Thank you to all of you who reviewed and pressed all the other little buttons. :)

So I changed some things around from Christmas Carol and Emily purely because I started writing this chapter and got a good way through it and then realized I messed up the order, then I didn't know how to change it all around again, so I left it. Sorry about that guys. Also this would have happened the year before it's actually taking place, but this sequel thing was something that just happened and I didn't plan it so I jumped a year ahead and didn't think about it, but it's all cool – right? Creative license and all.

I'm apologizing for a lot of things this week – firstly, I didn't realize it was Friday due to public holidays (one my birthday, score) and therefore wasn't present at school, which through me out of the loop. Secondly, I've been working on three chapters all week, three! I don't even know how I managed that, but I kind of forgot about this one because it was the longest – and I hate it. Lastly, grammar, spelling and all that I have to apologize for too, I am in desperate need of a beta reader who is content with putting up with my nonsense to the point of deciphering it – as well as my lazy and often last minute bouts of writing. Which is a hard thing to find, especially when you don't know where to look.

Anywho, I'm going to leave you to this mess, and can't wait for your words of complete shock and horror later on.

Part 19

Emily

The contrast between the two was something other worldly and why Scully thought the two would be similar seemed to escape her. Perhaps it was just the title – daughter. Emily was her daughter by blood and that only, it would be simple nature if the young girl came out with traits similar to her own, but Danica was growing up on a nurture pathway, she was how she was because of the way both she and Mulder were raising her. Every day she started to act more and more like Mulder and occasionally a part of the Scully personality slipped through as well. But whereas Danica held the red hair and the blue eyes, Emily was actual blood she had Scully's eyes but her hair was brown, her cheeks fuller than Danica's and unlike the German girl, Emily had Scully connections.

But for some reason Dana still found herself sitting there admiring the young life that was Emily's whilst she tried to compare her to the little girl who was making her way up to San Diego for family Christmas that very day. Who was her daughter more? Who held that stronger connection? Her adoption plea for the young girl who was her blood relation had been turned down only hours ago causing her lack of sleep. It must have been five in the morning as she sat there staring at the Christmas tree willing it to do something, anything.

The clock ticked as she tried to make the connections tried to make Danica like Emily and Emily like Danica. She was tormenting herself and she knew it, but something wouldn't let her stop. "Are you okay?" A hushed voice sounded behind her nearly causing Scully to jump out of her skin. She turned to find Tara moving to sit next to her on the couch.

Scully nodded softly before shrugging her shoulders. "I can't sleep. There's just a lot of stuff on my mind." Tara nodded in complete understanding.

"You must be missing your little girl like crazy." She grinned excitement showing through her words. "I can't wait to meet her, Dana. She'll be here in the morning right?" Scully nodded her head again, telling Tara of Mulder's intentions to put both the five-year-old and himself on a red eye flight only hours ago. "Mom shows me pictures every time she's up and Bill pretends not to care but he's as interested as the rest of us. She's very beautiful." Scully nods and even though Tara knew Danica wasn't hers she spoke as if it were so. "I hope what we got her is okay." Scully looked up at her with wide eyes.

"You got her something?" Tara nodded.

"Of course we did, it's Christmas!" She laughed softly.

Scully smiled. "You didn't have to do that Tara, I'm sure mom's spoilt her enough and she'll probably ask if you got her anything but you didn't have to." Tara shrugged as she told Scully that the little girl couldn't go without missing gifts from anyone. "She'll love you straight away then, anyone who spoils her is in her good books." Tara smiled wide.

"Good then." She laughed softly. "Will you be okay out here on your own, Dana?" She asked as she moved to try and get up off the couch. Scully nodded as she helped her sister-in-law up and wished her goodnight for the second time. Part of her couldn't sleep because of Emily and the other part couldn't sleep because she desperately wanted to wrap Danica in her arms the minute Mulder knocked on the door.

That minute didn't happen for two hours, her fatigued body managed to sit in the silence completely still until it happened. She was surprised when the clock struck seven and there was no sound from anyone upstairs. She should have expected that Tara would keep everyone upstairs in order to give Scully time with Mulder and Danica when they arrived, she had a crazy few days and everyone in the house had known that she was yet to tell her partner of the goings on.

As soon as the doorbell rang she was up and off the lounge in a flash, her hands were shaking as she reached to open the door. She wasn't scared about seeing them, she wanted to see them, it was what she was going to say to Mulder about Emily before her smart mouthed brother said something. She pulled the door open and let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding.

