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Title: First Mulder Easter Warning: To those of you who are not religious and hold a strong thing against any and all religions please be warned that this story contains the true meaning of Easter, religion is a strong subject and I feel I must warn you of this. Summary: The Mulders spend Easter together and William learns a valuable lesson. It was early that Friday morning that William was woken by the constant laughing the entered his room from outside the door. Though it was early he carefully made his way out of the room, down the stairs and into the kitchen. He smiled foolishly at the sight of his parents in the kitchen working away. His mother had her long red hair tied back in a pony tail while she cooked something over the stove while his father stood behind her placing soft kisses on her neck and making her giggle. He stood there and thought about how lucky he was to have his family. Less than a year ago he had been part of another family, one that was nowhere as loving as these two were. Something had reunited him with his birth parents and, unlike before, life was normal, as if they had never left his side. Christmas had been that turning point, they were constantly spoiling him rotten and smothering him with kisses. A soft nudge at his leg had him focus his gaze to the floor where the half grown, black Labrador puppy sat wagging his tail and looking up at him with curious eyes. After Christmas they had moved into a two-story home and the puppy had been one of his many gifts. "Not now, Spooky," he whispered and went back to watching his parents. His mother was now facing his father and holding onto him while placing a passionate kiss on his lips. Most kids would find it disgusting, but he didn't mind, it was a constant reminder that his parents loved each other and him. Out of nowhere Spooky gave a loud bark, pulling the two apart and having them look to their son standing behind the wall. "Well, well, well, looks as if we have a little spy on our hands," Scully said walking over to where William stood. She picked him up and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before passing him over to his waiting father. "Well, he does take after his mother," Mulder said smiling before kissing his son on the cheek and placing him on his hip. "Mulder. Shut up," she said mock seriousness, getting a laugh from their son in his father's arms. For some strange reason he always got a kick out of it when his parents called each other by their first name. "Scully, I'm hurt," he said, making Will laugh even more. Mulder put his son down and watched as he walked into the living room with the puppy. "Why do you think he enjoys us calling each other by our last names so much?" Mulder asked once his son was seated out of ear shot. "Well, for one, you're not calling me by my last name, your using my maiden name," she said and smiled as Mulder mouthed an apology and placed a kiss on her lips. "And second," she said pulling away to look him in the eyes. "I don't know." They laughed together before she went back to her task. "I'm going to get him ready so we can just eat and be gone," he said heading to the living room where Scooby-Doo played an old rerun. "What time do we meet your mother?" "The service starts at noon, I hoped to be there by ten thirty so we could let Will play with his cousins before we leave together." She called back. "Damn it." Mulder mumbled looking to his watch. It was almost nine already. He picked Will up and started to carry him up the stairs to his room when… "MOMMY! Daddy said a bad word!" William yelled. "Fox! What have I told you about swearing around our son?" she asked entering the living room, spatula in hand, a bit of egg hanging from it. "Sorry," he said giving Will a look that read 'Traitor'. "Don't apologize to me," she said motioning to the child in his arms, in so doing she dropped the dangling egg to the floor and quickly Spooky was at her feet kicking it off of the floor. "Sorry buddy," he said and smiled as Will brought his hand to his father's check and patted it before saying 'It's ok'. They walked out of the living room and up the stairs, leaving Scully behind to continue her cooking and spooky behind to clean up her mess. "Come on, buddy, I thought we were friends, how could you turn me in like that?" he asked his son as he helped him change. "Sorry daddy, but mommy said…" He was cut of by Mulder. "Mommy says, mommy says," he mocked the boy. "Do you always do what your mommy says?" "Yes," he answered honestly, his face straight as a line. "Good," Mulder said picking him up off the bed and to his feet on the floor. "Pack a few toys." Then he walked out of the room. "Are you and daddy not going to work?" William asked later over breakfast. "Nope," Scully said taking a bite of her eggs. "Is that alright?" she asked once she had swallowed. "Yes," William said his face lit up with joy. "We're going to go to church," Mulder said handing the boy a napkin. "Why? It's not Sunday." "It's Friday, you're right, but it's good Friday," Scully answered. "What's so good about a Friday?" Mulder smiled at his son's question. "Well, as you may know, this Sunday is Easter, but it's just not all about eggs, bunnies and candies, Will. There is more meaning behind it and in order to understand what it is you have to go to church on Friday and Sunday so they can tell you." "Ok," he said taking the explanation and a bite of his bacon. "Mommy?" "Yes baby?" "What is the real meaning behind Easter?" "Jesus," Mulder answered for her due to the fact her mouth was full. "It's the day he died, huh?" "How did you know that?" Scully asked softly. "Grandma told me on Christmas, she said that he died for our sins." "Well, Grandma is right," Mulder said smiling. Later that day Mulder, Scully and