Part Nine


Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue


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The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-January 1: New Year's Day


     Luckily Y2K hadn't hit them too hard.  The power 
had faltered a little, but the rest of the time it 
worked.  The broadcast and cable channels were still 
active, meaning the satellites hadn't fallen out of 
the sky due to mechanical failure.  And their computers 
were still working due to some well placed tinkering by 
the Gunmen.

     That afternoon found Mulder and Scully in front 
of Nora's door (at her request) waiting for her little 
mock up of a New Year's Day dinner party.  It wasn't 
really a true dinner party, it would only be themselves 
along with Nora and her husband Rick, and their three 
kids.  Rhiannon hated their kids, they were a wild bunch 
who were always running around her and pulling at her 
hair and scaring her.  She grabbed tightly onto Mulder's 
leg when Rick opened the door.  "Hi," he said.  
"C'mon in."  Mulder pried Rhiannon off his leg and 
picked her up, holding her in his good arm (the other 
one was out of the sling, but still sore).  She buried 
her head in his neck as they walked into the apartment.

     Rick led them over to the living room, where Nora 
was setting a nicely prepared plate of hors d'ouvres 
out next to the snacks Rick had set up in preparation 
for the long stream of football games he had every 
intention of watching.  Their oldest son Alan was 
camped out on the floor next to the table, his eyes 
fixated on the television.  "Sit down," Nora said.  
Mulder looked warily over at Scully, who shot him a 
look saying: 'Behave.  Be good, don't make too many 
weird comments, and we'll get out soon'.  They sat 
down on the couch, Rhiannon still holding on to Mulder.

     Nora sat down on the loveseat.  "So what happened?  
Yesterday his arm was in a sling and you looked like 
you'd been through the wringer."

     Scully glanced at Mulder, her look saying this 
time 'what story do you want to tell them that won't 
scare them away?'  Mulder decided to handle it.  "I, 
um, I was accidentally pushed into a loose piece of 
chain link fence," he said, picking something safe 
and leaving out the details.

     Rick snorted.  "What's the matter, Mulder?  
You can't take a little scratch like a man?"

     Mulder looked at Scully.  This was one of the 
reasons he's voiced earlier to her why he didn't want 
to come.  Rick was a chauvinistic creep, plain and 
simple.  He bit back his response and looked up at the 
ceiling.  It was going to be a long day.


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     They got the chance to leave a little earlier 
than they had planned when Nora's kids began chasing 
Rhiannon around the apartment and she tripped, getting 
a mild rug burn on her face and scraping up her knees.  
Scully scooped up Rhiannon and Nora gracefully excused 
them, going off to scold her own kids.  "I'm glad to 
be out of there," Mulder sighed when they got into 
their own apartment.

     "I know it wasn't fun, but Nora did invite us 
and I couldn't say we had work on New Year's Day," 
Scully said, looking back at him as she carried 
Rhiannon into the bathroom to clean her up.

     "You know, I realized something today," Mulder 
said, following them into the bathroom.  "How Rick and 
Nora are is considered normal.  And now I know why I'm 
glad I'm not normal.  They are seriously scary!"

     Scully arched an eyebrow at him as she set Rhiannon 
down on the counter.  "Mulder, people think you're 
scary.  People think that Nora and Rick are Mr. and 
Mrs. All American Family."  She bent down to reach 
under the counter for the first aid kit that was 
always kept down there for Mulder's ever present 
injuries and pulled out some Band-Aids and disinfectant.

     Mulder grinned.  "Oh, believe me, I know people 
think that I'm weird.  But if that's the alternative, 
give me weird." 

     Scully sighed and shook her head, grinning.  
Mulder was weird, crazy, spooky, all of those words 
applied to him, but that just made her love him all 
the more.  She tilted Rhiannon's face up to the light 
to get a better look at the rug burns.  They were 
pretty mild, a little bit of ointment should clear 
them right up.  She grabbed the tube of Neosporin, 
squeezed a small amount out on to her finger, and 
gently spread it over Rhiannon's face.  Rhiannon 
tried to squirm away as she did this, but Mulder 
carefully held her still.

