Choices at Christmas

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

Scully was flustered. The usually in control, Agent Dana Scully, was frazzled. She was surrounded by several dozen undecorated cookies as she tried to keep an eye on the timer in her mother's kitchen, while her two eldest nephews who came up to her waist chased the newly toddling and unsteady Matthew through the kitchen knocking into her on occasion, setting her nerves on the edge. She was trying to stay calm and concentrate as she gripped the side of the counter as she listened to Matthew squealed at the top of his lungs, while Bill and Charles argued over naval tactics in the other room, oblivious to their children and all she could do was keep from bursting at the seams. It was too soon, too raw, her emotions, being here at Christmas with them. Without both of them.

A hand reached out and touched her on her back. "You alright sis?"

She nodded without looking up. "Yeah, Bill, I'm fine,", she said, quickly wiping away the tears that had pooled at the base of her blue eyes.

"What is it?", he said, concerned.

She smiled then. As much as she and Bill fought, she did love his over protectiveness and she knew that he loved her.

"It's Emily," she whispered and then glanced up at him, to gauge his reaction.

His eyes widened and he coughed but nodded and then pulled his baby sister into his arms. "I'm sorry," he said. "I guess hearing the kids playing..."

"It's fine," she said, pulling away. "I didn't mean to do this..."

Bill shook his head. "Dana," he said, touching her shoulder so she would look up at him. "We're family. If you can't express yourself with us, who can you express yourself with..."

Scully stared at him and Bill could see the changes in her eyes and he knew who she was thinking of.

"Speaking of the devil," as his voice became gruff and his demeanor changed. "Has your partner called for the umpteenth time today?"

"Bill!", she said. "He broke his foot."

"Doing something stupid, I'm sure!", he huffed.

"No, as a matter of fact, he was attacked when a suspect tackled him and took a baseball bat to his foot."

Bill listened to her explanation but said nothing.

"Mulder is sitting there all alone on Christmas Eve! He just wants to talk, that's all!"

"That's not it!", he said, as his eyes narrowed.

Scully puffed out her chest and crossed her arms defensively, ready for a fight. "Then what? What is it then?"

"You know why!"

"No, you tell me!"

"Oh Come ON," Bill scoffed. "Everyone knows, Dana, we're not stupid. You've been in love with him for years..."

Scully's head bowed down as she listened to her brother, her hands gripping the table hard.

"He's a BIG BABY! He can't be on his own for one minute! Every holiday he calls like fifty times."

Scully rolled her eyes at his exaggeration, though not by much.

"He'd probably wither up and die without you!"

She smiled at that but then hid her smile and lifted her head up towards her brother. Glaring, she snarled. "Are you done? Any more? Or will I hear about it the rest of the holiday?"

Bill shook his head as he looked down at his younger sister. "I'm surprised he didn't drag himself here just to interrupt my Christmas!"

Fuming, Scully stood on her tip-toes and stepped up to him, her finger pointed in his face.

"Interrupt what Christmas?", Maggie Scully asked as she brought in groceries, her face blistered from the cold December wind as she began unbuttoning her coat.

Scully turned towards their mother. "He's talking about Mulder and my relationship!"

Maggie smirked, a wide smile spreading across her face. "The one that we're not supposed to know exists or the one you're finally going to admit to us exists?"

Bill and Maggie turned towards Scully, waiting on her to answer.

"FINE!", Scully said, throwing up her hands. "It exists!", she said and then turned to her brother. "There, Bill, you happy! Mulder and I are a couple! So, shut up about him!", she said, pointing her finger, her eyes blazing.

Bill looked down at his baby sister. "I need a drink!," he said, scampering off.

"It's only noon, Bill!", Maggie called out after him

"SO," Maggie said, turning her attention back towards Dana. "How long?"

Scully's eyes widened as she looked at her mother. "Mom, I was going to tell you but Mulder and I thought it was best to keep it a secret for awhile."

