From: leighchristine@hotmail.com   
      
   TITLE: Hearts and Stars   
   AUTHOR: Christine Leigh   
   E-MAIL: leighchristine@hotmail.com   
   RATING: G   
   CATEGORY: V   
   SPOILERS: None.   
      
   SUMMARY: Valentine-makers at work.  Eighth in a   
   series of stand-alone vignettes centering around   
   Mulder and Will that may also be read as a   
   stand-alone. Set two to three years, roughly, after   
   the end of the show.   
      
   DISCLAIMER: All characters are the products of   
   Chris Carter.  They also belong to Ten-Thirteen   
   Productions and the Fox Network. No copyright   
   infringement intended.   
      
      
   Hearts and Stars   
   By Christine Leigh   
      
   "Will, why don't you try red?"   
      
   Purple and orange hearts abounded on the pages that   
   had been produced so far.  They were very good   
   hearts, too, Mulder observed with pride --   
   recognizable as the real thing.  Now, if he could   
   just persuade the artist to try a more seasonal   
   color.   
      
   "Why?  Mommy likes my pictures."   
      
   "I know she does, but maybe she'd like to see a red   
   heart.  Remember how I picked out the red roses?"   
      
   "Daddy, you picked pink."   
      
   "That's right.  I picked red and pink.  Red for   
   Mommy and pink for Kaylene."   
      
   After Mulder had placed the order for the red roses   
   for Scully he had spied the most delicate little   
   pink tea roses behind the counter, and his nearly   
   two-month-old daughter would be receiving her own   
   little bouquet on this, her first Valentine's Day.   
      
   "Won't Kaylie like orange, Daddy?"   
      
   "I don't know, Will.  I'm sure she'll consider it,   
   when she's a little older.  But we don't want to   
   confuse her.  She might think it's Halloween if we   
   show her the orange now."   
      
   Will thought about it.  His dad was always coming   
   up with something like that.  Mommy said Daddy was   
   the smartest man.  She also said he was the   
   silliest . . . and something else.  That other   
   word.  Hamsome?  He was that, too, Mommy said.  All   
   Will knew was that his dad was his best buddy, and   
   that was what mattered to him.   
      
   "Okay."   
      
   "Okay, what?  Red?"   
      
   "Uh-huh."   
      
   Mulder grinned at the little head nodding up and   
   down, as Will started on a new drawing.   
      
   "That's my boy."   
      
   After a few minutes had passed, Will stopped and   
   looked at his handiwork.  He had drawn a big heart   
   in red.  Then he thought about the flowers his dad   
   had ordered, and looked inside his box of crayons   
   and took out a pink crayon that had never been   
   used.  Inside his red heart, he started to draw a   
   pink heart.  There was room for three more hearts,   
   if he was careful.  That would be five hearts.   
   That would be just right.   
      
   Mulder watched his son processing all this, and as   
   always, was awed by what he observed.  Life had   
   brought him many things in recent years that he'd   
   never expected to experience, and the love he felt   
   for the boy fast at work at the kitchen table could   
   at times put him on an emotional overload in a   
   blink.  He was close to that now.   
      
   Will finished the last heart.  He had drawn a pink   
   one inside the first red one, and then repeated the   
   pattern and then finished with a tiny red one in   
   the very center.   
      
   "Daddy, look."   
      
   "Will, that's beautiful.  You have five hearts   
   there, I see."   
      
   "Five is right."   
      
   "Right?"   
      
   "Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Will, Kaylie."   
      
   "Of course."   
      
   "Valentines are fun.  I'm going to make more."   
      
   "Will, do you mind if I join you?"  Mulder sat   
   down.   
      
   "Can you make a heart, Daddy?"   
      
   "I don't know if I can match yours, Will, but I'd   
   like to try."  Mulder picked up the orange crayon.   
      
   "Daddy, not that one.  Halloween, 'member?"   
      
