Gossamer | Story: "Generations 31: Christmas" by Macspooky & Evenstar, EowynThe Gossamer Project Author - Title - Date - Spoilers - Crossovers - X-Files - Adventures - Stories - Vignettes Other stories by: Evenstar, Eowyn - Macspooky Walter and Fox come to an understanding and the Scullys and Mulders celebrate Christmas after a rather rough year. Don't remember any third season spoilers so you should be safe... and we'll rate this R for that word. It's an automatic R in the theaters so here to... other than that it's very harmless. No sex and minimal violence. Greetings again... my turn for the disclaimer and intro. A great big thank you to Lezlie Shell for her editing help. It's been a lifesaver and made the stories stronger. After about the billionth read thru Mac and I get so worn out that we can't see the forest... well you know... a fresh pair of eyes really helps. E-mail me at 72620.3447@compuserve.com or Eowyn7@ix.netcom.com Eowyn. CC: macspooky@erols.com. We both love mail. This was completed on July 6, 1996 and will go to EMXC first before heading out to ATXC. Disclaimer stuff. I don't own Mulder, Scully, Skinner or Meg. I'm just borrowing them to play. Chris Carter is the person who I borrowed them from and I promise to give them back when I'm done, only slightly dented. The other characters you find in this story don't belong to me either. They belong to Macspooky and her most excellent Generation series and are used with her full permission. This is not part of my Fusion series. Please feel free to circulate this or any of my other stories around with only two conditions. One: keep our name and addresses attached and two: if you want to put it in a zine or something like that let me know because we want a copy. Deal? Okay. On with the show... Christmas By Macspooky and Eowyn "Fox, you're kidding right?" The redhead sighed, exasperated at her husband. They were standing in front of their garage looking at the present that she and Fox had gotten Meg and Walter for Christmas. she thought shaking her head. Mulder looked down at the ground, hands clasped behind his back and toed a rock with his shoe. Dana sighed to herself. She was worried about her husband, he had certainly set himself up to be hurt, didn't he realize even a real father would... "You know even my dad would have had trouble accepting such an expensive gift from one of us?" She pointed out. He sighed in return, "Yeah, I know that now but at the time it seemed like a good idea. I mean I know he wanted one, and that he'd never splurge enough to buy one for himself, so..." Mulder shrugged. "But..." "I know, I know... I ordered it back in September. You remember those two weeks I was busy shopping and on the net gathering data. I was so excited that I didn't think." he thought to himself. "And then when McFadden came into that meeting complaining to his partner how stubborn his dad was about the washer and dryer he'd bought his mom and how his father had sent him a check to pay for it. I sort of realized then that I might have over done it." Here Mulder got a bit angry and his voice rose, "But what the hell is the use in having money if you can't buy the people you care about a neat present that they'd never buy for themselves. So I bought a neat present for Walter and Mom for Christmas? Is that so bad?" "No it's not so bad, honey, but we both know that the present isn't for mom, it's for Walter and I know you two are close now but you are asking an awful lot of that relationship." Fox just sighed and nodded. "Yeah, now I don't know if I'll ever get the courage up to give it to him. Well at least you got him that shirt and those jeans." Dana put her arm around her husband's waist and gave him a hug. "Come on, Spook, you've got that early flight out tomorrow. We'll think of something to do about the present, I promise." The Following Evening The Mulder's House Stacks of reports surrounded the petite woman. She'd brought them home in hopes of staying busy enough so that she wouldn't miss Fox. Dana missed her husband like hell and he'd been gone less than twelve hours. He had a consult in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon but had flown out a day earlier at the behest of a friend who wanted a little off the record time before the official meeting. Hearing the door bell she got up wondering who it could be. She wasn't expecting company. When she saw who it was she opened the door, a guilty smile on her face. "Walter, come in and sit down." She gave her step father a hug in greeting and led him into the living room. "What can I do for you?" "Actually I came to see, Fox. Is he home from work?" He looked around the room at the piles of files and paperwork and commented. "You two don't have to work so hard you know, Christmas is a little over a week away and you should take it easy and enjoy the season." "This from the man who obviously hasn't been home from work yet, even though it's after eight." "I'm trying to tie a few lose ends up so that I can take the rest of the year off. Hopefully, tomorrow will be my last day till the second of January." Walter saw her skeptical look and smiled. "I know but I'm going to try and go in for no more than a couple of half days. So, where's Mulder in all this mess?" Walter was looking around surprised that Fox hadn't at least checked on who was at the door. "He's in San Francisco. He left this morning. Thus, all this mess to keep me busy and distracted from how much I miss him." She waved her hand at the piles of paper work and case files. "I thought he wasn't supposed to leave til tomorrow? He's not up to anything is he?" "Well yes and no. It wasn't his idea but Jerry Day used to work with Fox in VC and he asked him to come out early, unofficially, and take a closer look at some of the evidence. Seems he thinks his boss isn't getting together enough research for Mulder to work with." Here she shrugged before finishing, "You know what they're like. They call in Spooky Mulder to accomplish his magic so that they don't have to do as much leg work... they think. Instead, Fox gets caught having to do