Title - The Twig Series: 1. Christmas Mayhem Summary - First story in the Twig Series. Mulder spends Christmas with the Scully clan. Author's notes: First off, I'll explain why I call this the Twig Series. I needed to call it something so the stories would be linked together. I didn't want something sappy or romantic, foreign languages have always eluded me, so I decided to dig for a quote. And I found one that fit. So thanks to Gaston Bachelard, this is the Twig Series. "A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to dream." - Gaston Bachelard Ok, the plot idea is mine, but not too much else is. All X-Files characters are the property of Chris Carter, Fox, and 1013 Productions (and probably some other people). 'It's a Wonderful Life' belongs to Liberty Films and RKO Radio Pictures (and again, probably some other people). 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas' belongs to Dr. Seuss and some other people too. Oh, and just so you know, this series was begun before I saw the episode that introduced Tara Scully, and it's probably become an alternate universe story because of this. Either way, enjoy the story. - June 3, 1998 December 23 "Yes, Mom, I'll be there," Scully said into the phone. "Yes I promise...Hmm, I don't know what he's doing. Want me to ask?" She looked over the desk at Mulder and grinned. "Mom wants to know what you're doing for Christmas." Mulder shrugged with a sly smile, the one that meant a smart remark was on its way. "Same thing I do every year, Scully. Sit around and try to memorize 'It's a Wonderful Life'. I'm almost there, you know." Scully chuckled. "No, mom, he doesn't have anything important to do." Mulder put on a hurt look. "Hey Mulder, want to join our family for Christmas?" It appeared that Mulder was going to agree, then he shook his head. "I can't. Don't want to intrude on the Scully clan during the holidays." She laughed. "Mulder, you wouldn't be intruding at all. Besides, you've never seen my family together all at once. One more person really wouldn't be a problem. And I think you'd really get along well with everyone." "Oh, I don't know..." "Please, Mulder?" she asked, her deep blue eyes pleading. "For me?" She paused, and grinned into the phone. "And for mom?" A grin spread across Mulder's face. "Ok. I could never turn down Maggie Scully." Scully stuck her tongue out at Mulder. "Yes mom, he's coming. All right. See you tomorrow." She hung up the phone with a grin. "So, Mulder, memorizing 'It's a Wonderful Life'?" He nodded seriously. "Yup. I'm nearly three quarters of the way through it." "I never thought of you as the type who would watch that movie. I figured you'd be more into.. something of a different genre," she smiled. He feigned shock. "But Scully, it's got some great lines!" He shifted in his chair a bit. "You call this a happy family?" he said in his best Jimmy Stewart impression. "Why do we have to have all these kids?" She burst out laughing. "That was surprisingly good, Mulder. And appropriate. Wait till you meet all my nieces and nephews. And everyone else, too. We're talking a good number of kids. And I know they'll love you," she chuckled. He leaned back in his chair and sighed with a grin. "Scully, what have you gotten me into?" December 24 "Scully, how much luggage do you need?" Mulder complained as he loaded her suitcases into the trunk. She just rolled her eyes. "Mulder, I could easily put all my clothes into a bag the size of yours. But I have to bring the presents in a suitcase too. Those kids would mob me if I walked in carrying undisguised gifts," she said as she climbed into the car. Mulder slammed the trunk closed, walked around the car, and climbed in. He started the car and Scully turned to him with a grin. "Mulder, I'm really glad you're coming along. It means a lot to me." "Hey, no problem, Scully. Though I'm going to fall behind in my memorization." She laughed. "Well, the kids usually watch it once or twice. You can memorize then." She almost continued on, but stopped herself. There was no way she could tell him how she was teased every year about finding a man. And this year she was bringing a man. No doubt her family would have something to say about that. She just hoped they behaved themselves. Maggie Scully peeked out the front window of her house and grinned. Spinning to address the family already gathered, she announced "Dana and Fox just pulled up!" As the stream of children ran towards the