AN: Ok sorry it's taken me longer than I wanted to get this story finished but life happens you know? So this section is cut a little funky but you got to have breaks to bring it all together. Thanks for putting up with the lengthyness in between chapters! ENJOY!
"Wow I have to admit Mulder that was some amazing kitchen skills you showed off in there." Tara beamed at him; everyone was around the table feeling full as ever. Pancakes, quiche, sausage and bacon, everything cooked to perfection. Only bowls of fresh fruit remained, something healthy compared to the rest of the meal. The smells still lingered at the table, though plates were empty.
"That was the best breakfast I've had in a long time, amazing!" Sam could barely control her excitement. "Maybe it's the company too," Sam beamed around the table, "…Thanks for including me in this, it means a lot."
"Well it means a lot to Matt too…" Tara squeezed in, trying to reassure her.
"Awe thanks for pulling strings for me Matt…" Sam leaned over and placed a huge kiss on his cheek and sneakily punched him in the leg, "is that ten now Matt?" Sam snickered and placed her hand subtly on his thigh where she hit him, rubbing the spot gently.
"Uhh yeah…" Matt rolled his eyes and everyone around the table laughed.
"Sam you have the advantage here on the punching game," Scully winked at her, knowing exactly what she was saying. Pretending you are just getting touchy feely and not knowing when a punch will come. It's sneaky and fun.
"I could almost use a nap after a breakfast like that." Mrs. Scully piped up, "…we don't typically eat like this."
"Well it always makes me feel good when I can make something edible…not just for Scully but for a whole group. Personal accomplishment I suppose." Mulder joked and a few of the girls laughed slightly.
"Well I have to admit you impressed me…" Bill spoke up quietly and the table went silent waiting for the smart ass remark to follow. "Seriously…it was great…" he said it almost through gritted teeth.
"Alright Mulder, you've got an hour before we go for a run…" Matt excused himself and Sam from the table and took off, the great mastiff at their feet as usual.
"He wants to run after a breakfast like this?" Mulder almost was feeling sick at the thought of it.
"Don't let him down; he'll never let you live it down…" Bill warned Mulder, trying to make light conversation.
"He gave you an hour, you'll be fine." Tara smiled at him and reassured him. "Bill is right, don't let him down, he loves the challenge. You have to just go with it." Mulder winced at the thought and glanced around the table. Was this a family challenge or a Matt challenge, they seemed to be eyeballing him strangely.
"Come on old man I thought you said you were a runner." Matt huffed out as he showed Mulder is favorite running paths through the trees and the crisp winter air.
"I don't know how you have the lung capacity kid…" Mulder hollered back as he caught up to Matt and stopped to stretch a bit, twisting his waist and bending down to touch his toes.
"You said you were up for the challenge…" Matt too stretched his legs out and breathed in the nice brisk air.
"I'd kill for your stamina anymore. I definitely am starting to feel my age. Thanks for pulling some strings and getting us to come out here. I didn't know you talked to Scu—Dana…she had to inform me about that one." Mulder started to walk slowly up the path that was laid out before them, warming up again.
"She told me we had to keep it hush so we just made small talk, nothing obvious, she'd ask how the family was and I'd tell her what dad was trying to get me to do or not do." Matt walked in stride with Mulder making small talk. "I guess I just wanted to have a different perspective on life, I mean she'd tell me things about your past and I knew I didn't want a bunch of drama in mine, I mean the Navy is a good choice but I don't like the rules and regulations and the professionalism, I'm too relaxed for something like that. My dad thinks I'll be nothing but a deadbeat but for now I'm just trying to enjoy life while I'm young, unlike what my parents actually think I have an idea of what I want to do with my life as crazy as it sounds at the ripe old age of sixteen." He smiled to himself, proud that he ultimately did find a calling.
"Oh yeah, what's that?" Mulder stared at the kid wondering how the hell he was Bill's kid, this just didn't seem right. He was so relaxed and full of life at the same time, he always wondered about these types of people, though never actually been in deep conversation with one. He often envisioned Samantha being this way, had it not been for family troubles, or Melissa Scully, open to new ideas and thoughts, always happy, never letting anything bring them down. He was happy to have this connection with Matt, it made him feel more at ease.
"I know I don't have much in the way of siblings but I think I want to focus on helping the under privileged, kids specifically. Sam has got three younger siblings, they aren't under privileged by any means but I've always had this connection with them and they love me like one of their own. We take them down to the beach and teach them to surf, just enjoying life, no interruptions, no computers or cell phones, just good old fashioned fun. I could see myself with a nice brood of my own if you know what I'm saying." Matt was basking in his own fantasy.