the extra research needed. Jerry saw the problem and knew that Mulder would want to be home in time for Christmas so he called and suggested he come out early. Hopefully, with a little advance preparation he won't get stuck out there too long. So can I help you?" Walter looked at his step daughter and wondered if he should broach the subject. "Do you know why Fox has been avoiding me? I thought I was imaging it up until the last couple of weeks but I haven't seen him, except in passing, and he's turned down at least three lunches, with one excuse or another. Did I do something to upset him and why the hell hasn't he come to me about it?" Walter didn't say anything, but his and Fox's fight last Christmas was still fresh in him mind. He wanted a happy holiday this year and having his son in law mad at him did not fit in with those plans. Dana Scully Mulder sighed and debated what to tell Walter. "It's nothing you've done. It's something Fox did." "Is he in trouble? He should know he can come to me." "Not trouble exactly." "The Christmas present he got you and mom came in yesterday." "So?" Walter was getting a bit impatient. "Well he went a bit overboard." "How overboard?" "You remember when he drug us off to Norway chasing a ghost ship?" Walter nodded yes. "That overboard. And now he's torn between thinking that he should have restrained himself and excitement hoping that you'll like your gift. That is if he ever gets the courage to give it to you. He's suddenly realized that you're likely to refuse it and that he should understand..." Her voice faded off and then she spoke honestly, from her heart. "Walter, I understand that you probably won't accept it but it's going to hurt him like hell when you don't." Walter sat and contemplated his step daughter for a long time. "So he's afraid to face me?" "That about sums it up. Look you want to see your present so that you can think about it before he gets back day after tomorrow and if you do refuse it, maybe think of a way that won't hurt too much?" "Okay, Dana. Where is it?" A new computer set up, with all the bells and whistles and accessories like a printer and scanner, could easily run upward of seven or eight thousand he realized. Dana got up and said, "Come on outback." She led Walter through the kitchen and grabbed a set of keys from a peg by the door. Walter wondered. They chatted as they walked outback. Walter asked, "Did you know that Missy is bringing a guest to Christmas dinner?" "Fox told me. He was torn between laughter at the look on your face when you found out and disgust at the thought of having to spend several hours with Colton around. I think amusement finally won out." "I'll just bet it did. He gets such a kick of Colton pumping him for information and being a frequent visitor..." Walter's voice faded off as Dana flipped on the back light and he spied something by the Mulder's garage. "I didn't know you had company?" "We don't." "Then whose four by four is...?" At the look of amused disgust on Dana's face he suddenly realized... "He's kidding, right?" "That was my reaction." "But, Dana, he can't really believe...?" "He said that it was something you wanted but would never splurge on for yourself so he wanted to buy it for you. Fox knows that you hate the idea of a minivan so..." Here she shrugged and nodded in the direction of the sport utility vehicle. "He also informed me, that what was the use of having money if you couldn't buy neat presents for the people that you cared about, so he bought this for you and mom. Of course we all know that Fox bought this for you and the fact that mom will get to ride in it and drive it most of the time is only secondary." "Shit!" Dana shrugged at Skinner's comment. "Told you." "When you said extravagant I had no idea. Do you know how much these cost?" "Roughly and this one was ordered and customized. Come on, you've got to hear the sound system. I think I'm going to ask him to buy me one like it for the house for my birthday." Dana gave Walter the grand tour of the vehicle. Her step father was in shock. They locked up the four by four and headed back into the house. "So, let me know what you decide and maybe I can break the news to Fox gently. I really do understand if you feel you can't accept it." Walter was lost in thought and barely heard her. He gave Dana a hug and a kiss on the top of her head, then picked up his coat and headed for the door. "Thanks for clueing me in. I'll talk to you tomorrow or the next day. Oh and would you let me know when Fox calls with his flight information?" She nodded and locked the door behind him. "Well, Mulder, that didn't go too bad. At least he's not mad." Dana debated calling her husband and letting him know that she had broken the news to Skinner but decided to wait until she had a feel for what their boss was going to do. Walter Skinner arrived home, his thoughts in turmoil. He'd suspected for the last couple months that his son had gone overboard on Christmas but he had no idea just how overboard he'd gone. "Hello, dear. You're awfully late?" Meg greeted him. "I know. Sorry, I was trying to clear my desk so that I didn't have to go in too much during my vacation and then I stopped by Fox and Dana's to find out why Mulder has been avoiding me." "And did you find out?" Meg had been aware that Walter was concerned about Fox because he had complained several times over the last weeks that he hadn't seen much of the agent. He didn't go on to say that he missed him a lot but Meg knew her husband well and could read between the lines. "He's concerned about how I'm going to react to the Christmas present he got us." "Oh, do you know what it is? Dana said the last time I talked to her that even she didn't know." "Oh yeah, we know now." "And what is it?" "A sport utility vehicle, loaded." Meg looked at him in shock and then reacted in a way that he wouldn't have predicted. She dropped into a kitchen chair and began to laugh, she laughed so hard that the tears ran down her face. Finally she looked up to see the shocked expression on his face and spoke. "You've got only yourself to