All the way to Dr.Bushnell's office, she was haunted by the certainty that she shouldn't have left Emily behind. Still, she resisted the urge to turn back. Mulder would think she didn't trust him with the child, and that wasn't it at all. But the truth was, she had absolutely no idea of what it was.
She smiled at herself in the mirror that hung on Dr.Bushnell's waiting room. "You're turning into quite the overbearing mother."
Dr.Bushnell was standing by the window when she walked into the office. "I'm glad you could make it, Ms.Scully. Please sit down."
Scully watched as the other woman took her place behind the desk. She seemed
uncomfortable, as if she didn't want to say what she needed to tell her.
"Where did you leave Emily?" the therapist finally asked.
"With Mulder, my partner."
"Were there any problems?"
Scully hesitated. "Emily didn't seem to mind staying there ... "
"What happened?"
"Mulder threw a pillow at me. Emily reacted with extreme violence, but as soon as I explained he wasn't trying to hurt me she calmed down. I just felt she calmed down a bit too quickly."
Dr.Bushnell nodded. "It's consistent with the pattern I detected in her behavior.
"During our sessions, Emily has been very forthcoming about everything that happened to her, even about things most people would've repressed. But each time Mr.Mulder's name comes up, there seems to be something holding her back."
"Emily loves Mulder. She carries that raccoon he gave her everywhere." She tried to smile. "I even get a bit jealous sometimes."
"From what you and Emily have told me about her adoptive parents, having an affectionate father figure is something new for her. I have no doubt she loves your partner, she needs to. But for some reason, she's restraining herself, as if there was a part of her that resents him."
There was a pain in the back of Scully's stomach as she asked, "Do you know what cause it?"
"No, I don't. She isn't being abused in any way." She smiled at the indignant sound Scully emitted. "I couldn't overlook the possibility. She's not jealous of you either. There doesn't seem to be an apparent reason for her behavior."
"What can we do?"
"I was hoping you could observe her more closely when she's with your partner. She does see him often, doesn't she?"
"We have lunch together almost every day," Scully said, "I never noticed anything strange, not until that outburst today."
Dr.Bushnell leaned back on her seat and remained silent for a moment. "I think I'll go with you to Mr.Mulder's apartment. I'd like to see them together."
The haunting feeling that something terrible was about to happen returned to Scully as she drove back to Mulder's apartment. She kept remembering her dream, and her anxiety grew with every red light delaying their progress.
She could barely keep herself from running to the elevator when she and Dr.Bushnell entered the building. She knew the feeling that had taken over her well; it had come to her every time she had almost lost Mulder.
The image of him being swallowed by the darkness kept coming to her mind. She
energetically pushed the elevator-calling button, but the doors refused to open. "It must be broken, maybe we should take the stairs."
As if she had been heard, the elevator doors opened. Quickly, she pushed the fourth floor button. It seemed to her that the elevator took three times the usual time getting there.
When they reached Mulder's door, she had grown so agitated she didn't bother to knock. She found her key and opened the door.
Scully started calling Mulder, but the sound died in her throat. He was lying in the couch, asleep. Emily was standing at his side, holding a knife directly over his chest.
She heard Dr.Bushnell softly calling the child. Emily didn't move, she seemed almost in a trance.
Mulder woke up, his smile fading as soon as he saw the knife. Carefully, he sat up. "Emily, give me that."
"You let the bad men take me."
Scully moved forward. "No, we didn't honey. They took you away, they told us you'd gone to Heaven."
But Emily was fully focused on Mulder. "You let them take my other mummy."
"Did the bad men tell you this?" Mulder asked softly. "You know I love you, Emmy."
"No, you don't! You let them take me!"
"Why would I let them take you?"
Scully saw the child's grip on the knife loosen slightly. Mulder was getting through to her. She was going to take the knife away from Emily, but Dr.Bushnell signaled her not to interfere.
Mulder drew nearer to the child. "I would never have let them take you. It made your mummy so sad. The bad men lied to you; they're always telling lies, hurting people." His hand closed over the tiny one holding the knife. "Now, let me have the knife."
He took the knife away from her. Emily didn't resist, she seemed to have slipped into a state of apathy. Dr.Bushnell held the child. "You'll have to come with me now, Emily. We have to go to the hospital."
"No more tests."
