Thank you all for your reviews, favorites and alerts.

I'm behind schedule, I know but this just wouldn't give me the right words, and I still believe the words are all wrong. But you'll see, I'm probably just being dramatic.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, as if I need to state that. Danica I will keep.

Part 12
Scarlet Fever

They walked through the doors of the hospital emergency room flushed and panicked. Scully was still in her silk pajamas she's worn to bed, fortunately Mulder had the sense to put a shirt on. Their eyes scanned the emergency room, neither of them taking it in in their sleepy haze. Danica was whimpering in Scully's arms, her fevered forehead pressed into the crook of Scully's neck, causing the older woman to burn up as well.

With panicked eyes and wild hair Mulder yelled at a nurse who directed them to a seat to fill out paperwork. Mulder had seen it as no use to take a seat he didn't known any of her medical history. But at the same time he didn't know what was wrong with her either. Scully had been awfully quiet as he drove to the hospital and when she had spoken in the car it was to calm Danica as she sat next to her braiding her hair to get it off her neck and out of her face.

The nurse had pulled back slightly when he yelled but put her foot down no matter his fury. They were to take a seat and wait until they had a doctor to see them. "Scarlet fever." Scully whispered to the nurse who held the same height as her own. She could tell in the young nurse's eyes that she was still learning the ropes when it came to the ER and was still terribly frightened when people tried to knock her down. "It came on suddenly her fever started only hours ago but the rash has been there all afternoon. She needs antibiotics." Her tired eyes pleaded with the nurse who suddenly looked worried and apologetic. She lead the family through a set of doors and instructed for them to place Danica on a free bed in the corner of the room while the nurse rushed off to get a doctor.

"Scarlet fever kills." Mulder whispered as Scully put the little girl down and moved to flatten out his disheveled hair. She shook her head softly as she watched his wild eyes.

"Not anymore, like I said she needs antibiotics. I'm just worried at the way it's working, usually the rash doesn't show up for twelve to twenty-four hours after the fever."

"It's working in reverse." He stated softly and she nodded as she climbed up onto the hospital bed with the little girl. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know." She looked him over, his hands were fidgeting by his sides, he was anxious. "Mulder, she'll be okay." Scully soothed as she reached out for his hand and stroked the back of it with her thumb while he sat in a spare chair beside the bed.

"You don't know that." His expression was sober, his hope had faded so dramatically.

"Mulder, no. She'll be fine in a few days I just want a doctor to look at her. We should have done this when you brought her here. It might not be scarlet fever; it could be an underlying issue that she's had for years." She squeezed his hand as Danica whimpered again. "She'll be fine." She stressed. "In a few days or hours we'll take her home and you can move into this big place you've been telling me all about. After all these years Mulder, now would be a time where you shouldn't start doubting me." He slumped back in the chair dejected and frustrated, his purpose for removing Danica from Russia, was to protect the girl, to keep her from her already planned death.

The look in his eyes revealed to Scully that perhaps the whole ordeal was inevitable. Which, of course it was. Children get sick, their parents can't prevent that. Mulder was just trying to be superman and felt he was able to protect the girl from every harm that tried to fall upon her being, he couldn't do that, no one could. "I'm not doubting you, Scully." He breathed his hand rubbing his forehead, frustration seeping through. "I can't watch her go through this." He told her, his eyes tired her partner had always been an insomniac, Scully had already known that. She could only bet the man himself was just drifting off before he heard the girls' cries. He was the kind of man that was always checking in on her, panicked that all of a sudden she'd stop breathing in her sleep. Scully had caught him on several occasions over the years checking in on her when they were on a case, she had no doubt that he had done the same with Danica, and now, the night he let his guard down, the day she told him the warm pink rash was nothing it became something frightening.

"You don't have to be here." She told him softly as she stroked the hair that hadn't made its way into Danica's braid while the little girl whimpered sleep taking over her fatigued body. He shook his head, he had to be there. "Mulder, we'll be fine. I'm a medical doctor remember I won't let anything happen to her. Maybe you can go home for a few hours, maybe pick me up some clothes." She shrugged meekly, allowing herself to notice the pajamas she still wore.

