Part 14


Disclaimer and archiving info in Prologue


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The Thirteen Days Of Christmas-
January 6: Feast of the Three Kings


     The day of the wedding dawned, although the sky 
was that grey wintry color that hardly screamed 
festive.  Mulder was the first one to wake up in the 
big four poster canopy bed, and for a minute he was a 
little disconcerted as to where he was.  Then it hit 
him: he was at his grandmother's house in one of her 
guest rooms about to get married to the woman he had 
fallen head over heels in love with, Scully.

     He stretched out in the bed and caught sight of 
Scully still sleeping next to him with Rhiannon in her 
arms.  They made such a perfect picture together, he 
thought.  It was times like this that reminded that 
that he was a lucky man.  A few years back he thought 
he was doomed to spend his life alone, fighting a 
losing battle with the men who were vying for control 
of earth.  He'd thought that he shouldn't have Scully, 
no matter how much he was in love with her, because 
there was someone out there who was a lot better for 
her than him.  Someone who wouldn't endanger her life 
with every turn.

     It took Scully very nearly pounding it into his 
head to convince him that she didn't want safe, that 
the one that she wanted was him, and no one else.  
He was the one she was in love with, the one she 
needed.  From there on things took a path neither 
one of them could have predicted.  A daughter, when 
both of them never thought they would have one, and 
now a wedding, a near impossibility up until a few 
days ago.

     Scully began to shift under the covers, a sign 
that she was waking up.  Slowly her eyes opened and 
focused in on Mulder's face.  "Morning," she said 
sleepily, her mouth forming a soft smile.

     "Hi," Mulder smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

     "Lovely way to wake up," Scully said when he 
pulled back.  Her eyes darted quickly over to the 
clock.  "Less than twelve hours," she said to him.  
"You nervous?"

     "Nervous, a little scared, excited, I think all 
of those apply," Mulder said a little shyly.

     Scully nodded.  "I know exactly how you feel," 
she said, untangling one arm from around Rhiannon 
and reaching it up to stroke his cheek.  "You know, 
it's kind of funny," Scully said.  "Two years ago on 
this date was Emily's funeral.  It's also the day we 
decided to have Rhiannon.  And now it's going to be 
our wedding day."

     Mulder grinned at her.  "It's kind of like the 
cosmic balance is being righted.  The funeral being 
balanced by one of the happiest events, a wedding."

     "It's going to be a very good day," Scully 
said.  Suddenly she broke out into quiet laughter.  
"I just noticed something.  In my Christmas book, 
the two characters end up getting married on the 
6th also.  I remember reading the book as a teenager, 
and wishing that someday I would be able to find a 
man like that, who was that in love with me that he 
would go to such outrageous lengths."

     "I would do anything for you, Scully," Mulder said.

     "I know that," she smiled at him.  "It's just 
such an appealing thought to a teenage girl.  But 
I've got you now, that's more than I could have ever 
thought of when I was younger."

     "Well, you're stuck with me now," Mulder smirked.

     Scully grinned.  "And that's just what I wanted."  
She reached for the Christmas book and began flipping 
through the pages.

     "If you're planning on reading that now you're 
probably going to have to read it again when Rhiannon 
wakes up."

     "I realize that," Scully said, and began to 
read anyway.

          'On the morning of the Three Kings's Feast,
           which was Christopher's birthday as well as
           Annaple's wedding day, Francis sent the
           twelve pipers to wake his bride.  They
           marched up Lee Street blowing bravely on 
           their pipes, waking not only the bride, but
           her father and sister and brothers as well,
           all the livestock--which squawked and hissed
           and cackled in horror--and everyone else in
           the street.  "Holy Maria!" Prudence said.
           She shot bolt upright in bed and grabbed for
           the blankets too late.  "I thought I was
           having a nightmare.  Nan, do call out to them
           to stop."

              But Annaple, already out of bed and 
           reaching for her wrapper, only said, "You'd
           better get up; we've a great deal to do.
           Listen, isn't it romantic?...."'


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     Scully waited impatiently in the front hall.  
The day had passed surprisingly quickly and now it 
was time.  Her eyes glanced at the grandfather clock 
that was set in the corner.  It read 7:30 p.m.  
Everyone else was in the formal living room making 
final preparations, but Scully was told to wait out 
there until it was time for the ceremony.  She supposed 
it was some remnant of a traditional wedding which she 
didn't really see the point to.  She smoothed her hands 
down the black dress and over-dress nervously, hoping 
that everything would be all right.

     Suddenly Joey appeared at the doorway carrying 
Rhiannon in her arms.  "It's time," she said with a 
smile on her face.  Scully took a deep breath and 
walked into the room.  Standing off to one side was 
the Coopers, and at the far end of the room in front 
of the fireplace was Vera, Father O'Doyle, and 
Mulder, dressed in a suit.  She knew the dress was 
a success judging by the appreciative look Mulder 
gave her.  When she reached them Mulder reached a 
hand out and clasped hers.

     "Are you ready?" Father O'Doyle asked.

     Mulder and Scully shared a glance and nodded 
in tandem.  At that point the ceremony blurred into 
a collection of moments.

     "We are gathered here today..."

     "Is there anyone here who objects to the union..."

     "May I have the rings, please..."

     "Repeat after me: I, Fox William Mulder, take 
thee, Dana Katherine Scully..."

     "I, Dana Katherine Scully, take thee, Fox 
William Mulder..."

     "To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, 
until death do us part..."

     "I now pronounce you husband and wife..."

     "You may kiss the bride..."

     Mulder and Scully's lips met, not for the first 
time, but in a kiss that sealed what they had just 
entered into.  When they pulled apart, they saw the 
smile in each other's eyes and they knew that 
everything was right.

