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Title: Snow Globes and Sea Ships
Author: Pattie
Rated: G
Category: Post-The Truth, M & S saved the world, K, MSR
Married.
Spoilers: The X-Files series, especially a bit of Memento Mori.
Summary: Who would have thought Mulder and Scully would be
celebrating William's fifth birthday with him?
Feedback: patfiler2016@outlook.com
Archive: The Nursery Files, Gossamer. Anyone else just ask
nicely.
Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully and son were not my idea, but
Meg was. Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox
Studios own them and the title by copyright, and I make no
money from writing fan fiction. 'Moby Dick' is a classic book
written by Herman Melville. 'Shrek' is a 2001 children's film
and is the property of Dreamworks.
Author's Note: Written for The Nursery Files May Challenge to
celebrate William's fifth birthday. Another story is upcoming
with the birthday with William at ten.
MULDER RESIDENCE
ALEXANDRIA, VA
MAY 20, 2006
6:30 AM
The sun had barely risen when the alarm went off. Even though it
was a Saturday morning, this day was special. Scully rose and
quietly donned her robe, tip-toeing around the corner to the
kids' bedrooms. Good. They were sound asleep. Perhaps the
strong scent of the lilacs outside their windows proved more
relaxing than the aerosol imitations.
She returned to the master bedroon and entered the ensuite to
shower and prepare for the day, smiling because she had her son
and little girl and the man she had waited for. All things
had fallen into place. The world was good, God was in his
Heaven and... Suddenly, flashes of a fateful night five years
ago in Democrat Hotsprings broke her train of thought. She
dropped the soap, but left it on the bath mat. She closed her
eyes and whispered, "That was long ago. Stop it! He's here.
We're all here and we're all safe."
When she opened her eyes, she quickly rinsed off and put the
soap back into the soap dish. She resolved not to let the
intrusive memories rule this day. She would only remember the
tender look in Mulder's eyes and the joy she felt when she
first laid eyes on little William. She patted her slightly
bulging belly and was grateful they would be expecting their
third child. "No more negative emotions," she whispered. "Wait
until your Dad hears about you."
Over a breakfast of blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs,
William was all aglow in anticipation of the day ahead of him.
"... and I invited Glen and Sally because they like the same
flavor cake as I do. Can I help decorate the house, Mom?"
Scully smiled warmly and whispered,"Sweetheart, I'd really love
your help, but this is your day."
"Besides," proud papa Mulder interjected, "We're going bowling
this morning so Mom can bake your cake and hang the streamers
and balloons."
"I can stay and help," Meg, now three, offered.
"Better come bowling," William told his sister sternly. "We
have a tie to settle, and I'm going to beat my best record,
too."
Mulder shook his head in mock derision. "Did you hear that,
Mom? I figured on a basketball player and got a bowler."
"And a darn smart bowler," Scully added. "Well, you can't
always get what you want."
"I wouldn't change anything for the world. Happy Birthday,
William. Now, let's get cracking before 9:00. Your Mom needs
the time."
"Okay!" William and Meg shot out of their seats and raced
for the stairs to get themselves washed up.
Scully sipped her coffee and smiled. "I can't believe he's
five, and we're here with him."
"We did it, Scully. We did it. I admit it was a bumpy ride
along the way, but everything we did was worth our efforts.
"And," he said, as he stood and hugged his wife, "You can't
go back and fight the old demons. No more nightmares like last
night. I swear you were a boxer in a past life."
Scully pulled away and look him straight in the eyes. "Again?"
Tears filled her eyes, and her husband sensed her disappointment
in herself.
Mulder nodded. "Again." He held her close and smoothed her hair.
"They're all gone and William is safely home with us. The
monsters are gone. Now, I just know you're going to make the
best banana nut cake with vanilla icing the world has ever
seen, so why don't I just get the kids outta here and leave
the details up to you. You look kind of pale. Are you sure
you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'll be okay once I start baking and decorating, and
Mom's driving up for the day to help out. You get started. Oh,
and I need a bag of paper plates and some plastic forks."