     Next she bent down and took a look at her knees.  
They were scratched up and slightly bleeding.  "Mulder, 
hand me a wet washcloth please?" she asked, and soon 
one was in her hand.  She gently sponged off the traces 
of blood, put more Neosporin on and covered the scrapes 
with Band-Aids.  She leaned over and kissed right over 
the Band-Aids.  "There, all better," she smiled up at 
her.  Scully reached up and brushed away the stray tears 
that were straggling down Rhiannon's face.

     Then she turned to Mulder.  "While we're in here I 
should take a look at your cut too."  Mulder winced and 
looked to the door as a means of escape.  Scully grabbed 
his chin and pulled his face back to her.  "Off with it, 
Mulder," she said.

     He grinned at her.  "If only you were saying that 
to me in a different situation," he smirked as he took 
off his sweater and offered his right arm to her.  
Scully unwrapped the bandage from around his arm and 
carefully pulled it away from the stitches.  After a 
few minutes of careful examination she re-wrapped it.

     "It looks fine," she said, putting a fresh bandage 
from the first aid kit on.

     "Aren't you going to kiss it better?" Mulder 
pouted at her.

     Scully looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.  
"Later," she grinned.  "I keep thinking there's 
something we have to do first."  She set Rhiannon 
down on the floor and they walked out of the bathroom.  
In the middle of the hallway though Scully stopped.

     "What is it?" Mulder asked.

     "I just remembered what we have to do," Scully 
said.  "Pack.  And if we don't do it tonight we're 
just going to be rushing in the morning."  She turned 
on her heel and walked into their bedroom.  "Mulder, 
get Rhiannon's things packed, please?" she called out.

     "Okay," Mulder said, taking the change of events 
in stride.  He went to the hall closet and pulled out 
a small duffel bag.  Then he went into Rhiannon's room, 
with her following.  He dropped the duffel bag on the 
changing table and bent down to her level.  "So what 
do you want to bring to your great-grandma's house?"  
Rhiannon walked over to the crib and reached between 
the bars, pulling out the grey seal they'd given her 
for Christmas.  She walked back over to Mulder and 
handed it to him.  "Silky," she said.

     "Yes, ma'am," Mulder said, putting it in the 
bottom of the bag.  "What next?" he muttered to 
himself.  'Okay, Mulder, start with the basics,' he 
thought.  "Hey, Scully!" he called out.  "How many 
diapers do you want to bring?"

     "Just toss a pack in," she yelled.  "If we need 
more we'll pick them up there."

     Mulder put one pack of diapers in and then went 
over to the drawers.  He pulled open the first draw, 
stared at for a minute and then removed enough socks 
to last the trip.  Making his way down the drawers he 
pulled out various tops, shirts, sweaters, dresses, 
everything a little girl could need for a vacation.  
He had to admit that they spoiled her a bit, but she 
was their little angel, they had a right to it.

     Scully came in soon to see how the packing was 
going.  The clothes were a little messy in the bag 
because Rhiannon had helped put them in there, but 
otherwise Mulder had done a good job.  She wandered 
back into her room to look at her own packing.  
She'd covered her own basics, pants, shirts, a nice 
outfit just in case, underthings, pajamas.  Now it 
was time for Mulder's things.  She knew he'd be 
grateful that she saved him the trouble, but as she'd 
learned from experience if she dressed him 'too damned 
preppy' (his words) he'd put up a stink.

     She decided to keep it simple.  Jeans, shirts, 
with a pair or two of nice slacks tossed in just in 
case, and any other necessary things.  There was a 
scuffling sound behind her, and she turned around to 
see Rhiannon trying to push her bag into the bedroom.  
"Awl done!" she said proudly.

     Scully went over and knelt down next to her.  
"Yeah, you did a good job," she smiled,  "Where's 
your dad?" she asked.