"You're so young Matt you don't know how things change after school and –" He wasn't trying to change his mind of anything, the kid really knew what he was passionate about. Mulder could admire passion, it was something both him and Scully shared, it was one of the things he loved about the whole Scully clan, they had passion about their interests and held strong to them.
"I know, but it gives me something to think about, something to strive for." Matt turned on his heels, and entered sprinters position and was off, it was a challenge as he bolted off back the direction they came. He couldn't help but let out a little laugh, man this kid is going to kill me, and he smiled to himself and started a slow jog chasing the very energetic Matt.
"Jeez Mulder go shower would you…" Scully tried to avoid his sweaty hug and pushed him away. Both Mulder and Matt came burling through the back door of the house. Scully and Tara were working on prep work for the birthday this afternoon, the cake was in the oven and the ladies were working to the bone making little snacks to adorn plates.
"Tara that kid of yours has got so much energy, I couldn't compete," Mulder smiled at her as her head was down focused on her task but a small smile graced her face at the compliment.
"At least when he's with you I know he's not out getting stoned…"She was nonchalant in her response, as if it didn't faze her.
"Tara…"Scully tried to console her sister in law a bit.
"Oh come on Dana, we were young once. I'm not an idiot. You think I'm that oblivious to what is going on with my son, I know him better than anyone, including that girlfriend of his. I clean his room once in awhile, picking up laundry. I can't tell Bill though, goodness…could you imagine?" Tara smiled and continued, slicing up vegetables for a tray. "I know you and him talk Dana, you have for awhile, just please tell me, in your professional opinion if it's something more serious than pot because I don't think I could handle my baby doing the hard stuff." Both Mulder and Scully stood shocked at her admission and knowledge of her son.
"I—uhh—no, I don't think it's anything more than that. He's a smart kid Tara, you did a good job. He's a teenager. I've seen so much worse in kids younger than him…" Scully was honest in her own admission and still just as shocked.
"I'm uhh—going to shower, I'll catch up with you guys later." Mulder patted Scully gently on the hip and went on his way.
"Look Dana, I know he trusts you. He raves about you all the time and how 'cool' you and Mulder are. I mean it was obvious that he had been in communication with you. He always wanted to know more about what you did for a living and why all the secrecy in your lives, he's so intrigued by everything. He's so smart; he just breezes through school work in no time. I just don't want him to make stupid decisions, the pot is one thing and the sex…oh dear Lord. I can't tell you how many times I have started a random conversation with your brother just to tune out what I was hearing so he wouldn't." She sighed heavily, "I can't talk to him about these things, he'd push me away…there is no way Bill would approach it."
The two women stood in silence for several moments not sure what to say next to one another, they each were working quite diligently at the counter.
"Tara—Matt—I—I don't think you have to worry about him in that way. He is very smart; I've not gotten any notion of him not thinking things through. We have always had intelligent conversations with each other; rarely would he ask me anything that was out of the ordinary. He has good upbringing, I just think he's a teenager and –" Scully didn't know where else to go with the conversation, she had taken part of smoking pot with her nephew, hearing him and his girlfriend having sex in the next room and she did nothing to stop it. Deep down she knew she'd feel the same about her own son at that age, or even now. Teen boys will be teen boys.
"Hey ladies, what are my two favorite women doing?" Matt beamed at his mother and aunt and smiled brightly at them.
"Well you could give us a hand if you are offering, it might be your birthday but you could still make yourself useful ," Tara gave her son a bag of potatoes and a peeler, "...get to work on a potato salad huh?" Matt sat on a chair with the garbage between his legs, starting work on the bag of potatoes.
"So what have you guys been up to? The run was great by the way, thanks for asking." His hair was still a little wet from his shower, dressed in some gym shorts and t-shirt.
"Just talking about you, no big deal," Tara smiled jokingly at her son and he couldn't help but laugh back. "We were talking about how smart you are; though we secretly wished we knew what you were going to do with your life after high school?"
"Is dad around because I feel like he should be leading up this conversation?" Matt glanced around pretending to look for Bill. "Seriously, I'm still young mom, I'm only 16, no one can know what they are going to do right out of high school, it just doesn't seem logical." Tara's head popped up and gave a strange stare to her son in question. "What?" He didn't know what else to say.
"You sound just like your aunt here…" Tara laughed as she gave the two of them a hard time.
"Not quite, I knew I was going to be a doctor, I mean it took me a few years but I was career driven…"Scully defended herself.
"…and changed that idea drastically for the FBI at the opposition of your father." Matt piped in and the ladies both looked at him in question. "What? Oh come on, I've heard the story a million times from dad, but now you are doing something you love, being a doctor and everyone is happy."
"Mostly…" Scully quietly chimed in, missing out on her own little family life. She never told Matt about William and as much as she wanted to out of all their conversations she couldn't bring herself to do it.