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Title: Poetic Justice Summary: Mulder and Scully spend New Year's Eve skiing with the Scully family w. Acknowledgements: This was written for Emmy's birthday. She is my best friend and biggest fan. Thanks to my Mom for all her wonderful help and to Vickie Moseley for her marvelous beta work. She makes me a better writer. Feedback should be sent to kmfoote@charter.net. Day after Thanksgiving 2004 Scully was sitting on the couch in her mother's living room wishing Mulder were with her. She had agreed to come to her mother's house today without him. He promised her he had plenty of things to keep him busy and they would see each other later that evening. She had spent a simply wonderful Thanksgiving Day with Mulder yesterday. She had prepared the obligatory roast turkey and trimmings, while Mulder had pestered her all afternoon. First he wanted a 'play-by-play' as she prepared the turkey, asking a ton of senseless questions. Once the turkey was on, he had coerced her into the living room to watch some sci-fi movie on a cable channel. After dinner, he had dragged her onto the couch with him; well, maybe not dragged, and they had cuddled in each other's arms all evening. Finally, they had gone to bed and slept late the next morning. At lunchtime they separated; Scully was going to spend time with her family at her mother's and Mulder was going to drop in on the Gunmen. "Dana? Dana?" Maggie called to her daughter, but she seemed to be in a trance. "Earth to Dana!" Bill said somewhat irritated, "want to join the family here?" Startled, Scully realized they were talking to her, "What? I'm sorry...I was...I was just thinking." "About _him_?" Bill asked coldly. "No. Well, yes...I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Scully asked sheepishly. "Bill," repeated Maggie, "has invited us to go skiing with them for New Year's. They're going to Breckenridge. Tara's family has a condo there and they want us all to spend the holidays there with them. Isn't that wonderful?" "Skiing? Yeah, that would be fun. I haven't been skiing in a while. I'll have to see what Mulder thinks." "Mulder? He's not invited. Just you and Mom!" stated Bill. "Bill! I am spending New Year's with Mulder. If you want me to come, you will have to invite him too. I won't go without him." "Why? You won't be working. Mom already said you were taking that week off. Why do you have to bring him?" "Mulder and I are taking that week off to spend time _together_. Bottom line, Bill...it's either me AND Mulder or nothing." Bill fumed for about 10 seconds. The entire room was on pins and needles awaiting his decision. "Fine! Bring him! But, he better stay out of my way." "Don't worry Bill, I can assure you Mulder will keep his distance." Scully said, thinking that Mulder wouldn't want to be near Bill anyway. "Wonderful!" cried Maggie. "I guess we'll all meet in Breckenridge. I'll be going there from California with Bill's family. "Yep...it will be wonderful," Scully said sarcastically. Now she would have to convince Mulder to g o. That would probably be harder than convincing Bill. Day after Thanksgiving 2004 Scully was lying in Mulder's arms on the couch watching some movie she had rented. Mulder seemed more interested in her than in the movie. He kept nuzzling her neck, distracting her. She wasn't really watching the movie anyway. Her mind was on how to approach Mulder about the skiing trip. Finally, she broached the subject. "Hey, Mulder...have you ever snow skied?" Pulling himself away from Scully's neck, he looked down at the top of her head, "What?" "Snow skiing. Have you ever been?" "I've water skied. Unfortunately, there wasn't much snow skiing on Martha's Vineyard. Why?" "Well...Mom invited us to go snow skiing over the New Year's holiday and I thought it might be fun. Something different at least." She neglected to say who else would be there. "Really? I've never snow skied, Scully, but it could be fun. As you said, it would definitely be something different. When did she want to go?" "She will be in California for the Christmas holidays. I thought we could meet her in Breckenridge, Colorado, on Wednesday. Friday is New Year's Eve, and we could all return to DC on Sunday. I know it isn't what we had planned, but..." turning in his arms so she was face to face with him, "...just think, we would have 4 whole days in the snow covered mountains...together." "Yeah, that part sounds great. But..." "But what?" "I've never snow skied. I'm assuming it's different from water skiing?" "Oh, it's not hard. Not really. I could teach you some of my moves," said Scully, waggling her eyebrows, "or you could take lessons." "I have no doubt you could teach me some moves, but maybe lessons would be best. What would you do while I took lessons?" "I'll take lessons with you. I could use some brush-up on my technique. It's been quite a few years since I've skied. Bill and the rest of the family go at least once every year, so they're a lot better at it than I am." Mulder's hands stilled their movement as his body stiffened, "Bill?" Scully realized what she had said. She had meant to ease into the idea of Bill being there also, but so much for easing. "Yeah, didn't I mention Bill being there? Oh well...Tara's family owns the condominium where we'll be staying. It's supposed to be a beautiful house... 