"Yes, Ma'am." Mulder saluted and grabbed his car keys from
the hook on the wall.
11:15 AM
By this time, the walls were decorated, a banner hung across the
living room ceiling, and Scully was putting the last touches on
the cake. Her mother had arrived at about 10:15 and the house
was ready for a dozen active kindergartners.
"Coffee, Mom?"
"Sure, Honey. William's grown so much so quickly."
"I know. And then Meg. Just let me get the last little swirl
here... and I'm done. Well, Mom? What's your verdict?"
Maggie Scully smiled and put her arm around her daughter. "You
should have been an artist."
"No, Mom. Really... "
"You did a great job! Dana, I always knew you could do anything
you put your mind to. You know, since I got here you've seemed
a bit off-task. Is anything wrong?"
Scully spooned coffee grounds into a clean filter. "Everything's
great. William's at the top of his class and Meg's coming along
nicely." Then she turned around and told her mother what was on
her mind. What had been on her mind in flashbacks and nightmares
for five years. "Another one of those nightmares last night,
Mom. When do they ever go away?"
Her mother sat down at the kitchen table. "Well, I guess when
you make peace with yourelf or whatever the feelings in your
dreams mean to you. If you're really worried about this, think
about how well everything turned out. Think about how strong
you were then, and how you got here today. You made it! Don't
let the past make you a victim all over agin, is what I'm
trying to say. Want me to help you start lunch?"
Scully pressed the button on the coffee maker and smiled. "Sure.
Mulder and the kids will be home soon, and I want to get
something healthy into them before the party. Especially the big
kid. Mom, where would I be without him?"
"In some hospital, stitching somebody up on a Saturday
afternoon."
"I'm glad you're not Bill." She managed to smile.
1:30 PM
William's guests were arriving between 1:00 and 1:30 as planned,
and Meg felt a little put out because she wasn't getting any
presents, but Grandma Scully had brought her a 'real cool' set
of new crayons and a coloring book. The little red haired girl
was happy yet still a bit jealous.
Gifts were placed in the livingroom, and that little miracle
baby born in Democrat Hotsprings five years ago was now a
happy, healthy and bright little boy.
Mulder smiled and watched with satisfaction as his son opened
his gifts, smiled at some of the things he received and looked
a bit puzzled at others, and of course disappointed that one
gift was an item of clothing. Mind you, it was a Knicks jersey,
and Mulder did remember putting that idea into one of the
fathers' heads. One little game disc seemed a bit wild for a
kid, but William's parents would see to it that they monitored
William's computer games. The paint, pasted and pencil crayon
art set seemed a bit much, but there would be some very unique
thank you cards made. Scully would see to that.
Scully had seen to it that William would thank his friends
orally when she had a little talk with him over lunch, and he
didn't let his mother down.
"Thanks, Jimmy. But what am I going to do with these?"
"Well," a brown haired boy suggested, "You could put the stars
and moon on the ceiling and when you turn out your light at night,
they glow in the dark. Kind of green."
"Great! Hear that Dad?"
Mulder's thoughts had gone back to Democrat Hotsprings.
"Dad?"
"Yeah. Oh, what was that?"
"We could put these on my bedroom ceiling!"
"And they'd look good there, too. Well, I think William's Mom
is about to bring the cake out, so let's all get to the table."
He shook himself out of the little deserted town that hadn't
seemed to go away in his mind as well as his wife's.
Scully crept up on him and whispererd, "You too, huh?"
"Every year at this time, Scully. And look how happy he is. It
didn't affect him and I wont let him know about it for a very
long time."
Scully smiled. "Neither will I. So, I suggest we get on with
the party. I'll light the candles, you cue the choir."
By 4:00, the party had been declared a success. William's
friends had left, the goody bags had been the best in the
neighborhood, and Meg happily colored while William played
with little cars and eyed the star set every few minutes.
The adults were safely seated in the kitchen over coffee and
what little cake was left.
"Maggie, I'm glad you came. I think your daughter needs to take
better care of herself."
"Oh, I'm fine," Scully laughed. "Really!"
