3D paper pumpkin

Title: Erin 07. Gossip Rides Again
Author: RaEnright
Erin Series
Written: November 1995

Well, after a few rewrites and editings and one MAJOR overhaul right after PaperClip, it's here. I hope.

This is a sequel to Matchmakers/Gossip, but I made this much more serious. Lots of nifty relationship stuff, lots of Erin and most importantly, lots of romance. Sorry, but Monty likes to play with my head and this time he implanted the suggestion that I do this. Take complaints to him. It isn't finished yet either, but it now stands at 7.5 parts, may run to about nine.

Margaret, Melissa, Dana, Elise, and Bill Jr. Scully are property of Chris Carter and Company, as is Fox Mulder. Bill, Sean (the godson), and Alex Scully, as well as Erin and Michael Mulder, and Nika, belong to me, just like this story. Feel free to distribute it as long as my name goes out with it. I pulled Annapolis out of nowhere, I don't know where Bill Scully and his family live and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm still working on the story from last Thanksgiving that is referred to quite a few times in this section, but as Erin was nice enough to tell me all about it, it will soon be out(I hope!!).

Da is an Irish word for father and I don't know why Erin uses it. If Michael seems suspiciously Irish, blame that on Monty too. I'm assuming Thanksgiving is on the 24th in my fantasy world. And BTW, this comes after Masquer's Prank in my Erin chronology.


Gossip Rides Again (Dear lord, what have I done?)

Friday, Nov. 18

"I have a VERY important meeting in fifteen minutes. I need my lunch *now*!!!"

Erin Mulder gave the pompous man sitting in the booth a tight grin and clenched her teeth. "I'm very sorry, sir, but we *are* crowded and our staff is doing the best that I can. If you wanted your steak to be done by now, you should have come in earlier."

The man sputtered and glared at her. "I don't take well to insolence, young woman. Don't you know who I am?"

Erin had an idea; she was fairly sure this was the man responsible, in legal circles, for shooting down the last education funding bill. But she wasn't about to let him know it.

"I'm afraid I don't, sir, but I will make inquiries and inform you directly." She tossed her hair and walked off, leaving him to stare and fumble with his napkin.

Michael looked up as she came in, flipped a steak onto the nearby plate, and handed it to her. "I want you to take that to table three and apologize to him."

Erin sighed. "Don't miss a beat, do you, Da?"

"I don't like his type either, but they tip well if they like the food."

"Some motivation." She rushed the steak to the booth and slid it onto the table apologetically. "I'm sorry for the wait, sir, can I get you anything else?"

"Yes, you can get me some steak sauce." The man sneered. Erin reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a bottle, rolling her eyes and swearing next time Fox came for a visit she'd steal his gun. There were too many slimeballs in the world anyway.

She leaned against the wall behind the counter, out of sight, and let herself rest for a minute. It was the day before Thanksgiving vacation.

She was going to have a real vacation this time-last year she had been on the road, right before her 'biological' father died. Miserable times, before Fox and Da Mike and Dana Scully and before she even knew her cousin and uncle existed. But this year, she was going to spend a whole week in Annapolis at Bill Scully's home, with Fox and Dana and Dana's family. Real family! And she'd get to meet Bill Scully's wife and kids. She mentally tallied everything and decided she had three more hours before she could expect Fox to show up and Da to close the restaraunt.

She turned and headed for the far booth, where a small child had just begun to wail.

Three hours and eternity-what were the odds?


Aaaand three hours later...

Michael was shoo-ing the last of the stragglers out of the restaraunt when Fox and Dana pulled up. He nodded for them to come in the kitchen entrance and yelled "Erin!"

"Coming, Da!"

Erin slouched out of the kitchen, looking exhausted. "Are they here?"

"Yeah, love, will you go get them dinner?"

"They can shift for themselves, I'm beat."

"Be good." Mike kissed her forehead. "We're almost ready."

"I hope so."

Erin kept a close eye on Fox and Dana as she let them in and showed them where the food was. She had a very uneasy feeling about them. During spring break, last April, she had come *that close* to getting them together. A week of practical jokes and one very real kiss in the office-she thought nervously that she may have come in at the wrong time.

But that line had been too good to pass up. She had disturbed them; since then it appeared that everything had gone back to 'normal', much to her and Melissa's disappointment. Oh, Melissa. She'd be lost as to what to do without her. Well, she had all week to figure it out...

She knew they were in love, and they knew she knew, and they weren't doing anything about it, damn it!

"Erin, please break orbit and return to earth!" Fox's voice cut through her thoughts.

She shook her head. "Sorry. I'm tired."

"Bad day?"

"Could say that."

"Well, you've got a whole week off from now on." Dana smiled warmly.

"And Bill and Margaret to play with."

"Aren't they a little old for me?"

"Bill's crazy," Fox said succinctly.

"And Bill has two sons," Dana put in. "Alexander's about your age, Erin."

"Great." Erin smiled to take the sting out of her words. "I just love all guys my age. So very mature, most of them are."

Before Dana could think up a quick retort, Mike came in and tugged Erin's ponytail. "You behave, before I feed you to the lions."

"Or...The Foxes?"

"You'll pay for that." Fox growled. "Just wait until we get to The Scully House."

"Believe me, I can't." Erin thought she detected a note of...guilt? from Fox's direction. Well, it wasn't as if it were all his fault last

Thanksgiving hadn't been much of a celebration.

Erin was overly sensitive to these things-being slightly psychic never hurt. And it had made for great after-dinner conversation with Mel...but her sensitivity was the very thing that hurt so much when she picked up stray emotions from Fox and Dana. Especially after Melissa had died; Dana hurt so much...

Realizing she'd spaced out again, she blinked and followed Dana out the door to the car.

"How's practice coming?" Fox asked Erin, unlocking the trunk and pulling his bags out of their car. He wanted to know if the book on telepathy had helped at all.

"I spent three hours yesterday trying to convince a squirrel to come to me." Erin shrugged. "Took me that long to realize the reason I couldn't read it was because I was sending telepathic orders to a pine cone."

"But you are improving." He prompted hopefully.

"Animals seem to take better to it, but I trained my chemistry teacher to roll over on command. My neighbor's cat comes when I call, and then there's always--Clyde!" She exclaimed as Dana opened the car door. The small poofball of golden fur bounded out exuberantly, jumping up on her jeans and trying to eat her shoes. She gathered the pomeranian into her arms, grinning.

"Clyde likes me, don't you baby." She hugged the little dog to her chest.

"At least he likes someone," Fox muttered. Dana smiled. "He bites you because he loves you. I didn't have the heart to board him for a week."


"I have an idea," Erin announced. Michael winced. They were stopped for a late snack at a gas station somwhere en route to Annapolis. Dana had been driving; the two Mulder men had taken the back seat, and Fox was still asleep, head propped against the window. Clyde was gnawing gently on Fox's fingers.

"Erin, when you get ideas, I get afraid."

"No, Da, it's harmless." Erin winked. "You move up front to the passenger seat, and let me drive."

"You must be kidding." Mike shook his head. "I don't let you drive unless we're on a *very* quiet road in the middle of nowhere."

When she coughed, he realized the grim truth-they *were* on a quiet road in the middle of nowhere.

"Da, just do this, okay?" she leaned in conspiratorially. "For them, eh?"

One look at Fox sleeping in the car...a quick glance over to where Dana was paying for the gas...a look back at Erin, who'd only gotten her license last month...

He nodded and hoped they wouldn't all end up dead.

Erin had been working over the summer, mostly with books she'd found in the new age bookstore, on strengthening her 'abilities', as she delicately referred to them. A little nudge in the right direction and- She smiled over the steering wheel as Dana fell asleep too...against Fox's shoulder, burrowing into his coat.

A whole week, Mike thought. She should do wonders.

Of course, they were to be guests at a strange house, which should put some sort of damper on her imagination; Bill Scully's house, to be precise; Bill being Dana's brother and one of the many victims of the pranks played last March. Michael had a feeling Bill would take a few days to get used to them. For the thousandth time, he wondered what he was getting into. He knew nothing about the Scully family--well, almost nothing.

<You didn't know anything about raising children, either, when you adopted Erin-->

That was different. Sort of. Erin didn't exactly know a lot about being someone's child, either. He wished she had known Nika--Oh, Nika would have loved her... Erin glanced over, and he capped that thought. Nika was not to be thought of. Not unless one was very far away from telepaths.


They arrived at the Scully house around ten that evening. Erin reached back and shook Fox's coat,waking both of them at once. When she climbed out, her jaw fell open. "It's *huge!*" she said, looking back at Dana. "Are you sure this is the right house?"

"When Bill and Elise settled down, Mom talked them into getting a house with a lot of room for family gatherings. It used to be a bed and breakfast inn."

"Looks like a mansion." Mike tilted his head. "What have we gotten into?"

At that point someone at the front window noticed them and sounded the alarm. A mob of people poured out of the house. Fox found himself caught between Bill Scully and some dark-haired woman he didn't know in the mob. He stood at least a head taller than anyone else, excepting maybe Mike.

Surrounded by short people with red hair-the only dark ones were Erin, Elise, and Margaret--and who would all insist on calling him Fox, he was sure, not to mention having Erin around just to make life interesting.

It promised to be a very long week.

After hugs were doled out in abundance, Margaret of course at the center, showing off her grandchildren and honorary grandchild Erin, they all trooped inside. "Erin, that's Bill's wife Elise, and their sons Sean and Alex." Dana told her. "You know everyone else, right?"

Erin nodded and watched Fox shake hands with Elise, while Sean, who couldn't be more than six, ran circles around them chasing Clyde, yelling "Aunt Dana!" at the top of his lungs. Alex, Bill's older son, leaned in the doorway and grinned.

"You must be Erin," he said to her, over the noise made by the four adults, six-year-old, and dog. "Alex Scully. Aunt Dana warned me about you."

"She did, hm?" Erin shot a look at Dana. "She didn't warn *me* about any of *you*."

"You must be tired," Margaret was saying. "We can bring your bags in and get you settled in you rooms."

"Rooms?" Michael asked incredulously. "As in, plural? No couches, no futons?"

"I made sure everyone had a room. Fox, we gave you Bill Jr's regular room, he's with his wife's family this year. Michael, you have the first spare room, Erin, you've got the second."

"Wow." Erin took a look upstairs. Each room had a huge window or sliding glass door and a porch ran all the way around both stories.

Fox grabbed his dufflebag and Dana's suitcase and began to haul them upsitars, ignoring Erin's teasing about being a 'gentleman' and carrying the bags. Michael joined in until Dana made a pointed comment about common enemies and immature minds.

"I have only one question." Margaret announced as they all went to their respective rooms. "Michael, how did you manage red hair?"

Michael ran a self-conscious hand through his dark-auburn hair. "Good question, Mrs. Scully. I don't know."

"I like it." She smiled.

Fox watched warily...Mike and Scully's mother? Nah...it was too late at night to think about anything that frightening.


Saturday Morning

Nov. 19

Margaret was, as always, the first one up. She began to fix breakfast, knowing that soon four...five...how many people were in this house anyway? Five adults...two teenagers...one child. Food was definetely going to be a problem. She took out a huge skillet, the kind she hadn't used since all four of her children and her husband too had lived here. A long time ago...

"Let me help you with that, Mrs. Scully." A voice behind her said.

Michael was standing there, looking half-awake. He took the pan from her and grinned. "I'm used to quintuple orders of breakfast."

People bagan to drift in as the smell of frying bacon and pancakes pervaded the house. First Fox and Erin, both rubbing their eyes, then Dana, Bill, Elise, and finally Alex and Sean. *What a cast of characters* she thought to herself.

Breakfast was...loud. Fast. Chaotic. But everyone ended up quietly eating, finally, and they could go over the day's schedule. Bill wanted to take Sean to see the Annapolis zoo--Alex decided he didn't--and Michael wanted to explore the pond behind the house. Erin said she had 'business' to attend to, leaving Dana and Fox with Margaret for the day. Dana narrowed her eyes and said she'd show Michael the pond and Fox could help Alex fix that rowboat he'd wanted to use.

Erin giggled to herself and headed upstairs to unpack.


"Here it is." Alex pulled the tarp off the frame and grinned up at the taller man. "Grandma Maggie said if I could fix it, she'd make dad let me try it on the pond."

Fox eyed the boat skeptically and wondered if Scully hadn't set this up as some sort of weird male bonding experience. The planks on the old boat were rotting away in several places, and the nails were rusted all over. It would need a major overhaul.

"Do you have any scrap wood?"

"There's a pile of it in the shed. Nails, too. Dana said I should call you Fox." The boy peered at him. "Is that really your name?"

"It's the name on my credit card."

"Cool. Okay, first of all the frame needs to be checked, and dad said later he's show me how to plank it." Alex took a hammer and began pulling nails off. Fox started knocking with his at the rotted wood. After a few minutes, Alex spoke up again. "Um...Is Erin your daughter?"

"No, she's my cousin. Michael's daughter."

"She's cool," Alex said, yanking the nail out of the wood.

"I've always thought so."

"Uh...is she-I mean, does she..." He bit his lip nervously.

"Have a boyfriend?" Fox pulled at another plank, amused. "Not that I know of. She says she scares them away."

"Really?" he asked. "Why?"

"I think you'd better ask Erin that."

"Uh...right."


Erin sighed and looked up from her unpacking. She had hoped that this Thanksgiving she would be able to be with Melissa, and maybe play some more pranks. But Melissa was gone, had been for over six months. It wasn't even like when Fox had disappeared, where there was still hope he might be alive. She'd felt her leave, seen her say goodbye. But that didn't mean she didn't miss her, or that it didn't hurt. It did hurt; it hurt like hell.

"Now, what would I be doing if she were here..."

:: Melissa snickered. "Here, try this one." She dug in a bowl and pulled out a small ::diamondlike crystal with a blue center. "Ghost quartz."

:: "Wow." Erin moved closer. "Good properties?"

:: "Mm-hm. Try it...no, go ahead." Melissa pushed the stone at her. "Who do you ::want to connect with?"

:: "How about Dana?"

:: "Receptive...used to weirdness...good choice. Remember, you're trying *not* to be ::noticed."

:: Erin cluched the crystal in both hands and opened her mind. :: <Are you okay, Michael?>

:: She opened her eyes and stared through Dana onto the small pond at the back of ::the house. Her father was half-crouched on the rocks.

:: "Yeah, I'm fine, just slipped. The rocks are loose down here," he replied.

:: <We learned that early on--sorry I forgot to tell you.> Dana said.

<Where do you ::suppose Mulder and Alex went?>

:: "Probably to get some spare wood."

:: Erin felt a tug and realized she was slipping into Dana's thoughts.

<<They better ::not get hurt...He needs to spend some time with kids, I know his father didn't->>

"Dana?" Michael was asking. Dana shook her head.

"I felt something strange for a minute," she said. "Like I wasn't quite myself."

Erin grinned. "You're right, Melissa, ghost quartz," she whispered, laughing at her own imagination. "I'll remember that."


Gossip's Fair Play

 

Saturday, mid-morning

"Well, I think that'll do it." Alex pounded the last nail into the frame of the boat they'd been working on. "We can't do anymore until Dad gets back."

"I couldn't do any more anyway," Fox said, sitting on the workbench. "I'm not used to hard labor, you know."

"Next thing you know they'll be doing in on MTV sports," Dana said, startling him from behind. Michael knocked on the side of the boat. "You guys having fun?"

"*Don't* do that," Fox warned. "It may fall apart as it is."

"Not with two 'manly men' like yourselves working on it!" Michael looked shocked.

Fox swore suddenly and shook his hand. "Splinters the size of small trees in this thing." Dana reached for his hand--"Hold still, Mulder-"

"I thought calling me Fox would do me good," he said sarcastically.

"Then hold still, Fox, I'm a doctor, remember? Look, it's just a little piece of wood-"

By the time she got it out, they both realized they were alone...again.

"It's starting again," Fox said, watching the retreating figures.

"First your mother, now your nephew-"

"Like Erin and Mike weren't a party to it!" Dana said tartly. "And if you think for one minute that I'm going to pretend to fall in love with you again, Fox Mulder-"

"No no no." He waved his other hand. "Ever heard the expression 'turnabout's fair play'?"

