#like a doll left in a sandbox at the park just... completely forgotten. so that's 🤷‍��️

[imwritesometimes]

god gives his biggest, honkin-est shoes [only caring abt old blorbos from, by today's standards, badly flawed media] to his silliest clowns [me 🤡]

[pickingoutchinapatterns]

To Be An American Hero. Ch. 2

nThis is the second chapter of my SpyScully AU.  This story follows 3 different timelines: pre-X files Scully; Scully as a spy during the series; Scully on the run/Mulder’s actions after he finds out.  The prologue and chapter 1 dealt with Scully on the run/Mulder’s actions.  This chapter is my first pre-X files Scully chapter (and is likely going to be the fluffiest timeline to cut down on some of the darkness).  You can read previous chapters here (prologue, chapter 1), on ao3 or on my tbaah tag.

Thank you so much to @13starbuck42, @i-gaze-at-scully, @peacenik0 and @frangipanidownunder   for your help, support, boosting and words of encouragement. Also tagging @today-in-fic.  Thank you to everyone who reads this, it means a lot to me.  Anyway, onto the next chapter....

Chapter 2 -  Theodore’s Big Three Birthday Party

Spring 1966

“Missy, slow down!”  Mrs. Scully called out as her eldest daughter sprinted off towards the house with all of the balloons.  Bill Jr. was busy holding Dana’s hand, acting as both Little Dad while Bill Sr. was at sea, and excited Big Brother, taking his baby sister to her first “real” birthday party.  Baby Charlie was currently content with grabbing fistfulls of Maggie’s long, curly brown hair and shoving everything - fist, hair and all - into his smiling mouth.  

There were definitely downsides to being the wife of a Senior Chief Petty Officer.  Not being able to have Bill come home to her every night could be lonely.  Even when he does come home, he’s unable to share everything with her due to the nature of his work, especially as his career progresses in the Navy.   On the other hand, it does give her more of an opportunity to run her own life and household. All in all, she loves her family and wouldn’t trade her situation for the world.  Kids parties like this gave her the chance to meet other parents in their new neighbourhood, to socialize a little.  They had received a colourful invitation to Theodore’s Big Three Birthday Party just a few days before.  The Scullys were still in the midst of unpacking, but she couldn’t deny her babies, especially after seeing how excited the older two were at the thought of a party.  Billy and Missy were soon able to spread that joy and excitement to Dana, much to her relief. This would be the first time that Dana’s dear Ahab will be away from her for a long period of time and Maggie knew Dana was having a hard time with it.  

Maggie and the rest of her charges eventually catch up to Missy, who is bouncing on her toes and busily telling them all to “hurry up!”  The gate to the backyard with all of the balloons is opened by their new neighbour Patty, who lives in the house across the street, and the Scullys are quickly ushered in.  Missy wastes no time setting Theodore’s brightly wrapped present on the table. This task complete, she quickly turns, surveys the scene, and rushes over to join a group of other girls in party dresses having a tea party with their dolls and stuffed animals.  Unlike her boisterous older sister, Dana wraps one arm around Maggie’s leg, bunching her skirt tightly in her small fist. The thumb on her free hand goes immediately into her mouth as she stealthily observes the party from the safety of Maggie’s side. Charlie, taking the cue from Dana, hides his face in the thick curls at Maggie’s neck as soon as Patty begins cooing at him.

“Aw, I see that they’re a little shy,”  Patty comments sweetly to Maggie.

“I’m not!” Bill Jr. announces, puffing out his chest.  “Dana’s really brave too! She’s not a baby like Charlie, right mom?”

Maggie smiles down at her proud little boy and runs her fingers through Dana’s red curls.  Dana’s grip on Maggie’s skirt loosens, but her thumb stays stubbornly in her mouth.

“C’mon Dana, let me show you how that dump truck works.”  Billy holds out his hand for her. Dana looks up at Maggie with big eyes and grabs Billy’s hand, happily smiling around her thumb.  Billy starts running off towards the sandbox full of construction themed toys and Dana squeals gleefully, her little legs moving as fast as they can to keep up.  They both jump into the box, sand flying everywhere.

