Red Fireworks - Chapter 6

Here it is, all, the GRAND FINALE! I hope you enjoy it; it took me so long to get up!

Special thanks to my beloved betas, Jen and Theresa, for all their help with this fic. Also, Misty gets props for spotting my typos as I made them. :)

Standard Disclaimer - Mulder and Scully and all the X Files stuff, are not mine. If they were, oh the fun I would have! Also, if there any copyrights on the Fourth of July and patriotic mumbo jumbo, that also, is not mine. But the field that I describe, is Primos, and I know and respect that field, so I can claim that its mine (even though it belongs to the township...or the school...or someone not me) Wait a sec...what actually is mine?! Oh yeah..the story. Enjoy it. :)

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Scully stood once again behind her locked bedroom door, changing into her regular clothes.

She put on a pair of white shorts and a red spaghetti strapped shirt. Her crucifix hung around her neck as always, and for once she had in festive earrings; tiny stars of red, white, and blue that her mother had purchased for her.

Scully looked in the mirror, checking herself over as she brushed out her hair. It had air dried, so it was wavy.

Scully slipped on a pair of sandals and headed downstairs, where she found Mulder. He was waiting in the kitchen, feasting on another brownie.

Mulder looked up to see who was coming, surprised even though he knew it would be Scully. He knew her footfalls as well as his own.

She looked beautiful. The red shirt reacted with her hair, and the hair...it was wavy. He had never seen her hair look like that...and the shorts...They showed off Scully's legs, which he'd been admiring all day.

"You look...patriotic," he said, smiling. He winced internally, thinking that the comment could be taken to be negative.

"The least I can do for my country and to celebrate American independence is to dress in red and white," came her reply.

"I always go more for the lighting of things on fire and blowing stuff up. THAT's what Independence Day is really all about."

"Well, you'll get plenty of that tonight. My mom bought a car load full of firecrackers and sparklers. The fireworks show we're going to is really good," Scully added.

"I don't know, Scully," Mulder said suddenly. "Lights in the sky...we've been there before, haven't we?"

She smiled at his jest.

"So where's everyone else?" Mulder asked.

"Well, they do have to change themselves and the kids, so they should be down soon."

As Scully finished her remark, the rest of her family appeared on the stairs. Tara and Laura carried the younger ones, while their husbands came in tow. Mrs Scully was the last to come down, leading Tommy by the hand.

"You sure you aren't part psychic?" Mulder asked her, as the Scullys descended to the hall.

"Not a chance..." Scully muttered, as she stood up from the table to go.

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The field that the Scullys went to for the fireworks was vast and green. There was a hill leading up to the large, flat field.

Off to one side was a playground, complete with two sets of swings, a tall slide that wrapped around, and chin-up bars that all of the kids insisted on using as monkey bars.

Set in front of the equipment, which was spread alound the perimeter of the field, was a jungle gym of sorts, complete with three slides, a bouncing bridge, polls, steps, and a pirate wheel.

Parents were helping younger kids to climb up the stairs and then go down the slide. Older children had started a game of tag or capture, and were running through up the stairs and sliding down poles.

Set further inside the field, in front of the jungle gym, was a baseball diamond. To its right stretched a large portion of empty field.

Tommy immediately spied the slide and begged his father to be taken over to it. Charlie obliged and went with him, while Laura and Tara spread out blankets and opened chairs.

The three sat down in their chairs, and Bill sprawled himself out on the ground, covering an entire blanket. He lay on his back and played with Mattie, bouncing him on his stomach and 'flying' him through the air.

Mulder looked around, taking in the setting and trying to decide what they might do until the show began.

"I don't suppose you'd want to start up a baseball game, do you?" He asked, knowing that it was a stupid thing to say, but needing to say something.

Scully smiled, remembering his love of the game.

"Hm, sorry. We wouldn't have enough people." She could tell that he was looking for something better to do than just sit and make idle conversation, so she made a suggestion.

"We're too big for a lot of those things, but I don't think anyone is ever too old for the swings."

Mulder looked at her, half thinking that she must be kidding with him. Scully...his partner...swinging like a little kid?

"Sure, I'll join you - if you can pump your little legs fast enough to keep up with me!"

Scully started walking over toward the swings, and Mulder took a minute before following, jogging to catch up.

"What? We're not gonna race?" He asked jokingly.