"Yeees...." She watched him suspiciously.

"Well, would you care to test that hypothesis, Dr. Scully?"


"Knock knock." Alex stood at the door and shifted from foot to foot.

"Hi, Alex." Erin looked up from her book, stroking Clyde absently. "What can I do for you?"

Alex stared admiringly at the way the light caught her hair before snapping back to the present. "Uh...I was wondering...Dana said I should show you around the pond," he lied. "You want to?"

"Sure." Erin hopped off the bed and set a crystal carefully back in the bowl. "I wanted to check out the huge tree on the far side."

"Cool." He led her out and across the small field to the trail around the pond. "So are you into all that crystal stuff?" Alex broke the silence as they circled the pond.

"Not really." Erin jumped over a log. "I'm into crystals, but not most of that stuff, like past lives and incense. I'm not a big New Age fan."

"So why do you like crystals so much?" he asked. She froze.

"N-no reason." She tried to sound casual. "They're...pretty, that's all." She heaved a sigh of relief when he changed the subject to the newest action movie coming out. She didn't want anyone who didn't have to to know about her 'talent'.


Dana was still listening intently to Fox's strategy when Margaret called them in to help with lunch, which turned out to be chicken soup, due to the weather which had definetely turned cold. Erin and Alex were already dicing chicken for her. "Remember." He whispered to her.

"I know, I know, just don't get any more ideas, okay?" she muttered back before turning to the celery in front of her. Erin giggled in the corner.

"What's so funny?" Alex asked.

She shook her head. "Later."

Fox began to measure out the noodles to put in the soup and casually asked Margaret where Mike was. She told him she thought he might be upstairs...did he want her to call him? "No, no, that's fine," Fox assured her, and called Erin over.

"Listen, Erin, we need your help on this. How would you like Margaret as a mother?" he bent down on a level with her face. Her eyes widened, and she gave him a patented 'Mulder' grin. "I assume this means lots of sneaking around, contriving, and subterfuge?"

"Just make sure the only vacant seat when Mike comes down is next to Margaret's?"

"That's all?" she gave him a disappointed look. "We get to do more later, right?"

He looked at her cautiously. "Maybe," he conceded.

"Wait till I tell Alex!" she ran back across the kitchen and they both began to laugh again.

"What have we done, Mulder?" Dana asked.

"That's Fox." He tilted her chin up so that she looked at him. "There are three Mulders in this house and six Scullys. If we call each other by our last names we will become hopelessly confused."

"Fox, then." She smiled and picked up the plate of celery, hoping he didn't notice the blush in her cheeks. Erin, Alex, and Margaret watched quietly from the other side of the room.

"Think there's hope still?" Erin asked.

"You better believe it." Margaret responded before dumping the chicken in the broth.

"Hey, Alex," Erin whispered when Margaret was out of earshot. "How old is your grandma?"

"I think she's about fifty. Why?"

"And my dad's forty-five--that's about perfect, wouldn't you say?"

Alex laughed evilly. "Just about."


Lunch went well--a little tension, a lot of watchfulness--it reminded Dana of the last time someone in the family had played matchmaker when they were all at Michael's for dinner. Only this time Michael or Margaret was the center of attention, not Fox or Dana.

She winced as she reached for the rolls the same time as Fox--this was very, very dangerous. Living on the edge. She almost didn't notice her mother smile approvingly. Almost. Maybe Mike wasn't the center of attention after all.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully after it began to rain--Dana went off to read the latest medical journals, while Fox, and Erin got into a heated argument about the conductive qualities of Lapis Lazuli. Margaret and Alex spectated, occasionally exchanging a glance as Michael took Erin's side, even though he knew next to nothing about crystals or telepathy.

Around six, Bill, Elise, and Sean came in, carrying pizzas for dinner.

Erin blessed them and decided that while she was living at the Scully house it entitled her to babysitting duties in regards to Sean. He really was adorable when he was asleep.

"Don't you like kids, Dana?" she asked, looking over at her.

"He's my nephew and godson. I know what holy terrors children are. I logically shouldn't."

"But you do, don't you?" Erin grinned at Sean. Dana nodded. "Doesn't everyone?"

"Fox..."Erin trailed off. "He's afraid of them."

"You must be kidding."

"I know," she said mysteriously. "Trust me on that one."

"Who ate the last piece of pizza with sausage on it?" Michael yelled.

Fox left the kitchen quietly and moved upstairs, sausage on his breath.


"Do you know what day it is today?" Margaret asked as Fox helped her pour oatmeal into ten separate bowls. He shook his head. "Um...Sunday, November the twentieth, 1995?"

"Precisely. And do you know what that means?"

"Sunday comics?" Erin asked from the table. "Televangelists instead of cartoons?"

"Poker tonight!" Bill clapped his hands.

"We are going to church. All of us." Magaret looked around significantly. "Atheists included, Fox Mulder. And lapsed Catholics are also going to put on a nice dress and come with us, Dana."

"What about Methodists?" Michael asked. Margaret gave a mock shudder.

"I guess you have to come too."

"Nuts." Erin pounded her hand into her fist. "Nice try, Da."

"Since when have you subscribed to any sort of religion, Erin?" Dana asked. "I thought you took after the great un-believer." She gestured in Fox's direction.

"Since it might get me out of putting on a, gasp, dress, and going to hear people preach."

Fortunately, Michael was about Fox's size, since he hadn't known to bring any suits. Fox, who lived in business suits, knew better and wisely picked a tie that wouldn't offend the delicate sensibilities of the Scullys.

Michael donned Fox's spare suit and borrowed a tie from Bill, who had blander tastes than Fox ever would. Erin giggled and snuck up behind Margaret and Dana, both in 'sunday best' dresses, watching the men help Sean and Alex reconcile to wearing suit jackets and ties.

"Looks great, doesn't he?" she asked.

They both nodded--looked at each other...Dana turned and shook a

finger at her. "Don't even think it, Erin Alison."

"Who says I was talking about either of them?" she asked innocently,

and straightened Alex's tie.


<Let's see...how'm I gonna get out of this one? I'm not Catholic...And

I've never been to any sort of Catholic service, ceremony, et cetera. So

how do I pull it off? Creative license, o'course!>

The service passed in a sort of blur for Fox--the small thing that

stood out was the lighting of the candles at the door: One for Bill Scully

Sr., one for Melissa, and surprisingly, Erin lit one for William Mulder.

The rest was a flash of hard church pews, singing, and squirming

children...Sean, who wouldn't sit anywhere but next to Aunt Dana on the

aisle, sandwiching her between him and Fox. Well, he didn't mind that

part...

Michael noticed more than a few covert stares as the entire group

squeezed into one pew--Five redheads, four dark-haired members, and Erin,

the lone brunette in the crowd. Add to that the fact that Fox wasn't being

very subtle about his choice of seating, and you had a scene that was much

more interesting than the preacher.

Alex shifted, adjusted his tie, and winked at Erin, who had deftly

maneuvered so that she and Alex bookended Michael and Margaret. Dana

smiled approvingly. Bill narrowed his eyes and nudged Elise, who almost

laughed out loud.

Finally it was over, and both boys were running to the car,

regardless of the fact that they should have stuck around while Margaret

introduced the Mulder half of the pew. Michael made a quick escape, but

Fox wasn't quite so lucky.

"Dana! I haven't seen *you* in quite a while!" the priest ambushed

them and pinned them just inside the door. Dana groaned inwardly.

"Father Jordan, how good to see you." She smiled and hugged the aging

man. Fox skulked in the background, hoping to make like Michael and get as

far away from organized religion as possible.

"And who's this?" Jordan nailed him.

"Oh...Fox, this is Father Jordan. Father, Fox Mulder, my partner."

"*Work* partner." Fox interjected at the old man's slightly shocked

expression.

"Well, it was certainly nice meeting you, Mr. Mulder." Jordan took in

the taller man and decided a strategic retreat might be best.

"First time I've heard my last name all week." Fox muttered to her on

the way to the car.

"You should be greatful he didn't know you're not 'religious'." Dana

replied. "Father Jordan has....a...way, with pagans and heathens such as

yourself."

"I'd be an agnostic but I don't even believe in that."

"I though you wanted to believe."

"Do *not* quote me to myself. I have a hypocrisy clause written into

my philosophy and I claim it under section-"

"Spare me." She tossed him the keys. "And if you let Erin drive, you

die."

"What, God isn't waiting to strike me down where I stand?"

"God doesn't waste perfectly good lightning bolts on skanks like

you." Erin settled into the backseat next to Michael. "He could be out

killing all the really deserving people, like Rush Limbaugh and my

Geometry teacher."


Lunch was barbecue chicken, courtesy of Bill Scully, who wielded the

patriarchial barbecue tongs in the absence of his older brother and

father. Nobody objected when he donned an apron and lit the briqettes.

Michael muttered to Fox that if he didn't sear it first all the flavor

would evaporate. Fox just smiled and asked him if HE wanted to tell Bill

that.

"Fox, I was meaning to ask you." Elise took a seat near the grill and

smiled. "Dana has always said that you're a great believer in supernatural

forces and extraterrestrial beings...how can you not believe in God?"

"I believe that there is something out there," Fox said simply. "And

that we are not alone. But I have also read quite a bit of the bible, and

it seems to me that that system of belief is a patriarchial anachronism

meant to subjugate the general populace."

"Why can'tcha just speak plain English like the rest of us slobs?"

Erin slid a bottle of barbecue sauce across the porch table at him. He

examined the label intently.

"I haven't ever had much use for religion, and I doubt I ever will.

But I don't deny other people their beliefs, nor do I try to change them."

He shot a swift look at Dana, standing by the edge of the pond and

lecturing Sean on something. "My parents were both atheists--mom 'got

religion' when I was about thirteen, but it faded." He grinned. "Guess I

saw what happened to her and soured on the whole idea. I have my hands

full dealing with the government, let alone whatever's waiting for me in

the afterlife." He finished. Elise nodded. "But you can't deny that there

are things beyond even your explanations."

"Nor do I try. My explanations aren't even close to most of what goes

on in this world. And it may be that there is a God. And if there is, he's

probably really pissed off at me right now."

"Or she." Bill said.

"Or she." Fox concurred. "You see what I mean? Even in my

investigations, there is usually some sort of proof, no matter how sketchy

or fleeting. In religion, there's blind faith."

"Listen to him, talking about blind faith." Erin snorted. "Like you

don't ever-"

"I have nothing against faith. But I do not ever have blind faith in

anything. Especially the government." His eyes strayed to the bank of the

pond again. "Maybe one thing. But beyond that, Trust No One."

There was a few minutes of silence.

"What do you think, Mike?" Bill asked as he turned the chicken on the

grill. Michael tapped his fingers on the wood thoughtfully.

"I go to church because it's a community that cares about other

people and takes care of one another. And it's a great way to meet women."

He grinned. Margaret came out of the house and set a bowl of salad on the

table.

"Religion is a great mystery that I, for one, am not ready to solve."

She announced. "But I do know one thing." She smiled wickedly. "If God

wasn't the merciful being He is, Michael would have keeled over the minute

that thought came through his mind. And Fox would have been dead long

ago."


<Whoah, wasn't that deep? Wonder where it came from.>

Go...go.....Augh! Three yards from the goal!" Michael groaned and

dropped into the grass. "That close!" he yelled at Bill. "I was *that*

close!"

Bill was smiling, waving a green touch-football tag.

"Game over!" Alex yelled. "We won!"

"We would have won!" Fox grabbed the ball from Michael and tossed it

back to Bill, "If Elise hadn't jumped in and tackled Mike."

"Aha, but who was she *really* after?" Dana snickered. "She wasn't

even playing. I didn't think Elise even knew *how* to play."

"The great Mulder-Scully football game is *over*." Margaret sat on

the bench next to Dana. "I think we can call it about even."

"Ma!" Bill whined. "We won!"

"But on the last down there was an uncalled holding offense and the

penalty wasn't observed, not to mention Fox's offsides..."

Bill, Fox, and Mike all stared at her. "Did *you* know she understood

football?" Bill asked Fox, who shook his head.

"Do you really think I watched all those games with you and Bill Jr.

and Dana over the years and never learned anything?" Margaret asked

smugly.

"Whassagoin on?" Sean, who had been sleeping in Dana's lap, rubbed

his eyes. "Nothing, Sean." Dana answered. "Just some male chauvinists

showing off."

"S'avnists?"

"Go back to sleep, okay?"

Sean yawned, sighed, and shut his eyes again.

Fox watched the exchange...he'd bet his last X-File that Dana would

be one of those perfect mothers who always knew when you were hurt or

tired or thirsty. Just like Margaret. He wondered if her kids would look

like her or take after the father...whoever it was.

She looked up and locked eyes with him--he must have been staring.

She shook her head slightly: *No. Not now. Not _ever_.*

Bill whacked him on the back and he nearly fell over, off balance as

he was, and broke eye contact. Erin came up from her expedition into the

fields, and Alex ran off to ask Elise if he could go get some sealant from

the hardware store for the boat.

*Life goes on.* he thought. *The world turns, Dana Scully, and times

change.*

Then he went inside to clean up.


"I felt it." Erin stood at the window. "Jeez, it was strong."

"Are you sure, hon?" Mike asked. She turned and looked at him. "I

know what I felt, Da."

"We'll have to wait and see." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I doubt

there's anything you can do about it."

"Damn well gonna try." She grinned. "I swear, Da..."

Michael sighed and rolled his eyes in an I-give-up attitude. "Just

keep me out of it, all right?"

"You already are." She laughed. He grimaced and walked out of the

room.

"And she says *I'm* out of it." Mike muttered. "How can a psychic be

so obtuse?"


God is not dead but alive and well and working on a much less ambitious

project.

Graffito

===========================================================================

Author: RaEnright

Subject: Gossip II 3/?

Written: 22 Nov 1995 15:08:07 -0500

Margaret, Dana, Elise, and Bill Jr. Scully are property of Chris Carter

and Company, as is Fox Mulder. Bill, Alex, and Sean Scully, as well as Erin

and Michael Mulder, belong to me, just like this story. Feel free to

distribute it as long as my name goes out with it.

BTW, many thanks to my editors: Anik, Juliet, Keri and Aviva at times,

Sheryl I think, and anyone else I may have forgotten. They all had to

suffer through the ten or so drafts it went through:D

Gossip Is Relative

Part 3

Sunday Afternoon

Mike snickered softly to himself as he walked down the hall. This

would get Bill back for that football incident.

Erin leaned out the door and handed him the screwdriver as he walked

by. He nodded--thanks--and continued with his mission.

The 'master bedroom' in the old house had a bathroom adjoining

another room, where Bill Jr. and his wife usually stayed. Fox was

inhabiting it for the time being.

He reached Bill's room and knocked. Fox's voice echoed from inside,

"S'open!"

He opened the door and held a finger to his lips as Fox looked up. He

had a screwdriver in his hand. After their ignominious defeat at the hands

of the Scully men, it wasn't too hard to figure out what Mike, bless his

competitive heart, was about to do.

"Did I ever tell you, Fox, that I took a few courses in furniture

renovation when I was in college?" Michael said, his tone conversational.

"No, he's not in there. Go ahead." Fox waved him on and went back to

his book.

"Do you know what I'm going to do?"

"Who are you? When were you in here? I don't remember anything like

that." Fox mugged a puzzled face. "Mike, I was here the whole time and *I*

never saw you..."

"Of course you didn't." Mike opened the door and crept into the other

room. Five minutes...ten minutes...Mike left, a smirk on his face.


Bill was worn out--it was six in the evening, and he was tired of

looking after Sean and making sure Alex didn't dismantle anything. He

grabbed a book and hauled his tired butt upstairs to read quietly for a

little while.

He flopped down on the bed...The bed flopped under him...

Headboard

bedposts

frame

and legs all fell over each other in a colossal *CRASH!!!!!*

After a few seconds, to make sure nothing *else* was going to fall,

he cautiously lifted an arm and pushed the headboard off his face.

<Flash>

"Gotcha!" Mike grinned from behind the camera.

"WHAT?!?!?!" He roared and tried to jump off the mattress. The

blanket tangled in his legs.

"And he fumbles at the thirty yard line! Quarterback Bill goes

dowwwwwwwwn!" another male voice exclaimed. "Think of it as Mulder's

revenge."