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas, hot tub, fireplace...at the base of the mountain; within walking distance of the lifts. Come on, Mulder...they want us to go...more importantly, _I_ want to go with _you_. Just think of the hot tub and fireplace; I'm sure we will find some time alone. Please..." Mulder could never say no to Scully, even when it was against his better judgment. He and Bill never got along. Bill always blamed Mulder for every thing. "All right Scully, you convinced me. We can go, but I sure hope it doesn't turn out to be 4 days of Bill complaining about all the things I have ever done wrong." "Relax, Mulder. He said he would play nice." Mulder rolled his eyes at that. When had Bill _ever_ played nice where Mulder was concerned? The idea of spending time with Bill was horrible, but if it made Scully happy, he would make the best of it. Wednesday, December 29 The drive from Denver to Breckenridge was beautiful. There was so much snow, but the highways were clear which made the drive easy and uneventful. Following the directions Bill had provided, they found the condo without any problems. There was already a big black SUV in the driveway, so they assumed that the family was already there. "Well, here we are," Mulder said, less than enthusiastically. "Come on, Mulder. We came all the way here; let's make the best of it. Let's try and have some fun. Okay?" encouraged Scully. "Easy for you, Scully. Bill likes you. It's only me he hates," he grumbled, trying to drag out the moment before they had to confront Scully's family. The door to the condo opened and there stood Maggie waving at them. "Well, so much for dragging it out," he mumbled. Scully swatted him on the arm. "Come on Agent Mulder, you have faced more dangerous situations than this." She made her way to the door to give her Mom a huge hug. Mulder exited his own SUV, grabbed the luggage from the back seat, and slowly made his way to the condo. "Fox! I'm so glad to see you guys. Wasn't the drive from Denver marvelous?" Maggie embraced Mulder in a hug and placed a kiss on his cheek. Blushing, Mulder pulled out of the embrace to look up into the glaring face of Bill. "Uhm...Hi Bill. Good to see you." Mulder attempted a civil welcome, offering his hand for Bill to shake. "About time you got here, Mulder!" Bill blurted out, crossing his arms across his chest, pointedly ignoring Mulder's outstretched hand. "Geez, you must drive like an old lady. Everyone here was getting worried, as if you cared." "Bill!" Scully narrowed her eyes at him as a warning. "We landed in Denver at 2:30 and came straight here. We made fantastic time." Tara stepped forward to give Scully a hug. "Don't listen to him. We've only been here about an hour ourselves. He's just being grumpy. Here, let me show you the house. Leave the suitcases here, Mulder, and come take the tour." Tara showed the house with the flair of a real-estate agent, pointing out all the amenities. "Downstairs are the kitchen, dining room, family room, and a full bath. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and two full baths. Bill, Matthew, and I will take the master bedroom. Dana, you can have the room at the top of the stairs on the right. Mom has the room past that. Mul..." Bill interrupted, pointing a finger in Mulder's direction, "_He_ can sleep on one of the couches down _here_." Scully opened her mouth to say something, but Mulder cut her off, "That'll be fine. Thanks. Hey, Scully, you want me to carry your bag upstairs?" nodding his head in the direction of the stairs. Taking the hint that he wanted to talk, she answered, "Yeah, thanks." When they made it to what would be Scully's room, she whirled on him. "Mulder...you _don't_ have to sleep on the couch. You can sleep up here." "Here? In this room? With you? Under the same roof with your _Mom_ and Bill? I don't think so. _I_ would like to live through this vacation. Come on, it won't be so bad." He moved to embrace her in his arms and whispered huskily in her ear, "Maybe you can sneak downstairs when everyone is asleep and we can neck on the couch like a couple of teenagers." His husky voice always had an arousing affect on her. She encircled him with her arms, pressing against him. "Mmmm...that does sound promising." They were both so entranced in each other's arms, they didn't hear the family coming up the stairs, until Bill spoke, "What the hell are you two doing up here? Oh geez...you know we got a kid in the house. How about trying to keep a little space." On cue, Matthew