Thank you to those of you who took the time to review and the new comers who had added this to their favorites and alerts.

The words "I am working on something else" are usually a bad thing with me, although I can't say it prompted the inadequacy of this chapter. Having a rough week family wise and having had my nephew under my care as well as being ill. I have tried my best. Sorry.

**Side note: In Part 11 I claimed Trent was seven, only to go in in Part 18 and say he was thirteen. I've fixed that. He should have been eight leaving him to be ten now. Sorry about that.**

Part 29

Polly

It was an easily comprehensible truth. Danica Elisif Mulder was alone. Not physically alone but mentally; she had company more so now with her father's demise than in any other point in her life. It didn't matter how many people were around her, engaging with the usually charismatic child left them all with a defensive, moody little girl who was more aloof and shut off than what she had been the first time Scully had met her.

But she wanted to play, she wanted so desperately to play with her things and friends, to join in on the merry conversations as the adults avoided the fact that her father was never coming home. She was entertained so brilliantly so, but her heart wasn't in it. Her heart wasn't invested in anything anymore, everything was completed with a less than enthusiastic effort despite the part of Danica that wanted everything to go back to the way it was.

Life had taken a stand still for the little girl whose seventh birthday was rapidly approaching. Although life was standing still for her, everyone else seemed to be moving with an urgent hurry as though nothing had ever changed nor would it ever do so.

Her mother sought tirelessly to pick up the young girl's mood, but nothing changed. The point was mute; the fight fought in vain and completely hypocritical. For Dana Scully felt exactly the same as her daughter.

Their Saturday night ended in exactly the same way it had done since May. Danica was curled up in the bed her parents often shared; she fought sleep as her mother drew lazy shapes across her back just watching while the girl claimed a sleep she could no longer acquire. While Danica's nights turned more often to peaceful than nightmares a month on after her father's funeral, it wasn't the same for the redheaded woman that took her charge.

"Why does everyone want to leave me?" Her small voice infiltrated the quiet room. Her words poised and delicate left Scully to believe that the question had been looming in her mind for some time now.

A sigh left her lips before anything else. She caught her daughter's hands between her own and held them delicately, cradled them with the care and love she fought so tirelessly to give to the young child before her. "Sometimes people have to go away and they don't have a choice. But I promise you little darling, I promise no one wants to leave you and if they have to they will not go willingly."

"But," She huffed, her voice full of self-pity as she shamefully refused to look at her mother. "Elise and Emily and my Mutter and Vater?" Her question loomed. Had these people not wanted to leave her? Scully could only guess the girl's reasoning behind the thought. As a child she had her own outlandish theories and would not put it below Danica to have her own. "Oma" She whispered, the word barely audible but not as much so as; "Papa?" She had to double take just to make sure the girl had even said it. Had she really thought her father had reasoning behind leaving her, leaving the both of them? Surely not, how could a child, one so completely devoted to her father even think that? How could she possibly discourage the thought without ripping open wounds that were already starting to slowly heal?

"Oh Danica. Danica, Danica." Shook her head as she laughed weakly. That was all she seemed to say any more, the six-year-old was as insecure as a shy teenager, she was as unpredictable as one too. She couldn't help but want to hold onto the girl and her silly youth before she got like this; serious with the desperate need to grow up and move on.

She couldn't help it anymore; she couldn't stop it that was Danica. She was growing up far more quickly than anyone else wanted her too. Shifting Scully moved to cradle the girl's head between her hands. "Anyone who decided to give you up, to throw your brilliant face to their backs are incredibly dumb people. I promise you Danica, I can't say it enough. Every one of those people loved you; they didn't want to go, to leave you behind, but there are things bigger than you or I, things that control that which is out of our reach, out of everyone's reach."

"Are you going to leave me?" She asked, her thumb on the cusp of her mouth, her voice soft with sleep while her eyes fluttered.

Scully shook her head viciously as she pressed a hard kiss to Danica's forehead. "Never. You're stuck with me kiddo." The girl managed a sleepy 'good' before her breathing evened out at she reached a little girl's cloud of dreams.

