Allison McKenzie (M.F. Luder, Potty Lins, Potty McKenzie, Patty McKenzie, Allison Lins)

July 16^th 1999

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, Bill Scully Jr., Bill’s wife, Maggie Scully, Bill Scully, Samantha Mulder, all belong to CC, 1013, and Fox network. Kevin, Tom, Monica, Mich, and the children belong to me. This story line belongs to me as well.

Summery: A normal Christmas Eve at Maggie Scully’s. Samantha and Tom are back from Europe, Dana and Fox are home again, and Monica is dealing with her wheel chair and Navy men.

Notes: For some odd reason I’m in a Christmas type of mood. This is dedicated to the author of Death At High Tide and Dead Man’s Float. Thank you Miss Sherman, your advice was very helpful. Im not too sure about this ending, I liked the way i resolved some of the loose ends in the story but I don't know if I should add more, I have and so far it just ends up ruining the story, let me know how you like it ok?

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The front door loomed ahead of him. The bright lights around it didn’t help any. She brushed past him and then stopped. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a funny look. Her red hair shining in the light from the window. Putting down the bags she carried she returned to him. Reaching up she gently touched his cheek.

"Fox?" was her soft call. That name sent shivers down his spine. She had used it often over the past week and a half but it still made his heart shutter. Turning his face he kissed the palm of her hand and then glanced up at the house.

"They are going to kill me Scully." He used her last name to show his distress. Their first names where saved for moments of love and trust. His strength came from using her last name in moment’s fear and terror.

A smile spread across her face and she stood on her toes to gently kiss his cheek. "You’re safe with me G-man" she whispered and then took his hand.

She led him up the steps and then grabbed her bags and continued to hold his hand as they walked up the steps to the front door of Maggie Scully’s home. Dana smiled up at him and then opened the door. Soft Christmas music greeted them as well as the sweet smell of Maggie Scully’s cooking. They stepped into the house and he turned to shut the door while Dana called out, "We’re home mom!"

‘We’re’ it was hard to believe that she had adjusted to this new arraignment so quickly. Adding him to all of her plans and thinking of them as a whole and not as separate parts of a working relationship… she was definitely NOT like that Bitch Green.

The elder Scully woman came at her daughter like a bat outta hell. They embraced and then Maggie pulled back. She laughed when she saw that she had left flower on her daughter’s clothing. She then turned to him and embraced him with a hug, making sure to avoid his injured shoulder.

"So tell me. How does it feel to be a married couple?" Maggie said smiling.

"Oh no! The married couple from hell!" called a voice from the living room. A pair of crystal blue eyes flashed at them from the doorway. Black hair in a long braid that sat across her unmoving legs, and her hands pushed the large wheels that were connected to her chair. Mulder stepped from Dana and Maggie to cross the floor to stand before his friend.

The wheelchair stricken woman smiled up at him. She blinked away a tear before smiling and desperately failing at trying to crack a joke, "I remember when you used to look up to me, now it’s the other way around."

Mulder touched her shoulder and smiled at her. "Brian would be proud of you, Monica."

She smiled up at him and then wiped at her eyes, "Ok, come ‘ere; both of you." Dana approached the Monica took a small envelope out of her bag. Holding it up to Dana she said, "I’m sorry I couldn’t make the wedding but I do have a give for you two. I saw this play the first time it was on Broadway and I’ve seen it at least once a year since then. I know you both will love it."

Dana took the envelope from her friend and opened it. Inside was a small card that had ‘May the heavens stay safe and out of your way. Love, Monica’ written in Monica’s sprawling handwriting. And beside the message were two Broadway tickets paper clipped to the card. Boldly printed across the top of the ticket said The Phantom of the Opera and in the box that said seating were the words Orchestra B 108 and the other said Orchestra B 107.

"Monica…How did you?" Dana asked, staring at the tickets like they had grown heads.

"Your mother said you always wanted to see it and I just couldn’t resist sending you two off to see it." Monica smiled and then shook her head. "Stop staring at me like I’m a goose. Let’s get this party underway."

"Aunt Dana!" cried a young voice as they all stepped from the foyer into the living room. Three young children came running to Dana while two happy mothers looked on. Two men crossed the room and shook hands with him and a third stood across the room. The first was a tall man with jet black hair, and the other had short, clean cut hair and sparkling blue eyes. He wore the tradition uniform of a navy man officer; just as did one of the men that Mulder shook hands with. Funny, he thought, that one brother thanks me for saving his sister and the other hates me. He blames me for all that has happened to her and I can’t help but think that all that has happened to her was my fault, he looks down at Dana with the children. Their eyes meet and she smiles at him, but I am lost without her…and now I know that she is lost without me as well.