     Then the world seemed to snap back into place.  
Vera went over to talk with Father O'Doyle, and the 
Coopers came over to congratulate them.  Rhiannon 
practically scrambled out of Joey's arms and into 
Scully's, who hugged her tightly.  There were hugs 
from Penny, handshakes from Ben, and excited screams 
from Amy and Joey, who had enjoyed the whole event 
immensely.

     Vera clapped her hands, getting the attention 
of the excited people.  "Okay, everyone, it's time 
for dinner!" she said.  The crowd moved into the 
formal dining room, a large room with paneled walls, 
a large elegant table, and a magnificent chandelier 
hanging from the center.

     The table was set with the best china and 
crystal, and in the center of the table the platters 
were full of elegantly prepared dishes.  But for all 
the elegance the dinner was as informal as could be.  
The high chair next to Scully's chair held Rhiannon, 
who was happily playing with her dinner.  Jokes were 
tossed around the table, nightmare tales from Penny 
about some of the things her teenage daughters had 
gotten into, which had Amy and Joey alternately 
laughing and protesting "That never happened!" and 
other stories of general happiness.

     When dinner was over Mulder slouched back in his 
chair and sighed happily.  The day had gone better 
than he could have dreamed.  He felt a strange sense 
of happiness and rightness settle around him, and he 
knew that the events of that day were right, like it 
was something his life had been leading up to ever 
since he'd met Scully.  He heard a chair move closer 
to his and then Scully's head came to rest on his 
shoulder.  Mulder leaned his head against hers and 
wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

     "Don't go to sleep yet," Penny admonished them.  
"There's still desert!"

     Mulder groaned and Scully giggled against his 
shoulder.  "I can't eat anymore after that dinner," 
he called out to Penny.

     "Too bad," she shot back.  "It's your wedding 
cake, you have to eat it."

     "Can I smear it against Scully's face?" he 
asked with an impish grin on his face.

     "Not if you value your life," Scully said, 
smirking against his shoulder.

     "Try and keep some tradition and eat the wedding 
cake," Vera said.  "And you also have to freeze a 
piece and eat it on your first anniversary."

     "Ha!" Amy said.  "In this house?  That cake'll 
be gone in a week."

     Penny came back with the cake, a simple round 
cake with white frosting, and small yellow flowers 
with silver embellishments, but no writing.  "I 
couldn't decide what to write that wouldn't get 
someone mad, so I just decided to forget it."

     "It's perfect just the way it is," Scully said.

     The cake was cut, dished out, and eaten with no 
small amount of comments about how delicious it was.  
Soon the leftovers were wrapped up and a small amount 
set aside for next year, although it was anyone's 
guess if it would make it there.  The Coopers said 
their goodnights and headed up to their apartment, 
taking Rhiannon with them because Joey had graciously 
offered to watch her for the night.  Vera also went up 
with them, saying that if they needed her she was 
going to be spending the night in their guest room.

     "You know they cleared out of here because it's 
our wedding night," Mulder said as they walked into 
their bedroom and he shut the door behind them.

     Scully turned around to face him.  "Well, that's 
a good thing then because I have every intention of 
spending this night the way a proper wedding night 
should be."  She grabbed onto his suit lapels and 
pulled him into a long kiss.  Somehow they stumbled 
back to the bed and Scully fell onto it, pulling 
Mulder on top of her.

     "Do you know how much I love you right now?" 
Mulder whispered when he managed to pull his lips 
from hers.

     "Yeah, I think I do," Scully smiled at him.  
"About as much as I love you," she said, and pulled 
him into another kiss.


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          'But Prudence was no longer listening.
           She said urgently, "The Christmas candle's
           sinking--quick, blow the others out."

              James blew out the candles that stood
           on the table and the chimney ledge and the
           windowsill.  The Kitsons stood in the
           darkened room watching the last thin slip
           of Christmas burn away.

              As they stood there, they heard the clop
           of horse's hooves and the rattle of cartwheels
           as Mary and Joseph traveled through the
           town toward the Sea Gate.  A boy was singing
           the Egypt carol, unaccompanied, thin and
           far away.  They heard one broken like as 
           it wavered into earshot, and then a single
           verse:

                "--On Egypt's trackless sand


                Star-led, the kings and shepherds
                 came,

                Worshipping, knelt beside his
                 stall;

                Now Joseph, dream-led, guides
                 the mule

                Close by the shuttered wall."

           The singing faded as the cart turned into
           Keel Alley.  Leaning close to the glass,
           Prudence heard one fading line--"Herod's
           night-armies rake the town"--and then 
           nothing more.

              It was very dark now.  The shadows
           swallowed up the big candlestick.  They
           could only see a solitary flame dancing on
           the darkness.  As they watched, the flame
           flickered and sank, until it was only a bud
           of yellow, shrinking fast; then a needle's 
           eye, then only a pinprick of light; and then
           no light at all except the glow of the wick,
           a single bright spark, fading into the 
           darkness.  Prudence, bending over it, smelled
           the last thread of smoke that floated on the
           air.

              Christmas was over.


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The End of the whole story!


I hope that everyone liked it.  I'd like to thank 
Joey and Lucy for their wonderful help, and getting 
me to put the story out faster.  You guys are 
wonderful!  And to Smurf, Tanja, and anyone else 
(I'm so sorry if I don't mention you) for just 
being there!   


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'True love, it's the
greatest thing in the
world.'

Miracle Max
The Princess Bride

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'Men will fight bravely
and be heroes, but for
a last ditch defense 
against any odds...get a
mother.'

Lightbringer
High Wizardry

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