October 30th
Madison Family Pumpkin Patch
12:00 p.m.
Mulder smiled as he pulled one of the two wagons through the pumpkin patch, Scully and Faith pulling the other, as she insisted on helping. There were people spread out in their family groups, no need for masks as they were all outdoors.
It was a perfect fall day: crisp enough out for long sleeves, but not a heavy jacket.
"Mama. See so many pumpkins. Look! That pumpkin is BIG!" Faith said as she pointed to her right. They both looked and Mulder nodded.
"It's a very big pumpkin. I don't think we need that one, Squatch," he said and she looked at him, her eyes pleading. "But… I suppose we could go look at it. Come on."
They abandoned their wagons and walked to the large pumpkin, letting Faith look at and touch it. Mulder lifted her up and set her on top, the highest point of it only as high as his shoulders. She squealed with delight and held onto the arm he kept wrapped around her.
"Mama! I on the pumpkin! Hi, Mama," Faith said, waving at Scully. Mulder looked at her with a smile as he saw her taking her phone from her pocket and snapping some pictures.
"Are you up high, my love? Can you touch the sky?"
"No, Mama. The sky is high. I can't touch it." She reached, grunting as she tried to go up higher. "It's too high, Mama."
"Yes, love. The sky is very high," Scully said, coming closer. Mulder wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple, smiling at both of them.
"Alright my girl, let's go pick out our pumpkins." He lifted Faith and put her on his shoulders, walked back to their wagons and set her onto the ground, squatting in front of her. "You want to help Mama or do you want to ride in the wagon?"
"I help Mama," she said importantly. He kissed her cheeks before standing up and smiling at Scully.
"Let's get a move on then," he said, and they once again began to rumble through the dirt, on their way to find the perfect pumpkins.
Stopping after a few rows, he looked at Scully.
"How many will we need, do you think?"
"Well," she said, stopping behind him, Faith walking over to a row of pumpkins and looking at them. "There will be three children who will paint them, not counting the twins, of course." She ticked them off, smiling as she glanced at Faith who had squatted down and was talking to the pumpkins.
"I think the adults will want to do one too, or we should give them the option."
"You think? Well, I know Alan and Ryan will, judging by their Instagram photos, both of them are quite artistic, but I don't know about the rest and I don't want to be stuck with a lot of pumpkins. What would we do with them?"
"Make pumpkin pie?" he said with a shrug.
"You will?"
"I can make a pie."
"From a real pumpkin? Not a can of pumpkin purée?"
"I… can make a pie," he answered, with just the slightest bit of uncertainty. She stared at him and he tilted his head. "You don't think I can?"
"I didn't say that."
"Not out loud." She kept staring at him and he raised his eyebrows. "You're still silently saying it very loudly." She smiled and he shook his head.
"I'll do it, just to prove you wrong."
"Then by all means, get as many pumpkins as you want."
"Oh, I intend to do just that," he said, walking away in a faux huff, as she laughed behind him and Faith ran toward him with two tiny pumpkins.
"Dada, pumpkins for the babies. Little pumpkins for Liz Beth and Jakey. Here, Dada. For the babies."
"Those are perfect, love. Go put them in the wagon."
"Okay. I will."
He watched her go, Scully's phone out again as she smiled and took pictures. Looking up and catching her eye, he winked at her before he turned and began to search for the other pumpkins they would need.
An hour later, they pulled the wagons toward the car, Faith sitting on his shoulders and eating a ghost shaped lollipop, a new pumpkin bobble headed headband on her head.
She had ridden the ponies and jumped in a bounce house, laughing hysterically as she fell and got up many times. Flushed and happy, she had smiled as Scully put her shoes back on, and Mulder handed her a bottle of water.
"Jumping is fun. I like to jump," she had said, her eyes shining as she had looked at Mulder.