Bill finally untangled himself from the top blanket and ran after

them.


"So how do you do it?" Erin asked again.

"Watch." Margaret poked a finger at the water heater, standing

outside the closet in the hallway. "You pull the red lever to cut off all

the water, and the pressure valve is over here--"

"Coming through, Maggie, I'd get out of the wayyyy..." Mike ran past

them, almost knocking Erin over. "Hi Erin. Bye Erin." Fox yelled as he ran

behind Mike, instaflash camera clutched in one hand. "Die!" Bill came

through a few seconds later, a blanket wrapped around his midsection as he

tried to untangle it. "Dieeee!"

Margaret watched them go for a minute. Finally she looked back at

Erin. "The pressure valve is here. To turn off the cold water you have to

make sure the bolt is loose before..."


The chase continued for the better part of the evening, the rest of

the household eventually taking sides. Margaret tried to keep them from

breaking anything while Sean cheered from the sofa and Mike kept snapping

photos.

"Got you!" Bill grabbed for Erin, finally trapping her under the

blanket and holding it over her. "Give up!"

"Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" Erin lunged upwards.

Fox rounded the corner just as Dana turned it in the other direction.

"Well, look what I caught," he murmured as he pinned her by her

shirtsleeves. She brought her knee up between his legs, but he blocked it

with a hand. "Does this mean I get to take you prisoner?"

"You'd better let me go, Fox Mulder, before my mother sees you." Dana

threatened. This was not getting them anywhere. "May I remind you, I own a

licensed firearm and I did bring it with me."

He chuckled and let her go. "Next time I don't let go that easily."

He warned, and walked over to help Elise pull Bill off of Erin.


Monday, Nov 21

Margaret had finally made them all go to bed, claiming that tomorrow

was going to be a Mulder/Scully joint picnic and expedition. Fox and

Michael exchanged uneasy glances but since everyone else seemed to be fine

with it, the didn't object.

It began raining late that night and lasted all through Monday, which

meant postponing the picnic and spending the day decorating the inside of

the house for Thanksgiving instead. Mike volunteered to help hang the

upstairs posters with Margaret--nobody objected. Fox marveled at how much

effort went into decorating for a simple holiday like this while he held

decorations for Dana; his family hadn't even done this much for Christmas.

Erin was tacking a cardboard turkey to her door when a few drops of

something wet hit her from behind. She whirled...nobody there. She turned

around again-

SPLASSSSSSH!

A cupful of cold water hit her in the middle of her back. She leaped

back and grabbed Sean's shirt before he could run away. He had the

incriminating evidence--a plastic freezer cup.

"Ssseeaaaan!!!" Elise called. "You get back down here!"

Erin marched him down and dripped on the downstairs carpet. "Is this

what you're looking for?" she held Sean's arm out.

Bill and Elise both stared at her for a minute.

"Sean, what the hell...?" Bill finally managed. Sean grinned. "Lex

said--"

"Right, Sean, I'll take care of you." Alex intercepted. "Sorry,

Erin..."

"What's..." Dana came into the front room. She stopped, took in Erin

and Alex flanking Sean, and Erin's soaking back and hair. Something very

similar to a giggle escaped. "Erin, what happened?"

"Sean happened." Erin replied, trying to regain her dignity. She bent

down to Sean's level. "We are not done, man-cub. I'm going to change." She

announced, and bounded up the stairs.

"Oh god. It's started." Dana groaned. Bill looked at her quizzically.

She muttered something about inventive minds and world war three and left.


It wasn't until evening that the rain finally stopped and everyone

dispersed. Erin went out to check on the boat with Alex, while Dana looked

out on the pond from the back porch.

"If it warms up, maybe we can go on that picnic tomorrow," Fox said

from behind her. She nodded, and felt his hand on her shoulder. "You miss

him." It was a statement, not a question.

"Don't you miss your father?"

"He wasn't...like that." Fox stumbled over the words. "Of course I

miss him...but not...like that." *Great going, can't you think of anything

better to say than 'like that'?* he thought bitterly. But it was true, he

wouldn't ever miss his father the way she did. His parents were different,

that's all. If it were his mother instead of Margaret, she would be having

a nervous breakdown by now.

"I miss him. And Missy."

Fox left his hand on her shoulder and moved to stand beside her,

watching the ripples of the wind on the grass.


"Do you suppose they realize how that looks?" Alex asked as he moved

the rotten wood out of the way.

"Course not. But they do look sweet, don't they?" Erin responded,

hugging herself. Maybe now was the time for that 'little nudge' she was

considering--maybe a little while longer. No need to rush things. "Hope I

score a guy like Fox someday."

"Really?" Alex asked casually. "If I were him, I'd go for a darker

girl than that."

"Fox has a problem with dark haired women. Something to do with some

lady--Phoeble or something like that, and some other one, I think her name

was Kristin. Coupled with the whole business about Samantha--"

"Who?"

"You don't know? Nobody told you about Samantha?" Erin asked,

incredulous.

"I heard my dad mention it to aunt Dana once but I don't know any

more." He looked up at her from his crouched position beneath the tarp.

"Here, let me under there. It's cold out." Erin crawled under next to

him. "She was his little sister. When he was really young, she vanished.

Poof."

"You're kidding."

"No, I mean it. It took him the better part of fifteen years to

figure out what happened."

Alex crouched closer under the tarp and looked back at the two

standing on the porch again. "What?"

"She was abducted. By aliens."

"Liar." Alex grinned.

"It's true! That's why he's...quiet, you know? He's devoted his whole

life to finding her."

"Looks like he's pretty devoted to Aunt Dana, too."

"You have no idea."


Monday Evening

The room was very, very dark, the moon being obscured by the cloud

cover that had dogged them for most of the day. Erin lay in bed and tried

not to think about things that go bump in the night and the cases Fox told

her about every so often. Instead, she busied herself checking up on

everyone, holding the crystal and tapping into the surface of their minds.

Bill and Elise--oh. My. Well, they certainly didn't need anything...Alex

and Sean, both already asleep, Sean vividly dreaming about something or

other.

Fox was pacing in his room, Dana looking out the window in hers.

Michael trying to sleep.

Her Da. She thought for a moment about what it would be like to have

Margaret for a mother. She decided it would be weird, but then her life

was weird anyway. And if she managed to keep Fox and Dana together,

then...she thought about it. If her father and cousin married mother and

daughter...she'd end up being her own cousin-in-law. Wouldn't *that* be

weird.

One by one, the house fell asleep, except for one man, who continued

to pace for the better part of the night.


Tuesday, Nov. 22

About Ten am

"Michael-"

"Margaret, I insist, and as Erin will tell you when I insist I

usually get my way."

"Isn't it sweet?" Erin asked Fox. "I love watching people argue."

"You keep out of it, imp." Michael ordered, his mouth twitching as if

he was trying very hard not to smile. "Margaret, you have spent the last

three days feeding and housing us. The least you can do is let me cook the

turkey!"

"And how many thanksgiving turkeys have you fixed in your life?"

Margaret demanded, spoon in hand.

"About a hundred, since I've known him." Erin interjected. Margaret

must have been the one to teach Dana the finer points of The Look. She

turned it on Michael next, who came back at her with a very good

whipped-puppy stare that must be a genetic trait of the Mulder clan.

"You can feel the static in the air." Erin whispered. "The Looks

clash."

"What do you mean, a hundred?"Margaret demanded.

"I mean," Erin burst out, "That he happens to *own* a restaraunt and

he fixed about a hundred stuffed turkeys last year. Including trimmings."

Fox smirked and leaned back. Margaret ignored the three sets of

identical Mulder puppy eyes staring at her and shook her head. "I'm

beginning to wonder about this."

"About what?" Dana asked as she entered the room.

"The intelligence of inviting the clan Mulder to stay here." Fox

stood up and brushed past her into the living room. "Mike, I wouldn't

argue with her if I were you. She's the one who taught Dana everything she

knows..."

"Ooo, now I'm scared." Mike shivered. "Bill, you agree with me,

right?"

Bill crossed his arms. "I don't want to get into this one. Not after

last night, not after football, and most certainly not when my mother is

involved."

"I'll think about it." Margaret said, in a clear tone telling

everyone the subject was closed. "And anyway," she continued, "It's still

too wet out to picnic today, and tomorrow we have to start getting ready

for the dinner on Thursday."

"Friday?" Bill suggested. "We can go to Old Park in the city..."

"Sounds good." Margaret nodded. "Old Park it is, then."

Michael grinned and went upstairs to look out on the second story

porch, looking like he'd lost the battle, but won the war.


The day passed uneventfully...evening came up rather suddenly, the

clouds masking the twilight until it was too late. Erin managed to get

revenge on Sean by tricking him into 'snipe hunting'...after a few minutes

she came back, but not before he managed to get caught on a branch in the

woods behind the pond. Both of them got stuck out in the dark, and had to

wander their way home, Sean with wide eyes and Erin grinning in revenge.

Fortunately, the deck had terra candles that could be lit to guide

them back. Fox was sitting in a chair on the second story deck, reading by

candlelight, when Dana came out and took the one beside him.

"Chilly out." He muttered. She nodded. "But it's still nice here."

"Apparently they think so." He gestured to Mike and Margaret, who

were sitting on the grass waiting for Erin and Sean. He felt a twinge of

jealousy when he saw Mike's arm around her waist. Dana's mother was too

old for that sort of thing...wasn't she? And Michael seemed much too young

for her.

"If they got married, what would that make us?" Fox wondered aloud.

"A pair of fools?" Dana offered.

"We'd be related."

"I guess so." She thought for a minute. "You'd be my cousin, and Erin

my stepsister."

"And *that* would be an x-file. Hey, ever hear of kissing

cousins...?"

"Hands to yourself, cousin."

"Yes ma'am." He answered humbly.

"Good." She settled back into the chair and opened her own book.

<God, I'm awful> she thought to herself. <Baiting him like that...>

He was asking for it, though. And nothing could happen to them,

nothing like *that*, not right now and *certainly* not in her brother's

house.

She heard him sigh and followed his sight line to where Mike and

Margaret were sitting. Well, at least *someone* was doing well in a

relationship. They made an interesting couple--Dana hadn't thought her

mother would ever get into another relationship after Ahab died. But she

couldn't wish for anyone better than Michael Mulder.


End pt 3

A truly wise man never plays leapfrong with a unicorn.

Anonymous, probably for a good reason...

===========================================================================

Author: RaEnright

Subject: Gossip II 4/?

Written: 22 Nov 1995 15:08:15 -0500

Well...what more is there to say?

Margaret, Melissa, Dana, Elise, and Bill Jr. Scully are property of

Chris Carter and Company, as is Fox Mulder. Bill, Alex, and Sean Scully, as

well as Erin and Michael Mulder, and Nika, belong to me, just like this

story. Feel free to distribute it as long as my name goes out with it.

Nocturnal Gossip

Part 4

Tuesday, Nov 22

Around 10 pm

Michael shifted, tossed around, and finally pushed the covers back

alltogether. He hated insomnia, especially when he wasn't at home and

couldn't just wander around or clean house like he normally did. The fact

that it didn't happen to him that often didn't help any when it *did*

happen. He pulled on some denim shorts over his boxers and decided he'd

wander around anyway. Climbing down the main staircase he was about to

head into the kitchen when he heard something.

<Click>

He froze.

<Taptap>

He peered into the kitchen. Margaret was there, sitting at the

kitchen table, lost in thought, her finger tapping on the table. The door

creaked and she looked up.

"Maggie?" Michael asked, slowly coming in. "Something wrong?"

"No, Michael." She smiled sadly. "Just thinking."

"Want me to leave?"

She shook her head. "When you get to be my age, you actually *like*

to talk to people."

"You're age?" he scoffed. "You aren't *that* old."

"Take a seat, Michael." She held out a hand. "I'm not that old, but I

do have a lot of

memories."

"It's hard, huh? You think you're going to spend the rest of your

life with someone...and all these people looking to you for support..."

"You're a perceptive man. But it's not the people I mind." She shut

her eyes breifly. "This is the first real family holiday without Bill, and

Melissa, too. It's not easy."

"It never is." Mike counseled. His first christmas without Nika had

been... "But that's not all, is it?"

"It's a large part of it. And both Bill and Alex remind me of Bill,

and Fox..."

"Fox?"

"Never saw two men so different who reminded me of each other. Both

too damned stubborn for their own good." She smiled. "I had hoped Bill

would be there to see Dana and Melissa married, both of them. But...God

works in mysterious ways."

"Hm." Michael nodded. "I hope *you* see Dana married some day. And I

know Melissa wouldn't let death come between her and anyone she loved." He

considered his options to cheer Maggie up. Finally he fell back on the

failsafe.

"Hey, you hungry at all?"


Alex was lying in bed trying to sleep when something scratched his

window. He sat up...the big bay window adjoining the porch was being

knocked on. He slid out of bed and walked over to open it.

Erin stood there, in shorts and a t-shirt, grinning. "I'm

adventuring. Wanna come?"

*Do I!* "Sure." He answered, hoping his voice wouldn't crack. "Where

to?"

"We are going to practice the subtle and almost unknown art of

grubterfuge."

Alex stared at her as he climbed out. "Grubterfuge?"

"Sneaking around in search of eats. I'm munchy."

He grinned in appreciation of her pun and shut the window behind him.

"How?"

"The decks all connect, right?"

"Right."

"And at some point there's a way from the upper one to the bottom

one, right?"

"And the bottom one has a sliding glass door leading to the

kitchen..."

"Which I also know your dad never locks..."

"You have a devious mind, Erin."

"Thanks."

He followed her lead, carefully walking in bare feet along the deck,

avoiding loose boards until they got to the end of one side. "What now?"

he whispered. She reached under the railing and tugged on a rope ladder,

scrounged from the woodshed earlier. "Going down?"


Michael decided he could get to like Maggie Scully. She liked his

cooking.

He held the pan over the gas flame and grinned. "You like eggs well

done or runny on the insides?"

Margaret chuckled. "Runny. Always."

"Good. I was gonna cook 'em that way anyway. But this is the

*gourmet* Michael style fried egg. You'll never taste anything like it

again."

"I'm not sure whether to be excited or afraid." Margaret shot back.

Michael just flipped the egg over and shook the pan a little. "Where d'you

keep the spice rack?"


"Willya look at that!" Erin mumbled as she climbed down the rungs of

the ladder. Alex stopped climbing above her. "What?"

"Someone beat us to the punch." She jumped down onto the grass beyond

the deck and stepped up. Alex's foot almost whacked her as he fell next to

her. "Your cousin?"

"No, my Da." She pointed. Mike and Margaret were sitting at the

kitchen table eating what looked like Mike's spicy fried eggs. She heard

Margaret laugh through the glass, and saw Mike smile. She said something

back and it was Mike's turn to chuckle.

"Grandma...and your Dad?" Alex asked. "All *right*. What are they

eating?"

"Fried eggs." Erin answered absently. "Look, they're almost finished.

We just wait for a few minutes."

Mike eventually pushed his plate away and asked Margaret something.

She nodded and picked up both plates, carrying them to the counter before

leaving the kitchen. Mike stood, stretched, and finally followed.


"William sounds like he was a wonderful man." Mike nodded at

Margaret. "A lot like my Nika."

"Doesn't it hurt to talk about it?" Margaret looked up from her

plate.

"Don't forget, it's been much longer. Oh, god, twenty years. No,

fifteen. Somewhere in there."

Margaret sighed. "You don't hear stories like that anymore. And all

these years you never...?"

"Once in a while. But I found I compared them all with her. Dad used

to say it was in the genes--Mulder men love deep, love once. He used to

tell us that all the time. So far, it's lasted. Neither my father, my

brother, nor myself, my nephew, nor my sister, quoth the man..."

"Seems to ring true. You're a sweet man, Michael." She ran her fork

across the plate.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." He grinned. "Somehow, I don't

think we were cut out for each other, though."

Margaret shook her head. "But don't let Dana or Fox know."

"Our secret." Mike held up two fingers. "It really has worked

wonderfully."

"Hasn't it." She held up her fork. "Nothing for romance like privacy.

I learned that the first time Dana fell in love."

"Sounds like a hair-raising story in itself, but guess who just

dropped in." Mike carefully avoided looking at the glass door.

