Title: Holiday Journal: Hanukkah Summary: Mulder goes all out to show Hunter (and Dana) how Hanukkah should be. Along the way, Hunter finds joy in a friendship, Mulder renews his faith and beliefs and Scully catches a glimpse of things to come. Well, here's another one. This one is shorter than the others, but no less dear to my heart. I am one of those who believe Mulder was raised Jewish and since Hunter is half-Jewish, I thought what the hey! Holiday Journal, Entry #7 Today was a big day for me. My Dad was awake and fully aware of what was going on. After what happened on Thanksgiving, I was still a little scared even though Dana said he was going to be fine. The doctors' were all amazed at his level of recovery considering he had been badly wounded only a few days before. We all just smiled and pretended he was just lucky and prayed no eager intern decided to do an in-depth blood analysis on him. Could you imagine having to explain to the board at the hospital that no, Agent Mulder was not a contagion threat, but an alien experimentation project of his father's? Can you tell I've been listening to Dana and DA talk? Anyway, Dana and I were in his room when he woke up. He smiled at us. "How did I get so lucky as to have two angels standing over me when I awaken?" "Well, at least that proves to you you're not dead cause if you were, angels wouldn't be what /you'd/ see." Dana chuckled as she winked at me. "So, did you have a nice nap?" "Simply marvelous." He eyed me. "You look tired, Squirt. Been missing your dad singing you to sleep?" I shrugged. "More like trying to pick up a noise to match your snores, so that everything else would be drowned out." He raised his eyebrow. "I do not snore." "Of course you don't. You just make noises in your sleep that rival elephants on the rampage." Daddy tried to laugh, but it soon turned into a cough. "Ha. Ha. How can you say things like this to your sick Papa?" I had him now. "Rather easily, actually." He smartly knew he'd lost this one so he changed subjects. "What's today? How long have I been out of it?" "Most of your life." Dana pretended to realize what he was talking about. "Oh, you mean this time. Well, today's the fourth of December and you've been in la-la land for about five days." She looked at me and chuckled. "Benefits had just thrown a party celebrating three months without any claims from you when this happened. I wouldn't call them any time soon or we might have to lock up the bureau arsenal." Dana stopped teasing him when she noticed how quiet he had gone. "Mulder?" Just as quickly as he phased out, he was back. "What's the probability of me getting out of here in the next two days?" Dana made a very unladylike noise and turned a glare on him that caused my blood to go cold. "Slim to no chance in hell. I don't think you realize the seriousness of what happened to you. You are in no shape to wipe your ..." She quickly looked at me and then back at him. " ... nose, let alone be released. Contrary to what you believe, you are not Superman." "I'm not trying to be. I am, however, trying to be a good father." We both stared at him; he had us hooked because that didn't tie into this talk. "Hanukkah's in a few days and I had a lot of stuff planned. I was just hoping it wouldn't all be for nothing." Dana was shocked, to say the least. Let's face it, my dad is not considered the most religious person on the planet. For him to even discuss celebrating Holy Days is like Dana not naming something after characters in Moby Dick. "You ... Why .... For as long as I've known you, you've never celebrated Hanukkah. Why the change?" "Do you have to ask?" He turned to look over at me and Dana joined him. I suddenly felt /very/ uncomfortable, sort of like when they were all discussing my going to school. "Isn't there something that can be done?" Dana placed her hand on my head and smiled at both of us, "We'll see, Mulder. We'll see." Holiday Journal, Entry #8 When my dad was trying to adopt me, our case advocate asked him if he was going to raise me in my family's beliefs. His response was a definite no. For the record, Fox Mulder is not a traditional type of guy. The only holiday he really believed in and loved to celebrate was St. Patrick's Day and that's only because it's a good excuse to pinch Dana. I suppose her question struck a nerve because he's really pushing this Hanukkah thing. It's almost funny, though: my birth parents only celebrated Kwanzaa and my birth dad was Jewish! In a way, I think this particular holiday is more for him than me. I can tell because of all the stuff he's been doing to get ready. Shortly after Halloween, he wrote to his mother and asked her to send her family's menorah and her "absolutely to die for" (His words - I'm reserving judgment) latkes recipe. He started checking out all of these books and internet stuff on how to tell your child/significant other/dog about the holiday and, to top it all off, he dragged Dana down to one of the synagogues, supposedly for an X-File, and asked the rabbi so many questions the man finally had to set up an appointment for both of us just to get him off his back. Which meant more studying for me. Oh well, it made