Mulder smiled at her softly, something like pride gleaming in his eyes. "Already done." He told her picking up Danica's bag and showing her they were in there, although he wasn't quite sure exactly what it was that he'd managed to shove into the bag in haste. "I have to be here Scully. She's my kid." Scully shook her head slowly.

"Mulder," Her voice had lowered considerably as she scanned the room for curious ears. "you and I both know that you know nothing of her medical history. Nor are you her actual parent."

"Neither are you."

"But I've read over her file, there wasn't much in the way of hospital information but what was there might be beneficial. I'm of better use here."

"I don't need to leave."

"I know." She nodded gently. "But you said you couldn't watch."

"I don't want to leave." Scully sighed delicately as she gave in. Relaxing back into the bed she fought to keep Danica awake and realized the soothing motions of her hand on the little girls' hair wasn't helping. She hummed softly as Danica moved to climb into her lap.

"Can I tell you a story, Danni?" The little girl nodded against her chest. "Only if you promise not to fall asleep. We need you awake for the doctor." The little girl nodded again, this time it was a little more energetic and Scully had imagined it was as much as the girl could muster. She smiled softly humming again as she made herself more comfortable with the sweaty and fevered child. "Now this isn't my story, little one. My mother had read it to my brothers when they were growing up, I used to sit outside their bedroom doors and listen to her read it." The little girl hummed something as she reached her hand out for Mulder. He took her hand and rubbed his thumb across the top of it, in much the same way as what Scully had done for him moments ago.

"Once when I was six-years-old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called 'True Stories from Nature', about the primeval forest. There was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. In the book is said: 'Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months they need for digestion.' I had pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing.

"I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them. But they had just answered:"

"'Frightened? Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?'" Mulder interrupted, as he figured out the story his partner was trying to tell without the images concealed on the pages of the French novel.

"My drawing was not a picture of a hat." Scully claimed as she smiled at the man, their silent understanding and smaller quarrel forgiven and already being forgotten. "It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly."

"They always needed to have things explained, those grown-ups." Mulder added with a soft smile, as he recalled the line read to him from so long ago.

"They always do." A young doctor approached them a sympathetic smile on his face, his legs clad in casual jeans and his white lab coat covered part of the navy blue polo shirt he was wearing. Mulder watched him with caution, he didn't like the way the young man looked; smart no doubt but perhaps it was just the way the young doctor was in fact, young. "'The Little Prince' no doubt, my son loves that book." He offered Mulder a small nod. "Now, what's wrong little princess?" He crouched down in order to be at the little girls' height. "Julie said something about scarlet fever?" He then raised his eyes too Scully's, she nodded before opening her mouth to speak.

"I thought that might be it but the way its progressing is worrying me. I haven't seen it work backwards." The doctor nodded his head swiftly as he hummed, watching the girl carefully for a second he addressed the adults with her.

"Dr. Marshal Andrews, by the way." Scully took his offered hand.

"Fox Mulder," He jumped in not enjoying the look the other man was giving his partner. "And this is Danica, you don't think it's anything life threatening do you?"

"Mr. Mulder." Andrews addressed him, his hands firmly by his side. "I can't assure you and your wife anything other than the fact that your daughter is in the best hands." Mulder nodded, taking the silent dismissal as he slipped back into the chair he'd already been claiming as his own.

As soon as Scully and Dr. Andrews slipped into medical talk Mulder was lost, not only mentally but physically as well. His partner had switched over to her doctor mode and Danica was far to fevered to remember her own name, let alone that he was even there at all.

He sat back in the chair trying not to watch yet pay attention as to what was happening, unfortunately it was hours later when Danica was heavily medicated and asleep in a room they'd assigned to her that Scully had finally keyed Mulder in.

"I don't get it." She sighed as she stood in front of him next to Danica's bed her knees touching his.

Mulder looked up at her, his eyelids drooping slightly with lack of sleep. He mumbled softly, a small grunt of recognition as she came to a stop in front of him. She repeated her words once more, this time finishing with a harder sigh. "What don't you get?" He looked up at her still confused, he wasn't really all that sure how much time had passed, since he'd fallen asleep and she'd left the room.

