Responsible.

August 4, 2010.

Wayfield, Virginia.

Mulder took a deep breath, enjoying the way the riverbank smelled in the summer. It was like the sun was baking the mud, and instead of the smell of chocolate chips dissolving onto aluminum foil, it was a medley of minerals. He could almost taste it. He was in his favorite place, walking along a sandbar in the middle of the slow moving river that passed behind his house. His toes sank in, the water was warm, and songbirds were fluttering all over the place, keeping track of each other with little chirps and whistles. It was only a few hundred feet from the house, and yet it was its own little paradise, hidden away from everything by dozens of trees and thick underbrush.

But it was not a secret place, as he would have liked it to be. His lover came to crash the party after he had spent an hour clearing debris from the water. She came down the steep bank, trying to appear mad while simultaneously focusing on not tripping. When she hit the bottom she put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"Are you insane?"

He shrugged. "Depends who you ask."

"How could you tell a nine year old girl that aliens want to hurt her?"

He winced. Perhaps he should have elaborated a little more. He had been a little too focused on getting back to his own bed last night. "She was asking me about them, and I just wanted to make it clear that not all extraterrestrial life is benign."

"So you told her little green men wanted to hurt her?"

"Gray."

"I might actually shoot you, Mulder. Don't start with me."

"I didn't say they wanted to hurt her, specifically. Just people. Maybe."

She balked, at a loss for words for a moment. "How could you think that was okay?"

"She wanted information, so I gave it to her. I'm not a fan of keeping secrets, Scully. I've been lied to enough in my life to know that it does more harm than good."

"She is nine years old. She should be thinking about starting the fourth grade, not aliens!"

"Exactly, she's nine." He turned to watch her, unintimidated by her fuming. "Look, Iden is a smart kid. She's definitely smarter than I was when I was nine. And she's psychic! She needs to know that she's not the only thing that stands out in the world."

"She just wants to be normal."

"But she never will be!"

Scully scowled. She always locked up when he raised his voice like that. She took a hard breath through her nose. "She can try. Just keep your theories to yourself."

"I can't do that. Do you wanna know why?"

She was already trying to climb the embankment.

He stepped around, coming at her from the side. "Do you wanna know why, Scully? Because she doesn't have to pretend with us. Deloris left her here because of what she is. Social workers cringe at the sight of her name. Kids pick on her at school because she talks about her dreams. She shouldn't have to hide who she is – she shouldn't have to hide the things that make her special."

Scully stopped climbing. She turned to him, still frowning. Her voice was softer now. "I wish she didn't, but she does. People don't understand. I barely understand."

"People will come around."

"And then what?" Scully asked. "Do you want the government to come for her? Do you want what happened to Gibson to happen to her? Because that's how this will go. They won't let her live peacefully. They won't let her powers be the norm!"

"We disbanded those people," he reminded her.

"Right. But there's always something, isn't there? You said it yourself. You said that man's nature is secretive, and his secrets give him power, and his power gives him purpose."

"I'm a closet poet."

"I'm being serious, Mulder."

"I know." He stepped a little closer, lowering his voice. "I see what you're saying. We let this get way off topic, though. If the question is whether or not I should be teaching Iden what I know about extraterrestrials, then the answer is… I want you to be comfortable with it."

She stared at him, unsure.

He kissed her forehead. "Scully, when we sign those papers, she'll be our child. Ours, together. You're just as much a part of this as I am. So I won't overstep again."

"That is… really mature of you, Mulder."

Just then, he heard the front door slamming open, and the girl in question bounded across the yard. She came quickly down the embankment, making Scully look bad with her superior balance, and dug her bare feet into the sand. She looked expectantly at Mulder, and he got a dark look from Scully. She knew something was about to happen.

He went to the little black package on the shore, pulling the cord and flipping it outward. Like magic, a full-sized raft popped to life. Scully cocked an eyebrow.

"Now, before you object," Mulder said, pulling it to the shore and tossing the kid in. He tossed the dog in behind her. "Just consider this very carefully." He stepped in, too, grabbing his walking stick from the sand and pushing them into the middle of the river.

"Consider what?" she asked, smiling partly with irritation, and partly with affection.

He waited until he was a few more feet away, and then he stood up, did his best Tarzan impression, and held his stick above his head. "I regret nothing!"