There standing in front of her was a very tired and stung out Mulder, a five-year-old sleeping in his arms, her bear threatening to fall to the ground through her sleepy grip. Scully couldn't help but notice the little girl was already dressed for the Christmas day that was just starting even through the girl was fast asleep. Scully quickly motioned to take the girl from Mulder's arms even though he was asking for her to take one of the bags in his hand. The minute Danica buried her head in Scully's neck, her surprisingly light sleep weight filling her arms, her sleepy warmth encompassing her she felt the tears start to burn as she pressed repetitive kisses to the girls' hair.

"Don't wake her," Mulder hissed as he followed Scully through to the living room and put Danica's backpack down and out of the way. "Missed us?" Mulder asked with a small quiet laugh as Scully used her free hand to grab him as she hid her face into his sweater and breathed him in. "Scully, it's been three days." He laughed again as he pulled back and brushed her hair out of her face. "Are you okay?" He asked as he caught her chin with his thumb. Their height difference was obvious as they stood there, Mulder leaning down so he could look his barefooted partner in the eyes. He didn't like seeing this emotional side that was always hurt, it killed him to see the tears in her eyes and the fact that he didn't know what to do to make them go away. But at the same time, this was a side of his partner that two years ago she would rarely let him see.

He didn't have the time to question his silent partner any further when foot falls on the stairs had Scully taking another step back and whispering something into the little girl's ear.

"Merry Christmas." Tara's voice came from the hall accompanied by Maggie Scully. "I'm sorry Dana, I just couldn't wait to meet her." Tara blushed softly knowing that her sister-in-law might have needed a little more time with the family she kept denying she had.

Maggie moved to greet Fox as she gave the tall man a motherly hug. "I'm so glad the two of you could make it, I hope your mother doesn't mind that I stole you and Danni away this year." She smiled up at him fondly as Mulder told her there really wasn't a problem and arrangements had already been made with his mother for another date. Mulder's attention was drawn from Maggie and placed back on Scully as he watched her whisper in Danica's ear as she rubbed her hand up and down the little girls' back trying to rouse her from her sleep. He couldn't hear the words she was saying but the look on her face was relaxed and for the moment that was enough.

Danica mumbled as she shifted in Scully's arms, her head popped up suddenly as she recognized the smell of the woman who was holding her and the soft muttering of voices around the room. She kept her face hidden from those who wanted to greet her and instead looked at Scully one hand on the older woman's cheek the other hand, mainly her thumb, wedged between her lips. "Christmas yet?" Danica asked softly her blue eyes almost wide in wonder.

Scully nodded as she turned on the spot allowing for the girl to take in the new room that was covered in Christmas decorations and a tree. The little girls' eyes widened as she took in the scene all the while Scully tried to remove the finger from her mouth. "Merry Christmas, Danica." Scully whispered loud enough for everyone to hear before she kissed the little girls' cheek. "Danni," Scully's voice was soft as she lowered the girl to the ground telling herself that Danica was getting too big for her to pick up. The little girl looked up at her expectantly as though a Christmas wish was to be granted. "This is your Aunt Tara, she's been very excited to meet you." Scully motioned towards the excited Tara who sat on the living room couch with a gift in her lap and a large smile on her face.

Danica looked at her new aunt sizing her up silently as she did with everyone she met. Scully pushed on her back as she smiled towards Tara and then the watching Mulder as Danica inched closer slowly. "Is that for me?" She asked as she pointed towards the gift in Tara's lap.

Tara smiled her kindergarten teacher instinct kicking in straight away. "I don't know, it depends on what you want for Christmas." She took her eyes from the child for a second as she smiled towards each adult in the room, she was the only one there who was yet to meet Danica and even though Bill never had any interaction with her he had still been in the same room together. She had known with the little girl that unless she took an instant liking to you it was actually quite hard to get her to speak to you at all. Tara was fearing that would be the case with her today.

"I asked Mama for a baby brother." She told Tara as a matter of fact as she inched a little bit closer, her hands behind her back. "That doesn't look like a baby brother." She pointed again to the gold wrapped gift. Tara laughed openly as she reached a hand out.

"It's not a baby brother, no. Do you miss your Mama?" She asked softly as she bent forward as far as she could go.

Danica shook her head. "Mama picks me up from school." She told Tara as she turned to look at Scully who was in the middle of a hug with her brother. "We get ice cream, why would I miss her?" She tilted her head the way a curious dog would have.