Perusing the treats, decorations, and toys, inside the large barn, Faith had been allowed to pick one new item, as her birthday was the next day. She had chosen a small plush witch with purple hair, a black dress with multi-colored patches, black and green striped stockings, and black shiny boots. Mulder had been ecstatic with her choice, telling her about witches and goblins as Scully shook her head with a smile.
"Twenty pumpkins, Mulder. We bought twenty pumpkins," Scully said behind him and he turned to look at her with a smile.
"Fifteen for the party, five for us to carve tonight."
"Five is a lot. You sure you're up for the challenge? Remember I am better when it comes to decorating pumpkins."
"Among other things," he said with a smile, knowing she was better than him at so many things. He waited for her to reach him, bending as he held onto Faith's legs, and kissed her, her hand on his cheek and her thumb stroking gently.
"You're going to lose so badly," she whispered and he smiled as he kissed her again.
"Bring it on, honey," he whispered back and she chuckled, patting his face with more force than usual.
7:00 p.m.
"It's yucky in the pumpkin. Eww… Dada, you do it. It's yucky." Faith made a face as she sat on the table, looking in the pumpkin and wiping her hands on her pants.
"You don't want to touch the gooey guts of the pumpkin?" he asked, teasing her with some he had scooped out.
"No, Dada. I don't like it," she said, pulling away with a whine.
"Mulder, don't tease her," Scully said, a small smile on her face. "Look at this one, Faithy. All cleaned out. Now we can do the face. You want it to have a happy smile?"
"Yes, Mama. Thank you." She moved closer to Scully and looked inside the pumpkin.
"It's empty. No guts."
"Nope," Scully chuckled. "No guts. Let's make a face on it. You want to help me draw it?"
"Yes, Mama!" She clapped her hands and stood up, Scully reaching for her and holding her in her lap.
Mulder picked up a towel and wiped off his hands, took his phone from his back pocket and recorded a video of them drawing on the pumpkin together.
"Triangle eyes. A round nose. And a big happy smile."
"Why him have triangle eyes?"
"You want a different shape?" Scully asked, looking at her and kissing her cheek.
"He have circle eyes."
"You want circle eyes? We can do circle eyes. And a triangle nose."
"Happy smile."
"Yes, a happy smile. You want teeth?"
"No, Mama. Teeth can bite."
"No, love. Pumpkins can't bite. You want just a smile and no teeth?"
"A happy smile, Mama. Yes." She looked up at Scully and smiled. "I love you. And you make a happy smile."
"Oh, honey, I love you too. Let's make our pumpkin. You can help me." She squeezed Faith tight and looked up at Mulder with a happy smile of her own. He stopped the video and smiled back, putting his phone in his pocket and returning to his pumpkin.
As he scooped out his pumpkin and another, Scully showed Faith how to use the small knives to cut the pumpkin. Faith liked pushing the pieces through and watching them fall, looking through the face as well as through the top.
Grey jumped onto the table, sniffing around at the pieces that had been removed and the seeds and insides of the pumpkins. She batted a piece onto the floor, hitting it with her paw and letting it roll around. Bella came over and laid by Mulder's feet, no interest in what they were doing.
"Okay. I think we're done. Do you like it?" Scully asked Faith, setting the little knife away from her reach.
"Pumpkin has happy smile. Circle eyes. Triangle nose," she said, touching them as she said it. "Happy pumpkin."
"It is a happy pumpkin. Hey, Daddy, can you get us a candle?" Scully looked at him and smiled. He nodded and wiped his hands again, opening a drawer and taking out a tea light candle.
Lighting it, he handed it to Scully and she put it inside the pumpkin, putting the lid on top.
"Let's take it outside, sweetie, and put it on the porch."
Mulder lifted the pumpkin and Scully carried Faith, Bella standing up and following them out the door. Leaving the lights off, he set the pumpkin down on the top step as they walked down to the grass and looked at the pumpkin.
"What do you think, Faithy?"
