Thank you all for your reviews and alerts and those of you who have favorited ... I may think you're out of your mind but YOU'RE AWESOME! All of you are.

I'm actually surprised I got this done … but I'm so confused as to whether I like it or not and how to bring in the bigger plans I have for this story. Every time I go to curve this towards the prologue it runs away from me. I'm considering getting rid of the prologue or depleting the time frame I'd developed it in, because Mulder and Scully just won't listen. But I think I sorted it out ... I have no idea, I'm so confused.

You'll get to it when you do but Elsie wasn't actually bought up in the last chapter. I had forgotten that I'd taken that scene out as of the fact that I wasn't too sure what I was going to do with it, and then I figured it out this week. Sorry for any confusion, I'll try to slip the scene into the next chapter.

Part 9
Separation Anxiety

"I can assure you Mr. Mulder, we offer the best in childcare facilities. Your daughter will find herself very comfortable here among the other children her age and that frees your wife up to be able to return to work or even to have a few hours to herself during the day." The short, gentle looking woman who ran the preschool.

Mulder found himself in a brightly colored room. Decorated with miniature furniture specifically for small children, art work lined the walls, small handprints and pictures joining them around the room. Mulder was squeezed into a tiny chair at an even smaller table across from Mrs. Maria Walkington the petite middle aged woman who ran the preschool only a few blocks from the Hoover building. While he was stuck, cramped in the tiny chair Danica was out running in the small courtyard with other kids her age. Well he thought her to be out running, in reality she'd found herself a quiet corner and was sitting on her own.

"There's no wife, Mrs. Walkington" Mulder smiled as he showed the woman his bare ring finger. The woman blushed with embarrassment and apologized quickly. Shrugging it off with his best charm smile Mulder continued with his list of worries. He wanted to peruse preschools on his own but his mother had already set up a meeting with Maria Walkington while he was in Pennsylvania and now was greatly obliged to take Danica along before deciding what to do with her for the day. "You are aware Danica struggles with English? It's not that she's behind, her mother had taught her German, because that was where they had moved too. Her speech is great she's just a little slow when it comes to English." The woman nodded, assuring Mulder that it wouldn't be a problem. "She can be shy at times too. She didn't have the best of times when she was under her mother's care, and tends to cling to me in fear of being left behind." The woman watched his face her heart visibly aching for the young child.

"Well, Mr. Mulder. We haven't heard any complaints from her for the entire hour you've been here. If you fill out a few forms we can have her registered with us and you can go into work for a few hours before coming to collect her. That gives us time to trial her here without you present." Mulder's face fell, he hadn't expected that. Maria laughed softly. "She'll be okay. We'll call you if there are any problems." Mulder nodded slowly as Maria slid the forms towards him and handed him a pen. He really hadn't expected it to be all that easy to sign her up for preschool and he really didn't know how he felt leaving her hear only after introducing her to the environment an hour ago.

With the papers signed Maria ushered him out the front door. "Don't you want me to say goodbye to her?" He asked, suddenly lost.

Maria smiled. "Separation anxiety, Mr. Mulder. Go to work for a few hours, we'll call you with any problems. Saying goodbye will only upset her." Mulder nodded slowly as he walked out the secure front doors. Letting the cool February air hit his face he inhaled slowly before letting his breath out. What the hell was he to do?

He strode, a little lost into his basement office. His shoulders slumped, his mind distant. It had only been a matter of weeks and he was attached to this little girl, separation anxiety kicking in. Funny that, he'd left Danica with people before whilst he was out, his mother, Scully, Amy, but now that he had to leave her alone with other children, in a large group of people he felt a sudden pang of loss. "What happened to you?" Scully teased as she caught her partner walk completely lost into their basement office. "Where's the little lady?" She asked noticing the man didn't have a shadow with a bear tailing behind him.

"I left her at a preschool center." His voice was weak almost as though he was ready to break. Getting up from her partners desk Scully perched herself on the edge, her arms crossed over her chest as she raised an eye brow.