Tara looked up at her red headed sister-in-law. "Dana's your Mama?" She asked softly as to keep prying ears away from their words. Clearly this was a new revelation or she would have heard something from her husband about this. The little girl nodded before she shrieked her fathers' hands picking her up off the floor catching the unsuspecting girl.

"Are you ready to do this Christmas thing, little one?" Mulder asked with a grand smile as he paced the little girl back on the floor. She nodded her head vigorously her face lighting up. Maggie approached the young girl and whispered in her ear as she pointed to the Christmas tree. Danica gripping at the edges of her dress moved slowly towards the tree completely unaware that everyone in the room was watching her.

She bent down in front of the tree and picked up the rectangular box Maggie had pointed towards. She held the little box in her hand carefully while she looked over her shoulder for confirmation. Maggie had followed the little girl to the tree, and crouched down beside her. "You're a little young for this, and possibly for the concept of my words." She spoke clearly to the girl beside her and loud enough for the other adults in the room to hear as well. "When Dana turned thirteen I gave both her and her sister one of these as my mother had done for me." Danica watched her, her fingers playing with the ribbon on the box, her fingers itching for permission to open the gift. "It's up to your father, but I want you to have it." She caught Mulder's eyes as he gave her a small nod. Looking back at the little girl Maggie was greeted with Danica's inquisitive blue eyes instead of the side of her head.

"What is it?" She asked her eyes gleaming as Maggie slipped the lid off the little navy blue box.

"It's a cross," She revealed it to the little girl. "I have the same one." She pulled her necklace out from where it was tucked underneath her sweater. "And Dana has one too." The little girl looked at the gold pendant, her eyes glowing as she recognized it.

Looking towards her Papa, Danica pushed out her bottom lip, "Can I have it, Papa?" She asked quietly, realizing for the first time that everyone's eyes were on her. Danica shied away from the attention as she turned her head towards her lap. "Can I, Papa?" She asked again, quieter her voice barely audible from where he stood with Scully.

With his hands in his pockets Mulder took a step forward. "There's a lot of responsibility that comes with that, Danica." He warned softly. "But if you want to have it, I don't see why not." Danica's smile beamed as she looked up from behind her hair.

Maggie pulled the necklace out from its packing and placed it over the little girls' head. "Danke schön, Grandma." She smiled brightly her blue eyes as wide as they could go. Her words came out accented, something Mulder believed she would never loose and her new name for Maggie came out sounding more like 'Mam-mar' than 'grandma' as she thanked the woman for her gift.

Scully was impressed that her brother had refrained from making a noise throughout the entire exchange, she feared for an outburst when he moved towards the little girl and asked for her help in moving a large square present for Tara, pretending that the gift was much too heavy for him to move alone. And with that action the rest of the morning was set in place, her brother actually being civil.

Scully was yet to tell Mulder about Emily and found her time when everyone was getting ready for that mornings Christmas church service. Danica wasn't impressed at the prospect of leaving her new things for an hour or so but was reminded about the duties she now carried with Maggie's gift. Scully used that time to ask her mother if she could sneak off with Mulder while they attended mass claiming that it was something of an utmost importance. Her mother understood and her brother scoffed once he heard that they wouldn't be attending that morning's service, but they were allowed to go.

Scully explained what was going on as Mulder drove. The two of them arrived at the children's home quicker than either would have liked. "Emily?" Scully queried as she entered the shared room. She found the little girl unattended and completely alone as she colored on the floor.

The young girl looked up the slightest hint of recognition crossing her face as Scully crouched down beside her. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. His name is Mulder." She smiled as he stood towering over the both of them, completely unsure as to what to make of this all. "Remember, I told you about him?" She wanted to add in 'honey' or 'sweetie' – some term of endearment like she did with Danica, but for some reason it didn't seem right.

Mulder waved casually, nervous and tense as he stood there. Emily made no movement to look at him as she continued to color. "She's a little shy." Scully tried to make an excuse for a child she really didn't know all that well. She felt compelled, like suddenly this was all her fault. She should have known that there was a child out there with her blood. But she didn't. She wasn't supposed to know that Emily was hers.

Mulder crouched down beside Scully as he tried to handle the situation like this little girl was just a quiet, shy Danica sitting in front of them. "What are you coloring?" He asked, his eyes running over her chubby cheeks and brown hair. She didn't even look like Scully, not alone anyway, but he could see the potential.