"Pumpkin is happy," she said with a smile, wiggling in Scully's arms to get down. When she was, she walked up and knelt down on the step in front of the pumpkin, staring at it closely.
Mulder took pictures of her, smiling as he did, loving how interested she was in the holiday this year.
When they went back inside, her bedtime approaching, she stopped and looked back at the door.
"Mama," she said, touching Scully's leg. "I want the witch to laugh."
"The witch? Oh, she didn't turn on, did she? Well, my love, you will need to ask Daddy for that. It doesn't work the same for me. Probably because I'm so-"
"Short?" Mulder asked, staring at her with a smirk.
"Petite," she contradicted him with a glare. "I'm not a big galumphing man with gangly arms and legs that always sets off the sensor."
"Gangly? Have you seen these muscles?" he asked, flexing his forearms and she hummed as she pursed her lips.
"Dada? I see witch laugh?" Faith asked, walking over and wrapping her arms around his leg as she looked up at him. He looked down and then back at Scully, who bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh.
"Fine," he grumbled, lifting Faith and throwing her over his shoulder. She laughed as she said goodbye to Scully and they walked back out the door, his sigh heavy as he went to do his girl's bidding, even though he really hated that goddamn witch.
October 31st
Creek Park
11:30 a.m.
"Okay, I think we have everything ready," Scully said, setting the boxes of paint onto one of the picnic tables they had reserved for that morning.
Tablecloths covered them, hybrid "Happy Halloween Birthday" ones she had found on some website months ago. There were witches holding bunches of balloons with smiling pumpkin faces, ghosts with presents in their hands, and vampires with layered cakes on plates, grinning with large fangs. They were very cute and Scully had been incredibly proud to have found them, bringing them up often in conversations.
The pumpkins were all on one table with the paint and paintbrushes, stickers, googly eyes, feathers, sequins, gems, and sticky glue dots to hold things in place. Food and cupcakes would be arriving at 12:30, giving people time to decorate pumpkins and catch up.
"It's perfect," Mulder said, closing the stepstool they had brought and looking around. He had put up orange and black streamers across the slatted covering over the picnic area. "It's low-key and exactly what we need."
"Yeah, it's good," she said with a smile and they looked over at Faith as she spun around in her witch costume.
She had wanted to be a witch like the one on their porch, much to his dismay, as she seemed to enjoy running around and saying he he he, laughing when he would jump. Sometimes it was put upon and sometimes she truly did frighten him, which Scully found exceptionally funny.
Her costume was long sleeved, purple with gold sparkles, and a black bodice. She wore purple and black tights and a headband with a witches hat attached-black with a purple brim. She loved it, especially her black boots, wearing them every chance she was given.
He was wearing a black shirt with Bigfoot standing in profile beneath a hovering UFO, the beam of it shining down on him. Scully had laughed and shaken her head when she saw it, then showed him the shirt she had bought for herself. It was dark burgundy with a drawing of a large golden moon rising over water, and a black silhouette of a witch flying on a broomstick.
"Mama," Faith said, clomping over to her in her boots. "We go see the ducks?"
"Not yet, my little witch, but in a bit, okay?"
"Okay. I… Unco! Raycho! You here!" She ran past Mulder as he turned and saw Rachel and Skinner walking toward them with a smile.
The babies were being carried together by Rachel in a single black wrap and Skinner had a large backpack in his hands.
"Hi, Raycho! Hi babies. I see babies, Raycho?" she asked, jumping up and down excitedly.
"Well, hello little witch, aren't you the cutest witch there ever was?" Rachel said with a smile. "Happy birthday, Miss Faith. Let me sit down and then you can see the babies."
"Come here, you," Skinner said, sliding the backpack on and scooping Faith up in his arms. "Happy birthday, little girl. How old are you today?"
"I three." She worked at holding her fingers down correctly and smiled at him. "This many, Unco."