"Fox, Dana, or Erin?"

"Erin. And it looks like Alex, too." He added as Margaret laughed.

"Well, they can wait until we're done," she said with a grin.

"Yup." He laughed back, and continued chewing his eggs. "Think we

ought to let them have run of the kitchen?"

"They're teenagers. They won't eat anything important like the yams

or the turkey." She picked up both the plates. "What do you think they

think of us?"

"They better not be thinking what I think they're thinking."

"I think you and her think alike."

"What, evil?" He stretched and started up the stairs to go to bed and

wonder what Erin was getting herself into.


"They're gone."

"Sure?"

"Yup."

"Together?"

"Alex!" Erin opened the door and tiptoed in. "C'mon, I know where Fox

hid his sunflower seed stash, and I *know* your dad told you where he

hides the chocolate."

"Ah yes." He stood on his toes and reached into the top cupboard,

while Erin dove under the sink and came up with a bag of seeds.

"Let's go. Da might come back, and then would we be in trouble." Erin

rolled her eyes. "Do you think him...and her..."

"Well, Grandma *is* awfully energetic for her age--"

"I'm wondering if Da can handle *her*. He doesn't date much." Erin

tossed the bag up.

"I don't know...c'mon, let's go."

Alex began climbing back up the ladder when he saw a light go on.

From Aunt Dana's room, he guessed. Erin whacked his foot and he looked

down. "Somebody up there!" he mouthed. She nodded and clutched the seed

bag in her mouth.

He counted slowly to ten, but nothing happened--just as he was

beginning to start climbing again, he saw one of the candles begin to

move.

Fox was slinking across the deck towards Dana's room, holding the

candle out to light the way. He caught Alex's eye just as he was about to

duck. Alex tilted his head down and mouthed 'Erin!'. Fox grinned and put a

finger to his lips. In a moment he'd turned the corner and was out of

sight.


"What happened?" Erin demanded.

"Your cousin was going to visit Aunt Dana. I think we'd better find

somewhere else to eat." Alex began to climb back down the rope ladder.

"Really? All right! Where do we go?"

They ended up under a big Beech tree just off the pond trail on a

small rise, with a good view of the house. Erin set the candle she'd taken

down next to her and offered Alex a seed from the bag.

"Hey, we can see Dana's room from here." Erin crunched on a seed.

"She left her drapes open? I hope they aren't planning on..."

"I doubt it. Looks like they're just talking. Ah, romantic tension."

"Yeah." Alex offered her a piece of the chocolate bar. She took it

and popped it in her mouth, leaning against him. "S'cold out here."

"Really? Hadn't noticed. Guess the flannel keeps me warm." He tugged

on his thermal shirt. "Want it?"

"Naw, m'awright," she said absently. "I wonder what they're talking

about?"

<You could use your talent> her inner voice said. She shot it down.

<People have a right to *some* privacy.>

<Oh yeah? Don't you want to-->

Alex's arm wrapped around her shoulders and she bit down on another

seed. No, she wouldn't eavesdrop on Fox. Besides, how would she explain it

to Alex?

He was right, the flannel shirt was warm...

She fell asleep leaning on his shoulder, one hand on his sleeve.


Dana was brushing her hair, seated on the bed, when a light appeared

outside the sliding door that opened to the deck. Looking over, she could

see Mul--Fox, grinning on the other side. She stood and opened it, taking

the candle from him as he came in.

"Well well...you should be careful, Fox, someone might think you were

a prowler and shoot you." She crossed her legs on the bed. "Like me."

"I ran into Alex around the corner. I think he was hoping to score

with Erin."

"Aren't they a little young?"

"Well, you never know. Erin's a very mature girl." He gave her

another grin and sat in the desk chair.

"So, to what do I owe this late visit?" she asked, running the brush

through her hair again. He was staring. "Fox? Mulder?"

"Sorry." He shok his head. Odd how a simple thing like brushing her

hair could distract him. "I couldn't sleep. I saw the light from your

window and thought we could do some bonding or something."

"Bonding? I'm as bonded as I want to be with you." She smiled to take

the sting from her words.

"I didn't think so. You never know, though. Bonding happens in the

damndest places."

"Like in pine-scented cars on late nights staking out liver-stealing

mutants?"

"Exactly." His eyes twinkled. "Or in houses after the arrest of

people who prefer hair and fingernails to salt and pepper shakers."

She looked down and dropped the brush into her lap. "Please don't

talk about that."

"Why? You have nothing to be embarrassed about it. He was stronger

than you, he knew that house..."

"I know. It's an old feeling, though, not wanting to be

helpless...it's just disturbing."

He considered her for a moment. She was sitting in her pajamas,

looking as if she was completely lost. He took a deep breath.

"I never told you what happened while you were...gone, did I?"

"I read the case report--"

"I never told you what happened while you were gone, did I?" he

repeated. She shook her head.

"Skinner reopened the X-Files...gave me that, at least. I got on the

track of the pseudo-vampires...you read the case report. Tracked them to

LA, found out where they were getting their victims. And...I found Kilar."

He grinned mirthlessly. "She was the reason they were moving from city to

city--she was trying to get away from them, and they just kept following

her."

"And you went to the house to bodyguard her...you were both

attacked...and she died in the fire." Dana finished.

"Yeah, well. Bodyguard." He scowled. "That isn't all that...happened.

She--I was being led around by my horemones. To put it politely."

Dana watched him. "You..."

He nodded. "I broke the cardinal rule of the FBI and let my guard

down. But dammit..." he slammed a hand into his fist. "I was crazy. Hadn't

slept for more than two hours at a time since they took you. And she was

there..." he looked back up at her. "I understand how hopeless it feels,

Dana. I really do, trust me."

"I do. And I can see how that would happen," she said thoughtfully.

Then she smiled. "Guess we get to bond after all."

He laughed silently. "Yeah. Listen, you want to get something to

eat?"

"I think I'd rather go to bed."

"Suit yourself." He stood and walked over to the bed. "Need help?" he

asked good naturedly.

"Not this time, thanks." She set the brish on the bedside table. "But

I appreciate you telling me, Mul...damn. Old habits die hard."

"They do." He nodded and bent to whisper in her ear. "The oldest are

the hardest of all."

He left out the hall door, heading downstairs to find his sunflower

seed stash.


"S'up?" Erin asked sleepily as Alex shook her.

"Fox just left. We'd better go in before both of us fall asleep and

freeze out here." Alex stood up. "Come on, wake up."

"I'm up, I'm up...getting that way, anyway. Okay." Erin stumbled

sleepily back to the house, following Alex. She hoped she hadn't missed

anything important between Dana and Fox. Oh well, Alex would tell her

later if she had.


End part 5

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to

what lies *within* us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

===========================================================================

Author: RaEnright

Subject: Gossip II 5/?

Written: 22 Nov 1995 22:58:44 -0500

Margaret, Melissa, Elise, and Dana Scully belong to CC, along with Fox

Mulder. Bill, Alex, and Sean Scully, along with Erin and Mike (And Nika)

Mulder, belong to me, as does this story. Feel free to distribute it as

long as my name goes with it.

I know people who belong to the Polar Bear's Club of San Francisco. They

say it's invigorating. I think I'll take their word for it. The San

Francisco Bay? Brr...not to mention rather toxic in places...

Gossip In Time

Part 5

Wednesday, Nov 23

Nobody was up early the next morning, except for Sean; Mike and

Margaret having been snacking on fried eggs while Alex and Erin sat out by

the pond, and Fox and Dana 'bonding'. Bill and Elise had never been early

risers, so Sean was all alone when he woke promptly at seven, just like he

always did.

He made his way to the kitchen and pulled out a box of cereal for

breakfast. If mommy and daddy weren't going to be up, and Lex and Aunt

Dana were still asleep, he'd make his own breakfast. He reached into the

fridge for some milk.

Maybe he'd have toast. After all, he was a big boy of six, and knew

his way around the kitchen. He put a slice in and pushed the lever down.

Hm, wouldn't stay down. Well, here, he'd put the cereal bowl on the lever.

There.

He continued setting the table for himself, not noticing when the

toaster began to smoke.


<Something left undone...someone lost forever...> Erin tossed

restlessly in her sleep. <Small faces, bright lights, smoke...>

She started upright, the nightmare dragging her out of sleep. To

still smell smoke...and hear a distant beeping.

Still in the shorts and tshirt from last night, she bolted out the

door and downstairs. The kitchen was filled with smoke, and the smoke

detector, now a loud blare, echoed in her ears.

Instinct is stronger than logical thought--immediately she reached

out to the people she trusted to keep her safe...<<FOX! DA! MEL...>>

No, something was wrong, but upstairs she heard someone hitting the

floor. And now above the screaming smoke detector she could hear Sean

crying..."Sean!" <SEAN!!!>

Three or four figures flew down the stairs, Fox in the lead. They

reached the bottom of the stairs and started choking.

"Sean's in there!" Erin yelled.

"SEAN!" Dana called. "Sean, where are you!?"

"He can't hear you," Mike said calmly. "Get the doors open, and any

windows. Fox, try the porch..."

Erin shut out the sound and concentrated on Sean. <Come on, Sean,

gimme something to go on...>

Mike yelled out as Erin walked right into the smoky haze. "Erin..."

Five seconds. Ten. Thirty. Alex, Bill and Elise, and Margaret, were

all awake. And all they could do was watch, the cloud of smoke too dense

to penetrate...

Mike was close to frantic. <Not Erin too, dear God, don't take her

too...>

The girl emerged, soot-covered, Sean still sobbing in her hands. And

her eyes...

Her eyes were closed.


"Mama..." Sean was still crying. Dana, sitting on the back porch, wet

the cloth again from the hose and dabbed at Erin's face with it.

"Shh." Elise hushed him.

"I don't know what happened..." Erin twisted to wipe some grime off

her neck. "I just walked in...the toaster was on fire. There was a pot

nearby..."

"You did fine, hon." Mike grinned proudly.

"Thank god the house isn't burned down." Maggie was waving smoke out of

the kitchen. "And nothing's damaged."

"What did you do, Sean?" Bill demanded. Sean buried his head in

Elise's nightgown.

"He held the tab on the toaster down." Erin filled in. "He didn't

know."

"It looks worse than it is." Fox came out the door. "But your

toaster's shot, Bill."

"Well, it's one way to make sure I wake up on time." Bill leaned in to

assure himself his house wasn't still on fire. "Cooking's going to be sort

of anticlimactic after this..."

Dana noticed Fox withdrawing to the far end of the porch. He looked

scared. <Well, you would be too if you were pyrophobic> she scolded

herself. <And he has good reason to be...>

"Are you okay, Fox?" Mike rubbed his eyes to get the smoke-tears out.

"I'm fine. You?"

"I'll need a shower, but I'm all right."

"Dibs," Erin said. "I need it more."

"No argument here." Mike drew a finger down her nose, leaving a

streak of pink under the black. "You look like a commando gone wrong."

"Da..." Erin whispered. "Did you hear me?"

"It's fine. It was instinct."

"No...I mean, did you hear me call Melissa...."

Mike smiled sadly. "Yeah. I told you, don't worry about it. It's

involuntary. You knocked me out of my bed, by the way."

"I thought I heard a thump."


Erin toweled her hair off and passed the rather sooty bar of soap to

Michael, on his way into the shower. "And Da--don't sing too loud."

"I'll try not to embarrass you." Mike grinned. "But I gotta sing!"

"Deny your primal urges, kay? Just this once?"

He sighed dramatically. "Okay. Tell you what, I'll stick to Billy

Joel."

"Fair enough. *No* funky seventies stuff, though."

"Ooo, I don't know if I can do that. Go play in the dryer."

"And don't hog the shower forever." Which she knew he would do

anyway. He always hogged the shower.

Dana and Fox were both waiting for the shower, as only two could be

in use at once, and Bill was washing Sean in the tub of other one. Erin

thought back, remembering Maggie's instructions on how to work the water

heater. Hm.....

"Hey, Alex, how are you at critical thinking?"

Alex looked up from the downstairs couch. "I got an A in Algebra.

Why?"

"I have the feeling this is the perfect opportunity to play some

horribly funny prank, but my mind is addled." she rubbed at her wet hair

again. "Look at it this way--Fox and Dana, one taking a shower, one

waiting. There must be some way...."

"What if we got Dana to take a change of clothes in the bathrooom for

Fox?"

"You know, there's this association called the Polar Bear's Club.

They stay in a sauna for an hour, then go jump in ice water, usually a

nearby lake. It's great for the circulation," Erin held in a grin, "And

you know, I think Fox might enjoy it. If we turned the hot water off--"

"Well, *my* first reaction would be to jump out of the shower."

Margaret came up behind them. "You two think too much like me for my own

comfort."

"Aw, Grandma..." Alex began.

"I'll get his clothes." Margaret smiled serenely. "But the timing..."

"I can take care of that, Margaret." Erin volunteered. "Alex, you

stand at the door and keep an eye out. When Dana goes in, shout mentally."

"Shout *what*!?"

"We don't have much time. Da just got out of the shower. Do it." Erin

shoved him up the stairs, mentally vowing never to talk without thinking

ever again. "Yell in your head. Got it?"

"Whatever--this doesn't have to do with the crystals, does it?"

"Go!" She gave him a last shove. Margaret emerged from the washroom

with a fresh-washed set of clothes. "Dana, hon, could you come get these?"

"I'll be right down."

Dana came down the stairs, eyeing Erin, standing by the hall door,

suspiciously. "What is it?"

"I have some fresh clothes for you and Fox. Would you be a dear and

take them up to him?"

Dana accepted the proffered clothes and went upstairs, mumbling

something about ten years out of the house and still being a dear.

"Mul--Fox...I've got some fresh clothes for you." She opened the

bathroom door, taking in the blackened clothes on the floor and handprints

on the shower curtain, and set the sweats on the counter.

<ERIN!> Alex yelled for all he was worth, not even sure how he should

do it. Downstairs Erin almost fell over with surprise. Reaching into the

heater closet, she pulled the lever on the already loose pipe, effectively

cutting off all the warm water immediately.

There was a sudden yelp upstairs and a crashing sound.

Uh oh.

She heard shrieks from the bathroom.

Big uh oh.


Dana had just set the clothes down when she heard the water pressure

go down in the shower. After a second, Fox yelped in surprise and dove out

from behind the curtain, executing a near-impossible turn midair to grab a

towel for his midsection. He almost kept his footing before slipping on

his discarded shirt and dropping to the floor, wedged in between the

cabinets and shower tub. Thankfully, the towel stayed more or less in

place.

He took stock of his situation. Lying on the floor, towel clad, with

Dana Scully standing there in surprise.

She stared for a minute. He didn't look hurt, and the view definetely

required a bit of

contemplation. He shut his eyes briefly. "Scully." It was definitely

formality time. "Would you mind...?"

She still didn't say anything. Finally, he opened his eyes again. She

was almost bent double, not making a sound, about to collapse from the

effort of holding laughter in.

He shook his head, which thudded painfully against the cupboards

below the sink. That did it. She began to laugh, rather loudly. Finally,

and probably from a concussion, he decided, he joined in. She gave him a

hand up, his other hand occupied with keeping the towel where it should

be. Then *she* fell against the sink, convulsing with laughter.

He shook his head, drying his hair out slightly, and aiming at at

least getting her wet for witnessing his accident. She held up her hands

to deflect the drops.

"Ah, don't want to get soaked, do we?" he advanced slowly. She

couldn't stop laughing long enough to make her getaway. He grabbed her,

wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Tough luck. You need a shower

too."

"No--ooo, you're freezing. What happened?" she gasped between laughs.

"The hot water shut off."

"Three guesses--"

"And the first two don't count." he finished.

"Exactly. Leggo."

"Never!" he declared. "You, young lady, need a bath."

"Mulder, don't you dare--the hot water's still off--" She shrieked as

he pulled her back under the shower, still on, and dispensing cold water

at an amazingly low temperature. "There. Don't you feel better now?"

"You. Are. A. Dead man." she reached over to turn the shower off.

"I'll give you a thirty second head start."

"A minute." he negotiated. "I have to get dressed."

