Title: Halloween Memories
Author: SLS
Classification: S, Angst
Rating: G - Walt Disney would approve. ;)
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me...yada, yada, yada.

Summary: "Enjoy the little things like Halloween costumes, 
Agent Scully..."

Notes: This story takes place in October 2001, probably 
about a week before Halloween, and assumes William was born 
in May 2001. 

Feedback: I'd love it. Send to siriasl@yahoo.com.

Archive: IWTB, XFMU, The Vision, Gossamer, Spookys and 
at my site http://kentuckybelle.secretcountry.net
 
Everyone else, please let me know so I can come see. 

Thanks: To MeridyM, who is my beta extraordinaire. Thanks 
for assuring me on the "schmoopiness" factor too, hon. *g* 
And a big HUG goes out to Polly, who was helpful in coming 
up with the title. You rawk, hon! 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

		Halloween Memories
		 by SLS

John Doggett pulled his truck into the Giant parking lot. 
He just needed a gallon of milk and a can of coffee, and 
judging by the few cars scattered around, it shouldn't take 
him long to get in and out.

As he walked into the brightly lit store, the first thing 
to catch his eye was a Halloween display of plastic 
pumpkins and various bags of candy and costumes hanging 
from two racks that created an aisle amidst everything. As 
he passed through on his way to the dairy section, John 
spotted a woman, probably in her early 30s, and a little 
boy who looked about 6 or 7, looking through the costumes. 

"But Mom, I want to be Superman for Halloween," the little 
boy said, tugging at a red-caped costume on one of the 
racks. "Can I, please?"

The woman glanced down at her son. "We'll see, Matt," she 
said, grabbing his free hand and gently pulling him away 
from the costumes, toward the check-out lanes.

John chuckled to himself, walking to the milk refrigerators 
and grabbing himself a gallon.

Earlier that day, when he'd gone to Scully's office at 
Quantico to ask her opinion about a case, he'd come across 
her looking at what appeared to be a tiny New York Yankees 
uniform on her desk. 

"What's that you got there, Agent Scully?" he'd asked. 

Dana looked up and gave a small smile. "It's William's 
Halloween costume," she said, holding it up for John to 
see. 

John studied it. The uniform came complete with a matching 
"NY" hat and miniature rubber baseball bat. "Never knew you 
were a baseball fan, much less a Yankees fan," he said with 
a grin. 

Dana laid the uniform back down and began to fold it 
carefully. "Well, I've only recently become a baseball 
person," she responded, her smile growing a little wider, 
as if she were recalling a baseball memory he was not privy 
to knowing. "And," she continued, her voice softer, almost 
a whisper. "Mulder was a Yankees fan."

John looked down at his shoes, feeling a twinge of regret 
at her words. She had not spoken about Mulder directly in a 
while, but John knew how hard it was for her that he was 
missing these milestones in William's life. 

Five months old now, William was developing more and more 
personality, and as much as Scully obviously took joy in 
seeing him do and experience new things, she had to be 
thinking how Mulder would never get to see these things for 
himself. And that those "firsts" wouldn't happen a second 
time.

John took a breath before he spoke again. "So, are you 
gonna take the little man around for candy? He doesn't even 
have any teeth yet," he added, trying to lighten the mood.

Dana let out a low laugh. "Actually, my mom is having a 
gathering at her house on Halloween and asked me to bring 
William all dressed up so she could show him off to her 
friends," she explained, placing the uniform back in a 
shirt box. "It took me forever to find a Yankees uniform 
small enough."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be the hit of the party," John said, 
feeling a bit wistful. "Now, the reason I came to see 
you..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As he walked back out to his truck, milk and coffee in 
hand, John's mind wandered to the time around Halloween 
nine years ago. Luke was six years old, and it was John's 
turn to take him costume shopping. 

He remembered the day as if it had happened only yesterday. 
They had headed to a Wal-Mart in the suburban Long Island 
neighborhood where the Doggetts lived. Before they had 
left the house, Barbara had given John some advice on how 
to dissuade Luke from choosing the most expensive costume 
based on the latest popular cartoon character or superhero.