"Yeah, you are," he said with a smile, kissing her on the cheek. He nodded at Mulder and they all walked to the tables. "Got her gift in the car. I'll bring it over later."
"Good idea."
Rachel sat down and Faith was set down to see the babies who were sleeping, their heads close together and their hands touching.
"Hi babies," Faith said softly, touching their heads gently. "Hi, Liz Beth. Hi, Jakey. See my dress? I a witch. He he he." They stirred, but their eyes remained closed. She looked up at Rachel and Rachel smiled at her.
"They are sleeping now, but when they wake up they will love to see your dress," she assured Faith and she smiled with a nod.
"Unco, see ducks? We go see ducks?" Faith asked, turning her attention to him. He glanced at Rachel and she nodded with a soft smile.
"I'm good here. You go on." He nodded and set the backpack beside her on the bench, kissed the top of her head, and took Faith's hand.
"Let's go see the ducks, little witch," he said and she cheered. He nodded to the others and off they went to the large pond not too far from the picnic area.
"Still wrapped around her finger," Scully said with a grin and Rachel snorted.
"As if that would change. I hope you have room in your car for her gift because it's not in a box. It's a toy kitchen already put together and quite large," she said, rubbing the babies backs. "He insisted it be ready to be enjoyed. God, I love him so much." They all laughed and Mulder assured her they would figure it out.
Elise, Tyler, Raina, Emmy were the next people to arrive a few minutes later.
Elise, who had delivered Faith and the twins, walked straight to Scully and Rachel. Smiling as she looked at the babies, she held eighteen-month-old Emmy up to see them. She was dressed as a pumpkin with a headband that looked like a stem with curly vines. Raina, now six and dressed as Wonder Woman, smiled shyly at Mulder. He smiled and complimented her costume, asking her to tell him about it and soon her shyness had disappeared.
Violet and Denis were next, both wearing Halloween themed face masks and carrying three beautifully wrapped gifts. Saying hello to everyone, they gushed over the babies, asking how they were and how Rachel was feeling.
Amid the laughter, Alan and Ryan arrived, colorful gift bags in their hands, and both in casual costumes. Ryan was Indiana Jones, complete with a hat and whip, and Alan was Alan Grant from Jurassic Park. They all laughed and hugged, catching up and discussing what a year it had been, how happy they were to see each other again.
Faith and Skinner came back from visiting the ducks and was beyond excited to see everyone. She and the little girls ran around and played while the adults stood around and talked.
They sat to paint pumpkins: the kids, Alan, Ryan, and Denis, each taking care with how they painted them. Emmy lost interest after a while, so Tyler took her on a walk to the playground. Raina showed Faith how to paint carefully and Faith mimicked her, smiling when she got it right.
Mulder smiled as he observed and listened to both groups. He heard Raina complimenting Denis and asking him to help her. Faith asked Alan for "sprigles" and before Mulder could explain what she meant, Alan correctly handed her the glitter, and she shook it onto her multicolored pumpkin. Catching his eye, Alan nodded and tipped his hat, his attention then back to his pumpkin.
"So, how has it been for you with two babies?" Mulder heard Violet ask and Rachel laughed softly. "I always thought twins would be fun and interesting, but I wasn't so lucky to have had them."
"It's been… I don't want to say easy, because that's not it, but it's been… calm? I think that's the word," Rachel said and Mulder smiled at the sight of Scully holding Jacob and smiling down at him, Elizabeth still sleeping in the wrap. "Every movie and television show, we are shown that it's chaos when you have a baby. I know it's for dramatic effect and for laughs, but I feel it portrays things negatively. Not every baby cries all night, or the parents are zombies walking around constantly exhausted. Am I tired? Yes, but I'm not a wild-eyed, crazy-haired woman with half a face of makeup done."
They all laughed and Rachel shook her head.