"Twenty nine...twenty eight...twenty seven..." he jumped out of the

tub. "Twenty five...twenty four...twenty three..." Sweatpants. Shirt. Grab

'em and run. "Nineteen...eighteen...seventeen...sixteen..." Ooo, slip on

the bath mat. Almost drop towel. "It's nothing I haven't seen already,

*Fox*, I'm your doctor. Ten...nine...eight..."

He glanced back at her. "Beg pardon?"

"You think you had those boxers on the whole time you were in Alaska?

Five...four...three..." He put his hands on his hips and prepared to call

her bluff. "Two...one. Come and get me, Dana."

"You asked for it." she jumped over the edge of the tub and pulled

his head down to her level. "Your punishment."

He stared, fascinated. "Yeah?"

She kissed him. Hard. His eyes widened. Punishment? What? Eh? He

pulled her closer, not willing to end to quickly. Punishment? Hm? His

hands snaked around her waist again. And this was just the beginning--he

kissed back, wishing it wasn't the middle of the day in a house full of

people...

She slipped out from his arms and ran. Oh. Punishment. That hurt.

He shut the door and turned the shower back on. The cold water felt

good, suddenly. Yeah, punishment. Yowch.


Erin bounded up the stairs just in time to see Dana run into her room

and slam the door, and hear the cold water go back on. Back on?

When she looked in Fox was standing under a full-force freezing cold

shower. With a towel still wrapped around him. She leaned back out and

quietly walked down the hall to Dana's room. Muffled noises issued from

behind the--locked--door.

What had they done wrong now?

More like, what hadn't they done wrong. She sighed and headed back

downstairs. "Margaret?"

"In here." She called from the kitchen. "How did it go?"

"Not well."


When he finally toweled off and changed into a fresh pair of jeans,

the house was quiet. *Very* quiet. Way too quiet.

Well, Erin would be, she was hiding from them, he was sure. And if

Bill and Elise were bathing Sean, that left Alex, who would be hiding with

Erin, and Margaret, who would be downstairs doing something innocent.

Sean, he discovered, was asleep in his room, and Bill was showering,

while Elise combed her wet hair. He heard clanking from downstairs and

slowly peeked. Margaret was doing dishes. Erin and Alex were nowhere to be

seen.

Neither was Dana.

He glanced back and saw her door was closed. Oh, great, what had

happened now?

He turned the knob tentatively. It didn't give.

"Dana? Scully? It's me..."

No answer.

"She locked herself in." he whirled, right into Erin. "She won't come

out." the girl repeated.

"I think I realized that."

"Ah, but she didn't count on this." she held up a keychain. "I got it

from the emergency ring in the downstairs closet." she dangled it

temptingly in front of him. He sighed. "How much is it gonna cost me?"

"Can't put a price on friendship, Fox." she smiled mischeviously. "I

just want you to take me on a case."

"What?!"

"One case. All I ask. Something harmless."

Look at the door. Back at the key. Door. Key. Erin. Case. "Fine." he

sighed and grabbed the key out of her hand. "Now, go find something lethal

to play with."

"You're the best, Fox." she hugged him. "Yell if you need any help in

there."

"I've been handling her for three years, Erin, I think I can take

care of it."

"Never underestimate a Scully...."


The door opened. Damn spare keys, anyway.

"Dana...?"

She sniffed and stayed on the bed, wrapped in the comforter.

"Look, I'm sorry...." He came into the room. "I didn't mean--"

She waved a hand. "It's not your fault." she looked down at the

crumpled tissue in her hands. "It's just hard, is all."

"What?" he sat on the bed, mystified.

"This. Being here. You being here. And I want..." she trailed off. He

brushed the wet hair off the top or her head. "It's okay."

She leaned her head into his chest. "But it doesn't feel okay."

"Sh. No, it's fine. We'll work it out somehow." he promised. "Look at

it this way, we could have been split up for good. *That* would have been

hell on earth."

"I...don't want to spend the rest of my life without anyone, and the

one person I want to spend it with I can't..."

"Yeah you can. Just not in that way." He leaned back. "And maybe we

can figure out another solution."

"Hm-mm." She nodded into his shirt. "I'm tired."

"I'm not surprised. We were up until past midnight last night..." he

trailed off. She *was* tired. She was asleep.

He curled around her, tucked into the comforter, and rested his head

on hers.

When Margaret Scully looked in a few minutes later, she found them

curled together, asleep, and smiled. Erin poked her head in below her and

nodded, pulling out the camera from the abortive prank on Bill.

"Just one shot..."


He felt, rather than heard, the flash...opened his eyes for a

fraction of a second, but wherever he was, whoever he was, he was warm and

tired and didn't want to think. His eyes closed again and he curled

tighter around the warm bundle nearby.

She felt him move for a fraction of a second, and almost reached out

to stop him, but he stayed where he was, and she burrowed deeper into the

blanket. His arms wrapped tighter around her and she drifted off again.


As Erin and Margaret walked down the hall, Erin caught sight of Mike,

stretched flat on one of the deck chairs, also asleep.

"Hey, know what? Just about everyone's out for the count." She told

the older woman. "I think I'll follow suit."

"I'm going to go downstairs and start a late lunch. Everyone's going

to be hungry when they do wake up."

"Just what Fox and Dana will be hungry *for*..."

"I wouldn't dare think." Maggie nodded. "And Bill and Elise look like

they're out, too."

"Make Alex help you if he doesn't want to take a nap."

"I'll do that."

Erin flopped down on her bed and stared out the window for a minute.

Well, maybe the stunt they'd pulled had come off for the best.

She supposed it was horrible of her to make Fox trade her for the

key, but when one wanted to be an FBI agent one took all the opportunities

one got.

<Talking in the third person again, girl?> she snickered. <Well, it's

not as if Dana was about to kill herself or anything.>

She fell asleep staring out at the sky, not sure of the moment she

slipped from wakefulness to dreaming.


I never saw the moor,

I never saw the sea,

yet I know how the heather looks

and what a wave must be.

Emily Dickenson, Time And Eternity


Note: Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. I think that covers it. Got a little wild on this one, so watch out. Not as bad as Gossip the first, but still a little firey...lyrics to "You Learn" by Alanis Morissett and "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow (Muchas gracias, Keri:D). Just in case you don't understand much slang, 'rents is short for parents...

Credit for part of this really goes to Juliettt--she wrote most of one scene, but I'm not telling you which one:D see if you can guess. Hint--Full-blown, Head over heels...


Gossip Watches

Nov. 23, late morning

"Mphmhmph." Michael rolled over on the deck chair, trying to get comfortable. Unfortunately, deck chairs don't have armrests to catch you when you roll over. He hit the deck.

Someone laughed.

"Yowch," he managed, looking up at Margaret Scully. she offered him a hand up. "Thanks. I think I need something with sides on it."

"Don't we all," she said cryptically. "Are you all right?"

"Let me check." he patted himself down. "I apprear to be intact. Bruised ego, but otherwise whole."

"Dana and Fox are sleeping together."

"WHAT?" he fell off the chair again. "Here? Now? And you saw it?"

She nodded.

"Did I miss something?" Mike rubbed his head. Maybe he'd hit it harder than he thought.

"They're sleeping together, all right. And Fox is snoring." She shook her head. "How Dana could sleep through that noise..."

"Um, can we slow down? Sleeping, as in dreaming. Snoring. Fully clothed...?" Mike let the question dangle. She nodded.

"Thank god. I thought I was hallucinating. Not that that would be a bad thing..."

"...but you wouldn't believe it," Maggie finished.

"Exactly. What's for lunch?"

"I thought maybe oysters--"

"Oh, Maggie, let's not be obvious or anything."

"Actually, I was thinking take-out. I'm going to pick it up in a few minutes. Everyone's asleep."

"A housefull of human dynamos. Give me a few minutes to find my shoes and I'll tag along."

Bill and Elise stepped out on the deck.

Michael scratched his head thoughtfully, then looked at Margaret.

"You know." he whispered. "If they were going to do...something...they'd want an empty house. Right?"

"And how to you propose to empty the house of everyone?" Maggie demanded.

"Well, if we *all* went out for a late lunch--say, the four of us--and we didn't want to wake them, that would give them about an hour to do whatever they want..."

"Sean's conked ," Alex said, emerging from nearby. "I could take Erin out to the boathouse and get started on the sealant. That would give you four some time..."

Michael laughed at the young man inwardly. Of course, most of the family was still trying to set up him and Maggie. She was a sweet woman, and maybe if he were a little older, a little lonlier, he might have taken them up--but both of them knew it wouldn't be the same; Bill for Maggie and Nika for Mike prevented it. Still, if there was one thing he'd learned in the past few months, it was that Fox and Dana would be more...comfortable...out of the spotlight. And if it kept the two teenagers relatively out of trouble...Alex was a nice boy, he wouldn't try anything with Erin...


"Hey 'rin."

Erin murmured in her sleep.

"Erin, up'n'at'em."

"I don't have Improv this morning, Da...just another half hour..."

"Come one, let's go." Alex yanked the comforter off the bottom of the bed.

"Cold feet." She muttered. He grinned. "Okay, remember, you made me do this..." picking up the headphones attached to the radio next to the bed, he slipped them over her ears. Volume up, tape in, hit PLAY.

<YOU LIVE, YOU LEARN, YOU LOVE, YOU LEARN, YOU CRY, YOU LEARN, YOU LOSE, YOU LEARN-->

"Loud! Song! Aack!" Erin tumbled out of the bed. "Okay, I'm up, I'm up, turn it off." She breathed deeply for a second after he did. "Now, WHY am I up?"

"We're giving Fox and Dana some...time alone."

"Aha. The 'rents left?"

"You got it. And *we* are going to go paint the boat."


A muffled yell from a nearby room startled him out of sleep suddenly, completely, and frantically. "Sam--" He shoved himself up, glancing aroud the room. Voices in the hall. Erin and Alex.

Dana, lying next to him--what?--opened her eyes. "Hm?"

"Sorry." He climbed out of the bed, quickly, cursing at himself. "Nightmare."

"You okay?"

"I'm *fine* ," he said crossly. "Go back to sleep."

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs." He put his hand on the doorknob before he realized

there was a note taped to it. He pulled his hand back, note between two

fingers.

<<Fox--

Maggie, Elise, Bill and I went out for lunch. Erin and Alex are in the

boathouse. Sean's down for the day. We didn't want to wake you.

Have fun.

Mike.>>

"They did it again, Scully." He held up the note. "Your family is

more tenacious than most serial killers I've tracked."

"He's *your* uncle." She pulled the pillow over her face. "I can't

help it if stubborness runs in the family."

"Guess not." He crumpled the note and tossed it into the trash can.

"Three points. So, what do we do now?"

"Sleep?"

"I'm restless."

"We could short-sheet their beds."

"Not nasty enough."

"Glue their shoes to the ceiling?"

"Takes too long."

They both looked at each other at once.

"The turkey."


"You know, I think they do it just to spite us." Erin looked out the

boathouse window--boathouse, it was really a shack--and sighed. "The more

we push, the more they refuse to DO anything."

"It could be that they aren't in love." Alex wiped the brush on the

side of the container. At her glare, he shrugged. "Just a thought."

"Wait--Lex, get over here--my god--" she pressed her nose against the

cracked glass.

The two very proper, decorous FBI agents were standing in front of

the window. *Very* close.

"A happy couple enters the bar, *dangerously* close to one

another..." Erin quoted. Alex nodded. " 'rin, are they about to do what I

think they're about to do?"

"Unless they're already doing it. Hard to tell. And don't call me

'rin."

"How 'bout Rinty?"

"Fine." She tilted her head. "I think they're doing what you thought

they might do."

"Are we still talking about the same thing?" He asked.

"I don't know what *you're* talking about, but *I'm* talking about

two people about to do the wild thang on the kitchen counter."

"Are they--whoah."

"Hey..."

"Wow."

"I saw them kiss like that once before."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Really. In their office, of all places." She grinned

slyly. "I even got it on tape..."

"Wow..." He looked back at the window. Dana was quite obviously

returning Fox's kiss now. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said they

had the hots for each other."

"'The hots'?" She shook her head. "Nope, they're in *love*, Alex.

Real, true, head-over-heels, mind-blowing L-O-V-E."

"You think?" he asked skeptically, then turned back to the window.

"Okay, okay. I'm

convinced..."


It wasn't true. Not really. They hadn't *meant* to stand in front of

the window, they hadn't meant to put on a show--it just sort of happened

that way. They'd taken the turkey out of the refridgerator, carefully

wrapped, and set it on the counter, out of view through the window. Mulder

had been examining it critically. "I don't think it'd fit in any of the

full closets. I don't want a thawing turkey in my room. You?"

"I know a cold place we can put it." She tapped it. "Under the stairs

there's a closet that Bill never uses. We could stow it there."

"Let's just try to keep it edible." He leaned over. "I think there's

a rip--"

Okay, so there hadn't been a rip in the cellophane. He hadn't even

thought he'd seen one. But what Dana didn't know couldn't hurt her--

He hadn't meant to end up necking with her in her brother's kitchen.

Really. Truly. It just ended up that way. And when he finally came up for

air he was heartily sorry. Well, not *heartily*. He would have taken

another bullet if that would give him another chance like that. But this

wasn't what he wanted, and he knew it wasn't what she wanted.

She pushed some hair off her face, looked down. He sighed.

"Scully, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay." She didn't meet his eyes. "Me too."

"We should...uh...the turkey, before your brother gets back..."

"The turkey, right." Dana agreed. "Come on."

He picked it up--what a huge bird, was Maggie planning on feeding an

army?--and followed her.


"This is so cool--"

"What's he got in his arms?"

"I don't know. Looks like he's carrying something."

"They're heading for the stairs."

"Oh, Aunt Dana, what are you getting into..."

"Hey, what d'you mean?"

"Nothing, ma'am."

"Good. Keep it that way. C'mon, show's over for now."

"But--"

"Let's leave the two some privacy, okay?"


"Here." Scully opened the door. Mulder poked his head inside. It was

larger than it looked; the ceiling sloped down at the far end, but it was

fairly roomy for being under a set of stairs. He stepped inside, carting

the turkey, which was beginning to soak his jeans. Dana followed.

"You can set it over there." She pulled on a chain, lighting the

darker areas. "There's a bench..."

He pulled the door shut, settling the bird on the wood. "This is a

really lame joke."

"Yep."

"And after a few minutes they'll figure it out."

"Mm-hm."

"And if we aren't busy, they'll suspect us."

"Undoubtedly."

"So...." He took a deep breath. "Back upstairs?"

"Back upstairs." Dana pushed past him to the door. Turned the knob.

Grunted.

Pushed.

Uh-oh.

"Wait." Fox put his fingers on his forehead. "Don't tell me. It's

stuck. How cliched."

"How true." She leaned against the door again. "I think it's just

locked."

"*Just* locked." He repeated, amused.

"Just locked." Dana stood aside. "Got a hairpin?"

"You know, I'm fresh out. I wear them so very often." He held out his

hands. "No earrings, I suppose?"

She felt her earlobes. "Nope."

"Wait..." He examined the turkey again. "Here you go. What are

these?"

"They're turkey skewers. They hold the bird shut while it cooks. Open

it." She commanded. He tore at the plastic, finally handing her one. "You

know how to pick locks?"

"Bill used to lock my door from the outside."

"Nice brother."

"Well, he taught me how to do this, didn't he?" She twisted the wire,

and the door opened. "Just like magic."

"You never fail to surprise me."

"And I probably never will." She retorted smugly, walking out of the

closet. "That's the fun of it."

"Oh is it." He grabbed from behind. "Now, Dana, surprise me."

She brought her heel down on his foot. *ouch*.

"Surprise," she said sweetly.


"That was *quick*." Alex looked up. "They're back in the kitchen."

"No way. That's got to be a record."

"I don't think they did anything."

"Yeah, me either. Bummer." Erin crossed back to the boat, picked up a

brush. "Think the boat'll be ready in time for a trip out on the pond

before we leave?"

"Don't see why not. We've been working on it all week. We can

probably take it out

tomorrow." Alex pointed his brush at the oars. "Ever been in a rowboat

before?"

"Nope. I think I'll leave the rowing up to you."

"To me?"

"Yeah." She shot him an odd look. "You are going to come out on the

pond with me, right?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." He grinned. "Jeez, I'm losing it at fifteen."

