"We should go to the Common.  I hear they're taking down the tree tomorrow."

This suggestion was met with a murmured "that sounds wonderful" from Dana, and a hearty groan of disapproval from Fox.

"Come on, Mulder, it'll do us all good to walk off such a big meal."  Walter was already moving towards the closet.  Dana went to the front door to retrieve her boots, and Fox flopped down on the couch with a dramatic sigh.

Walter threw his navy pea coat on top of him.

Then he helped Dana with her camel-coloured coat, handed her the matching scarf, and tugged on his own black coat and red flannel scarf.

"I'm not going." Mulder's voice was muffled and petulant from beneath the folds of his coat.  

Walter rolled his eyes while Dana tried reason.

"It's nicer out tonight than it's been all week, the snowstorm ended hours ago, and the fresh air will be good for you-stimulating, even."

This doctorly advice earned her a sour look as Mulder disentangled himself from his coat.

"Fox…"

One syllable, barely audible, but Walter's whispered growl accomplished what no amount of Scully's nagging would have.  Mulder got to his feet, still muttering, though half-heartedly now, and began pulling on his coat.

"That was impressive, sir." Scully had to comment.

"Too bad it doesn't work so well at the office," Walter replied.

"You're funny, old man," said Mulder.  "Have you seen my gloves?"

"Where did you leave them?"

A quick search of the closet, desk, refrigerator and convenient gun-table revealed the dark kid gloves resting on the bookshelf by the stairs, and after some helpful suggestions from Scully ("why don't you get the ones with the string?") and Walter ("If you'd put them where they belong…"), everyone was dressed and out the door.

They took Walter's car, and Scully sat in between the two men.  She and Mulder got into a heated debate about the existence of extraterrestrials as it pertained to the birth of Christ, which neither one of them won.  Then Mulder played with the radio and reached over his partner to squeeze Walter's leg briefly.

In short order, they reached the common, which was brightly lit with Christmas bulbs of all shapes and sizes, from the parking lot where they sat to the edge of the tree line, where the Vietnam memorial wall could just be made out, a dark blur in the darkening distance.

Walter parked the car, but kept it running for a moment while they looked out at pristine white snow, sparkling under the multicoloured lights that had been liberally sprinkled over the shrubs and trees.  And in the center of it all stood a huge Christmas tree covered with white mini lights, and topped with a bright gold star.

Even Mulder, for whom December 25 was traditionally the day between December 24 and December 26, was moved by the spectacle.

Walter shut off the car and they all exited the vehicle.

Walter adjusted the knit fisherman's cap on his head, pleased that the wind that had blown in the furious snowstorm of the last few days had abated, and, while still cold, the air was not so biting as it had been.  In fact, while dressed properly, he found it actually refreshing.

Scully took his arm, smiling up at him, and they started down the cleared path towards the center of the common, with Mulder trailing behind them, muttering darkly about partners and boyfriends who were trying to kill him, and his plans for revenge.

They walked on slowly, with Scully oohing and aahing at the lights while Walter just enjoyed the walk, feeling very much the gentleman, with Scully's tiny hand tucked in his arm, pacing his long legged stride to her shorter one.

Mulder fell farther behind them, stopping briefly to investigate a bulb that had burned out, then pausing again a moment later to pull his scarf up over his nose and glare uselessly at his partner and lover, wondering how they could possibly be enjoying this.  Then he set off at a brisk pace to catch up with them, skidding and very nearly colliding with them when they stopped at the top of a gentle rise in the path.

The tree was even larger close up, towering over them, nearly turning dusk to daylight with the amount of light it was generating.

Scully gave a little gasp and put a hand to her mouth.

"I've seen it dozens of times," said Walter, "and it's always the same.  Beautiful, but it's a rugged beauty, demanding, even.  I never tire of it."

Scully didn't reply, just looked up at the tree for a moment more, then looked back to where Mulder was standing, gazing intently, not at the tree, but at the man in front of him.  She pulled her arm from Walter's, and caught his attention, which she promptly directed towards Mulder with a shift of her eyes.  Then she purposefully moved away from him, following the path again, which circled around the tree.

Walter looked back at Mulder, caught him looking, and growled, "C'mere."

Again, a single word to generate an immediate response.  Mulder moved up beside him.  Walter stepped behind him and thrust his hands deep into the pockets of Mulder's coat. Automatically, Mulder glanced around, but found that they were for all intensive purposes, alone, and he leaned back with a sigh. He reached into his pockets and squeezed Walter's wrists affectionately, and Walter kissed him on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Fox."

"Thanks.  You, too."

They stood a moment longer like that, relishing the closeness, until they heard a distinct, out-of-tune voice warbling "Away In a Manger."

Mulder laughed aloud and pulled away from Walter as Scully came around the tree.

"You missed your calling, Scully," he said, "You could be knockin' 'em dead in Vegas."

"I did that once.  You missed it."