Their clouded discussion that night was not something that was uncommon in the months of Mulder's disappearance and eventually this death. The gloom followed everything, it was quickly surrounding them, chocking without either host being completely aware of its affect. They lived like that, the two of them, without complaint.

Sunday was the usual quiet day they had coupled with Saturday nights. Scully would take Danica down to Georgetown where the two would walk along the Potomac taking in the sights as people passed them by.

A sign reading 'Free to good home' caught the corner of her eye as she and Danica walked their usual Sunday stroll as the breeze from across the water picked up their hair. The little boy and his father were new editions to their walk. She tried to steer the little girl away from the sign and the pets that were surely concealed inside of it, but, Danica was on autopilot as people passed her; a collection of locals and tourists in kind. Each smiled at her as she passed, no one knowing her story or how brave she had been, they didn't know the hurt behind her smile or how she held strength bigger than her very being. Only her mother knew how the both of them just existed beside that river like the water's current was the only think keeping them moving.

Danica was a few steps away from the two males and their sign when she noticed them. Scully, by then had put her hands on the Danica's shoulders in an attempt to steer her away, but it was too late. The girl's silent curiosity got the better of her as she crept closer a curious fire burning in her rich blue eyes.

"They're free to a good home, Ma'am." The boy spoke when Scully offered him a soft smile.

Danica by now was on her knees beside the box, her hands on the edge as she peered in, "Kittens!" She exclaimed as she looked up at her mother with wide eyes for the first time in a matter of weeks.

Sure enough when she peered into the box for her own peek Scully found four small kittens all varying in patterns and colors. "The cat snuck out and had kittens. Unfortunately my wife has me on the couch until they're gone." The boy's father laughed as he watched the woman with her daughter tend so carefully to the small animals. "Free to a good home, like Tommy said." He hopped so madly this woman and her child would take one, he could tell they needed the company. If there was something he had learnt from his wife's god damned feline, that they had the compassion to be good companions when needed.

Scully nodded as she watched a small gold and auburn kitten pay far more attention to her daughter than the others. She watched as the girl picked it up delicately and held it in her lap. Upon further inspection she found the cat had brown rings on its fur to mate a leopards spots. When Danica scratched at the kitten's neck it tilted its head back to greet Scully with a pair of vibrant green eyes.

She let the kitten sniff her head out finger while she leant into Danica's ear and whispered words that ignited the girl's face more than a firework filled night sky. "I take it you'll be taking her then?" The man asked as he watched the soft exchange.

Standing straight Scully offered him a smile. "My partner would have killed me for bringing a cat home. He would have said it ruined his manly man façade. But I think she's in desperate need of a good friend." Both adults watched as the small girl tried to tuck the tiny kitten into her coat.

"My Papa's dead." She announced nonchalantly as she caught both of their eyes. Quietly Scully reprimanded Danica on her manners and keeping private matters private. There was a flash of sorrow on the man's face but he quickly schooled it and crouched down at her level.

"What are you going to name her, Princess?" He asked as he clasped a plain purple collar around the kitten's neck.

She looked up at her mother shyly for a second before turning back to the man. "Polly." She told him softly as she held the quiet kitten with a proud smile.

Together they left the man and his son with thanks and a small, warm kitten tucked up in Danica's arm. The walked back up the Potomac towards the space Scully had parked her car in. It had only been a matter of minutes since Polly entered their lives with a loud purring and cold noise and yet, already Danica's mood had picked up. She was forgetting the pain she had been feeling in order to rejoice in her new found friend.

It was Fall, usually the girl's favorite time of year, considering her birthday was only a week away. Scully couldn't help but think how perfect this child was for the season, her orange hair lit up like the leaves falling from the trees and her green coat matched the murky green of the river beside them. Paired with her vermillion colored pet she was set in Fall colors with Winter skin. Helping the young girl into the car she held the quiet little animal while Danica clicked in her seat belt. "I love her Mommy." She smiled gratefully as she held her hands out for her mother to return the small animal.

