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Mulder had always enjoyed Christmas when he had been a boy.
The time with his family had been wonderful… up until it wasn’t. Life as the Mulders had once known it was never the same after the abduction of its youngest member. Everything became dull. And Christmas? Well, it was bleak. No other word could really describe it.
This Christmas was even more jarring because his father was now in the afterlife. So far as Mulder’s mother went? She remained. But the relationship she had with her only son was complicated. Still, she loved him because he was all she had left. Knowing so brought Mulder peace.
On a day-to-day aspect, Mulder also knew his mother well enough that she would be out of town for the holidays. It was what she did every single year.
Today, Christmas Eve Eve, just found Mulder wandering aimlessly through The Hoover Building. It was the last day of work before vacation. Everybody would be clocking out at noon. But right now, it was only nine-thirty. Mulder felt like time was crawling by but backwards.
He was also in the state of aimless wandering because he truly hadn’t anything to do. Scully had actual science-related business elsewhere in the building that didn’t concern him. So they would catch up again later. But without her to talk to, their little mad kingdom was far too quiet. So he’d at least be where people were because it made sense.
Mulder’s thoughts wandered as he thought about how he’d spend his holiday at home. Probably watching movies on the television while eating takeout. Then sleeping. It was a little boring. But… It was his life. That was that.
Still, he continued to wander aimlessly from haunt to haunt in the building. And it was actually nice. Everyone was in too festive a mood to be snarky like usual to him. The people in the accounting office even pressed a fresh Pfeffernusse cookie on him as he passed by. Contentment was that Mulder felt that morning.
A man’s voice called out from the other end of the hallway, “Agent Mulder?”
He turned to see a young twenty-something man dressed like a typical federal office drone pushing a double-decker metal cart filled with envelopes and parcels of all kinds. The mail clerk had found him and was on the approach. Odd.
But Mulder joined him in the middle of the hall to say, “Hi, Kellogg. What’s up?”
Kellogg handed from the smaller compartment near the cart’s handles a greeting card sized envelope and gave it to him. “Glad I caught you up here. This is for you, postmarked from Baltimore. Hm. I guess it didn’t have to travel far.”
“Yeah. That’s lucky. And thanks.” Mulder accepted his mail. “Is there anything else?”
“Only various and sundry.” Kellogg now pressed a small stack of drab-looking mail into Mulder’s hands. “I also just saw Agent Scully a few minutes ago. She said to tell you that she’s on the way back down to the basement office.”
Promptly perking up, Mulder said, “Thanks again. Oh, and happy holidays. Be well.”
Bobbing his head in acknowledgment, Kellogg returned while making his exit now, “Right back at you.”
In the elevator, Mulder examined his mail. The drab items were just end-of-year notices. But he was already caught up on all of them. So he examined the mail from Baltimore. Mulder found himself beaming when he saw the sender’s name on the return address. Margaret Katherine Scully.
Pleased and curious, Mulder opened the envelope and removed a greeting card whose front depicted a family sitting down to a feast of a holiday dinner. Everything looked cozy. Mulder wished he could transport himself to that moment.
Inside the card, a message from the Scully family matriarch written in a very Dana-esque cursive could be seen. And it conveyed kindness. Mulder was even more pleased.
‘I heard from Dana that you’ll be spending the holidays alone. That won’t do. Please come for dinner at my home on Christmas night. Six o’clock. You need bring just yourself. There will always be a spot at my table for you and a bed under my roof. That is a promise.
Hoping to see you soon,
Maggie’
The elevator door opened as Mulder reached the end of the note. But he felt as if to be floating in the air. How nice it was to be loved by a parent that was whole and present. What was more? He had actual holiday plans now.
Just as he realized that his next action would be to call the matriarch so as to formally accept her invitation, Mulder’s thoughts were dashed. Fast. He was already at the office door.
It was open and he could hear that Scully was humming ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ to herself. She didn't do things like that unless she was truly at peace for the moment. Cheer in their precious mad kingdom brought Mulder happiness. No matter what.
And so he strolled into their home away from him as he said, “Scully? You're never going to believe this…”