"We're treating this like its scarlet fever, and it's working. But what's happening to her Mulder, it's not scarlet fever. The rash on her neck is gone and her fevers only kicked in since the afternoon. She's sick, but …" She paused a hand running over her tired face. She let out a shaky sigh, her breath catching slightly as he placed a large hand on either side of her waist. "we don't understand." She whispered as she fell into his waiting lap. "It doesn't make any sense Mulder." She buried her head into his shoulder, waiting patiently for sleep to finally claim her fatigued body.

"Scully," He mumbled into her hair. "You're the one who told me we should have brought her to a hospital. You're the one who suggested that perhaps it wasn't wise of me to remove Danica from Russia, that maybe she had something medically wrong. Scully, what if you're right?" His voice was so quiet, she had to strain to hear him.

"Mulder, no. The rash could have easily been a heat rash or a skin irritation. They didn't do anything to her out there." He knew her words were for the both of them, calming their skittish minds and in the recesses of her mind he knew there would lay a small seed of doubt that wouldn't swallow the lies she was forcing herself to believe.

But neither of them had really known the truth, they didn't know where the line between lies and honesty was completely drawn. They had hoped to know, to search so long and so deep, but nothing would get them very far. The secrets held by the Russians involved would always stay that way and even Danica herself would never be able to recall exactly what happened to her. Their cause was a suffering one, just as much as the fevered and ill child lying on the bed in front of them. Mulder could only hope that at the end of all this there would be justice for her, if only a small amount.

"Andrews said he wanted to draw some of her blood in the morning and run a few tests from it." Scully muttered as she pulled herself from Mulder's lap. "Is that okay with you?" He nodded, his eyes cast upon the sleeping Danica while he adjusted his position in the chair, his back already hating him for the small space.

"I don't want that guy poking her with needles, Scully. But if it's going to pin point, whatever this is. Then he's going to have to." She nodded, watching his fallen face in the darkness.

"I, um. I thought I might leave, go back to the office, elude to Skinner that we're actually working." Mulder nodded, his head resting against a closed fist. "I want to go over Peter and Elsie Wolff's files, maybe they had similar stories, something else that connected them to Danni besides their blood." He nodded again in the darkness. "We'll figure this out, I promise." Standing with her knees touching his again, Scully leant in and kissed his forehead tenderly. "Call me if anything happens. I want to know if she as so much moves in her sleep." She teased softly. "You should sleep while she does. Tomorrow might be longer than any of us suspect." He nodded like a sleepy child as he pulled himself further into the tiny chair. Scully reminded him to call her once more, as she kissed Danica's hair before she slipped out into the quiet hospital hallway.

[…]

"They're happy how they are, I don't understand why you can't just leave them alone." Scully paused at her superiors' door as the sound of his voice, tired and frustrated seeped through the wood. She hesitated to knock, but instead pressed her ear to the door deciding it better to pry instead.

"That girl is not theirs to have, Mr. Skinner. My colleagues are enraged that he managed to move her out without being suspected." Through the wood of the door the second voice sounded rough and gravelly she couldn't pin point whose it was through the filter of the wood, but found a cold chill of panic run down her spine anyway. "When someone is taken by these men – something that has happened since the end of the second world war – A tag is placed on their files, the young boy and both of his sisters' files have sent off warnings that someone had reached them. Explain to me Mr. Skinner, how three missing children suddenly have their files perused by someone in this building?"

She could hear Skinner mumble, and as names were spoken their voices became hushed. She didn't need to hear the names being spoken, she knew very well who they were talking about. "Her parents will be claiming her by the end of the week, your agent Mr. Skinner had very well kidnapped her for all a jury knows. You might find yourself with a bigger hearing than that of a custody battle. She will be returned to her country and the things planned for her will be followed through with."

"He's not hurting anyone with that little girl."

"On the contrary, her grandfather has to pay for the wrongs he did, he chose to do so through his unborn grandchildren, however many there were to be. You, nor your agents will be able to change that Mr. Skinner. She is what she is and she will pay for the sins of her forefathers." Scully stumbled away from the door, her world was spinning, and her feet couldn't seem to find solid ground as she stumbled out of Kim's little office.