blame." He looked indignantly down at her. "It's been obvious that you were dreading a minivan and have bent over backwards for the last year to avoid buying one. When Fox and Dana got theirs you began to look like a trapped rat. What was it you and Fox joked about... makes you feel too domesticated, and the station wagon has been in the shop a lot of late. So Fox bought you something that he thought would suit your image, that you'd like. If I know him the sound system in it will be impressive, to say the least." "Do you know how much those vehicles cost? How can I possibly accept such an expensive gift?" Margaret sighed as she looked at her husband. Well he was fond of dishing out hard truths, let's see how well he can take them. "Walter, you claim to think of Fox as a son?" He nodded yes to her implied question. She continued, "Well if Bill were still alive and one of the kids had as much money as Fox and Dana do and bought him a car, he would protest a bit and maybe grumble alot but in the end he would accept it in the love that it was given and forget about how much it cost. You've just got to decide for yourself whether calling Fox Mulder son is lip service or if you really mean it. Because if you reject his gift... even though he will intellectually understand your reasons, you will break his heart. So I'd say you have some hard thinking to do. Now I'll dish out your dinner and keep you company while you eat but then I've simply got to answer some e-mail messages." They sat down to a quiet dinner with Walter lost in thought but every now and then he reached over and squeezed his wife's hand and thanked God he'd gotten so lucky. He decided that he'd read the paper in the study while she answered her mail. Little Fox should be up by then and he could play with him some, too. "Skinner." It was supposedly his last day at work for a couple of weeks and everyone was coming out of the woodwork with things that needed his attention. He was feeling very testy. "Hello, Sir. I have that flight information you requested. Dana Scully's voice sounded amused over the phone. He thought to himself. Walter smiled at the thought. He was finding that it was kind of nice having a few people who knew him well enough to know that his bark was worse than his bite. "Okay. Give it to me and I'll come by tomorrow and pick up the Trooper and then pick Mulder up at the airport." "Are you going to accept the gift?" He could hear the concern in her voice. "I'll discuss that with Mulder tomorrow." "Don't tell him I'll be picking him up, or in what." Dana agreed and hung up. She'd just have to trust Walter to handle whatever choice he made in the least painful way for Fox. The tall, lanky man strode through the airport, glad to be home. Traveling was hard enough with Scully. They both missed the babies like hell but traveling without Dana was just downright painful. He'd barely slept the whole time. Mulder found he would manage to drift off and then reach for her in his sleep, and not finding her, wake up. He thought to himself, On one occasion before they were involved the motel that he and Dana had needed to stay at had only one room with a double bed and he and Scully had shared. He'd done it a couple of times with his previous partners as well but grabbing some guy in the middle of the night while reaching for Dana was not a story he wanted circulated. Traffic at the airport was a nightmare and he wished that he'd told Dana to just let him get a cab but she had been adamant that someone would pick him up. He leaned against a pillar at the terminal looking for their van or mustang. He didn't even notice when a black Trooper pulled up in front of him until the passenger's side window rolled down and Walter Skinner told him to get in. He opened the back door and threw in his suitcase, then got in front. His gut was suddenly in knots. "Didn't know that you were going to pick me up." Mulder probed nervously. Casting a sidelong look at his boss. "I asked Scully not to tell you." Walter looked over at his agent and read the nervousness in his face. "I take it she called and told you?" Secretly Fox was kind of glad. Mulder had been dreading telling him about the present and watching him get angry and maybe yell. He realized that he had probably gone too far and asked too much of his father in law. "No, she didn't call. I came by night before last to talk to you. I wanted to know what was wrong and what I'd done to make you avoid me." "You didn't do anything." Fox was upset with himself for not realizing that Walter might think that he was mad at him. "I'm sorry I didn't realize that you'd misunderstand. I was too worried about... well..." Walter was quiet for awhile negotiating traffic. Then he queried, "Don't you think you went a bit extreme?" If Fox had been standing up he would have scuffed the toe of his shoe along the floor and rocked his shoulders side to side like a little boy, as it was, he refused to meet Walter's gaze and looked out the window when he finally answered. "Yeah. I just didn't think. I'm sorry." "Fox you don't have to buy my..." Skinner couldn't bring himself to get the word love out. Expressing his feelings for his wayward agent was damn near impossible. Mulder saved him the trouble. He didn't want to use the word love either. "I know that. It wasn't about that. It was just that I knew what you wanted and that you'd never buy it for yourself and I had the extra cash so I thought what the heck." "I bet the dealer saw you coming." "Actually I got a really good deal. When you go in offering cash upfront and with a list of what you want and what you're willing to pay--bet you and Dana didn't think I learned a thing from her when we bought the van--anyway I hit three dealerships until I found one who would give me what I wanted for the price I wanted. The only thing I didn't get a price break on was the sound system... that was a special order and they had to pay through the nose to get it." Here Fox forgot for a moment that Walter was most likely going to reject the present and got excited. "Have you listened to it? Isn't it