Choices at Christmas

Part 3

by

Trycee

Time-Line: Alternative Universe, Season 7, Christmas Eve: Scully Residence

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files. I write this for fun, not profit.

**Written for the Nursery Files- "First Christmas With You"-Challenge

After Mass, everyone moved over to the church's banquet hall a few feet from the main sanctuary to celebrate Father McCue's home-coming. Charles and Bill retrieved the cookies from the car and joined their families as the women took over and added the cookie tins to the dessert tables overflowing with Christmas confections and drinks. After speeches and clapping of hands, Father McCue was blessed by another priest and the fellowship of the parishioners began with Father McCue mingling amongst them. Tara and Jill filled a small plate for their kids and husbands and sat back down chatting with other couples. Maggie was off with her circle of friends and Scully sat at a table alone, staring down at nothing in particular as she zoned out of the noise and chaos around her.

Someone broke out into an Irish Christmas carol and everyone joined in, 'Full many a bird did wake and fly...Curoo, curoo, curoo...Full many a bird did wake and fly...To the manger bed with a wandering cry... On Christmas day in the morning...Curoo, curoo, curoo...'

Scully broke from her reverie and joined in the singing though she kept her voice barely above a whisper and when the song was over she was back staring off into space. She could feel someone sit next to her, she wasn't sure nor was she in the mood to find out until he spoke her name. "Dana," he said, sweetly.

"Father McCue," she smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm glad to see you here. It's been awhile since I saw you at St. John's but it's a nice surprise to see you here at St. Matthew's."

She smiled shyly. "I wish that I would've come to church more, Father. My work doesn't afford me the opportunity but I do frequent St. Mary's near me."

"As long as you are keeping the faith, dear."

"I am, father," she smiled, reassuringly.

"You look troubled," he said, concerned.

"I'm afraid as happy as I am to see you. My mind is on other things," she confessed.

"Your daughter?"

"Yes, actually," she sighed. "And my partner, he's home alone, hurt and I wish I could take care of him but that would mean disappointing my mother and my family."

Father McCue glanced over to Maggie who had stopped talking to her friends and was watching the interaction between Dana and the white haired priest. "I think you know what choice you need to make, Dana."

Scully looked at him hard.

"If you make a choice for the right reasons, no matter if other people understand...it WAS the right choice."

Scully smiled and nodded. "Thank you, father."

"And don't pass up on all the goodies the ladies of the church brought. They're delicious!"

She smiled and glanced at the table of fattening delectables and cringed inwardly. "Bye Father," as he placed a soft hand on her shoulder and moved on to the other tables.

Scully turned and locked eyes with her mother. She stood up and Maggie waved to her. "GO!", she mouthed to her.

Scully nodded and walked toward to her mother. "Excuse me," she said, interrupting the crowd of elderly women that were gathered like groupies around Maggie Scully. Maggie hugged Scully tightly. "Tell him Merry Christmas from me and all of us, okay?"

"Okay!", Scully said, hugging her tightly, closing her eyes and sinking into her shoulder. "I love you mom."

"I love you too, Dana. But, I expect you and Fox, bad foot or not at my door the day after Christmas, eight am. sharp!"

"I'll numb his foot if I have too," Scully smiled. "Thanks mom. This is our first Christmas...", she said, trailing off and looking sadly into her mother's eyes.

"And I've had lots of Christmas's with you, Dana," Maggie said, cupping her cheek. "And I hope many, many more!"

Scully kissed her cheek and then released her mother's hand, walking towards Charles.

"Charles, I need to borrow your car."

"Dana, it's an airport rental," Charles said, looking confused. "Yours is at the house."

She reached into her purse and handed him her car keys. "Here's my car keys. I need your car. I'll return it on Friday morning, eight am sharp!"

He reached into his pocket and handed her his keys. "Wait? How are we getting home?", but she was out the door.

