December 18th, 2012
When the fallout came, it was unexpected. Things grew less tense in the Mulder household, mostly because William acted nicer towards his mother. Realizing that she hadn't knowingly sent him off to a stark childhood, he became less cold. Luke warm perhaps. He still didn't act thrilled that she was there, but he was no more distant to her than to any other grown stranger.
As for the problem that had called Scully there, the reports of aliens had slowed to a trickle, and the adults let themselves be lulled into thinking that perhaps things had just been blown out of proportion. Cat ribbed Mulder about his paranoia, and Scully gave small, knowing smiles, whenever she did. They'd begun to plan that Scully would leave on the twenty-third, staying only that long "just in case." Who knew that just in case was just around the corner?
**
Cat noticed that Mulder was looking around the living room with a speculative expression on his face. "What?"
"No Christmas tree."
"Oh gosh, you're right. We really ought to get one." Cat suggested. "Or, maybe you should. I'm afraid Delaney and Avery are coming down with colds, so I want to keep them in today. I bet the other kids would go with you."
"You're right." Mulder told her. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed "Who wants to come with me to get a tree?"
A flurry of footsteps gave him his reply. He frowned a little, noting that Kyle wasn't amongst the crowd gathering coats and boots. "Where's Kyle?"
"I think he's in his room."
When Mulder when to look for him, heard the boy singing a Christmas carol to himself. Poking his head into the bedroom, he saw Kyle surrounded by a city made of building block. "Hey, didn't hear me ask who wanted to go get a tree?"
"I heard, Daddy. But is it ok if I don't go? I wanna keep playing."
"Of course you don't have to go."
"Good." Kyle told him, then immediately began to pick up his song, which Mulder finally identified as "Away in a manger." Sort of.
Mulder was getting his own coat on when he noticed Scully hovering in the kitchen, looking out of sorts. "Scully, do you want to come too?" He asked impulsively. "Women pick better trees. Or so Cat claims."
"Oh, would you, Dana? I'd hate to see what sort of tree a pack of males on their own would pick out." Cat begged.
"Sure..."
***
The Christmas tree lot smelled very strongly of pine, in the way that living trees never do. Mulder reflected for a moment that it was sad that you have to murder the trees before you can appreciate the smell, but trying to keep an eye on the three boys as they dashed back and forth amongst the trees cut the musing short.
"How about this one?" Mulder asked, pointing at the nearest tree.
"I don't think so. How high are your ceilings? That tree has to be almost nine feet high."
"Oops. Maybe not this one."
They never bought a tree before, he and Scully. Had he not been kidnapped by aliens in August, they might have, but their relationship as more than friends had been so brief that they'd never shared an official Christmas together. He supposed that this is what it might have been like, and it wasn't too bad. But he really missed Cat's presence at his side as the all important tree was selected.
"I think maybe that one over-"
"Dad!!" " Daddy!!!"
Mulder's heart stopped. Owen and Benji both sounded terrified. What's worse was that he didn't hear William.
"I think they're over there." Scully shouted to him, pointing at the far end of the lot.
Unmindful of the mess, Mulder crashed through the trees, knocking several over. Fortunately they merely fell to the ground, instead of onto people. Scully was one step behind him, groping at her waist for her gun. Seeing that, he wished more than anything that his own gun, a non-FBI issued handgun- wasn't stored safely, apart from bullets, in the closet of his bedroom.
When they at last reached the source of the screaming, they had to wait a few seconds for a cloud of needles to clear before they could make heads or tails of the sight before them. Two men were holding onto William's arms, and two other men were holding Benji and Owen. All three boys were firmly in hand, despite their frantic, if ineffectual, blows at their captors.
"Freeze! FBI! Let the boys go!" Scully shouted at them, training her gun on one of the men holding William. When none of them made a move to let them go, William began to cry silent tears.
Scully glanced at Mulder, asking if she should use force, but he could only shrug helplessly.
The man holding Owen looked at Mulder and nodded his head."Fox Mulder. I assumed that you and the children's mother would be here soon, thank you for not making us wait." He looked down at the struggling boy. "Except for young William, it seems as though the children favor you instead of dear Dana. A pity."
Mulder tried not to let his puzzlement show. The man obviously thought that all three of the boys were Scully's sons, and he wasn't sure if that was an advantage or a disadvantage. "Let my sons go." He demanded, not expecting results.
Which he didn't get. "I don't think I will. Actually, I'm going to take you and Dana as well, the whole happy family." This response redoubled his certainty that the men had no idea that he and Scully were not a couple. He shot her a brief look, begging her to play along, and her poker face said she would. Fortunately, the boys were too distraught to understand the nuance of the adults' conversation.