great? I think I'm going to get something like it for the house. Don't know what Scully's likely to say, though?" "Well since she mentioned thinking about asking for one for her birthday I'd say you two were on the same wavelength, as usual." "Cool. So did you check out..." Fox went on to talk excitedly about his purchase of the Trooper. Each and every detail had been thoroughly researched and debated. Every choice, every accessory, was one which Walter would have made for himself if he'd bought the thing and had an unlimited supply of money. It was obvious that Fox had worked long and hard at just the right combination of features. The only thing he'd missed was a cellular phone. The whole situation made Walter very uncomfortable as to how well his son in law really knew him. Listening to Fox Walter realized that if he was ten he would have been describing all the trouble he'd gone to to make his dad a present. In the end the decision wasn't that hard at all. Walter pulled the four by four into Mulder's driveway, but didn't shut off the engine. He turned to Fox and said, "Well Meg promised a special dinner in honor of my first vacation day so I better head home." Fox looked at him, almost afraid to ask, but finally he got the words out. "So does that mean you're accepting the present?" "Yeah but..." Before Walter could get another word out he found himself enveloped in a crushing hug. He put his arms around Fox and held him tight. It was a good bit before Fox finally pulled away slightly embarrassed. "Thank you for the gift. It really is exactly what I wanted. But, when my birthday comes around --" Mulder, grinning from ear to ear, held up his hands. "I promise! You'll get an ugly tie for your birthday and one of those cheesy plastic trophies that say "World's Greatest Dad" for Father's Day." Skinner punched him in the arm. "Get out of here." Fox grabbed his suitcase from the back seat. "Thanks for the ride, Dad. I've got to go into work in the morning but I should finish up around noon. Want to go out and play with your new toy?" Walter turned and looked back at Fox and grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me. I'll pick you up around one and we can see what this baby can do." Walter thought that he could rarely remember seeing Fox look so happy. He backed out and headed home to his wife and other son. Dana packed up the diaper bag with a sigh. Christmas Day had dawned chaotic and it wasn't going to get any better. She had thought the worst obstacle was over when Walter had accepted the car, he and Fox agreeing that for the purposes of the rest of the family, he would have bought the car himself. None of her family but Mom and Walter were aware of Mulder's sudden wealth and Fox wanted to keep it that way. She had thought her mom crazy for buying such a big house at their age but on a day like today Dana found herself glad that they had. The whole family would be able to get together and still not feel too cramped. Her mother was a bright woman with lots of foresight. Her mother's plan to draw names from hats to keep things in proportion at Christmas time had been brilliant, too! Each member of the family drew two names. One child and one adult. Well, naturally they had drawn Walter. Melissa would have been easier. At least Michael had been easy. He had wanted a Sony Play Station... only $300... sheesh... good thing we've got money. "You almost ready to go, Dana?" her husband called from downstairs. "Yeah, hold your horses," she replied trying not to snap. She hadn't slept well the night before. She hadn't slept well because Fox hadn't slept well. He was wound up like a top, just like the average five year old. The twins were old enough to be awestruck by a Christmas tree and presents this year. She had tried to keep things like gifts in proportion. They didn't need anything. She had chosen a few age appropriate items and congratulated herself. Then, just when she was starting to pick up the mess and pat herself on the back, from out of nowhere two rather large horses on springs had appeared, one in boy colors, one in girl colors. One had been more than they required or had room for. The kids could have shared it. The bouncy horses, along with the gigantic tree, took up the entire living room. Worse yet, they hadn't been able to get Patrick off the damn thing for a nap. The only thing that had saved Mulder's life was that she had remembered a conversation in a barn in Ireland when he had told her how much Samantha had loved ponies, about how she had collected toy horses in all colors. Dana realized that when her husband saw Bren climb on that glitzy pink horse, he was seeing a little of Samantha, and so she had softened her acerbic response. She did vow silently, however, that the whinnying noise and the clattering hoofbeats that the damned things made were going to break quickly... by the next day... If something had an extra whistle or bell... It was like salespeople could see Mulder coming... By the time they arrived, the party was in full swing, her mother's house filled to the rafters with kids, most of whom were demanding to open presents immediately. She surveyed the scene with trepidation and shuddered at the thought that when it was over, it wasn't going to be over. They still had to drive to Massachusetts to visit his family the next day... When they saw their Uncle Wolf coming, they momentarily forgot about gifts and surrounded him. Oddly enough, she realized that the strange reclusive always alone man she had fallen in love with was in his glory. She removed the twin's jackets and took her food contribution to the dining room where she saw Missy and, jeez... Tom Colton. Ignoring her sister, she gave Tom a brief nod. Wills ran to her and she picked him up. "Hello, Wills," she smiled giving him a big hug. "My you look more like your grandpa Bill everyday..." She didn't get to see much of Wills and it hurt. It also gave her a pang how much he looked like her daddy and the fact that her daddy would never see his grandkids. Sadly, she pushed the thought the aside. The child wiggled to get down