"I'm impressed, Mulder. What's your first move? Crazy alien hunt?" Mulder looked her in the eye and she couldn't help the thought that he'd looked like a dog left out in the rain.

"Oh, god, Scully." His head rolled on his shoulders, his eyes boring into hers. "I have to go get her." Scully pushed off of the edge of the desk she was perched on in order to grab Mulder's arm preventing him from making it out of the door.

"No, Mulder." She sighed. It was going to be a long day. "Leave her to play with kids her own age. It'll be good for her to have some friends. Besides, they'll call you if anything arises." She made sure her partner had sat in his desk chair before she moved away from him bustling about within the filing cabinets looking for something in particular.

"Oh," Mulder exclaimed, leaning back in his desk chair. "I hope you don't mind, but I put your mother's name on the contacts list for Danni's preschool." He was nonchalant about the way in which he told her, Scully on the other hand had taken the news in a different way.

She'd spun on the spot, her face already flushed as she looked at him her eyes burning dangerously. "What?!"

"Well, it's just that if the preschool can't get in touch with me. Then well, they'll need someone else to call, and that'd be you. But most of the time you're with me so it's really not all that helpful if I can't get to her then neither can you. Then I thought about putting Skinner's name down, but I'd rather him a last resort. My mother lives to far away, so if I can't get to Danica's preschool and you can't get their either, well then there's no hope for my mother being able to do so, so I just didn't put her down. Scully, your mother is the closest and I trust her so it works." Mulder shrugged, it had sounded right when he'd thought it out originally.

"Mulder, she's only met Danni once." Scully sounded out of breath, her head was spinning. This man was insufferable.

Mulder shrugged casually. "I just figured she wouldn't mind."

"She won't mind, but…" Mulder had flipped his briefcase open on his desk, his face had fallen in the middle of her sentence. Something in his eyes told her things weren't okay and instantly adrenaline was pumping through her veins. "What?" She asked softly, watching as he pulled something out of the case.

His eyes looked up at her as though he were helpless towards an oncoming apocalypse as he lifted a traditional brown bear with black button eyes out of his briefcase. Just as quickly as the adrenaline rose in her system, it fell. "She was playing Hide and Seek with him this morning, I forgot that she put him in my briefcase." His face was panicked, Scully felt a sudden urge to laugh yet completely melt at his worry over the little girl not having her security blanket. "I have to take him to her." Scully quickly jumped in front of the door her tiny body stopping Mulder in his tracks.

"No. Not going to happen big guy. She'll be fine." She patted his chest softly as she turned him by the shoulders and led him back to his desk. "Mulder, I need to tell you something and I want you to listen carefully." He looked up at her with big hazel eyes; he was off in the distance as his fingers played with the bear in his hands.

Scully sat opposite him in the free chairs in front of the desk, one leg was crossed over the other, her pencil skirt slipping against her stockings only slightly. She sucked in a heavy breath and let it out before she placed her hands on her knees and straightened her back. "I really doubt you need reminding. But I told you in the hospital that I couldn't be her mother. I can't." His eyes had grown sympathetic as her own pale blues softened with slight weakness. "but, you involving my mother in Danica's life, Mulder that's making me her mother. That's expecting things upon my mother, that then are expected upon my person and I told you I can't do that to a little girl. I'm dying, Mulder." She told him in a whisper as though it were a secret she was hiding from the world, her words were enough to stop him dead in his tracks and render his words from his mouth.

"… you said." She shook her head.

"I'm fighting this Mulder, but I can't let her get hurt. I can't let her expect me to be in her life and then die on her before she can completely get used to me being there." She sucked in a shaky breath as she fixed the lapse in her posture. "It's already too late." Her words were a whisper. "It's only been a matter of weeks, Mulder." She stood from the chair abruptly, her hands straightening out her skirt. "I, um, I'll take the bear to the preschool. I'm not going to give it to her. But, then I'm going to go home for the day." Mulder just looked up at her silently. He nodded softly as he handed over the bear.

