December 25, 1998

"Come with me," Scully said, turning to look at him as she stood by his front door.

The apartment smelled of cinnamon from the cider he had made and the candle he had lit as they sat on the couch, watching Miracle on 34th Street, both of them giddy with exhaustion.

"Go with you? To your mother's for the early morning, family gathering around the Christmas tree? I'm gonna have to pass," he said with a chuckle as he crossed his arms.

"Why not?"

"Why not?" he laughed and shook his head. "It's your family for one. That means Bill for two, and it's your family for another."

"You said that twice," she smirked and he nodded.

"Because it needed to be said twice. Thank you, Scully, but no. I… you should, no need, to go. You said you needed to be there by six and it's nearly five now." He smiled again and she sighed, fixing him with a stare.

"Breakfast is at ten. You will be there for that," she said, turning around, grabbing the doorknob and opening the door.

"Scully, no!" he called, as she stepped into the hallway.

"Mulder, yes," she said, turning to look at him. "You don't get to argue. I know you don't have any plans. You called me out to a haunted, and cursed, house. On Christmas Eve. You owe me." She stared at him, her eyebrow raised and he sighed heavily. "You shot me, Mulder."

"I did not shoot you…" he said through his teeth, mindful of the hour in the echoey hallway.

"The jury's still out on that," she said with a shrug, walking backwards down the hall. "Ten. Or my mother will be calling you."

"Ohhh, that's not fair. Don't send your mother after me!" he whisper shouted, as he stepped into the hall and stared at her beseechingly.

"It's out of my hands now," she shrugged again, her palms up, before she hit the down button on the elevator panel. "The decision is yours."

"You're mean."

The elevator arrived and she stepped inside. "Not as mean as Maggie Scully can be." She raised her eyebrows as the doors closed, his eyes closing as he sighed, the last thing she saw.

He would be there, she thought with a smile. Won't Bill be so pleased? She giggled as she stepped out of the elevator, a second wind of wakefulness propelling her forward.

The doorbell rang at five minutes to ten and she grinned, knowing exactly who was on the other side of the door. Her mother answered it and she could hear her greeting him warmly and his own low voice answering in agreement.

"We have an extra for breakfast," her mother said as she and Mulder walked into the living room, as everyone called a greeting. She was smiling and he attempted one, but it came out strained. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll take this, Fox." She took the item from his hands and walked into the kitchen, leaving him standing there, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

Scully heard Bill's exhale from across the room and she smiled internally. Crossing the room to Mulder, she stared at him as he shook his head slightly at her.

"Take off your coat. Stay awhile," she teased and he huffed out a breath. "Come on." She led him from the room and showed him where to hang his jacket, smiling behind his back.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" he asked as he turned around and caught her smile.

"Oh, one hundred percent," she fairly giggled and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Mean," he breathed and she laughed, walking back into the living room where he greeted everyone, Bill shaking his hand too hard, for too long. Mulder pressed his hand to her back with more force than usual, letting her know his annoyance with a simple touch, and she laughed softly.

"Breakfast is ready!" Tara called, helping to set the table.

Everyone sat down, family and friends who had been invited, the exact amount of plates set, which Scully knew Mulder noticed; his eyes darting to hers as he sat beside her.

They joined hands in prayer, his fingers warm and familiar in her own, and bringing about some very impure thoughts for a Christmas morning. Releasing his hand, they all began to eat, laughing and talking over one another, Mulder remaining relatively silent.

Bill stared at him from across the table, his eyes landing on Scully nearly as often, a scowl upon his face. She laughed, not giving a shit what he was thinking. She was tired and had reached the point where the giggles were not far off. The mimosas were not helping, but damned if she was not going to enjoy the breakfast prepared for them.

The meal finished and the champagne bottles empty, they rose from the table. Bill took Matthew back to his gifts and the other children joining them returned to their toys as well. Tara, Carrie, a friend of the family, and her mother began to clean up and Mulder fidgeted in his seat.

Taking pity on him, Scully stood and poured them each a cup of coffee. He sighed gratefully as they watched the children playing.

"Oh, Fox," her mother said, walking up to him. "Merry Christmas." She handed him a small wrapped box and smiled, clasping her hands as she waited for him to open it.

"Mrs. Scully, I can't accept this. I don't have a gift for you," he stammered, trying to hand her back the gift.

"Nonsense. You're here and you brought that delicious rugelach, that's more than enough." She smiled and nodded for him to open his gift.

He sighed and untied the bow, sliding it off the box. Carefully unwrapping the paper, he handed it to Scully, who took it with a smile. Lifting the lid, he peeled back the tissue paper and Scully saw it was a pair of black leather gloves.

"Oh, thank you. These are great." He looked up at her with a smile and she nodded. "I will get a lot of use out of these." He stood and hugged her, surprising her, judging by the sound of her laughter.

"I hope they will fit, I wasn't sure of the size," she said, when he had let go and sat back down. Slipping them on, he showed her they were a perfect fit and she grinned happily. "Perfect. Merry Christmas, Fox."

"And you, Mrs. Scully," he said softly. She nodded again and winked at Scully before heading back into the kitchen.

"That was really thoughtful of her," he said, taking the gloves off and putting them back in the box. "She didn't know I had been ordered to come over though, how did she have a gift?" Scully laughed and looked at him.

"Mulder, she's Margaret Scully, a good Catholic woman. You think she hasn't had that gift wrapped and waiting for you? Possibly for a couple of years?" She smiled at him and he nodded, staring at the gloves.

"I should probably get going," he said as he closed the box and looked at her.

"If you want. Or you could stay," she said softly. His eyes travelled across her face and she suddenly felt as though they were the only two people in the room.

Until her brother cleared his throat loudly. The bastard.

"Nah, I think I should go." He held his gift as he stood up and she set the wrapping paper trash on the table, following him to the door.

She held the gift box as he put on his jacket. Smiling, he took it back and glanced back into the living room.

"Thank you for inviting me. It was better than the alternative." He looked back and she smiled with a nod. He grinned and made to leave, but she stopped him, a hand on his chest.

She heard him inhale sharply, as she raised up and kissed him. Not exactly on the lips, but not on the cheek either. It landed somewhere in between, exactly as they seemed to be these days. Pulling back in surprise, he stared at her in confusion.

"You're under the mistletoe," she whispered. He looked up and saw that she was telling the truth. "I'm surprised you didn't notice. It's practically brushing your hair, you giant." Looking back at her, she grinned at him and he chuckled.

"It's because someone short hung it up, no doubt."

"I'll tell my mother you said so."

"No! She'll take away my gift," he said, holding it tightly. She laughed and nodded, his eyes changing from laughing to burning into hers.

"Merry Christmas, Scully," he whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Mulder," she replied and he nodded, his eyes dropping to her lips, as he cleared his throat and stepped back with a sigh.

He walked out the door as she waved goodbye, before closing the door and touching her fingers to her lips with a happy smile.

"Dana!" She heard Bill hiss and she drew in a deep breath as she turned around.

"Yes, Bill?"

"What the hell was he doing here? On Christmas morning? What is going on?" he seethed and she smiled, which seemed to anger him more.

Well, this answer is going to really piss him off, she thought, stepping toward him on her way to the living room.

"I invited him, Bill. As to what is going on, I'd suggest you file it under none of your fucking business. Merry Christmas."

She walked past him with a smile, not giving a shit what he thought, the feeling of kissing Mulder still causing a tingling sensation on her lips.