and was off. She turned away and went into the other room to sit with Sinead and her two kids, taking the infant into her arms and cuddling her thinking that it would be nice if they would stay that small just a little longer. Walter surveyed the scene of chaos. The house looked like Dresden after the war... demolished... Jeez... and that morning it had been picture book perfect too. His sister came up behind him. "Hey, keep this up and I won't be able to call you tight ass any more..." "You keep it up, Lisa, and I'll have the IRS after you," he grumbled remembering Mulder's favorite threat, but then relaxed and smiled at and hugged his only sibling. Quite suddenly, someone discovered that Melissa and Colton were under the mistletoe. Well, it didn't take Tom long to seize the advantage there. He had been ingratiating himself among the family since he had arrived. He was good at it, too. All the women took to him. He slipped his arms around Melissa and kissed her. Everyone demanded more, so he did it again. "Think I'm gonna be sick," he heard himself mumble wondering just what the heck he was supposed to do about this developing situation. Melissa really liked Colton. Oddly enough, he seemed taken with her too and even appeared to be fond of Wills, but appearances could be deceiving. Well, it was Christmas and he decided to think positively. He maneuvered Meg under the mistletoe and thoroughly embarrassed her. The meal went off well, but Walter couldn't help but notice just how much Dana was keeping to herself, looking after the twins while Fox mingled and enjoyed, avoiding her sister. It saddened him a little. Dana didn't deserve to be the outsider here. It was simply the same pattern that had existed most of her life with Missy garnering the attention. He motioned to Fox who caught the gist quickly and returned to Dana's side. After that he and Mulder did their best to see that one of them was with Dana all the time and that she was drawn into the festivities. Melissa, finding the normal family patterns suddenly disrupted, started to pout. Tom Colton was quick to notice and paid even more attention to her. She blossomed under his attention but still felt off balance as a result of Walter's and Mulder's efforts not to let her exclude Dana. Trouble was that she wasn't aware of any of this on a conscious level. Things were quickly cleared away and Walter wondered briefly just how many forests they had destroyed with all the paper plates, but no one could own enough regular dishes for a family this size. Gifts were opened, and he was pleased with the jeans and shirt he knew that Dana had chosen for him. Walter laughed at Fox's reaction to the present he had gotten him. Three portable viedo games to take with him when he flew. One had a space alien theme, another a werewolf theme and the third had something to do with Dungeons and Dragons. The store clerk told him it was all the rage, that they were difficult to get and would be sold out in hours. Walter had bought it as well. Since they weren't supposed to be exchanging gifts Walter had only put Mulder's name on it and not who it was from. But from the grin Fox shot Walter as Michael asked for the third time if Mulder was sure the tag had been addressed to him, Fox knew where the present had come from. There was a tense moment when Walter realized that Melissa had drawn Dana's name. He thought there might be an incident, but Dana merely accepted the crystal necklace with a bland expression and a gracious nod. She would not make a fuss, a fact that Melissa didn't seem to appreciate. Dana was what his mother used to call 'a lady'. Things were winding down nicely. Walter was feeling rather mellow from the punch when suddenly he overheard Melissa say to Colton, "I don't know what Dana's problem is, Tom." "Always was a bitch, Miss..." he replied. "About the only thing we could figure out at work was that the Ice Queen was saving herself for Spooky Mulder, 'cause according to Jack, he sure never got any from her. We always figured they deserved each other." Fox appeared out of nowhere and before anyone realized what was happening Colton was against the wall. "That's my wife you are talking about you son of a bitch," he hissed. "Mulder," snapped Skinner going into his AD mode quickly. "Mulder, back off... now..." Fox did so, reluctantly. Dana watched sadly and began to gather the children's things. It had been a mistake to come. She looked around. Her mother had seen, and she could see the pain in the older woman's eyes. This feud was hurting everyone. She vowed next time to stay away. "In the den, Colton, now.... Melissa you join him." snapped Skinner. Tom realized that he had screwed up badly. He hadn't meant to. Slowly but surely, he was coming to realize, he was falling in love with Melissa, deeply in love for the first time in his life. He had even found himself enjoying the little boy. Trouble is, he felt protective of Melissa and he could see that she was hurt by her sister's actions, and he couldn't envision Melissa doing anything bad enough to warrant Dana constantly giving her the cold shoulder. Skinner glared at him. He headed toward the den but turned and stopped to wait on Melissa. What he saw stopped him cold. He figured that Mulder would get a major lecture, as well, but instead the AD had his arm around Mulder's shoulders and their heads were together. They were talking quietly and nodding towards Dana. Ole Spooky smiled and hugged... actually hugged... the AD and then they both walked over to Dana as she was gathering the things in preparation of leaving. First Skinner hugged her and then Fox and they started to talk. Melissa finally joined him and they headed into the study. Colton was shaken. He'd thought that Mulder and Scully had gotten special treatment in deference to Mrs. Skinner, but the AD wouldn't hug Mulder just for his wife's sake. There had to be a lot more going on here than he'd ever realized. "Well, here comes another lecture from Walter." She sighed. "Why do you put up with it? I mean he's my boss and I have to but he just married into your