"Okay, you two. You do look kind of tired, Dana. I don't think
it's just those nights... Oh... "
"No, it's all right. I know about the nightmares. We're dealing
with that," Mulder interrupted. "Sorry. I didn't mean to cut you
off."
"It's all right," Margaret Scully insisted, patting her son-in-
law's hand. "I was thinking about something much happier. Have
you looked at Dana's ankles? Her slight bulge? I can tell... "
"Yes," Scully nodded with a grin. "I'm going to have another
baby. I wanted to wait to tell everyone, though. I'm very, very
healthy."
Mulder seemed shell-shocked. "Another... baby?"
"Yes. You know, just like the ones we had before?" Scully smiled
warmly. "Mom, don't worry. I'm a doctor, and I think this man
needs another coffee."
"I think he needs a bigger car," Maggie laughed. "Well, this is
another reason to celebrate. By the way, has William opened his
presents from you yet?"
Scully poured more coffee into Mulder's mug. "We're waiting until
after supper, then we're watching 'Shrek'. Mulder says he had
a very special present he wants to give to William. I can't
even imagine what it is. This man can keep secrets like no other
man I know."
Her mother just smiled knowingly at Mulder.
"What?"
"Well, I knew from the moment I saw you two in the same room
there was something he didn't have to say. Isn't it a miracle
we're sitting here celebrating William's birthday after all we've
been through?"
"Well, yes, Mom. But it may just be a manifestation of some-
thing primordial and instinctive... "
Mulder quickly touched her arm. "Scully, we're not at work. So,
put the scientific lexicon away and enjoy."
"You're right. And if you two don't get out of my kitchen soon,
we won't be having dinner. So, scoot!"
"No, no," her mother insisted. "I'm staying right with my baby.
I can get the rest of the dishes done while you start cooking."
William and Meg had a lighter dinner than usual, after the cake
and ice cream they'd had at the party.
William had grown quiet since his fiends had left. In fact, he
looked rather disappointed. "Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Didn't you and Dad get me anything for my birthday?"
His mother smiled and his father placed his fork on his plate.
"Are you sure you can stand anymore excitement?"
"DAD! Don't joke about this!"
Mulder smirked and stood. "Okay, okay. I know when to stop. I
was saving it for this moment." He reached into one of the
upper cupboards in the kitchen, and produced a square,
colorfully wrapped package.
"I bet it's a Rubic's cube," Meg declared. "I hope you mixed it
up real good for him."
"Now, now. Just let your brother open his gift while I try to
remember where I put my present," Scully teased.
"That's not funny," William whispered, staring his mother down
in mock anger. "Wow! A snow globe! What's Allentown, Dad?"
At that moment, a figure very familiar to Mulder and Scully
entered the room.
Mulder couldn't believe his eyes. "Jeremiah Smith?"
Margaret Scully stared at the man in disbelief.
"Yes. We've been looking in and you seem to be celebrating a
very joyous occasion. Young William is now five-years-old?"
"Yes," Scully replied, smiling warmly. "And this little girl is
our daughter, Meg."
"Well, I'm glad to see you have a happy family. I just wanted
to offer my congratulations and say hello. And now, I must
be leaving. Have a good night."
As Smith left the room, Margaret Scully remarked, "That man
never ceases to amaze me, and he scared the heck out of me!
Why does he do that?"
"Wasn't that one of those awesome guys you said did a lot for
you and Mom so we could all be safe? A kind of special guy? I
think it's so cool he'd want to see how I was on my birthday!
Meg, Dad has pictures of him!"
"He's a very old friend, and it's in his nature just to 'do
that'. We had a lot of help from him when we needed him the
most."
"So, did you know him a long time before I was born?" William
queried, wide-eyed and eager for a story.
"Before you were born," Scully began, "your father and I met Mr.
Smith after he saved a man from a gunshot wound. Jeremiah Smith
showed your father a lot of very important things we were going
to need to know to solve a very big case. Well, not really a
case, but... a big problem." She looked to Mulder for some help.
"C'mon, side-kick. I'm dying on stage here... "
"Okay, Mom. You go look for William's present. I can handle
this."
