Work Text:
S,
Meet me tomorrow at the base of the Masonic Temple. 9am. Dress warmly.
-M
Scully had gotten back to the office rather late on Friday after an autopsy had gone longer than expected. Still she was surprised that Mulder had seemingly already left for the weekend. As intrigued as she was by the note he'd left on her desk she sincerely hoped she hadn't gotten up early on the weekend for a case. It was only a couple days before Christmas and she really really needed to finish her shopping.
The Masonic Temple in Alexandria was situated at the top of large hill that gave impressive views of the surrounding area. Last night was the first decent snowfall of the season and as she trudged up one of the pathways leading to the building she noticed numerous families sledding down the terraced hillsides.
She spotted him immediately as she made it to the top of the hill. Wearing the bright green alien knit hat she got him as a gag gift last year he was practically bouncing up and down scanning the crowds for her. His toothy grin as he spotted her made her insides flip in a way that she wasn't quite ready to acknowlege.
"Right on time!" he beamed. He gestured to the large wooden toboggan next to him and waggled his eyebrows playfully.
"Mulder," she said as if he'd just presented her a slideshow about Bigfoot being personally responsible for crop circles. "You can't be serious."
"C'mon Scully, this is one of the best sledding locations in the area. We can't pass this up!"
She smirked at his giddiness and eventually nodded in acceptance. Mulder positioned the toboggan at the edge of the slope and motioned for her to have a seat. She had assumed they'd be taking turns but was surprised when he situated himself snugly behind her. Reaching around her to grab the strap he nudged them forward slightly. "Ready?" She nodded. Unsure of what to do with her hands she grasped his upper arms tightly.
As they took off down the hillside they quickly gained speed, the other riders becoming a blur in her peripheral vision. She felt a couple moments of weightlessness as they careened over the terraced slope. Coming to a stop at the bottom she felt breathless both from adrenaline and the feeling of Mulder's warm body wrapped around her.
"Whoo!" he exclaimed. "Let's go again! His enthusiasm was contagious and she found herself racing him back up to the top.
After a few more runs they headed back to their cars in comfortable silence, Mulder dragging the toboggan behind him. "The last Christmas I spent with Samantha we went sledding," he said suddenly. Scully glanced at him in surprise but he kept his eyes trained on the ground. "There were a couple places around the island where you could sled and she begged me for days to take her. It snowed Christmas morning so we spent all day sledding. She was so happy." He slowed and finally looked at her. "It was the best Christmas ever," he said quietly, a wistful smile on his face.
Her heart broke for the boy who whose world was shattered so long ago. Not for the first time she wondered how different he would be now if his childhood memories weren't forever tinged with sadness around the edges.
Stopping in front of her car she raised on her tiptoes and gave him a lingering kiss on his wind-reddened cheek. Pulling back she saw his eyes open slowly and a dreamy look on his face. "Merry Christmas, Mulder."
"Best Christmas ever," he whispered.