family." Mel shrugged, "I still need his and mom's help. Without Aislinn's help with the shop and Wills I'd never be able to make a go of it. We did really well being open from the first of November but things are going to slow down a lot after the first of the year and my modeling couldn't cover all the expenses if I had to get a place of my own and afford child care. It'll take at least a year to get sufficient clientele for the shop to even break even and probably two to three years for it to make any money, if it does manage to catch on. I don't want to dip into Wills college fund so I try not to piss mom and Walter off. Shouldn't have pushed Dana." "Well from what I've seen she had it coming." "Not really," Melissa sighed. "I started the whole thing and should just leave well enough alone, but I hate having her mad at me and so I just keep pushing." "What could you have possibly done that was so bad?" "Remember I told you how sick I was after the baby?" At his nod she continued. "Chuck really had me strung out and I couldn't think straight and was afraid to go to the doctor." He came up and hugged her and gave her a gentle kiss, "It's alright, Miss, it's over, past." They sat down on the sofa, neither one noticed that Walter was now at the door. "Well I was so lonely and wanted someone so much that during the forth of July picnic I slipped Mulder a drink loaded with alcohol, even though I knew that he wasn't drinking liquor because of the medicine he was taking for his cold. I got him drunk and lured him down to the apartment here and tried to seduce him. Dana and Walter came in before anything happened but since then neither she nor Mulder will have anything to do with me." Colton was pretty shocked. Tom wasn't close to Dana Scully but the one thing he knew was that where Spooky was concerned you better keep your hands off. There was a rumor circulating around the office that a certain dent in the AD's wall was there because an acting female AD had made a pass at Mulder and Scully had come in on it. Having seen how she protected Spooky Mulder he could well believe it. Tom decided to reply honestly, "Melissa, honey, even I could tell you not to mess with Mulder where Dana is concerned. Sheesh... you're lucky to be alive." He chuckled before asking, "I didn't think you liked Mulder?" "I don't really... I mean he is really sexy but he's too weird for me. It was just that he was so sweet to Dana and I wanted someone to care for me that way and in my messed up head I thought he would if I could seduce him... Maybe that's what I thought or maybe I just wanted a good lay. It had been a long time and rumors are..." "Of course he's weird, why do you think we call him Spooky..." Before he could continue Walter interrupted. "You won't be calling him that any more, Mr. Colton. Melissa, I'm glad that you decided to tell the truth. I've talked to Meg and since your keeping custody of Wills is no longer an issue we have decided to tell the family exactly what the fight with Dana is about. Today has made it apparent to all of us who know what's going on, that you will continue to exclude your sister and play her for the heavy in this piece unless the truth is out. Christmas is not the day for it but within the next month your brothers will be told. You can do it yourself or you can let Meg, but it is coming out." Colton felt protective of Melissa and stood up for her, "That's not fair. Melissa was sick at the time." His spirited defense of Walter's step daughter did much to raise his opinion of him but Skinner wasn't about to let on. "Yes she was and that will also be made clear. But we've had this talk with Melissa before and she still continues to push Dana every chance she gets and try to make her feel like the heavy in this piece. Your mother and I are tired of it and we aren't going to let you push Dana to the periphery of the family like you did so often when you were kids. Scully is as much a part of this family as you are and you aren't pushing her out of it just to get your way. Now if you will excuse us I would like to have a word with Mr. Colton." Melissa thought about arguing but could tell by the look on Walter's face that it would be best for everybody if she stayed out of Bureau affairs. If Tom really cared for her he was going to have to put up with Walter and if he couldn't it had better come out now before they got anymore involved. She squeezed his hand and left the room. The AD looked long and hard at the man before him. Dealing with him on a professional level was bad enough but having to do so on a personal level left him cold. Giving a mental shrug he began. "Mr. Colton, I assume that you want to see more of my step daughter?" "Yes, Sir. I've become very fond of Melissa." "That hasn't escaped my notice. She has had a very rough time of late, some of it brought on by herself, but that doesn't make it any easier. Melissa is very fond of her family and they, we, are very close knit. What that means is that there are family gatherings several times a year, if you want to be included in these gatherings you will refrain from making derogatory comments about either Dana Scully Mulder or Agent Mulder. Do I make myself clear?" Colton nodded yes. "Good. Now that you are aware of the truth I suggest you mind your own business and allow the sisters to work it out for themselves. Getting involved will only aggravate an already tense situation. I hope we have an understanding now?" "Yes, Sir." Colton got up to leave, as he went to open the door Walter's voice stopped him. "Mr. Colton?" "Sir?" "Your mouth seems to get away from you at the Bureau on occasion, as well. If I hear that either of the terms 'ice queen' or 'spooky' have come out of it again... well there are field offices in Idaho, North Dakota, and Maine that are always in need of agents. You'll be reporting there by the end of whatever week you choose to denigrate either Agent Scully or Agent Mulder again. And personally, Colton, you make another comment like that about my step daughter and I won't be pulling Fox off you, I'll knock you flat on your ass