"I know it won't always be this easy, or calm rather. They are only a month old, and still becoming acquainted with the world. Eating, sleeping, and pooping… that's their routine. We have learned who they are and adapted to their needs. It's not easy, no… but it's not hard either. I feel like I'm explaining it wrong." She looked at Skinner and he smiled with a shake of his head.
"You're not," Scully said softly, swaying in the way Mulder had once described as her figure eight motion when she had soothed Faith the same way as a baby. "I know what you mean, I think we all do. The first couple of months are like that, lots of sleeping and eating, but there is a peace to it, if you do it right. If you listen to your baby." Mulder smiled at her, watching her watch Jacob, then looking over at Faith as she laughed at something Alan had said to her.
"Plus, to be completely honest," Scully said and he looked back at her. She was smiling at Rachel and now swaying side-to-side. "You are a calm, kind, and attentive person, Rachel. You don't lash out, get riled up, or upset easily. Babies can sense those things and they feed off that feeling. You are calm and so they are calm. Both of you." She looked at Skinner and nodded. "Both of you know how to handle stress, to de-escalate a situation, and it's why these little ones are calm and happy. They know they are safe and loved."
"Dana, I swear to God," Rachel said with a sniff, taking a tissue from a pack in the backpack. "You can't say stuff like that when I'm all… emotional. It's not fair." Scully laughed softly as she swayed and watched Rachel wiping her eyes.
"She's right," Mulder said, nodding at Rachel as he stepped closer to Scully. Looking down at Jacob, he smiled and she raised her eyebrows, offering Jacob to him to hold, but he shook his head. "You hold him, he's content." He kissed her temple and went back to check on Faith.
Lunch arrived and the tables were cleared, as everyone sat down to eat, laughing and talking again about the past year. Elise told stories of seeing women and then delivering their babies in such stressful times and how it took a toll on her, Tyler rubbing her back as she began to cry, Rachel handing her some tissues.
Violet told them how happy she had been to pick up her mother and get their vaccinations. How she and her mother had cried and hugged when it was over and then the nurse who administered it was crying along with them. Scully admitted she had done the same and Rachel and Elise both laughed, saying they had too.
Tyler and Denis were in conversation, Tyler asking after his woodworking skills. A contractor himself, he was interested in how Denis created things, which tools he used, and which woods he found easiest to shape.
Alan was talking with Scully, her face serious as she shook her head and heard stories from the hospital. Ryan had quit, walking out a few months ago after losing five patients in one day and tiring of hearing people saying the virus was a hoax.
"I had to," he said quietly, his eyes on the table. "It was killing me to not be able to help them, to hear what people were saying, yelling at me as I walked into the hospital…" He raised his head, mindful of the children around, especially Raina who was listening raptly to him. He smiled at her and she smiled back. "It wasn't a tough decision to make, but I miss the work, the other doctors, the nurses..." He shook his head and drew in a deep breath.
"But, it's all for good," Alan said, putting his arm around Ryan and kissing his shoulder. "Remember we said we were planning to adopt? Well, it's been two years and we've come close a couple of times, but it always fell through. So, we're going to do foster care, with the possibility of adoption down the road. With Ryan home, he will be the one to care for them most and be available at any time they may need us."
"I think that's wonderful," Scully said softly, smiling at them. "I'm so sorry you had to leave and why you did, but this… I think this was the plan set forth for you."
"I think so too," Ryan said with a nod, looking at Alan and taking his hand, smiling at him.
A cry broke through the air and they all looked to see Skinner standing up. Taking Elizabeth, he began walking with her, shushing her softly.
"Unco, I see Liz Beth?" Faith said, getting up from the table and going over to him.
"Honey, she needs to be rocked right now. In a little while, okay?" he said and she shook her head.
"No, Unco. I see her. Tell her no crying." She looked at him and he opened his mouth to say something when Rachel spoke first.
"Let her see her, honey." He looked at her and she smiled with a nod.
