Disclaimer: I do not own The X-Files .
AN: There's a two year time skip between "Bad Dreams" and this story. Sam is now five.
At the table, Sam wiggled excitedly in her seat. Today was career day at school.
"I think someone's excited for career day." Mulder whispered over to Scully in the kitchen.
"I see." Scully replied before calling out, "Samantha, honey, finish your breakfast or we're gonna be late."
Sam started to eat faster.
"You don't mind that she asked me and not you?" Scully checked.
"Like a bunch of kindergarteners know what a forensic profiler is." Mulder reasoned, "And besides I think Miss Garrity's still upset about her bringing a bunch of my conspirty stuff for show and tell, so, better if I not show my face."
"Yeah, maybe next time make sure you know for sure what she's pointing at." Scully commented.
Shortly after that Sam finished getting ready and mother and daughter left the house. Scully put the car in park in front of the school. "Okay, we're here."
Sam was still fighting with intipation as she undid her seatbelt. She still had little trouble getting it on, but she had pretty must mastered taking it off. "Is what I do really that exciting?" Scully questioned as she opened the door.
Sam nodded. "You're an F. B. I. and a doctor. You're almost a super hero!"
Scully smiled. Sam certainly knew how to spin things.
As soon as they got through the doorway they were greeted by Miss Garrity, a woman in her late twenties with short blonde hair, with a tendency to wear flowery skirts. "How are you this morning Samantha?"
"I'm good." Samantha smiled back, "How are you?"
"I am well, thank you." Miss Garrity answered, then turned her attention to the girl's mother, "Thank you so much for coming today, Dr. Scully. You ah, you didn't bring anything I should have forewarning about?"
"No," Scully answered, her cheeks blushing, "Again, I am so sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it." Miss Garrity assured her, "While it was a first, between you and me it still doesn't beat the time a boy brought his father's Nazi memorabilia in." Both women cringed. "Now, the parents, are all over there." She guested to where serval men and women were sitting in a row of somewhat too small chairs.
Dana walked over and sat down next to a dark-haired man in a suit. "Hey," He greeted her, "It's Dana, right? Sam's mom?"
"Yes." Scully answered, "And you are?"
"Henry Carter, I'm Dean's father." The man answered.
"Oh, it's so good to meet you." Dana replied, shaking his hand. She usually dealt with Dean's mother, Bree, who was a stay at home mom.
"You, too." Henry agreed, "I've heard a lot of good things. "After a beat he added, "So ah, Bree tells me you're in law enforcement or something."
"I'm with the F. B. I." Dana explained, "Bree says you're a banker?"
"I work with loans." Henry answered, "I have a feeling you're going to be the bigger hit."
In spite of herself, Scully chuckled a little. "I doubt that." She replied, "It's highly unlikely a bunch of five year olds know what the federal government it."
Shortly after that, after the last of the children and their parents had arrived, Miss Garrity came to the front of the classroom. "Good morning class."
"Good morning Miss Garrity!" A chorus of little voices replied.
"Now, we're going to do something a little different this morning." Miss Garrity announced, "Each of you has brought one of your parents today to talk about their job. Now, I want you all to be on us on your best behavior and treat our guess with respect, okay?"
"Okay." The crowd agreed
"Good," Miss Garrity responded, "Now, our first guess is Fern's father, Mr. Warnos."
A name in khaki slacks and red polo shirt came up to the front of the class. "Hello, everyone."
"Hello, Mr. Warnos." They call chimed in before the men could speak again.
"Wow, you kids are really good at that." Mr. Warnos commented, "Well, as Miss Garrity already told you I am Fern's dad and I am what you call a small business owner."
And so, Mr. Warnos went through the ends and outs of owning your own business. He was followed by a nurse, a printer, and a small claims lawyer, and then a sky-diving instructor of all things.
"Now, you want to make sure the cord is always close enough where you can reach it, in case the other guy forgets." He was saying.
"How often do you think that happens?" Scully whispered to Henry.
"I'd rather not think about it." Henry whispered back, "I'm certainly never going sky-diving, that's for sure."
After the instructor finished, Miss Garrity came back up to the front of the room as he sat back down. "What do we say to Mr. Greenfield?"
"Thank you!" The class climbed.
"I didn't realize Miss Garrity was such a stickler for manners." Henry whispered.
"You have no idea." Scully replied.
"Now, everyone welcome to the stage, Mr. Seville." Miss Garrity instructed.
"That's my cue." Henry told Scully, getting up.
"Good luck." Scully responded, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Thanks." He whispered back before heading to the front of the classroom. "Hello, everyone, my name id Mr. Seville, I'm Dean father, and I work at Bank of American focusing on loans."
Fern, a little girl with dark pigtails raised her hand in the back.
"Yes?" Henry responded.
"What's a loan?" Fern asked.
"That's ah, actually a good question." Henry replied, "You know how when you borrow something, you have to give it back sooner or later?"
The children nodded with a chorus of "Uh-huh, "yeah," and "yes".
"Well, a loan is when the banker gives people money, but sooner or later they have to give that money back." Henry explained, "Sometimes more."
Henry had been right. He probably was not going to be the biggest hit at career day. What he was saying was interesting enough, but a lot of it went over the kid's head.
If Scully was being honest, she wasn't sure she'd due much better either. As she said, she doubted the kids were old enough to know about the different offices of the law, or what an F. B. I agent was. Sam only knew because both of her parents were one, thought she called them "F. B. I. s".