"No problem here. I lost it a long time ago."


When Maggie and the rest of the adults returned, the house was almost

frighteningly quiet. Sean had slept through the afternoon without so much

as a toss or turn. Erin and Alex were nowhere to be found. Mike suggested

they might have gotten themselves lost in the woods. And Fox and Dana...

...were still asleep upstairs. They must've not even woken at all, he

thought in

disappointment.

"Yes they did." Maggie whispered, as if in answer to his mental

questions. "Your note's gone. Sh." She pulled him out of the doorway. "And

the turkey's missing from downstairs. Either them or Alex and Erin took

it. And my money's on Fox."

"What would they *do* with it?" Mike asked, mystified. "There aren't

many places to hide a turkey, Maggie."

"Found it." Bill looked up the stairs. "I'd say it's about time for

some of their own medicine, wouldn't you?"

"What've you got, Bill." Mike asked.

"We move the turkey. And then..." Bill smiled evilly. "Then the fun

begins."


When the two agents, looking sleep rumpled and rather less tired,

came down to the kitchen, Margaret was waiting. "Dana, did the men from

the shelter come by?"

"Men from the shelter?" Dana asked, leaning into the cupboard. "What

shelter?"

"Well, the turkey's gone. I guess they must have." She concluded.

"What? I didn't hear anyone come in." Dana looked over at her mother.

"Oh, they were supposed to come and pick up that turkey I was holding

for them. You didn't think *we* were going to eat it, did you?"

"Actually, I did..." Dana murmured.

"Well, anyway, they must have. I hope they got it okay."

Fox and Dana exchanged a frantic glance. <What do we do now?> he

asked silently. <How should I know?> She responded.

<Can we get it out? They can't have come yet.>

<How would we explain it to Mom?>

The doorbell rang. Both of them went pale as Margaret went into the

front hall. After a few seconds, they could hear the conversation.

"No...we thought you already came...are you sure?"

"Yes ma'am. This is the last stop of the day."

"The turkey's already gone, though."

"Gone, ma'am?"

"I was out; I thought one of the people had already come for it."

Margaret leaned into the kitchen. "Hon, you don't know anything about

this, do you?"

At Fox's cue, she shook her head. He mouthed 'mistake'. "It must have

been a mistake in the paperwork, mom."

"You positive on that?" The man leaned around the corner. It took

them a few seconds to realize who he was. Bill just grinned.

"You two are really sick, you know?"

"Really, Dana, depriving the homeless shelter of a turkey." Maggie

giggled. "And Fox, I saw you giving her cues. I should spank you both."

She considered. "Neither one of you is too big to be turned over my knee."

"Ooo, Maggie, getting a little kinky?" Mike asked from upstairs. "I

think we should let Dana have first crack at Fox, babe."

"*babe?*" Dana whispered frantically. "He just called my mother

<*babe*>."

"I know." Fox whispered back. Louder, he said, "And what about you,

Mrs. Scully? Don't you know better than to play pranks on poor defenseless

kids? I think we ought to make Michael whip you."

While Bill gaped at Fox's audacity(his mom would have his hide if he

said something like that) and Maggie just plain gaped, Fox and Dana escaped

out the back door, onto the porch, and across the field before Maggie could

make good on her promise. Well, one just never knew how determined she

was...and neither of them was willing to risk life or limb to find out.


Someday we'll look back on this moment and plow into a parked car.

-Evan Davis

===========================================================================

Author: RaEnright

Subject: Gossip II 7/probably eight

Written: 25 Nov 1995 07:00:30 -0500

Just thought I might explain...watching the Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving

morning is a family tradition with me. I thought it was a nice 'family

bonding' type thing. One of these years I'll get to New York and watch it

in person. Until then, however, it's back to the live coverage on the

Today show:D

After belatedly remembering that I'd been requested by my two favorite

editors to soup up the kiss in the kitchen a little, and that I hadn't

done it, I couldn't help but write this;-) There's your warning...nothing

graphic(me? Why, surely you jest!) but definetely romance(if you're a

non-m/s romantic and you've read this far, why quit now?).

Speaking of reading, you know, I would like to get just a little

feedback--are you all dead, or is my writing that bad? I've gotten TWO

emails total, and it's starting to worry me. Even if you just write me to

let me know it showed up on your server, I'd appreciate it.

Dangerous Gossip

part 7

Erin and Alex were both snickering across the boat at each

other--cracking jokes about one's family is one of the highlights of

visiting with them--when the door almost flew open. Fox stuck his head in.

"Mind if we hide out here a while?"

"Depends. Do you have the money to pay toll?" Erin asked. "Duh, you

can come in. Come on."

Both agents entered the small shack, shutting the door behind them.

"So," Erin asked conversationally, going back to the boat, "What did

you do this time?"

"*He* told my mom she needed a whipping." Dana tilted her head at

Fox.

"Are you crazy or just stupid?" Alex asked.

"No, crazy was hiding the turkey and stupid was believeing Margaret

would give our only turkey to the homeless shelter." Fox picked up a brush

and began to paint the stern of the boat. "I think we'd better stay out of

the house for at least a little while."


With all four of the real troublemakers out of the house, the rest of

the day passed fairly without incident. By late afternoon Maggie was in the

kitchen preparing some of the food that would be cooked tomorrow, like the

stuffing and some of the pie fillings that would need to chill.

Around five Mike crept downstairs and up behind her, grabbing her

from behind before she could turn.

"Shhh." He whispered against her ear. "They're watching from the

boathouse."

"This is an excuse to act like teenagers?"

"C'mon, Maggie. You can't hate it that much."

She sighed. "The things I do for my children."

"And you absolutely hate it." He grinned.

"Completely." She agreed. "I know what you want, Michael Mulder, you

want a crack at the turkey."

"Ah, I've been found out." He let her go, stepped to one side.

"Either that or a slice of the pie...?"

"Hands off, that's for dessert. *Tomorrow*." Margaret slapped at his

hand. "Mike, they're watching us."

"So?" His eyes twinkled, reminding her of Fox Mulder. So alike, these

two.

"So, we should behave as befitting our age."

"I can't act my age." He whined. "I have no experience."

He did have a point there.


Thursday, Nov 24

Early morning

"Da, wake up."

"Wha? Who?"

"Da, *wake up*!"

"Go away."

"Come on, Michael, get up."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't we'll have to drag out out of bed."

"It's...seven am. Why am I up? No, why are *you* up?"

"Fox, you want to handle that one?"

"Early start on the football game?"

"Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, dope."

"Erin, let me get this straight. You're waking me up at seven am on a

holiday to drag me downstairs so I can watch a giant inflatable Woody

Woodpecker get his wires tangled in a streetlight?"

"Pretty much. Come on, let's go."

"Why me, of all the people in this world, why me..."


After a morning of haggling, Mike and Margaret finally struck a deal:

He would clean and prepare the turkey if she got to make the stuffing.

Which left them almost all alone in the kitchen for the better part of the

morning.

"Ew, giblets." Erin commented, watching Michael open up the huge

bird. "You aren't going to eat those, are you?"

"*I*'m not. But someone is."

"Gross. I'm going back in the living room."

Mike shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Everyone else was ranged around the large room, either watching the

television or talking over it. There was some football game or other on

the screen that Bill, Fox, and occasionally Dana were following intently,

while Alex entertained Sean by telling him exactly what was done to the

Turkey before it was shipped to Safeway in a neat plastic wrapping. It

looked exactly like...well...a normal family get-together.

Which, in the Mulder family, meant it was time to stir up some

trouble.

In the eyes of a teenager, any movement in the room can be an

opportunity for trouble--Erin's came when Dana excused herself to use the

restroom upstairs. Ah, yesss. Perfect.

The ghost crystal that 'Melissa' had recommended earlier was on a

chain around her neck, and it shouldn't be any problem to...

"Bill, hon, would you see where Dana went to?" Margaret called from

the kitchen. "I need her help with the stuffing."

"I'll go." Fox volunteered. Hiked up the stairs and down the hall to

the spare bedroom. "Scully? You fall in?" He knocked on the door.

"Hm? No, just changing..." She opened the door.

His jaw fell open.

It wasn't really that it was a knockout outfit--in fact, it was just

a pair of denim jeans and a t-shirt--but on her it looked...incredible.

And he didn't even know why.

"Pull your chin up before it gets rugburns, Fox Mulder." She teased.

"What, the extra two minutes I spent with my makeup pay off?"

He did the last thing she thought he'd do. He bent over and kissed

her.

Well, maybe not the *last* thing she thought he'd do...best guess he

was following up on the kiss in the kitchen...

Downstairs, Erin took her hand off the crystal and went back to

watching the ball game. That was enough of a push for one day.

Upstairs, two very un-partnerlike friends were engaged in one *very*

un-partnerlike kiss.

Dana, returning the kiss with...um....vigor...found herself pulling

him back into 'her' room in the house, swinging the door shut. He followed

easily, hands on her waist, head bent at what must have been an

uncomfortable angle to reach her. Hands roaming upwards...

One half of his mind was screaming <Partner!> and the other half was

much more

persuasively screaming <Dana!>. But, as always...partner won out.

He let go of her, stepping back. Deep breath. *Deep* breath.

"This isn't going to work, is it?" He asked softly. She shook her

head.

"It would, though...there's just this *little* problem called our

jobs and this slightly *larger* problem called our friendship." He

continued, trying to convince himself. "Right?"

"I think..." She bit her lip, "I think that our friendship may be in

danger either way, Mulder."

"We need to do something."

"Right."

"What?"

"I don't know."

"Okay." He ran a hand through his hair. His heart was still pounding

from the encounter. "Gentlemen's agreement."

"What?"

"I promise to stop tempting you...you promise to stop baiting me..."

"I promise to try not to bait you...we both try to keep out libidos

in control..."

"Mm-hm." He kissed her again. "Control...right..."


"Mike, would you find out what those two are up to?" Maggie asked

crossly. "I need Dana's opinion on this."

"What about mine?" He asked innocently. "I don't count?"

"Nope. You don't know what my stuffing is supposed to taste like. Go

find her." She shoved him out of the kitchen.

"Touch that bird and you're a dead woman!" He called, before heading

upstairs. "Dana? Dana, Maggie needs your opiniooo...ooh my."

The door swung open on his nephew and his nephew's partner, locked in

a rather dangerous looking kiss.

"Maybe I'd better come back in a few minutes..." He smiled sheepishly

as they flew apart. "You know, you could have locked the door..."

"No, we were just...talking." Fox flushed. "There were a few things

to work out."

"Ah." Mike nodded. "Talking. Well, once you two get done talking,

would you mind coming back downstairs?"

"Oh, right." Dana straightened her shirt. "I'm coming." She walked to

the door, straightening her hair as she went. Fox followed her, to be

stopped at the door by his uncle. Mike tapped his lips. "You might want to

lose some evidence of your talk."

His hand flew to his mouth. "Ah...right...thanks."

"No problem. And Fox?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you two want to talk, I'd try to be a little less

conspicuous."

**

The smells of the cooking turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing were

about to push Erin over the edge. If they weren't ready to eat soon...

Distraction, that was it. She should get ready for the 'surprise'

Michael and Margaret had planned.

"Hey Fox, what's aunt Catherine doing this year?" she asked from the

front window. Fox looked up at the mention of his mother.

"I'm not sure. She said she was going to have dinner with some

friends. Usually she visits on the mainland."

"Really." Erin checked the window again. Someone was coming up the

walk. Knocking on the door.

"Who would show up at a time like this..." Michael winked from the

door to the kitchen. "Fox, would you get it?"

"Nobody goes door to door on Thanksgiving...I smell a rat..." Fox

opened the door.

"Hello Fox." Catherine Mulder stood on the doorstep. "Happy

Thanksgiving."

**

Relations between Fox Mulder and his mother had been strained, at

best, over the past few months. She was still angry at his father--who

was, of course, dead--and some of that had to pour over into her son. He

still smarted from her comments:"He chose you over her, and I hated him

for it."

Not the kind of thing you want to hear from your mother.

The last thing he'd expected was Michael to invite her over! Both

Mike and his aunt Alison had had a long-standing feud with William

Mulder--Alison because she didn't marry a man that William 'approved' of,

and Michael for not following him into government work. Mike knew he

didn't have the stomach for that sort of work, and he knew that what

William did wasn't as savory as he pretended it was. But as head of the

family after their father passed away, William considered it his right to

control who did what and married who in the family.

He was so busy controlling other people he never really noticed what

was going on in his own household.

At least, not until Samantha's disappearance brought it home.

Twenty-two years, Fox thought, and the repercussions go on.

His mother stood in the doorway, uncertainly smiling at him. He

realized he must have been staring and stood aside to let her in.

"Aunt Catherine!" Erin made up for his lack of enthusiasm by almost

jumping into the older woman's arms. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Mrs. Mulder--very few people could call her

Catherine--put her arms around the girl. "And where's Michael?"

"Catherine." Michael hugged her gently. "How was your trip?"

"I must admit, it's been a while since I traveled this far. Hello,

Agent Scully," she said politely.

"Mrs. Mulder." Dana answered.

Fox was still standing by the door in shock. "You two...know each

other?"

"Agent Scully attended William's funeral, dear. She was a great

consolation." Mrs. Mulder answered calmly. Erin mouthed the word

'aristocrat' at Fox. He nodded. She had lived, with her husband and then

without him, among senators and millionaires who kept summer mansions on

the Vineyard for the better part of her life. Few people, William Mulder

had boasted, could out-class his wife.

"Mrs. Mulder?" Margaret called from the kitchen.

"You must be Mrs. Scully." Catherine Mulder was charming the entire

family. Fox swore he didn't know how she did it. He certainly hadn't

inherited any of it.

He managed to stumble his way through introducing her to Bill, Elise,

and Alex before she got to Sean. And he knew exactly what sort of

grandmother she'd make.

"This...must be Sean." She smiled at him. He hid behind Elise.

"Come on, Sean, say hi to Mrs. Mulder."

"Hi."

"Sean, do you know who this is?" Dana asked. "This is Fox's mom."

His eyes got wide. "Fox has a momma?"

Mulder put his face in his hands. Nothing like having a parent around

to kill any vestige of dignity you'd like to claim. Something about having

a person around who knew where all your skeletons were buried and could

talk about them at any time really subdued a person.

Sean had come out of hiding and was looking up at her in awe. "Wow."

She picked him up, holding him on her hip. "Yup, and he was even a

little boy like you once."

Oh, no.

"Really?"

"Really. And later on maybe I can tell you about it, but I think

right now maybe I should help out your grandmother."

"Okay." Sean hopped down and ran back to Elise. "Promise?"

"Mom..." Fox started.

"Promise. Settle down, Fox, you're not to old to be taken down a peg.

Maybe I should tell him about the time you tried to paint your room."

Of all the people they could have invited...

**

The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the

impossible and achieve it, generation after generation.

Pearl S. Buck

===========================================================================

Author: RaEnright

Subject: Gossip II 8/?

Written: 28 Nov 1995 01:01:29 -0500

Hi there!

Boy, am I an ingrate. I get all this great email after the last post and

then I don't post this for two days. Wasn't my fault, really; Mom had the

computer all Sunday and Monday I was gone half the afternoon...but it's

here now...

Refrences to 'last June' are in connection with the Erin story 'shall We

Dance'. Email me if you want it. Refrences to the FBI dance are from

'Masquer's Prank' and can also be supplied on request.

The Guppy belongs to whoever created Gilligan's Island, I suppose.

Thankful Gossip

part 8

"Pass the potatoes."

"How do you spell that?"

"Dan Quayle I'm not. Gimme." Grab.

"Rolls?"

"Please. Erin, pass the turkey."

"Save some of that white meat for me."

"That turkey had to be bigger than Sean, Mike, I don't think it's

going anywhere." Sardonic smile.

"This is lovely."

"Thank you, Catherine." Friendly grin.

"Dana, do you have the gravy?"

"No, I've hidden it." Light sarcasm. "I think Bill has it."

"Don't look at me. I passed it to Fox." Guilty look.

"Alex?"

"I think it's behind the centerpiece. Erin, where are the

cranberries?"

"Aunt Catherine has them."

"Here you go, Alex. Margaret, these are delicious, where did you get

them?" Polite curiosity.