'She will pay for the sins of her forefathers' what the hell could the other man have possibly meant? What was it that her grandfather had done that had his punishments being forced upon his grandchildren, what coward chose that option over the pain being placed upon himself?

She felt sick as she chose the stairs over the elevator. Her stomach flipped, her head spun, she could feel the nausea climbing up her throat, she couldn't breathe and suddenly every space she found herself in was far too small. She pushed through the shared office door that held Mulder's nameplate. She hadn't managed to catch her breath until her hands fell upon the front of his desk. With her back arched, her head hanging between her shoulders Scully took in a shaky breath as she finally gave her heart the chance to catch up in beats after her rugged steps and descent down the stairs towards the basement.

Her hands shook, her body begging for her to call Mulder, but something in her mind told her to stop. To breathe. To think. She couldn't upset him, she couldn't tell him something of this caliber, he wouldn't cope, there was no possible way even she could cope. But it was better this way, she kept it to herself at least maybe he would have less time to plan out some high and mighty government officials murder.

Taking in her a last shaky breath Scully flattened her hands down her shirt front and slid carefully into Mulder's chair. For the next three hours she poured over the files belonging to Peter and Elsie Wolff, Danica's file accompanied theirs but stayed un open in fear of what else lie within the pages. She searched for hours for any sign of the Wolff's having other family, but Scully found nothing, no record of grandparents, aunts, cousins, or a weird uncle Fred. Angelika and Klaus Wolff were alone in their world and their children were being taken from them because of a parent that hadn't existed in any government file.

She was tucking loose paperwork back into its manila folder when footfalls in the hallway infiltrated the quiet office. The Wolff files were shoved hastily into her bag, the files were to join that of Samantha Mulder's in the bottom of Scully's closet.

The footfalls got louder, as the person they belonged to go closer, they stopped all together as the door was pushed open. She froze for a second waiting to be caught before she realized it was her office and it was four in the morning. "Agent Scully?" Skinner stammered. "What are you doing here?"

She looked up from the filing cabinet she'd rushed to before he walked in the door. "I think I should be asking you that question, Sir." Skinner avoided her question for a second as he watched his feet. She hummed unimpressed with the mans' inability to think of an excuse. She hadn't had time to call him out on it when her phone rang interrupting the tension between the agent and her superior.

"Nothing's happened, so don't freak out." Mulder spoke into the phone, making sure his partners worries didn't spike. "I'm just making sure you're at home, or going home. It's four in the morning, Scully."

"Leaving now, Mulder." She eyed Skinner off, waiting for the man to move out of the doorway before she switched the light off and locked the door behind her. "How is she doing?" She asked softly as she eyed Skinner off with caution before disappearing down the hall to call it a night.

[…]

She stood to the back of the room that morning as she watched her partner courageously hold the little girl down while Dr. Andrews proceeded to fill up vials of her blood. Her eyes were full of wonder as she watched him not only restrain Danica but restrain himself from lashing out at Andrews. One arm was crossed across her chest the other resting upon that arm, her teeth nipping at her thumb nail that had sat separated from her other fingers under her chin. She was in awe with that dark brooding man and the little sunray of a child that sat in his lap. She had only been in their lives for the smallest amount of time, yet both Mulder and Scully were ready to jump to any occasion to save her from any dark monster that dared to raise its ugly head while Danica dared to sleep the peaceful sleep that was owed to her.

They were the fighters of truth, the destroyers of darkness and here was this little light that had started to obliterate the dark world they lived in, even though hers was a dark world worse than any other. "How is it that she trusts you so much?" Scully asked, but hadn't intended for it to be said out loud. The strain this was putting on him, the smallest thing as such as small vials of blood was being shown clearly through his face. Mulder had bitten down on his bottom lip nearly hard enough to draw blood.

"Trust." He scoffed, his eyes dropping in color at the sound of Danica's frustration. "She's going to hate me after this. I promised her ice-cream with no real intention of giving it to her before breakfast." Scully clicked her tone as she shook her head. "But, Scully she trusts you more than anything."

She shook her head again, after everything he'd done for Danica when it came to trust, she would always turn to him. Scully on the other hand had left so many times and broken the little girls' heart more than anything, and now, now she was hiding this from Mulder. Danica was going to be taken from them and she couldn't bear to tell him, to break her little heart again.

