TITLE: SPOOKY CLAUS
AUTHOR: bellefleur
EMAIL ADDRESS: bellefleur1013@yahoo.com
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: sure
RATING: PG-13
CLASSIFICATION: V
KEYWORDS: UST
SPOILERS: Through Season 6; this takes place Christmas 1998 
but completely disregards HTGSC.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; they belong to CC, FOX, etc.
SUMMARY: Mulder's Christmas mischief turns into a special 
gift for Scully.


* * * * *

Mulder was up to something.

That, of course, was nothing unusual, but the fact that 
Scully had no idea what it was made her nervous.  He simply 
had told her that he would pick her up at 2:30 on Saturday, 
but he resolutely refused to divulge any further 
information.  

Scully glanced at the clock again.  It was now almost 2:40, 
and Mulder had yet to appear.

Taking a seat on the couch to cease her pacing, she let her 
eyes wander over her meager Christmas decorations.  She 
could still hear her father's teasing words the last night 
she saw him, asking if she planned to leave her decorations 
up all year.  Every year since then, she had put less and 
less time and effort into the decorations.  Sometimes she 
used the excuse that she was just too busy; others, that 
she wouldn't even be home on Christmas Day.  But the truth 
was her heart was seldom in it.  Each holiday season seemed 
to mark another loss, making the dwindling decorations 
sadly appropriate.  

This year was certainly no exception.

She was grateful she didn't have to return to San Diego 
this Christmas, although part of her felt guilty not to be 
placing flowers on the grave to mark the grim anniversary.  
With her family well aware of Matthew's first birthday 
approaching, she knew they wouldn't be oblivious to the 
other memories from a year ago.  But she wasn't sure how 
they would act around her--looks of pity and hushed voices?  
She would prefer that they not even remember. 

An abrupt knock offered reprieve from her sullen thoughts, 
turning her mind to other matters: Trouble had arrived.

"Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas."

"Oh, no."  Scully had opened her door to find Santa 
standing on her doorstep--or rather, Mulder dressed as 
Santa from head to toe.

"Oh, yes."  He stepped into the doorway, and she hastily 
stepped back, retreating from the padded gut that preceded 
him by over a foot.

"Okay, that's it.  I'm not leaving this apartment until you 
tell me where we're going."  Scully crossed her arms and 
planted her feet, standing her ground until she got her 
answer.  

"O ye of little faith."  Mulder pivoted to face her 
squarely, his bowlful of jelly almost taking out a lamp in 
the process.  "You know that toy drive at work?"

"For the children's hospital?"

"Yep.  I volunteered us to deliver the presents."

She looked him over from hat to boot, letting the news sink 
in.  "Please don't tell me I'm going as an elf."

"No--Mrs. Claus.  I even brought you a costume."

Regarding him with suspicion, she reached out to take the 
plastic shopping bag he was offering her.  A glance inside 
revealed a jumble of red velvet and white fur.  She 
hesitantly took hold of the fabric and pulled it out.  It 
appeared to be a jacket matching Mulder's, with a waist of 
inverse proportions.  But there wasn't anything else in the 
bag.

"Where's the rest of it?"

He smirked at her.  "That's it."

Scully dropped the bag and held the costume up to her body.  
The bottom barely hit her knees.

"Mulder, Mrs. Claus would never wear something like this."

"She would if she had your body."

She just stared at him in shock, not believing he had 
actually said that.  

Trying to suppress his grin, he waggled his eyebrows at 
her.  "Just think of yourself as Santa's sexy, young 
mistress." 

Her shock quickly transformed into a glare.  "Oh, I see.  
You're going as Pervert Santa."

Mulder just chuckled.  "Hurry up and change.  The kids are 
waiting."

"Mulder, I can't wear this!  Especially not in front of 
children."

"There'll be teenagers there, too.  And I can guarantee 
that you are exactly what every boy over twelve wants under 
his Christmas tree."

"Dirty old man," she grumbled at him as she headed for the 
bedroom.  "I'll see if I have some leggings or tights I can 
wear with this."

"Don't take too long," he called after her.  "The reindeer 
are double-parked."

* * *

Scully hadn't found any leggings, so she had settled for 
her least sheer pair of pantyhose.  She was fortunate that 
the skirt fell almost to her knees, much more modest than 
the mid-thigh mark that it was designed to hit on a taller 
woman.  Nevertheless, she kept unconsciously tugging it 
down and was careful to keep her knees together at all 
times.  Thankfully, the neckline wasn't revealing, so she 
didn't feel that she was dressed like a Playboy bunny.  But 
that didn't stop her from plotting revenge against Mulder.

