Title: Family 2: Holidays

Rating: PG

Summary: Holidays aren't always what they are cracked up to be.

Disclaimer: Well, all these fun folks from The X-files (Mulder and Scully) definitely do not belong to me(No matter how mush I wish it). They definitely do belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made from their use.

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Fox Mulder folded up the last pair of sweats from the wash and sat down on the couch. His apartment was dark in the winter; it just didn't have the right exposure. But that was okay, it matched his mood: dark and dangerous. Sighing, he pulled out the remote control for the TV and turned on the set. The eerie, flickering light from the set illuminated what little he had in the apartment: a fish tank (empty now); a black leather couch; a desk covered in files: a dusty computer: a coffee table; and a small end table that held his keys, his ID and his gun. The bare essentials for a lonely man on a lonely quest, Mulder thought to himself as he completed the inventory. Maybe not that lonely, he corrected, he had Scully. But things seemed a little strained lately between the two of them.

He guessed it started with that case they had a couple of weeks ago that involved the pryokinetic and Phoebe Greene. Scully had been very wary of him since she had encountered him kissing Phoebe on the dance floor. He didn't think it had anything to do with the actual physical contact he had had with the Englishwoman; that would imply a hint of jealousy on Scully's part. No, it had to be something else. But what, he didn't know. Guess I have to put my investigative experience to work, he mused, as he found a game on television. ---------------------- December 16, 1992 Home of Bill and Maggie Scully 1342 E. Boulder St., Alexandria, VA

"Dana, honey, could you help me with the table?" Maggie Scully asked, coming out of the kitchen and wiping her hands on the apron she wore.

Scully moved around the table, setting the places. "Way ahead of you, Mom." She shook her head with a smile. Even after being out on her own for ten years, she still fell into the old home week routine.

"Is Fox coming?"

Dana cringed at the question. "No, he won't be coming." She answered a little more harshly than necessary. "He'll be here for Christmas dinner, though," she added, hoping to soften the frown that had crept onto her mother's face.

"That's good. He needs people to be around."

"Mom."

"He is a friend of your brother's, Dana. And he is your partner. Those are two very good reasons why he is welcome at our table. Not to mention, he is the only one of the family that likes the Knicks like your father," Maggie added, a twinkle in her eye. "Fox enjoyed Thanksgiving, didn't he?"

"Yes. How could a grown man that eats hamburgers and day old Chinese takeout not like a home cooked smorgasbord like the one we had?" Dana snickered, but not wholeheartedly.

"What's wrong, Starbuck?"

Scully looked up at her father. "Nothing, Daddy. Just that Mulder and I need a little time apart, and with the case load that we have, it is a little hard to get that time. He has a life outside the office and with him coming over here the last three weeks running.. We just aren't apart enough."

"What happened, Dana?" her mother asked, dishing the vegetables onto her plate. "Three weeks ago, the two of you had no qualms teaming up and beating the rest of us at Trivial Pursuit. He certainly didn't have a problem watching the game with your father last week. He seems quite content coming over here and spending time. Especially if Bill is here."

"I know. I asked him not to come. I mean.."she continued, sensing that both her mother and her father were going to start to speak, "I did it for several reasons. He's my partner, for one, and work needs to remain at work. Two, he DOES have a life separate from m..work and he needs to experience that. Three, he is closer friends with Bill and Bill isn't going to be here. Four, he's coming to Christmas dinner."

"Alright, alright, Starbuck." Bill said, setting down his silverware. "You don't have to convince me; you've given me enough reasons. But I think you're the one that has a problem with this. But let's drop the conversation now. It's dinner, I'm hungry, and we have yet to say grace." ----------------- Beltway December 16, 1992 10:52 PM

Scully gripped the wheel of the car a little tighter. Maybe her father was right; maybe it was bothering her that Mulder was spending so much time with her family now. Well.. not that it was a tremendous amount of time, she thought; three dinners and Thanksgiving in four months. She was glad her parents hadn't delved into the problem deeper; she could never lie to them, and she really didn't want to talk about her problems with them. So what if Mulder had a romantic liaison with an investigator on a case? It was against the book, but then again what did Spooky Mulder do with the book? Her family was getting close to Mulder, and she had assumed that he was using her family. She would not let her family get hurt intentionally, so she tried to get some distance between Mulder and them.

Work was work, she always said. It was better that way. But Fox Mulder was different. The extent of their partnership had grown to firmly encompass friendship. She trusted him implicitly. He might be crazy, but he was nothing if not brilliant. And he had never let her down; he had always been there when she needed him. It was more than partners, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Because of this, Dana had a hard time cutting herself off from him and an even harder time cutting him off from her family..

Her cel phone rang.

"Scully." she answered, placing the phone in the crook between her shoulder and chin.

"Hey, partner. It's me. Do you have the case file? You know the one."

"Yes, I know. The one dealing with the abduction of the two women in New York State. And yes, I have it." she answered, trying to distance herself from her earlier internal conversation. I have to remain professional, Dana Kate, remain completely professional.

"Oohh. Did Dr. Dana Scully just admit to an abduction?"

"No, Mulder. I'm just reading what you labeled it under. Do you need the file?"

"Yeah. I wanted to read it over again before we leave in the morning."

"We're leaving? Since when did this happen, Mulder?" she asked, more than just a little exasperated.

"Since about two hours ago. We leave for the very unplausible state of New York at the very ungodly hour of seven. "

Dana sighed as she stopped the car in front of her residence and shut off the engine. "Do you realize, Mulder, that it is nine days before Christmas and I have shopping to do for six children? I was hoping that we wouldn't investigate this. oh hell. Okay. I gather you want the file. What time should I expect you?" She got out of the car and went for the steps.

"ETA about.oh.two seconds."

Scully looked up and saw her partner leaning against the outside of the building near the entry door. He was clad in jeans, sweatshirt and his black leather jacket looking very unagent like.

"I really must move. The local color here is so much more interesting Scully. Do you realize that you have three coeds living over you?" he asked as both he and she pocketed their phones.

Scully hung her head. She was tired, in need of a bath, and was not in the mood to spar with her partner. "The file is in the apartment, agent." And she turned and left without looking behind her to see if he was coming. ------------------ Annapolis, MD

Bill Scully, Jr., career naval officer, moved steadily along the hall that led to his office. One good thing, he thought, about being in the intelligence branch: you get your own office. But, man, the hours were hell. Looking at his watch, he sighed. Almost eleven o'clock. The kids would be in bed and he had missed yet another night of tucking them in. But still, his recent reassignment to Annapolis meant that he could go home every night and see his family almost every day. A welcome change.

The light was on in his office.

I didn't leave that on, he thought, slowing down to creep in the door.

End Part (1/6 )