She was laughing as the river curved and hid her with brush.

Iden took her place on the side of the raft, her long legs dragging in the water. She was looking back, to where Scully had disappeared. "Were you guys fighting?"

Mulder glanced up, wondering if this supposed to be a truthful moment, or a mature moment. He went for the former. "Sort of."

"Why?"

"Because… we're different people, and sometimes people who are different fight about things."

"Are you going to break up?"

"No." His answer came immediately, and he marveled at his own confidence. "We've been best friends for a long, long time. I don't think I could survive without her."

"We would starve."

He nodded. "That is completely true."

She was quiet for a while. The river pulled them down their usual path, past the sandbars and the shores full of local families. He beached them for a quick pit stop to let Frankie stretch her legs – and try to herd the toddlers on the shore – and then they set off again, taking the right path around the little island.

"I hope we don't pop again," Iden commented as the sound of the rapids came through the distance. She retreated to his side, looking eager. "Oh, look, there they are!"

"Brace yourself. This is gonna get bumpy."

"Hey, you stole that from a movie!"

"Prove it." He secured his stick in the bottom of the raft, grabbed the dog, and held onto one of the side ropes, his other arm wrapped around the kid. She was practically bouncing out of her seat. "Thar she blows! Land ho! Dead men tell no tales!"

"You're crazy!" she shouted.

Within moments, they started to speed up, the current rushing beneath their vessel. The rocks came up swiftly, sending them swerving in different directions, avoiding massive boulders that created strange wave patterns. As soon as the fun began, the water had already calmed into a faster, rougher pace, but comparably tame. It was child's play in a raft.

Iden grinned at him. "We're alive!"

He made a radio sound, putting his fist to his mouth. "Uh, if you look to your right, you can see the shores of honey and gold. If you look to your left, you can see a lot of thorns, which we will not be experiencing. If you look directly down, you can see the dog vomiting."

"Ew!"

"She gets seasick, give her a break."

When the river slowed and widened out, to the point that they were almost sitting still, Mulder tossed the dog out of the raft and jumped out with her. Frankie swam to the nearest shore, shaking the water out of her fur and bounding around in the woods. Iden leaned over the edge, looking into the dark water, uncertain.

"Are there sharks in rivers?"

"What are they teaching you in science class?"

She smirked. "Well, you said weird stuff happens all the time."

"To my knowledge, there are sharks in some rivers, but not these rivers."

She twisted around, sliding feet-first into the water.

"But there might be alligators."

She tried to scramble out again, squealing.

He grabbed her, laughing. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He waited until she gave him a funny look, and then he rubbed his chin. "Or am I?"

"Fox!"

"Alligators don't live this far north. I promise." He pushed off of the raft, going underwater for a moment. When he came up, Iden was trying to climb back in again. "What are you so afraid of?"

She grunted, unable to lift herself.

He swam over and shoved her up, leaning over the side as she gathered herself in the raft. "Iden, I didn't mean to scare you. There's nothing to be afraid of in this water."

She swallowed. "It's not that. I just had a bad feeling."

If a normal child had said that to him, he would have brushed it off. Kids were sensitive to the dangers of the world around them, always vigilant for the boogieman and the monsters that lurked in dark corners – but this kid was not normal. She saw visions of the future. It was her prediction that had saved the life of Katie Whitehead months ago. Her powers were evident in all that she did, and he had total faith in her abilities.

So when she gave him that uncertain look, his heart sank. "A bad feeling about the water?"

"Yeah I saw… I saw something coming toward us."

He clambered over the edge of the raft, flopping into the middle. When he saw the amusement on her face, he smirked. "Okay, okay, you win. Very cute."

"I try," she responded, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

He scrambled toward her, grabbing her and flinging her out of the raft. She surfaced, hair pressed down all over her face, and scowled at him. He laughed. "Sorry, thought I saw a bug."