The mood was quiet between them on the way over, but once 
they entered the hospital doors, Mulder was every bit the 
jolly old elf.  It wasn't as easy for Scully to don the 
persona, especially upon seeing so many children in 
hospital beds.  More than once, she thought she caught a 
glimpse of a little blonde girl out of the corner of her 
eye, only to turn and find that it was really a boy, or a 
girl with brown curls.

Scully was no fool.  She knew exactly what Mulder was 
doing.  At first, she resented him for forcing her into 
this situation, but gradually she began to warm to their 
task.  For all the pain and sickness that this place held, 
it was now bubbling with a spirit of joy and anticipation, 
and all because of their visit.  With each glimpse of 
Santa, a child's face would light up like a bulb on a tree.  
Surrounded by so many smiles, Scully couldn't help but get 
caught up in it all.  For a few short hours that afternoon, 
these youngsters who had been forced into early maturity 
could forget about their troubles and just be kids again.

Afternoon extended well into the evening, drawn out by 
their lengthy visits with several of the families.  Mulder 
had even been a sport and posed for pictures with many of 
the kids.  By the time they handed out the last present, 
Scully was exhausted and her feet were killing her, but she 
felt it had been well worth it.  Bringing happiness to so 
many children had been a great balm to her spirit.  She 
didn't know how she could ever properly thank her partner 
for this simple gift he had given her.  

As they headed for the car, Scully pulled her trench coat 
tightly around her.  Now that the sun had gone down, the 
air was considerably colder, feeling all the more frigid 
against her practically bare legs.  Apparently noticing her 
shivers, Mulder graciously turned the heat up as soon as he 
started the car, but he made no move to pull out of the 
parking lot.  She looked at him in question.

Reaching behind her into the back seat, he pulled out one 
more wrapped present.

"Did we forget one?"

"No.  This one's for you."

Scully took the small box from his hand and gingerly 
unwrapped it.  It was small enough to be a jewelry box, 
which gave rise to a flutter of anxiety that she wasn't 
prepare to analyze at the moment.  She took her time, 
stalling to guess at what might be inside.  But truthfully, 
the last thing she expected from Mulder was an orthodox 
gift.

So much for expecting the unexpected--it was an ornament.  
The delicate gold was cut in the shape of an angel, her 
face, dress, and wings etched into the precious metal in 
intricate detail.  And inscribed across her broad sash was 
a name.  

Emily.

Scully gently traced the outline of a wing, touching it 
carefully as though she feared it might break.  She was at 
a loss how to respond to such a thoughtful gift, especially 
after everything Mulder had already done for her today, so 
she opted for levity instead.  

"I was guessing it was a baseball card."

"Nah, that's what you're getting for your birthday."

They both laughed quietly, mostly to ease the tension that 
had built, but the seriousness soon returned.  

For the first time since she had opened the box, Scully 
finally looked up at her partner.  There was really only 
one thing to say:

"Thank you."  

It seemed too simple a phrase for everything she was 
feeling, but somehow she knew that Mulder would hear the 
words she left unspoken.

He gave her an embarrassed smile and shrugged slightly.  
"It just...seemed like the thing to do."

She responded with a warm smile of her own and then 
returned her attention to the gift in her hands.  Threading 
a finger through the loop of ribbon at the top, she lifted 
the ornament to dangle in front of her.  Light from the 
lampposts overhead filtered through the golden lacework of 
the angel's dress, offering a mere taste of how she would 
look dancing among the vibrant lights of a Christmas tree.  

This was a decoration that Scully knew she would look 
forward to unpacking each year.

The light shifted as the car backed out of the parking 
space, soon casting the gold into shadows.  Her halo now 
dimmed, the angel floated back down to her box and was 
carefully packed away for the rest of the drive.  

When the box was closed again, Scully snuck a glance at her 
companion, now focused completely on the road.  Her simple 
thanks had been intended for both the ornament and the 
events of the day, and she knew he understood that.  But 
before the evening was over, there was one more thing that 
needed to be said.

"Mulder, next year *I'm* in charge of the costumes."


*******
The End
*******


Merry Christmas!


Send feedback to: bellefleur1013@yahoo.com

Visit my stories at: www.geocities.com/bellefleur1013