"I'll just... take Meg into the livingroom to get things ready
for the movie," Margaret decided. "C'mon, Sweetie."
"Aw, he gets all the good ones," Meg protested.
"Oh, I bet not, Honey. Let's go."
After Grandma had turned the corner with Meg, William whispered,
"So?"
"So, where was I? Okay, you see that snow globe?"
"Yeah. It's cool. You shake it up and... "
"I know," Mulder chortled, "It snows. Allentown is a place we
went to investigate some rather unique... people."
"You mean like X-Files, right Dad?"
"Uh huh. Well, it turned out that a lot of ladies had very bad
experiments performed by... by bad doctors. They got very sick,
and one day, your mother got just as sick as they did." Mulder
found the story quite painful to relate, and he tried to keep
it as simple as possible for his son's sake.
"But they all got better, right?" William shook the globe a bit,
and watched the show fall once again.
Mulder suddenly felt a chill. "No, I'm afraid they didn't. But
your Mom did, and part of what we were trying to find out about
those women helped to make her better."
"And then you had me!"
"Well, not for quite a while... You were a miracle baby, you
know." Well, he almost let too much out. "Well, all babies are
miracles."
"Even Meg?"
"Even Meg. You had a very special beginning, and that was five
years ago today." He picked up his son and hugged him. "It just
seems like yesterday you were being thought of. Hey Mom! Whatcha
got there for the birthday boy?"
"Well, you'll just have to wait until he opens it, won't you?"
William took the rather large package into his little hands and
found that shaking it yielded no clues. Pressing on the sides of
the box offered no information. As he tore the paper from the
package, his parents smiled and took in the child's enthusiasm
and wonder.
Scully bent over her husband's shoulder and whispered,
"Mulder! You pilfered evidence!"
"Well, accidentally. It sort of fell into my pocket down at
that lab. Really. Besides," he whispered, "it made a great
paperweight at the apartment."
She playfully patted his cheek and tried to summon up an
appropriate, scolding lecture but just didn't have the desire
or the privacy. All she could say was, "Okay."
William glared at his parents. "You shouldn't whisper
when others are right in front of you, you know!" William.
Yes, he was quite wise for his years.
Mulder put on his best contrite face. "You're right. That was
very rude of us. So, let's see what's in the box!"
William used a butter knife to remove the packing tape from
the top of the box, and his father helped him lift the
styrofoam packing and whatever it was protecting out of the
box.
"Wow! A Naval Destroyer!" the child cried in excitement. "I
can add this to my collection of models!"
Scully kissed her son on the forhead. "You're grandfather was
a sea captain, and I was so proud of him. Read what it says
on the side."
"Starbuck?"
"That's right," Mulder told him. "That was his nickname for
your mother."
"And Ahab was my nickname for him."
William considered the meaning of the gift for a moment, then
confessed, "Mom. I've been reading your copy of 'Moby Dick'."
I found it on the book shelf in the livingroom. I hope you're
not mad at me."
Scully laughed. "Oh, no William! Although I think now I can
safely say you won't need the first grade. Maybe not even
the second." She smiled at her Mom, who didn't seem the
least bit surprised by William's intellect.
"Okay, so Starbuck wasn't a girl," Mulder explained, "but this
Starbuck is my girl, and she's the best first officer on the
ship." Mulder stood and embraced Scully, looked into her eyes
and kissed her, then pulled away for a moment. "Tonight, your
Mom's Ahab does the dishes. Now, off to the livingroom and
get that movie running! That's an order!" Then he turned to
Scully, held her face in his hands and said, "You are the most
exceptional specimen I've ever pilfered from the evidence. And
that snow globe's not going anywhere either."
END
Challenge Elements:
- set your fic on May 20th, 2006
- William receives a very special gift. (which doesn't have to
be an object. It could be alive or intangible) What is it? (The
snow globe from Memento Mori).
- Someone William is very excited to see visits on his birthday.
Who it? (Jeremiah Smith, for whom William's parents are very
thankful).
- An adult tells William as little or as much as you like about
the X-File of your choice. (A bit of history about where the
snow globe came from).
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