door, she hurried to place herself between them and the passage out. "First off, no snow unless you're bundled up." "Aww, come on. Please?" She shook her head. "I'm not having any sick children in my house for Christmas." She looked up at the adults. "And remember, you guys promised to be nice to Dana. No comments about her and Fox, all right?" Bill Scully Jr. nodded. "Yes Mom." But Charlie wasn't so compliant. "Oh come on, Mom. You know you'd love to see those two get together." "Nevermind what I'd love to see, you be nice." Mulder and Scully chose that moment to enter the house. Maggie spun around and enveloped her daughter in a hug. "Dana, I'm so glad you're here." Dropping her bags, Scully hugged back. "Hi Mom." Maggie released Scully and grinned at Mulder. "Fox. I'm so glad you're here. Now you get to experience a true Scully Christmas." Charlie whacked his mother in the backside with a dishtowel. "Mom! Don't scare him off now. He just got here." After the greetings were over, Scully and Mulder went upstairs to their rooms. Scully walked to the end of the hallway and opened a door. "Here you go, Mulder. Mom's got you in the green room." "The green room?" Scully grinned and nodded. "Check out the decor." He peeked in. The carpet was a deep forest green and all the furniture was in varying shades of green and tan. "Yup, that's green." He turned around to lean in the doorway. "So, Scully, where's your room? Just in case I get nightmares about little green men coming to get me." She chuckled and opened the door next to his. "Right here." "Ahh. And does this room have a name?" "Sure does. It's Dana's room. This was my room before I moved out. Mom's always kept it the same." She walked in, and Mulder followed her, looking around. The general colors in the room were soft mauve and teal. Three separate sets of bookshelves were spaced against the walls, each overflowing with books. Mulder nodded. Typical Scully. And sitting proudly atop the bed was a large stuffed teddy bear. Mulder walked over and picked up the bear, giving her a questioning look. She laughed again. "Mulder, if you want to borrow my bear, feel free." She expected him to laugh and toss the bear onto the bed, but instead, he wrapped his arms around it protectively. She chuckled. "Mulder, why don't you toss that into your room and we'll head back downstairs. I think the kids took a liking to you." Mulder nodded and walked out the door. A second later, he reappeared. "Hold on, Scully, I need to go over who belongs to who before we jump back in to the lion's den." Scully burst out laughing. "All right. Well, you've got Bill and Ev. Their munchkins are Danny, Julia, Billy and Katie. Then there's Charlie and Jean, and their munchkins are Charlotte, Mary, Sarah, and the twins, Evan and Reed." Mulder shook his head. "Where is your mom putting all these people?" She grinned. "Mom's good at organizing. Bill and Ev are in that room over there, Charlie and Jean are in the room next to it. Katie's in the nursery. Mom's so proud that there's still babies in the family to put in the nursery. She's never had the heart to redecorate it. And the kids are all upstairs on the third floor." "There's a third floor to this place?" "Mmm hmm," she nodded. "And it's a tradition in our family for the kids to sleep on the third floor on Christmas Eve. We always did it when we were little. The story is that it makes it easier to hear the reindeer on the roof." Mulder laughed. "And you guys believed this?" "I still do, Mulder. And besides the kids are still pretty young." "Can we run through those ages again?" "Danny's twelve, the twins are nearly twelve, Charlotte and Julia are nine, Mary's seven, Billy's six, Sarah's five, and Katie's under a year." He sighed. "And I don't have to remember those specifics, right?" She grinned. "Mulder, they'll be happy if you pay attention to them, much less remember their names." "Oh, I think I can handle the names," he said, following her down the stairs. Walking into the living room, they found the three women staring out the window. Jean turned to Scully and grinned. "Snowball fight," she explained. Ev shifted Katie in her arms and laughed. "And I'm not sure who's having more fun: the kids or the men." Maggie chuckled. "Those boys might just be out there for hours. Dana, you and Fox are supposed to join them," she said, indicating two sets of gloves and two scarves sitting with their coats. Mulder reached over to grab the