November 27th, 2008

"Will, are you almost ready?" Dana Scully called down the hall to her seven year old son. Dana was in the bathroom, already dressed, hair done, make-up applied. She was attempting to pull her four year old daughter Katey's short strawberry-blonde into a pair of pigtails, but she was having a hard time getting them even. Kate couldn't seem to sit still for anything. Sighing in exasperation, she wondered how her Mother had managed it with her and Melissa when they were young.

William appeared in the doorway, reflected in the mirror, and Scully felt her breath catch and tears prickle the backs of her eyes. "You look so handsome, Honey! You look just like Daddy!" The little boy wore Mulder's expression as well, one that clearly said he would prefer to be dressed in anything else but the cream dress shirt, green vest, and black slacks he was wearing. "Wait until Mom-Mom sees you." she told him knowingly, finally provoking a small smile. "Why don't you go find Daddy and help get the car packed while I finish getting Katey's hair done?"

As it were, Mulder and his son had the car packed and were outside waiting while it warmed up for another twenty minutes before Dana and Katey appeared. Mulder glanced at his son in the rear view mirror as Scully locked the door, balancing Katey on one hip. "Women." William said, sighing exaggeratedly and rolling his eyes. Mulder couldn't help laughing at his son. "Better not let your Mom hear that one." he told him, and winked.

It was their first Thanksgiving together as a family, and to celebrate Dana's Mother was having the entire family over for the holiday. Bill would be there with his wife Tara and their eleven year old son Matthew, three year old daughter Sarah, and fifteen month-old son Benjamin. Mulder had not seen Bill since before William was born, and he had never met his younger two children. Bill allowed Scully to take Matthew on occasion, but apparently didn't feel she was responsible enough to handle smaller children. Mulder wasn't looking forward to dealing with the holier-than-thou bastard, but for Maggie Scully's sake, and his children's sake, he thought he could manage.

Also there, and much more pleasantly, would be Charlie Scully and his wife Christina, their six year old daughter Bridget and two year old son Zachary. Charlie's sons from his previous marriage, Pete and Charlie Jr., were also coming, as were Junior's wife Allison and their two and half year old son Charlie the Third.

Dana was practically glowing, although it was bittersweet in a way. It had been over a decade since the siblings had all been home for a holiday, but with Melissa Scully and her Father both gone, the whole family still wasn't all together. Mulder was looking forward to getting the affair over with, but William and Katey were both excited to see all of their cousins.

Mulder watched the two kids in the rear view mirror while stopped at the light. Dana had put their daughter in a black faux-fur dress coat, but the green dress she was wearing was visible well below it. It was the same color as William's vest, and Scully's own sweater. Only Mulder was dressed not in green, opting for a blue sweater instead, using the excuse that he didn't have their red hair to make green the perfect color. Katey was tiny for a four year old, and her short pigtails looked reminiscent of a toddler's alien antenna hairstyles, but there was no doubt that the kid was adorable. William, on the other hand, was old enough to now be handsome in a more refined, less child-like way. It made Mulder proud, but it also scared him a bit.

Surprisingly, Bill Scully was more than cordial. He greeted his sister with a kiss, and Mulder with a hearty handshake, and appeared genuinely pleased to meet his niece and become reacquainted with his nephew. Mulder was pleased with the reaction, but had a sneaking suspicion that it had more to do with Maggie than with Bill's own manners. Charlie and his boys were as friendly as ever, Pete giving Mulder a can of beer and Junior ushering him into the living room to watch the football game with them. Will came along with him, but that was mostly because Matt was watching the game with his Father. Left to his own devices, William preferred playing sports to watching them, and like his Father he much preferred Baseball or Basketball over Football.

Dana made her way into the kitchen to help her Mom with the cooking. Maggie Scully looked happier than she had in years, and Dana felt a sad pang, wondering if her Mother was terribly lonely now that her husband was gone. She made a mental note to try and visit her more often when she could.