He grounded the raft and they spent the better part of the afternoon swimming. Iden continued to show off her bravery – despite hesitating to get in in the first place – by diving down into the water after every fish she saw. He warned her away from the crevices created by some broken boulders on the shore, weary of snakes, but when they saw a turtle enter one of them they wasted hours trying to fish it out. It took a water moccasin swimming toward them to finally force them to leave the water. Frankie was furious with the reptile, so Iden had to hold her to keep her from going after it. Mulder slung the raft over his shoulders and carried it up to the bike path that ran along the river, turning westward to head back home. Iden followed, only setting the dog down when she finally stopped squirming and growling. She was more interested in keeping up with her humans than getting vengeance on the snake now.

Wayfield was nestled on the side of a mountain, so most of their walk was uphill. Riding the raft down the river was the easy part. It was a hard hike, but it was made easier by the beautiful scenery and the abundant wildlife. He never marched for more than five minutes before Iden got distracted by a butterfly or a squirrel and sidetracked them through the woods.

Eventually their bike path led to a lonely, thinly paved highway without dividing lines. It wound away from the forest for a while, passing through farm country and giving them a brilliant view of the wheat fields, cattle pastures, and faded red barns that dotted this part of the state – and everything was slanted downward from here, built upon another massive slope of the mountain, so they got a postcard view that was completely uninterrupted.

From there, the highway went on northward to connect with another, which soon merged into the freeway that led into West Virginia. He took them in the opposite direction, down another road that went into the forest. It passed by a historic cemetery, and Mulder always stopped to read the names of the people who had perished there hundreds of years ago. In those kinds of places, Iden always took on a respectful silence, finally putting a cap on her endless monologue. She had an unusual reverence for the dead, for such a young person.

His dirt road merged with another and led into town, where they came upon the beaches again. Iden forced him to stop for ice cream, and he had to grin shamefully as he handed over soaked bills. It never occurred to him to take his wallet out of his pocket before he jumped into the river. He found a shady spot by the trees and sat down for a while, baking in the heat, soaking up the humidity, and drip-drying while he watched the local kids play in the water.

Iden was watching them too. "Do you think they know about aliens?" She spoke nonchalantly, more focused on licking her ice cream before it dripped than what she was saying.

He had so much to tell her, but he recalled his argument with Scully, and he only shrugged.

"What if Deloris comes back?"

Mulder turned his head, resting his face against the tree. He had been considering that question since coming home from the caves. Scully was adamant that they were better suited than Deloris to take care of Iden, and he honestly enjoyed having her around, but would she choose to go back to her sister if Deloris showed up in their driveway one afternoon? It haunted him, to think that his little friend could be taken from him in such a manner, and it might be perfectly legal. Iden was part of his family now, and losing her would be devastating.

He kept his fears to himself, and he forced his tone to remain even. No matter how he felt about it, the decision was not his. Iden was old enough to know what she wanted.

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "What if she comes back and wants me to live with her?"

Mulder took a casual bite of his ice cream. "Do you want to live with her?"

"No."

His interest spiked. "Why not?"

"I love her, but… I don't know." Iden sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. She leaned over them, watching the other families on the beach. "I don't know how to say it. Now that I'm not living with her anymore it just… it doesn't feel like I should go back. I have my own bed now, and you guys make me feel better when I have nightmares."

Mulder hummed his agreement.

"Can I ask you something?"

He bit into his ice cream cone. "Anything. Anytime. Remember?"

She smiled a little. "If I was going to die, you would save me, right?"

He stared at her, gauging the seriousness of her words. She was really asking him this question. She seemed anxious about his answer, too, so he responded just as sincerely as she asked.

"Yes, I would save you."

"Good."

Mulder and his tiny companion made it home as the sun was setting. He had stopped for a bit in town, carrying his raft on his shoulders while Iden picked out a new backpack for school. She was starting in a few weeks and she was nervous that her old, ragged one would get the wrong kind of attention. She was carrying it on her back, as proud as a little princess, while he dragged the raft through the yard. Frankie ran ahead, sounding the alarm for them.

Scully glanced into the window, and then came out onto the front porch, giving him an expression that made him wonder if they should have stayed out a little later.

"Go inside and take your shower, sweetheart," Scully said to Iden, coming down the front steps. She kept her eyes on Mulder the whole time, giving him that sort of panicked, sort of surprised expression he had grown used to during their partnership.

He set the raft against the house, taking a breath before he asked. "What did I do?"

"Deloris called. She said she was stopping by later tonight."

"She wants Iden back?"

