The feeling of relief that Charlie's words had given him that morning followed Mulder as he went to join the others in the kitchen and caused him to be almost speechless, a fact that Scully soon noticed. As he sat down next to her at the table she put a hand on his arm and looked at him with concern.
"Is everything alright?" She asked quietly, keeping her voice low so the rest of her family wouldn't hear.
Mulder just looked at her for a few moments, opening and closing his mouth but unable to form any words. Giving up he allowed a broad grin to sweep over his face, lighting up his features and making Scully smile back. Finding his voice at last he croaked out an answer.
"Scully, everything is great. Charlie, he uh, well I think he's pretty much accepted me so um, yeah."
Scully couldn't help but laugh at Mulder's shell-shocked expression, and his not particularly articulate explanation. She glanced over at Charlie and received a wink and a grin from the face partially hidden behind a squirming Mattie. Turning back to Mulder she squeezed his arm.
"Good. I knew he'd like you."
Mulder was about to reply when a steaming plate suddenly appeared in front of him. Sausages, bacon, eggs, fried bread, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes. Not a millimetre of the plate was left uncovered by something. Thoroughly distracted from everything but getting the next forkful of food into his mouth he set to with gusto.
Most of the rest of the table was following suit, but Tara was still having trouble with her son, who was providing a fine example of the development stage known as the 'terrible twos'. And, as everyone quietened down due to the large amount of food in their mouths, they were able to hear what he was yelling.
"No! Ma, want to, no!" (As Tara bodily pulled him back onto her lap.) "Want to sit there!"
"Where, sweetheart?" Asked Tara, in a voice reserved for long suffering parents.
"There! With Unca Fox!"
Deathly silence followed this proclamation. Mulder froze with his fork halfway to his mouth, Scully fidgeted in her chair, and all eyes turned to Bill. His reaction to Mulder being considered an uncle had not been favourable the first time round, and Mattie hadn't mentioned the word again since, seemingly picking up on the atmosphere around it. Now though he was hungry and wanted to go to his new friend and his little mind didn't even consider the consequences.
Carefully Bill put down his cutlery, pushed his chair back and picked Mattie up. Standing he made his way around the table until he reached Mulder and, to the shock of all, placed his son gently into Mulder's lap. Mattie bounced with glee and Mulder's hand shot to the boy's waist to ensure he didn't fall off. Bill caught the movement and nodded in satisfaction before turning round and going back to his own place. Thoroughly stunned everyone watched as he sat down and began to eat again. Aware that he was being observed Bill cocked his head and let his eyes wander over his family, as if daring any of them to say something.
Scully was the one to break the silence, touched that Bill was willing to make this gesture of acceptance and not wanting to ruin it by questioning it.
"Hey Charlie." She called, bringing her brother's attention back to her. "Who do you think will get the most presents this year?"
An apparently long-standing debate began between the siblings, and expanded to include the rest of the table. Mulder was still dealing with the lively bundle on his lap so was staying out of the conversation, but every now and then he would look up to find eyes on him. Often they were Scully's, her eyes shining with happiness because she was with her family and with him and everything was ok. Sometimes they were Maggie's or Tara's, and they would grace him with a smile. And once it was Bill. Mulder stiffened as he met the man's eyes, still unsure as to his position with Scully's big brother, but Bill had just looked at him for a long moment and then turned back to the rest of the family. Whatever was going on in his head he obviously wasn't ready to share it yet. Mulder wondered whether he should sit down and profile the guy, try to work out what was going on so he could stay one step ahead, but he thought that an invasion of privacy was probably not the best way to get Bill to accept him, and he was supposed to be on holiday after all.
Eventually breakfast was over and the clan made their way back to the living room, the adults with cups of coffee in hand to combat the early hour. Tara was keeping a tight hold on her son who was desperate to get at the presents, but it seemed that there was order even here.
"Alright." Maggie began, standing in front of the tree. "Everybody find a seat."
There was a mad scramble for a moment as there were seven people and only four seats. Since Tara had Mattie she got a chair by default, and the other was reserved for Maggie. Bill, Charlie and Scully all leapt for the sofa, Mulder hanging back, quite willing to sit on the floor. Despite her limited height and stature Scully got the first spot, diving in between her brothers and using them as leverage. She moved to the left, unintentionally blocking Charlie's access to the sofa and allowing Bill to flop down next to her with a cry of triumph. Sighing in defeat Charlie sank to the floor, glaring at Scully as she reached over to ruffle his hair, who then beckoned Mulder over to join them.
Maggie rolled her eyes at her children's antics and continued with her instructions. Mulder was beginning to get an idea of where Scully got her organisational skills.
"Now, Fox, as you're new to this I'll explain what happened next."
There was a collective groan from the sofa as the Scully siblings realised they'd have to wait longer for their presents, but they were soon quietened by a glare from their mother.
"We all like to see what each person gets, so we put all the names in a hat and then I pull one out and whoever comes out first opens their presents and so on. Mattie will go first though because he's too young to cope with waiting."
Nodding his understanding Mulder bit back a smile as he heard Scully mutter behind him.
"Wish I was young enough for that to count."
"So without further ado," Maggie continued, not hearing her daughter's complaint, "let's open some presents!"