     "Right here," Mulder said, stepping over the 
two of them.  Scully watched him as he predictably 
went over to the suitcase to see what he'd packed.  
She heard the sigh of relief and then he came over 
to sit next to the two of them.  "You all packed 
too?" he asked her.

     "Yeah," Scully said.  "I've got enough to last 
us until the ninth."

     "I'm still shocked that Skinner gave us that 
much of a vacation," Mulder mused.

     "He's not as bad as you think he is, Mulder.  
He has helped us in the past," Scully said.

     "I know that but sometimes he seems awfully 
shifty," Mulder said, thinking of past occasions.

     "But he's gotten better ever since your last 
visit to the hospital," Scully said, referring to 
his little trip to the mental hospital.

     Mulder shrugged.  "Yeah, I guess you've got a 
point there.  Hey, what time do you want to leave 
tomorrow?" he asked, taking a total U-turn with 
the subject.

     Scully gave him an odd look but went along with 
it.  "Maybe sometime around noon, I guess.  That way 
we get to sleep in and beat the early morning rush 
on the 95."

     "It also means we're going to hit rush hour 
traffic when we get up to New York," Mulder pointed out.

     "Either way we're going to hit traffic.  I 
personally believe we deserve sleep in for once," 
Scully grinned.

     Mulder laughed.  "I've no complaints with that."


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     Later that night Scully getting ready for bed, 
brushing her teeth as Rhiannon sat on the counter 
watching her and brushing her own.  She put down her 
brush and took Rhiannon's going over the little girl's 
teeth to make sure she did a good job.  When they were 
both finished she took her back into the bedroom.

     Scully was having one of those nights where she 
wanted to keep her little girl right by her side, and 
she would sleep with them.  Mulder didn't mind at all, 
it was fun, a reassurement that they were a family 
now.  They would all snuggle up together, Scully 
holding Rhiannon who would be lying half on Mulder's 
chest who had his arms around both of them.  It was 
one of the best things they'd both experienced.

     In the doorway to the bedroom Rhiannon stopped 
Scully by practically yelling "No, no, no!"

     "What is it?" Scully asked, a worried look on 
her face as she stroked her hair.

     "'Tory," Rhiannon said determinedly.  Scully 
laughed.  This was one tradition Rhiannon was picking 
up on quickly.  She knew it was a good thing that her 
daughter grew up liking to read, it was a lot better 
than some people she could mention.  Her older brother 
was one of them.  He hated reading, as a matter of 
fact, the only thing he ever really read growing up 
was either a Sports Illustrated or a Spider Man comic 
book.

     "It's still in here," Scully said, carrying her 
over to the bed.  Mulder pushed back the covers for 
the two of them and she slid in, handing the little 
girl off to Mulder.  Rhiannon giggled and snuggled 
up against Mulder, who wrapped his arms around her.  
Scully looked over at Mulder and smiled.  "At your 
daughter's request," she grinned as she grabbed the 
book off the nightstand, "we're reading another 
chapter tonight."

     "That's fine with me," Mulder said, holding 
his little girl close.


          'As soon as breakfast was over on New Year's
           morning, Prudence and James and Christopher
           gathered by the window.  Annaple was sitting
           at the table, pretending she didn't care,
           but when Christopher shouted, "Look--here
           they come!" she got up and strolled over
           to join the children.

              Seven more swans came sailing up the 
           gutter, the usual procession of workmen and
           messengers made its way through the usual
           crowd, but Prudence hardly noticed them.
           She was staring at eight dairymaids, with
           yokes across their shoulders and milking
           stools under their arms, leading eight small
           cows garlanded with ivy.

              "I will not have those cows in here!"
           Annaple said furiously.  "A swannery at the
           front door, a courtyard full of geese and 
           hens and partridges, every window blocked
           with bird cages, an orchard on the stairs--
           I can put up with these things if I must--
           if Papa won't do anything to stop this
           silliness--but I will not have this house
           turned into a cowshed....'


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End Part Nine-January 1: New Year's Day