"Hello Tom, Hello Kevin." Mulder smiled at both men and then turned to see a smiling face at the same level as his. Her long bright red hair and green eyes gave away who it was, Mulder held out his arms and the woman enveloped him in a giant bear hug. "Hello Samantha."

It was hard to believe that Samantha was actually there with him. She had grown up to become a beautiful woman and her proof of that fact was that she had been a model for ten years now. Almost the whole time he had been looking for her, she’d been in England. She had woken up in an orphanage in England at the age of 12 and a had spend her life there. When she turned eighteen she had left the orphanage and gotten a job at a modeling studio, one day she modeled for them and since then she had been a model. She had meet Tom, her fianc�, and a month later they both traveled to New York. They had been attending the National Horse show where Monica had been riding, and the rest was history.

"It’s good to see you again Sam." Mulder said into his sister’s hair.

"Oh, you Yanks make me so emotional. But Tom and myself will be traveling home in a week. What is Christmas without family?" Samantha said and batted her eyes at him, "So, Dana, did he chicken out on the wedding night?"

"Samantha!" Maggie and Dana said as Mulder blushed. "Come along Samantha and Kevin, I need you two to help me in the kitchen. You two, as well." Maggie said to Bill and his wife.

Dana stood and took Mulders hand. She smiled up at him, he dropped his head and kiss her forehead. A burst of ewws erupted from around their feet and Scully smiled. Mulder looked down at the kids. Smiling a devilish plan formed in his head. "You think that is disgusting…." Mulder said and turned to Dana. He watched her eyes as their lips approached and smiled when their lips touched and her eyes closed first. The beginning of the kiss was soft but it quickly changed as passion flared up again in their arms. They both broke from the kiss panting and hungry for more.

Bill Jr. and his wife looked on from the kitchen, both wishing that they had had half the passion between them that Dana and Fox did. Looking to each other they smiled, the passion was gone but the love was a strong as ever.

Dana smiled up at Mulder and then looked at the children about their feet. She winked at Mulder and then jumped away from him. He looked at her oddly and then worriedly as she had the little kids gather round her. He stepped back and then suddenly they broke from their huddle and eyed Mulder oddly. "Um, Scully?"

"NOW!" Dana cried and she and the kids jumped on Mulder. They tackled him to the ground and began to tickle him. Mulder alternately gasped for air, laughed, and called out for help. After a minute the adults emerged from the kitchen and watched the spectacle. A few minutes after that, Maggie announced that dinner was ready and the children jumped off of Mulder and ran into the kitchen, eager to eat. Dana and Fox waited for the others to gather their food before they did.

When everyone had gathered their food they found seats at the dinning room table. The dinner was a regular family gathering for the Scully’s and Mulder, considering he had been going to Christmases at the Scully’s for an awfully long time. Monica happily chatting with Kevin, while Samantha and Tom both made faces at Bill Jr.’s kids. Dana, who sat across from Mulder, made faces during the meal. Maggie called the dinner to a close by clearing her throat, "It is delightful to have a full house like this again. And now for my favorite tradition," she paused to look at all of the people sitting at the table before continuing, "time for midnight mass."

With that they cleaned their dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. Maggie and the others changed for the church mass. Fox and Dana slipped into Dana’s childhood bedroom unnoticed. While Dana freshened up for the church service, Mulder looked around. He touched different things on her shelves, little trinkets that she had collected over the years. Smiling, Dana turned to watch him. Her smile grew larger when he came to her pictures and spotted the one she had taken of him one day. He didn’t even see the camera and he was in deep thought but with his suit on he looked so handsome.

"When did you take this?" His soft question interrupts her thoughts of bliss.

"They day after the trial."

"That must be the only memento of the trial then. Thank god the bastards dead."

"I think the jury was quite thrown by the evidence you managed to produce." He smiled at her.

She stood from the mirror and began to move toward him. "They were just thrown by the devilish good looks of the FBI agent who was presenting the evidence."

He reached out and took her hand. Pulling her body with a quick jerk of her arm they landed on the bed. His mouth drawing a fierce conquest on hers before she pushed him back. Smiling she slipped from under him just as the door opened. Samantha stood in the doorway, camera in hand. Both Mulder and Scully dove for her. She rushed down the hallway, waving the instant picture that came out of the camera. Kevin grabbed the picture from Samantha and handed it off to Monica. Fox and Dana stood before Monica, but Maggie called everyone out to the car just in time. Mulder leaned down to Monica’s ear and whispered before he joined Dana in their car, "Saved by a Scully."

Church was as expected. Long, tiresome, and very boring. Monica had insisted that they sit at the very back or the very front. Dana and Maggie had decided to follow tradition and sit in the very first pew, and to follow tradition, all the men sat together and the woman all sat together. So, during the service Fox would lean over just enough to watch Dana. When she turned to look at him he would sit back or make a face at her, getting Dana in trouble because she would try to stifle the laugh and get the stern eye from her mother.