William pulled into the driveway of Mrs. Scully's and were welcomed by Mrs. Scully and the rest of the family. The adults talked for a while and let the kids play before leaving for church at eleven thirty. As they arrived and took their seats in the large church, William looked around aimlessly. This wasn't the same church he normally attended every Sunday with his parents, but he had attended this one several times in the past, mostly on the weekends he was with his grandma and cousins. The only difference was that this time the church was full of people and children. As the service started, the people in the choir sang along to songs he knew and some he didn't know. As a person or two approached to sing a solo, he would look to his family. Occasionally he would see a tear or two roll from the eye of a person, so a soft sniffle here or there, but when his eyes rested upon his mother, his heart sunk. To his right hand side his mother sat, tears rolling from her eyes as she clutched a white tissue in her hand. He wondered as to why his mother cried like she was at church and watched as his father took her hand and brought it to his lips to place a soft kiss on her hand. He looked over to his father and received a small smile from him, he than placed a small hand on his mothers knee and received a kiss from her. "I love you," she whispered taking him from his seat and placing him in her lap, while there he wiped away a few tears and listened as the priest spoke. The man talked of a day, 32 A.D., a town of sad, confused and angry people. About how a man was beaten, and crucified. About how he was mocked by having a thorn crown around his head, forced to carry the cross from which they nailed him to and how the only thing he asked for was for his father to forgive them, it wasn't long for William to come to the conclusion that they were speaking about Jesus. "They has him carry his cross down the Via Dolorosa and up to mount Calvary. There they hung him, on the cross, nailed his feet and hands to it, and placed a sign above his head that read. 'Jesus. King of the Jews'," the priest spoke on. "The other two men that hung on crosses to his sides asked him that if he truly was the son of god, why didn't he just ask to be taken down? He only answered that this was his destiny that he was meant to die here. One of the men looked to him and asked if he would remember him. And Jesus' only reply was 'In paradise.' "About a quarter to noon, he uttered one thing form his lips 'I thirst' and one of the guards placed a sponge drenched in vinegar to his lips. The cruelty. The people who wanted to see him die shouted from the streets 'Hail! King! Crown of Jews.' And at noon the sky went dark, the sun disappeared. The people were left confused. Because this could not be an eclipse for the moon was clear on the other side of the world and at approximately three that afternoon, Jesus opened his mouth and spoke 'Oh father, why hast thou forsaken me?' "Now the people were confused, why would a man asking only hours before asking for forgiveness to these people ask his father why he has forsaken them? And only now did the light bulb in their heads go off that Aimus spoke of this in Psalm and that the answer to being forsaken was in Psalm 22. That Aimus had spoken of God word, how his hands and feet were to be pierced and how the bright sunny sky would turn dark. Here was the word of god actually happening and Jesus looked to the heavens and asked that they not be charged with sin, and that it were to finish. There, at that moment, his body went limp and he died on that cross." William lowered his head to his mother's chest where he heaved openly. Scully noticed William's reaction and quickly embraced him tightly to let him know she was there. He cried into her chest, soaking her shirt, but she didn't care. Her son was too smart for his age and understood it all, the boy could only take so much. "And this story is to be continued on Sunday morning," the priest said, receiving a small chuckle from all the teary-eyed people in the pews. Scully hugged William tightly until he stopped heaving. "Is he alright?" Mrs. Scully asked leaning over to whisper in her daughter's ear. Scully nodded smiling as William emerged from her chest and looked to the woman. His eyes all red and puffy. "It's ok buddy, he comes back," Mulder answered taking his son from Scully to his own lap. As Communion went around and wafers and 'wine' was passed on William listened in again. "This is a symbol of his body, a promise of life," he said holding the wafer up and everybody bowed their heads in prayer. Ten everybody ate the small thing. "And this, a symbol of his blood, a promise of a new covenant." They all prayed again and drank from the small cup of grape juice that was to serve as wine. Soon everybody stood up and sang along. Crucified, laid behind a stone, After church William sat in the car with his dad while his mother talked to his grandmother. He sat there in silence looking to the small cross necklace his mother had left him wear for the time being. He had been clutching it in his hand the whole service and wouldn't let go of it until she placed it around his neck. He looked to the solid gold symbol and then to his father. "You alright, bud?" Mulder asked looking back to him. "Yeah." He sighed. "Ok, just don't lose mommy's necklace," he said looking to the solemn child. "Fox is it ok if we take my mom home, she wants to talk to William." Scully asked popping her head into the car from the driver's door. "It's fine with me," he said smiling. The drive home was quiet and little was spoken, all William did was think about the pain and suffering Jesus had gone through just for him. He finally looked to his grandma and as the car came to a stop he spoke up. "Why did they kill him?" "Because, baby, they