"I've been trying to convince him that he doesn't need to 
be Batman or a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to have a cool 
costume," she had said. "I'd love to just make him one that 
could last him a few years, actually."

"Good to keep in mind, Barb," he had responded. Now, as 
they walked to the Halloween display, Luke ran straight for 
a rack with Batman, Superman and Spider-Man costumes.

"This one, Daddy, I want this one!" he chanted, pulling at 
a Batman costume. John followed behind him, knowing the 
task he had ahead.

"How about your Mom makes you a cowboy costume like this 
instead, Luke?" he said, taking a small-sized costume off 
the rack and holding it up against the little boy's body. 
"You'd have a one-of-a kind costume no one else would."

Luke scrunched up his face a bit while he considered it. 
"Could I have a hat and carry a gun like you do, Daddy?"

John chuckled softly to himself, deciding to work this 
angle for all he could. "What cowboy would be complete 
without those things, right?" he told Luke, crouching down 
to be eye-level with him. 

Luke glanced up at the Batman costume hanging just above 
him then back down at John. "If I go as a cowboy, will you 
be a sheriff and go with me?" he asked.

John smiled at his son warmly. "Of course, I will, buddy," 
he said, pulling Luke into a hug. "I'm sure we could have 
your mom make me something to go with your cowboy costume." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

John pulled up into the driveway of his split-level house. 
Grabbing his groceries, he got out, walked up the sidewalk 
and his eye spotted a pumpkin that had been left on his 
front stoop. A note was attached from his next-door 
neighbor. "Thought you'd like to have this for the kiddies. 
- Ms. Eyler"

He picked up the pumpkin, went inside the house and 
deposited the milk, coffee and pumpkin on the kitchen 
counter. Looking at the pumpkin, John reflected again on 
that costume-shopping day with Luke. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

John had promised Luke that he could help carve the 
family's pumpkin that year. As soon as they walked back 
into the house from Wal-Mart, Luke bounced into the kitchen 
and told his mom how he wanted her to make him a cowboy 
costume to go trick-or-treating. Barbara gave John a 
grateful smile.

"And Daddy's going to be a sheriff too!" Luke said 
excitedly, jumping up and down around his parents. 

Barbara looked at John, her expression amused. "You are?" 
she asked, trying not to laugh. 

He shook his finger at her. "Don't even say it," he said, 
grinning himself. He glanced down at Luke. "You ready to 
start on that pumpkin, partner?" 

Luke's eyes got wide again, and then he smiled. "Yay!" he 
yelped, dancing some more. John let out a laugh and walked 
to retrieve some paper towels and a large carving knife.

"Let's head on out to the garage then," he said, grabbing 
the pumpkin from the top of the fridge and handing it to 
Luke. "You carry the pumpkin."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

John shook himself out the memory and put away the 
groceries. That Halloween, in 1992, would turn out to be 
Luke's last. He cringed at the memory of how hard it was to 
even go into a store around Halloween time the following 
year, and every year after that--even up to last Halloween. 

He walked into the living room and pulled out a photo album 
from a bookcase. Flipping through the pages, he stopped at 
one that Barbara had taken of him and Luke in their 
costumes. 

Staring at Luke's big smile, displaying a couple of open 
spaces where baby teeth had once been, John felt a tingle 
of pain in his chest. He recalled the last thing he had 
told Dana as he walked out of her office earlier that day.

"Enjoy the little things like Halloween costumes, Agent 
Scully," he had said, standing in the doorway to her 
office. "They're some of the best memories you can have."

Dana smiled. She understood. "I will, Agent Doggett."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He closed the album and replaced it on the shelf. Heading 
upstairs, he walked to his bedroom, changed into his pajama 
boxers and climbed into bed.

Before turning off the light to go to sleep, he looked over 
at the picture frame on his nightstand. He smiled.

It was the Halloween picture of him and Luke.

The End