From: dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com   
      
   Title:  SANTA'S GIFT TO SKINNER   
   Author:  Donna McIntosh   
   Fandom:  X-Files   
   Pairing:  Skinner/Krycek   
   Genre:  Slash   
   Rating:  NC-17  FRAO   
   Disclaimer:  These characters belong to Chris Carter.  I just let them   
   have a lot more sex than he did.   
   Summary:  Skinner meets Santa Claus in a bar and he receives a   
   wonderful gift.   
      
   SANTA'S GIFT TO SKINNER   
      
   Walter Skinner finished his drink and was about to leave when a man in   
   a Santa Claus suit sat down at his table opposite him.   
      
   "Do you mind if I sit for a minute?  I'm exhausted."     
      
   "Sure.  Help yourself.  I was just leaving."  Skinner started to get up.   
      
   "Please.  Could you wait just a minute?  It'd be so nice to talk to an   
   adult for a change.  I've been over at the Mall giving out gifts to   
   the little ones all day."  The old man leaned back in his chair and   
   sighed deeply.   
      
   "It's late.  I really should be getting home."  Skinner said, not   
   wanting to get pulled into someone else's uncomfortable life.   
      
   "It'll only take a moment.  You've can take a moment out of your busy   
   life for Santa Claus, can't you?"  He smiled with twinkling blue eyes   
   out from under thick white eye brows; his nose a bulbous shiny red and   
   his long fluffy white beard looked real.   
      
   "It must be a tough job; dealing with all those kids during the   
   holidays."  Skinner said then added, "Can I buy you a drink?"   
      
   "Ho ho ho, oh goodness no!  What would people think if they saw Santa   
   taking a drink?"   
      
   "Maybe that he was thirsty for something other than hot chocolate?"    
   Skinner gave a reluctant grin.   
      
   "No, no.  I don't partake of the spirits.  Never have."     
      
   "Then aren't you in the wrong place?"  Skinner asked.   
      
   "I like you, Walter Skinner; always have."  He chuckled.   
      
   Skinner stiffened up, "You know me?"   
      
   "Of course, I'm Santa Claus.  I know everybody."  He chuckled.   
      
   "What do you want?"  Skinner asked suddenly suspicious.   
      
   "Relax.  It's nearly Christmas.  I just wanted to give you a Christmas   
   present."  He smiled.   
      
   "What's this all about?"  Skinner looked around the room to see if   
   this `Santa' had any accomplices with him.   
      
   "Good old Walter; always on the alert."  Santa grinned and twiddled   
   his mustache.  "I assure you, you are in no danger.  I simply wanted   
   to give you this gift."  He reached into his sack and pulled out a   
   package and sat it on the table in front of Skinner.   
      
   "What is it?  Who are you?  What do you want from me?"  Skinner   
   couldn't help his suspicious nature.   
      
   "I thought that was obvious.  I'm Santa Claus.  And what this is, is   
   the perfect gift for you.  It's an answering machine."  He tapped the   
   top of the package and shoved it a bit closer to Skinner.   
      
   Skinner stared at the man across from him then gazed down at the cube   
   shaped package, knowing that no answering machine he had ever seen   
   would fit in a box that size.  "I already have an answering machine,   
   thank you."  He started again to get up but Santa stopped him.   
      
   "Please.  Just do an old man a favor and take a look at it.  I   
   guarantee it's different from any other answering machine that you   
   have ever seen and one that you will love!"   
      
   Skinner glanced once more around the bar.  He decided it probably   
   wouldn't hurt to humor the man.  They were in a crowded bar and the   
   old man wasn't making any move to leave so it couldn't be a bomb or   
   anything too harmful.  He lifted the top off the white box and glanced   
   inside.  There sat an 8 ball.   
      
   "I had one of these when I was a kid."  He exclaimed picking it up and   
   fingering its smooth black surface.   
      
   "Yes, I know.  I brought it to you on your 10th Christmas.  If I   
   remember correctly, you weren't all that happy with it.  You wanted a   
   horse."   
      
   Skinner's eyes snapped up to Santa's.  Who was this man?  "Now how did   
   you know that?"  He asked.   
      
   Santa gave a soft chuckle.   
      
   "I guess most 10 year olds want horses.  It was an easy guess."    
   Skinner reasoned.  He turned the ball over in his hands, noticing the   
   extra large screen on the bottom.  "This one seems bigger; the screen   
   is bigger.  Does it have more answers than just `yes, no, maybe' and   
   `don't count on it'?"   
      
   "This answering machine is unlike anything you have ever seen."     
   Santa assured him.   
      
   "How is that?"  Skinner asked.   
      
   "It's magic!"   
      
   "Magic?"  Skinner chuckled himself now.  He couldn't help it.  The old   
   man was really into his role and playing Santa to the hilt.   
      
   "That's right.  It can answer any question that you put to it.  Go on;   
   try it."   
      
   Skinner thought he'd put a stop to the silliness right away and asked   
   a question that couldn't be answered `yes, no, or maybe'.  "What's my   
   name?"  He asked.   
      
   The screen at the bottom of the ball glowed white for a minute and in   
   bold black letters – Walter Sergei Skinner appeared.  He was stunned!   
      
   "How'd you do that?"  He asked the grinning Santa.   
      
   "I told you.  It's magic!  Go on; ask it something else.  It can   
   answer any question you ask."   
      
   "Who is sitting across from me?"  Skinner asked.   
      
   The screen wavered a moment then the letters appeared – Santa Claus.   
      
   "Look, I don't know how you're doing this, but I'm really not   
   interested."  He dumped the ball back into the box and shoved it back   
   across the table towards Santa.   
      
   "You don't believe in magic?"  Santa asked.   
      
   "I do not!"     
      
   "You should.  It's real enough, you know.  There just isn't all that   
   much of it around these days."   
      
   "If you'll excuse me, I have to be going."  Skinner stood and started   
   putting his coat on.   
      
   "Certainly.  I know you're a busy man.  Just please take your gift.  I   
   wanted to give you something special this year to make up for all the   
   many years when you didn't get what you really wanted for Christmas."   
    Santa stood and shoved the box into Skinner's hands.   
      
   "Do I know you?"  Skinner tried to see through the disguise but had no   
   luck.  He straightened his coat collar and buttoned up.   
      
   "Of course you do.  Everyone knows Santa Claus.  Sometimes it's just   
   hard to believe; that's all."   
      
   A few customers up front broke into a Christmas carol and Skinner   
   looked over at them.  When he looked back, Santa was gone.  He looked   
   around quickly but the old man was no where to be seen.  Skinner   
   walked up front, paid his tab and walked out into the snowy night.     
      
   His car was frigid cold and he sat a few minutes to let it warm up.    
   Finally the heater started putting out some warm air and he guided it   
   out into the night time DC traffic.  He didn't get far when the   
   traffic came to a halt.  "What the hell is going on up there now?" he   
   cursed and craned his neck to see what had stopped them.   
      
   A glow from the box on the seat beside him brought his thoughts back   
   inside the car.  He reached over and picked up the 8 ball and turned   
   it over.  The screen read, `traffic accident.  Blue Ford pickup and   
   white Saturn, two blocks up."   
      
   He stared at the ball.  It couldn't be!  This toy, or whatever it was,   
   certainly couldn't know what was actually happening!  No way!  Just   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)