She was stepping out of the door when she stopped and turned back to her lost partner, her own fingers playing with the bear in her clasp. She was nervous to say goodbye, but it wasn't really goodbye now was it. "I think it might be best if I stop seeing her and you stop talking about me." Mulder nodded again, why did this feel like they were saying goodbye? With her quiet words she walked out of the door silently, knowing that there would be another day for the two of them, but this was the last for the little girl.

She had known where the preschool was without a single suggestion from her partner, if she were going back to the office Scully would have simply walked, but her intention was to head home after dropping the bear in.

She walked through the front doors, and a series of rooms filled with playful, learning children. Upon reaching the last door at the end of the hallway she knocked to find not only Maria Walkington but Danica sitting in the woman's office too. "Schatz!" The little girl had called reaching for her bear in the frozen woman's hands.

"You must be Dana Scully." Maria smiled at the woman sensing that there might have been something the matter. "You know, Fox has made it aware to me that you may be the one to pick up Danica, you're free to sign her out whenever you want." Scully gave the woman a soft smile at her small hint.

"That won't be necessary today, can I have a moment with her?" The older woman nodded, offering for herself to enter the hallway whilst Scully did what she needed to. Crouching down on her knees Scully enveloped the small girl into a tight hug.

This was why it felt like goodbye.

She squeezed the girl to her body, one hand stroking over her hair while she pressed a kiss to the top of her head before pulling away. "I want you to know Little Lady that it's not your fault." She told the little girl as though she were older than three, as though it wasn't Scully not seeing Danica it was Scully and Mulder, parents, divorcing. "I just don't want to hurt you, Danni. But you are loved in this world, so loved. I just can't." She kissed the girls hair one more time before standing to her full height. Her hand ran over Danica's long orange hair before she pulled the door to the office open and quickly slipped out.

She clasped a hand over her mouth preventing the sobs that threatened to come free as she walked down the hall, tears were burning her eyes, grief tearing at her insides as Danica's soft cries turned into violent screams. It was almost as though everything was now falling down around her, the walls, the city, her own life was crumbling. Scully couldn't help but be glad that she hadn't let Danica closer. This moment although unplanned would have been even harder. She'd put her future in this tiny life and even though she was now pulling away she wanted that young life to go on even though she no longer could. Catching her reflection in the glass of the building's front door, Dana caught sight of blood trickling down the fingers that were keeping her sobs at bay. She had barely managed to make it to the car before her sobs broke free.

With her hand on the car door handle her head rested against the glass only for a few seconds while Scully tried to catch her breath. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket as she climbed into the car; using the rearview mirror Scully cleaned her face, before sliding the seat belt over her lap. With her hands resting on the steering wheel she froze, her mind broke down and only for a moment she stared straight ahead. Her tether snapped and in a heartbeat Scully's hands slapped down on the steering wheel as a loud sob broke through her lips. She continued like that until she had nothing left, until her mind broke back through and told her to go home.

[…]

"It really wasn't a problem, Mr. Mulder." Maria Walkington assured the man as he waltzed through the front door a certain brooding mood about his face. Maria hadn't wanted to call him after Scully's departure but the little girl was unusually distraught no matter what she had done to make her feel better. "I just thought it'd be best if you knew what had conspired and if there was something in any way we could to cheer her up." Mulder found Danica in the woman's office curled into a chair, silent tears streaking her cheeks and falling upon Schatz who lay in her lap. It took Mulder two long strides to get to her side and scoop her up.

"Papa." She cried into his shoulder her arms wrapping around his neck, her warm tears staining his suit. "Not good." She continued to cry as her little fists rubbed at her eyes. Schatz's hitting his back every time her right hand moved. "Mama go?"

"She just wants her mother back." He answered the woman; there was nothing the preschool could do at the end of the day. And even through his own shock and surprise he'd managed to get the words out, to entertain the thought and to know exactly what Danica was talking about. He squeezed the girl in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, I just. I didn't know she was the girl's mother, she hadn't come in here to stir trouble." Mulder nodded. "I had offered for her to take Danni with her; was that the wrong thing to do?" Mulder shook his head. "Oh, I'm glad. Sometimes custody battles can be so messy, you never know where to stand." He shook his head again.