It was just as she had imagined. She stood in the doorway of her bedroom with a wide smile on her face. Her bedspread was full of plates and spilled cups and Mulder was laid back knocked out from the medicine oblivious to her presence. She sighed and began the work of cleaning up as best she could without waking him. She removed her sheets by rolling him to his side and tucking the sheets underneath to remove them. She then adding more sheets by repeating the same process just as she would in the hospital. She added a fresh blanket and pillows underneath his head and listened to his soft snore as she walked the linen into her laundry area past her kitchen which lead to her back door that she no longer used, not since her father's visit when her parents had come to visit at Christmas. She stuffed the linen into her washer and dryer, satisfied she poured the detergent in and then turned towards the dishes. She glanced down at herself and realized that she was still dressed for church with high heels and so she retreated back to her bedroom where Mulder still lay asleep.

She quickly changed into one of Mulder's tailored collard shirts with only her underwear underneath. The tail of his shirt reached past her knees. She then returned to fill up the sink with hot water and bubbles and wash each dish quickly before she could relax. After the last dish, she sighed loudly and then poured herself a glass of wine. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at the tree that was only slightly taller than she was. She laughed because Mulder had left his touch on her Christmas tree. She wasn't sure when he'd had the time, but it now looked like 'their' tree. Her Christmas star had disappeared and a lighted UFO was spinning at the top. She blushed because there was an ornament with a crafted couple that looked like the two of them. A small woman with red hair lay her head across the dark haired man's chest as they sat on a chair with a small Christmas tree in the background. It was so intimate and her heart swelled at the sight of it. It was obvious that he had created a customized ornament just for them. It was small enough that she could box it away and it wouldn't be seen by anyone else in the FBI if there was ever a need for it. Amongst her Christmas ornaments of Jesus and Santa Claus were Blue and silver Jewish Menorah ornaments. She stood back and admired the tree. It was the blending of the two of them, in a such a profound way.

Scully slid into bed with him, listening to his shallow breathing. She laid her head on his chest and listened to the shift in his breathing from her touch. She could feel his arm tighten around her almost instinctively and she smiled against him. His eyes slowly fluttered open and he focused and looked surprised. "Scully?"

"Yeah?", she said, snuggling in closer and inhaling him.

"Am I dreaming?", he said, squeezing her tighter.

She lifted her head and smiled up at him. "No, I'm here. We get to spend all of Christmas together, Mulder."

He shook his head then. "I don't understand?"

She sat up then and smiled at him. "I chose you!"

A wide crooked smile spread across his face and he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She leaned up to deepen the kiss. They broke the kiss to breath. Mulder's smile quickly turned to a wince and Scully jumped up and opened her closet and pulled out her 'Mulder Medical Kit' and she donned a bottle of Lidocaine. She inserted the needle and then withdrew it from the liquid and tapped at the needle to get rid of the air bubbles. She then grabbed an alcohol swab and then rounded Mulder's side of the bed. He looked horrified but she bent down and kissed him and he relaxed. She cleaned a spot under his knee with the swab and then injected the Lidocaine. He hissed and she held his hand until the Lidocaine circulated through to his foot and numbed him. She waited for him to feel the effects and he began to smile. She leaned back down and kissed him again and then cleaned up and crawled back into bed next to the warmth of his skin.

"I can't feel it at all."

"I'm glad," she smiled, as he pulled her tighter against him.

Scully laid her head back down on his chest, listening to his heart and breath until she closed her eyes and slipped off to sleep. Mulder laid awake smoothing his hand over her small cheek. His eyes widened as her chest rose and fell and she purred against him, her leg crossing over his and her arm draping even more over his mid-rift until she was practically on top of him. He sighed nearly in time with her breath and layered kisses on her forehead and nose. He reached over onto the night stand and flicked off the SNL Christmas Eve marathon casting the room in shadows. Morning would soon come and he had his wish. He'd awaken in the arms of his soul-mate and that was all the gift he really needed. He closed his eyes and fell back fast to sleep.

"Scully?", he whispered in her ear.

She stirred against his chest. It wasn't the romantic way he had envisioned waking her at Christmas but his foot was throbbing again and he knew she would understand. "Scully?"

"Hmm?", she said, sleepily.

"My foot!", he said, grimacing.