Maggie smiles, rubbing Charlie’s back as Patty introduces her to the other parents in the neighbourhood.  It doesn’t take long for Charlie to charm all of the ladies, hamming it up and giggling at all of the attention.  Shirley, Patty’s newlywed neighbour, takes Charlie from her hands and insists that she can’t wait to have a brood like Maggie’s and wants all the practice she can get.   Maggie is just about to start helping set up lunch when suddenly, she hears Dana cry. Billy yells, “Hey! Give that back!”

Maggie turns to see her youngest daughter wipe tears and sand off her face while Billy takes the big plastic dump truck from a little boy and pushes him into the sand.  The little boy starts crying loudly but Billy gives Dana the truck and tells the boy that it’s her toy, she was playing with it. Before Maggie can intervene, a little girl jumps up from her chair at the tea party circle and marches determinedly over to Billy; one hand holding a teddy bear with a pink ribbon around its neck, the other hand balling up into a fist.  Billy has barely had time to let go of the toy truck before the little girl punches him in the gut.

“NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO HURT MY BROTHER!” she screams at Billy, who is bent over in the sand. The party stops; the toy truck sits forgotten in the sand,  the only sound is the little boy crying. Maggie rushes over before things get even more out of hand.  The little girl turns to her brother, cooing at him. “It’s ok Teddy, it’s ok. No more crying.” She runs over to the table with the presents, grabs one, and runs back over to give it to him.

“Look what I got you for your birthday Teddy!”  The excited birthday boy holds onto the present and starts ripping the paper.  As if just realizing what she did, the little girl turns and yells out, “MOM!  Can Teddy open my present to him?” A tall woman nods, walking out of the backdoor to the house.  The little girl sits in the sand in front of her brother, her own stuffed bear in her lap.

“See Teddy, I got you a bear just like my Rosie!”  The girl explains, impatiently helping her brother unwrap the gift.  The little boy’s eyes grow wide. “Wike youws?”  He asks, unsure but hopeful.   “Yes, like mine. See, I even gave him a name. See that?” She points to the name tag attached to the neck of the bear with a blue ribbon.  “It’s T-E-D-D-E-E. Ted-Dee, like you and me!” The little boy jumps up and wraps his small arms around his big sister, happily chanting “TED-DEE TED-DEE TED-DEE!”, the fight seemingly forgotten.

Missy walks over to Ted and Dee, crouching down a bit to reach their eye level.  “Dee, do you think that Ted and Teddee want to have tea and cookies with Pearl, Rosie and the rest of us?”  Dee looks over at Teddy, who seems to be giving the offer some serious thought. He gives Missy a solemn nod, then takes Missy’s outstretched hand a bit shyly as she guides both him and Teddee to the seat beside her.  Dana, looking over at her big sister, decides that the REAL fun must now be over there, and tugs at Bill Jr’s hand. “C’mon Biwee, tea!” Bill starts to grumble, but quiets quickly after seeing Maggie’s look. “What do we say first?” she prompts both of them.  Dana and Bill turn to Dee and apologize. Dee accepts, then takes Dana’s hand and leads her to the tea party. Before sitting down, Dee turns to Bill and states “I guess you can join us… this time.” Bill trudges after them, torn between not wanting to be left out and having to play such a girly game; that is until his baby sister flashes him her adoring grin and waves him over to the spot next to her.  Dee takes over as hostess once she makes sure that Ted is settled with Teddee, while Bill insists that it’s a Thanksgiving dinner party as The Man he gets to carve the turkey.  Dana and Missy are blissfully unaware of the power struggle going on; instead, Dana works on refilling everyone’s imaginary tea into the delicate cups while Missy introduces her to everyone and their toys, explaining that Dana is little so she might spill some of the tea. Charlie is absorbed by Shirley and her thick glasses, ignoring the chaos around him.  Bill blushes slightly when he catches Maggie smiling proudly over her brood, then straightens his back and starts handing out the turkey just the way Dad did last year.  Dee decides to let Bill take charge of dinner once everyone discovers that Missy is a wonderful storyteller, enthralling all of the children around her with her imaginative tale.  Missy explains that tomorrow, they should all go for an adventure in the park because she thought she saw some fairies there today on the walk to the party.  Bill, noticing that the game has shifted, tells Teddy that he should help him make cardboard armour out of the leftover loot from Teddy’s birthday gifts and the Scully move - just in case they also come across dragons, of course.  And with that, despite the rough start, Ted-Dee and the Scullys were inseparable.