"Mulder, she wouldn't trust me. Not with all this happening." Taking her thumb away from her mouth she circled the air in front of them.

"She. Trusts. You." He punctuated each of his words with a pause as he watched Andrews place a cotton ball to Danica's arm and stuck it down with sticky tape. "What, no candy?" Mulder asked with a laugh when Andrews announced that he'd let them know what the results came up with.

"All out." Andrews shrugged half apologetic to the older man but all smiles for Danica. Hugging the little girl tightly Mulder praised Danni for her brave and bold behavior. He hadn't had much experience with children but that of what he had heard, getting them to sit still during injections and anything needle related was almost near impossible.

Danica didn't want to hear what she had to say, her eyes silently judged him for putting her through that as she reached silently for Scully. "How about," Scully hummed. "We go get ice-cream." She ignored her partner's knowing look as she shifted the girl in her arms and pressed a kiss to her covered injury.

"Please." Danica muttered softly her fingers playing with her lips, knowing full well the minute she sucked on her finger she would be told to stop. Her little habits of comfort were being replaced in finding comfort in the adults, but even then, every now and again she felt the urge to gain comfort out of sucking her thumb.

"Andrews said I could take her home this afternoon." Mulder spoke as they walked down the quiet hallway. Scully nodded as he walked by her side, telling him that she had already known that from the night before. "I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with us,"

"How about the two of you spend the night at mine again?" She interrupted him, the urge to tell Mulder what she'd heard the night before was pushing at the front of her mind. She couldn't tell him, but she couldn't let them go either.

Mulder nodded, taking her interruption in as though nothing was wrong, even though the concerned look on his face told a completely different story. "Well, sure. Although, if she comes down with anything else while we're there I may have to start taking up suspicion upon your apartment." Scully let out a small laugh as she nodded with him in agreement. Danica wriggled to be put down as she saw the cafeteria get closer, her comfort was back that no one was going to swoop her up and carry her off for more blood tests once she heard the clatter of plates, and chatter of people. Scully placed her on the ground and flattened out the floral dress she'd bought for Danica to wear that morning.

"Be careful of the steps little one." She told the still somewhat fevered child, hoping that the little girl would listen to the cautioning tone in her voice. Danica nodded as she skipped ahead of them, but it was as though Scully's words weren't spoken at all reaching the edge of the hallway Danica slipped as she hit the two steps almost unaware of their existence. She landed flat on her bottom and with a shriek whimper and impending howl she turned to look at Mulder who was rushing down the hall to reach her.

There was a smile on his face as he picked Danica up and made her stand, he checked over her arms and legs for bruises and bumps while Scully crouched down by his side and started to dust of Danni's dress, letting the little girl know that she had warned her of the drop.

Mulder laughed out loud at Danica's firm pout her little cheeks had filled out since she'd been in his care, they were a healthy round and now turning a scarlet color at her embarrassment. Her eyes although, usually a deep sea blue had turned back to blue glass with the effects of her tiredness and now upset state. "Don't laugh!" She scolded Mulder roughly her lips still in a pout. Both of the adults were laughing at her and she wanted someone to hold her, yet, she wanted neither to do it. Instead she decided that she was going to find the ice-cream herself.

[…]

"C'mon Scully," Mulder pouted as he stood at the end of her bed, the clock ticking very closely to the first hour of morning. "there's not enough room for both of us on the couch." He tried for s tired smile with his messy hair and his fluttering eyes. Danica was dressed in a set of teddy bear pajama's as she fought off her nightmares on his hip, her thumb in her mouth and Schatz in her free hand dangling down Mulders' back. The man himself was standing at the foot of his partners' bed in a matching pair of green teddy pajama pants and nothing else. How could she say no?

Danica's nightmares had claimed her fevered sleep, but both of the adults had understood the nightmares were due to medication, not her past, although both had to wonder. Either way, her dreams were forbidding her little body to sleep on her own despite Mulder and Scully's best attempts all night, and now there they found themselves, Mulder claiming that there wasn't enough room on the couch, yet there was plenty in the spare room.