She shot up into the air and it took her a moment to realize that she was at home in her own bed with Mulder. She shifted in the bed so she could see his foot and then nodded. "Oh, okay...", and rose and retrieved her, 'Mulder Medical Kit'. She injected him once again and after the hissing he relaxed and then his eyes opened. "Merry Christmas, Scully!"

She smiled at him so warmly he thought his chest might burst but for Scully, she knew that he had wanted to say those words to her for a very long time. She pressed her lips to his and it quickly turned into a deepened kiss. "Mulder," she pulled away. "We have morning breath," she said, with a smile.

"Morning breath, toothless...I don't care, you will always be the most gorgeous woman in the world to me, Scully," he said, as his eyes wandered from head to toe as she stood in front of him in his shirt.

She blushed a bright red and twisted slightly like a schoolgirl and Mulder was proud of himself for reducing her to such emotions.

"Oh, Scully...there's presents under the tree!", he said, grabbing for his crutches.

She helped him reach them and followed behind him as he went through the door that lead from her bedroom to her bathroom for a pit stop and then out through the bathroom to the side door. He hopped down the hallway as Scully helped brace him as they continued on until they were by the tree. "Mulder, it's beautiful, "she sighed. "How did you do it? You're foot is been broken for days..."

He waved his hand. "I was going to surprise you. Besides, I stashed it here when I came over one of those times...," he said, winking. "You know..."

She blushed again and then placed a kiss on his lips. "Sit down!", she said, pointing towards the loveseat but not before she shifted it so it was facing the Christmas tree. She helped him down and then sat on the floor so she could play Santa. "I've always wondered what a Christmas with you would be like," she sighed, lost in thought. "I can't believe we're getting to find out," she said, lifting her head and locking eyes with him.

"We have a lifetime more of memories to make, Scully. We're going to grow old together. I believe that."

She reached out her hand and slid it into his. "I know that in my heart too," she said, staring into his eyes. "Well now, lets open those gifts!"

She handed him the gift that she had been the most exciting to give him. She clasped her hands over her mouth nervously as she watched him tear into it. He opened the package to reveal a box. "What is it, Scully?", he said.

"Just keep going!", she said, trying hard not to open it herself.

Pieces of wrapping paper and cardboard box landed on her floor to her dismay but she tamped those feelings down. Mulder slid the silken garment out and smiled a goofy smile. "Why, is there something you wanna tell me here, Scully?", he said, chuckling. "I think these are a little small?"

She rolled her eyes. "I thought you're gift would be to see these on me!", she said, pointing to a replica of his black silk boxer shorts, the ones that she loved only sized perfectly to fit tightly on her petite frame.

Mulder licked his lips. "OH, that's certainly a gift for me!", he said, wagging his eyebrows.

Scully giggled and then sat up on her knees and then leaned in for a kiss. "You like them?"

"I'll be happier when I see you in them! After-all, I love it when you wear my clothes," he said, gripping a tight fistful of his shirt, crushing her to him.

"Down boy!", she laughed, as he released her.

"I want you to open one of mine, Scully!"

She reached under the tree and found a perfectly wrapped gift that she knew he'd had professionally wrapped. She carefully unwrapped it and she could tell that Mulder was losing patience but that was part of the fun, aggravating him. She smiled and winked at him just as she thought his head might explode with her careful unwrapping and then she laid the wrapping paper on the side.

"Scully! Before we forget what Christmas is!"

Satisfied, she finally tore into the box and was surprised that a beautifully decorated picture frame lay in it. "Oh Mulder...it's beautiful."

"I don't want you to use it now," he said.

She turned towards him. "Why?"

"Because we can't. Because we have to hide our relationship from Them. This is for when we don't have too!"

She stared at the frame for the longest moment. "That seems so far away," she said sadly.

"It's not," he said, reaching down to touch her shoulder.

She relaxed against the weight of his hand. "You and I won't always be FBI agents, Scully."

She turned to look at him. "We won't?"

He shook his head. "No. Eventually, we will leave the X-Files behind and start our private lives openly. So, hold on to that, okay. I want our wedding photo or at least us posing behind an alien body to go in that."

She smiled at him and then ran her fingers over the ceramic flowerettes with a pearl in the center. "It's beautiful."