"A potato" She mumbled, her voice meek.

A smile filled his face as a plan interrupted his thoughts. "Have you seen Mr. Potato head? He looks like this." Mulder puffed out his cheeks and crossed his eyes. Emily smiled brightly and if heard correctly giggled. "Doesn't he?" He asked as the little girl nodded. It was there he noticed the blue of her eyes, but not only that, also the gold cross necklace that he had noticed was missing from Scully's attire when Danica was granted with her own.

He'd never seen Scully hand that necklace off to anyone. Her mother had, when she went missing but other than that Scully rarely took it off. She sensed the look on his face. Standing she told Emily they would be back as she dragged Mulder towards the door. "What?" She asked hoping they were out of earshot.

Mulder shrugged his shoulders, his face was a contorted. "I'm just finding it hard to swallow all of this, Scully." His eyes were wide and hazel, reminding her of a miserable puppy.

"I don't know what to do, Mulder." Her own face fell. "I filed for adoption but her social worker turned me down. I, I have a hearing with the board tomorrow I would really like it if you would be a witness on my behalf at this hearing." He nodded and then stopped.

"You filed for adoption?" His voice rose as a social worker came and took Emily out of the room. Scully nodded. "Scully, we have a daughter with psychological problems. We don't need another."

Scully took a step back as she raised her hand to stop him. "Wait. You have a daughter. Who, might I remind you is fine. Emily needs medical help, they can't give that to her here and did you or did you not hear me when I told you that biologically she's mine, Mulder, that's my daughter!" Scully had raised her voice higher than his as she jabbed her hand into the air towards the door. Walking back over to where they had sat with Emily Scully picked up her bag and stormed passed him and out of the room.

"Scully," Mulder sighed heavily as he dropped his shoulders and moved to follow her. "Crap, Scully." He sighed again at the top of the stairs while she stopped in the middle. "I'm sorry. Okay, I'm sorry." He dropped down two steps. "I want to help you find out what's going on here, just give me some time to process this in my head."

"You need time?" She almost yelled before realizing that in this corridor they were no longer alone. "Mulder, you are not the one who just found out he has a five-year-old daughter." Mulder nodded agreeing with her point as he came down to stop on the step below hers. He put his hand on her shoulder as he pulled her in for a hug, but Scully pulled back; "I'm still angry with you." She told him, irritation evident in her voice as the two of them made their way silently to the car.

[...]

She could not figure out the contrast between her two daughters until she had them both in the same room. With Emily hooked up with various machines behind glass walls completely on her own and both Danica and herself on the other side she realized how completely different they were.

Danica was that outspoken spirit who desired the attention, yet shied away from it. She was that intelligent child that asked questions and replied with witty remarks. She was that girl teenagers were going to loathe, gorgeous and pale, her hair bright, her eyes brighter. She was challenging and kept everyone on their toes with her unpredictable personality. But Emily was quiet and almost bland, she was shy and never got the attention she should have. Both girls came from two different, devastating places and yet were completely different. Emily let what was happening affect her, she was ill, but Danica pushed it behind her happy for what she had in the moment.

But then again, these children were hers in two completely different ways – there wasn't supposed to be a connection between them.

Curious as she was Danica peered through the glass, watching the quiet lonely girl rather than the cartoons that were scrolling across a television set. "Is she sick like Elsie?" She asked softly almost scared to shatter the silence. Scully stood beside her, her arms crossed over her chest her face drawn in quiet contemplation.

At Danica's question she withdrew her arms and relaxed her face. "A little bit like Elsie, yeah." She nodded, her own voice as soft as the girl's.

"Did bad men do it to her?" She asked, shocking Scully for a moment. She had forgotten what Danica had gone through, her bubbly façade fooling them all.

Scully shook her head, lying. She couldn't tell the truth, not when they didn't know it for sure. "No, baby. She's just sick, like when you get a cold but worse. It's because of her blood." Although she never liked giving Danica the wrong answer, right now she couldn't give her the right one either. She couldn't scar another child because of this.

"Mama?" Danica broke the silence again. "I want to go home." She told her mother, she was tired and slightly scared. The day of shifting parents and falsified answers had worn her through.

"I know baby," Scully sighed "Do you want to come sit with Emily?" Scully asked softly, finally growing tired of the walls and masks. Danica looked up at her worried; at five she still knew when things were allowed and when things weren't allowed. "She's your sister, Danni. Please, come talk to her." Again the little girl looked unsure but nodded anyway as she moved to hold Scully's hand.

