Title: An Egg-xtravagant Easter Summary: Church of X Easter FanFic Challenge ** The gray Ford Taurus came to a rolling stop in front of the tutor-style mansion. Scully studied the opulent façade for a moment and then blandly made the comment "Nice house." Mulder laughed briefly as he exited the car. "Don't impress easily, do you?" he said. Scully merely gave him a wry smile and joined him in his walk to the entrance. The agents found themselves confronted by a massive bronze door, which stood as a silent sentry, stoic in its determination that no one gain admittance to the house without proper authority. Centered on the door was a lavish brass doorknocker, which was in the shape of a sunburst. The sunburst sported a preposterous face of bulging eyes and a demented grin. A ring was mounted through the noseof the face in a grotesque mimicry of pierced jewelry. Employing the ring, Mulder wondered whether he could create enough noise to attract the attention of any member of the household who might presently be in the mammoth house. However, he knew the point was moot since the gatekeeper who had granted them entrance through the gates to the driveway would by now have alerted the occupants of the house to their presence. A moment later, the door was opened by a towering man whose facial expression contained a measure of both annoyance and contempt. The agents presented their badges as Mulder introduced himself and his partner. "Federal Bureau of Investigation. Agents Mulder and Scully. Would Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle be available?" This announcement was met with stony silence and an intensified expression of contempt. Then, in a voice that suggested he found it abhorrent to do so, the tall man conceded, "They are expecting you. Please follow me to the sunroom." The agents followed the man, whom it seemed apparent was the butler, through the entranceway, down a narrow hallway and into a room whose outside wall was comprised entirely of a series of sliding glass doors.A heavy drapery, to afford the room privacy when desired, framed the glass doors allowing a view of the patio beyond. "The Hardcastles will join you in a moment," intoned the butler, grudgingly. "Please make yourselves comfortable." This was said in a voice that belied the sentiment. "So, when did the Addams family fire Lurch?" asked Mulder. "Or is that guy just one more pretentious effort by the bourgeois?" "Come on, Mulder," said Scully. "I know your family didn't have wealthto this extent, but you weren't exactly raised in a deprived manner." "True," conceded Mulder. "Depraved, maybe, but, no, not deprived. But it's not the wealth that annoys me. It's the expectation of privilege that does. This is a simple theft case and hardly warrants the attention of two FBI agents." "I know," agreed Scully. "But its naive to think that money doesn'thave influence. The Hardcastles are close friends of the governor's brother and that rates them our attention." The discussion was cut short by the approach of the couple in question.The Hardcastles were a handsome couple in their early sixties and they greeted the agents warmly. "We are so glad you came so promptly," said Mrs. Hardcastle. "We so want to resolve this unfortunate situation as soon as possible." "Quite," agreed Mr. Hardcastle. "Damned unpleasant rot, all this, I say." "I assume your superiors have given you the details of the object in question," said Mrs. Hardcastle. "I hope they did it justice in describing it," said Mr. Hardcastle "A Faberge Easter egg is no mere babble. Paid a pretty penny for it, I might say. I wouldn't be so gauche as to state the amount, but it represents a sizable investment." "Of course, it's historic importance and sheer beauty are what make it so special to us," Mrs. Hardcastle hastily added. "The egg is a mere four inches high. It is crafted in mat opaque mauve enamel and is latticed with diamond ribbons. The 'surprise" inside is a mini-basket of platinum wholly set with rose diamond. The flowers in the basket are in white cacholong with olivine and gold centers the leaves in light green jade, the stalks in gold." "Bought it as an Easter present for Mrs. Hardcastle. A bit like theczar, what?" Mr. Hardcastle laughed at his own sense of self-importance. "Had it less than a week and Easter is just few days away. Damn bother, it is." Mr. Hardcastle shook his head as he considered once again the inconvenience to which he was being subjected. Before Mulder or Scully could interject a question or comment, Mrs. Hardcastle continued the one-sided conversation. "We have arranged a dinner party for tonight and all the people who were at the party the night the egg disappeared will be there." Lowering her voice slightly, Mrs. Hardcastle added, "And the same servants will also be present. This will give you a chance to meet all the suspects discretely." "Excuse me?" Scully interjected. "That is not exactly the way in which we conduct an investigation...." "Oh, but it will be so practical and discreet," insisted Mrs.Hardcastle. "We can't have you going about, knocking on people' doors, asking them if they stole our Faberge Easter egg, can we?" Mulder opened his mouth to say that that was exactly what they could Do when Mrs. Hardcastle announced that all was arranged. "Dinner will be served promptly at seven this evening. That will give you plenty of time to return to your hotel, rest from your trip and then dress for dinner. Max will see you to the door." Having thus said, the Hardcastles smiled graciously at the agents, turned and were gone. "Follow me, please." Now standing in the place that the Hardcastles had occupied a moment ago, the butler proposed to guide the agents back to the house entrance. The expression on his face suggested that he resented having to do so but that he would perform the task since it meant the departure of the