him happy, so I guess it accounts for something. Dad has asked Dana to join us in our festivities because he said she's family. I wasn't going to say anything (Even though you know I was thinking it); Dana sort of adds something to these days and it'll be fun to watch how she reacts to my dad getting all traditional. She'll probably lose all control when she sees him in his hospital gown and his embroidered yarmulke his mother made him. I thought it was cute, but it does make his nose stand out more (I can say this because he's always making fun of the Zachary nose). Dana kind of needs this time with us because of what's going on between DA and Gram. They've been together a lot since Thanksgiving and Gram was talking about how the three of them were going to survive with the one-and-a-half baths at DA's place. In fact, she was with them right now. I told Dad I thought this was because she was going to be taking care of them and making sure they didn't kill each other; Dad just rolled his eyes, smiled and blocked me from his thoughts. Adults! Even though I'm kind of looking forward to tonight, I still wish we were doing it at home instead of the hospital. There was no way Dad was going to get home and so Dana convinced his doctor to let us do it there. Once he knew we were on for the festivities, he started bugging me about the blessings. As if he was one to make sure I knew them. This was important and I was ready for it. What he didn't know was I had a few tricks up my sleeve. While he was researching all of the traditional things, I was looking into some fringe elements. I had found a few songs that weren't exactly appropriate for Temple, but would do quite nicely for a hospital room in Baltimore G. I heard a knock on the door downstairs and then Dana's voice. I didn't sense anything dangerous, so I just continued what I was doing. Until Daddy was released, we were staying at Gram's. I didn't mind too much; it got me out of school and I had a chance to read some of Aunt Melissa's books that Gram had found for me, so who was I to complain. "Hunter!" Dana yelled up the stairs. "You have a visitor." I was kind of surprised because I wasn't expecting anyone. I mean, really, who knew I was here? I headed downstairs focusing on who was there. By the time I hit the last step, I was all set. I didn't even have to see the big bodyguard/driver standing at the door to know my visitor was none other than Christian DeWebb Matheson, son of the esteemed Senator Matheson. As soon as he saw me, a big grin crossed his face. We had missed each other. "Hiya, Hunter. Thought you'd be dying for the latest news from the front, so I convinced my folks to let me beg off on the Wholesome Family Picnic at $500 a pop and came over." His eyes were twinkling in devilment. "Confess. You missed me." I walked over to him, grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards Dana. We stopped in front of her and waited. "You can go on up, but don't close the door." I rolled my eyes at that one. Sheesh! It was Christian for goodness sakes. We didn't think of ourselves like that. "It's not because of you, Hunt. It's a standing rule in this house dating back many, many years." Oh. Well, I guess that made it different. She leaned over us and whispered, "I'm going to try to convince Hulk Hogan over there to let you guys stay for lunch. Wish me luck." "You're gonna need it," Christian whispered back. "Terrence is such a stick in the mud when it comes to having fun." "But, he is sweet." Just to prove my point, I turned back to him, smiled and waved. "Hi, Terrence. Would you like something to drink?" He smiled one of those pure-joy smiles that completely changed his face. "No, thanks, Hunter. We were all very glad to hear about your father being better." "Thanks. I'll tell him you said that when I see him later." I decided to test one of my theories. "Hag Sameach, Terrence!" His smile grew even bigger and he winked at me, "Hag Sameach, Hunter." Yes! Mission accomplished. With both Dana and Christian confused, I turned us back towards the stairs and headed up to my room. Once inside, I fell on the bed laughing at Christian's expression. "Hunter, what the devil was that all about?" "We've been trying to figure out what Terrence was, remember. Well, I figured it out and he just confirmed it." I pretended to buff my nails. "You've forgotten. You're working with a pro." He bowed and came over to the bed. "I am truly unworthy of your genius." He picked up one of the books on the bed. "So, how are things - really?" At his tone, I looked at him. Christian was my first friend when I went to Selwyn. He never judged me or thought I was weird and he understood. He wasn't one of us, but Suzannah Blake and I still thought he was great. "I was scared at first; it looked like he wasn't going to come through." I laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "You know how I feel about that. I wasn't sure I could handle him ... going away. But, he's fine and we're together and now you're here. So, what brings you by?" I knew I was blowing it off, but I didn't want to deal with that. "S.B. getting on your nerves?" "She's actually been pretty quiet. It's almost