"Dana," Maggie said. "I've known you two were in love for a very long time. I'm just glad it finally happened. It hurt me to see you so miserable all those years."

Maggie glanced out into the living room. "So where is Fox anyway?"

"He's at home."

Maggie looked confused. "He does know that I invite him every year..."

"He broke his foot when a suspect attacked him. He wanted to come. As a matter of fact, the poinsettias are from him," Scully said, pointing towards the fireplace where a large plant with beautiful bright red leaves and dark green leaves dotted with gold clusters gave the family living room a more festive feel.

Maggie smiled. She had always loved Poinsettia's. "Those are lovely.," but then her bright smile shifted and suddenly fell."But, why isn't Fox here? He can't recuperate here?"

Scully sighed. "He didn't want to be a bother to anyone mom. I left him with plenty of food, plenty of his medicine and everything he could possibly need," she said, trying to convince herself as well as her mother.

Maggie shook her head. "I don't like this! When you're here your mind is on him! With Fox not here, broken foot or not, I know how this is going to go!," she sighed as Scully watched her head off towards the front door, to hang up her coat.

Scully stood there a second. Her mother had been right. Her mind was not on the beautifully 8 ft tall tree that stood decorated just as her father, Ahab, would've wanted. Her mind wasn't on the kids that were racing around her and how big they'd grown, or her brother's and their wives who were finally given a break by Aunt Dana to go last minute shopping on Xmas Eve. It was on her daughter whom she met and lost two Christmas' before and on the first Christmas she wish she could be spending with Mulder, but couldn't.

The telephone rang and Scully grabbed it from the tither on the wall and answered. "Scully residence."

"I'm looking for one Scully," Mulder's melodic masculine voice rang out, as he tried to hide the slight wince from pain.

"Mulder," she said, closing her eyes, trying to picture him on her bed.

She pictured her half of the bed now covered with plates full of food from his attempts at hopping to her kitchen to make sandwiches. He'd probably spilled a cup of something that was now permanently stained in her bed covering, and all of the pillows were now positioned behind his head and under his leg to prop up his foot.

"How are you?", he said, strained.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?", she said, as Matthew ran straight into her legs causing her to tumble back. She glanced down at the little red headed boy with a chocolate smeared smile on his lips and bright blue eyes. She smiled back at him just as his cousins snatched him away. "Don't be rough with him!", she called out.

"Sounds like a madhouse," he said, his voice low.

"Mulder, I'm worried about you," she sighed. "How can I enjoy Christmas, knowing you're in pain."

"Scully! This is you're family. You only get to see them once a year, maybe twice a year. We see each other nearly everyday. I can take care of myself. I'm a big boy. I know that's hard for you to hear, but I can take care of myself."

Scully chuckled but his joke stung a little too. She was being torn apart from him. This was their first Christmas together as a couple. "I miss you," she whispered.

"I miss you too...and not just for your doctoring skills," he said.

Scully blushed. "Mulder, you sure, you're okay? You sure you don't want to come here? My mom was disappointed that you weren't here. It's only an hour away. I could come and get you and be back..."

"NO, Scully. We talked about this!," he said, sliding his hand under his leg and lifting his foot up off the bed. "I'm fine. Besides, this isn't my holiday, remember?", he said, straining.

"I know," she said, with her head lowered.

"Although, there's SNL reruns of Hanukkah Harry on!"

She smiled to herself. "I just wish that you were here with me too. You're sitting there in pain and there's no way I can enjoy myself knowing that, Mulder."

Mulder adjusted his leg so his foot was dangling in the air granting his foot relief from the pain that was engulfing his entire body. "Scully, promise me, you'll spend that time with you're family."

"Mulder!"

"Scully!", he said, firmly. "I'll be alright!"

She sighed loudly. "I love you!"

"I LUV YOU!", Charles screamed in the back of her ear. She turned and then elbowed her youngest brother right in the stomach.

"Ouch!", he said, giggling. "I LUV YOU MULDER!"

She rolled her eyes. "I've got to go. That was Charles."

