his chest, and bringing the blanket with her.

Although, her favorite movie played right before them, she knew she was going to fall asleep in minutes, thanks to Mulder's heart beat luring her into unconsciousness. She knew she could rely on Mulder to wake her up. She also knew what she was going to ask him when he did... if he would accompany her to her mother's. Her mother would love it. Mulder wouldn't want to go, but she knew he would end up going anyhow.


Did you like it? Do you want me to continue? If you do, don't hesitate to ask. I'm here to please. :D
Uhm, I threw in Titanic for Brittney.
Happy soon to be Xmas!
-A