A/N: Mkay, here's the deal. I have to have surgery Friday (June 26th). It's really minor, but I'm tryin' to update as much as I can this week, cause it's on my arm and so typing will be a pain in the ass for awhile.
Dedication: To you! Chapter 11 and people are still reading this. You confound me.
Disclaimer: I really, really don't own them :(
"Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, All dressed in black, black, black." Elli sang along with the girls in her grade as she stood in line. Two lime green jumpropes hit the ground and all the third graders waited in line for their turn. Elli stood behind a tall blond haired girl, counting the cracks on the black top when she got a tap on the shoulder.
"Huh?" Elli spun around.
"You're Grandfather is here." Her teacher smiled down at her and gestured over to the picnic table by the fence. Elli felt her stomach turn when she saw him; he was the only man she knew who the security guards didn't kick off the grounds for smoking, "I think it's so nice you have time with your Grandfather, Elisa."
"Yeah. It's fantastic." Elli rolled her eyes and walked over to the table.
"Good Afternoon, Elisa." He said and let out a slow puff of smoke. Elli's eyes burned and she fought the urge to cough a little; she still hated the stench of cigarettes and she felt the urge to puke.
"You're not supposed to be here." Elli crossed her arms.
"But Elli, this is the only time Grandpa can spend with you." He said slyly.
"You ain't my Grandpa. My Grandpa died when I was two." Elli huffed. No one would ever replace her Grandpa Scully, especially not some man hellbent on tearing her family apart.
"So I hear your mother is... expecting." He took a drag off his cigarette and Elli stared at the table.
"So what if she is?" Elli asked, playing with a loose thread on her jeans, "You got me. You don't need another Mulder kid."
"What? You don't want to share the limelight?" He teased.
The bell rang across the school yard.
"Sorry, Grandpa, recess is over." Elli stood up, shooting him a glare.
"See you next week."
--
Elli sat against the brick wall of the school waiting for her parents to come and pick her up. Her chin rested on her knees and arms wrapped around the front of her legs. Her bookbag rested beside her and she closed her eyes.
"Where's the tornado?" Callie asked, plopping down next to her.
"Huh?" Elli looked up.
"What's wrong?" Callie asked, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.
"Nuttin'." Elli forced a smile.
"Liar."
"I'm not lying." She promised, "I guess I'm just weirded out over being a big sister."
"Uh-huh."
"I'm not lying!"
"Really?" Callie raised an eyebrow, "It has nothing to do with your not-a-grandpa's visit?"
"Oh look, there's your mom." Elli shoved her.
"I'll see you tomorrow, ElliGirl." Callie hugged her.
"See you tomorrow, Calliekakes." Elli hugged her back.
Callie got in her car, waving at Elli and leaving the school grounds. Elli sighed, she was the last kid left. Which meant her parents probably had a case and she would have to wait until her grandmother or The Lone Gunmen came and got her.
A VW Van pulled up in front of the school, apparently it was the Gunmen's turn. She smiled, swinging her bag over her shoulder and walking over to the van. She pulled open the sliding door to see three smiling geeks.
"Hi Boys." Elli smiled, climbing in next to Byers.
"Hi Elli." Byers smiled at her and leaned across to close the door.
"How was school, Kiddo?" Langley asked.
"Stupid." Elli sighed, "I hate school."
"Uh-oh." Frohike murmured.
"What happened Mini-Mulder?" Langley turned in his seat, turning down the Grateful Dead.
"It was just... grrr!" Elli growled.
"That bad, huh?"
"You have no idea." Elli crossed her arms.
"You want to talk about it?" Byers offered.
"Not really. Maybe after some cold Chinese." Elli gave a small smile.
"We have plenty of that." Frohike promised.
"I knew I could count on you guys."
--
Elli lay on the floor of the Lone Gunmen's apartment. Her homework was done and a plate of half-eaten kung-pao chicken and white rice lay beisde her. She pounded on the controllers, trying to beat Langley at a game of Mario on their old Sega.
"So," Byers sat down beside her, "You want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" Elli asked, not looking away from the game.
"Whatever is eating at you." Langley told her as Frohike pulled up a chair.
"Do I have to?" Elli asked, her voice getting quiet.
"Not if you don't want to." Byers reassured her.
"But your parents are gonna want to know and it might be easier to try it on us." Frohike promised her.
Elli pounded on the controller for a few more minutes and then she won. She tossed the controller down and turned to look at them, "Cigarette Smoking Man came to see me."
"He what!?" Langley yelled.
"He comes sometimes, during recess. He asks me all these weird questions." Elli shook her head and played with her dirty shoe string, "He wanted to know about Mom and the baby."
"That guy!" Frohike growled.
