From: leighchristine@hotmail.com   
      
   TITLE: Merry, Bright, and All Things Good   
   AUTHOR: Christine Leigh   
   E-MAIL: leighchristine@hotmail.com   
   RATING: PG   
   CATEGORY: V   
   SPOILERS: "all things"   
      
   SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully decorate their first   
   Christmas tree.  Canon through "all things" and then   
   AU.  Written for The Haven's Ornament This   
   Challenge.   
      
   DISCLAIMER: All characters are the products of Chris   
   Carter. They also belong to Ten-Thirteen Productions   
   and the Fox Network. No copyright infringement   
   intended.   
      
      
   Merry, Bright, and All Things Good   
   By Christine Leigh   
      
   Scully's apartment   
   December 2000   
      
   "Mulder, can you hand me the small teapot, please? I   
   think there's a spot here for it."   
      
   Mulder looked at the array of ornaments spread over   
   most of the coffee table and wondered where it was.   
   There were a *lot* of ornaments.   
      
   "It's right next to the edge on your left."   
   Scully's voice was serious, but also carried a   
   smile.  This was the first Christmas tree she would   
   share with Mulder in full, and watching him watch   
   her decorating it had brought her great joy.  She   
   was standing on a ladder to do the top of the six   
   feet-plus-a-few-inches tall tree, and having an   
   assistant was a nice change from getting up and down   
   the ladder repeatedly as she'd done all the years   
   she had been by herself.  She watched him pick up   
   the white teapot with the red flowers.  He was being   
   so careful, she had noticed, in handling everything.   
   He had a very gentle touch, which shouldn't have   
   surprised her, but somehow did.   
      
   "Thanks."  She hung it on a branch under the angel   
   that rested on top.  There was probably about an   
   hour of work left to finish the job.  Her assistant   
   looked like he could use a break, though, so she got   
   down.   
      
   "No more at the top, Scully?"   
      
   "Not this minute.  Mulder, you know you're welcome   
   to hang a few, if you would like."   
      
   When she'd invited him to come over while she   
   decorated, she hadn't wanted it to sound like she   
   was asking for help -- knowing full well that not   
   everyone enjoyed the work involved in putting up a   
   tree.  However, he'd been quite happy upon receiving   
   the invitation, and had been very good at helping   
   her keep the strings of lights straight, and handing   
   her ornaments and pulling hooks from the tangled   
   ball of metal.  All in all, she'd been pleasantly   
   surprised.  Their first Christmas together since   
   becoming lovers would be special without decorations   
   or trees, so having this experience with him was   
   like the proverbial icing on the cake.   
      
   "Are we taking a break?"  Mulder asked.   
      
   "Yes.  I think I'm ready for one.  Thirsty?"   
      
   "Let me guess.  Eggnog?"   
      
   "Well, I do have some if you'd like it, but I'm   
   actually more thirsty, thirsty.  Water, tea, beer?"   
      
   "Shouldn't we save the beer and popcorn for later   
   when we're through?"   
      
   "Okay, tea then."   
      
   "Sounds good to me."   
      
   Scully went to the kitchen while Mulder stood gazing   
   at the tree.  He'd seen a couple of her Christmas   
   trees over the years, but hadn't really thought   
   about them in any kind of context.  He knew, of   
   course, how important the holiday was to her.  That   
   they were here now, and together was a near-miracle   
   when considered against the Christmas of Emily two   
   years ago.  Christmas eve last year had been good,   
   but still wanting.  After opening their gifts, she'd   
   had to go.  It had been another 'almost' on their   
   long and convoluted path.   
      
   Scully returned with two bottles of tea.  She handed   
   one to Mulder and they sat on the couch.   
      
   "Mulder, I really appreciate your helping.  It's   
   wonderful having you to share this with."   
      
   He smiled and planted a light kiss on her lips.   
      
   "I'm passing my first Christmas tree test?"   
      
   "A+."   
      
   "I owe it all to my teacher.  She's the best, not to   
   mention the sexiest and most beautiful."   
      
   "Well, she does appreciate her student body, that   
   much I will acknowledge."   
      
   Mulder leaned in and kissed her again, this time not   
   so lightly.  They had no place to set their bottles,   
   however, so it didn't go any further.  As they broke   
   the kiss, he envisioned the evening, and then the   
   even later evening ahead.  Suddenly, it was   
   beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.  He put an   
   arm around Scully and they sat there for a minute or   
   two in silence.   
      
   "Scully, you have a lot of ornaments."   
      
   "That's true.  I do.  I bought a few of them as far   
   back as when I was in high school.  And when Mom   
   cleaned out her collection a few years ago, I took   
   most of the childhood ones.  I always looked forward   
   to the day I'd have a tree of my own."   
      
   "Did you all have your own special ornaments growing   
   up?"   
      
   "Of course.  There were two kinds -- the ones we   
   had as babies that Mom and Dad bought for us and the   
   ones we made in school that no matter how ugly,   
   seemed to show up every year.  That's what those two   
   papier-mache balls are.  Melissa's was the blue one   
   and mine the green.  I re-glittered them about ten   
   years ago, and that's all but gone, but I still hang   
   them."   
      
   Mulder pressed her shoulder gently.  It must have   
   been quite a scene at the Scully house during those   
   years.  A happy, loving scene, he imagined.   
      
   "What about you, Mulder?"  The question had just   
   come naturally.  And then she wondered if she should   
   have asked.   
      
   "I remember one year, third grade I think it was,   
   that we cut snowflakes out of different colors of   
   paper and hung those on the tree we had in our   
   classroom.  When we left for Christmas vacation I   
   took mine home and gave it to my mother.  It was   
   quite flimsy, but she hung it on the tree until it   
   crumbled a few years later.  Also, Samantha and I   
   had matching Santa ornaments.  They weren't   
   traditional looking Santas, but their faces had   
   small beards attached, so I guess that's whom they   
   were supposed to be.  They were about three inches   
   high and were simple in design -- just a head and   
   body, and arms and legs.  I don't remember if they   
   were wood or plastic, but he was in a sitting   
   position with his legs and arms sticking out.  They   
   were kind of sparkly.  Sam's was a pinkish color and   
   mine was red.  It was a big deal making sure they   
   were hung where we could see easily see them --   
   usually on opposite sides of the tree, as I recall."   
      
   Mulder hadn't thought about these things in a long   
   time, and hadn't thought he would ever want to   
   again.  Things had changed, though, and he was   
   enjoying telling Scully about it.  Suddenly, he   
   didn't mind remembering that it had been a happy   
   childhood at points.  He still hadn't gone through   
   all of his mother's belongings and wondered if the   
   Santa ornaments were among them.  That was something   
   to think about for next year, and he tucked it away.   
      
   "Did you want them on opposite sides?"   
      
   "I think it was an artistic decision -- it just   
   looked better that way.  But we'd sit there on each   
   side of the tree making up stories about our   
   respective Santas -- nothing too complicated --   
   "my Santa is going to wake up first on Christmas   
   morning" or "Joseph likes my Santa best."   
      
   "Joseph likes my Santa best?"  Now Scully was   
   intrigued.   
      
   "Don't ask me why Scully, but Samantha loved the   
   Joseph figurine in the Nativity that was under the   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)