had to," Mrs. Scully spoke stroking his hair back softly. "But why?" he asked again as she unbuckled him and carried him into the house. His parents following closely behind. "Because baby, that's why God put him here, to die for our sins. He was the messiah, the son of God, the king of Jews and the kind didn't want him around. If he became the king, then he would loose his followers and could not collect their money, he would lose his title and he didn't want that. Plus God put his son here to die for man kind because when he died he washed away all the sins of people that Adam and Eve brought upon the earth when Satan tempted them into eating the apple. Man was born sinned and could not enter heaven, and he wanted his people there. So when he died he let all the people who believed in him into heaven when they die and that's where paradise is." William looked to his grandma and nodded his head. "Don't worry baby, he comes back," she said placing a soft kiss on his head. "When?" "On Sunday. Sunday you'll come back here, we'll go to church again and have another service and than we'll have an Easter egg hunt. Is that ok?" "Is Matthew and my other cousins going to be here?" he asked smiling. "Everybody will be here," she said and hugged the boy as he gave her a hug. After another hour of talking Mulder and Scully put William in the car and drove home with the promise of returning on Sunday. Before they had left though William had returned his mother's cross back to her neck. Easter Sunday All day Saturday William had been quiet and less active then normal. He would only speak if spoken to, or if he really needed something, other than that he did nothing but sit in the living room watching TV or coloring. He even rejected Spooky for one of their little games of 'Doggie Football', which he rarely did. Mulder and Scully could do little about it though, even after his talk with his grandmother he was still hurting from the things he had learned at church, all his parents could do was wait until Sunday morning and hope his mood changed. It was early that Sunday morning when William was pulled out of his bed by a pair of strong arms. When he opened his eyes and looked out the window of his room, he found the sky still a dark blue with no light at all. He rubbed his little eyes before giving a soft moan of rejection into his father's chest. While he tried to go back to sleep his mother and father worked around him, dressing him up in extra warm clothes and grabbing a few blankets before they dragged Spooky into the car with them. As William sat in his car seat half asleep he stole a peak at the digital clock on the radio, the time on the light green screen read, 3:47. He gave a soft yawn before titling his head to the side and falling back asleep. As the car came to a stop in the driveway a small yelp from the back seat sounded, causing Scully to place her hand on the dogs head to scratch behind his ears before he had a chance to bark anymore and wake their son. "You sure it was such a good idea to bring Spooky?" Mulder asked looking to his wife who sat in the passengers seat. "Mulder, if you didn't want to come all you had to do was say so," she said getting a fake laugh from him before he leaned over the seat and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Once they got out of the car, William firmly in Mulder's grip still fast asleep and Spooky on a leash attached to Scully's hand, they walked up to the house and knocked on the door. There was a moment of muffled sounds from behind the door before it was opened and the bright lights and voices escaped from the house. The woman who had opened the door had a smiled on her face and looked wide wake. "Morning," she said placing a kiss on her daughter and son-in-laws cheek. "How's my little grandson doing?" she asked motioning to the sleeping boy. "He's been in a funk since Friday," Mulder said entering the living room to place him on the couch next to his sleeping cousin Michelle. "I'm sure today's service will pull him out of that," Mrs. Scully said leading them into the kitchen where a few of the other adults sat talking over coffee. Bill and Charlie stood in the corner talking about some Parade they wanted the kids to see, while Tara sat talking to Charlie's wife, Sarah, about where they were going to place the eggs for the hunt later on in the day. Off in the conjoined room Matthew sat with his two cousins watching a movie about Peter Cotton Tail. "Morning Hailey, morning Amy, morning Matthew," Scully said poking her head in through the door to see her nieces and nephew parked in front of the TV. Hailey and Amy were Charlie's and Sarah's daughters, only three years apart. One at the age of seven and the other at the age of four. "Morning Auntie Dana," they all said at once, then greeted Mulder as he poked his head in as well. "Morning Uncle Fox." "Morning girls, morning Matthew," he said smiling as their faces lit up with joy once their eyes rested on Spooky. The dog went crazy and was soon by their side watching the movie as well. As William woke up and stirred inside the bundle of blankets he was faced to the look of his mother looking out in the distance and as he listened in he heard the singing and rejoicing of the choir. When he pulled the blanket back he took in his surroundings and found that his whole family was seated around him. His mother and father were sitting next to each other, to his father's side was his grandmother. Both his uncles and aunts were in front of them and to the right of his mother, off in the middle of the steps, but still out of the way for people to walk were Spooky and his cousins. His eight year old cousin, Matthew and his little sister at the age of five, Michelle. Next to Michelle were Charlie's and Sarah's girls Hailey and Amy. William grabbed his mother's