"I didn't tell him nuffin'." Elli promised, "I hate him. I can't ever focus after he leaves."
"It's okay Elli." Byers promised, "You did the right thing by telling us."
"I hate it." Elli whispered, drawing her knees to her chest and rocking, "I hate it. I hate it. I hate it."
"We know you do." Langley said and awkwardly reached out and patted her back.
"I don't want anyone else to get hurt." Elli's eyes watered and she wiped at them with the back of her wrist.
--
A knock came on the door around eleven o'clock that night, Langley checked the peep hole and saw Mulder, "Hey, Mulder."
"Hey Boys." Mulder entered the apartment, "Thanks for picking the kid up."
"She's a good kid." Langley told him.
"An angel." Frohike added.
"Mulder..." Byers began.
"What's goin' on?" Mulder asked, glancing over at Elli. She was curled up on their broken down, second hand couch.
"The, uh, she got a visit at school today." Byers explained.
"What?" Mulder's face twisted in confusion.
"From our least favorite smoker." Langley explained.
Mulder clinched his fist and took a deep breath, "I'll handle it. Thanks for telling me."
"No problem." They all replied.
Mulder walked over to the couch, sitting on the edge. He stroked Elli's hair, "Wake up, Baby Girl."
"Mmm." Elli groaned and turned over.
"Wake up, Elli." Mulder whispered.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, you ready to go home?" Mulder asked.
"Carry me?" Elli wiped the sleep from her eyes.
Mulder nodded, scooping her up and grabbing her bag with his free arm. He carried her down the stairs to the awaiting car.
--
"Egyptian rat screw?" Walter Skinner's face contorted in confusion and disgust.
"Please, Uncle Walter, it's really fun!" Elli begged. She sat on her knees at the kitchen table, her hair was still wet from her shower and her jeans had holes in both knees. Her gym shirt hung half way down her thigh and her barefeet rested on top of the chair as she leaned forward.
"How about Speed?" Skinner offered.
"I don't know how to play that." Elli protested, "Please, I really wanna play Egyptian Ratscrew!"
"Fine." Skinner said, shuffling the cards and dividing them.
"Uncle Walter, where are my parents?" Elli asked, drumming her nails on the table as he flipped a card down.
"They went to the doctor, Elli." Skinner explained.
"What for?" Elli asked, slapping her hand down on the double eights and adding them to her pile.
"Cause they needed to get an ultra-sound of the baby." Skinner explained.
"What for?"
"Cause that way they can tell the baby is growing right."
"What for?"
"Els, I thought you were past this stage." Skinner sighed, tossing down a Queen.
Elli slapped her hand down on another pair, "I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry." Skinner replied.
"I'mma growin' kid." Elli stuck out her tongue.
"Fine." Skinner stood up, "What do you want?"
"Peanut butter and pickles!" Elli exclaimed, "On bread of course."
Skinner nearly turned green, "What's that?"
"They're yummy! It's peanut butter and pickles on bread. My teacher gave it to us during OLSATS." Elli explained, "They're so good!"
"Okay." Skinner said, hesitantly. He went to the kitchen and began to get the things out of the cabinents. He put peanut butter on one slice of bread and opened the jar of pickles, "Els, should I put peanut butter on both slices?"
He didn't get a reply, he turned around her seat was empty, "Elli?"
He didn't get a reply, again.
"Elli, this isn't funny." He walked down the hallway, his hand on his gun, opening every door. She wasn't in her bedroom or the bathroom. When he got to the end of the hallway, he noticed Mulder and Scully's bedroom door was slightly ajar. He opened it slowly, gun raised, "Elli?"
The window was wide open and curtains blew in the wind. He ran to the window and looked down, when something came down on his head, his world faded to black.
--
"Skinner?" Mulder yelled through the apartment, "Elli!"
"Where are they?" Scully asked, walking behind him as they entered the apartment.
"Els?" Mulder called, checking the kitchen.
"Elli?" Scully opened her bedroom door, "Skinner?"
"Skinner?" Mulder opened the door to the bedroom, "Scully!" Mulder exclaimed. He raced over to his boss who was face down in a pool of blood. He felt his neck and found a weak pulse.
"Call 911." Scully demanded, kneeling next to him and begining to asses the damage.
"Agen...Scu..." Skinner sputtered.
"Mulder's calling for help, Sir." Scully pulled off her jacket and propped up his head with it.
"They....they got....Elli."
A/N: Commence throwing stones, now. Throw some at Rachel too, I gave her a couple options and she chose that one. Don't worry, Elli will be fine. :) Promise. Also, peanut butter and pickles are badasssss. And OLSATS are what we take at my school. I have no idea what everyone else takes. Besides Istep, but Istep sucks. ;)