gear and tossed the smaller items to Scully. Once they were properly outfitted, Scully flung open the door and the two ran out onto the battlefield. "Reinforcements have arrived!" she cried. Looking at the teams, it appeared to be Bill and the girls versus Charlie and the boys. Charlie waved his arm. "Fox, you're with us. Dana, you're with the girls. Oh, yeah, and Bill too," he chuckled, ducking as Bill hurled a snowball towards his head. Mulder and Scully scurried to their respective teams and began creating ammunition. Unbundling Sarah, Jean looked up at Bill who was brushing off his clothes. "So, who won?" Bill chuckled and peered out the window. "Don't know yet. Dana and Fox are still at it out there." Jean ruffled Sarah's hair and she ran off. She stood up and Bill wrapped his arms around her. She returned the embrace willingly. "Bill, you think your mother's sure there's nothing going on between Dana and Fox? Because if you ask me, I think there is." Bill looked out the window at his little sister who was squealing in laughter as her partner bombarded her with snowballs. "I've got to agree. And personally, I wouldn't mind if she got together with Fox. He's a good guy, and he'd be good for her." Outside, Mulder collapsed to the ground in laughter, still being pelted with snow. Scully peered down at him, poised to throw another handful of snow. "What's so funny Mulder?" she asked, poised to throw another handful of snow. He chuckled. "You! You're so vicious." This caused Scully to laugh and she threw the snow at him playfully. He flipped over grabbing at her ankles and pulling her down into the snow, causing her to squeal. She struggled to get away but he pinned her down with one arm, heaping snow onto her with the other. She squealed loudly, shoving him away. "Mulder! Play fair!" she cried. Mulder obliged and backed off. Scully sat up and plowed into Mulder, shoving him into the side of one of the snow forts. The wall collapsed around them and they both laughed. "Scully, the kids are sure gonna get us for this one." Shoving him again, she laughed. "I didn't see anything happen. Collapsed wall? What? Must have been the neighbor's dog again." "Uhh, Scully, the wall's just crumbled, not yellow." She threw another handful of snow at him. Maggie Scully chose that moment to poke her head out the door. "Hey you two, dinner's nearly ready. Why don't you come on inside and get warmed up." Mulder chuckled and stood up, pulling Scully up with him. "We'll be right in, Mrs. Scully." "Good," she grinned. "And it's Maggie." And with that, she went back into the house, shaking her head. If only Dana would tell her the truth about her relationship with Fox. From what she saw, she knew it wasn't purely platonic. But just how serious were they? After dinner, the entire family, Fox included, gathered in the livingroom. Maggie was seated in an armchair cradling the snoozing Katie. Bill and Ev were curled up together by the fire. Charlie, Jean, and Sarah occupied the couch. Billy was torturing Max, Maggie's large golden retriever, and the remainder of the children were sprawled on the floor, enthralled in 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas'. Mulder and Scully occupied the only space left in the room: the loveseat. Mulder didn't realize the significance of their current location, but Scully did. So did her brothers, who kept casting pointed looks in her direction. Finally, the movie was over. The Grinch returned everything and Christmas was perfect. And now it was bedtime. For all nine children. Scully looked around. And apparently for their parents as well. Bill untwined himself from Ev who sighed and clapped his hands together lightly, as not to wake Katie. "All right, kids, you know what that means. Bedtime Gotta get to sleep so Santa can get to work." Danny, Evan, and Reed grumbled a bit, but headed up the stairs. Charlotte simply giggled and followed the boys up the stairs, dragging Julia with her. "Grandma?" asked Billy. "Can Max sleep upstairs with us tonight?" Maggie grinned. "Of course he can. And I'll let you in on a little secret," she said, leaning closer to the small boy. "Max makes the best pillow." Billy giggled. "No, I'm serious," she continued. "Try it, you'll see." Billy nodded, and he and Max headed up the stairs, followed closely by Sarah. Mary hadn't moved from her spot on the floor. "Come on, Mary," Jean said. "Bedtime." Mary rolled over and looked at her parents. "But