With a soft sigh and a nod from Scully Mulder was quickly climbing into the free side of her bed and tucking Danica in between them. It had been a scary few days and Scully knew it was only going to get worse as Danica was to be ripped from Mulder's grasp. "You okay Scully? You've been quiet all day." He spoke, as if he could tell that she was thinking about telling him. But instead she shook her head.

She couldn't tell him; not as they ate lunch in the Georgetown hospital cafeteria or after Dr. Andrews gave Danica the all clear to go home and supplied Mulder with the medication she would need as he concluded all she had was a small dose of what would have turned into full blown scarlet fever. She still couldn't tell him as they walked to the pizza parlor down the road from her apartment in the cool February air, nor could she now as he lay in her bed the little girl sleeping now soundly between them.

"It's just been a long day." She mumbled sleepily as Danica tangled herself around both of their bodies.

She hadn't understood what a long day was until Danica woke her up at five in the morning for no reason other than the fact that she was half laying on the girls' stuffed bear, Schatz. Danica had decided after that, that "Papa needs his sleep." And they were both to leave the room to allow him to have said sleep.

Scully could have sworn she saw a slight smile on her partners face as Danica pulled her out of the room and shut the door, but alas she couldn't call him on it. Even though she so desperately wanted to send Danica in there to jump and scream and smash metal pots.

By six that morning, the little girl grew tired of the 'Little Mermaid' tape she'd brought with her the night before. And asked so sweetly if they could make pancakes, finding that she actually had the ingredients in her cupboard Scully agreed. Both girls were covered in flour by the time Mulder had found them, the smell of homemade pancakes pulling him from his slumber.

It wasn't until quarter past seven that Scully's "long day" really started, she was sitting in the living room, Danica sitting on the ground between her knees while she towel dried the little girls' hair. She and Mulder had tag teamed, he cleaned the kitchen while she bathed Danica and then showered herself, she was in charge of keeping Danica clean while he showered.

The little girl was asking about braids as a knock sounded on the door. Running the towel through Danica's hair one last time Scully then got up to check the door. She tucked a strand of her own wet hair behind her ear as she peeped through the spyglass in her door.

The sight of Skinner standing in her apartment hallway made her heart skip two beats – in a bad way. She unlocked the door slowly, contemplating the idea of pretending that she wasn't home. But she couldn't do that, and even though she could already suspect what was about to happen she wouldn't pretend that she wasn't there, he'd only come back again. "Agent Scully," Skinner spoke as she pulled the door open enough to stand in front of him, Danica hiding behind her legs, suddenly sensing Scully's own discomfort at Skinner being there. "I'm looking for Agent Mulder and his daughter." Her hand, out of reflex found the back of Danni's head and stayed there almost as though she could protect her like that.

Her hands were shaking, her whole body trembling as she stepped back to let her superior into the apartment. "Mulder's in the shower, Danni made a mess of the pancakes we made this morning." She offered him an apologetic smile and a shrug of the shoulders hoping it would lighten the mood to some extent. It hadn't worked.

"Papa!" Danni squealed once she noticed Mulder in the entryway to the hallway, another body in the room, but this one wasn't tense. Scully noticed Skinner flinch when Danica squealed for Mulder, it only set her nerves of fire and continued to do so as Skinner stood straight, his hands straight down by his sides.

He cleared his throat, rather loudly as though it was necessary to be louder than the little girl who was chatting to Mulder as though years had passed. "Agent Mulder, both you and Agent Scully are needed in my office immediately." Mulder shot Scully a look and shrugged at her blank expression.

"May I ask why?" He pulled a shirt over his head and then realized that possibly the fact that his boss had found him, in his partners' apartment with his child, making pancakes and walking around without a shirt on – might have just broken a few FBI regulation rules just there.

Skinner cleared his throat again as he adjusted his stance. "Something has been brought to my attention; I need the both of you there in an hour. Bring the girl." With that Skinner turned and let himself out of Scully's apartment leaving both Agents to stare at the other. Scully's nerves started to nip at her guilt, but she still couldn't tell him the things that she heard. She swallowed the guilt that was starting to turn into a slow turning agony and faced him with a schooled expression and a puff of a confused breath.