Tara, Chris, and Allison had all been chased into the dinning room by Maggie already, and were sitting around the table chatting. Tara was holding her youngest child on her lap, being overprotective as usual. Bridget, Sarah, Zachary, and Baby Charlie were all in the playroom, and Katey quickly joined them there as soon as her Mother got her coat off.

As was customary, there was no 'Children's Table' at the Scully house. Maggie Scully had always reviled such things. She felt children should be seated at the table with the adults, to join in with the festivities and be enjoyed and to enjoy. Maggie Scully did not believe in the adage that children were best seen and not heard. She also believed children were perfectly capable of behaving at a dinner table with good manners. None of her grandchildren disappointed her.

Seated at the head of the table, Bill Scully led the family in prayer, all of them holding hands in a circle, heads bowed. "Heavenly Father, we thank you for this feast laid out before us. But more importantly we thank you for all of the Blessings you bring to our lives, not only today but everyday, and we thank you for those you have allowed to grace this table. Amen."

A quiet murmur of 'Amens' echoed down the table, than noise immediately erupted as several conversations began at once. Turkey was passed around the table, than stuffing and mashed potatoes. Green bean casserole followed, as did a roasted veggies dish and candied sweet potatoes. The final item to circle the table was a dish of homemade cranberry sauce. The atmosphere was pleasant, and for once the siblings were not arguing, they were merely enjoying one another's company. Champagne and wine flowed in many crystal glasses, as did sparkling juices and water.

A clanging broke through the din of many conversations, and the voices slowed to a stop as Scully stood up, banging a butter knife against her glass. "Mulder and I have an announcement to make, and I think now is as good a time as any, as long as everyone is here." All eyes were on her, including Mulder's. He'd begun to smile a little. Katey and William stared at her curiously. Dana couldn't help the small smile scrawling across her face. "We've decided to get married." A moment of silence was immediately followed by happy cries of congratulations. Charlie was the first one up to hug and kiss his sister, followed immediately by Maggie.

"When's the wedding?" Tara asked. Bill's smile looks a bit fixed, but Tara's was genuine.

"March 6th. It's the day we first met." Dana answered, smiling broadly, happy with the reaction from everyone.

Tara's eyes went wide. "Wow, that's really fast! How are you going to get everything planned by than?"

Mulder stepped in to answer. "We don't want anything too extravagant. Probably just a very small ceremony with all of you, maybe a few very close friends." He was thinking of the Skinners and the Doggetts. There was no way they could tie the knot and not invite them. Mulder felt more pleased, more comfortable, than he had felt in awhile. He had always assumed he would remain a life-long bachelor, and the thought of marrying now was a comfort to him.

Chris cut into the conversation. "Whatever you choose to do, I'm sure it will be beautiful, and perfect for you two." Her eyes were warm with understanding. She had spent awhile feeling like an outsider herself. Charlie's first wife, April, had been well-received by the family, and Chris had been regarded as an interloper for quite awhile.

After dinner, while everyone else helped to clean up, Bill Scully went outside to throw the old pigskin around with his older son. Mulder watched through the window as Bill tried to teach Matt to throw a spiral. At his elbow, William watched as well as he helped dry dishes, burning with envy.

Mulder nudged his son. "Hey. We won't be long Pal, I promise. As soon as were finished we'll go out and play too, alright?" William nodded defeatedly. "Besides, don't you think Mom-Mom's really going to appreciate you helping clean up? And doesn't it make you feel better to know you helped out?"

William smiled at this. "Yeah. I guess so." He stopped starring jealously out the window at his cousin, and Mulder felt an intense wave of pride towards his son.

By the time they got outside Matt had the spiral down well enough, but his Father was looking intensely aggravated. Matthew's face was flushed with anger and embarrassment. He looked extremely unhappy. William glanced up at his Father uncertainly.

"If you forget how to throw a spiral between every time we play, how are you going to make the football team in another couple years when you get to high school, Matt?" Bill asked his son exasperatedly. "It's not brain surgery!"

"Hey, can we join?" Mulder asked, coming up behind them and startling Bill.