mom," she whined. "'It's a Wonderful Life' is on next." Scully glanced at Mulder, who now had a smile spreading across his face. "Woman after your own heart, eh Mulder," she whispered into his ear, sending a light chill down his back. He grinned at her. "She's a Scully," he answered, surprised those words came out of his mouth. He looked down at Mary. "So, you're a fan of 'It's a Wonderful Life'?" Mary nodded. "Yep. It's one of my favorite movies." He laughed. "Mine too. Could it be because one of the characters is named Mary?" he asked. "Maybe," she giggled. Mulder chuckled and began his Jimmy Stewart impression again. "What do you want, Mary? Do you want the moon? If you want it, I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down for you. Hey! That's a pretty good idea! I'll give you the moon, Mary." Mary's face lit up and she continued the line. "I'll take it! Then what?" "Well, then you can swallow it, and it'll all dissolve see, and the moonbeams would shoot out of your fingers and your toes and the ends of your hair..." he laughed, turning back into Mulder again. "And then you could go up to bed and wake up tomorrow to a tree with a million presents under it." "Really? A million?" Mulder nodded, scooping the little girl in his arms. "A million. Maybe even more," he said, turning to head up the stairs. "Hey, Scully? Wanna be in charge of putting the kids to bed?" Scully grinned. "Sure, Mulder. But have you ever convinced a room full of kids that sleep is a good thing? Especially when it's Christmas Eve?" "Nope. But it sounds like fun." She laughed and gently lifted Katie out of Maggie's arms. "All right, Mulder, but remember, it was your idea." He laughed and ran up the stairs, Mary giggling all the way. Scully rolled her eyes and followed him, walking gently to not jostle Katie. "Ok, Mulder, how 'bout you go upstairs and get kids settled in and I'll put my little namesake to bed." He nodded and spun around, causing Mary to giggle again, and headed up the second flight of stairs. Scully shook her head and walked into the nursery with Katie. When he reached the third floor, Mulder gently set Mary on the floor and looked around. Kids were already climbing into sleeping bags, already set up on the floor. Maybe this wouldn't be too difficult. Even Max looked sacked out for the night, curled up next to Billy. Billy looked up at Fox. "Are you gonna marry Aunt Dana?" Mulder sighed. Maybe he was wrong. "Billy, you know your Aunt Dana and I are just friends. We're partners. We're not dating" Charlotte giggled. "But are you gonna marry her?" "Well... usually people date before they get married." Julia grinned. "Have you ever kissed her?" "Eew, gross!" the boys chimed in randomly. Mulder laughed. "Hey now, girls really aren't that bad. You'll see. They can be a lot of fun." Sarah looked up at Mulder with the most innocent of looks, that look that meant she was going to ask a very evil question. "Fox, do you love Aunt Dana?" she asked slowly. Mulder took a deep breath. He had to figure out the right way to answer this one. "Well, sure, Sarah, I love your Aunt Dana. She's my best friend." Julia threw a pillow at Mulder. "Hey, you never answered my question. Did you ever kiss her?" Mulder caught the pillow and tossed it back. "No. Now," he said, standing up. "It's your bedtimes. Can't stay up until Christmas. No presents for kids who don't sleep. Plus, if you keep talking, you'll miss hearing Santa on the rooftop." "Fox," said Mary, "We've never heard Santa before." "Maybe that's because you're too noisy," he laughed. "Come on now, let's try." He leaned up against the wall, tilting his head as if he were listening. Ten minutes later, he looked around the room with a grin. The kids were asleep. He turned around and carefully tiptoed down the stairs. Once he was gone, Danny peeked his head out of his sleeping bag and giggled. "And he's an FBI agent?" Once downstairs, Mulder closed the door gently and peeked into the nursery. Scully was still sitting in the rocking chair cradling Katie. Mulder grinned. She looked so peaceful with a child in her arms. He leaned in the door and watched her for a minute. She glanced up at him and blushed. "Mulder," she whispered gently. "How long have you been standing there?" He smiled down at her, walking into the room. "Not long. Is she finally asleep?" She grinned and blushed, looking down at Katie. "Actually, she's been out since she fell asleep in my mother's