bounded into Scully's room, "Come on Dad. Mom and Grandma are ready to go to town. Me too! You coming Aunt Dana?" Scully guiltily pulled out of Mulder's arms, looking down at the little boy. "Sure we are Matty. We got to get our skis too, don't we? Come on Mulder, we'll follow them in our car." Wednesday, December 29 Everyone was sitting around the dinner table catching up on the holidays and feasting on a big pot of chili that Maggie had cooked up. She thought they needed something that would 'stick to their ribs' and warm them all up. Matthew kept up a steady conversation with Scully, periodically stopping long enough to take a spoonful of his chili. Of course, eating didn't stop the child from talking. Tara kept urging him to stop talking and finish eating, since they had to get to bed early tonight. He would eat some chili each time she reminded him and then immediately returned to his conversation. "You should see it, Aunt Dana. It's so neat. All these skiers carrying lights ski down the mountain at midnight...and they have fireworks! I can't wait. Are you excited?" "You bet, Matty. It sounds great." She turned to Mulder who hadn't said anything during dinner, except to thank Maggie, when she filled his bowl with chili. "What do you think, Mulder?" He looked up from his bowl to see her looking at him; obviously expecting an answer. "Uhm, yeah, Scully, that does sound great. I've never seen people skiing at night." "For God's sake, Mulder," Bill interjected into the discussion, "you've never seen people ski during the day either. I can't believe you've never skied." "Is it true you never skied before, Mr. Mulder?" asked Matthew around a mouthful of chili. "Matthew! Don't talk with food in your mouth. What have I told you about that?" scolded Tara. He swallowed the chili and tried again, "Sorry. Is it true? I'm only a little kid and I've skied lots of times." "Well, actually I have skied; just water not snow. We didn't do any snow skiing when I was growing up," he explained. "Are ya scared? I was a little scared my first time." "Well...a little I guess, but I'm planning on taking a lesson first. Hopefully I can apply some of my water skiing skills to snow skiing. Maybe I'll be a fast learner and can ski with your Aunt Dana the rest of the week." "And _maybe_ you'll just give up after falling on your ass a few times," Bill blurted out. "Bill!" Scully interceded. "Mulder will do just fine." "Maybe you should stay here and go shopping with Mom tomorrow. That can't be too dangerous," Bill said snidely. "You know you're more than welcome to join me, Fox, if you want," offered Maggie. "Thanks, but no thanks. I came here to go skiing and that's what I intend to do." "Well, have fun on the bunny slopes, Mulder, with all the other _beginners_. The rest of us are hitting the trails where the real fun is," Bill said. "Count me out," said Scully. "I'm going to take a lesson with Mulder." Bill turned to stare at her like she had sprouted a second head. "Scully, you know you don't have to do that because of me," whispered Mulder. "I came here to spend time with you, so I'm going to take a lesson too," she replied. "Besides, I want to keep an eye on you...you know, make sure you don't get in any trouble. Who knows, the ski instructor might be some snow bunny who has eyes for you." Mulder took Scully's hands in his own and leaned in so only she could hear his reply. "There is only one snow bunny I have eyes for Scully," waggling his eyebrows for added effect. For a moment, it was like they were the only people in the room. They had almost forgotten about Bill...almost. "_Fine_," Bill said as he rose from the table, "you can waste your time taking a beginner lesson with Mulder if you want. Tara, Matthew, and I are hitting the trails. Maybe you'll get bored with the kiddies and decide to do some _real_ skiing with us on Friday." Scully stood to confront Bill and defend her decision, but Bill just held up his hand to stop her. "Look...I suggest we all get to bed. We'll be getting up pretty early in the morning." Scully looked like she wasn't going to let it drop, but Mulder put his hand on her arm and gave it a little squeeze. That little squeeze told the whole story; don't let him bait you, it doesn't bother me, just let it go. She smiled warmly at him, indicating she understood, even though she didn't agree. She turned back to Bill and responded coldly, "Fine...we'll see you in the morning." She and Bill stood staring at each other for a moment. Finally, Bill turned and headed upstairs to the bedroom. You could say that round ended in a tie. Thursday, December 30 Everyone had gotten up early and was already dressed in their ski clothes. Bill wanted to get out on the slopes as soon as the chair lifts opened up. The entire group was gathered in the dining room eating the hardy breakfast Maggie had prepared. "Thanks for the breakfast, Mom. That ought to keep us going until lunch," Bill said, "Let's