"Sure. The kid know how to play?" he asked, tossing his head at William.

Mulder flashed Bill a smile that was just a little bit too friendly to be entirely authentic. "Of course he does! I take him to play ball at the park or just in the yard almost every day it's nice out. Can't get good at a sport without constant repetition, right?" The ugly red flush on Bill Scully's cheeks suggested that he knew exactly what Mulder was referring to. Bill, between work and just not taking an active interest, rarely had quality time to spend with any of his kids. Matt might forget how to throw between one time and the next, but that was probably mostly to do with the fact they only played a few times a year.

Mulder tossed the football to William, and Will caught it, clutching it to his chest. The spiral he tossed back was flawless. Bill watched with his arms crossed, impressed.

"He could really go somewhere with that! He has a hell of an arm." Bill called to Mulder. Mulder smiled but didn't respond. Will was good at most sports he tried, but he knew that Will had no interest in playing football. Like Mulder, it wasn't his 'thing'. Also like Mulder, Will's sports were Baseball and Basketball.

Bill watched a few more tosses before heading inside to see if Tara had the babies ready to go yet. It was getting late, and he wanted to be back home early. His plane back to California, where his ship was currently stationed, left at 5AM the next day. Matthew stayed and watched Mulder and William. Mulder lobbed a throw at him once Bill was safely inside. Matt caught it easily.

"Nice catch, Matt!" Mulder called, and Matthew responded with an easy grin. "Toss it back! I'll throw to you, than Will, than back to you. Alright?"

Matt tossed the ball back. It was a loose, unsteady spiral. "Sure, Uncle Fox." he called, looking downtrodden again.

"That wasn't bad! Make sure you hold the stitches, and kind of flick your wrist when you throw it!" Mulder called to him as he threw the ball to William. William demonstrated the technique, and the ball spiraled beautifully back to his Father. When Matt threw again he tried it, and the ball produced a much neater, tighter, spiraling motion. "There you go, Matt! You're getting it!" Mulder called.

They tossed the ball back and forth for another twenty minutes or so, until Bill came to the door and called Matt in. By than the sun had set enough that it was getting too dark to play, so Mulder and William headed in as well. As they walked back to the house, trailing well behind Matthew, Mulder put his hand on Will's shoulder. His son looked up at him and smiled the unaffected smile of a small child.

"I love you, Daddy." William said to his Father, and for a moment Mulder felt like his heart would burst. It was one of those special moments you only so rarely get with your children. There was so much more in that simple statement, it felt so much deeper and dearer than those casual 'I love yous' before bed or school.

Mulder gave his son a tight quick hug. "I love you too, Will."

Inside the house, Sarah Scully was in her Father's arms, crying her eyes out because she didn't want to leave yet. Bill Scully looked extremely annoyed by his little princess, to say the least, as she screamed hysterically in his ear, mouth wide open and face bright red. His Mother was busy fussing with her, trying to get her to calm down, but to no avail.

Dana stood in the kitchen, just out of Bill's sight but within clear sight of her fiance, smirking. She held Katey's hand, and Katey stifled a yawn. She had fallen asleep, but Sarah's screams had awoken her. Dana smiled and winked at Mulder when she saw him. "Ready to head home? I think a certain little Miss here is ready for B-E-D."

Katey frowned and looked up at her Mother at the word. She was a bright girl, and knew what such a simple word was, but she didn't put up a fuss like her cousin. Another yawn erupted from her, and she rubbed her knuckles into her eyes.

It took them twenty minutes of saying goodbye before they were able to get out of the house. This was partially because another round of congratulations joined the farewells, along with the requisite 'We-really-must-do-this-more-often's. By the time they got out to their car Katey was asleep again, this time in her Father's arms.

The drive home was passed in comfortable silence. Mulder took Scully's hand partway through the ride, and they spent the rest of the ride that way, comfortably hand-in-hand. By the time they got home, both of their children were sound asleep in the back seat, perhaps the best testament to a happy holiday a parent could ask for.