like without you there, she doesn't bother being devious for us mere mortals." Christian was cool. He was twelve and so he was pretty much past that pain-in-the-butt boy phase. Dana really liked him because she said he seemed more sensitive than most boys his age (What she didn't say out loud was how he reminded her of Fox Mulder). Most of the girls in the A class absolutely adored him; they thought he was movie-star cute and were always pestering us to tell them who he liked. His blue-blue eyes, golden blonde hair, and dimpled smile probably sent many a girl's heart beating wildly, but for me and S.B., he was like a brother. "She's probably just luring you into a false sense of security." I suddenly sat up which threw him completely off balance. "Guess what?" He didn't seem like he was going to play along, so I went on. "There's going to be a new person at Selwyn. My DA and Gram are going to enroll him after the winter break. I guess that means I'll be going to school with a kind of uncle. I just hope he won't be in A class. He's a pain." "Does he have a name? Age? Serial Number?" "Oh, I forgot. His name is Dante Guiliani and he's about your age. He's my DA's foster son and ..... Omigosh! I haven't told you the big scoop. Gram and DA are dating! We found out on Thanksgiving." Being the perceptive and sensitive person that he is, he asked, "How is Agent Scully taking it?" "Not well at all. We're hoping that tonight will help her feel better." I suddenly realized he was hiding two things: something in his jacket pocket and why he was here. "You never did tell me what brought you to this neck of the woods." "My parents had to come up here for that picnic and they asked my brothers and me if we wanted to join them. I knew you were here, so I came along to see how you were doing with all the stuff going on." That's my Christian: all sweetness and concern. He's going to be a horror when I start dating. Can you imagine my poor date being interrogated by my Dad, my DA and Christian? It's going to be a nightmare. Anyway, he seemed so nervous and I couldn't resist. "So, what's in your pocket?" My question startled him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pretty silver box. "I knew how hard all of this was on you and I thought you might need some cheering up, so I got you this." Christian was breathing pretty heavy by the time he thrust the box at me. I took it and started opening it. "I know tonight's the beginning of Hanukkah and well ... I thought ... well ... somebody told me this would be perfect. If you don't like it, I'll understand." As soon as I opened the box, I took a deep breath (Remember the last time I got something in a box). I reached in and pulled out the most beautiful silver dreidel I'd ever seen. "It's gorgeous. It's the most wonderful ...." I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He looked like he was about to say something when Dana popped her head in. "I just wanted to let you know Terrence said it was okay for you to stay for lunch." She looked at both of us and then at my hands. "What'd you get, Hunt?" I stood and walked over to the door holding the dreidel where she could see it. "Isn't it beautiful, Dana? Christian picked it out for me." "It's lovely." She took the top and held it where she could see the markings. "What are these?" "Those are the Hebrew letters Nun, Shin, Gimmel and Hay. It means a 'Great Miracle Happened There.'" She gave me the dreidel back. "So, I guess this means you're all set for tonight?" "Of course. I know all of the blessings and the songs and I know just how to light the candle." I thought about something. "Dana, do you think Daddy would mind if Christian came along?" Dana shrugged. "I don't see why he should. I guess if the Senator and Mrs. Matheson didn't mind, Mulder wouldn't." "Christian, would you like to celebrate this first night with us?" Christian was grinning as he stood. "If I can convince my folks, I'd love to." My eyes were sparkling as my thought processes completed their leaps and bounds. "I bet with Terrence's help they'll let you." I turned back to Dana. "Are we still making the latkes after lunch?" She nodded. "Good, that'll give me time to teach you all of the songs." "I'll go downstairs and start working on Terrence. You two get washed up and then come and set the table." We nodded and watched as she left the room. Now was my chance. "Christian, how do you feel about singing alternative Jewish songs?" This was going to be good! Holiday Journal, Entry #9 Don't ask me how we pulled it off, but Dana, Christian, Daddy, Terrence and I were getting ready to start pretty much on time. The Mathesons were thrilled for their son to be a part of a diverse religious experience (Their words, not mine) and somehow, Terrence had found a yarmulke for both himself and Christian. I was right about two things: Terrence was Jewish and Dana did totally lose it when she saw Dad in his yarmulke. The latkes were perfect (If you ignored the real crispy edges) and the menorah gleemed from the one fluorescent light we left on. Daddy was sitting up in bed in his pajamas (Somehow, he had been able to convince DA to bring him some up to the hospital. Dana's