get ready to go." Maggie was helping Matthew with his boots, while the others began putting on their ski boots and coats. Scully sat next to Mulder while he donned his boots, "How you doing Mulder? You're not nervous are you?" "Scully...." said Mulder, "I'll be fine. I mean, if Matthew can do it, how hard can it be?" Scully rolled her eyes at his statement. He obviously had no idea how hard it could be. Children just seemed to take to skiing; maybe it was their lack of fear or their low center of gravity. Mulder was in for a big surprise when he hit the snow. "Come on people, the mountains await," yelled Bill as he gathered his skis and headed for the door. Maggie waved to the group, "You be careful now. I'll have a nice warm dinner cooking by the time you get back this evening." Like a parade, the group made their way to the base of the mountain. Bill led, followed by Tara and Matthew. Mulder and Scully brought up the rear. Thursday, December 30 The lesson didn't start until 9:00, so Scully led Mulder to a quiet area away from the bustle of the chair lifts. She thought she could use the time to give him a few pointers, like how to snowplow. Snowplowing was a very basic technique and usually the first thing a beginning skier learned. She helped him get his skis on and then put hers on. The way your ankles were bent in the boots made standing on skis an odd sensation. Mulder was moving his skis back and forth, trying to get used to the feel of the skis on the slippery snow. "Now watch me, Mulder. You angle the tips of the skis towards each other...you bend you knees and bring them in a little." She was demonstrating the proper stance for snowplowing and he was paying rapt attention. Bill was standing with his family waiting for the chair lifts to open. He had been watching Scully trying to show Mulder how to snowplow and was having a real good laugh about it. Mulder looked like a newborn calf on shaky legs. Tara told him to be nice, but nice was not in his vocabulary when it came to Mulder. He was wired and ready to ski. He decided to kill some time by showing off for Mulder. He took off toward Mulder and Scully, using his ski poles to pick up speed on the relatively flat ground. Bill swooshed directly in front of Mulder and skidded to a stop. Mulder had been concentrating so intently on staying on his feet, that he was completely surprised when Bill skied directly in front of him, actually running over the tips of his skis. He straightened up too quickly, lost his balance, and tumbled to the ground. "Dammit Bill!" screamed Scully, "you are such a child. Why don't you grow up?" She moved to try and help Mulder back to his feet. Of course, standing up in a pair of skis from a downed position is not easy and takes a lot of arm and leg strength. "Mulder, plant the edges of your skis and push yourself up using your poles." As Mulder struggled to push himself back up on his skis, Scully turned to scowl at Bill. He was already skiing back to his family, laughing all the way. She was disappointed that she didn't get to admonish Bill further, but she would definitely have something to say tonight. She was practically fuming when she turned back to Mulder. "He can be such an ass. Don't let him bother you, just ignore him." "Me? You're the one getting all worked up, Scully. Maybe you should take your own advice." She looked as if she would explode, and then ducked her head apologetically. "You're right. I'm sorry." She looked at him and rewarded him with a brilliant smile. "Look, let's forget about my asshole brother and have a good time." "Sounds like a good plan." He returned the smile and said, "Just think, we have a whole day together and no Bill in sight. _My_ day just got a whole lot better." They continued to practice until time to head for their lesson. The lesson lasted the rest of the day. Mulder was actually doing pretty well by the end of the day. He was getting the hang of it and was very proud of himself; so was Scully. They decided that tomorrow they would tackle the easy slopes by themselves. They were just making their way back to the chair lift area, when Bill came skiing up from behind, trying the same maneuver as earlier. Mulder still wasn't ready for Bill's stunt, but he managed to maintain his balance this time. Mulder felt liking yelling out "Ta Da!" but that would have been childish. Instead, he simply said, "Oh there you are, Bill. We're ready to go...I'm starving." That really pissed Bill off, but before he could respond, Scully jumped in, "I'm hungry too. How about you Matty?" "You bet!" Matthew agreed. With that, the group removed their skis and made their way back to the condo and Maggie's promised dinner. Friday, December 31 Everyone had gotten an early start again this morning. Mulder was warming up a little before putting on his skis; stretching out his leg muscles. He was a little apprehensive, but excited about tackling the slopes alone with Scully. How peaceful