Mulder listened with a smile as Scully threatened her slightly taller but younger brother as he attempted to snatch the phone out of her hand. "I've...got...to call...you back...later," she struggled as they wrestled each other.

"Love you, Scully."

She quickly hung up. "CHARLES!", she screamed. "Act you're age!"

"I am!", he said, punching her in the arm.

She raised an eyebrow and punched him back. "Keep it up and I'll tell you're wife!"

He smiled at her. "You think you're so tough cause you're an FBI Agent, but I'm a Naval Officer, you don't scare me, Sis!"

She looked at the red headed man who looked similar to herself with a wide face and blue eyes and they both burst into giggles. Charles had been the closest sibling and they'd spent several years thick as thieves. They were only a year apart in age and he often looked to his older sister, Dana for protection against Bill. But the older they got, the more Charles began to hang around Bill, trying to prove he was "Man enough" or "One of the Boys" and she had tried gravitating towards Missy but because of the age difference between them, she had clung to their father, Ahab instead. But with Charles, there were times when the memories of their closeness in their younger years would surface and they would erupt like children teasing and hitting each other as if the years had melted away.

"How's the baking coming?", Charles said, looking concerned.

"Good," she said, glancing around at the mess. "It's coming along."

"Why didn't you go shopping with the girls?," he said, referring to his wife, Jill and Bill's wife, Tara.

"I was trying to give mom a hand with these cookies," she said, dusting herself off and removing several pans from the stove and stacking them crisscross to cool. "Wanna help?"

Charles shook his head. "The only time I'm in the kitchen is to grab a beer."

Scully rolled her eyes. "Of course...this is woman's work."

"That's what dad said," Bill said, entering the kitchen, as Junior and Patrick paused long enough to snatch a cookie before whipping around adult legs chasing after baby Matthew. The siblings smiled as they watched them.

"They're having the time of their lives," Bill said.

"I remember being chased as a kid but it didn't look like that," Dana said, glancing nervously up at Bill.

"No, it didn't look like that!", Charles agreed.

Bill smiled a devilish smile. "You never out grow being an older brother!"

Dana and Charles stepped back from him, there's eyes wide as he chuckled.

"Dana, do you need help with the cookies?", Maggie's voice rang out and the siblings scattered.

"Yes, mom!", Scully said, as she began to stir another batch of cookies.

"Don't forget we have Evening Mass tonight!", Maggie yelled out to her children. She washed her hands and began loading the cookie tins with freshly baked cookies for the church.

"As soon as Tara and Jill come back, we need to start on dinner, so we can go for Evening Mass. I don't want to be out at Midnight. I'm too old to stay awake."

Scully smiled. "I think I'm too old too."

Maggie waved her off. "You're in the prime of your youth."

The kitchen phone rang again. "Scully residence!", Scully answered.

"Hey, Scully," Mulder said with a slurred speech.

"Mulder!", she said, alarmed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "I took my medicine."

"Did you eat, Mulder?"

"I was thinking about you...", he said, as his eyes began to close.

"Mulder, did you eat? Answer me, Mulder!"

"YES, Scully, I ate a PMG...I mean, a PBJ sandwich. This medicine is pretty strong."

"I know it is," she said, alarmed as her neck tensed. "That's why I told you to take it on a full stomach."

"I did," he said. "Scout's honor."

"Okay," she said, as she tried to relax. "What were you thinking?"

There was a silence on the other end.

"Mulder?"

"I was thinking about how I miss kissing you."

Scully could feel her mother watching her as she blushed. "I miss that too."

"I miss you taking care of me, Scully."

"Mulder...," she sighed. "Maybe I should..."

"NO!," he sighed. "I'm going to get off the phone...I'm falling asleep!"

Her arms were crossed as she leaned into the phone, a smile on her lips as she pictured him passed out on her bed. She swung her arms back and forth like a schoolgirl as she spoke into the phone. "I love you, Mulder."

"Love you...Scully."

And then the phone went dead.

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