Let's fly a kite!
June, 2023
It was a beautiful scenario, filled with tranquillity. The unremarkable house was surrounded by flowers spread along the vivid green grass, and the generous tree tops swayed gently with the soft breeze. Summer had arrived in its full force, bringing the bluest of the skies and lazy afternoons, just like that one.
Mulder was sitting on the porch steps along with a cute four year old little girl, who obediently followed his instructions in order to finish a big beautiful yellow kite. They had gone to the stationary store on the previous day, where they could buy all the necessary material to make it. Grace picked the colour and was very excited to build it with her daddy's help.
After lunch, the two settle down outside and spent the last hour absorbed in that chore. It was Scully's day off from the hospital, so she had promised she would join them as soon as she concluded a report.
"Is it right, daddy?" The little girl asked, showing Mulder she had finished to put glue all around the kite.
He smiled warmly, like he would always do when his daughter turned those sparkling blue pools at him asking for his guidance.
"That is perfect, sweetie! You're doing such a great job!"
Grace also smiled, pleased to be doing things right.
"It's so pretty!"
Mulder watched her for a moment, always marvelled at the beautiful child he and Scully had been granted with.
"Oh, sweet Grace. You know, I used to be sad and very lonely. I could never imagine I'd get so many gifts in my life like I do now!"
The little girl turned her eyes to him again, now with a serious expression on her face and a worried frown. Then, she stopped her chore and carefully placed the kite aside, rising to her feet and standing right in front of him.
"I don't want you to be sad, daddy…" She said, giving a step forward and wrapping her little arms around his neck for a tight embrace. That gesture caught him totally by surprise and he immediately held her back, a moved expression on his face.
"Oh no, sweetheart! I'm not sad now!" He spoke, returning her warm and loving embrace with the same affection and kissing the top of her head. Then, he pulled away just enough to look at her sweet face – a perfect mix of Scully's and his features. "What I mean is that I was sad and lonely. In the past. A long, long time ago."
"Long time ago?" She repeated, a little confused and unsure of what it meant.
He tucked a loose strand of her soft brown hair behind her ear and mentally searched for the best way to explain to a four-year-old little girl that life changes, and his had changed for the better thanks to her and her mother.
"You see..." he started, carefully choosing his next words, "One day I was sitting at my desk at work, in this gloomy little room, all by myself. My few friends and my mom and dad were far, far away. It was quiet and lonely there and I had no one to talk to. No one to share my sandwich with. But all of a sudden, there were three knocks on my door. Just like this…"
Under the little girl's attentive eyes, he curved his fingers and turned his knuckles to the wooden porch steps, knocking three times, imitating Scully's characteristic knock - the one he'd listened hundreds of times on the door of his apartment or in many motel rooms.
Seeing that he had Grace's full attention, Mulder went on taking. "Then, the door opened slowly. And you know who was standing there?"
Grace shook her head without even blinking, hooked in the suspense he was putting on the story.
Mulder lowered his voice as if he was about to make a very important revelation. "Your mommy!"
Grace gasped and her eyes widened, causing Mulder to smile with amusement.
"And there I was: gazing up at her, struck by how beautiful she was. The way she was looking at me made me feel safe and protected. And she smiled at me! It was the prettiest smile I'd ever seen in my whole life! Then, she came closer and told me her name. And you know what she did next?"
Once again, the little one shook her head, her expression filled with expectation.
"She stretched her arm…" He kept on talking, motioning to stretch his own arm. "And then she took my hand in hers just like this!" Mulder concluded, taking Grace's tiny hand in his and giving her a little handshake.
The little girl's face lit up with a broad smile at that piece of information and she covered her mouth with her free hand.
"For a moment, I couldn't even find the right words to talk to her. I was enchanted with her beauty and her smile…" Despite the fact that he was talking to a small child and making his speech sound like a tale, there was plain truth in those words.
"And did you hold her, daddy?" Grace wanted to know, stiffling a giggle as her imagination danced.
That question made him laugh and he shook his head softly. "No, not at that moment. But when her hand slipped from mine, I kept looking at her face, noticing that she also had the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. They were so blue, so bright." He touched her little nose with his fingertip. "Just like yours!"
Grace let out another giggle, clearly entertained with the story.
"From that moment on, I was never lonely anymore. The sadness in my heart, it disappeared. Of course everyone stays sad once in a while, my love, even daddy. But your mommy, she would never let sadness stay in my heart for a long time! She would shoo it away with that firm voice she makes when she gives an order! And then…" He made a short pause, once again remembering the moment Scully told him he'd become a father. "Then you came!"
Grace's smile grew even wider and her eyes sparkled.
"When I first knew that besides your mommy, I would also have you in my life...Oh, sweetie! I felt like the happiest person in the whole wide world!"
Thoroughly enchanted with the story she had just been told, the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him another hug.
"I the happiest person in the wide world too, daddy!" She said out loud, causing him to laugh, his heart filled with joy.
"Oh, honey! I love you so much!"
Grace pulled away and eyed him with an inquisitive gaze.
