All notes disclosed in chapter one.
A/N: I can write my family better than any made up family so I'm using my family. Not that they're reading this but please don't sue me. (They always joke about that, at least my Aunt Carol does). Luckily, I could tie it in. Mulder being Jewish is related to my Aunt Peggy who's Jewish.
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Thanksgiving 2005
She couldn't believe it but she was actually nervous. Dana scully was 100 knee knockin', jaw droppin', hand tremblin', boot shakin' nervous.
She was moments away from meeting Mulder's family. And she didn't quite feel prepared.
"Who's who, again?' she asked when they turned onto his aunt's street.
Mulder chuckled from the driver's seat. "I'm only blood related to my aunt Peggy. Trust me, you'll know who she is." He reached over to grab her hand. "Just relax. You're gonna be fine. Everyone will love you and Cassie. They love kids and they love making people feel welcomed into the group."
"God, I hope so."
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"Mulder, it's good to see you!" Mulder was greeted by his aunt as soon as they walked in the door. He was bombarded with hugs by his adopted aunts and hand shakes from his adopted uncles.
"And this must be Dana and Cassie," his aunt Pam said, extending her hand to Dana. Cassie had taken refuge in Mulder's arms.
"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you. Mulder's been going on about all of you all week," Dana said with ease. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.
Greetings went around quickly, everyone becoming acquainted. The men went back to watching football and the women welcomed the trio into the kitchen, dinner still being prepared. Mulder settled Cassie in the living room with his younger cousin, leaving them to chatter and color together.
"So I hear we only have the three of you until four," his Aunt Carol spoke up, looking up at them from cutting the turkey.
Dana chose to answer. "Yes, then we're driving up to Albany for dinner at my parent's house. They've never met Mulder and at this point, they'll look for any opportunity to meet him."
"So we're not the only one's left in the dark then," Carol laughed, trying to sound insulted. "Hey Mulder, saw you in People Magazine. You looked good," she added.
But Mulder chose to ignore that. "Today the families get informed. We eat and then they ambush," Mulder explained to Dana, his hands finding their way to her waist. "That's why we're gonna eat and run."
Pam joined the conversation. "Before that, we're going to tell her all kind of stories about you."
"They're all pathological liars, don't believe a word they say," Mulder murmured in Dana's ear. She just swatted at him.
"I'd like to hear some stories about you."
"Then pull up a chair and we'll tell you some things you don't know," Pam said, eager to spread some gossip.
Dana gave Mulder an evil smile before joining his aunts around the table.
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His family definitely broke the stereotype of Thanksgiving families. The women cooked the meal, no one fell asleep after dinner, and the men and women watched football. Not all the women, of course. Some of them had to hang around the kitchen to gossip and share stories.
"I have to say," Dana started, sitting next to Mulder at the table, "you guys are completely different from the family atmosphere I'm used to."
"I hope that's a good thing," Peggy wondered.
Dana nodded. "It's definitely a good thing. It's nice to get away from the… traditional Thanksgiving family. Everything so pristine and proper and formal. It's nice to be away from that if only for a little while."
A few of the women laughed. "Well, we're definitely not those things," Pam said, "as you can tell from dinner."
"Yeah, my family never throws rolls across the dinner table. Although, I have to admit, that was entertaining."
"Well, that's us," Pam said. "If you think we're entertaining, you should meet Uncle Max. No one can tell a hilarious story as laid back as he can."
Mulder decided to join the conversation. He was still trying to figure out why he was with the women in the kitchen. "Is he still at the lake?"
His adopted grandmother nodded. "Still at the lake house with Ruth."
They all kept on the subject a while longer. Dana took the time to observe the family around her. They definitely weren't the type of people she was used to being around. They were loud, blunt, and they laughed a lot. And they all got along. Her family was far from any of those things. They were only loud when they argued. Ahab never let them get too loud, though.
A tug on her sleeve pulled her from her thoughts. Cassie stood to her left, a tired look on her face.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Dana asked her daughter softly. Cassie just held up her arms. Dana complied, picking her up in one fluid motion. Cassie quickly settled her head on Dana's shoulder. That gathered the attention of some of the women.
"Is she okay?" Carol asked.
"Yeah, she's okay. She's still recovering from a cold she had last week."
"It might be partially my fault. We've been outside a lot this month," Mulder said, an apologetic look on her face.
Dana quickly reminded him, "You can't get a cold from just being in the cold."
That topic started a conversation. Cassie stayed perfectly still all the while. Mulder caught her tired eyes over Dana's shoulder. He made--hopefully--funny faces at her, trying to make her laugh. He saw her crack a smile but she quickly buried her face in Dana's neck. Her head quickly popped back up, her arms reaching out for him, her tired voice calling out 'daddy' softly. It got the attention of a few of his aunts but no one said anything.
The transition was easy; Cassie seemed to be switching back and forth between them every few minutes. Mulder had finally deduced it had to do with her mood. If she was shy, she wanted him. If she was feeling confident, she wanted her mom. If she was sick, she wanted both of them. If she was happy and excited, she wanted neither of them. Mulder was just glad she wanted to be held by him at all.