Together they walked into the quarantined room where the isolated girl sat watching children's cartoons silently. Emily found the will to sit up as she noticed the weight shift on her bed. As she did so she was greeted with Danica's warm smile – the girl could put on a brave face with the best of them sometimes. "I'm Danica. We are sisters." She told Emily in her usual accented tone.

Emily looked the other girl up and down, her porcelain skin and blue glass eyes all the way to her pumpkin red hair. Scully noticed there another clash in their lives, she couldn't help but to compare the pair. Here sat one girl sickly and tired dressed completely in a hospital gown, her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead. And there sat another in what she could only assume was an expensive brown dress and tights that had been bought for her, her red hair pulled up into a neat pony tail her face clear from fever sweat – Sisters. The two of them.

Scully watched as Danica tried to engage Emily in a conversation and succeeded mostly until both of them were overcome with a tiredness that passed the ability to converse. By then Mulder had turned up his face flushed and eyes urgent, but he was patient enough to take Danica to the waiting Maggie in order to leave Scully alone with the daughter she never realized she had.

[...]

Danica sat completely still at Emily's funeral, she refused to bring any of her toys but a teddy bear to be buried with her new found sister. Through the quiet and short service she sat still, focused unlike how she had sat through the Christmas one. But this time dressed in black, a black ribbon keeping her bangs from her eyes she didn't move, didn't even dare to breathe half the time. Although she understood the weight that came with death, she also didn't understand it, she was far too young and even though she had a family who was willing to teach her everything she asked, they couldn't put her through the explanation of death, not in its entirety at five, no matter how much she had been through.

Back on the navy base, in the house belonging to Billy Scully Jr. Danica played happily with her uncle, her Christmas gifts still scattered the living room despite Mulder and Scully's requests for her to put them away. Scully was deep in conversation with Tara as she kept a watchful eye on the little girl who was giggling and smiling, keeping them all alive. She couldn't believe that her brother sat there on the floor playing with a child, a child that belonged to Fox Mulder no less, and to think he had volunteered for the duty of keeping her mind of that day's events.

The large man who had just turned new father played on the floor with the five-year-old whose smile never faltered around him and her giggles were continuous. Scully took her concentration off Danica for a second and it seemed as though without either of her parents watching her, her world fell apart.

Danica's laughter stopped and strangely it seemed as though all the happiness and light was pulled from the house without her giggles. Tears quickly replaced the laughter as the little girl picked herself up off the floor and ran for Scully all the while dropping Schatz on the path towards security and comfort.

"Mama!" She screamed into Scully's knees before she had the chance to pick her up. The girls' cries stopped the entire house, Tara froze, not in fear of her newborn waking but for the child who had suddenly turned to hysterics. Mulder came running out of the kitchen the minute he heard Danica's cries. His eyes were wide as he approached them and calmly asked Danica what was wrong. The girl continued to scream as her uncle stood shell shocked on her floor where they had been playing his eyes completely wide in fear for what had happened and in shock that the little girl had called his sister 'mama'. "I swear, I didn't do anything." He told his sister uncharacteristically apologetic as he picked up Schatz and moved towards them.

She gave her brother a soft smile before excusing herself to take the still hysteric girl outside. Mulder followed behind Scully silently as the young girl in her arms thrashed as she screamed. Neither of them had seen an outburst like that in well over a year. There was a scared look on Mulder's face when she turned to face him once they got outside. His hands were held out slightly as though he wanted to touch his daughter but at the same time didn't know if he should.

Scully sat on the porch swing as she positioned Danica better in her lap before moving to hold the girl still firmly all the while whispering in her ear and trying her best to calm her down. "What happened?" Mulder asked as he stood in front of them. Scully tried for a shrug as she smoothed down Danica's hair as tears soaked through her shirt.

"I don't know," She told him her voice cracking as her own tears built behind her eye lids. "I don't know what's wrong. Fix it. Fix it, please." She wanted to breakdown but instead bit her lip hard to refrain from cracking. Mulder nodded as he sat down beside the two of them slowly. "I can't let her go," Scully told him already expecting his question. "I'm not hurting her, I promise. I can't let go of her."