Dr.Bushnell smiled. "No, no more tests. We're just going to talk, like we always do."
Emily looked at Mulder. "I'm sorry. Are you mad?"
She smiled at herself in the mirror that hung on Dr.Bushnell's waiting room. "You're turning into quite the overbearing mother."
Dr.Bushnell was standing by the window when she walked into the office. "I'm glad you could make it, Ms.Scully. Please sit down."
Scully watched as the other woman took her place behind the desk. She seemed
uncomfortable, as if she didn't want to say what she needed to tell her.
"Where did you leave Emily?" the therapist finally asked.
"With Mulder, my partner."
"Were there any problems?"
Scully hesitated. "Emily didn't seem to mind staying there ... "
"What happened?"
"Mulder threw a pillow at me. Emily reacted with extreme violence, but as soon as I explained he wasn't trying to hurt me she calmed down. I just felt she calmed down a bit too quickly."
Dr.Bushnell nodded. "It's consistent with the pattern I detected in her behavior.
"During our sessions, Emily has been very forthcoming about everything that happened to her, even about things most people would've repressed. But each time Mr.Mulder's name comes up, there seems to be something holding her back."
"Emily loves Mulder. She carries that raccoon he gave her everywhere." She tried to smile. "I even get a bit jealous sometimes."
"From what you and Emily have told me about her adoptive parents, having an affectionate father figure is something new for her. I have no doubt she loves your partner, she needs to. But for some reason, she's restraining herself, as if there was a part of her that resents him."
There was a pain in the back of Scully's stomach as she asked, "Do you know what cause it?"
"No, I don't. She isn't being abused in any way." She smiled at the indignant sound Scully emitted. "I couldn't overlook the possibility. She's not jealous of you either. There doesn't seem to be an apparent reason for her behavior."
"What can we do?"
"I was hoping you could observe her more closely when she's with your partner. She does see him often, doesn't she?"
"We have lunch together almost every day," Scully said, "I never noticed anything strange, not until that outburst today."
Dr.Bushnell leaned back on her seat and remained silent for a moment. "I think I'll go with you to Mr.Mulder's apartment. I'd like to see them together."
The haunting feeling that something terrible was about to happen returned to Scully as she drove back to Mulder's apartment. She kept remembering her dream, and her anxiety grew with every red light delaying their progress.
She could barely keep herself from running to the elevator when she and Dr.Bushnell entered the building. She knew the feeling that had taken over her well; it had come to her every time she had almost lost Mulder.
The image of him being swallowed by the darkness kept coming to her mind. She
energetically pushed the elevator-calling button, but the doors refused to open. "It must be broken, maybe we should take the stairs."
As if she had been heard, the elevator doors opened. Quickly, she pushed the fourth floor button. It seemed to her that the elevator took three times the usual time getting there.
When they reached Mulder's door, she had grown so agitated she didn't bother to knock. She found her key and opened the door.
Scully started calling Mulder, but the sound died in her throat. He was lying in the couch, asleep. Emily was standing at his side, holding a knife directly over his chest.
She heard Dr.Bushnell softly calling the child. Emily didn't move, she seemed almost in a trance.
Mulder woke up, his smile fading as soon as he saw the knife. Carefully, he sat up. "Emily, give me that."
"You let the bad men take me."
Scully moved forward. "No, we didn't honey. They took you away, they told us you'd gone to Heaven."
But Emily was fully focused on Mulder. "You let them take my other mummy."
"Did the bad men tell you this?" Mulder asked softly. "You know I love you, Emmy."
"No, you don't! You let them take me!"
"Why would I let them take you?"
Scully saw the child's grip on the knife loosen slightly. Mulder was getting through to her. She was going to take the knife away from Emily, but Dr.Bushnell signaled her not to interfere.
Mulder drew nearer to the child. "I would never have let them take you. It made your mummy so sad. The bad men lied to you; they're always telling lies, hurting people." His hand closed over the tiny one holding the knife. "Now, let me have the knife."
He took the knife away from her. Emily didn't resist, she seemed to have slipped into a state of apathy. Dr.Bushnell held the child. "You'll have to come with me now, Emily. We have to go to the hospital."
"No more tests."
Dr.Bushnell smiled. "No, no more tests. We're just going to talk, like we always do."
Emily looked at Mulder. "I'm sorry. Are you mad?"