"Hey, Cassie," Linda called over to her, "do you want a congo square?"
A tumble of brown hair lifted from Mulder's shoulder. "What's that?"
"The best dessert ever," Mulder told her. "It's guaranteed to make you feel better."
For a moment, he thought she was going to turn it down and try to sleep. Then he remembered she was her mother's daughter. They both loved anything with chocolate in it. Cassie nodded and Linda handed over a medium-sized square. There was no hesitation on Cassie's part. She took a large bite out of it.
"It's good," she said after she swallowed, right before taking another bite.
Another had been converted.
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"I think I'm more nervous than you were," Mulder said to Dana when she knocked on the door.
"I bet you are."
"Are you saying I might need a weapon?"
"No, but my brother Charlie is a huge baseball fan so you might need to beat him off. And my brother Bill, he might want to hurt you."
"Not your dad?"
Dana shook her head. "No, he's more subtle. He'll talk to you but if he doesn't like you, it'll be strained conversation."
"So you're saying he won't like me."
"No, I'm just telling you…" She didn't have time to finish her sentence. Her mother chose that moment to open the front door, a smile wide on her face. She immediately pulled Dana into a hug.
"It seems like we haven't seen each other in months instead of weeks," Maggie told her, pulling away to look at her. She'd noticed several differences in her daughter over the past few months; she was happier, always had a smile on her face. She liked the new Dana.
She noticed Mulder next to her daughter, Cassie half awake in his arms. "So we finally get to meet him."
Mulder smiled and Dana rolled her eyes. "Yes, you all get to meet him. All I ask is that you go easy on him."
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Mulder moved closer to Dana, his actions slowing. They'd volunteered for dish duty, Dana washing and Mulder drying. He knew Dana had volunteered on purpose but he was still trying to figure out why.
"We'll never get done if you dry at that pace," he heard Dana say beside him. He picked up his speed before bumping hips with her.
"Why'd you volunteer us?" he wondered, picking up another plate.
She set a wine glass down on the counter. "So you could get away from Charlie and so I could get away from Missy. And so we could have some time alone."
"Ooh, to do what?"
She sent a smirk his way. "To wash dishes, of course."
"Oh, come on. That is not why. You want to know what I think of the family."
She turned he head quickly, her brow crinkling. "I hate when you do that," she muttered. "Maybe I do want to know what you think."
Mulder set down the delicate looking plate he held and threw the towel across his shoulder. He leaned his body against the counter, his eyes focused solely on her.
"I think your family's very nice," he finally said. "A little on the formal side but I guess I can live with that. Your older brother and sister I'm weary about, but Charlie's okay. I can't tell if I have your parent's approval yet, but I think I'm pretty close to it. Your father also hasn't once yelled at me to remove my hands from your person, so I'm taking that as another good sign."
"He's subtle, Mulder. I told you that earlier," she reminded him, wiping her hands off on his towel. "But I think he really does like you."
He smiled. "Always good to hear. What do you think about my family?"
"I like them," she admitted. "They're fun but they're very…" she struggled for the word.
"Blunt?" he supplied.
"Yes, blunt. But overall, they provide a nice atmosphere to be around. Joking and carefree. Very much unlike here."
"What, do you mean yelling and throwing things aren't a good atmosphere?"
She slapped his arm. "Shut up. I'll have you know that doesn't happen at our family gatherings."
"What, yelling?'
"No, throwing things. Arguments aren't rare at the Scully house. We're not loud, though. Just slightly raised voices," she defended her family.
"I'm just joking," he defended himself; his hands help up in surrender.
"I know, I'm sorry. My family really does like you, though. I overheard my dad telling my mom that he likes you."
"Overheard?"
"I unintentionally overheard," she explained in her defense.
"Sure," he drawled, "and I'm a world famous dancer."
"Well, you are world famous," she pointed out. He nodded but kept silent. He tugged her towards him by her hand. She complied eagerly.
"It's occurred to me I haven't kissed you once all afternoon," he murmured, mesmerized by her eyes. "I think I'm suffering a relapse."
"You are not. But it is odd that you haven't kissed me all afternoon."
"Then I guess I need to kiss you., you know, before you go into relapse, too."
She barely nodded before his lips touched hers. Her arms went on automatic, wrapping around his neck. Her body slumped against his; his arms moving 'round her waist to support her. She could easily lose herself in his embraces; she did every time.
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Maggie jerked back before she entered the kitchen. She had to grab at the dishes she held before they toppled over. She blinked a few times before peeking around the corner slowly. Nope, her eyes weren't deceiving her. Her daughter and her boyfriend were in her kitchen lost in an embrace. She didn't think she was prepared for it. She'd never seen her with any of her boyfriends before, not even Cassie's father. She knew Dana had been potentially intimate with the men she went out with. She wasn't stuck in the '50s. Anymore. Still, it was a new sight to her old eyes.
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Continued in next chapter……..