2.30pm, Christmas Day
The whole lot of them had finally gotten out of the house and, all dressed in sensible winter clothing, made their way to a nearby park. There were not many children there and so the kids all quickly got a shot on their sledges, the adults all taking turns to go with them. They had rapidly chosen one hill as the best and the adults decided to stay on that hill rather than traipse around between runs.
Maggie and Tara were both standing near the bottom of the hill off to one side, taking photographs of the children as they came down the hill and then as they lay in the snow at the bottom. Charlie had just left them after giving his camera to his mom and was on his way back up to join the others at the top. Bill had just returned from taking Mattie down a smaller, less steep hill and was now being pestered by his nephew.
"Uncle Bill. I wanna go with you. Will you go down the hill with me? Please?"
"Here Dana. Can you take Mattie so I can go with Peter?"
"Sure Bill. No problem."
Bill handed Mattie to Scully and crossed to sit down on the sledge that his nephew was holding onto. When he was settled he lifted Peter onto the front of the sledge and shifted it into position at the top of the hill. Scully had turned Mattie round in her arms so that he could watch his daddy go down the hill and she waved his arm at the two of them to say goodbye. Jess got on the second sledge along with Abby, leaving Adele behind with Mulder, Mattie and Scully. The four of them watched the two sledges fly down the hill and cheered when they reached the bottom. Scully was then distracted by a sharp tug on her trouser leg.
"Auntie Day. You said you'd go wif me."
"I need to hold Mattie just now Adele."
"But you said."
"I'll go down when Uncle Bill comes back okay?"
"No. Now! Auntie Day, please?"
"Umm... Mulder, can you hold Mattie."
"I really don't think I should Scully. I don't think Bill will be too happy about it."
"Well Bill's not here and Adele will start to cry if I don't go with her. Besides, Bill's not been too bad since yesterday has he? ...Has he?"
"No ...It's just I don't think he'd want me to be holding his son."
"Mulder, just take him. It will only be for five minutes at the most."
"Okay, give him here. Have fun...try not to fall off."
"Thanks Mulder, I'll try."
Mulder gave her a kiss for luck as she passed Mattie over to him and she squeezed his shoulder gently. Picking up Adele, she sat down on the sledge and scooted nearer to the edge so that she could push off down the hill. By this time Bill and Peter had reached the bottom and were making their way back up the hill but Jess and Abby had stopped to talk to Tara and Maggie on their way. Mulder watched Scully and Adele speed towards the bottom and jiggled Mattie gently in his arms. He let out a chuff of laughter when the sledge overturned at the bottom, leaving the two sitting in the snow. Mattie giggled, hearing Mulder's merriment and clapped his hands as best he could with his mittens on.
Charlie had taken a rather long detour around the hill so that he was approaching from behind, a sneaky plan forming in his mind. He crept up behind Mulder and packed a ball of snow, not realising that Mulder was holding his nephew. He threw it at Mulder, hitting him on the back of the neck and continued walking as he laughed, ending up standing beside him. Caught unawares, Mulder gave a surprised yell as the cold snow trickled down his neck, startling Mattie in his arms. Mattie began crying loudly and Bill came running quickly up the last stretch of the hill, Peter following closely behind. Bill reached Mulder and; knowing only that his son was upset, not the reason why, grabbed Mattie from him.
"What did you do to my son? Give him to me!"
"Bill..."
"Charlie stay out of this! Now Mr Mulder, I may not have a choice when it comes to my sister but I do not want you anywhere near Mattie. Is that clear?"
"Bill..."
"No, Mr Mulder. I don't want him getting hurt like everyone else who's ever known you. It's bad enough that you won't leave Dana alone, to stop her getting hurt, but I will not have you hurting my son."
"Bill..."
"Charlie, it doesn't matter."
"But Mulder... Bill, it wasn't his fault Mattie was crying."
"Oh, no! Sorry, I forgot, nothing's ever his fault. So why is it he leaves a trail of injuries and suffering wherever he goes, huh? And why is it that no-one else seems to care, no-one else realises that Dana will be next and that this asshole doesn't give a damn?"
"Bill, watch your language please...Peter."
"Sorry Charlie. You say you love her, Mr Mulder, but you don't seem to care too much about her well-being. She's my sister, damn it, and I will not sit idly by while you ruin her life, not caring whether she lives or dies, as long as she's with you."
"I do care Bill. Scully..."
"Which one? Have you not realised that we're all 'Scully'...she has a first name."
"God Bill. Are you just completely inventing excuses not to like him now? Just calm down, there's no need to be shouting like this."
"There's every need Charlie because Mulder here doesn't seem to get it. Fact is that everyone he comes in contact with gets hurt - even if it is 'unintentional' as he says. I don't want that to happen to my son. Come on Charlie - you have to think about Jess and your kids, do you really want to realise too late that it's true?"
"Bill, you're being entirely unreasonable. Mulder, where are you going?"
"I'm gonna head back to the house. Tell Scu...Dana when she gets back for me would you, Charlie."
"Mulder, don't be stupid."
"Charlie, if the man wants to leave - good riddance to him."
"I really don't understand you Bill. You're my brother but you are being such an a... idiot."
Mulder turned away from the two brothers then, leaving them to argue and trudged down the hill towards the road. He met Maggie on his way, who was also heading home, having things still to do for the evening meal. She guessed from his demeanour that something had happened but Mulder refused to talk about it so she let it be, planning on asking her sons about it later. They walked home in almost complete silence, Mulder answering her few questions with a variety of non-committal grunts. After she had asked him the same question three times and gotten no response, Maggie stopped trying to get him to talk, instead mentally working out a list of what still needed to be done when she got home.