it would be in the mountains; just him and Scully. He was brought out of his daydream by Bill's voice as he talked to Scully. "Tell you what, we'll all ski the green slopes for a while. Matty really wants to ski with you. Besides, it'll give us all a chance to see how well Mulder did with his lesson yesterday." Scully glared at him, "Bill, I'm warning you." "What?" Bill feigned innocence, "what did I say? I simply want us all to ski together...as a family...once." She gave him one last warning look and made her way to Mulder's side. "You okay with this, Mulder?" "Oh yeah," he said sarcastically, "I was nervous enough with just you, now I'll have an audience. A hostile audience at that." "You'll do fine. Just remember what you learned yesterday. Slow and easy. They'll get bored on the green slopes in no time and then it will be just you and me." They all rode the chair lifts to the top of the mountain. Mulder was amazed how long it took to get to the top, but the ride was still too short. He was enjoying the quiet time all alone with Scully and the scenery was beautiful. As they neared the top, Mulder began fidgeting. "Relax," said Scully. "Remember when your skis hit the ground at the top, stand up and lean forward on your skis. Don't lean back or you'll lose your balance and fall. Ski down the ramp and move to the side so the other skiers can pass. We'll regroup before we head down the mountain. You got it?" Mulder nodded his head, silently repeating Scully's instructions to himself...lean forward on the skis, not back; lean forward, not back; forward, not back. Suddenly, his skis hit the ground. He saw Scully begin to stand and he mimicked her actions. When he stood, his center was a little off and he felt himself start to tilt. Determined to do this right, he regained his equilibrium and skied down the ramp, snowplowing to a stop at Scully's side. Oh my God, he couldn't believe he almost lost it coming off the chair lifts. Bill would have had a field day, but he conquered the chair lift and even managed a perfect stop at Scully's side. Despite the cold, he was sweating bullets. He hoped no one could see his tremendous relief at having made this small accomplishment. Just think how relieved he'd be when he got to the bottom of the mountain. When everyone was together, Scully took the lead down the trail. They were keeping a slow leisurely pace and Mulder was doing great. He was even beginning to relax a little, since he was having no problems. Tara and Matthew were behind him and Scully, with Bill bringing up the rear. They were like a conga line, weaving down the trail. Of course, this was too boring for Bill, so he decided to liven things up a little. He skied straight down the slope, past Mulder, then swerved back and forth in front of him...trying to throw Mulder off and make him fall. Mulder didn't even seem fazed by Bill's stunts and just kept on skiing, following in Scully's trail. Scully noticed, but since it didn't seem to affect Mulder, she let it slide...for now. Mulder knew what Bill was trying to do, but he was concentrating so hard on staying with Scully that he had completely tuned him out. He didn't concern himself with Bill; he was focused. Bill, on the other hand, was more intent than ever to make Mulder screw up. He was going to attempt an even closer pass, when he hit a patch of ice and packed snow. He hadn't noticed the slick spot, since he really wasn't paying attention to anything but trying to make Mulder fall. When he hit the patch, he lost control and slammed into Mulder, knocking him head over heels. Mulder screamed as he felt an excruciating pain in his left leg. Mulder and Bill continued to tumble as one, until they finally slid to a stop in a tangled heap. "Get the hell off me, Mulder," Bill immediately shouted, but a moan was the only response. Bill shoved Mulder off, which elicited a shriek as Mulder's leg was bent further. Bill leapt to his feet and started yelling at Mulder, "You idiot! You skied right in front of me." He was furious at Mulder, even though he knew it had been his own fault. He was about to lay into him again, when he realized that Mulder was obviously in a great deal of pain. He lay there moaning, in the snow, with his eyes clenched tightly shut. Scully finally reached the spot where they had come to a stop. "Get out of my way, Bill," she yelled. She unhooked her skis so she could kneel next to Mulder. She could tell by the pained expression on his face that he was hurt. "Mulder? Mulder...where are you hurt?" "Leg...my...my left leg. Oh God, it hurts!" he managed to squeeze out. She could see his left leg was twisted at an odd angle, still attached to the ski. She unhooked his skis and carefully straightened out his left leg. She could only guess at the damage that was done to the left leg without x-rays, but she knew they were going to need help to get him down the mountain. "We're going to need help," Scully stated to the group. "Someone