Hey guys, so firstly THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed and those who are new to the alerting pool. It's nice to see you're all in for the ride. This chapter's been posted early due to the horrible week I've been having (okay, make it month) and I'll be spending tomorrow (Friday my time) at a friends house for some serious girl time ... I might slip in her first X-Files episode too. ;)

Oh, and look at that. How about a happy birthday to the delectable Ms Gillian Anderson. As Simon Pegg has said "She's still the best thing to happen to the FBI"

Dedicated to my cat, Morganstern or on an off day 'Mulder', this chapter is. Due to her unusal patients with my editing. Everytime her head got comfortable on my hand I found another spelling mistake or some random nonsense that didn't make any sense.
Oh, and GA of course, becuause it's her birthday.

Part 5 Truth and Telling It

"B-S, Mulder!" She just about shouted her mind weary of the young girl over hearing their argument. Mulder managed to reach past her hip in order to pick up one of the many pieces of documentation, holding it up in front of his chest, just where she could see it he revealed the forged birth certificate.

'Danica Elisif Mulder' was printed neatly in a soft cursive. Scully's mouth just opened and closed words were refusing to form and he'd official succeeded in pulling out her panic face. She just looked at him then back at the certificate for a few minutes, the wind entirely knocked out of her. "Why didn't you tell me?" She spoke clearly her voice threatening to crack. "We've been working together for four years, Mulder. She wasn't even born the year we met."

She was trying to be her normal self, trying to fight off the pain and betrayal her mind suddenly felt. "I didn't know." He shrugged his shoulders, looking as beat as he felt.

"You didn't know about her or you didn't know how to tell me?"

"I still don't know how to tell you." He mumbled not intending for Scully to hear him, but she had. He knew, he could feel she was about to walk out of that door any second and he'd probably lose her forever. "Scully, let me explain." He didn't want to have to tell her the truth, but he couldn't live a lie with her as well.

He spoke to her softly as she let her guard down enough for him to move around her. For the second time, she couldn't form words as she watched him move about the apartment's small kitchen. "What are you doing?" She asked, her rough interrogation coming to a stop.

Over his shoulder he turned a stunning smile upon her person. "It's quite simple, Scully." The tone in his voice seemed to glow as he kept smiling. "I'm making dinner."

"But, but I bought pizza." Her words were wounded, her bottom lip pouted as her mind already deciding that he didn't want her there. Mulder granted her with a second knee weakening grin.

"Dinner, for Danica. I don't know how well she'll enjoy our usual." Scully blinked, her mind stuck for a moment, she'd forgotten about the little girl in the other room. "You're right," he told her as he pulled down two plates and a small bowl and then proceeded to set a pot of water onto the stove tops. "She's not my daughter." He spoke as the water came to a boil.

"Mulder," She sighed. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Danica Elisif Wolff, but I really don't know much else. Pearson compiled all the information he could find, but I haven't had the time and I kind of don't want too. Would anyone want to do that after saving a life?" She knew it was a rhetorical question but at the same time she got the feeling it was double ended. He wanted her to go over this young girl's life.

She fingered the corner of the neat manila envelope that sat amongst the rest of the girl's paperwork. "Where'd she come from, Mulder?" Scully proceeded to do what he was doing, talking without looking at her, busying himself with preparing a meal. She reached behind him to collect a third plate that matched the other two stacked on the bench. Efficiently she filled the three plates with pizza attending to the third; she started to pick off the olives whilst waiting for his response.

"Russia" He told her softly, not aware of what she was currently doing until he heard an olive hit the plate with force, she'd slapped it down instead of placing it like the others, her agitation accumulating. "What are you doing?" He asked with a small laugh as he softly tapped her side.

"I used to hate olives on pizza as a kid, but everyone else liked it and I just thought … wait, Mulder. No, don't change the subject on me. What are you doing?" She snapped, throwing the last olive at his shoulder for affect.

He smiled again. "Watching you."

Her eyes practically rolled into the back of her head, "No, I mean with a child. A little girl whose come from Russia, with a birth certificate declaring you as her father. You know, there's one way to have a life crisis, but this isn't it." She walked, more like sauntered out of the kitchen she held the small plate containing Danica's pizza. Mulder followed behind her their plates in his hand as he reached into the fridge for two beers.

"I'm sorry, Miss Dana but we Mulder's eat at the table." He turned another smile on to her and she challenged him with an eyebrow. Danica sat, her coloring stopped in the middle of the living room as she watched them. "tisch" He told his new companion with a flick of his head towards the room behind him. He was yet to use the word for 'table' usually Danica just followed him.

"tisch!" Danica pointed her finger to the coffee table she was already sitting at a challenging gleam in her eye.

"Nein," He shook his head with the German word for 'no'. "das tisch." He hitched his thumb in the opposite direction but Danica was standing her ground. He didn't know where this behavior was coming from and he wasn't enjoying her questioning him. "That table" He repeated his German words this time in English with a little bit more force.

Danica stood slowly, she walked a few paces before slipping her hand into Scully's free hand, surprising both adults with her actions. Mulder sighed with frustration. "She does usually have manners, Scully." He felt the need to explain himself to his partner. "Can you get her to the table while I finish her pasta?" Scully nodded silently; suddenly she was stuck with a young girl holding one hand and a plate of pizza in the other. This wasn't her life, who had she suddenly switched with? That wasn't her partner; he didn't cook, nor care for a child. Was this an alternative universe? Had she fallen and bumped her head? This couldn't be what life contained now; her partner was smart enough to know not to bring a child into this life style.

