#and his mother as a decent mother
The fourth series reads as follows:
Apple Balancing…Potential…The Newbies…The Dessert…Dinosaurs and Cannibalism…Sassy Sprinklepants…The Secret Vault of Mudlerness…Taco Night…Neckhole Wrestling…The Onesie…Multiplication…Catching On…Thanksgiving…The Funeral…Midnight Libations…Stockings were Hung…Mama Walter…Jesus, Mary, and Joseph (Skimmer-style)…Official…Memory Lane …Tartan Tablecloths
To catch up: First series…Second series … Third series
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Scully took his hand on that quiet Thursday morning, still dark and cold outside, wind gusts rattling windows and creating irritating drafts across the bedroom floor, “Mulder?”
He was facing away, Scully playing jetpack in the deep gray of 6am morning, and pulling her hand to his mouth, he kissed it once before mumbling, “Scully.”
“Happy Anniversary.”
This called for turning around, which he did, careful not to knock into her belly, “roll over.”
Seriously.
“Easier said than done, mister, I have a belly the size of Montana to roll with me.”
His awakening brain assessed and agreed, choosing to climb over her, keeping them skillfully under the covers until he was on her other side, helping her scootch forward a little so he wasn’t hanging on for dear life to eight inches of prime mattress real estate. Once all settled and snuggled, “that was your gift. I hope you enjoyed it.”
She had and told him so.
With a chuffy chuckle into her neck, her hairs moved as he came in closer, mouth on skin, eyes closed once again, “you’re too easy.”
“We’re barreling toward a family of five and we technically had our first date … what … last week? I think we established how easy I am.”
Fingers working down until they found her now outie belly button, circling slowly, “pretty sure our first date was post-Christmas last year. Mexican festivities and book store discovery, if I’m not mistaken.”
Reaching her arm down to wedge her fingers between their pressed thighs, “I’d ask you to take the day off and spend it in bed but Will is set to wake up in about 20 minutes.”
“I can do a lot in 20 minutes.”
Too warm to feel up to moving much, she wiggled her hips back, then shut her eyes, “just give me a nice, long hug and I’ll give you a nice, non-expiring rain check for wild, 20-minute sex.”
Doing as asked, “I love you.”
“I love you back.”
&&&&&&&&&
Veronica made it down for her postponed Christmas visit and staying a week, with Mulder and Scully for three days, then with Joanna and her family for the other three. She and Joanna hit it off spectacularly and talked often, texted often, emailed often. Mulder got a big kick out of it and telling Joanna this, she just smiled, “I take all the family I can get, Mulder, regardless of size, shape, or blood-relation.”
“And we appreciate that immensely.”
Veronica, sitting in Maggie and Skinner’s living room after an unconventionally quiet Sunday dinner, sans the Gunmen, Doggett, Skinner, and Bill, took a quiet moment to stare at Will, playing with socks and rattles on her lap, then comment, “I can’t get over how much he looks like Christina and like you did, as a baby, Fox.”
“I knew he looked like me but I didn’t realize he looked like Mom, too.” Thinking for a moment, “I don’t think I’ve ever really seen a baby picture of her.”
“She used to have so much fun with you when you were this age. She would come over on Saturdays and we would take you to the park or to the river or, oh,” clapping her hands together, “once you were old enough to walk, you loved watching the ducks at the pond across the street from my house. You would run back and forth and quack, your little arms flapping.”
Mulder was entranced, not having heard much from his childhood, “that must have been entertaining.”
“Oh, it was. Your mother would run with you, quacking just as loudly and you’d be giggling and quacking and people would be stopping to watch and neither of you had a care in the world.” Clearly forgetting the roomful of family quietly surrounding her, she continued, her voice lower, lost in the past, “I’m not sure what happened after your sister was born. I don’t know if she became depressed, people didn’t know anything about post-partum depression like they do now, or something happened between her and Bill but she changed after that.“ Suddenly remembering her surroundings, she looked up, “so then, I helped you chase the ducks … that is, until Bill moved everyone away.” Giving Mulder a soft smile that fit her personality to a tee, “but now I have more family than I know what to do with, given that Jake has assigned me an official moniker and I have also been initiated into the clan via a green bean stuck to my cheek with turkey gravy.” Looking at Sam, “that was very nice of you not to throw it as I heard the initiation often begins with.”
Sam grinned at her, “you’re welcome, Auntie V.”
Mulder came back to his mother, however, in awe of what he’d just heard, “she ran and quacked and laughed?”
Veronica chuckled, “indeed she did. She was my best friend until … things happened. Even with our age difference, she was always there, listening, advising, swearing, cheating at cards, letting me win at tennis.” Twinkling her eyes at her nephew, “she was a very good egg, your mother was. I am very happy she decided to spend her last year with me. I got to see my sister again the way she used to be and let me tell you, she looked forward to your calls every week, made sure she was home by five every Saturday so she wouldn’t miss them.”
Tears were running down Mulder’s cheeks, ignored by everyone there, who chose to enjoy his radiant smile happening at the same time instead, “I wish I could remember her that way. I never saw that side of her or at least I don’t remember that side of her at all.”
“Next time I come down to visit, I will bring the photos and home videos,” reaching out to pat Mulder’s knee, “or you come see me, although I think it would be easier if I came here, given the amount of people you would have to bring with you … I believe last count was 21.”
Hannah, two over from Auntie V, wiggled in her seat, “super sleepover!”
Veronica leaned forward, blowing her a kiss, “I am so glad to be one of you.”
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They stayed up talking, once they got back to the apartment, until after two, Mulder absorbing any and all information on his mother that Veronica offered. He learned of high school boyfriends, broken arms, plans to join the New York City ballet, and a oft-stolen car taken on a joy ride on a Sunday afternoon.
“My mother stole a car?”
“She said she had places to be.”
Mulder sat back against the couch, rubbing a hand over his face, talking more to his palm than to Veronica and Scully, “where did she go? And why didn’t I ever get to meet her?”
Scully ran her hand up and down his thigh, slow and steady, “you okay?”
“I wish I could have known her, that’s all.”
Standing, Veronica came over, leaning in for a hug, “I have plenty more stories where those came from and soon enough, you’ll know just as much about her as I do.”
Mulder motioned her to move back, then stood to give her a proper hug, “so, when will we see you next?”
“As soon as possible. Apprently Joanna and Dave would like to initiate me in a game called ‘Nertz.’ Apprently there is a heavy amount of swearing and what is said at the ‘Nertz’ table, stays at the ‘Nertz’ table.”
Scully grinned, “just remember to cut your finger nails before we play.” Holding up her right hand to show off a faint white scar, “that’s Sarah’s finger nail would right there.”
Moving on to hug Scully goodnight, after giving the scar proper appraisal, “remind me. I don’t want to main anyone in the process of winning.”
As Mulder and Scully watched her drive off the next morning, Mulder reached out for Scully’s hand, “I think, maybe, we could convince her to move down here. I saw the real estate section open on her bed when I went to the bathroom yesterday, so I mean, Mama Scully may need to buy another chair for the dinner table.”
“300 years from now, someone is going to dig up my mother’s house and find us all at that dinner table, having died from overeating, of course, and wonder just what kind of cult we were.”
“I prefer clan. Clan Scully.”
“You really, really want to buy a kilt, don’t you? Switch us from Irish to Scottish.”
“I really, really do.”