"There's a little fruit shop near where I live. I believe they

imported them from Martha's Vineyard, actually."

Small smile. "Imagine that."

"Small world."

"Isn't it, though."

Squeak. "Alex, get your finger off that crystal glass. We have

company, you know."

"Company?" Derisive snort. "We have family. It's not the same."

"Shh," Whack.

"Ow! Erin, stop it!"

"Momma, I want some yams."

"I think Bill ate the last of them."

Embarrassed grimace. "Fox had a lot..."

Dana glanced around the table to where everyone was sitting. Erin and

Alex bickering over manners, while Elise scolded Bill for eating the last

of the yams. Catherine and Margaret were engaged in some sort of

conspiracy at the end of the table involving imported cranberries. Fox was

eating turkey like he hadn't had food in a month. He caught her eye for a

second, smiled, returned to his food. It looked like something out of a

Rockwell painting.

<We miss you.> She thought, glancing at the place where Ahab would

have sat, now occupied by Bill. Melissa would have been deep in planning

with Erin between her and Alex...

"Dana, hon?" Her mother asked, knocking her out of her daze. "Are you

all right?"

She'd been sitting there with a forkful of stuffing halfway to her

mouth. She nodded. "I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

She was saved from further explanations by Bill tapping his spoon

against his water glass. "Attention, everyone. If I may, on behalf of all

here, propose a toast..."

"Like we could stop you, dad." Alex added.

"To family and friends, and those not with us." He raised his glass.

Fox followed suit.

"Melissa." Alex blurted out into the silence.

"Ahab." Dana answered him.

"Nika." Mike looked down.

"Samantha." Erin met Fox's eyes defiantly, daring him to say

something. "William." he finally said.

"And many others." Margaret finished. "Cheers."

"Cheers." They all agreed.

**

"Uhm, I won't be able to eat for a month." Mike slumped into one of

the living room chairs. "I must admit, Maggie, that stuffing was wonderful.

You'll have to give me the recipe."

"So you can jar it and sell it at your diner?" Maggie smiled. "Not in

this lifetime, Michael."

"Well, I don't think I'll have much need for it in the hearafter, but

I'll take that offer." He grinned. "Where are you off to?"

"Catherine wanted to talk leftovers. We'll be in later." Maggie

promised.

"And we'll all be asleep. Ah, I can feel the tryptophanes starting to

work." Erin sighed. "I'm going to take a nap out here. Turn on the

football game and let me rest."

"Hey, when she's asleep she can't cause trouble. Maybe you should

serve turkey more often." Dana picked up the remote. "Decision

time--Chiefs and Rangers or Chargers and Dolphins?"

"Chiefs and Rangers." Fox answered. "And don't be so sure she can't

pull pranks in her sleep."

"Ha, ha, ha...hum..." Erin was already flat out on the couch.

"I never thought I'd see the day my *mother* would show up on the

doorstep." Fox eased himself onto the other end of the couch. "Mike, I

assume this was your doing?"

"I thought it might be good for her to get out, away from that huge

house for a little while." Mike answered easily. "Methinks something be

awry betwixt the twain of you."

"Translation?" Erin asked.

"He thinks my mother and I have unfinished business," Fox said

coldly. "Michael, if you think--"

"Calm down, Fox. All I meant was that it would be good for both of

you to spend a little time together. And she should get to know Dana's

family, too."

"It's a conspiracy. One huge, all-consuming, neverending conspiracy.

You love it, don't you?"

"Yeah, but that's just the fun part."


"That was a delicious dinner, Margaret." Catherine Mulder stood at

the table, gathering up a few of the plates. Margaret smiled. "Thank you.

Now, what do we do with the leftovers?"

"I really didn't think there'd be any. You've got quite a brood, and

Fox and Erin didn't skimp, either."

"Well, I always did like to cook for a big family."

"It's certainly that!"

"I suppose we should give the extra stuffing to Michael--he did ask

for the recipe, after all." Margaret bagged up the stuffing and shut it in

the fridge for the moment. "Dana loves the dark meat."

"I hope we could send some of the leftover breast home with Fox...He

doesn't have enough meat on his bones." Catherine sighed. "It's been so

long since he let me cook for him, I don't even know what he likes

anymore."

"Children do tend to grow up and away. He's a gentleman, though,

Catherine, I'm sure you raised him up right."

"He is?" Mrs. Mulder raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if I even know

him anymore."

"I feel that way about my children, sometimes. But then I look at

Dana and see she hasn't really changed at all."

"No?"

"Not in the ways that count."

"I suppose not. Margaret--you do know him better than I do,

probably--he is a good boy, right?"

Margaret almost laughed at the display of parental concern. <what

worry warts we become in our old age!>. She noticed the other woman's

concerned expression, however, and realized Catherine was dead serious.

She really didn't know her own son anymore.

"I don't think you need to worry about that. He may not always play

by the rules, but he'd never hurt anyone he didn't have to."

"That's a relief. His father--" Catherine cut off suddenly. "Your

Dana is a wonderful girl, too."

"Thanks. Her father really brought her up--she was a daddy's girl. I

still can't believe she joined something like the FBI. Hard to imagine

your children carrying guns, isn't it?" Margaret changed the subject

easily. She knew enough about William Mulder from Dana to know he wasn't

exactly an angel.

"Easier than some things." Catherine whispered. "She's rather fond of

Fox, I gather?"

"Fond would be the understatement of the century." Maggie replied. "Did

she tell you anything, the last time she met you...?"

"Just that she knew he wasn't dead. That she couldn't tell how, but

she knew."

"I see. Fox hasn't mentioned it. Not that we talk much." Mrs. Mulder

looked out the window for a moment, sadly. "So many missed opportunities

in our lives..."

"It's never too late, Catherine. He does love you, you know."

"I have wondered, at times."


"Do you think they actually enjoy it?" Erin asked, propping her feet

up on the edge of the couch. "I don't think I could stand talking about

leftovers for half an hour."

"Ah, Generation X, how little we know ye." Mike chuckled.

"Does he always get this way after Thanksgiving?" Erin asked Fox.

"Like he got zapped into some Shakespearean play?"

"He's waxing poetic."

"I see. Da, think you could wax *normal* for just a little while?"

"Erin, I was merely saying that you don't understand because you're

from a different

generation. Maggie and Catherine both grew up during the forties and fifties,

if I'm not too far off, and that was what women did back then. It's a

cultural thing."

"Kind of like you and Fox both liking that awful seventies music?"

"Hey, some of that stuff is pretty good!" Mike protested. "What's not

to like?"

"Simon and Garfunkle I'll give you. They're cool. But Pink Floyd?"

"Shh." Fox shushed them. "The game's on. You can argue music some

other time."

Eventually both Erin and Fox fell asleep, Mike managing to keep awake

the few extra minutes to see Maggie and Catherine come in quietly. He smiled

and motioned with the remote control. "Anything in particular you ladies

want to watch? Dana, you sick of football yet?"

"Just about," she said from where she was curled up in the chair,

gently keeping Clyde from jumping up on Fox where he desperately wanted to

be, mainly because he would have easy access to his fingers. "What else is

on?"

"Nothing much. A few corny movies, some cartoons, and a documentary

on the wild turkey."

"Well, we can skip the wild turkey." Dana smiled. "He's asleep."

"Maybe we ought to switch it off. I'm going to take the wild child

upstairs." Mike hit the power button. Fox murmured quietly "Hey...was

watching that..."

"While checking your eyelids for leaks, right?" Mike asked. "Wake up,

Fox, I've got to pry Erin away from you."

"Hum?" He opened one eye. Erin had curled up against his shoulder.

"Ooo, someone's going to be jealous."

"Yeah, Clyde." Michael picked up the yappy little ball and set it on

his lap. He was awake instantly.

"Good Clyde...good dog..." He tried to defend his face, failing

miserably. "Ms. Scully, would you control you child, please?"

"Nope," she said gleefully. "He just wants a taste."

"I'm not giving up my fingers for a dog. Down, Cujo!"

"Whaa?" Erin, jostled by the attempts to control Clyde, rubbed her

eyes. "Who won?"

"Dana did." Fox informed her, finally shoving the dog off his lap.

"Doesn't she always?"

Behind them, Margaret and Catherine exchanged knowing glances.

"Come on, trooper, upstairs and to bed with you, or awake and

outside." Mike pulled Erin off the couch. "What'll it be?"

"Alex wanted to check up on the boat. Seeya." She stumbled out the

door to the woodshed.

Alex was indeed checking the boat, going over every inch with the

attention to detail he'd inherited from his father. The entire shell had

been sealed up; it was ready to go. He gave one of the oars a final swipe

with the sandpaper as Erin came in.

"Hey Rinty."

"D'you have to call me that?"

"Yup. the boat's ready."

"We'll take it out tomorrow before we leave?"

"Sounds good. Grandma said she'd find an old coke bottle to christen

it with. Dad isn't crazy about it, but you know Grandma." Alex shrugged.

"We still don't have a name for it."

"What name did it come with?"

"Well, when it was in better condition dad said it was called The

Guppy."

"And a three hour tour!" Erin sang. "How traditional. Let's rename

it."

"What do we call it?"

"I don't know. How about The Alex?"

"No thanks. That rates right up there with The Erin. Or Rinty."

"Maybe we should name it after your grandma."

"I dub the The Margaret?"

"Was just a thought."

"Maybe we should let Sean name it."

"Ugh, he'd probably call it something weird."

"It's a miracle we even got it done in a week. I thought for sure

Sean or Dad would mess it up, or that little dog."

"A miracle, huh?"

"Corny name."

Erin snapped her fingers. "That's it. The X-File."

He looked at her for a moment. Finally, he broke out into a grin.

"That's great!"

**

That evening

"Maggie, you still cleaning up?" Mike leaned into the kitchen. "Take a

break!"

"No, I'm finished up there. I'm watching Erin and Alex test the oars

out."

"The boat?"

"They're using a bit of wood to make sure the oars give them enough

control." She pointed.

"Wonderful." He whispered into her ear. "Now, turn around."

"Why--" As she turned, he took her hand. "Because you and I are going

to dance."

"Michael..."

"Nope, come on." He began to two-step around the kitchen. "This is

the big finale, Maggie, and then we can be friends."

"Ah." She moved in time with him automatically. "It's been, oh, at

least three years since I've danced."

"Really?" He asked, slowing down. "Did you dance with Captain Scully

much?"

"Sometimes." Maggie smiled. "Not as often in the last few years. Neither

of us were as young as we used to be."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Maggie just kept smiling, recalling the last time she'd danced with

Ahab. She might not want to date Michael, but it was nice to feel a man's

arms around her again. He was much thinner than her Captain, and a bit

taller, but every bit as graceful as her husband had been. If she closed

her eyes, she could imagine it was William she was dancing with, not

Michael Mulder...

"Aw, isn't it sweet," Fox whispered, leaning his head into the

doorway. Dana looked on above him. "Love springs eternal from the human

breast..."

"They look wonderful together," she whispered back. "Mom looks like

she's lost in some little world of her own."

"You know, you still owe me a dance from last June." Fox reminded

her. "You fell asleep and I had to watch that incredibly corny movie

alone."

"I danced with you at the FBI Haloween party, didn't I?"

"Only because you wanted to get away from Skinner."

"You sure about that?"

He looked up at her. she returned his look innocently. He shook his

head and returned his attention to the two dancing in the kitchen. "Dana,

Bill's got a stereo next to the TV, doesn't he?"

**

Guess it won't end there, will it?

:D

When I was born, they looked at me and said

what a good boy, what a smart boy, what a strong boy

and when you were born, they looked at you and said

What a good girl, what a smart girl, what a pretty girl.

What A Good Boy, Barenaked Ladies <thanks, Anik!>

===========================================================================

Author: RaEnright

Subject: Gossip II 9/10(almost over! Yess!)

Written: 5 Dec 1995 23:59:18 -0500

I just had some fun with this one. Nothing really deep, at least not much.

Nothing that funny or interesting, either. And yes, Peniultimate means

second to *last*. So there.

Sorry this one took so long. I was working on a few other things, and

semester finals take a bit out of you...

As always, feedback is encouraged and appreciated.

Peniultimate Gossip

Part 9

Michael smiled down and Margaret, who was dancing, eyes closed, in

his arms...his mind tweaked him. <She could be good for you, you know>

<Quiet>

<She *could*>

Wait a minute.

*Erin?*

<Damn. Sorry, Da, couldn't help it.>

*Go. Away. And. Let. Me. Dance.*

<Beware, Fox and Dana were watching you.>

*I'm getting a touch tired of you delving into my head.*

<All right, all right. See you!>

He smiled at Erin's parting mental laugh. Incorrigible, completely

incorrigible.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder if that first thought *had* been

his.

Nonsense, Margaret was Dana's mother. It would be too awkward. And

painful, if things didn't work out.

He shut his eyes and imagined for a second that it was Nika he was

dancing with, and not Margaret. Nika had loved dancing.

In the living room, the two FBI agents examined the collection of CDs

next to the stereo. "Strangers In The Night?" Dana asked in a whisper,

holding up a Frank Sinatra CD.

"No, I think something a little more modern...or maybe something a

little older." Fox slipped one out of it's case and into the player. He

switched it on and set it to number three.

Classical music began to emerge quietly from the speakers. In the

kitchen, Maggie's eyes opened and she would have stopped, but Mike kept

dancing. "Play to the hilt, Margaret."

"Do you know what this is?"

"Copeland, I believe." He answered. "Erin told me that Fox and Dana

were watching us."

"She told you?" Maggie inquired politely. He shook his head. "Some other

time, maybe."

Erin and Alex came downstairs softly, joining Fox and Dana at the

door of the kitchen. They were both smiling approvingly. Elise followed.

"Where's Bill?" Dana asked. "He should see them."

"He and Mrs. Mulder took Sean out to the pond. They do look a pair,

don't they?"

"I heard that, Elise Scully." Michael announced, eyes still closed.

"And as soon as that song ends, Fox, I'm coming after you personally."

"That's my cue to cut in." Fox stepped up, deftly slicing between the

two. "Can't catch me if I'm dancing, can you, Mike?"

"I'll wait." Michael crossed his arms.

The song ended.

Everyone burst into applause.

"Take a bow, Mrs. Scully." Fox grinned. "Mike, I think you might want

to join her?"

"And now, the full story please," Erin said pointedly. "Where did you

take acting classes?"

"We've been found out, Maggie." Mike laughed. "Erin, don't be mad. We

did have a reason, really."

"Leading on my romantic heart like that, you two ought to be

ashamed." She scolded.

"Could you let us in on the secret, or is this some sort of code we

aren't supposed to know?" Dana jumped in.

"It's no code," Erin said. "My Da and your mother have been leading

us on all week."

"Time to come clean." Michael sighed. "We were justified, really. It

took the spotlight off Fox and Dana, didn't it?"

"It what?" Fox gave him that piercing 'Mulder' glare that William had

been so good at. Mike folded. "We knew you were trying to set us up, so we

took the bait to distract Erin and the others from bothering you. It

*seemed* to be working, until the wunderkind over there figured it out."

"And I thought a week away from the pressures of work would do us

good." Fox muttered. "That's pretty damned low, Mike."

"Not as low as pretending to fall in love just to fool the rest of

us." Mike pointed out. "And at least we didn't spy on you all the time."

They looked at each other.

"He's right, Fox." Erin giggled. "We did do a worse job on them than

they did on you two."

"Show's over, kids, you can all go home now," Mike said. "Erin, I

think now would be a good time to start on that homework you've been

putting off all week."

"Only if Fox shows me how." She replied stubbornly. "I need someone

who knows the diffrerence between f of x and special effects."

"How was I supposed to know it wasn't a video editing class?"

"Come on, bum, let's go." Erin took Fox's sleeve and dragged him

upstairs. "And then, if you're good, I might let you do my Chemistry

homework for me..."

**

"One more day, huh?" Alex leaned in the open doorway. Erin looked up

from the bed and sighed. "One more day. Then we go home and I spend the

rest of the weekend getting all the email that must've piled up while I

was gone. And then, if I'm lucky, I'll even get to watch some TV Saturday

night."

"Been missing technology?" He asked.

"You have *no* idea. I'm glad we came this week, though."