agents. Having exited the house, the agents walked to the car and Mulder rounded the front of the Ford on his way to the driver's side. "I think it's safe to say that we have effectively lost all control of the situation," he said as he looked across the roof of the car at Scully. Scully was not looking at him but rather past him to a point across The yard. Mulder turned to see what she was looking at and saw a small figure seated at the edge of a bed of tulips. Mulder turned back to Scully and was struck by the wistful look on her face. She glanced briefly at Mulder and gave him a small smile. She then walked around the car and started toward the small figure. Mulder joined Scully in her trek across the yard. Reaching the small figure, Scully stopped and said, "Good afternoon." The small figure turned toward Scully to reveal the cherub face of a girl who appeared to be about five years old. Her face had a small smudge of chocolate on it and in her chubby hand she clutched a chocolate egg from which she was licking the cream center. "Shh," she said. "You'll scare away the Easter Bunny." Scully then noticed the butterfly net that lay across the small girl's lap. "I'm sorry," whispered Scully. "I'll be more careful. What's your name?" "Sarah," she answered. "Do you live here?" asked Scully. "Yes," was the answer. "Are the Hardcastles your parents?" asked Scully. "No, their my grandparents," replied the little girl. "Where are your parents?" asked Scully. The little girl's face scrunched up tightly as if in intense concentration. She looked off into the distance, appearing to search for the answer to this question among the pine trees that lined the driveway. "They don't live here," she finally answered. Scully opened her mouth as if to ask another question, but then obviously thought better of it. "Good luck hunting the Easter Bunny," she whispered. "Thanks," replied Sarah and she pulled from her pocket a slightly mangled, foil-wrapped item. Scully watched as Sarah unwrapped the item to reveal yet another chocolate egg from which cream filling oozed through the cracked chocolate shell. Scully abruptly turned and walked back in the direction of the car. Mulder looked after her with a look that spoke of words of comfort. The look was replaced with another expression, an expression that spoke of the acknowledgement of the inadequency of any words that he might say. Scully stopped and turned to look at Mulder. "Are you coming?" she called. Holding a finger up to his lips, Mulder said in a sotto voice, "Be vwerry, vwerry quiet. We're hunting wabbits." The agents did as they had been instructed by the Hardcastles and returned to the house at 6:30 p.m. A look of determination was on each of their faces. They had not discussed it but the agents had, independently, come to the same decision that the Hardcastles wouldno longer run the investigation and that they, Mulder and Scully, would, from this point on, be in charge. With an expression that suggested the task was becoming tedious, Max once again escorted the agents to the sunroom. The Hardcastles were in the sunroom waiting for the agents and began to speak before the agents had a chance to greet them. "We have just enough time to brief you on who will be attending tonight's dinner." Mrs. Hardcastle was apparently taking her self-proclaimed role as agent-in-charge seriously. "Mrs. Hardcastle..." Mulder began. "Wouldn't want anyone to over hear us," said Mr. Hardcastle in total disregard that Mulder had spoken. "Dammed embarrassing, that would be." "Charles Smith is a business associate; he and his wife Doris will be attending. I would hate to think that they might have done the deed, but you never know," said Mrs. Hardcastle. "Mrs....." Scully began. "Going to put quite a crimp in our business dealings if it does turn out to be them," remarked Mr. Hardcastle. "The next couple, the Wilsons, Mary and Albert, are acquaintances from the Flower Club. I met Mary at one of the meetings and we have socialized with them for a couple of years," continued Mrs. Hardcastle as if no one else had spoken. "Mrs. Hardcastle," said Mulder in a loud, firm voice. "We need to get..." "Mr. Mulder," said Mrs. Hardcastle in a startled voice. "We only have a few moments before the guests arrive and I still need to tell you about the Crisps and the Mays besides the cook, the maid and the two temporary servants, Tom and Alice and, of course, Max, you've meet although I can not imagine he would do such a thing, but there's the door and we must greet our guests." Mrs. Hardcastle held up and slightly waved her hand in a gesture that appeared to be both a dismissal and a command to stay. The Hardcastlesrushed away to greet the new arrivals, leaving the agents staring after them, dumb-founded. "Well," said Mulder, offering his arm to Scully, "May I escort you to the murder mystery dinner theater?" "Nobody's been murdered," pointed out Scully. "The evening's young," was the reply. The Hardcastle dining room would have been ideal as a movie set for a medieval tale. The cathedral ceiling was crossed with heavy oak beams. Tapestries depicting bygone days adored the walls. The huge table almost seemed dwarfed in the vast room. Scully had tired of the banal chatter of the other members of the group,each of whom seemed intent on impressing the others with the extent oftheir importance. She was surprised that Mulder had refrained from offering any sarcastic comments. Having seduced a palate that had spent too many years dining on food served in a bag with a surprise inside, the delectable food had commanded Mulder's attention from the first course, which consisted of a stuffed clam appetizer. The oxtail soup distracted him from hearing the preposterous story the Hardcastleshad told in order to explain Mulder's and Scully's presence. Mulder'sapparent compliance with this story made it impossible