"Thank you, Mr. Seville." The kids said as he went back to his seat.
"Hey, you did good." Scully assured him.
"Thanks." Henry said, though he didn't believe it, "Good luck up there."
"Thanks." Scully replied, getting me up.
"Everyone, welcome Samantha's mother, Dr. Scully." Miss Garrity instructed.
"Hello Dr. Scully!" The class called out.
"Hello," Scully repeated, "Before we start, who all knows what F. B.I stands for?"
A few of the children looked around but Sam's hand jutted up in the air.
"Okay, anyone who wasn't raised by two of them?" Scully asked, not wanting to appear to show favoritism, "Sorry, honey."
Sam's fell arm to her side. Unfortunately, no else offered up even a guess at what the term meant.
"Alright, Sammy, go for it." Scully relented.
"F. B. I. stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation." Sam beamed.
"What does that mean?" A small boy with brown hair in a well-kept Dutch boy asked, making a face.
"Well, when it comes to enforcing laws there are two branches of government: State and Federal." Scully explained, "The Federal government covers the whole country. An F. B. I agent's job is to enforce the federal law."
"So you're a cop?" The boy responded, "Why didn't you just say you're a cop?"
"Jeremy!" Miss Garrity snapped at the boy.
That was when Fern raised her hand. "How do you police the whole country?"
"Well, there are F. B. I offices in several cities across the country." Scully answered, "And a lot of our work here in D. C. is done over computers and phones, and sometimes, if the police ask for us, or give us permission to come, we go there."
That elicited a series of murmurs of murmurs from her tiny audience. "Where all have you been?" Fern asked.
"Well," Scully began, taking a moment to think.
"Have you been to Topeka?!" A freckled face boy called out, "I have an aunt in Topeka!"
"Good for her." Scully responded, "No, I've never actually been to Topeka."
"What about Rhode Island?" A girl with short dishwater blonder hair and big blue eyes spoke up.
"Yes, actually." Scully answered, hoping she didn't ask for detail.
"What did you do there?" The girl asked, "Did you catch the bad guys?'
Scully cringed at the memories of those events. "I'm not allowed to talk about that one actually." She quickly lied. Thought she doubted it was proper procedure to talk about cases with five-year olds in any case.
After that everyone wanted to asked where all she had been. Had she been Alabama? Tennessee? New York? England? Timbuktu? Literally, someone asked about Timbuktu. She wasn't even sure that was a real place. She was however, sure she had gone over her time limit and looked over for help, but the last parent, who was supposed to go next seemed willing to give up her spot, just nodding her head. She also got question like had she ever met the president and could they see her gun. Both were a no.
That was when a little girl from the front spoke up. "Um, I thought Miss Garrity said you were a doctor?"
"That's because I went to medical school to become a doctor, but in the end, I felt I could do better at the F. B. I." Scully explained.
There was series of 'oohs' from the room. The children were rather impressed. The blue eyed blonder who was on Sam's right shook her to get her attention saying, "Sam, your mom's a superhero!"
Scully could feel herself blushing. "I'm not, really," Scully corrected, "I'm just an ordinary person, doing to my best to do the right thing."
"Well, said, Dr. Scully." Miss Garrity spoke up, taking over again, "Everyone, can we give Dr. Scully a big hand and a thank you." She whispered in the mother's ear, "I think you earned it, sorry about that."
"No problem." Scully whispered back as they clapped for her. "Thank you." She said, walking off.
The adults stayed for snack, sitting next to their kids in chairs much too small to for them, chatting with the kids and parents over graham crackers and juice.
"Told you, you'd be the bigger hit." Henry told, putting his cracker back and forth between his hands.
"Can we please not talk about it?" Scully asked, actually, somewhat embarrassed at all the attention she was receiving. Several children had coming asking one more question, or to tell her that they were going to be F. B. I agents now, or doctors.
"But Mommy, it's so cool!" Sam protested, "Everyone loves you!"
"Well, what about the sky diving dad?" Scully reasoned, "He's got a pretty sweet job." Seriously, how was she outshining that guy?
"I he's not wanting for fans, either." Henry pointed out, gesturing to where sky diving dad was showing his gear to a couple of kids again.
"See?" Scully said, "And he gets to bring his gear in."
"Hmm." Sam shrugged, unimpressed, going back to her cracker.
Both adults exchanged looks then burst out laughing.
"Best! Day! Ever!" Sam explained at then end of the morning, practically skipping to the car, holding on to her mother's hand.
"Glad you enjoyed yourself." Scully replied.
"What about you Mommy?" Sam asked as Scully opened the door from her, "Did you enjoy yourself?" Something in the little girl's voice seemed unsure.
Scully crouched so she was as tall as Sam of was. "Of course, I did."
"You just—you seemed upset when everyone liked you." Sam explained. As if on cue, a strand of hair fell into her face.
Scully moved it back and gently put it in place. "I was just a little—overwhelmed." Scully answered, "But any day I get to be with my girl is a good one."
That eased Sam's fear. She smiled, saying, "Any day I get to spend with you is a good one, too, Mommy."
"Now, come on." Scully said, gesturing for her to get in the back, "Let's get that that seat belt on."
And with that, Scully helped Sam with her seatbelt than got into the car, driving off.