Finally allowed to get at what was his Mattie lost all restraint and tore into his presents. With the innocence of childhood he made his opinions known quite happily, showing disgust at the pink jumper sent by a cousin, and delight at the Hunchback of Notre Dame video. Quite worn out by his activities, the boy then climbed into the box that his musical farm had come in and quietly chewed on the stuffed toy his mother had bought him.
Maggie pulled a name out of her hat, and Tara was delighted to find that she was next. Mulder felt guilty for a few moments when he realised that he hadn't got her anything, or anyone else for that matter except Scully. He wondered whether he should sneak out for a little and get a few things, but knew that it was too late for that. He'd just have to think of some way to make it up to them.
Bill was next, then Charlie, and then Maggie who lost her cool façade for a moment and squeaked in delight as she pulled her own name out of the hat. They had to take a quick break after that as Mattie decided he wanted to be part of the crowd again, and proceeded to knock over two cups of coffee before they could grab him. Once he was settled in Tara's arms, placated by promises that they would all watch his new film with him later and one of Bill's presents (a keyring that glimmered in the light as it turned) the next name popped out.
"Ah here we are, Fox, your turn!" Maggie said with a smile.
Mulder frowned up at her, and then down at the present that materialised in his lap. Looking behind him he saw Scully grinning as she threw her own gift at him, and then three more.
"From the Gunmen." She whispered in his ear.
"Should I open them in public?" He asked, honestly afraid of what they might reveal, but she shook her head in amusement.
"It's alright, they promised me it was safe."
Smiling in relief Mulder went to open his presents, but stopped as the guilt hit him again. Looking up at Maggie he protested.
"But, I don't have anything for you."
"It doesn't matter Fox, really, open your present."
Mulder paused for a few minutes more, still feeling that he didn't deserve this, and that it wasn't right. Suddenly he felt a hand hit him upside the head and he turned to see Scully glaring at him.
"Open your presents Mulder, the longer you take the longer I have to wait for mine! If you're that worried about making it up to Mom you can tidy the house up and cook dinner later, ok?"
Grinning up at her Mulder contemplated how much pain he would be in if he kept her waiting any longer, and decided it just wasn't worth it. Feeling less guilty now that he had some way to thank Maggie he happily tore into his presents. He opened the ones from the Gunmen first, wanting to save the other two for a moment, and found his lap filled with books on aliens and other creatures, a computer program that was supposed to make his machine run ten times faster, and a caricature done by Byers which was crudely drawn but got the point across all the same.
After piling the gifts on one side Mulder moved on to Maggie's present, carefully opening the paper to find a photo frame. He turned it over and saw that the photo in it was of him and Scully. He didn't remember it being taken, but they were at Maggie's house, or at least in the driveway in front of it. They were standing close together, obviously midway through a conversation, and completely unaware that they were being photographed. Scully was looking up at him and he was leaning into her a little. They weren't touching at all, but Mulder was startled by the intimacy the picture showed. He'd wondered how he hadn't noticed the photograph being taken, but realised that it was because he and Scully had been in their own little world, where only the two of them existed. He saw that Scully was actually standing in a way that signified protection, for all that he was a foot taller than her, she was the one keeping him safe in that photo. And though it was likely that their conversation had been serious, both of them had small smiles on their faces that reached all the way to their eyes, which were entwined in a gaze so intense he wondered how he'd stood it. He'd denied that he gazed at her to Holman, and to others over the years, but he knew that he did it.
Looking up at Maggie he smiled at her, letting his eyes show his thanks, not wanting to try talking just yet. Carefully he put the frame onto his little pile of gifts, his fingers lingering over it, eyes unwilling to leave it, but forced himself to get on with opening his last present. He squeezed it gently, and was surprised to find that it was soft and gave under his hands. Curious he ripped the paper off and found himself staring at what was obviously a homemade teddy bear. It wasn't well made. The eyes weren't level, the limbs were all different sizes and its mouth wasn't in a straight line. Mulder paused, confused as to why Scully had given him this, and then remembered a conversation they'd had on one of their long drives.
"Did you ever have a teddy bear when you were little Mulder?"
"No. Well, yes I did for a while. It was one my grandmother had made. I loved that thing but when Samantha was born I had to give it to her because I was a 'big boy' now and didn't need it. I always hoped that she'd get bored of it and give it back, but she never did, and then when she disappeared it disappeared with her. I never did find out what happened to it."
She'd remembered. She'd listened to him and heard the hurt and longing in his voice and she'd gone home and made him a teddy bear. Even if she'd just bought him one he'd have been touched, but she'd actually made it with her own two hands. Suddenly all the bear's imperfections became marks of love, and at that moment he knew he could trust her with his heart. Turning round he got up on his knees and pulled her into a fierce hug that she happily returned. She heard his choked murmur of thanks and pulled him in closer, giving him the time he needed to recover. She had been a little unsure as to whether he'd like it. She wasn't the world's most talented sewer and it might have been a memory he would rather have forgotten. She was glad she'd done it now though, it obviously meant a lot to him.
Eventually he pulled back and sat back down, holding the bear on his lap. Maggie smiled at him and then at Dana.
"Alright sweetheart, you can open yours now."
Scully whooped in delight and held her hands out for gifts. Realising he'd left his in the car Mulder excused himself for a moment and disappeared outside.