From: bellydancergirl7@aol.com   
      
   All notes disclosed in chapter one.   
      
   A/N: I can write my family better than any made up family so I'm    
   using my family. Not that they're reading this but please don't sue    
   me. (They always joke about that, at least my Aunt Carol does).    
   Luckily, I could tie it in. Mulder being Jewish is related to my Aunt    
   Peggy who's Jewish.   
      
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   Thanksgiving 2005   
      
   She couldn't believe it but she was actually nervous. Dana scully was    
   100% knee knockin', jaw droppin', hand tremblin', boot shakin'    
   nervous.   
      
   She was moments away from meeting Mulder's family. And she didn't    
   quite feel prepared.   
      
   "Who's who, again?' she asked when they turned onto his aunt's street.   
      
   Mulder chuckled from the driver's seat. "I'm only blood related to my    
   aunt Peggy. Trust me, you'll know who she is." He reached over to    
   grab her hand. "Just relax. You're gonna be fine. Everyone will love    
   you and Cassie. They love kids and they love making people feel    
   welcomed into the group."   
      
   "God, I hope so."   
      
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   "Mulder, it's good to see you!" Mulder was greeted by his aunt as    
   soon as they walked in the door. He was bombarded with hugs by his    
   adopted aunts and hand shakes from his adopted uncles.   
      
   "And this must be Dana and Cassie," his aunt Pam said, extending her    
   hand to Dana. Cassie had taken refuge in Mulder's arms.   
      
   "Hi, it's nice to finally meet you. Mulder's been going on about all    
   of you all week," Dana said with ease. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad    
   after all.   
      
   Greetings went around quickly, everyone becoming acquainted. The men    
   went back to watching football and the women welcomed the trio into    
   the kitchen, dinner still being prepared. Mulder settled Cassie in    
   the living room with his younger cousin, leaving them to chatter and    
   color together.   
      
   "So I hear we only have the three of you until four," his Aunt Carol    
   spoke up, looking up at them from cutting the turkey.   
      
   Dana chose to answer. "Yes, then we're driving up to Albany for    
   dinner at my parent's house. They've never met Mulder and at this    
   point, they'll look for any opportunity to meet him."   
      
   "So we're not the only one's left in the dark then," Carol laughed,    
   trying to sound insulted. "Hey Mulder, saw you in People Magazine.    
   You looked good," she added.   
      
   But Mulder chose to ignore that. "Today the families get informed. We    
   eat and then they ambush," Mulder explained to Dana, his hands    
   finding their way to her waist. "That's why we're gonna eat and run."   
      
   Pam joined the conversation. "Before that, we're going to tell her    
   all kind of stories about you."   
      
   "They're all pathological liars, don't believe a word they say,"    
   Mulder murmured in Dana's ear. She just swatted at him.   
      
   "I'd like to hear some stories about you."   
      
   "Then pull up a chair and we'll tell you some things you don't know,"    
   Pam said, eager to spread some gossip.   
      
   Dana gave Mulder an evil smile before joining his aunts around the    
   table.   
      
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   His family definitely broke the stereotype of Thanksgiving families.    
   The women cooked the meal, no one fell asleep after dinner, and the    
   men and women watched football. Not all the women, of course. Some of    
   them had to hang around the kitchen to gossip and share stories.   
      
   "I have to say," Dana started, sitting next to Mulder at the    
   table, "you guys are completely different from the family atmosphere    
   I'm used to."   
      
   "I hope that's a good thing," Peggy wondered.   
      
   Dana nodded. "It's definitely a good thing. It's nice to get away    
   from the… traditional Thanksgiving family. Everything so pristine and    
   proper and formal. It's nice to be away from that if only for a    
   little while."   
      
   A few of the women laughed. "Well, we're definitely not those    
   things," Pam said, "as you can tell from dinner."   
      
   "Yeah, my family never throws rolls across the dinner table.    
   Although, I have to admit, that was entertaining."   
      
   "Well, that's us," Pam said. "If you think we're entertaining, you    
   should meet Uncle Max. No one can tell a hilarious story as laid back    
   as he can."   
      
   Mulder decided to join the conversation. He was still trying to    
   figure out why he was with the women in the kitchen. "Is he still at    
   the lake?"   
      
   His adopted grandmother nodded. "Still at the lake house with Ruth."   
      
   They all kept on the subject a while longer. Dana took the time to    
   observe the family around her. They definitely weren't the type of    
   people she was used to being around. They were loud, blunt, and they    
   laughed a lot. And they all got along. Her family was far from any of    
   those things. They were only loud when they argued. Ahab never let    
   them get too loud, though.   
      
   A tug on her sleeve pulled her from her thoughts. Cassie stood to her    
   left, a tired look on her face.   
      
   "What's wrong, sweetheart?" Dana asked her daughter softly. Cassie    
   just held up her arms. Dana complied, picking her up in one fluid    
   motion. Cassie quickly settled her head on Dana's shoulder. That    
   gathered the attention of some of the women.   
      
   "Is she okay?" Carol asked.   
      
   "Yeah, she's okay. She's still recovering from a cold she had last    
   week."   
      
   "It might be partially my fault. We've been outside a lot this    
   month," Mulder said, an apologetic look on her face.   
      
   Dana quickly reminded him, "You can't get a cold from just being in    
   the cold."   
      
   That topic started a conversation. Cassie stayed perfectly still all    
   the while. Mulder caught her tired eyes over Dana's shoulder. He made-   
   -hopefully--funny faces at her, trying to make her laugh. He saw her    
   crack a smile but she quickly buried her face in Dana's neck. Her    
   head quickly popped back up, her arms reaching out for him, her tired    
   voice calling out `daddy' softly. It got the attention of a few of    
   his aunts but no one said anything.   
      
   The transition was easy; Cassie seemed to be switching back and forth    
   between them every few minutes. Mulder had finally deduced it had to    
   do with her mood. If she was shy, she wanted him. If she was feeling    
   confident, she wanted her mom. If she was sick, she wanted both of    
   them. If she was happy and excited, she wanted neither of them.    
   Mulder was just glad she wanted to be held by him at all.   
      
   "Hey, Cassie," Linda called over to her, "do you want a congo square?"   
      
   A tumble of brown hair lifted from Mulder's shoulder. "What's that?"   
      
   "The best dessert ever," Mulder told her. "It's guaranteed to make    
   you feel better."   
      
   For a moment, he thought she was going to turn it down and try to    
   sleep. Then he remembered she was her mother's daughter. They both    
   loved anything with chocolate in it. Cassie nodded and Linda handed    
   over a medium-sized square. There was no hesitation on Cassie's part.    
   She took a large bite out of it.   
      
   "It's good," she said after she swallowed, right before taking    
   another bite.   
      
   Another had been converted.   
      
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   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)