arms. I just like rocking her. Makes life seem so peaceful." He grinned. "Babies are good for that. They're also good for showing the chaos in life when they're screaming like maniacs at three in the morning." Scully stood up gently and placed Katie in the crib, peering down at her. Mulder leaned over her shoulders and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. She grinned at him. "Mulder, I don't need a baby for that. I've got you." Mulder poked her in the side playfully. She giggled, then put a finger to her lips and led the way out of the room, closing the door behind them. Together, they went back to the land of the adults. When they reached the living room, it appeared no one had bothered to move. Maggie looked up in surprise. "Don't tell me you already got those monsters to sleep already." Mulder laughed and flopped down on the loveseat, pulling Scully down by the waist. Neither noticed the looks exchanged between the other family members. Jean took the initiative and stood up, pulling Charlie up behind her. "Well, it's about our bedtimes too. Thanks for taking care of the munchkins, you two." Scully grinned. "No problem." Mulder poked her in the stomach. "Hey, you just put Katie to bed. I dealt with the other eight." Bill chuckled and tickled Ev, chasing her up the stairs. Charlie and Jean followed behind at a more leisurely pace. Maggie stood up and began gathering throw pillows off the floor and placing them in their repective places around the room. "If you two like, there's eggnog in the kitchen. Complete with the proper.. additives," she grinned. "But don't have too much. Gotta get up early and get to those presents so that we can make it to mass on time. Not that we've ever had a problem with that in this house." Scully chuckled. "Thanks mom." Maggie smiled. "Good night you two." With that, she headed up the stairs. Mulder turned to Scully and grinned. "Guess what, Scully. 'It's a Wonderful Life' is starting in ten minutes. You can help me with my memorization skills." She rolled her eyes and laughed, leaning her head on Mulder's shoulder. An alarm went off in her brain. When did he put his arm around her? Not that she minded, of course. "Mulder, is there a reason you're so obsessed with this movie? Or is it just random?" He grinned and rubbed his thumb against her shoulder, using the remote to flip through the channels with the other hand. "No real reason. Well, none besides the fact that its all that's ever on during Christmas and I rarely have anything better to do." Scully craned her neck to look up at him. She still couldn't believe she was in his arms. "Mulder, you've always been welcome here." She snuggled in a bit closer. "I'm really glad you came." He looked down into her eyes and smiled. "I could never resist you, Dana Scully." For a moment, they remained there, frozen in time, lost in each other's eyes. Tentatively, Mulder leaned down toward Scully and brushed his lips lightly against hers. The kiss was short and chaste, but to Mulder it seemed to last forever, and yet not long enough. He pulled back and smiled at her. "So, Scully, how bout some eggnog?" Scully felt the heat rise to her cheeks. Had she just kissed Fox Mulder? She tried to push away any romantic longings and grinned. "Sounds good, Mulder. But just one glass for me. Then I've got to get to bed. And you should too. You wouldn't believe how early those kids like to get up on Christmas morning." He chuckled, heading into the kitchen. "Sure I do, Scully," he said as she walked into the kitchen. "I was a kid once. I'd get up at the crack of dawn. Actually, before. But my parents' rule was that we couldn't wake them up until we could see sunlight," he said, handing her a glass of eggnog. They continued to reminisce about Christmases past over cool glasses of eggnog. When both the glasses were empty, Mulder gently placed them in the sink. "Well, looks like it's bedtime, Scully." She laughed. "You sound like my mom. Except that she usually calls me Dana," she said as she headed up the stairs. "Really? How weird. Your own mother doesn't call you by your surname?" He shook his head, supressing a grin. At the top of the stairs, she spun and poked him in the stomach. Retaliating, he began to mercilessly tickle her, chasing her towards her room. She cowered on her bed, a huge grin on her face. "Mulder! We're making too much noise. What is my family going to think?" He just grinned. "Who knows, but it could