is going to have to ski down and get a rescue team up here." "I'll go," Tara offered, "Bill...you and Matty stay here and help Dana. It shouldn't take too long." She took off like a shot, foregoing the leisurely pace they were using earlier. Scully was glad she was a good skier and would make it down the mountain in no time. "Bill! Get up on that rise and make sure no one comes over the hill and runs over us." She wanted to add the word _again_, but decided it wouldn't help the situation. "Go!" Bill wasn't happy being ordered around by his little sister, but he knew better than to argue with her right now. She could be like a mother bear with her cub, when it came to her partner, especially when he was hurt. "Come on Matty, why don't you help Dad keep watch." They moved up the hill, until they made it over the rise and could see if anyone was coming. Scully didn't know exactly what had happened, but she knew it hadn't been Mulder's fault. Bill was probably trying to show off again or trying to make Mulder lose his balance or he was skiing too close to a novice skier like Mulder. In any case, it was all Bill's fault and she was furious. She had only wanted to spend a peaceful New Year's weekend with Mulder, skiing and basically enjoying each other's company. So much for the peaceful weekend. Mulder most likely had a broken leg, maybe a wrenched knee, or, knowing Mulder, both. Her thoughts were interrupted by a shaky voice. "C-c-cold. I'm so c-cold." He was beginning to shiver as he lay in the cold snow. "I know, Mulder, and I'm sorry. Maybe I can make you more comfortable." She slipped her legs under his shoulders, so that he was lying in her lap. "How's that?" "Mmmm...better...m-m-much better." "Tara has gone for help. It shouldn't be too long. How's the leg feeling?" "Well...the c-cold is making it f-feel kind of n-numb. It d- doesn't hurt as much as it d-d-did, especially if I don't try to m-move it." Obviously the cold was affecting his ability to talk. Between the shivering and chattering teeth, he was struggling to get the words out. "W-what happened? Did you g-g-get the license of the g-guy driving that t-t-truck? Last thing I r-r- remember; I was following your c-cute little butt down the trail, when s-something smashed into m-m-me. D-do you think my leg is b-b-broken?" "I'm afraid so. We can't be sure without x-rays, but with the symptoms you're exhibiting, I would say it's a very likely possibility. Your knee might be damaged too from the way it was twisted by the ski." He closed his eyes and lay there with his head in her lap trying not to think about his leg, as did she, but they couldn't help it. It was all they could think about. Casts...crutches...desk duty. All very unpleasant things. They were interrupted from their thoughts by Bill's booming voice, "They're coming, Dana!" Scully looked up to see him waving his arms in the air, "Hey, over here!" Within seconds, two skiers, wearing orange vests and dragging a sled behind them, skied over the rise. They came to a stop at Mulder's side and asked him what had happened. Before he could open his mouth to answer, Scully jumped in, "He fell. I think his left leg might be broken...maybe his knee...I'm not sure. We need to get him to a hospital." "We need to splint the leg before we can move him," one of the rescuers said. He reached into the sled and removed an inflatable splint. They maneuvered it over Mulder's leg, until it was above his knee. Even the cold couldn't numb the leg enough so that their ministrations didn't cause him pain. He bit into his lower lip to keep from crying out. They pumped air into the splint until the leg was completed immobilized. He was lifted onto the sled and strapped in for the journey down the trail. His skis were laid beside him in the sled. The rescue team maneuvered the sled down the mountain, followed by Scully, Bill, and Matthew. At the bottom of the trail, an ambulance was waiting to take him to the hospital. Tara was standing beside it waiting for her family. Mulder was removed from the sled and placed on a stretcher that was then loaded into the ambulance. "Tara, I'm going with Mulder. Can you take care of our skis? I'll check in later when I know how badly he's injured." Tara nodded and gave Scully a hug. "I'm so sorry this had to happen. Don't worry; we'll take care of your stuff. Call us." Scully jumped into the back of the ambulance, ski boots and all. Friday, December 31 When they arrived at the Emergency Room, they took him directly back. The pain was coming back with a vengeance, now that he had warmed up. In fact, he was getting hot. The EMTs had removed his parka, gloves, and hat once he got in the ambulance. Scully had done the same, but she still had on her ski boots, as did Mulder. They wouldn't be able to remove his boots until the splint was removed. Scully followed his stretcher into the Emergency Room, laden with the pile of ski apparel. A very helpful nurse