Resistance 2.0
The saga continues.

Peggy's Story

Resistance 2.03  Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning, 2012

11.21 am

The smell of bacon cooking woke me.  I crawled out of bed, a big bed with really pretty blue and white sheets and covers, and looked around.  My room was beautiful, the nicest room I had ever seen.  The curtains matched the covers on the bed.  I had a dresser with a mirror.  There was a little dresser next to my bed and someone had put Tribble's cage there.  She was happily running her wheel.  It was a room like I'd always dreamed of having.  I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming, but my stomach growled and I knew I was awake. 

My stomach made me follow the bacon smell.  Along the way I finally got a look at our new home.  It was two stories, the bedrooms were upstairs.  I saw four bedroom doors.  Mine was right next to the bathroom.  I peeked into the other rooms, one room had a couple of desks and two filing cabinets, the other room had a big bed like mine.  The last door was closed and I knew Mom and Daddy were still asleep behind it so I let them be. 

Down the stairs, there was a hallway.  Through an archway was the living room and it had a fireplace.  I smiled because Mom always liked fireplaces.  What made me smile even more was the big Christmas tree sitting in front of the window.  There were even four stockings hung over the fireplace.  I wanted to peek inside the stockings, but my stomach growled again, louder and I decided I better see what Will was up to in the kitchen and if he could cook. 

"Hey, short stuff," he greeted me and I stuck out my tongue at him.  It was fun having an older brother, but I wasn't going to let on that it was.  "How do you like your eggs?"

"Cooked," I said, snatching a piece of bacon.  "This bacon's too crisp.  Daddy likes his bacon soggy," I informed him. 

Will frowned.  "You mean floppy," he said. 

"Mom calls it raw, actually," I said back. 

"I can make him some more.  So, how do you like your eggs 'cooked'?" he corrected himself. 

It was time to test the waters.  I knew he could feel my feelings, but I didn't know how well he could hear my thoughts.  I stared at him for a few seconds, just picturing the way Mom always made my eggs. 

He looked at me funny at first and then he smiled.  "Over easy it is," he said and turned back to the stove.  I smiled, too.  We knew we'd have a lot of fun with our new trick. 

I searched around the kitchen, finding where everything was.  It was nice not to have to run out into the cold and unpack the car.  There was everything we needed and then some in the kitchen.  I found the coffee and started the coffee maker and then decided to make some toast.  The freezer held cans of frozen orange juice concentrate, so I made the juice.  There was even strawberry jam for the toast.  It was really a nice place! 

We were just sitting down to eat when Mom appeared in the doorway.  "Well, look who's up," she said, coming over to kiss first my head and then Will's.  "My, my, my.  And someone has been busy!"  She snatched a piece of bacon and then went to get herself a cup of coffee. 

"Will thinks he can cook," I said and he pulled my pigtail, but not enough to hurt.  I grinned at him. 

"It looks like he's right," Mom said and sat down to fill her plate. 

"How do you like your eggs, Mom?" he asked.  "No, wait a minute."  He closed his eyes and I had to reach under the table and kick his shins.  

'She doesn't know' I tried to send to him as quickly as I could.  Will's eyes flew open and he looked over at me and frowned.  "Um, just guessing, over easy?" 

Mom shook her head.  "Scrambled, please.  And if you don't mind, in the microwave--no butter just a little splash of milk.  Your father likes them over easy." 

I let out a deep breath and went back to eating.  

"Did you see the Christmas tree?" Mom asked me.  "I think I might have seen some presents under there, too." 

I grinned and nodded.  "Can we open them after breakfast?" 

"If your father is up by then.  He was pretty worn out last night.  He needs to take it easy now that we aren't on the road." 

"Is that coffee I smell, and bacon?"   Daddy was standing in the doorway, his hair in all directions.  He smiled at Mom and went over to give her a kiss.  "I woke up and you were gone," he said. 

"Coffee," she replied with a grin.  "And guess who made breakfast?" 

He looked first at me and I shook my head.  Then he smiled over at Will.  "You have your old man beat.  I can't open a can." 

Mom and I laughed, it was pretty much true.  She was always shooing him out of the kitchen. 

"Did you see what's in the living room?" Mom asked him.  

He nodded as he sipped his coffee.  "The work of the four elves, I would assume.  I saw packages under there, too." 

"Mommy said we could open them after breakfast," I reminded both of them. 

"Eggs scrambled and two over easy," Will announced and put the plates on the table. 

It was so nice, sitting in that kitchen the first time, all of us together.  Every once in a while Mom would get a funny look on her face.  I knew she was thinking about her family, my grandma and uncles and their families.  There we were, having Christmas breakfast before opening the presents and Mom's family was out there in the world, possibly dying from the virus.  It made her sad and happy at the same time.  Then she looked over at Will and she was thinking so loud it almost hurt my head.  'Just like when I found out about you and Mulder was missing', she was thinking.  I had to get her mind back on happier things. 

"This is a really neat house, Mommy!  My bedroom is so pretty.  And I can see the mountains out my window." 