He nodded softly, understanding completely. He went to ask another question, to address Danica before she spoke through her tears. "Elsie. They hurt Elsie." She repeated over and over, occasionally Elsie's name turned into Emily's in the confusion as the little girls' frantic mind grew tired and her tears continued to fall.

"Who are the men who would create a life whose only hope was to die?" She asked, it was a question that had been looming in her mind since she said a final goodbye to Emily at the church.

"Who are the men who would find a life and make it's only hope through suffering?" He asked back watching as Scully almost subconsciously continued to stroke Danica's hair. She bit her lip for the fourth time since they had been sitting there. "I don't know who does these things Scully. But the fact that you found Emily and I found Danni … and we had the chance to love them, to treasure them, if only for a moment. Then maybe that's what they are meant for too." Mulder moved to take Danica out of her arms and this time she let the thrashing child go. When he had her in his arms he told Scully to go inside, to be with her family. But she didn't move, they sat together for hours Danica's cries varying and neither adult knew what to do to help her. When Scully did move to go inside the sun had set and she was only in for a matter of minutes to collect a blanket as the December chill set over them. When she returned Mulder was laying on the garden path, Danica next to him her crying only small whimpers as he pointed up at the stars and constellations. Scully paused on the back porch for a second as she looked at them; the little girl had buried herself into Mulder's side, her head resting on the arm that was bent to prop up his head. Her thumb was pressed between her teeth, but not quite in her mouth, a habit they were trying to break. Mulder had wrapped his coat around the little girl allowing for himself to freeze instead of her.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she sat down on the path next to Mulder and handed him the blanket she brought.

"Watching the stars." He told her simply. He rolled his head to look at her through the darkness. "I was telling Danica that if she was missing someone she couldn't see anymore that the stars are always here for a lonely heart." Scully smiled down at him softly, her eyes had caught the light coming from the back porch which seemed to make her smile deeper.

Danica stepped over Mulder's legs delicately and plopped herself into Scully's lap. Scully ran her hand over the little girl's hair as she pulled her into a hug with her spare hand. "You okay now honey?" She asked softly as she pressed a kiss to the top of Danica's head.

Danica shifted in her mother's lap. "Mama, I want Elsie." Danica told her solemnly, her wide eyes filled with the hope that she could see her dead sister again. Scully hugged her tighter.

"You can't, baby." Scully shook her head as she spoke, her cheek was pressed to Danica's hair so the girl couldn't see the pain that was filling her eyes. Danica nodded her head already accepting that she couldn't see her sister. "You know what?" Scully asked and she waited for Danica's soft "what?" before she continued. "Sometimes I want my sister too." Mulder didn't interrupt as she spoke to the little girl, as she told her all about Melissa and Danica in turn tried to remember her own sister. Mulder didn't speak, he didn't bring up Samantha as Scully tried to console the upset little girl. But even through Samantha Mulder wasn't thought about out loud, Scully knew her partner was looking up at the stars and thinking about the sister he lost.

"Did you have a good Christmas?" Mulder asked, finally joining in. Danica jumped up from Scully lap and walked the yard. In front of them, her little body was still shaking not from the cold but from her fit. Scully watched the girl walk intensely, scared that she would lose her footing with all the shaking.

Danica nodded her head. "I got Matthew." She grinned walking around them, her body still shaking but her remarkable grace seemed to keep her standing. Mulder laughed at the little girls' confession. She had been completely in awe with the tiny infant, which only worried Mulder and Scully more so on the baby brother front. They couldn't sit down and talk to her like normal parents, they weren't "normal" parents, and yet they couldn't just simply tell her "no". Neither one of them wanted to deny the little girl anything, her smiles were far too contagious and full of awe every time they granted her a wish.

Alas, her love for her new cousin worried the two adults. She was constantly by Tara's side, peering into the sleeping newborn's crib and it worried her parents' that she would think the child was going to be brought home with them.

Mulder was about to correct the girl, tell her that she wasn't given Matthew but something else caught his attention. Scully was leaning over him, her hair falling in front of her face, the light from the back porch illuminating her face in a ghostly light. "Thank you for that." She told him softly, invading his personal space so she could see his face in the dark of the backyard. Danica continued to talk, not paying the adults any mind. "She can talk to the stars." She hummed softly as she leant in closer, her nose brushing against his in an eskimo kiss. "That was brilliant" She told him, her mind overcoming her usually reserved personality as caught his top lip in between her own and sucked on it lightly.