myself. That will be all." Tom Colton swallowed hard and left. The AD wasn't kidding, there had better not be any more Spooky Mulder jokes. And as for the ice queen... well Jack Willis always was a SOB. Melissa joined him. "How'd it go?" "Not too bad. Told me to stay out of your's and Scully's disagreement. He also informed me that if he heard that I'd made derogatory comments about either Scully or Mulder again I'd be transferred out to the middle of nowhere. And finally AD Skinner informed me he'd be the one they had to pull off of me if I made a comment about Dana like that again. Mulder and Scully sure lucked out having him marry into the family." Here Mel snorted. "You're way off base there." "Huh?" "Walter and Mulder were tight long before he started dating my mom. When Dana was teamed with Mulder then Walter took her under his wing, as well." "Come on, you don't really believe that Walter and Spo... Mulder were close before they joined your family?" Colton was skeptical. Melissa shrugged but said no more... Tom's presence was already an aggravation to Walter and the Mulder's. She decided that maybe it would be best if he didn't realize just how close Walter and Mulder were. Tom, for his part, decided not to argue but he doubted that Melissa knew what she was talking about. Still it gave him pause to think. An hour or so later half the kids were asleep and the other half were playing quietly in the play room, while the women watched chatting. Most of the male adults were sitting around the living room relaxing and talking. Bill Jr. jumped up. "Time for a game of touch football." Mulder and Skinner exchanged startled looks. They wanted to play, they REALLY wanted to play, but they had to work with the man and being a party to the Scully initiation ritual simply was not in the cards. Mulder spoke first. "Sorry, Bill, but Walter and I promised to clean the kitchen. But I'm sure that you, Chris, and Kevin can give the game sufficient enthusiasm without us." He stood up, slapped Bill on the back and gave him a wink. Then whispered in his ear, "We'd love to join you but we've got to work with him. You make sure he pays for calling Dana an ice queen, okay?" "You bet ya, Mulder." Bill turned to the others and looked Colton straight in the face, "You going to wuss out, too." Colton figuring to show Mulder up for the wimp that he was, got up replying, "Of course not." They headed outside leaving Walter and Fox sitting in the living room. Walter spoke first. "You realize that our wives and Melissa are going to kill us for letting the boys do that?" "Hey, I had to go through it. The only reason you avoided it was Mom's rescue. 'Sides you wouldn't let me hit him. At least this way I can get a vicarious thrill." Fox grinned at Walter and then added, "Now tell me that you didn't want to join in." "Hell, Fox, I wanted to hold him while you beat the shit out of him for what he said about Dana. But it would only hurt you and it wasn't all his fault... Melissa hadn't told him the truth about the fight. He won't be making anymore comments like that or he will not be invited to any family gatherings that Meg and I attend. And I also informed him that any more derogatory comments at the Bureau and he would find himself in Maine or Idaho." "Going to start some gossip. You know he saw that hug?" "I know. But f**k it. I have to spend every minute at the Bureau being careful, I don't intend to spend family gatherings looking over my shoulder and hiding our friendship. As for the gossip... I don't think so. I think he has enough sense to keep his mouth shut. And I really hate to say this but I think he really is in love with Melissa, which means he's likely to become a permanent fixture. He stood up to me and defended her, most guts the man has ever shown in his life." "Yeah... I've been coming to the same conclusion over the last couple of months. Actually they are well suited to each other." "I know. Frightening isn't it? Come on, we're supposed to be cleaning the kitchen up remember?" "Ah, Dad, do I have to?" Walter smiled at Fox's imitation of Michael Scully. "Come on, Fox, look at it this way, there's a window that overlooks the backyard in the kitchen." "What are we waiting for? I want a front row seat." They got up and headed into the kitchen. As they cleaned it up, they started a running commentary on the touch/ tackle football game that was going on in the back yard. "There goes Colton again. Eeewww... that one looked painful. You'd think he would have caught on by now." Mulder laughed. "Naw... the Scully boys are being careful. Watch. See how they tackle each other as well. There, Bill just took Chris down real gently." They loaded the dishwasher and washed the dishes that wouldn't fit or were too dirty. "Okay, Colton's got the ball again... Ow!" "At least he should notice that his team mate is in the pile up as well." "He might be too dazed. Think we should stop it?" They exchanged looks... "Naw," they both said at once. The game lasted for fortyfive minutes, until one rather hard contact started Tom Colton's nose bleeding. They gathered up their things from outside and headed in the door. Mulder met Colton at the door with an old towel that Walter had dug out, a couple of ice cubes in it. "Here keep this on it for awhile and maybe you won't look like Carl Malden tomorrow." Colton took the towel and applied it gingerly to his nose. "You might have warned me, Mulder." "On the contrary, Colton. I really wanted to join in. I did my part by keeping Skinner and myself out of the game. Almost all potential Scully women suitors have to go through this welcoming ritual." "So how'd you get out of it?" "I didn't, Skinner did." Colton raised his eyes in question so Mulder explained, "Mom heard Billy suggest a game when she and Walter were dating and laid down the law. There would be no 'touch' football involving Walter. None of the boys are willing to mess with their mom." Before they could continue the conversation they heard the women coming out of the family room. Melissa's voice rose above all the rest. "What the hell have you been