attention and without uttering a word showed her he wanted down. Scully placed her son on the floor and handed him his blanket. Once his feet were on the ground he walked over to his cousins and took a seat next to them, offering some of his spaceship blanket to Michelle. She gladly took it and thy bundled up to the other. Once the rejoicing was over and the songs and prayers were done, the priests took his place at the podium and spoke. "On Friday we talked of his death, his crucifixion and how he died on the cross. On Friday I saw many people leave with sad faces. But today, today we rejoice, for today he has risen." As he spoke the people in their seats clapped and cheered, a few even called out 'Amen'. William sat wrapped in his cousins embrace and continue to listen on. "Around this time, all those years ago. Two women were walking towards his tomb, they were talking about him and how he had died. One of these women was Mary Magdalene and she was very anxious to get to the tomb, but as she approached it, she found the stone rolled back and open. Assuming the body had been removed she turned and rushed back into the city in search of John and Peter." William gave his cousin a soft kiss on the cheek before leaving her with the blanket and returning to his mother's embrace. Scully held William close and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "The second woman who had stood behind entered the tomb and we greeted by two angels. One at the head of where Jesus laid and one at the foot. And as she looked to them, they spoke. 'Woman, why seek the living among the dead? He has risen.' As Peter and John made there way to the tomb, Peter ran ahead and as he entered the tomb, he saw the shroud, unmoved, almost as if it still was wrapped around the body. Mary looked into the tomb, but looked away weeping, she could not believe the body was gone." Scully looked down to William and found that small tears had formed in the corners of his eyes and she smiled softly, knowing that he would be happy with the end of the story of truth. "Now when she turned she saw a figure standing there looking to her, but because her vision was so blurred from the tears she had cried she believed the man to be the gardener. But as he called her by her name, she immediately hugged him in a tight grip. 'Don't cling to me.' he said, 'I have not been to my father yet, but tell them I have risen'. And so today, when people are greeted by others they greet them by saying. 'He is risen'. And the others respond. 'He has risen indeed.'" As the priest finished the story and the choir set out singing songs of joy, Mulder took a peak to his son sitting in his mother's arms. "He's alive?" William asked softly, unsure of what to make of the story. "Yes, buddy. He's alive and in your heart," Mulder said taking the body in his arms and as William looked up to the sky he smiled, sometime along the service the sun had risen as well and painted the dark sky in a soft shade of blue and yellow and birds could be heard singing as they flew by. Lord we lift your name on high ** Each basket was passed out to each child. Every basket color coded with peeps, candies, toys, chocolates and each with its very own special gift. Matthew got a new soccer ball, Hailey got a Barbie with clothes, Amy got a small jewelry kit so she could make her own, while Michelle got a stuffed pet cat and William got a small bible. The book was called 'My First Bible' and was willed with many pictures and words that were easy to understand for him. He smiled brightly and hugged his grandmother lovingly. After the adults had given other little gifts to their children and to each other, the kids were let loose into the backyard where they all went crazy after the eggs and such. The Parents sat back in the chairs and watched as the kids roamed around aimlessly looking for any eggs, a few of them were hidden in the trees and if they found them they had to call an adult to help them get it down. This had become a rule once Michelle had spotted the first one in the tree and tried to climb up to get it, but fell in scrapped her knee. She had quietly and calmly approached Scully and spoke. "Doctor? Can you fix my booboo?" Scully had looked down to the badly scrapped knee and called a timeout in the hunt while she cleaned and bandaged Michelle's knee back up before giving it a kiss and sending her back off to hunt. After the hunt the kids and playing the backyard with Spooky all the kids made their way back into the living room where they sat watching TV and a few movies that had to do with bunnies, the whole time the adults would rotate off from watching the kids to helping with dinner. Later that night they all sat around the dinner table and just before digging in William was asked to say grace. "Dear Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross to forgive us of our sins and coming back to life to protect us and help us making wiser decisions. Also thank you for the food we are to eat, Amen." Everybody repeated the Amen and they all began to eat their dinner. As night came and Mulder and Scully entered their house, they dressed their sleeping son and placed him into his bed. As they kissed him goodnight and let Spooky on the bed to sleep next to him, they made their way into their own room where they changed and crawled into bed together. "Thank you," Mulder said into Scully's hair that night as she lay in his arms. "For what?" she asked softly breathing in his scent. "For opening my eyes to believe in more than I thought I could. For our son and for a chance at a normal life." "Your welcome, and thank you for everything you have done, including getting William back," she said placing a soft kiss on his lips before they fell into a deep sleep. The End HAPPY EASTER!
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