She leant in and kissed her forehead handing Polly to her knew owner Scully checked the seatbelt once before pulling her head out of the car. "I'm glad, she is going to be a big responsibility." The girl nodded eagerly apparently already having thought it through. "Should we stop at the shop before heading home?" She asked, her mind mentally pulling up a map for the fastest route to the closest pet store in Georgetown or Alexandria.

"Is my friends coming over for lunch?" She asked from the backseat double checking their plans for the day. Her mother gave her a nod in the rear view mirror confirming that their plans were still following the set path.

Their detour to the pet store found Scully and Danica walking in the door at the same time as Ellen's arrival. "Trent, Trent!" The little girl squealed at the sight of her friend. Danica ran for the boy she only saw occasionally with her arms held out in front of her, Polly held at the tips of her fingers. Trent, a boy of only ten crouched down and waited for her to reach him before he squeezed her in a tight hug. "Look what I got!" She continued to squeal at him, even though he was standing right next to her.

Trent took her free hand as they walked towards the house his mother trailing behind. Scully loved Trent's patience with Danica. He usually wasn't a patient child, he ran and he played as though the whole world was escaping from his grasp, he never wanted to miss a single bit of it. But when Danica was around the boy slowed from a fast paced run to a casual walk. It was amazing how he transformed for a single friend, she hoped he would continue to be that way for the young girl who kept him balance.

The children disappeared to the back of the house, leaving Scully and Ellen in their wake, Trent had managed to toss Scully a 'hello' as he passed, but outside of that the adults were ignored. "Yeah, hi kid, bye son." Ellen laughed as she wrapped and arm around her friend and kissed her cheek and commented on their children's behavior. "How you holding up, Danes?" She asked quietly her voice sincere as the two of them moved to the kitchen.

Depositing a shopping bag on the kitchen island Scully moved to the fridge and pulled out a tray of cupcakes that had been made the night before. She stopped mid step when the question was asked. "Can we not talk about that today?" She asked weakly as she directed her tired eyes towards her old friend. Ellen nodded softly as she moved to help Scully around the kitchen, she had arrived early that morning knowing Scully would need the extra hands and a distraction for the young girl.

"So you got her a kitten." Ellen teased as she bumped her hip against Scully's while they worked side by side.

Scully shrugged. "I didn't know what to get her for her birthday. She doesn't want anything, but the way she looked at that cat, the way it treated her. I had to. You didn't see the way she was, Ellen you have been in Texas the entire time.

"You do realize you're going to end up looking after the animal and a new born at the same time. She may have wanted it but the novelty wears off. Trent did the same with Peter, sure he understands responsibility now, but it took him years." Scully but her lip at her friend's words, she had a point, a very good point, yet, something in the back of her mind wanted to hope that Danica was different. She was a special little girl after all; maybe there was a little bias pride in her head that wanted to prove Ellen wrong. Either way, she wouldn't voice it. "Now," Ellen started, changing the subject. "Please tell me she had more than two friends and you're just being horrible and putting a limit to how many people she has over." Scully threw her friend a pointed glare. "What?! Between you and Fox it wouldn't surprise me if she was social awkward." She received another glare.

"She has plenty of friends; I just don't want to have to clean up after all of them." Ellen raised a brow. "Yes, yes, I know that's why you're here and really I appreciate it, but I don't want to waste your time. I can do this on my own Ellen; just let me do it my way." She nodded, knowing when enough was enough with Dana Scully.

Despite Ellen's best efforts to make sure her "niece" had everything she ever wanted or needed, Scully had been right in only inviting two children. It was all Danica wanted and both had been her friends since her first day of school.

Molly and Sawyer arrived with their families precisely at twelve o'clock. The children were off instantly and Danica's new friend was left sleeping at Scully's feet under the dining table.

"I'm telling you Dana she's inherited your genes somehow, she's so short!" Jess commented as the women sat around the dining table watching the four children run around and they debated whether or not they should continue to play or sit long enough to eat the lunch their bellies were aching for.