   "Will, this is a very special valentine.  I think   
   this one will be okay for that."   
      
   "Mine is special."   
      
   "I know, and it will be loved, I'm sure of that.   
   This one needs to be this color, though.  It's what   
   is called an exception."   
      
   "Eption?"   
      
   "Ex-cep-tion.  It means that it's all right to   
   break the rule, this time."   
      
   "Can I break the rule?"   
      
   "Will, this is a different kind of rule.  This   
   isn't like going to bed on time or trying to eat   
   your green beans.  Rules should be followed, most   
   of the time.  You've been very good at that."   
      
   "Green beans are okay."   
      
   "Yes, I agree.  We'll both keep on trying there.   
   Deal?"   
      
   "Deal."  Will's focus returned to the matter at   
   hand.  "Daddy, you aren't drawing."   
      
   "That's because someone has been bending my ear."   
      
   Will stared at his dad, or to be more precise,   
   at his dad's ears.   
      
   Mulder seized the moment.  "All right.  Now, I'm   
   going to draw."   
      
   Quiet descended on the scene in the kitchen as   
   Mulder worked on his valentine and Will reverted to   
   his standby, filling another sheet of paper with   
   stars.  Several minutes passed before Mulder laid   
   down his crayon.   
      
   "Did you draw a heart, Daddy?"   
      
   "Yes.  Would you like to see it?"   
      
   Mulder felt shy almost, as he slid his drawing over   
   to Will.  This was one of those moments where he   
   really didn't have any idea how his son would   
   react.  It was a funny, odd, and, yet happy,   
   feeling.   
      
   "Daddy, you made two hearts."  Will laughed and   
   then looked at Mulder, "Daddy, your hearts have   
   faces."   
      
   "That they do.  Do you know who they are supposed   
   to be?"   
      
   The page contained a large heart and a smaller one,   
   side by side.  The large one had a big nose, and   
   the little one had big eyes.  They both had big   
   smiles.   
      
   Will didn't answer.  He just kept looking at the   
   hearts.   
      
   "Will, who has the biggest pair of eyes, after   
   Mommy, in this house?"   
      
   Will knew the answer to that one.   
      
   "Me."   
      
   "And who has the biggest nose?"   
      
   "You, Daddy."   
      
   "Okay, then."   
      
   "It's us, Daddy.  You made us into hearts."   
      
   "Smiling hearts."   
      
   "'Cause we like to laugh."   
      
   "I think we have good times, Will.  I never laughed   
   as much before as I laugh with you."   
      
   "We have fun."   
      
   "The best fun.  This is my valentine to my boy who   
   brings me laughter and love, and whom I love   
   dearly."   
      
   Will got up and Mulder met the hug that was coming   
   with full force, and thrilled to the little arms   
   that went around his neck.   
      
   "Thank you, Daddy."   
      
   They held their embrace a few more seconds and then   
   Will scrambled down.   
      
   "Daddy, when will Mommy and Kaylie be back?   
      
   "In about an hour or so.  The roses should be here   
   soon, too."   
      
   "Daddy, can I put stars with my hearts?"   
      
   Mulder smiled at the question and was surprised   
   that it hadn't been asked sooner.  Will loved his   
   stars.   
      
   "Will, I think that if you draw the stars around   
   the hearts, that it would be a very special   
   valentine."   
      
   "Okay.  I'll make them red and pink."   
      
   "Good choices."   
      
   Soon, the hearts were encircled.  Will held the   
   valentine up for his dad to see.   
      
   "That's wonderful, Will.  Mommy and Kaylene will   
   love it.  And you can tell Grandma about it when we   
   call her."   
      
   "Can I make the call?"   
      
   "Yes.  I think Grandma likes it best when you do.   
   In the meantime, we need to clean things up here."   
   Mulder smiled again at Will's valentine.   
      
   "Daddy?"   
      
   "Yes?"   
      
   "I like your ears."   
      
      
   - end  -   
      
      
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