"No custody battles. Dana and I have an agreement. She can't, it's personal and last minute. My, Dana didn't mean to disrupt anything she was just bringing the bear by." Maria nodded, telling Mulder for the second time that she was sorry and had believed him about Scully. She let Mulder and Danica leave in their own silence, her heart breaking for the spectacle she'd fallen to witness that day. It always pained her to see children in broken home situations, but never had she seen such an emotional sight like this.

Danica continued to cry on his shoulder as he carried her to the car. She'd fought his grip as he tried to place her in the car seat; she refused to go down, to be locked in the seat with no Scully around. Although she screamed as he tried to fasten her to the car seat, her screams had turned into whimpers of his partner's name as Danica fought sleep her thumb in her mouth and the bear under her arm. She sounded tired and to some point pathetic, yet Mulder had very much liked the idea of joining her in her cries. He couldn't do that though, instead he had to watch as she sat motionless on the sofa in his living room, her mind and body denying her the right to move only to cry.

He didn't know how to fix it. He hadn't realized it would come to a blow as big as this. He was starting to think the little girl could feel when things were going wrong, but even his own mind didn't have the energy to spark a crazy idea. He sat in a chair opposite her, his elbows on his knees his head propped up on his hands, the knuckle of his thumb between his teeth as he tried to figure out how to fix what would have to be a permanent fixture in their lives.

They sat there for hours, Mulder stuck between having no clue hour to change this mess of a little girl's life and deciding whether she was trying to self sooth herself or hyping herself up further. Danica was half asleep on the sofa her whimpers fluttering through her lips every few breaths. Schatz lay discarded on the floor where she'd dropped him and didn't have the care to pick him back up again.

Deciding the night had to end Mulder scooped up the girl and carried her to the bed she'd occupied as her own. She settled into the covers, a small whimper of his partners name made it through as she smacked her lips together in her sleep.

He crept out of the room as quietly as he could. It had been a matter of hours before Mulder himself was drifting off to sleep, he hadn't made it to that dark dreamland as he heard the soft padding of feet walk past his ears and stop. Cracking and eye open he was faced with a disgruntled Danica. "What's wrong, Danni?" He asked his own voice rough with the tired fatigue that had set over his body.

"I can't talk, but I'll tell Dana." She told him softly, her voice content that that was how it was to go down. Mulder looked at her disbelief in his eyes. Danica just started at the giant of a man as he moved to a sitting position on the sofa, Schatz was under one of her arms and the little patchwork doll he'd bought her in Moscow was held in her free hand just dangling off the ground.

"You need to go to sleep little one." He sighed rubbing his eyes before his hands scrubbed over his face. He knew already he wouldn't win.

"I'll tell Dana." She told him a little bit of excitement in her voice, as though she already knew she was going to receive what she asked for.

Within the time of half an hour Scully was at Mulder's door even though she'd put up a fight when he called. He was shocked that she'd answered the phone at all. Even though it wasn't really Mulder Scully was angry with she ignored him as he opened the door and went straight for the small child with a sleepy yet excited smile on her face. "What's wrong, Little Lady?" She asked crouching down between the coffee table and the sofa so she could reach the girls' height.

Danica pouted, her little hands finding her hips. "Elsie wouldn't let me sleep." She told the woman holding up the patchwork ragdoll for Scully to inspect.

Scully took the doll in her hands and inspected it like she knew the girl would want her too. "Do you think maybe we can tell her it's time for bed?" Scully asked softly her own tired eyes searching the little girls, hoping for an answer. With a shake of the little girls head Scully heard Mulder sigh and mumble something under his breath. "What was that?" She asked with a sigh as she tossed a look over her shoulder.

"Of course, that wouldn't work." He could read her rebuttal in her eyes "well, if you can do better. You try." He accepted her silent challenge moving towards the little girl he scooped her up in his arms. He carried Danni back to the bedroom and placed her back onto the bed, pulling the covers up to her chin, he felt the bed shift as Scully sat on the edge of the bed behind him. Danica rearranged the dolls and bears around her as she flattened out the blankets in her lap. "Good night, Danni." Mulder kissed her forehead.

