From: leighchristine@hotmail.com   
      
   TITLE: Christmas Time Is Here   
   AUTHOR: Christine Leigh   
   E-MAIL: leighchristine@hotmail.com   
   RATING: G   
   CATEGORY: V   
   KEYWORDS: Post-series   
   SPOILERS: None.   
      
   SUMMARY: Christmas 2009.  Twelfth in a series of   
   vignettes centering around Mulder and   
   Will that may also be read as a stand-alone.   
      
   DISCLAIMER: The characters of Mulder, Sully, and   
   William are the products of Chris Carter. They   
   also belong to Ten-Thirteen Productions and the   
   Fox Network. No copyright infringement intended.   
      
      
   Christmas Time Is Here   
   by Christine Leigh   
      
   December 2009   
      
   "A little more to the left."     
      
   The smaller hand pushes.  The larger one turns   
   the screw.  There are audible sighs from both   
   the bodies splayed across the living room floor.    
   It is a typical scene for this project, but   
   Mulder can't help wondering that if the aliens   
   are out there and taking it in, if they wouldn't   
   turn right around and call off the invasion,   
   seeing that the humans are doing just fine with   
   the self-torture.  Why is it that in movies and   
   TV that Christmas trees get put up in a matter   
   of hours or even minutes?  Why can't he and Will   
   leave the room during the commercial and come   
   back to a fully decked tree?   Why hadn't he   
   taken the man at the lot up on his offer to   
   deliver and set up the tree?   
      
   "Dad?"   
      
   "Oh, you can let go now."   
      
   Mulder stood up.  Will rolled over onto his   
   back.   
      
   "It looks straight from here."  This is the   
   first year Will has helped Dad with the tree.    
   Last year Mom had helped.  But it hadn't been as   
   big a tree since they were going to San Diego   
   for Christmas.  This year everyone is coming   
   here for Christmas Eve and Day.  Mom's very   
   happy about that.  Dad is, too, but mostly he   
   says he's happy for hotels.  Will isn't supposed   
   to repeat that in front of Mom.  Dad says it's   
   their time-honored seasonal conspiracy.  Will is   
   glad, though, that Grandma will be staying with   
   them in the one room available at the Mulder   
   Inn.       
      
   "It looks good from here.  I think phase two can   
   commence."  Mulder motions to the box of lights   
   sitting on the couch.  "Master Untangler, you're   
   on."   
      
   Will grins.  He gets to sit for a while now.    
   The light strings that are always put away in   
   some semblance of order, mysteriously, do not   
   stay that way during their eleven-month break.    
   He starts to work on one while Dad goes to the   
   kitchen.  Soon, he has two unraveled.   
      
   Mulder returns with a bottle of tea and a can of   
   soda and sits down on the floor.  He hands Will   
   the soda.     
      
   "I think a short break is in order."   
      
   "Why do these get so messed up?"   
      
   Mulder shakes his head.  "One of life's great   
   mysteries."   
      
   Will takes a drink from his can.  Soda is only a   
   sometime thing in his diet.  Mom says water or   
   juice is better, and Dad says that his tea is   
   good, but Will has tried that and doesn't like   
   it at all.   
      
   "Have we ever had a tree so big?"   
      
   "Not since we had you and Kaylene.  Once, your   
   mom had one that was almost this tall in her   
   apartment.  She got it into the stand and put on   
   the lights all by herself."   
      
   Will thinks about that.  He knows that Mom loves   
   Christmas.  Later she'll do most of the   
   decorating of the tree.   
      
   "Did you help her put on the ornaments?"   
      
   "Yes."  It had been their first Christmas   
   together since becoming lovers, the beginning of   
   the path that led to today.     
      
   "I'm glad we'll be home for Christmas.  Tom can   
   come over before we have to go back to school.    
   And maybe the guys will visit."   
      
   The guys.  What other eight-year-old has three   
   ghosts for pals?  Frohike is the most consistent   
   visitor, but all three still show up.  There is   
   no pattern, but they had not visited while the   
   Mulders were in San Diego last year.   
      
   "Here's to hoping that they do."  Mulder lifts   
   his bottle and toasts the air.   
      
   "Tom wants a night vision camcorder for   
   Christmas.  And a telescope like mine."   
      
   "Will Santa be delivering, do you think?"   
      
   "Dad."     
      
   There is an unmistakable note in Will's voice.    
   It says that Santa is fine for Kaylene, but that   
   he, Will, has been enlightened.  The truth is   
   out there.  Mulder and Scully had both almost   
   choked on their coffee the morning two months   
   ago when Will had actually said these words at   
   the breakfast table.  The fact that Will is   
   getting older far too fast saddens Mulder some,   
   but he is also getting a kick out of being able   
   to talk his son on a more adult level.  It's   
   been quite a ride, this parenthood thing.   
      
   "Okay, got it.  Do you think Tom will get both   
   items?"   
      
   "He's seen the camcorder.  It's behind the boxes   
   with the summer clothes in the basement."   
      
   "That's no fun."  But Mulder said this with a   
   smile.  That was one thing he had never managed   
   to do as a child.  He'd tried, but Samantha had   
   been the better detective.  She'd found her   
   Barbie doll two weeks before Christmas and had   
   hardly been able to keep her hands off of it   
   until then.  He wonders if Will has been   
   investigating.    
      
   "Will, I hope there are going to be surprises   
   under the tree for you on Christmas morning."   
      
   Will is suddenly very intent on returning to his   
   untangling, and an enigmatic smile that makes   
   Mulder want to hug the boy forever is the only   
   response he receives.   
      
   It's time to return to work.  Lights!   
      
   "Will, I think there's a special place somewhere   
   in the universe for people who put lights on   
   trees and willingly come back to do it another   
   year."   
      
   "It'll make Mom happy to come home and see the   
   lights all on."   
      
   "That's the saving grace of the project."   
      
   "We need magic, like in Mary Poppins."  Will   
   snapped his fingers.  Kaylene loves Mary   
   Poppins.  It's on a regular loop in the DVD   
   player.   
      
   "Wouldn't that be nice?"   
      
   "You know what?  We forgot the water."   
      
   Mulder frowns.  This happens every year.  It   
   seems that the struggle to get a tree into its   
   stand obliterates the obvious fact that after   
   this is accomplished that the stand should be   
   filled with water.  He lets go of the first   
   string of lights that he has started to put on   
   the tree.   
      
   "Let's go fill a bucket."     
      
   They head outdoors to the backyard and grab one   
   of Scully's gardening buckets.  It hasn't snowed   
   today, but it is in the forecast, and it's near   
   freezing outside.   
      
   "I think Frosty and his friends will be back by   
   tomorrow, Will."   
      
   "Mom wants it to snow on Christmas for Matthew.    
   She says he's never seen a white Christmas."   
      
   "I think it'll happen.  Here we go.  Just hold   
   it like that under the spout."   
      
   They fill the bucket about three-quarters of the   
   way and return indoors.  When they enter the   
   living room, their mouths both drop open.    
   Standing where they left all eight feet of it,   
   is their Christmas tree.  It is covered, top to   
   bottom, in lights.  Fully and completely, the   
   lights are on the tree.   
      
   "Will?"    
      
   "Dad?"   
      
   "What--?"   
      
   "How--?"   
      
   "Maybe we should go back out and come in again."   
      
   "Okay."   
      
   They do this.  They return.  It is all still   
   there.  Father and son sit down next to the   
   empty box on the couch.  They just stare for a   
   few minutes.  What else is there to do?   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)