"A beautiful gift for a beautiful woman," he said.

She carefully placed it back in the package but Mulder noted that she kept staring back at it and he was pleased. She handed him another gift and she grabbed one for herself from Mulder. They opened the rest of the gifts quickly, laughing as they went. She stared at the various gifts Mulder had given her. To her surprise he'd given her very meaningful gifts. He'd given her a new sexier bathrobe, a beautiful frame, a few overly romantic dvd's she knew were meant for them to watch together, a few jars of Shea butter lotions that were pricey that she knew were meant for him to apply on her delicate skin. There was even a basket full of natural lotions, nail supplies and a vibrating neck massager she knew was meant for him to use to wrestle the pain from her sore muscles after they got off work. All of his gifts were all a big date night package and she loved it. "I can't wait for us to enjoy these, Mulder."

He smiled as she waded over to him through the mess on the floor on her knees and reached up and kissed him. "I'm glad you like it," he said, proud of himself.

"I love it," she smiled. "Are you happy with you're gifts?"

"I couldn't be happier!", he said, with a sparkle in his eye.

She had given him an old monster movies dvd collection with Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Thing, The IT and every other type of despicable black n white creature for hours of bliss. Besides the fitted boxer shorts for 'her' to wear for him, she'd given him a sunflower seed dispenser for his desk at work for 'no more messes' as she'd told him, a UFO mug he could use at either home or work, and something that she knew wouldn't look from the outside observer like a 'couples gift' but something that she knew Mulder would immediately know the meaning of. It was from artist Cathy Broski; a stone carved hand with a red ceramic heart in the center. It said it all. She stared at Mulder and he held the sculpture in his hand as tears trailed the contours of his cheek.

"I want you to put this on you're coffee table and when you see it, you'll know that I love you," Scully said. "And no matter where I am, you are my soul, my one and only, and the only man for me, Mulder."

He pulled her up off the floor into his arms and held her close to his cheek for a long time. "I love you so much...Scully, Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Mulder," she said, pulling back to look into his eyes.

She pressed her forehead to his and she could feel the love flowing between them. There was nothing like it on earth and there was no other place she'd rather be than spending Christmas in the arms of this man. "Are you hungry? In pain? Do you need anything?", she said concerned.

"No," he said, staring into her eyes. "Everything I need I have right here in my arms, Scully. I have you."

There lips came together and soon their tongues mingled and they pulled apart and stared deeply into each others eyes. "This is our first Christmas together, Mulder," she smiled. "And this is the best Christmas I've ever had."

He squeezed her waist and gripped her tightly. Mulder thought back to his childhood, to the exciting eight days of gifts and food during Hanukkah that ended with his mother's Protestant Church services on Christmas morning. They'd return to find a fresh Christmas tree fully decorated and full of gifts that he now realized must have been put up by a crew his parents paid to give them both holidays. He thought back to the year that Samantha was taken and how his mother spent the holidays in her bedroom crying and he had spent it staring out the window. There'd be no Hanukkah and no Christmas from that day on and all the Christmas' as an adult he spent alone before and after Scully as she went off with her family. He had never felt more lonely in his life than at those times wondering what she was doing and if she was thinking of him. And now, she was in his arms and he felt like he was experiencing Christmas for the very first time in his life.

"Scully, this is the best Christmas I've had!," he said, as tears streamed down his cheeks. "The Best Christmas of my life!"

She smiled and they kissed. She glanced up. "OH, Mulder, Look!", she said, pointing towards the window where snow was falling.

There was a sudden bright light streak across the sky and for a moment she was in shock as she sat on his lap, watching as the bright light in the shape of a UFO darted across it, ducking behind a building. Scully's eyes were as big as saucers as Mulder smirked. Scully knew that she had seen the UFO. There was no denying it. Mulder turned towards her and pat soft kisses onto her cheek until her shock wore off. She turned her body into him and pressed her soft ruby lips to his."Here's another gift, Mulder. Yes, I saw it! So, wipe that smirk off your face!"

He chuckled and they held each-other close watching the snowfall.

THE END