As he pulled back Danica looked at him with a bright smile. "And Elsie?" She asked softly holding up the ragdoll. Mulder sighed as Scully chuckled.

"Good night Elsie." Danica shook her head, he looked at her. What else had she expected?

"No kiss, gute nacht?" Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him, her head tilting to the side in a questioning dog like manner. Mulder let out another breath in a flustered sigh as he shot Scully a look, her held back giggles were still making it to his ears. He picked up the doll her tiny arms were holding out to him. He kissed the dolls head and stroked the braids of her fabric hair. Tucking the doll in beside Danica Mulder moved to leave the room. Scully anticipating the girls' next words stayed still. "Und Schatz?" She asked with her childish curiosity. Sighing in defeat Mulder set himself back down on the bed, he repeated the action with the doll upon the bear and then again on Danica for good measure.

"Gute nacht, mein liebchen." He told her as he got up off the bed leaving Scully to bid her own goodnights. He watched the two from the bedroom doorway, as Scully double checked the girl was tucked in properly.

"Danni," She spoke, her voice soft, calm and yet urgent. "You need to understand sweetheart that after tonight you can't see me anymore. Okay?" She asked, but the little girl just started at her. "You need to stop. I have to go away and I won't be around anymore." The little girl pushed out her bottom lip in a small pout. "No tears, Danni please. You'll be okay, and your Papa, will look after you. I promise he will. But," She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You need to look after him for me. Can you do that Danica?" She spoke to the girl as though it were a secret mission and instantly her tired eyes widened as she nodded. "Good, because it's super important that you take care of him." Danni nodded as Scully kissed her forehead and without being questioned said good night to each one of Danica's bears. "Goodnight, baby girl." When she turned to face the door, her body involuntarily jumped. She hadn't realized that Mulder was standing in the doorway and now her words that she believed where held in privacy with the little girl were ringing in her ears.

She walked past Mulder with the intention of ignoring the fact that he was there but as he closed the bedroom door behind him and turned to face her, her own words bubbled out. "You can't keep calling me like this, Mulder." Although she had to admit this would have been the second time he called her in desperation and perhaps Danica was just going to mess with him all night until she got what she wanted, but he still had to learn to put up with that.

He disregarded her comment as he watched her breath for a second. "It's okay to love her you know." He told her as she started to shake her head. He moved so that he was standing directly in front of her.

"No, no it's not." She shook her head again, her hands fidgeting in front of her as she watched them go. Scully slumped down onto his sofa in defeat and Mulder quickly followed suit as he crouched down in front of her. His thumb found the bottom of her chin and forced her scared eyes to look into his own. Scully sighed heavily, looking away only for a moment. Her shoulders slumped with defeat, her mind giving into its torment. "What's going to happen when they take her away?" He smiled softly cupping her cheek with his hand.

"They won't." He whispered. "I won't let them Scully. There's no excuse for anyone to take her away." The though crossed his face, that in fact there was a few good reasons for Danica to be taken from him, but no one knew she was with him to begin with so they were safe. He kept those thoughts to himself, knowing that if his partner wanted to discuss those aspects she'd bring them up on her own.

Scully was searching his eyes for confirmation or promise; he hadn't known what until she'd voice it, her eyes shying away from his. "She should be with people who know how to love her, how to love each other. I'm scared Mulder, I'm scared about what you'll be like when they take her away from us." She hadn't said him and in a tiny spark that had given Mulder hope, yet she was still pulling away. Mulder went to say something to comfort and reassure her that everything was going to be okay, but Scully raised a finger to his lips allowing herself to continue. "I am going to die, Mulder." She said letting the words wash over him for the second time that day. "I should go." She pulled herself from the sofa and moved around his body to break free of their boxed in position. Just as she'd reached the front door, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Elsie's talking, she not lemme sleep." Scully froze her hand still on the door, she couldn't leave while the girl was watching her and she knew she was watching her.