Scully shrugged. Her eyes were starting to redden, but it was just as easily a product of her anger. He hated to think of how upset she would be if Iden was taken from them.

"What did she say?"

"She just said she's coming to talk to us – to you, specifically."

"That can't be good."

"It never is with her."

He went up the steps, sinking onto the front porch swing. It made an awful groaning sound as it swung. He meant to get new chains months ago. "Those documents were legal, though. I mean, she gave you custody of Iden. She can't just take it back."

"I'm not sure," Scully admitted. She sat in one of the rocking chairs. Her voice was defeated. "She obtained them without going through the proper channels. The judge could void them."

"He would be throwing his career away."

"Deloris hasn't called you at all?"

He shook his head, sensing suspicion in her. "I'm not lying to you, Scully. I haven't had any contact with her since before I went to Kentucky. She brought me the scarf, remember?"

"I just wish I knew what she wanted."

"She probably saw some bullshit omen in her tea." He rolled off of the swing, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead. He came down to eye level, doing everything he could with his voice, with his hands, to reassure her. "Whatever it is, we can deal with it."

She blinked. "Just promise me you won't go running off."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Except to do the dishes, because last time I looked at the calendar, it was Wednesday."

"Last time I looked it was Tuesday."

"I think you should look again."

"I've been carrying that raft for hours. My arms are killing me."

"I didn't make you take that stupid raft down the river."

He groaned, but relented, dragging his feet through the house like an irritated teenager. He was going to go to his room to change out of his damp clothes, but he heard something peculiar coming from the bathroom. He stopped to listen, ear to the door.

Someone was crying.

He tapped on it. "Iden? Are you okay?"

There was no response.

"Iden? Talk to me. Are you hurt?"

When over a minute had passed, he pushed the door open cautiously. He found her sitting naked in the back of the tub, her little legs curled up to her chest, her face buried in her knees, sobbing softly, and suspended above her were hundreds of perfectly round water droplets. He gawked at the hovering spheres, an immediate sense of wonder overwhelming him.

He stepped inside, running his hand through the drops. When they touched his skin they acted normally, but until then they were trapped right where they were.

"Iden?" He crouched, unable to stop glancing up at the water suspended above him. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

She peeked at him. "I don't want to go."

"Go where?"

"You guys were talking about Deloris. She wants to take me back."

He was at a loss for words for a moment. He wasn't sure if this was something she had overheard, or something revealed to her through her abilities. He was able to solve the water problem, though. Whenever she experienced intense emotions, these kinds of things happened. Weeks ago she had sent everything in her room flying away from her in the midst of a nightmare.

"Listen," he said, his voice falling several levels. "You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to go. I won't let her take you back. This is your home now, okay?"

She nodded, her lip quivering.

"When she gets here, you can come out and say hi if you want, but you don't have to. I won't let her come in if you don't want her to. Deal?"

She set her jaw. "Deal."

Just then, the water gave way, coming down on both of them. She looked surprised for a moment, but then she started giggling. He withdrew, chuckling, and grabbed a hand towel on his way out. Scully was in the hallway, apparently listening to their conversation.

"What brought that on?" she wondered.

"She must have heard us talking," he said, running the towel over his head. He pulled the bathroom door shut. "Did you see the water?"

"The water that's all over your face?"

"No, the water that was suspended above the shower. It was just sitting there in the air, perfectly still, hundreds of little droplets. I think her emotions triggered her powers again."

She twisted her lips. "I didn't see that."

"It happened, trust me."

She followed him into the bedroom. "What are we supposed to do about that, Mulder?"

He yanked his shirt off. "About what?"

"Her powers."

"Nothing. She hasn't hurt anyone. Once she gets a better grasp of her emotions, the events will go away."

"You hope."

"Well I've never lived with a psychic kid before, Scully."

She smirked, but the expression faded rapidly. She sighed to herself, gazing out of their window. "If Deloris is in an agreeable mood, I'm going to try to get her to come to the courthouse with me to sign the official release of custody forms. She'll relinquish her guardianship."

"Do you think she'll bite?"

"I'm not sure. She sounded distraught on the phone. All indications point to this being a psychic call, like you said. But I doubt she has the abilities she claims she does."

"I guess we'll see. Maybe she'll pull a prophecy out of a hat. Or a scarf."