When the fallout came, it was unexpected. Things grew less tense in the Mulder household, mostly because William acted nicer towards his mother. Realizing that she hadn't knowingly sent him off to a stark childhood, he became less cold. Luke warm perhaps. He still didn't act thrilled that she was there, but he was no more distant to her than to any other grown stranger.
As for the problem that had called Scully there, the reports of aliens had slowed to a trickle, and the adults let themselves be lulled into thinking that perhaps things had just been blown out of proportion. Cat ribbed Mulder about his paranoia, and Scully gave small, knowing smiles, whenever she did. They'd begun to plan that Scully would leave on the twenty-third, staying only that long "just in case." Who knew that just in case was just around the corner?
**
Cat noticed that Mulder was looking around the living room with a speculative expression on his face. "What?"
"No Christmas tree."
"Oh gosh, you're right. We really ought to get one." Cat suggested. "Or, maybe you should. I'm afraid Delaney and Avery are coming down with colds, so I want to keep them in today. I bet the other kids would go with you."
"You're right." Mulder told her. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed "Who wants to come with me to get a tree?"
A flurry of footsteps gave him his reply. He frowned a little, noting that Kyle wasn't amongst the crowd gathering coats and boots. "Where's Kyle?"
"I think he's in his room."
When Mulder when to look for him, heard the boy singing a Christmas carol to himself. Poking his head into the bedroom, he saw Kyle surrounded by a city made of building block. "Hey, didn't hear me ask who wanted to go get a tree?"
"I heard, Daddy. But is it ok if I don't go? I wanna keep playing."
"Of course you don't have to go."
"Good." Kyle told him, then immediately began to pick up his song, which Mulder finally identified as "Away in a manger." Sort of.
Mulder was getting his own coat on when he noticed Scully hovering in the kitchen, looking out of sorts. "Scully, do you want to come too?" He asked impulsively. "Women pick better trees. Or so Cat claims."
"Oh, would you, Dana? I'd hate to see what sort of tree a pack of males on their own would pick out." Cat begged.
"Sure..."
***
The Christmas tree lot smelled very strongly of pine, in the way that living trees never do. Mulder reflected for a moment that it was sad that you have to murder the trees before you can appreciate the smell, but trying to keep an eye on the three boys as they dashed back and forth amongst the trees cut the musing short.
"How about this one?" Mulder asked, pointing at the nearest tree.
"I don't think so. How high are your ceilings? That tree has to be almost nine feet high."
"Oops. Maybe not this one."
They never bought a tree before, he and Scully. Had he not been kidnapped by aliens in August, they might have, but their relationship as more than friends had been so brief that they'd never shared an official Christmas together. He supposed that this is what it might have been like, and it wasn't too bad. But he really missed Cat's presence at his side as the all important tree was selected.
"I think maybe that one over-"
"Dad!!" " Daddy!!!"
Mulder's heart stopped. Owen and Benji both sounded terrified. What's worse was that he didn't hear William.
"I think they're over there." Scully shouted to him, pointing at the far end of the lot.
Unmindful of the mess, Mulder crashed through the trees, knocking several over. Fortunately they merely fell to the ground, instead of onto people. Scully was one step behind him, groping at her waist for her gun. Seeing that, he wished more than anything that his own gun, a non-FBI issued handgun- wasn't stored safely, apart from bullets, in the closet of his bedroom.
When they at last reached the source of the screaming, they had to wait a few seconds for a cloud of needles to clear before they could make heads or tails of the sight before them. Two men were holding onto William's arms, and two other men were holding Benji and Owen. All three boys were firmly in hand, despite their frantic, if ineffectual, blows at their captors.
"Freeze! FBI! Let the boys go!" Scully shouted at them, training her gun on one of the men holding William. When none of them made a move to let them go, William began to cry silent tears.
Scully glanced at Mulder, asking if she should use force, but he could only shrug helplessly.
The man holding Owen looked at Mulder and nodded his head."Fox Mulder. I assumed that you and the children's mother would be here soon, thank you for not making us wait." He looked down at the struggling boy. "Except for young William, it seems as though the children favor you instead of dear Dana. A pity."
Mulder tried not to let his puzzlement show. The man obviously thought that all three of the boys were Scully's sons, and he wasn't sure if that was an advantage or a disadvantage. "Let my sons go." He demanded, not expecting results.
Which he didn't get. "I don't think I will. Actually, I'm going to take you and Dana as well, the whole happy family." This response redoubled his certainty that the men had no idea that he and Scully were not a couple. He shot her a brief look, begging her to play along, and her poker face said she would. Fortunately, the boys were too distraught to understand the nuance of the adults' conversation.