Walter glanced at her quizzically as she bent to scoop up some of the fresh snow from the side of the path.

"Christmas snow," she said in reply to his look.  She held it up in front of the two men. "You make a wish on fresh snow under a Christmas tree, and it's guaranteed to come true.  It's like a magic spell, or something."

"Magic?" Walter was skeptical, Mulder, surprisingly, more so.

"Sure.  Watch."  She held up her hand, declared, "I wish long life and happiness for us all!" then blew as hard as she could on the snow, causing it to fly up and into the faces of the two men watching.

Walter stepped back quickly, but Mulder lunged forward instead.

"Christmas snow!  I'll show you Christmas snow, Scully!"

She backpedaled frantically away, laughing, and nearly tripping as she came off the path and found herself in deep, untrodden snow.  Mulder followed her and immediately floundered in the snow, struggling to find his footing.  Scully stopped to try and catch her balance, and Mulder crashed into her, driving her to the ground with a cry.

They slipped and skidded in the deep powder, rolling and laughing, until they came to a breathless halt in the snow, with Mulder lying on top of his diminutive partner, smiling, then laughing aloud as Scully giggled infectiously.

Sparkling snowflakes were caught gleaming in Scully's red hair and on her eyelashes.

Impulsively, Mulder dipped his head and kissed a snowflake off of her cheek.

Scully stopped laughing, but a warm smile remained, and her blue eyes fairly glowed.  They gazed at one another and time stopped, not in an alien abduction way, but in a made-for-TV-movie way.  They kept smiling, loving each other in their way, as best friends do when they complete one another, and neither of them wanted the moment to end.

The moment ended when a snowball the size of a man's fist hit Mulder on the side of the head with enough force to knock him off of Scully and face-first into the snow.  He sat up abruptly, sputtering and cursing, looking to Scully like he had been dipped in confectioner's sugar.  This thought sent her nearly into hysterics, and she covered her face with her hands, giggling madly.

As Mulder stood, a thought formed, and he glanced suspiciously over at his lover.

Walter still stood by the tree, hands behind his back, grinning ferociously at the Christmas lights, doing his best to look completely innocent, and failing spectacularly.

Mulder brushed ineffectually at the snow now covering him, then turned to give Scully a hand up.

The second snowball took him high on the back of his head, and he dropped Scully back into the snow with a yell.

Walter was still smiling at nothing, now whistling tunelessly through his teeth, and rocking slightly on the balls of his feet, studiously avoiding looking over at his two agents, his friend and his lover.

Scully had struggled to her feet, her laughing threatening to upset her balance all over again.  She clambered out of the soft drifts until she was standing solidly on the scraped and plowed footpath again.  Then she turned to Mulder and said,

"Powdered donut is a good look for you, Mulder."  Then she ran, with her partner in hot pursuit, both of them laughing again, Mulder yelling dire threats that failed to threaten at all.

Walter watched them approach with something like parental indulgence, then stooped to pick up more snow.

This last snowball caught Mulder square in the face, and there was no question of where it had come from.  As Scully cowered behind him, Walter doubled over with laughter at the wet cat look of disgust that had come over his lover's face.

Mulder stood in front of Walter, glaring, panting and brushing snow.

"Scully?" he called out, his gaze never leaving Walter's.

"Mulder," she replied from behind his lover.

"You're my friend, right?"

"Always, Mulder.  You can trust me."  She looked out from behind Walter again, and Mulder looked at her, willing her to understand.  And she did.

She ducked as Mulder ran forward suddenly, pushing his lover backwards hard, causing him to lose his footing, fall back over Scully, who turned sharply like a ninjababe in a John Woo film, and crash unceremoniously into the snow with a startled "oof!" as the air was knocked out of him.

They pounced like lion cubs, and as snow rained down on him, Walter was dimly grateful to have left his glasses in the car.  They were new, and he didn't need Mulder breaking another pair.

He struggled, but half-heartedly, knowing that even with the odds against him, he could easily escape.  It was more fun to throw snow back at them, trip Scully and make her giggle, and grab Fox by the arms to pull him down on top of him.

Scully kicked snow on them, then sobered, recognizing a moment when she saw it. 

Tugging her scarf free to wipe at her face, she warned them not to be too long, then headed back down the path towards the car.

"Scully has amazing timing," said Mulder.

"Dana's an amazing woman," Walter agreed.

Then there were no more words, just two mouths greedily sucking warmth from one another, two men rolling their bodies back and forth in the cold white snow, two hearts beating in a tandem confirmation of love and lust.

They wound up with Fox on his back and Walter looming over him.

"Fox, I love you," Walter said, and he meant it.

"Walter…" Fox began, eyes darkening with emotion.  Walter held his breath, wondering if this would be the day his lover said the words.  He had no doubt of the depth of Mulder's affection for him, but the younger man had never articulated his feelings with words.

"Walter, I hate snow."

Walter laughed and stood and held out his hand.

"Let's go get warm," he said.