The whole lot of them had finally gotten out of the house and, all dressed in sensible winter clothing, made their way to a nearby park. There were not many children there and so the kids all quickly got a shot on their sledges, the adults all taking turns to go with them. They had rapidly chosen one hill as the best and the adults decided to stay on that hill rather than traipse around between runs.
Maggie and Tara were both standing near the bottom of the hill off to one side, taking photographs of the children as they came down the hill and then as they lay in the snow at the bottom. Charlie had just left them after giving his camera to his mom and was on his way back up to join the others at the top. Bill had just returned from taking Mattie down a smaller, less steep hill and was now being pestered by his nephew.
"Uncle Bill. I wanna go with you. Will you go down the hill with me? Please?"
"Here Dana. Can you take Mattie so I can go with Peter?"
"Sure Bill. No problem."
Bill handed Mattie to Scully and crossed to sit down on the sledge that his nephew was holding onto. When he was settled he lifted Peter onto the front of the sledge and shifted it into position at the top of the hill. Scully had turned Mattie round in her arms so that he could watch his daddy go down the hill and she waved his arm at the two of them to say goodbye. Jess got on the second sledge along with Abby, leaving Adele behind with Mulder, Mattie and Scully. The four of them watched the two sledges fly down the hill and cheered when they reached the bottom. Scully was then distracted by a sharp tug on her trouser leg.
"Auntie Day. You said you'd go wif me."
"I need to hold Mattie just now Adele."
"But you said."
"I'll go down when Uncle Bill comes back okay?"
"No. Now! Auntie Day, please?"
"Umm... Mulder, can you hold Mattie."
"I really don't think I should Scully. I don't think Bill will be too happy about it."
"Well Bill's not here and Adele will start to cry if I don't go with her. Besides, Bill's not been too bad since yesterday has he? ...Has he?"
"No ...It's just I don't think he'd want me to be holding his son."
"Mulder, just take him. It will only be for five minutes at the most."
"Okay, give him here. Have fun...try not to fall off."
"Thanks Mulder, I'll try."
Mulder gave her a kiss for luck as she passed Mattie over to him and she squeezed his shoulder gently. Picking up Adele, she sat down on the sledge and scooted nearer to the edge so that she could push off down the hill. By this time Bill and Peter had reached the bottom and were making their way back up the hill but Jess and Abby had stopped to talk to Tara and Maggie on their way. Mulder watched Scully and Adele speed towards the bottom and jiggled Mattie gently in his arms. He let out a chuff of laughter when the sledge overturned at the bottom, leaving the two sitting in the snow. Mattie giggled, hearing Mulder's merriment and clapped his hands as best he could with his mittens on.
Charlie had taken a rather long detour around the hill so that he was approaching from behind, a sneaky plan forming in his mind. He crept up behind Mulder and packed a ball of snow, not realising that Mulder was holding his nephew. He threw it at Mulder, hitting him on the back of the neck and continued walking as he laughed, ending up standing beside him. Caught unawares, Mulder gave a surprised yell as the cold snow trickled down his neck, startling Mattie in his arms. Mattie began crying loudly and Bill came running quickly up the last stretch of the hill, Peter following closely behind. Bill reached Mulder and; knowing only that his son was upset, not the reason why, grabbed Mattie from him.
"What did you do to my son? Give him to me!"
"Bill..."
"Charlie stay out of this! Now Mr Mulder, I may not have a choice when it comes to my sister but I do not want you anywhere near Mattie. Is that clear?"
"Bill..."
"No, Mr Mulder. I don't want him getting hurt like everyone else who's ever known you. It's bad enough that you won't leave Dana alone, to stop her getting hurt, but I will not have you hurting my son."
"Bill..."
"Charlie, it doesn't matter."
"But Mulder... Bill, it wasn't his fault Mattie was crying."
"Oh, no! Sorry, I forgot, nothing's ever his fault. So why is it he leaves a trail of injuries and suffering wherever he goes, huh? And why is it that no-one else seems to care, no-one else realises that Dana will be next and that this asshole doesn't give a damn?"
"Bill, watch your language please...Peter."
"Sorry Charlie. You say you love her, Mr Mulder, but you don't seem to care too much about her well-being. She's my sister, damn it, and I will not sit idly by while you ruin her life, not caring whether she lives or dies, as long as she's with you."
"I do care Bill. Scully..."
"Which one? Have you not realised that we're all 'Scully'...she has a first name."
"God Bill. Are you just completely inventing excuses not to like him now? Just calm down, there's no need to be shouting like this."
"There's every need Charlie because Mulder here doesn't seem to get it. Fact is that everyone he comes in contact with gets hurt - even if it is 'unintentional' as he says. I don't want that to happen to my son. Come on Charlie - you have to think about Jess and your kids, do you really want to realise too late that it's true?"
"Bill, you're being entirely unreasonable. Mulder, where are you going?"
"I'm gonna head back to the house. Tell Scu...Dana when she gets back for me would you, Charlie."
"Mulder, don't be stupid."
"Charlie, if the man wants to leave - good riddance to him."
"I really don't understand you Bill. You're my brother but you are being such an a... idiot."
Mulder turned away from the two brothers then, leaving them to argue and trudged down the hill towards the road. He met Maggie on his way, who was also heading home, having things still to do for the evening meal. She guessed from his demeanour that something had happened but Mulder refused to talk about it so she let it be, planning on asking her sons about it later. They walked home in almost complete silence, Mulder answering her few questions with a variety of non-committal grunts. After she had asked him the same question three times and gotten no response, Maggie stopped trying to get him to talk, instead mentally working out a list of what still needed to be done when she got home.