Sitting down on the bench, Elizabeth began to cry louder and Faith stepped closer to them, placing her hand on Elizabeth's blanketed chest.
"Shh, Liz Beth. It's okay. No crying, okay? Shhh…" She rubbed her chest softly, kissing her forehead and then stroking the top of her head with her other hand.
Elizabeth's crying began to lessen and then stopped altogether, her eyes open and staring at Faith.
"Hi, Liz Beth. You okay. No crying." She smiled and kissed her forehead again. When she pulled back, Elizabeth kept staring at her, when she suddenly smiled.
"Holy shit," Skinner whispered and Faith looked up at him.
"She happy now. She smile at me, Unco." Faith looked back down, but Elizabeth did not smile again. Skinner looked at the other adults and Elise shook her head.
"It's most likely gas, she's too young to be smiling like that just yet," she said and Scully nodded in agreement.
"Still…" he said, looking at Mulder who raised his eyebrows and sighed, shaking his head.
"I don't know, I think she might have a bit of that calming magic touch, just like you two do."
"Yeah," Skinner said softly. "Yeah, that's it. You have the magic touch with the babies, sweet girl?"
"He he he," she said in a high pitched voice, wiggling her fingers at him and smiling.
They all laughed and Skinner kissed Faith's head before she ran back to her seat and began to eat again.
After the food was gone and cleared away, cupcakes were given out and they sang to Faith, as she blew out the candle on her cupcake.
Presents were opened, Faith exclaiming over them all, even the clothes as she said how pretty they were. She took off her witch hat headband and put on the new one with white cat ears, meowing and laughing.
The painted pumpkins were again visited, eyes, sequins, feathers, and any other decorations were added now that the paint was dry. Faith laughed as Alan and Ryan made silly faces and noises and helped her with her pumpkin, Raina also giggling as she added numerous googly eyes to her pumpkin.
Mulder was holding Jacob, smiling at him as he fed him his bottle, when Scully walked over and sat beside him. She bent and kissed the top of Jacob's head, her thumb rubbing his temple gently.
"He's so cute. So small. Could she have ever been this tiny?" she asked him, sitting up and looking at Faith, Alan tickling her with a feather as she laughed.
"Hmm," Mulder hummed with a smile. "She definitely was, but it seems so long ago now."
"I miss those times, but also love where we're at now."
"Same. I don't miss the middle of the night feedings-"
"You don't? I don't remember you feeding her," she said with a grin.
"No, but I got up with you."
"You did, that's true." She smiled at Jacob and stroked his head again, her expression suddenly changing.
"Hey. Stay here, Scully," Mulder said softly, knowing where her thoughts had drifted.
"I'm here," she whispered and looked up at him with a nod. "I promise." She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, her hand moving to his cheek.
A whining sound pulled her away and they looked down as the bottle emptied. Mulder took the bottle gently from Jacob's mouth and he began to cry. Handing the bottle to Scully, he held Jacob to his chest, patting his back gently and then rubbing it, encouraging him to burp.
Scully's hand joined his and she nodded, letting him know again that she was okay. He smiled and nodded back, Jacob burping once and moving with a grunt.
"What do you think about offering to help them out once a month? Coming to stay for the weekend, helping with the babies, letting Faith bond more with them?" Mulder asked and she smiled.
"And watch her wielding her magic over them?" she teased and he nodded.
"Absolutely. I think we need to investigate that more thoroughly, because that shit…" He looked around and opened his eyes wide as he looked at her again. "That shit was spooky."
"Well," she said with a laugh. "We aren't Team Spooky for nothing."
"No," he said, glancing over at Faith as Skinner pulled her onto his lap, and she squealed in delight. "No, weren't not."
Scully hummed and put her head on Mulder's shoulder as together they continued rubbing Jacob's back, watching Faith laughing as she stuck colorful gems onto Skinner's face and head, and he pretended to be annoyed, but smiled softly at her, not caring one bit.