"Hi" Danica chirped, her earlier shyness gone with Scully. She practically skipped to the table without Scully's suggestion, the older woman's hand still wrapped around her own. Scully's best bet was that the girl was just trying to mess with her new companion. It was the girl who led Scully, not Scully who led the girl to the table, Danica was happy to take her by the hand, to lead her around like a new best friend who'd never stepped inside the apartment before.

Approaching the table Scully noticed Mulder had left their food there, waiting for her. Danica, politely, yet, forcefully spoke, "Setzen sie sich." It was the more formal way to tell someone who was older than you or an adult to sit. Scully at first didn't understand the girl but when Danica tapped the chair she was quick to comply too the actions.

Danica copied her in the next chair. Her hands clapped together in utter joy as Scully placed the cooling plate in front of her. She squealed the second time without clapping her hands, her voice that of complete delight, her tiny hands clapped again as she squealed once more. Mulder appeared in the kitchen doorway a small bowl filled with pasta Bolognese. Danica gasped when Mulder put it in front of her, his hand ruffling her hair as he often did. Her little hands covered her mouth, "Papa!" She exclaimed. Mulder felt Scully's eyes on his face, when he turned to meet her gaze he found the look scathing. No, Scully was not pleased. But the little girl was happy for the company and the meal, you couldn't get everything right every time.

Mulder grabbed for her beer and popped the cap, trying to distract the onslaught of insults and curious yet damning questions she was going to throw his way. He sat down next to Danica, a slice of pizza only inches from his mouth when she spoke. "Mulder," Scully's voice was low, but she was keeping it calm for the little ears between them. "You have to take her back, she doesn't belong here, Mulder." He got up from his seat and moved into the living room Scully following silently behind.

He didn't want to have to explain himself, he wanted for her just to help him when he needed, and maybe more on her own accord. He didn't want to have this discussion with the girl in question sitting at the dinner table eating her supper. He wanted to wait, until he'd found someone to care for her when he was at work, so they could talk about this during work. He didn't want to do it like this. With his hand on the door knob to the bedroom he'd hardly used Mulder turned. "You have no idea, no idea," He growled, "What I took her from, Scully. She has nothing left! I made a decision, I removed her from that and I'm going to provide for her." His fists were at his side, clenched tightly, he was upset. She'd only insinuated he take her back, nothing else, yet he was so upset with her.

"Mulder, you're going about this wrong. Not to mention illegally. Where is she going to sleep Mulder? What's going to happen when we have a case or if you get hurt, hospitalized or killed? Mulder, we have busy jobs, dangerous jobs. This isn't the environment for a child, it's not an environment for anyone. I just, I can't believe you brought a child into this country, not to mention lifestyle illegally." She just couldn't get over that small fact, the fact that he'd done it all without care of the law. "Do you want to lose everything when someone finds out and takes her?"

She flinched as he lunged for her, his fingers wrapping around her arms as he shook her once, violently. "You don't know what it was like. People were screaming as others fell to the ground, Scully. Murdered, they were being murdered and in the middle of all of it was this little girl. She was alone, and even from where I hid I knew she was frightened. I had to help her, they were going to kill her. I couldn't just leave her there to die." His words were harsh, but not raised. Danica was still at the dining table only a few feet away.

"Mulder, a smart man would have left her in Russia, would have found somewhere for her to stay there." He shook his head as he shook her once more, the violence still boiling in his blood.

"She reminded me of you, that's why I did it." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Sometimes, I can't save you but, Danica. She needs me, I'll always be her savior."

"Well, we all know you wouldn't stop at the chance to play hero." She had to fight with him, she couldn't give in. Dana Scully didn't need anyone to save her and to think that her partner thought that he had to made her sick. He wasn't supposed to be there to protect her, he was supposed to be her equal.

Predicting that things were going to quickly get out of hand he let her go with a heavy sigh and a hand skipping through his hair. "Why are you here?" He asked. She hadn't come over to fight about what he'd done, she hadn't known. There was a reason, there was always a reason. She came with pizza and no paperwork, there was no work to be done but she intended on staying for a little while. Had she wanted to talk? He surely wanted to talk , before they'd left Europe he was so sure she'd help him and now, apparently he was wrong in that assumption.

"I have to go." She dodged his question. In reality she wanted to talk about what had happened with Leonard Betts, the man had said something that had frightened her and she wanted to talk to her partner before doing anything about it. Clearly, right now he was busy and worked up.

Scully turned and walked back into the front room that doubled as a dining area. She collected her things in a hurry before ducking into the kitchen and grabbing Danica's folder, after that she left. The little girl was staring after her and her partner stood motionless in the doorway of the living room. "Bye." Danica called sweetly, long after the door had closed.

Scully leant against the back of his front door, both hands covering her mouth as she took in a shaky breath. Things were going to be harder now than what she'd imagined and if what she had imagined was a possibility due to words spoken to her by Leonard Betts, life was going to get harder than anyone could imagine.

That was shorter than usual right? Right. But not by much, the next chapter happens to be titled 'Never Again' .. hmm that's familar. 17 out of 20 for my novel into screenplay piece for Sherlock Holmes, lets see how I go the other way around with these characters ... which are not mine. :(

Anyway, I'm off. You know what to do.

Annaliese