Scully rolled her eyes. "No, she's right." Monique chimed in. "The German's are huge, part of Hitler's perfect race." She commented with a tilt of her head. "She would be a tiny little mouse compared to the rest of them."

"Am not!" Danica fought as she leant over Scully's stomach in order to take the cupcake that was sitting right on the edge of the table where her mother had left it in the hopes of luring her child to the table and trapping her into eating more that sugary treats.

Wrapping her arms around the girl Scully had to admit that the other women were right, she herself was only five foot three and Danica barely managed to surpass her hip the year before. She wasn't worried though, she had known children could be short in their younger years only to grow immensely in their teens. She herself was short and would have liked to not be the only tiny person in the house again one day. "Well you're only little." She told Danica as she watched the girl reach for a piece of fruit over more sugary confectionary.

Danica stepped out from under her mother's arms to place her hand's on her hips and raise an aggravated eyebrow. "Mommy, I'm seven, not little!" She frowned as the other women at the table and Trent started to laugh.

"She looks just like you when you're mad Aunt Dana." Trent pointed out as he passed behind her to get to his mother. Scully turned to the boy and stuck her tongue out in a childish way, "She does that too." This time Ellen laughed chiming in that her son was right.

Danica continued to pout as she watched everyone else carry on. "I'm not little, I'm big."

Scully sighed and moved so she was almost level with her daughter. "You are very big sweetheart, but what Jess and Monique are saying is that you're not as big as Mommy or Trent."

"Or Papa!" She exclaimed her face lighting up. "My Papa's a superhero, he can touch the top of the door without going like this," Danica told everyone as she got up on her tippy toes and reached her fingers as far as they would go. The room had fallen quiet, they had all managed artfully to avoid the subject of the presently dead Mulder before Danica mentioned him completely unaware that she had done so. Her face fell when she realized, her eyes blurring with new tears. "Oh," She mumbled as she lowered her head with a pouted bottom lip.

Trent moved quickly from his mother's side, a thoughtful look on his face. He crouched down in front of Danica and whispered something in her ear before anyone else could react to her sudden shift in mood. When he pulled away from her she moved quickly, crawling under the table she found Polly and pulled her out carefully with the rest of her body, standing straight Danica followed Trent quietly as he walked with her up the stairs and sat within eye sight of the adults.

Scully let out a deep sigh as she looked around the room for a distraction. "It's okay. That stuff happens, Trent will fix her. He lost his dad too." Ellen moved to comfort her friend. "Sure, it's hardly a comparison Darren walked out on us, but Trent was little and never saw him again. Too a kid it's all the same, it's all hard." She squeezed her friends hand before smiling at her, "It's wrong to make beats that they are going to marry each other, isn't it?" Scully nodded before both Jess and Monique chimed in with laughter.

Getting up from the table Ellen watched her friend closely. "I should go talk to her." With her hand's on her friend's shoulder's she prevented her from getting up. "Don't move a muscle. I am serious when I say he'll look after her, he may be ten Dana but give him a chance. If anyone is going to be sweet to little Danni its Trent. She's got the cat, she's got a boy, she'll be fine, admittedly she's seven, this might be better if she was seventeen, but, she'll be fine." Scully nodded her head unwillingly, knowing that if Ellen saw her agree she would take her hands off her shoulders. "I promise. He'll look after her, he would die for her. Let the kids make things alright, don't be super mom." Relaxing back into her chair she left Ellen's hand's lift from her shoulders.

Falling back into conversation with the three women, she sat at ease. Ellen was right, the kids needed to sort it out, they would come to their parents when intervention was needed. But there was still that part of her that wanted to coddle the poor child until her tears stopped and the nightmares went away. She couldn't do that, but she could let a little boy with a golden heart help.

Mulder's back next chapter guys, at least I'm pretty sure that's what I have planned. I have another busy week ahead of me but I will try to keep the chapters rolling.

Until next week,

A