make for interesting dinner conversation." He ducked a flying pillow and yawned loudly. "Anyway, you're probably right. It's late and sleep is good. Night Scully," he said and with a grin, turned and left the room. Scully just stared at the doorway. Who was that man and what had he done with Mulder? She chuckled to herself and closed the door behind him. "AuntDanaAuntDanaAuntDana!" Scully opened her eyes slowly, focusing on the clock. She sighed and pulled the pillow over her head. 6:17. By Scully Christmas standards, it was late. And here they were, the Christmas Welcome Wagon, ready to drag her into the world of the living. "Aunt Dana," whined Sarah. "Get up! It's Christmas!" Scully groaned and rolled over. "Come on, Sarah, just a few more minutes." She heard a chuckle from the doorway, which caused her to peer in that direction. "No way, Scully. If I have to get up, you're getting up with me." Scully peered at Mulder and began to giggle. "Cute hair, Mulder." Mulder stood in her doorway wearing a pair of jeans and a black turtleneck that had obviously just been pulled on. He was also barefoot. His hair stuck out from his head in all directions. Mulder raised an eyebrow. "You're not looking much better, Scully." Scully was clothed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail atop her head. During the night, a large portion of the hair had escaped the elastic tie and now formed a halo around her head. Scully pulled out the tie and shook her head. "Sarah, why don't you make sure everyone else is awake while... Fox and I make ourselves presentable." This seemed to make sense to Sarah and she scampered out of the room. "GrandmaGrandmaGrandma!" Mulder chuckled and peered into Scully's full length mirror and pondered his reflection. "You think your mother would care if I went downstairs like this?" Scully grinned and shrugged. "She probably wouldn't. But there's this thing called photo albums. And of course, mom takes pictures like a maniac. Do you really want to be remembered like this?" He shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair, flattening the errant sections. He rubbed his hands over his stubble and chuckled. "I like it." She laughed. "Cute, Mulder. But I think I'm going to change. So out!" she said, herding him out the door. Having changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater, pulled her hair down and brushed it out, Scully opened her bedroom door and found Mulder leaning against the wall. "Merry Christmas, Scully," he grinned. "Merry Christmas to you too, Mulder." He pointed towards the stairs. "I promised the kids I'd get you downstairs in five minutes. We've got about thirty seconds before they come hunting." She laughed. "Then by all means, let's go. Children can be scary on Christmas morning." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "No, wait, I want to give you your gift first. I know how your family is, and I didn't want you to have to endure any more teasing," he said, presenting her with a small wrapped box from behind his back. She just looked at him in amazement. "Mulder, you didn't have to do this," she said, accepting the gift. He laughed. "Go on and open it. I think you'll like it," he grinned. She gently pulled off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was a small silver charm bracelet. Peering at the charms, a grin spread across her face. Hanging from the bracelet was a small alien face, a UFO, and a small circle. Engraved on the circle was 'To the woman who chases the alien chaser - Thanks. Mulder.' She looked up at him with a huge grin spreading across her face. Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Mulder. It's perfect." He was surprised at first, but happily returned the embrace. Pulling back, she held out the bracelet and her wrist. "Would you mind?" He took the bracelet and gently fastened it around her wrist, then gently kissed her on the cheek. "Mistletoe," he explained, noticing the blush spreading across her face. Charlotte took that moment to come barreling up the stairs. "Come on you two!" she whined. Scully laughed and grabbed Mulder's hand. Together they walked down the stairs and into the mayhem of Christmas Morning at the Scully's. The End Find more stories in this series here: http://fluky.gossamer.org/story.php?story_title=Twig&filename=&author_name=&author_id=&episode=&summary=&rating=&keyword=&genre=&subgenre=&join=and
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