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It was the dumbest retelling of The Gift of the Magi you could imagine.
Mulder had laughed when he unwrapped the gift Scully picked out for him, flashed her one of those easy grins when he freed it from its wrapping paper. A soft plush in the shape of an alien, green with a too-long head, big oval eyes, and two little antennae. It was silly, maybe, but when she saw it in the store she just knew she had to buy it for him. Knew it would make him smile.
“Your turn.” Mulder pushed her gift into her hands, urged her to unwrap it with the same amount of patience a child would have, so she did.
There it was. The same bright green alien toy, staring up at her with unblinking embroidered eyes. She almost felt like it was mocking her.
“You got me—”
“I thought you’d find it funny,” Mulder answered, and he started to laugh again. He was smiling at her with eyes half-closed, and he was right. It was funny.
She joined his laughter, held the new toy close to her chest, and leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. She was giggling now like a little kid, happily pressed against his side.
“Good Christmas?” he asked softly.
“Great Christmas,” she replied.