"Danni, you're not letting us sleep either." Mulder sighed, he gave Scully and apologetic shrug before turning back to the little girl. She stood in between both adults her hands on her hips a firm pout on her lips and Schatz dangling from her hands. She looked like a stubborn Scully so much in that moment, and Mulder could tell with Danica being a child her foot itched to stamp the ground in frustration. He wanted to chuckle, to laugh but he couldn't. Instead with his hands on her shoulders he let the little girl back to bed calling out to Scully as he did so. "You can leave, if you want to." Danica had interrupted his words as she broke free of his grasp and ran for Scully who was still standing paralyzed in the door way.

Mulder followed the girl deciding that he could prove to Scully that he could do this on his own. "Perhaps little one," he started as he pulled her away from the silent Scully. "Elsie needs her own bed." Danni nodded slowly as she let Mulder steer her towards the bedroom, her eyes never leaving Scully. The little girl hugged Schatz to her chest, the doll in question she had left in the room.

"No, papa." She mumbled as she climbed up onto the bed. "She talks."

"You hear her?" The girl nodded. As she placed the doll softly beside her while Mulder for the second time that night tucked her in. "Does she need to sleep with me?" The girl shrugged her shoulders as she surrendered the doll over to Mulder. A figure in the doorway made her change her mind.

"Sleep with Scully?" She asked, intending for her doll to stay with the woman rather than the man. Scully nodded in the doorway.

"I'll keep her safe, sweetheart." She told the girl, ignoring Mulder's watchful eyes as she moved to take the doll from him. Danica happy with the arrangement settled herself further down in the bed. Leaning over Scully tucked Danica's hair behind her ear as she kissed her cheek and whispered goodnight once more before she left the room. She'd made it to the front door again when Mulder stopped her this time.

"When you say you're leaving. Leave, don't come back in and help." His voice had taken on a low growl, any sympathy had been washed away and now he was pissed off.

"I'm sorry." She whispered still facing the door. "I remembered something and I had to hear her say it again." He watched her as she turned slowly, the doll held in her hands. "Elsie." She whispered holding up the doll. "She mentioned Elsie to me in the hospital, Mulder."

Crossing his arms over his chest he stared at her long and hard. "Scully, I have a kid I need to make sure is actually sleeping so she's not grumpy in the morning."

"See," She pointed at him. "This is what I was talking about Mulder, she's not your child, you're getting attached." He shrugged.

Looking desperately for a way out of the conversation he bought into her earlier statement. "Why does it matter that she was talking about the doll in the hospital?"

Scully sighed as she turned the toy over in her hands. "I don't know." She shrugged and just as Mulder let out a second frustrated noise she stopped him. "Children often talk about their toys, but when I asked her who Elsie was she shut down, she wouldn't tell me." Mulder watched her waiting for the point; it was as though their roles had been reversed. "You called me tonight, because she would tell you but she'd tell me. I don't think Elsie is a doll, Mulder. I think she's a human being."

"Scully, that's crazy." She smiled softly pointing out that she was usually the one saying that. "If, if, this Elsie is a living, breathing person. Who could they be?" She shrugged.

"I don't know, but something happened to them and she remembers it. She knows what happened."

"If we try to figure this out Scully are you going to keep hiding from her?" She nodded. "Can we at least work it out there has to be something that'll make you see. I can't figure all of this out on my own and Danica clearly wants to tell you more than she does me."

Scully shook her head. "I can't."

Mulder wasn't going to take that for an answer, as she moved to pull the front door open he grabbed her arm. "I'm giving you three weeks to yourself Scully and then in our lunch break, I'm picking up Danica and we're going to the park, we're going to sort this out."

She just smiled at him softly as she slipped out of the door. The Russian patchwork doll hanging from her hand.

Now, I am off to have a date with my little sister Téa, Mean Girls and a tub of Ben and Jerry's you're invited. RSVP in your reviews 'cause you go Glen Coco. ;P

Lyssa