An isolated house loomed before Mulder. He was stood on a vast plain of grass, gazing up at the picture-perfect, white-planked house topped with sweeping red tiles. It was just how he remembered it.

Stepping up to the front door, Mulder prepared to knock, but then somehow knew there was no need to. He gently pushed the door with one hand, and it swung open in a welcoming gesture. Inside, Mulder could see both his parents sat at the dinner table, accompanied by an unknown yet familiar woman. She had long, curly, brunette hair, and attentive grey eyes.

"Come in, Fox," his mother called, reaching out a hand and smiling warmly. "Dinner's on the table, it's your favourite."

Slightly confused, Mulder walked slowly into the dining room, glancing at each face as he did.

"Hurry up, Fox, your sister came over especially." His father added, beckoning him over.

Mulder turned to focus on the other person at the table, who smiled comfortably back at him. "Samantha?" He breathed.

Her smile widened. "So you do remember me. Sit down, Dad's gonna carve the beef."

Dazed yet pleasantly surprised, Mulder sat next to his sister and watched in silence as his father placed mounds of food on plates which his mother dished out to everyone individually. It included slices of roast beef, mashed potato, green beans, stuffing, and cornbread dressing. As he turned his head to observe the room, Mulder noticed fairy lights tacked over the fireplace, bells hanging from various light fixtures, and tinsel covering everything else.

"Merry… Christmas?" His festive wish sounded more like a question, though his family didn't seem to think anything unusual of it.

"Merry Christmas, Fox!" Samantha replied, grinning as she raised a glass of wine.

"And all the best for the new year!" Their mother clinked her glass against it, closely followed by their father.

"I'll drink to that." Mulder joined in. However, the moment he tapped his glass against his sister's, a tremble shook through the furniture, toppling ornaments and decorations throughout the room. Plug sockets sparked, and the chandelier above the table began to shake violently. Outside the window, red and blue lights began to flash sporadically, casting an eerie glow over the household.

"Fox!" Samantha yelled desperately. All previous indications of joy had now left her expression; all that was left was fear and panic.

Leaping out of his seat, Mulder frantically whipped his head from side to side, trying to visually take in what was going on. He couldn't think of any way to reassure his sister, since he was as shocked and scared as she was, therefore he simply blinked at her, mouth hanging open. The front doorknob then began to turn, slowly and deliberately, as if the person turning it was purposely trying to incite anxiety. Not long after, an all-encompassing light blasted through the windows and doors, indiscriminately consuming every object in Mulder's field of vision.

"Samantha! Samantha!" He shouted, blindly spinning around. He reached out his arms in front of him, impatiently attempting to locate his sister, or parents, or anything, but he knew in his mind that they were already gone.

Suddenly, the light vanished and was replaced by Mulder's apartment. He was lying on the carpet, one arm flung out across his sofa, the other still flailing about in the air. Beads of sweat covered his face and neck, leaving a salty taste on his tongue every time he took a breath. His heart was pounding erratically, refusing to calm down. Forcing himself into an upright position, Mulder hastily scanned the room to check everything was in order; his gun was tucked safely in its holster next to his FBI badge on the coffee table, half a roll of masking tape was sat on the windowsill, the television was blaring out some black-and-white comedy sketch. It was just how he remembered it. Nothing had changed.

A/N:

This will be the last chapter (at least until next Christmas), so thank you to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favourited this story, I really appreciate it! I hope you all had a great Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate), and that you have a fantastic 2017!