"Then you're not sad no more, daddy?" She wanted to know, visibly pleased to hear that story but still cautious and wanting to be sure about her daddy's feelings. A little skeptical just like her mom, he thought, finding it funny.
"No more, honey! How could I ever be sad when I have you and mommy in my life?! You two are my most precious treasure!"
"Yey!" Grace replied, her smile never fading as she looked at him with evident love and trust. "Can I play with my kite now?"
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Yes, sweetie. Take it up to the launch point just like we planned before."
"Okay!"
She took the kite that they had just finished to make and walked along the land lot, under his attentive eyes. Mulder would join her soon, but he needed some time to record in his mind such a precious moment. Grace was indeed a sweet little girl. Curious, loving and a little shy at first, but who would easily charm anyone who got to meet her. A precious gift for him and Scully.
Slender fingers ran through his hair then, causing him to smile. A moved expression never leaving his face as Scully climbed down one porch step and took a seat next to him, also watching with joy as their daughter carried such a big yellow kite across the grass.
"I don't want her to grow up." He said, aware that Scully had heard the whole conversation.
She laughed softly, placing her hand on his thigh. He immediately covered it with his own hand and gave her a gentle squeeze.
"She's still too little. You two have plenty of time together!" Scully gently replied.
Mulder turned to look at her, his mind still in awe of the little girl's love for him.
"Though childhood slips like sand though a sieve, Scully."
"Who would say that one day you would be quoting Mary Poppins songs?! A man with such a different movie taste! What a change of heart!" She teased him, hoping to raise his mood too, as it was possible to notice the emotional aspect of the conversation he'd just had.
And it worked, as his face lit up with mischief.
"I had a Mary Poppins remake in my old video collection..." He spoke against her ear with a sly smile, causing Scully to pinch his thigh in reprimand.
Laughing at her reaction, he went on talking. "And for your information, I've noticed something going on between Poppins and Bert."
Frowning, she gave him a warning stare. "Wait a minute! What are you insinuating, Mulder?!"
"Haven't you noticed the way they gaze at each other, Scully? There's evident sexual tension going on everytime he takes her hand or when they sing and dance all close together!"
Scully shook her head in disapproval and whispered. "Oh, my goodness..."
"Who knows what happens when they're on their day off!"
"Could you stop ruining a childhood memory, please?" Scully raised her eyebrows with a stern expression on her face.
Mulder was grinning back at her, finding her annoyance quite endearing and once again committing to memory the spark of her blue eyes.
"Two very close friends, with evident complicity, loyal to each other and who shared many secrets...And it's evdent they're madly in love. It's just a matter of time for him to take courage and do something about the way he feels!"
Scully could not hold a smile at those words, aware that he was not only talking about a movie.
"Do something, huh? Like kissing her on the break of a new year, for instance?"
He inched closer and she could feel his breathing. "That's a great idea, as they will always have this moment in their lives!"
Her smile grew wider and she turned her eyes to his lips. "Yes...they certainly will!"
Their faced inched closer and lips met in a loving and sweet kiss, quite similar to the one they exchanged on that occasion.
"That will be very clever of him..." Scully whispered against his lips, smiling at the same time.
"That is a good start...But with so much tension going between them, I've no doubt that soon they'll start frolicking around those meadows-"
Scully pulled away with another frown. "No! Just-"
All of a sudden, Mulder held her face and pressed his lips against her lips, kissing her soundingly and more firmly, enjoying the sound of Scully's laughter once they pulled away.
"Mommy, daddy, let's fly a kite!" A sing song little voice called from a distance, causing them to turn to look at their beautiful daughter, who was smiling and looking back at them with excitement.
"Our most precious treasure indeed..." Scully whispered, as they exchanged a quick glance. Love and joy written on their faces as they rose to their feet with conjoined hands.
"Ok, honey, I'll give it a start for you!" Mulder spoke to the little girl, picking up the line that tied the kite while Scully rushed towards their daughter.
"Hey sweetheart, let's help daddy by raising the kite a little higher?" She said, kneeling besides Grace and wrapping her arms around her waist.
The little one nodded with emphasys as she leaned against her mother's arms. "Yes, mommy!"
Scully held her close and rose to her feet, feeling her own heart full of joy and marvelling at her excitement.
"Good job, you two!" He spoke back, chucking in secret at the fact that his Scully could at last help solving a height issue.
The soft summer breeze picked up and Scully and Mulder told the little girl that she could let the kite go.
The yellow diamond was immediately carried away and Grace squealed with joy to see it flying across the bluest of the skies.
Still carrying her in her arms, Scully walked back to where Mulder was, so that he could deposit the line that held the kite in Grace's tiny hands.
For a moment, Scully watched father and daughter. The joy reflected in his eyes as he spoke to the little girl and their shared excitement caused her to feel proud. Proud for making it possible for him to experience so much joy, especially after all that had happened throughout his life.
Mulder turned his face to look at her, just to see if she was following the kite, and heard the loving words that escaped from her lips almost as a whisper.
"We love you...You're our most precious treasure too!"
Smiling, he reached out and held one of her hands.
Close together, the trio watched it go higher and higher, another happy memory was immediately etched in their hearts.
The end.