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The Emilys
Tooth Fairies and Santa Claus
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"Mommy, my tooth is wiggly."

Scully looked up from the computer to see her little girl's wide smile
and white teeth. She grinned back and tickled her exposed stomach,
making Libby grin.

"Wiggly?"

"Yup, it keeps moving around in there."

"Well, if you lose your tooth, The Tooth Fairy comes and picks it up and
gives you money."

Mulder happened to walk in at that minute, his hands running through his
hair as he hung up his black jacket.

"Libby. There's no tooth fairy, okay?"

Libby frowned.

Scully stared at him. "Mulder!"

"Mommy, you're not supposed to call him that!"

"Scully, that's lying."

"Daddy, you're not suppo --"

"Libby, it's okay," she said, picking her up and drawing her into her
lap.

"Scully, I'm not going to lie to her. That's what got my whole family
in trouble in the first place."

"Mulder." Her tone was warning and she shot him dagger looks.

He sighed and held up his hands, letting Scully bully him into shutting
up.

"Baby, your Daddy doesn't like the tooth fairy very much because he only
got nickels when he was a kid. I got a whole dollar for a tooth, so you
just wait."

"But Daddy said --"

"Daddy's being silly. Just ignore him when he gets like that."

Mulder raised his eyebrows and huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Daddy won't beat up the tooth fairy, will he?"

Scully laughed. "No, baby, he won't."

"Oh. So it's okay then to pull out my tooth and get a dollar?"

"Well, wait for it to come out all right? Might feel better that way."

"Okay. I'm going to go wiggle my tooth some more."

Libby slid form her mother's lap and skipped out of the bedroom and back
to her own room. Scully could hear one of her Disney tapes playing, the
soundtrack to Lion King. Her voice rose and began mimicking the voices
of Pumba and Timone with accuracy.

"Scully."

Dana sighed and closed her eyes before turning around.

"I can't believe this never came up somehow before." she muttered.

"How can you lie to her? We've spent years trying to --"

"Oh Mulder. This is belief in tooth fairies and Santa Claus, not the
truth about government conspiracies and alien invasions."

"But doesn't it all eventually lead back to childhood misconceptions?"

"Did you believe in Santa Claus as a kid?"

"No."

"I did. Look how you turned out and look how I turned out. What harm is
there?"

"Well, let's see. I ended up with a fabulous woman that nitpicks my
every idea, and you ended up with a spooky, paranoid freak. So how's
that again?"

"Mulder."

"That's right, *Kate.* Let's not forget the fact that we are now on the
run."

"Mulder, I am not going to have my child grow up without her childhood.
I do not want another cynic on my hands."

He made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl and sunk into the
bed with a sigh. His feet shoved off his shoes and he sprawled out, his
head coming to touch her legs.

She ran a hand through his hair and blew gently into his face, cooling
his work weary forehead.

"I know," he said suddenly. "Let her decide."

"Well, okay," she agreed reluctantly. "But it's got to be fair. We just
ask if she wants to believe in the tooth fairy. She already believes in
Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, so that's taken care of."

"How did you know that?"

"We celebrated Easter, Mulder. You were there."

"I was? When was this?"

"We were still in my apartment. It was rushed because I think that was
right before we left."

He frowned and it seemed to upset him greatly that he couldn't remember.

"Did she like it?" he said softly.

Scully passed her hand over his forehead and smoothed the wrinkled lines
there. "Yes, she loved it."

Mulder nodded and closed his eyes, lulled by the feel of her hand
running across his face and through his hair.

Her tiny fingers made patterns on his cheeks, traced outlines of cool
relief down his skin, and made him into liquid drowsiness.

She curled up next to him and pushed away her patient files to get more
comfortable. He slipped an arm around her and turned over, nuzzling her
side with his nose, sighing.

"I'm glad the tooth fairy can't separate us . . ." she murmured.

He laughed and it tickled her side. 

"Yeah, that'd be pretty pathetic."

There was silence and then he reached up and threaded her fingers into
his, drawing her comfort.

His chin settled into her hip and his lips explored her soft side, while
her fingers made designs in his hair.

Suddenly Libby shrieked.

Scully sat up straight, fumbling to get off the bed, with Mulder falling
in behind her.

They met in the hall, almost slamming into Libby as she came running for
them.

"Mommy! I'm bloody!" she yelled as Scully scooped her up.

Scully moved her hands away from her mouth and saw that she'd been
pulling too hard on her tooth and it still didn't want to come out.

Libby was making her brave face, coached by Mulder, and clinging tightly
to Scully's neck as she surveyed the damage.

"You're going to be okay, baby. Let's get you cleaned up."

They trooped into the bathroom and Scully set her on the counter,
flicking on the overhead light to see better.

Mulder talked to her and let her know she would be all right while
Scully examined her bloody tooth and cleaned off her hands and shirt.

"I'm going to have to pull it, baby. Otherwise, it could get infected."

Libby's face scrunched up and her huge blue eyes filled with watery
tears.

"No, it's going to hurt!" she wailed, burying her head into her father's
sleeve.

"Okay, Libby. It won't be that bad. Come on, sit up." Mulder wiped the
tears off her face and pushed her back. "You're going to be fine. Mommy
won't hurt you."

Libby trembled and looked hesitantly at Scully.

Dana's face was soft and smiling. "You'll be fine. Okay? Now open your
mouth."

"Wait. Can Daddy hold me?" Libby said suddenly.

Mulder reached around her and pulled her into a tight embrace, bringing
her back against his chest to keep her head still.

"That good, baby?"

"Yes. Hurry up and do it, Mommy."

Her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her whole body went rigid.

She felt her mother wiggle her tooth and then nothing.

Her eyes opened slowly.

Dana was holding up a small baby tooth with her fingers. "There you
go."

Libby gaped. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"You're all done baby," Mulder said, releasing her.

"Wow. That didn't hurt at all."

She took the tooth from her mother and turned it over in her palm,
watching it roll on her skin.

"I put this under my pillow and get money, right?"

Mulder looked at her. "Do you want to do that?"

She raised her eyebrow in a beautiful imitation of her mother. 

"I sure do. I better get something for all this hard work."

Scully laughed as Libby took Mulder's hand and led him back to her room,
showing him exactly where she would put it that night.

Mulder glanced quickly to her and scowled, making her laugh harder.

"Hey Daddy, you make sure to tell that old fairy that if she gives your
little girl a nickel, she better think again, cause you'll beat her up."

Mulder grinned and looked to Scully. "See, Scully. I've got permission
to beat you up."

Scully glared at him and put her finger to his lips. "Shh," she
muttered.

He grinned like a fool and kissed her finger. "Just don't give my little
girl a nickel and you should be all right."

They smiled and were driven apart as Libby came dashing in between their
legs.

"Let's wiggle more tooths!"

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