The First Ornament by Susan Email: touchstone98@tx.rr.com Episode: takes place the first Christmas after Home Again Archive: No archive without permission. Disclaimer: On paper, these characters aren't mine. In my head and heart, they are. Author's notes at the end. Summary: The first Christmas after a loved one dies is never easy. ~~~~ Picking up the last ornament to put on the tree, she closed her eyes and rubbed her fingers over the worn cloth. Her mom had given her the angel when she was five, and despite the fact that the white cloth was now gray and one eye was missing, she'd kept it all these years. And it always held the same spot on her Christmas tree, not quite at the very top, but right in front and up higher than the other ornaments. It was the first ornament her mother had ever given her, starting the tradition of giving her one new ornament every Christmas. At the time, she remembered how proud she was that her mom had entrusted her with such a delicate gift, and she made sure that when it was time to find a spot for it on the tree, she'd put it up as high as possible so that her brothers couldn't knock it off. And now as she clutched the precious gift in her hand, she couldn't help wishing her mom was here with her this year so she could tell her how much she appreciated each and every ornament she'd given her over the years. From the puffy Santa to the homemade crocheted star to the silver frame with a photo of her and William in it, she loved them all and she loved her mother for the time and effort she'd put into choosing what to give her each year. Her eyes still closed, she squeezed the angel more tightly in her hand and let the tears fall. "It's okay to miss her," said Mulder, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "You loved her," he whispered, kissing her hair. "But I didn't tell her as much as I should have," she said, trying to blink away the tears. He turned her around in his arms, brushed the dampness from her cheeks. "But she knew, Scully. Even at the end, she knew." Pressing his lips to her forehead, he added, "She'll always know how you felt about her." "But how?" she asked as she loosened her grip on the now wrinkled angel in her hand. He tilted her chin up, looked into her eyes, and quietly replied, "She was your mom." His simple words washing over her, she squeezed his hand and let herself smile. "Yes, she was." Then with his hands supporting her waist as she stood on her tiptoes, she carefully hung the angel on the tree, placing it right in the front, as high as she could reach. ~end~ *When I was growing up, my wonderful mom used to give me a new ornament at Christmas time every year. Some she made, some she chose especially for me (I especially loved the dough basketball player she gave me in high school), and some she just bought for me because she thought they were cool.:) It is this tradition that inspired this little tale...well that, and the fact that I recently read some of the Home Again transcript on the Inside the X: The X-Files Transcripts Archive. You can find my stories and my author's notes about them here: http://possibilities98.wordpress.com/ Originally posted December 2016.