for Scully to object to the tale that she and Mulder were out-of-town relatives. The Cape Cod apple pudding served at the end of the meal further distracted Mulder from the continuing inane chatter. When he had finished with dessert, Mulder excused himself to go in search of a bathroom. A few minutes later, on his way back to the dinning room, Mulder meet the miniature rabbit hunter in the hallway. "So, having any success bagging the Easter Bunny?" asked Mulder. "No," replied the little girl. "You need some bait," said Mulder. "Why don't you put some carrots among the flowers?" "I tried that last year and it didn't work," said Sarah. "I got something better this year." "What did you get?" asked Mulder. As Mulder asked the question, the features of Sarah's face slowly froze, her eyes wide. Mulder smiled uncertainly at the little girl, unsure what to make of her unusual response. "Um," was the only sound the little girl made, her face still frozen and eyes still wide. Mulder looked at the little girl a moment and then slowly knelt down In front of her. Touching her shoulder lightly with his hand, he said softly, "What did you get, Sarah?" A trembling, little lip protruded and two big teardrops formed in the hazel eyes. She gave a sudden sniffle and the teardrops cascaded down her cheeks. "You took your grandparent's egg, didn't you?" asked Mulder. "Are you going to tell on me?" The soft, plaintive voice and the appearance of yet two more teardrops combined to create an effect that would have melted the coldest of hearts. On a heart whose capacity for compassion knew no bounds, the effect was superfluous. "How about if you take me to where it is," suggested Mulder. The little girl obediently led Mulder out of the house and to the tulip bed. Extending her arm and pointing a finger, she indicated a place near the center of the bed. Mulder carefully stepped into the bed, walking slowly until he spied the egg, nestled down among the flowers. Retrieving the egg and carefully slipping it into his pocket, he returned to stand beside Sarah. "Sarah, as an FBI agent, I am empowered with a certain amount of discretion in the execution of my duties. I think, considering your degree of cooperation of the recovery of your grandparents property, we can dispense with the legal ramifications involved." Mulder smiledreassuringly at the small child. Responding to his reassuring smile, Sarah noticeably relaxed. On her face was the expression of one who believes they understand what has just transpired, but isn't sure. "Huh?" she said. Mulder gave a short laugh. "I'm not going to tell on you, Sarah. I promise." The expression on the little face sealed Mulder's resolve 'not to tell.' Taking the child's hand, Mulder lead her back to the house. Returning to the dining room and with no more food to distract him, Mulder further amazed Scully with his congeniality. He seemed almost jovial and appeared to actually enjoy the evening. As the agents left for the evening, Mulder assured the Hardcastles that the evening had been delightful and he was sure that their mutual concern would be resolved amicably. Mulder's mood on the way to the hotel remained as jovial as it had been at the dinner and he merely smiled and hummed lightly to himself when Scully questioned his high spirits. The next morning, the agents drove back to the Hardcastle house. Smiling broadly at Max, whose own disposition remained doleful, Mulder requested an audience with the Hardcastles. Meeting once again in the sunroom, Mulder produced the egg. "How wonderful," exclaimed Mrs. Hardcastle. "Who gave it to you? Whendid you get it? How did they get it to you? Were they suitably contrite?" Mrs. Hardcastle was trembling as she took the egg from Mulder. "I'm sorry, but a condition of the egg's return involves complete anonymity of the perpetrator," explained Mulder. "Just as well," declared Mr. Hardcastle. "We can all just put this unpleasant experience behind us now and go on with our lives as if nothing had happened. Never did like to deal with unpleasantness." Scully had stood speechless throughout the whole exchange. Mulder had not informed her that they were returning to the Hardcastle house in order to return their egg. Controlling herself until they were once more seated in their car, she then proceeded to verbally lambaste Mulder. "Why didn't you tell me you had recovered the egg? Who gave it to you? When did you get it? Did you go out last night without telling me? How did they contact...." "Sorry, Scully," said Mulder "Conditions of its return. Total anonymity." "But I'm your partner," Scully exploded. Mulder raised his hands in a gesture of helplessness. He then reached to turn the ignition key but stopped as a small movement in the rear view mirror caught his attention. "Wait a minute," he said. Mulder got out and walked to the rear of the car. Sarah stood there, her hands deep in her pockets. Extracting her right hand from its pocket, she extended it toward Mulder and uncurled the tightly held fist. In her palm lay a lopsided lump of colored foil, smudges of chocolate further adorning it. "Here," she said. "You don't have to bribe me," said Mulder. "I already gave you my word that I wouldn't tell." The tiny face scrunched up in an expression of dismay. "It isn't a bribe," she said. "It's a 'thank you.'" Once more kneeling before the child, Mulder gently took the proffered token. "Your welcome, Sarah," said Mulder. "Now you need to get back into the house." Having watched the child return safely to the house, Mulder turned and re-entered the car. "What was that all about?" asked Scully. Mulder smiled at Scully for a moment and then extended his hand to her,uncurling his fingers in the same manner in which Sarah had to him. Continuing to smile at her, Mulder said, "Happy Easter, Scully. The End The End
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