"How's your room, Will?" Daddy asked him. 

"It's OK," Will said quietly.  While I was hearing only Mom, Will had been remembering his family, too.  I saw images of his last Christmas with his adopted parents.  He got a dirt bike and a new fielder's mitt.  I closed my eyes and thought hard.  'But this year, you got a sister', I suggested.  He looked over at me and smiled, wiping his eyes before Mom noticed.  'You're right', I heard loud and clear.  'Can I exchange her for a puppy?' 

I knew he was teasing and I wanted to laugh, but we hadn't said anything out loud, so the best I could do was get up, pretending to get more orange juice from the refrigerator and kick his shin as I passed him.  He was taking a sip of juice and spit it out across the table.  Daddy looked over at him, all concerned.  Mom jumped up to get a paper towel. 

"Will, are you all right?  Peggy, watch where you're going," Daddy scolded. 

"Sorry," we both said at the same time. 

Mom raised her eyebrow and Daddy just looked at each of us in turn.  "I think they're starting to gang up on us, Scully.  We better watch our backs," he said and Mom just grinned.  

"But we're older and we've been watching our backs for longer," she told him.  We finished breakfast without any further excitement.  I was getting antsy, I wanted to go see what was under the tree.  

It seemed weird, worrying about Christmas presents when the whole world was falling apart.  But all the people I knew and loved were in the room with me.  We were safe; no one had found us as we ran all the way from El Paso.  The house we were in was the nicest house I'd ever seen in all my life.  How could I be sad? 

I was playing with my fork and knife until Daddy glared at me.  I must have been drumming.  He hated it when I drummed things like my pencil, my silverware.  Mom always told him it was his genes showing, but he ignored her.  Still, it was so hard to wait for them to finish eating! 

"I think you've tortured her enough, Mulder," Mom finally said.  I took that as my cue and scooped up my plate and Daddy's while Will took Mom's and his to the sink.  We dumped the plates in the dishwasher and raced each other to the living room. 

The fireplace was gas and it took only a minute to get a fire going.  Mom spent a little while looking around the room.  The furniture was nice, not exactly brand new, but better than any I could remember us having before.  There was a television and DVR, but we knew the news was the last thing we wanted to hear.  The sides of the fireplace were shelves of books and Mom took a few out to read the titles.  Daddy cleared his throat.  "Now who's torturing them?" he asked. 

I was surprised by how many packages were under the tree.  There were at least three or four presents for each of us.  While Mom and I sorted out the presents, Will dug through his stocking.  He found a big stick of peppermint, an orange, an apple and at the very bottom, a baseball.  He looked at the ball for a few minutes and then looked over at Daddy.  Our father grinned and looked exactly like Will, then held his hand up.  Will tossed the ball to Daddy, who caught it one handed. 

"No -- " 

" -- throwing baseballs in the house," Mom and I said together and we both started to giggle.  There was a knock at the door and I ran to open it, but Mom stopped me and made me stay behind her.  She looked out the side window and smiled. 

"Look, it's Santa Claus and his three helpers," she joked as Uncle Walter, and Uncles Mel, Ringo and Jon came in, stomping the snow off their boots on the hall runner and pulled off their coats and hats. 

"Oh, good, you found everything," Uncle Walter said, coming into the living room. 

"Walt, you didn't have to go to all this trouble," Daddy said, starting to stand up, but Uncle Walter put his hand on Dad's shoulder. 

"I think I've missed out on more than a few Christmases with you four.  I wanted to make up for that.  And the way things are going . . ." 

"Mommy, I saw eggnog in the refrigerator," I said, not wanting to ruin the day talking about what was going on outside the house. 

"Um, I think there might have been a six pack of beer in there, too," Uncle Melvin said.  "I'll help you, Little Lady." 

I giggled, I had grown to like all my uncles in just the short time I'd known them. 

"She hasn't had a chance to open her presents," Uncle Jon said.  "We know where everything is, you just relax and enjoy."  

Will and I took that as our signal.  We sat down on the floor under the tree and tore the wrapping paper of one present each.  I got a down jacket.  Will got a set of thermal overalls.  We shrugged and grabbed another two packages.  I got a fur-lined hat and scarf and fur trimmed gloves.  Will got thermal gloves and wool socks.  So far it wasn't exactly what I had hoped to find. 

"Here, Peggy, open this one," Uncle Ringo said, pulling a box from behind the tree.  It was a big box and we had some trouble getting it out into the front.  I opened it with a little worry.  Just to be on the safe side, I tried to read his thoughts, but he was thinking about a video game and some lady name Jade Blue, so that was no help at all.  Carefully, I tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box.

I couldn't believe my eyes.  It was a dollhouse.  After looking at it for a few minutes I realized it was exactly like the house we were in, with the bedrooms upstairs and the same furniture and everything.  There were even little people to live in the house.  A man with dark hair, a short woman with red hair, a blond older boy and a red haired girl.  Our family, only dolls.  I couldn't help myself, I ran over and threw my arms around Uncle Mel and then Uncle Ringo and Uncle Jon.  