Scully just shook her head, becoming more aware of the pain in her knee due to the thought of running on it.

They reached the swings and found two next to each other.

Within seconds Mulder was off the ground and swinging high into the night air; his long legs pumping to propell him upward.

Scully, though she tried, could not keep flexing her knee.

It hurt severely every time she moved it, and it wasn't long before Mulder took notice.

"Scully, you know I was only kidding about your short legs, but you really can't swing..."

She smiled, despite herself. "Its not my legs...its my knee," she replied.

He immediately felt bad about harrassing her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, slowing his swing. "I didn't even think about that."

Mulder stopped his swing all together and hopped off of it.

He then went around his partner and said, "If you can't swing, I'll just have to push you!"

Scully laughed at the idea. "Its alright, Mulder, you don't have to---" but he was already pulling her backward by the chains of her swing.

When Mulder had the swing as far back as it could go, he pushed his partner forward, gently tapping her back to give her momentum when she returned to him each time.

Scully relaxed as she swung higher and higher.

All around she saw kids laughing and playing. People were shooting off bottle rockets and playing with sparklers, and the night air was cool and less humid than the day...and Scully soared above everything, like a firework.

In the midst of her swinging, the fireworks began.

As Scully swung forward, she felt as if she could reach out and touch the lights in the sky.

Mulder had been silent a long time, content simply to push Scully on the swing.

After the fireworks started, he suggested that they go back to her family.

Scully agreed and he caught hold of her swing, jogging forward with it to slow and stop it.

They made their way back to the Scully family and sat down together on the only empty blanket left.

The fireworks dashed and boomed above them; the tiny strings of glitter raining down overhead.

The sky was a sea of purpleish blue, red, white, gold, and green. Halos of color appeared, shimmering and disappearing into the night air.

Some made ringlets while others fell like shooting stars. Some whirred and shrieked, then boomed, exploading loudly into mosaics of color.

The sky was lit with gold ones, that broke off and flew down, looking like eloquent chandeliers, and underneath it all, Mulder and Scully sat watching together on their blanket.

Both were leaning back, trying uncomfortably to recline, while supporting themselves with their hands.

Scully gave up, and lay down completely, and Mulder leaned over on his side, resting his head on his left hand.

He studied his beautiful partner as he had a million times.

Scully took her eyes away from the sky and realized that she was being observed. She locked her eyes on Mulder, waiting for him to say something.

After awhile, he decided to break the silence.

"Thank you for inviting me," he said plainly. He could not honestly think of anything else to say.

Scully smiled at him and closed her eyes, laying back on their blanket.

She felt her partner lay down beside her, close enough that she could feel his body.

Scully shifted her head so that it met his shoulder, and let it rest there.

She looked up at the sky as a large red flare shot up, cascading down like a thousand flaming embers.

"You know, I've always liked the red ones the best," Mulder said, staring at the sky.

"I think the gold ones are pretty," Scully mused, softly.

"I never knew what made the red ones so special; they just were," he continued. "Those red ones are just like you, Scully. Those fireworks are unique, a rare, mysterious, and beautiful thing, but they don't last long. The fireworks quickly fade into the darkness, and then they're gone for good. I don't want to miss my chance with them, or with you."

Scully shifted a little, surprised at his words, and again when she felt Mulder's fingers lace themselves through her own.

Scully took in what he was saying - what he was suggesting - and got up her courage.

She propped herself up slightly with her shoulder so that she could see her partner's face.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," she said to him tenderly, "There are plenty of sparks between us."

With that, she leaned down and kissed him simply, near the mouth but not on it.

She reclined onto her back, but Mulder shifted around with her. Leaning over her, not more than a breath away, he looked into her eyes, his own reflecting the light around them.

His eyes asked her permission for a brief second. She smiled, confirming that the answer was yes, and Mulder bend down, kissing her deeply on the lips.

They kissed under the blanket of color that marked the grand finale, and as the last of the fireworks faded into the still summer air, they two lay together, wrapped in the others' embrace.

FIN

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So, there it is, the GRAND FINALE! I know, I know, I made you wait long enough, but thanks for bearing with my pokiness. Reviews are alllllwaaaays appreciated, because they inflate my ego, and encourage to write more fics. :) I have a lot of new ideas, and I can't wait to get them out! If anyone should ever want to email me, my addy is Janeway_@hotmail.com I love to talk to anyone and everyone about x files and fanfic!