The Scully-Mulder household was brimming with holiday cheer that Christmas morning. The tree sparkled with lights and ornaments, the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls wafted through the air, and the triplets—Beatrice, Sabrina, and Joanna—sat on the living room floor in their pajamas, eagerly unwrapping their gifts.
Scully and Mulder sat on the couch, sipping coffee and exchanging amused glances as the girls squealed with delight over their presents.
"Best Christmas ever!" Beatrice declared, holding up a new set of art supplies.
"It's not even lunchtime, and I already agree," Sabrina added, admiring the bracelet she'd unwrapped.
Joanna looked up from the new science kit she was examining, her brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Hey, Mom, Dad... when's your wedding anniversary?"
The question caught both parents off guard. Mulder froze mid-sip, and Scully blinked, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"Well..." Scully began, glancing at Mulder for backup.
Mulder set his coffee down and cleared his throat. "That's... an interesting question, Jo."
The girls exchanged puzzled looks.
"You don't know your own wedding anniversary?" Sabrina asked, tilting her head.
"That's because," Scully said slowly, her tone careful, "we're not... married."
The room fell silent for a moment, the only sound being the crackle of the fire in the fireplace.
"Wait, what?" Beatrice said, her eyes wide. "You're not married?!"
"Nope, never tied the knot," Mulder said, attempting a casual tone, though he knew this conversation was far from over.
"But you live together," Joanna pointed out, her analytical mind trying to process the information.
"And you act like you're married," Sabrina added, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"We're not against marriage," Scully explained, leaning forward. "It's just... not something we've felt was necessary for us."
"You have three kids together, and you've been together for, like, forever," Beatrice said, throwing her hands up. "How is marriage not necessary?"
Mulder chuckled nervously. "We've just always done things our own way," he said. "You three are proof of that."
Sabrina crossed her arms, her brow furrowed. "But don't you want to? Get married, I mean?"
Scully and Mulder exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them.
"It's not that we don't want to," Scully said softly. "It's just... we've always been more focused on being a family than making it official."
The girls looked at each other, clearly not satisfied with the answer. Finally, Joanna broke the silence.
"Well, I think you should," she said firmly.
"Me too," Sabrina agreed, nodding.
"Same," Beatrice chimed in.
Mulder raised an eyebrow. "Is this a Christmas intervention?"
"Call it what you want," Joanna said with a shrug. "But if you don't get married, it's going to be weird explaining this to people when we're older."
Scully laughed, shaking her head. "I'm not sure your dad and I should make life decisions based on what's easiest for you to explain to people."
"Think about it," Sabrina urged, her eyes shining with determination.
Mulder looked at Scully, a small smile playing on his lips. "Well, Dana, what do you think? Should we give the kids a new 'best Christmas ever' next year?"
Scully rolled her eyes, but there was a warmth in her expression. "We'll think about it," she said, her tone teasing but sincere.
The girls cheered, clearly taking that as a win.
As the family returned to unwrapping presents, Mulder leaned over to Scully and whispered, "Guess we'll have to find time to discuss wedding plans."
Scully smirked, shaking her head. "Or a good excuse not to," she replied, though her soft smile suggested she wasn't entirely opposed to the idea.