"I am too. So, what're you really going to do when you get home? Call

your boyfriend?"

"What's a boyfriend? Oh, I remember. No, I doubt it. I suppose I

could always send a love letter to one of my pen pals, but I doubt he'd

like it." She smirked. "Besides, most of them are a little old for me."

"Come on, you don't have a boyfriend?"

"Why would I? I barely know anyone at my high school. I've only been

there for a few months, and Da says we may move again by the end of the

school year."

"That's a shame," he said thoughtfully. "Anyway, just wanted to make

sure you were still on for the boat tomorrow."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Me either." He muttered as he left.


"I have an idea." Bill announced at breakfast the next morning. Elise

looked up from her toast and groaned. "Step back, everyone. Bill's been

thinking."

"I have not!" He defended. "I just had an idea."

"Are you going to share it with us, or were you just particularly

proud of yourself?" she asked.

"No respect, I get no respect in this family."

"We respect you, Bill, we just don't show it." Margaret put in. "Now,

what is this great idea?"

"I was thinking, Sean didn't want to wait half a day before heading

out to Old Park like we said we would. Neither do I, but Alex and Erin

wanted to test the boat out this morning. So why don't we take the boat

with us? There's a pond at the park, they could test it in that."

"And if it sinks, we look like idiots in front of half of Annapolis.

Good call!" Erin clapped him on the back. "But it won't sink, right Alex?"

"Hopefully..."

"I'm reassured now." Erin grimaced. "All right, sounds good. We can

strap it to Da's car."

"You're not putting that monster on top of *my* Jeep." Mike looked

up. "Not unless you plan to put something under it. I just got it waxed."

"Fine, fine." Erin had that look in her eye. "We'll wrap it in

something, okay?"


The snazzy red Jeep Cherokee sped down the highway, looking

particularly sharp in the late morning sun. Except for the bright, fuschia

and purple-wrapped bundle on top.

"She dies." Mike told Fox, seated in the front seat. "As soon as we

get there, she dies."

"Look at it this way, it's not as bad as the tie I offered you last

Sunday."

"I didn't have to WEAR the tie."

"Good point."


By the time they'd unpacked, pulled the boat down off the roof, and

settled on a spot for the picnic, everyone was hungry. Of course, what

better to eat at a picnic the day after thanksgiving than--

"Turkey sandwiches. I'm going to be sick." Dana pulled the

plastic-wrapped bundles out of the basket. "You know, we could donate the

*leftovers* to the Salvation Army, I don't think they'd mind..." She shook

her head at the way Fox and Bill dived into their sandwiches. Mike ate his

slower, actually taking time to chew before swallowing. Erin took the bag

of chips and munched happily on that while trying to secure them from Alex

and Sean.

"Probably not, but I figure at this rate they'll be gone in a few

days." Margaret answered, starting in on her own. Sean walked over,

leaving a trail of chips from the handful he held, and plopped himself in

Fox's lap.

"Gimme some sandwich?"

"Please, Sean, gimme some sandwich please." Elise corrected

automatically.

"*Please* gimme some sandwich."

"What'll you give me?" Fox asked, eyeing the small person in his lap,

who was dropping chips on his jeans.

"I won't tell Aunt Erin what your mommy told me."

"And what did my mom tell you?" Fox shot a look at Catherine, sittig

near Maggie. She

shrugged.

"What you did to your room when you were my age." Sean smiled up at him innocently.

"Mooom....you didn't..."

"He wanted to know, Fox. It's not my fault Erin tried to pump it out of him."

The FBI agent flushed, broke off a bit of sandwich, and handed it to the 6-year-old. "What else did Granma Catherine tell you?"

"She told me not to tell you."

"Oh she did."

"Don't be so uptight, Fox, he wouldn't tell me anything," Erin commented. "Feed the child."

"I think it's time we got a game up, don't you?" Bill asked, saving him from further embarrassment. "Mom, you have the frisbee...?"

While most of the adults joined in the frisbee game, Alex and Erin hiked across the flat park of the park to where they'd set down the boat.

The mulitcolored blanket came off, and the boat was turned over.

Catherine, not one for frisbee, came down to supervise.

"Here goes." Alex pulled his shoes off and started to push it into the water on one side, Erin on the other. It slid out a few feet....

.....and, miraculously, floated.

"All right!" They climbed in and shoved off the shallow section. "The maiden voyage of the X-File is a success!"

"Let's see if we can make it all the way around before they get done with the frisbee," Alex suggested. "You want to take first shift?"

"S'a good thing Fox let me use the rowing machine at the FBI gym."

Erin began to pull on the oars. "I am woman, see me row!"

"I see," Alex observed. "And a nice job you do of it, too."

**

"Got it!" Fox dived for the disc, knocking it with his hand before running into Bill. The frisbee soared up for a minute and then hit the dirt.

Right in front of a small golden dog. Who put every ounce of his ten-pound frame into a snarl before snatching the offending object and taking off.

"Oh, man." Bill watched Clyde vanish into the trees at edge of the field. He disentangled himself from the FBI agent and looked around. "Who let *that* loose?"

"He wanted to play!" Sean said from the blanket on the grass.

"I'll go get him." Fox shrugged. "How hard can it be? He's smaller than a breadbox and Scully feeds him too much."

"That's Doctor Scully to you, Agent Mulder." She pointed a finger at him. "He's faster than he looks."

"The damned frisbee is bigger than he is. He's probably already dropped from exhaustion."

"I'll come. There's a stream down there and if you trip--"

"You're worse than my mother." He glanced back at the blanket, where his mother and Margaret were talking. "Come on."

She was right, he thought angrily, that little dog had jet boosters in his butt. By the time they finally recovered dog and frisbee, he was streaked with dirt and sore from diving after it. Scully didn't look much better.

"There, wasn't that fun?" she asked with mock brightness.

"I'm waiting for you to say 'I told you so'."

"I think I'll just let you deal with Clyde for the rest of the afternoon."

"Ouch." He wrapped his arm firmly around the golden dog's middle. "I may never play the violin again."

"I wasn't aware you played to start with."

"I don't."

"Poor baby." She took his hand, which was red from doggy tooth marks.

"Marry me, Scully." He grinned.

"Not this time, Agent Mulder."

"Well, it was worth a shot." Mulder shifted Clyde again, tucked him under one arm. "You know, he'd make a great football..."

Scully said something, but he wasn't really listening.

<Not this time, Agent Mulder......*this* time....>

**

"So, who do we take out next?" Erin leaned back and let Alex take a turn at the oars. He shrugged, putting them off course for a minute. "I thought Grandma might like to take a ride."

"I have a better idea."

The two FBI agents had barely returned from fetching the frisbee when Erin and Alex shored the boat again. "Fox! Dana! Come ride with us!" Erin waved. They exchanged wary glances. Erin put her hands on her hips. "Come on, I'm sure the boat can take it. Unless you've put on a few pounds from the turkey, Fox--"

He grabbed one of the oars. She smirked. "Alex and I'll push."

Alex hopped out, took one side of the boat. Erin held it while Dana climbed in, then winked at Alex. "One, two, three, and you're off!" They ran to boat out a few feet and let it drift.

"What the--*Erin!*." Fox shouted. "I thought you two were coming along..."

"Darn, we were, weren't we?" She called back. "Sorry about that."

Dana put her face in her hands and began to laugh. "She's going to drive us to it, Mulder."

"Don't I know it." He stood up. The boat rocked. She started.

"Mulder, you're going to tip us over."

"That's not precisely what I had in mind." He reached down and pulled her up. "More like this."

"No, no, and no."

"Come on, Scully." He leaned in close. "Last day. We go back to work soon. I promise, this is the last you'll hear of it."

And he leaned in and kissed her.

The party standing on the beach cheered loudly.

**

All the world's a stage, all the men and women merely players. They have

their entrances and their exits, and one man in his time plays many parts.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet(I think.)

===========================================================================

Author: RaEnright

Subject: Gossip 2 10/10

Written: 21 Dec 1995 14:39:15 -0500

The last, the very last, the last part. Really, I mean it. Okay, some

people insist it can't end with Gossip 2, but manoman, I hope it does. Not

that I don't love writing, but it takes a bit out of you. Soo, on with the

show. Enjoy! And thanks to everyone who wrote in to say they have....

Matchmaker's Gambit--The End of the Gossip Saga

Friday, Picking up somewhere near where we left off.

It looked somewhat like a cross between the moster of the black

lagoon and cro-magnon man. Not really human, and certainly not very

nice-smelling. Muddy, and covered in green weeds from the knees down.

Hunched back with the intent of climbing up onto the sandy bank.

Fox Mulder, former hot shot of the FBI and the man who never lost his

cool, waded out of the pond carefully, daring anyone to say anything. Erin

collapsed next to Mike and Alex on the blanket, convulsing with silent

laughter. Sean giggled. Margaret, Bill, and Elise shook their heads.

Catherine smiled.

Dana Scully followed slowly, taking the proffered, slippery hand to

pull herself out. She looked a little less disheveled, but not by much.

"Pheeew!" Bill roared. "What is that smell?"

"I think it's my son." Catherine Mulder smiled. "Fox, you didn't tell

me..."

"Not a word." Fox held up a grimy finger. "From any of you. Not

*one*."

The boat, capsized, floated slowly in behind them. He hooked an oar

with one hand and guided it up onto the bank.

Dana helped beach the boat, and both slowly turned around. Erin and

Alex were hopelessly sprawled against each other and on top of Michael,

desperately trying not to laugh out loud.

"I told you we'd lose our balance." She finally said.

In typical fashion, he ignored her, concentrating on glaring at the

witnesses. "Anyone got something we can dry off with?"

A single paper napkin floated over from Erin's general area.


Thankfully, someone in building the park had foreseen something like

this and provided showers in the drafty restrooms. Mike dug in his

dufflebag and pulled out a spare of clothes for Dana, while Fox managed to

find his suitcase without covering everything in pond muck.

"Ew, what an awful way to end something that wonderful." Erin scooped

water over the boat, trying to get some grit out of the bottom. "They

really were doing quite well, you know..."

"I had no idea Fox was involved with a lady, especially Agent

Scully." Catherine handed her a paper towel to sop up the extra water.

"Has it been going on long?"

"I'm not sure 'involved' is the right word, Aunt C, but it's a unique

relationship." She shrugged. "It kind of got started last January."

"I see." She sat back as both agents emerged from opposite sides of

the building, Dana in an oversized sweatshirt reading 'My friends went to

Culinary Arts School and all I got was a recipe for stuffed mushrooms'.

The jeans had been supplied by Erin, and were still a little loose.

"Well, don't you two look lovely." Mike called. "Oh, for a camera and

a roll of film."

"Got it." Bill held up a huge piece of equipment. "Say Cheese!"

"Say die!" Dana called back cheerfully. "I'll buy the negatives,

Bill."

"Nope, these are gonna be around for a long, long time."

"We're gonna post them up at your wedding. Show them to your kids.

Your grandkids are gonna inherit these." Erin threatened.

"Can we put her on the roof on the way home?" Fox asked, settling

onto the grass. His hair spiked every which way, and there was still sand

on his arms and neck. He scratched at them absently.

"Hey, that would be sort of cool." Erin snapped a bit of cloth at

him, smacking sand from his arm. "Da?"

"No, no, and no. You're driving home." Michael said lazily. "I ate

too much."

"Yessss! Gimme the keys!" Erin grabbed them from his outstretched

hand. "And I promise I'll get us home before curfew this time--"

"This time? When did you break curfew, Erin?" Fox looked up. "I

warned you about

disobeying Michael."

"Once, I'm late *once* and they never let you forget it." She rolled

her eyes. "It was a party."

"When?"

"October, not that it's any of your business, Fox."

"Why?"

"I lost track of time." She answered defiantly. "Look, it was just

once."

"It's fine, Fox, I can take care of her." Mike grinned. "After all,

she was doing it for your benefit."

"She was going to a party for my benefit?" A confused look crossed

his face. "How is that?"

"The FBI dance--"

"Da, no--"

"She came to see you--"

"They don't--"

"And she got home late." Mike ignored her tugging on his sleeve.

Dana looked over at Fox. He glanced back.

"Oh, great, I'm dead now. Good thing their guns are locked in the

car. Thanks, Mike." Erin groaned.

"You came to the FBI Haloween function?" Dana asked. "We never saw

you."

"Yeah you did," Erin said, resigned. "I was the highlander girl you

danced with."

"The one Skinner was looking for?" Fox asked, incredulous.

"You......"

She bit her lip and nodded.

"That's it. Prepare to defend yourself." Dana stood up. "Mulder, care

to help me?"

"What are partners for?"

Erin curled into a fetal ball behind Alex. "No...really, I didn't

mean anything by it--Skinner will tell you--aieeeeee......."

They grabbed her, Alex defecting to the dark side and leaving her

without cover. She

shrieked as the two agents carried her over to the edge of the pond and

tossed her in, to the applause of all present.

Except the one in the lake.............


"I-I-I-I-I-am-m-m soooooo cold-d-d." Erin snuggled down into the

Redskins sweatshirt and pushed wet hair out of her face. "B-b-b-ut it

was-s-s-still worth it-t-t."

"I'm glad you got your kicks." Fox smiled down at the seated

teenager. "Scully isn't going to forgive you that easily."

"You t-two back to M-m-mulder and Scullyyy?" She chattered.

"Yes." He answered absently. "Stay there. I'll go get the presents

that Margaret and the family has for you. Even if you haven't been good."

"You better watch out,

you b-better not cry,

you better not p-pout

I-I-I'm telling-g you why,

Santa Claus is tapping your phone."

Erin burst into stuttered song.

"Sit. Stay. Good girl." Mike called. "Get Clyde to keep you warm."

"He's kinda small. Alex, c'mere."

Alex paled. She grinned. "I'm not going to bite. I just want a warm

body nearby."

Mulder approached the group of adults--or clever adult

impersonators--shaking his head. "I sense a budding romance, perchance?"

"Fox, don't meddle." Catherine scolded. "It's not polite."

"Don't tell *me* that." He scowled. "Mike, you about ready to go?

We've got a ride ahead of us."

"Got the bag. You didn't have to do this, Margaret."

"Yes I did. You got us presents, didn't you?"

"But we'll probably see you at Christmas anyway--"

She shook her head. "Never assume, Michael. Catherine wants to host

you for that holiday. So, we might as well exchange them now. Give these

to Erin--" she pointed out the green-wrapped pair of gifts, "And these to

Fox." She indicated the ones tagged with Marvin The Martian stickers. "The

rest are yours."

"And I expect to see you come Christmastime." Catherine added.

"Margaret, we will have to do this again sometime. I had a wonderful

time."

"C-c-can we cut the f-f-f-amily values-s-s-stuff and head

h-h-h-h-ome? I want my elec-c-tric blanket." Erin started to sneeze,

shivering against Alex. "N-n-not that I'm complaining ab-b-out Alex, but I

wanna go home..."

"All right, wild woman, come on." Michael pulled her up.


Goodbyes said, each set off a separate way. Erin bundled into the

passenger's seat, deferring driving privledges to Mike after all, and

leaving Mulder and Scully the back seat again. Catherine rode home with

Margaret, and from there drove home, alone, back to the big house in

Chilmark and certain memories nobody should have to live with. Bill and

Elise conferred and kept Margaret overnight before letting her drive home.

Alex met his friends to brag that he'd gotten to spend the week with a

definite babe.

Michael, at about eight pm that night, glanced over at his daughter,

asleep in the seat beside him, and his nephew and niece-to-be, he hoped,

one day. They were curled up on the back seat of the Jeep, covered by

their trench coats, fast asleep. Together.

And far above, a young woman with dark brown hair and Fox's eyes

looked down on them all and smiled.

END

Well, there you have it. I know the ending was kind of abrupt, but what can I say, I only write the stuff.

:D

"If we shadows have offended,
think but this and all is mended:
that you have but slumbered here,
while these visions did appear.
and this weak and idling theme
no more yielding than a dream,
gentles do not reprehend;
if you pardon, we will mend.

And as I am an honest Puck,
If I have the unearn'd luck,
now to scape the lizard's tongue,
we shall make amends erelong.
Else the Puck a liar call,
and so goodnight unto you all.

W. Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream


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