curious about what he blackmailed him with) when he decided it was time. He smiled that smile that always caused Dana to take deep breaths and began, "Tonight, we gather together with friends and family to celebrate the Festival of Lights. Many years ago when Israel was under Syrian rule and many Jewish holidays had been outlawed, the Syrians started destroying the holy scrolls, books and artifacts of the Temple in Jerusalem. Fighting broke out and a large army was raised and led by the son of Mattathias, Judah Maccabee. This army became known as the Maccabees which means strong as a hammer. Now, Judah was strong and brave and soon he and his army were fighting in many battles. On the 25th day of Kislev, they reclaimed the Temple on Mount Moriah and rededicated it to Jehovah. Once they were inside and everything was under control, they rekindled the flame that was supposed to burn constantly. The men knew that the flame was the source of their collective strength and that as long as the flame burned, they would be victorious. They also knew they only had one day's worth of oil, but that didn't diminish their faith that Jehovah would see them through. For eight days, the flame burned strong and bright and just as it seemed about to die, reinforcements came and the oil was replenished to burn on into victory." He stopped to take a few breaths and to let it sink in. "Tonight, we honour Jehovah for his miracle of that time. We also celebrate a renewal of traditions coming to this house." Daddy nodded at me and I walked to him. He and Dana helped each other light my shamash and watched as I moved to the menorah. With the shamash in my right hand, I began the blessing, "Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel chanukah." I stopped and waited for Dana as she read the blessing in English. "Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah." I lit the first candle on the far right side of the menorah. "Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, sheasa nisim laavoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh." "Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors, at this season, in days past." "Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, shehechiyanu vekiy'manu vehigianu la'zman ha'zeh." "Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who gave us life and kept us and delivered us to this time." I carefully placed the shamash in its place and moved to my dad's side. *Hag Sameach, Daddy,* I sent him as I kissed his cheek. *Hag Sameach, Hunter.* He turned to Dana and spoke the greeting to her and she returned it and then we were all moving around saying it to each other with hugs and kisses. 7:57 pm After we ate, Christian, Terrence and I settled at the table in the corner to play with our dreidels and other gifts (Don't ask me how he did it, but Terrence had found time to buy a few things to add to our stashes. This man was obviously a treasure). Dana sat beside Daddy and they watched us play. Dana turned to him. "You look exhausted." "But it's a happy exhaustion." He took her hand. "Thank you." "For what?" "For watching Hunter and me, setting all of this up, never once telling me this was a stupid thing to do for a man who doesn't believe in it, and just being here." Dana gave him her megawatt smile. "Thank you for allowing me to be here." The smile faded. "For a little while, I forgot the battles we have to face, both professionally and ... personally. I wish Mo ... Anyway, it was a beautiful time. I loved your telling of the story. It made the whole ceremony seem alive. I can't believe you did all of that research just for Hunter. This, more than anything else, proves to me you're the best thing for her." Dad looked at her for a while and then turned back to look at us. "Part of me did this for her, but a bigger part did it for me. When I was checking into this, I couldn't help but notice how much this story hit home. The Maccabees had to step out on faith that the oil would last until the rest made it there and it did. I have to do the same; I have to believe my faith will be bring Sam home. I mean, I haven't suddenly 'found' religion, but my faith ..." Dana stood, moved his forelock, and kissed him on the forehead. "It will, Mulder. It will." I was satisfied that they had done as much as they were going to, so I stood and walked back to the bed. I handed them both a program. "It is now time to sing songs of joy and praise. If you will open your program to the song sheets, we will begin our performance." Daddy's eyes grew wide as he read down the pages. It took all I had to keep a straight face as he asked, "Hunter, what is all of this?" Dana looked at hers and a little smile slowly worked its way onto her face. The program read:
This was definitely going to be fun! The End! Just a few things to add to finish things up. The songs that I have listed are actual songs and can be found at the Jewish Communication Network's Page under Hanukkah Carols or you can write to me and I can email the URL to you. Special thanks go out to Susannah Blake Turney. You are the best co-conspirator a girl can have! Luv ya!
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