"Hey, don't forget the big guy," Uncle Ringo said, pointing to Uncle Walter.  So I hurried over and hugged Uncle Walter, giving him a kiss on the cheek. 

"We didn't know if you were too old for a dollhouse," Uncle Jon said shyly. 

When I looked over at Mom and Daddy, Mom had tears in her eyes.  "You're never too old for a doll house," she said.  

"Isn't it perfect, Momma?  Don't you just love it?" I said, dropping down next to the house so I could put the furniture in the rooms. 

"Oh, man, oh man, oh man!"  I looked up in time to see Will dancing around the room.  "A fielder's mitt!  It's just like -- "  He stopped and his face just drooped.  He chewed on his lip for a minute.  I knew he was trying not to cry.  "Ah, thanks, you guys.  I really . . . "  He looked at Dad and then at Mom and all of a sudden he ran from the room.  

We all looked at each other for a minute.  Then, Daddy got up.  "I'll go see if he's all right," he said.  

When Daddy left, the uncles kept looking at each other.  They all felt bad.  In their minds they were trying to figure out what had gone so wrong.  I hated to see them sad and worried.  

"It's OK.  He's just missing his other family," I said.  "He'll be all right after he talks to Daddy." 

Uncle Mel reached under the tree again.  "Here, Peggy.  There's one more present for you." 

It was a small box and it didn't take long to unwrap.  When I opened the lid, I stopped and looked at Mom.  It was a necklace made out of this stuff that looked like shiny plastic but felt like metal.  It was dark gray, almost black.  I picked it up and held it out for Mom to see.  

"Is that magnetite?" she asked Uncle Mel. 

He nodded and took the necklace from my hand so he could fasten it around my neck.  "The stuff is all over the place up here," he said.  "The turquoise of the northwest territories." 

"I love it, thank you," I told them and hugged each of them one more time.  "Mommy, Gibson's here.  Can I let him in?" 

"I didn't hear a knock," Uncle Ringo said, looking at Uncle Mel funny. 

I had to remember to keep quiet around everyone.  "I heard his boots on the porch," I said, trying to cover my slipup.  Right then a loud knock came from the front door.  "I'll get it!" I yelled and ran to the hallway. 

Gibson looked even better after I'd had some sleep.  But he could read me too easily.  He laughed, not a mean laugh and I heard him think 'come see me in 12 or 15 years'.  Then he tugged on both my braids.  

I could have been angry, but I wasn't.  It was too nice to have someone else who knew how to read thoughts and didn't mind that I did, too.  I looked at him and thought really hard.  'OK, 12 years, but then watch out', I thought.  

He laughed out loud and squeezed my shoulder.  "You are Scully's daughter, that's for sure," he said and poked my nose like he had the night before.  I took his hand and led him into the living room. 

"Gibson," Mom said, standing up to give him a hug.  "Merry Christmas." 

Gibson hugged her back.  "Merry Christmas, Dana."  He looked over at the uncles.  "I hate to bring bad news, but Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington have all fallen.  We haven't gotten any news from Europe in over 24 hours.  Chicago is still holding on but Atlanta and all of Florida should fall any time now." 

"Peggy, why don't you go get your father," Mom said quickly.  

She didn't want me to hear all the bad news.  Too late, I knew what Gibson was going to tell them before he opened his mouth.  He looked over at me and I heard him in my head.  'I'm so sorry, Peggy.' 

'It's OK', I thought back to him.  "OK, Mommy," I said out loud. 

When I got to the top of the stairs, I could hear them, really hear them with my ears.  Daddy was telling Will that it was OK to be sad, it was natural, but it was OK to be happy, too, because he was just a kid still and he was supposed to be happy.  His parents would want him to be happy.  He told him that was all Daddy ever wanted, for Will and me to be happy while we were still children.  I hated to interrupt, but I knew Mom and the others were waiting.  I knocked on the door. 

"Daddy, Mommy needs you downstairs.  Gibson's here." 

Will wiped his eyes and Daddy squeezed his shoulder.  "You gonna be OK, sport?" he asked Will. 

"Yeah, I'm OK, Dad," Will said, sniffing once and then putting on a brave face for Daddy. 

"I love you, son.  Your mother and I -- I can't tell you how much it means to us to have you here.  It's OK to grieve, but always remember, you are our son and we love you very much." 

"I love you, too, Dad," Will said, and I knew he felt like crying again, but stopped himself.  "Go on.  Don't keep Gibson and the others waiting." 

Dad patted his shoulder and stroked my hair as he passed me.  I went in to sit down next to Will on the bed.  

"What's Gibson here for?" he asked, wiping his nose on his sleeve. 

"They're talking about the virus.  Wanta listen?" I asked. 

He smiled at him and pulled me over to hug me hard.  "Where have you been all my life?" he asked, teasing. 

"In your dreams," I said.  He laughed and I giggled.  Then we settled in to hear what the grown ups were thinking.      

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