doing?" "Playing touch football, sis." Was Bill's cocky reply. "Touch football my ass, Billy. Where is Tom? If he's hurt, so help me Maureen's going to find you useless for at least a week." None of the three men listening in the kitchen needed an explanation as to useless for what. Melissa's point was quiet clear. Tom's eyes got wide with awe. "Did she mean what I thought she meant?" He asked Mulder and Skinner. He'd never seen this side of Melissa and he was finding it to be exciting. He felt certain parts of his anatomy springing to life. Melissa was still recovering from a rough year and they had decided to wait to have relations, now he was regretting that decision, just a bit. Mulder read his face and reaction. "For god's sake, Colton, calm down. One look at you and the Scully boys will drag you back for another round of touch football." Tom swallowed hard, he knew Mulder was right and considered applying ice to a different part of his anatomy. But this new side of Miss was just too sexy. Before he could say or do anything more, Melissa burst into the kitchen. She barreled straight at Tom and Mulder. "Are you alright, Tom? If my Neanderthal brothers hurt you..." Colton pulled her into his arms, "I'm fine, Miss, just a little sore." Now she turned to Walter and Mulder, "I suppose that you had a hand in this as well." Fox raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, not us. We were good boys and cleaned the kitchen. Right, Walt?" Mulder elbowed Walter in the ribs and Skinner nodded. He didn't want to get into this, not at all, because he knew that if he did he would burst out laughing. Not an image for the AD to portray in front of one of his agents. Melissa glared at them, nevertheless, and putting an arm protectively around Colton led him back into the living room. Exchanging looks, when the kitchen was again empty, Mulder and Skinner erupted with laughter. They couldn't seem to stop and when Margaret and Dana entered a couple of minutes later they watched in disgust as their husbands laughed so hard they cried. After they had gotten themselves sufficiently under control Dana spoke. "And I suppose that you two had nothing to do with this?" Skinner spoke before Mulder could. "On the contrary, Dana, Fox and I watched and applauded all the best tackles." He and Mulder lost it again and Meg and Dana left realizing that it was no use trying to talk to them in this mood. They were incorrigible when they got together. Suddenly, just as Walter and Fox were finally managing to collect themselves, a terrible crash was heard from the living room. There were screams and the sound of a shrieking child... not his... he recognized Little Fox's cry... The two agents ran, their discomfort forgotten, only to see the huge Christmas tree down on the floor, the cries coming from beneath. >From the corner of their eye, they saw Michael pull the plug on the lights... good thinking... smart boy... as Mulder and Bill promptly lifted the tree and untangled Patrick. "Wait," snapped Dana, "Don't move him..." A lot of blood was appearing on the carpet as everyone stood hushed while Dana and Aunt Sophia checked out the child and Meg ran for clean linens. "I think he's okay," pronounced Sophia as Dana cradled her son, "I'd take him to the ER and get an x-ray, honey, just to be on the safe side. From the looks of things it shouldn't take more than four or five stitches to close the cut on his head. I'll take Brenda home." As the Mulders headed off to the ER for what would prove to be the first of many occasions of head stitching in Patrick's life and the guests left, Tom Colton helped pull the Christmas tree back up. "Figures it would be Mulder's kid pulling a stunt like that," he whispered to Melissa making certain that Skinner was out of ear shot. He was surprised when she started to cry. "Hey, what is it, Lis?" he asked putting his arms around her. "Tom, I saw him studying the tree... I should have prevented it and I didn't... It could've been Wills..." Meg smiled at the sight of her daughter. Confession was good for the soul. Maybe, she thought idly, there was hope for Melissa yet. She went and got Walter. "Let's leave Little Fox with Aislinn and check to see how Dana and Fox are doing at the ER. It'll give us an excuse to drive the car and escape this madness." "Maybe we won't hurry back," he muttered. Dana lay in the bed with her son. There was no way to keep an exhausted baby awake no matter what they preached in med school, but she and Fox were going to have to take turns rousing him throughout the night to check his reactions. He'd had an x-ray and five stitches and a bruise on his back, but he'd been more scared than anything. Fox came in announcing that Brenda was down for the count as she was stroking Patrick's head. The child slept peacefully. "I should have prevented it, Fox," she said softly. "I saw him looking at the star on top of the tree. I should have realized that he was your son and would try to reach it." "Are you accusing the Wolfster of being a real chip off the old block?" he grinned. Now that everything was okay, he could smile, maybe feeling just a wee bit proud of his son's adventurous spirit. "Yeah," she smiled. "I guess I am. I have a job for you." "What?" "I think you better call your mom and tell her we'll be coming a day later." "Sure you want to do that, sweetie?" he asked, "I mean, after that knock on the head, the child might actually sleep in the car." "On the other hand," she smiled, "maybe we ought to just go." Patrick would be fine, and all told, the holiday hadn't been too bad... considering... sort of... maybe... She wondered briefly if Walter and her mom were still driving around and then felt herself doze off leaving Fox to gaze lovingly at the two of them. End That's all for now folks... the next one is coming right up. The Gossamer Project Author - Title - Date - Spoilers - Crossovers - X-Files - Adventures - Stories - Vignettes Other stories by: Evenstar, Eowyn - Macspooky Please let us know if the site is not working properly. 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