"Dana Scully. How good to see you." A light male voice said as Dana waited outside the church. Her mother had decided to do a confession and she had become separated from Fox and the others as they left the Church. Dana turned to see a face she had never thought, nor wanted, to see again.

"Hello Mich. What are you doing here?" Dana tried to sound as polite as possible. She spotted red hair in the crowd but it turned out to be he next door neighbor.

"Oh, just home for the holidays. You?" He smiled and Dana had to close her eyes to keep from throwing up.

"Same. I just got back from Europe." Suddenly Dana had an idea, a smile spread across her face and she just hoped that she didn’t look too evil.

"Oh, Europe? I hear that its lovely there. So, what are you doing for a job now? Last time we talked you were working a Quantico, right?" 'Where the hell was Fox?' scully thought

"Oh yes, two months ago right? I’m a special agent again. A Special section, top secret." Dana smiled sweetly, god she hoped that she didn’t look like a hunter eyeing its pray.

"Oh, well hey. I’m working at NASA now. I was wondering, I’m throwing a bash on New Years Eve, you know to celebrate the first year of the new millenium-"

"Actually it’s the start of the new millenium." Dana interrupted, she spotted Fox and Monica coming out the side of the Church. Monica spotted her instantly and then Fox did.

"Oh, well would you like to come and join the celebration?" Fox strode over and slipped his arm protectively around Dana’s waist. Dana smiled, but didn’t look up at him.

"Fox?"

"Yep?"

"Do we have any plans on New Years Eve?" Dana looked up at him now, she enjoyed the look of pain that crossed over Mich’s face.

"You’re spending it with me you dope. ‘member? We’ve got that big bash planned?" Monica said, eyeing the stranger.

"Oh, well if you have plans then. Maybe I’ll see you around." Mich said as he turned and walked away.

"Was that the guy…" Mulder began.

"Yeah, but don’t worry about him. There’s Mom, I want to get home and have some of her hot cocoa."

Monica and Fox nodded their heads and caught up with Maggie.

"Time for bed children." Maggie said from the doorway of the living room. Samantha smiled at her son. He was asleep on the couch, with the other children. Tom rose to his feet and picked up his son. Fox stood as well and leaned over to pick up Bill’s sleeping daughter. Bill saw this and paused, wondering if he’d been wrong about Mulder, he lifted his son off the couch and the two of them carried them to the room that had been designated as the kid’s room for the day.

"Thanks, Mulder." Bill said after the little children were fast asleep and tucked into bed. The three men, Tom, Bill, and Mulder returned to find the women had already placed all the gifts under the large Christmas tree and were lounging on the couch. Dana looked over her shoulder and smiled a sweet innocent young child’s smile. "Fox?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Tea?" She nodded and Mulder turned into the kitchen and made all of the women Tea, after shooing away Mrs. Scully quiet a few times. They all sat around the fire and didn’t talk much, they just enjoyed each others presence. Mulder tore his eyes away from Dana to glance at the rest of the room. Samantha and Tom were casually holding hands while Samantha slept on Tom’s shoulder. Monica and Kevin were deep in a quiet conversation, and then Maggie Scully who was quietly drifting off into space. He nudged Dana and she looked up at him, then following his eye line she saw Monica and Kevin. Mulder cleared his throat and everyone began to comeback to the here and now.

"Oh goodness, look how late it is!" Maggie said and everyone groaned. Maggie just shook her head and began to shoo everyone to bed. Bill and his wife said their goodnights and left for their house, next door. Samantha and Tom retired to Bill’s old room and Maggie climbed up behind them. She motioned from the rest of them to follow.

"Well, see you all in the morning. Don’t worry, If I see Santa I’ll get him for ya." Monica wheeled herself over to the couch and began to move herself from her chair when Kevin stopped her. He bent down and picked her up from the chair and began to climb the stairs with her.

"You’ll be sleeping in a normal bed this evenin’ Miss. Don’t worry, I have perfect Manner’s." He explained.

"You better, I’m too old to have a midnight fling." Was what Fox and Dana heard before the door closed. Dana smiled and rested her head on Mulder’s arm. He ran a hand over her hair and then took her hand. She turned to him and he bent down, putting an arm under her knee’s and picked her up.

"Mulder!" Dana hissed as he carried her upstairs and to her childhood bedroom. He just smiled and laid her down on the bed, she had changed into relaxing clothing when they all had returned from Midnight mass. She yawned and snuggled deep under the covers as Mulder pulled off his shirt, leaving his sweat pants on, and climbed into the bed with her. He wrapped his arm around her and they both slipped into their dreams. "Love you Dana,"