He could feel her smile against his lips, "No problem." He told her, not questioning her bold move as he tugged on her bottom lip playfully. Scully giggled into his mouth, actually giggled as she momentarily lost her balance, her free hand dropped to his chest where she could feel his heart pounding furiously against her hand.

She purred his name as she caught his lips again, her need to feel something after the day she had pounded in her blood stream, took complete control over her actions and shoved her towards something she desperately didn't want to ruin, and yet no part of her was complaining.

The yard was silent, only the two of them existed in this world they had created. Then Mulder clicked. "Where's Danica?" He asked pulling back from the woman who was practically on top of him. He could tell something was wrong the minute she looked down at him but he didn't stop her, he didn't stop her until he noticed the little girl was gone. Scully mumbled something as she moved to catch his lips again, "No seriously, Scully where's Danica?" His partner stopped and looked around the yard quickly before turning back to him with wide eyes.

"I don't know." Her voice shook as she got up, her mind was frantic with panic as she scolded herself for her lapse in professional thinking. "Shit, Mulder she was shaking." Scully said as continued to look around the yard, her hand buried in her hair.

"And now you're trembling." He told her as he stood up behind her his hands on her arms. "We'll find her Scully, she can't have wandered too far."

Scully raised an eyebrow as she turned to direct it at him. "Don't underestimate a child's ability to disappear."

Something changed behind his eyes; Mulder was quick to move away from her as he started for the house. He knew how easy it was for children to disappear, they both did, not only in that weekend but throughout their lives, their careers and most importantly, his childhood.

He climbed the back steps two at a time as he headed for the inside of the house. Scully on the other hand called out to him softly as she moved to walk around the house, not certain that the girl would have headed straight for the indoors.

Mulder found Danica immediately, the little girl was wrapped in the arms of her grandmother as she talked about something Mulder couldn't quite hear. Noting that his little girl wasn't upset he turned and moved to walk back outside deciding it was better to let Scully know that he had found her, rather than his partner coming to find them.

He scoped the backyard and trailed it twice finding no sign of his partner Mulder ventured out the front of the naval commission housing. "Scully," He called to her once he caught sight of her in the front yard. Scully span, as a finger wiped at her cheek. "you okay?" He asked as he got closer. She nodded with a sniffle as she looked around him, trying to spot the small child who had taken the place as his shadow. "She's inside. Are you sure you are okay?" She nodded again as they together started to walk up the front path.

"We need to be with family on a day like today." Tucking her arms around her waist she spoke softly whilst Mulder nodded beside her. "I'm worried about Danica." She stopped on the front porch, her hand faintly on his arm, a question burning in his eyes. "When you met Emily, you said that we had a daughter with a troubled mental state." She told him, changing his own words around yet leaving the meaning exactly the same. "Do you believe that?"

"As a psychologist or as her father?" He asked her just as softly, his voice level and calm as he moved her to the porch swing and together they sat.

It was cold enough out there that they could both see their breath when they breathed through their mouths, Scully watched the cloud of her breath for a few seconds as she continued to breath before she answered. "Both."

Straightening out his shoulders Mulder's gaze watched the silent street as he sat completely straight in the chair. "As her father I don't want to believe there is anything less than perfect about her, but as a psychologist and a worried parent I think she'll struggle with what happened to her for the rest of her life." He brought his gaze to hers as he searched her eyes for understanding he continued to talk. "It would surprise me if what happened in Russia, what she saw didn't affect her. And for a little while I believed that it wouldn't, but I was crazy. She has nightmares, still and on occasion she'll shy away when I raise my hand. I've never hit her, ever yet something changes in her eyes, glasses over and she flinches. I haven't seen an episode like what happened in the living room before and it frightens me that there are constantly going to be road blocks in her life that pull out the same screaming reaction." Moving her eyes from his, she nodded, the emotion, the fear she saw in his gaze terrified her. "She had to bury the girl we told her was her sister today, and even though Emily is only her sister in spirit she drew the connection to Elsie and that unlocked terrifying memories. It will happen again, but she doesn't have the comprehension, the mental ability to tell us what happened so we can prevent these things. We might not get that sort of thing from her until she's a teenager – and even then, it won't be in a whole."

Shifting on the seat Scully let out a heavy sigh. "We have to try." She told him. "Never give up on a miracle" She repeated his words, the same thing he told her the night before Danica's birthday only weeks ago. He didn't want her to give up hope then and now, now she didn't want him to give up hope for Danica's future.

ta dah!

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Until next week,

A