intercepted her and asked if she could help her with her load. She took the items out of Scully's arms and said she would put them behind the desk for her. She urged Scully to take off her clunky ski boots and she would find her a pair of slippers or something that she could wear, stating that she would be much more comfortable. Scully was very thankful for her help and felt much better when she finally entered the Trauma Room. The doctor came in shortly to examine Mulder's injury. He first had to deflate the splint and slide if off of his leg. Once the splint was gone, they carefully removed the ski boot from his left foot. He tried not to cry out, but every movement was causing extreme pain, so much that he was sweating profusely by the time the boot was off. After the nurses had removed his ski pants, the doctor examined his leg, but couldn't tell anything, other than the leg and knee were swollen and extremely painful to touch. A fact that Mulder could have told him without even touching his leg. Finally they wheeled him into x-ray to take a series of pictures. A half hour later the verdict was in, fractured tibia about 5 inches below the knee and a severely wrenched knee. The doctor said it was a clean break and that it would heal just fine. Of course, he would be in a cast and on crutches for about 8 weeks minimum. The knee would be fine too, once the tendons and ligaments had a chance to heal. Scully called Tara and asked if she could come pick them up at the hospital in about 2 hours. She also asked her to bring shoes for both her and Mulder and some loose shorts for Mulder, since he refused to hobble out of the hospital in his underwear. They ended up casting his leg from thigh to foot and presented him with a brand new pair of crutches. Oh good, he could add this pair to his collection. He didn't think he owned a pair from Colorado. Friday, December 31 Mulder had been lying on the couch sulking ever since he got home from the hospital. Oh, he did manage to take a little nap and cheered up a little when Maggie fussed over him, but for the most part he sulked. He couldn't believe that this always had to happen to him. Every time he tried to have some fun, something always happened and he ended up getting the shaft. It just wasn't fair. Why had Bill been such an ass? All because of Bill's stupid warped sense of humor, he would be stuck in this house for the rest of the vacation. Not to mention, restricted to desk duty for at least a coupe of months...minimum. Dammit! Why had he agreed to this stupid idea of a vacation anyway? He and Bill together had disaster written all over it. His pity party was interrupted by the voice of his tormentor. "You guys about ready to head out? We need to get there early so we can get a good spot to watch the ski show." Matthew enthusiastically leaped to his feet, coat in hand. "You bet! Come on Mamma...Grandma. Come on Aunt Dana. Let's go!" Scully stepped into the room from the kitchen saying, "You go on Matty. I'm going to stay here with Mulder." He whined a bit at her statement, but she continued, "You wouldn't want him to be here all by himself on New Year's Eve would you?" "Go, Scully. You know how much you were looking forward to the celebration. I'll be okay. I'll probably just sleep anyway." At this point, Maggie chimed in, "He's right, Dana. I'll stay here with Fox. You go with them." "Look," Bill interjected, "you heard him. He's probably going to sleep anyway. Let's all go and enjoy the show. He doesn't need a babysitter...he's a big boy." "NO!" Scully said a bit more force than she intended. She took a deep breath and started again with, "I am not going, period! Mom, you go with Bill. All of you just go and have a good time. Mulder and I will be fine." Bill clapped his gloved hands together, "Well, you heard her. Come on Tara, Matty, Mom...let's get moving." With that, the Scully family bundled up against the cold and headed out the door. "Finally! My God, I thought they would never leave. Be right back, I have to get a few things ready." He started to open his mouth, but she was out the room like a flash. She returned a few minutes later with an armful of firewood. "Scully, what are you doing?" She turned to stare at him with raised eyebrows, "And you call yourself an investigator. For your information, I'm about the start a fire in the fireplace." Mulder rolled his eyes at her statement, "Yeah, I figured that out." She smiled back at him, "Then why did you ask?" He tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to him. Finally, she got a nice roaring fire going. She turned off the lights, so that only the fire lit the room. It gave the entire room a warm, cozy glow. He never took his eyes off of her as she moved around the room. Ultimately, her travels took her back to the couch where Mulder lay. She sat on the edge of the couch and reached for his hands. "Do you realize that this is the first time we have been alone since we got here? We have hardly touched each other for 3 days for fear of upsetting the family." She leaned over him, chest to chest, so that her face was mere inches from his. "Well, they're not here right now...sooo...guess what I want to do right now?" His face broke into a huge smile. "That's why I love you." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled so that she lay beside him on the couch. She was slow and careful in her movements, determined not to disturb his elevated leg. She buried her head under his chin and began running her hands over his chest under his shirt. She finally asked, "How's the leg?" "What leg?" he quipped. She yanked a few chest hairs making him yelp. "Oh, that leg. It's not bad. You take all my pain away." They lay on the couch for the next hour, cuddling and necking like a couple of teenagers. Mulder's movements were somewhat restricted due to the cast, but his hands were free and they were keeping Scully entertained. Suddenly, she jumped up off the couch. "What time is it?" she asked, having completely lost track of time. She spied the clock and it said 11:50pm. "It's almost midnight. Be right back." She returned with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. She popped the cork and poured them each a glass. When the clock struck midnight, they drank their champagne and shared a slow, passionate New Year's Eve kiss. He thought this was the best New Year's Eve they had ever had together, but he felt bad that Scully had given up her evening for him. "Scully...I'm sorry I got hurt today and made you miss the celebration. I know that you were looking forward to seeing it and spending time with your nephew and..." She placed her fingertips against his lips to stop his rambling apology. "Mulder, _this_ is what I was looking forward to. Well, maybe not the broken leg...but spending New Year's Eve with you. Now here we are. I guess things have a way of working out for the best." They lay there gazing into the dwindling fire and finally fell asleep in each other's arms. Saturday, January 1 Bill and his family decided to get one more day of skiing in before they left for home the next day. Scully had declined, saying she had had enough skiing for this vacation. Mulder finally convinced her to do a little shopping with Maggie. "I won't go anywhere I promise," Mulder swore, holding up his fingers in a Boy Scout salute. "Besides, there's basketball on today and I have several games picked out to watch. Go and have fun." As they were headed out the door, he added, "Buy me something, Scully. I've been a good boy." His only answer was the shutting door. He was watching his second game when the phone rang. "Hello?" "Fox? This is Tara. Is Dana there?" Tara asked in a nervous voice. "Sorry, she's not here right now. I finally got her to go out shopping with Maggie." He could sense something was wrong. "Tara? What's wrong?" There was silence on the phone. He had almost thought she had hung up, when she finally angrily spoke, "Bill...Bill was being such a jerk! You know, showing off like he did to you yesterday." Uh oh, Mulder suddenly got a sinking feeling in his gut. "Did someone else get hurt, Tara?" "Yes!" she blurted out, "Bill!" Mulder was stunned when he heard this; wasn't even sure he heard her correctly. "_Bill_ got hurt?" Her anger spent, she spoke in a subdued voice, "We're at the ER right now. I was hoping Dana could come get Matty and take him home." "I'll get Scully on her cell phone and...wait...they just walked in. Scully! Tara is on the phone." He handed the phone to Scully. When she hung up, she and Maggie left for the hospital. He felt a guilty sense of pleasure hearing that Bill had been hurt. It seemed like some sort of poetic justice. He was feeling better all ready. Scully returned a few hours later with the entire family. As it turned out, Bill had broken his leg...in 2 places and also wrenched his knee. There wasn't much the hospital could do until the swelling went down. They fitted him with a temporary cast and instructed him to see his own doctor as soon as he got home. The leg would surely need surgery. Bill was hobbling and complaining all the way into the house. Tara got Bill set up on the other couch in the den. Mulder was on his couch happily watching the basketball game on the TV. Once Bill was settled, Mulder asked, "How's it going, Bill?" "Shut up, Mulder!" Bill growled. "Change the channel, dammit, I _hate_ basketball!" Mulder turned to look at him, holding the remote control in his hand so that Bill could see it. "Tough! I was here first...remember?" Bill looked ready to say something, but what could he say, this was all his own fault. He finally came to the realization that they wouldn't be in this situation if he hadn't been acting like a jerk...yesterday and today. Finally, he let out a big sigh and settled down to watch the game with Mulder. "So...who's winning?" The End
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