Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed and alerted - as well as those who found me on Tumblr. Made my days better. :)

This story had never been about William, it was about Danica and really I don't think it had much to do with Mulder and Scully just that they raised her and loved her and she in turn showed them life from a child's point of view. There was so much that I wanted to do with this ditty and I really haven't covered a third of it. In saying that, I think I'm almost done. But, as with everything I promise at some point I want to come back to this, rewrite it and add those little things I wanted to add in but at the time didn't know how to wrap my head around it.

I don't know how many more will be left but not that many.

Sorry for skipping the end of season 8 and 9 – I think a few of you thought I was going to do it but that was never in the plan. (Not entirely anyway, but it will be one of those things that will be readdressed in a rewrite) Also, I am not writing this with the whole colonization thing, I can't do it. No way in Gallifrey am I going to even think I am capable of writing about such a thing. So sorry for any inconveniences/disappointments. You can be angry at me in your reviews. ;)

Part 35

Passed in the Blink of an Eye

...2011…

People always told him 'children grow up in the blink of an eye'.

He never believed it.

He still held doubts even after watching Danica grow.

Then suddenly, he blinked and there came a time where both of his children were too big to carry like infants all together.

[…]

He couldn't help but watch her, it was an addiction really something he could never really help as pride and wonder surged through him. She was standing in front of him in ripped jeans and a patterned sweater, glorious long orange hair and unforgettable eyes. She looked like a spitting image of her mother which only to the man and his partner was odd. The girl standing before him was not his child nor his partner's, by blood anyway.

Mulder could swear that he only blinked and nine years passed. How could time disappear so quickly, especially when it controlled the precious moments of his children's lives. But watching them in front of him, the tired look on his daughters face had no effect on the usually energetic little boy standing beside her.

Truth was, although he hated to see their younger years go when the coats came off and the day had finished his children reverted to their little mannerisms and were more than happy for time with mom and dad. It was those times that the daemons came out, that his daughter's fears showed their face. She wasn't as forthcoming now as she had once been. He knew her nightmares were back, everything that happened to her in her short life played out behind her eyelids. She was seventeen-years-old, she didn't need the daunting dreams to match life's daunting pressures.

She played off her fears, from a young age Danica learnt that sometimes her parents didn't need the extra worry, sometimes she had to take a backseat even though none of them wanted her light to flicker. But she had decided on her own accord that it did. As she got older there were more excuses on Danica's behalf she worried about people not liking her, school projects, upcoming due dates for school, work and her newest problem – Molly's health. But the dreams that woke her with a cold sweat, the ones that found her pounding out laps in the pool at some ungodly dark hour, those were the dreams she would not speak of. Those were the dreams that had him worried. But she never shed light on them, not to him anyway.

The little boy on the other hand, William, was an affectionate child. He had always been and for that his parents were thankful. Mulder knew there would come a time where the boy would no longer see any interest in being openly affectionate towards his parents. But really he didn't mind, well okay, he minded a little he was going to miss his son's excitement towards his being around. The boy was ten now, there was only so little time left.

As far as William went, his surprizing "ability" had not shown its face for years. Although his father never believed it was truly gone he couldn't find the will to push it, to endeavour to heights that could risk his family again. It pained him to be placid, but he had to be.

"I will cut his fingers off if he keeps leaving these around the house." Danica mumbled as she flashed her father the small Lego brick she must have stepped on during her trip to the kitchen. She didn't address the boy in the kitchen, instead leaving for the threat to find its way to him on his own.

Still in his pyjamas even though the clock had struck four half an hour ago but William was in no hurry for the day to start instead he had been sitting around for hours with the intention of his sister coming home to find his deftly hidden traps. "If you cut my fingers off mom will just stick 'em back on." He supplied, little hands on his hips and tongue poking out of his mouth.

"Oh no she won't." The girl sung as she moved around the kitchen island to start sifting through the cupboards. The little boy nodded admittedly, convinced that his mother would at least take his side against Danica's passive aggression and admittedly frightening threats against his limbs and other such parts.

Entering the room and looking just as tired as the girl Scully approached her partner a brow quirked at the bickering happening between the two children whom of which acted as though they could slit the others throat without a second thought, could actually not be too far from the other for too long a period of time.

Danica had had her qualms with the boy after his birth, confusion as to the ruckus surrounding his young life and hatred due to her father having to leave to protect them but after his return and a few more rocky goes at life she was fine with the baby brother she had been asking to have for years.

"'sides, Danni. I can do plenty of things without fingers, I can still spill Legos" He offered her a gap tooth grin, his tongue sticking out of the hole. "and paint your homework." Her eyes widened as she shifted from the boy to her father.

"He did what?" She asked, her voice low and stern. Mulder shook his head claiming nothing of the sort had happened but his daughter saw right through the lie. Turning back to the boy she growled low enough to spark his fear and send him running. "I swear, if someone doesn't strangle him soon, I will more than gladly do it." Her mother offered her a glare to match the one that scared off William. "Fine, I won't. But he has it coming." She clicked her tongue, a box of cornflakes in her hand.

"How was Molly today?" Mulder asked, curious towards the well-being of the girl who had been his daughter's friend from their very first day.

Danica shrugged, her face shifting softly. "She got hit by a car, dad. How do you think she is doing?" Although her words were aimed to hurt she walked towards her father, food in hand and pressed a kiss to his cheek before leaving the room and her mother to handle the explanation.

Dropping her bag to the kitchen island Scully let out a huff, half past four and she just wanted her day to be over. "She broke a few ribs, punctured her lung despite the damage her doctors say she is doing okay. There's nothing too unsettling about her recovery." She pressed a kiss to his forehead before moving past her partner to do as her daughter did and rummage through the cupboards for food. "William has Archery and Danica has ballet in an hour. Take your pick?" She offered, turning from the bench with an apple in hand.

"Danica." He smiled weakly knowing his partner had as so far been running around all day – on her day off of all days. It seemed in that moment that their hyperactive son and a group of likeminded children with weapons would be easier for her than Danica's ballet class. "I found her in the pool last night." He didn't receive a question in response, instead a look telling him to explain. "She was doing laps, when I asked her about it she said she couldn't sleep. She's getting those nightmares again."

"Mulder, Danica has been having nightmares her whole life." It was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean, Scully."

She shook her head. "You're not taking her. We decided when she was eighteen you would take her, she's seventeen, Mulder. No." She shook her head; it was the end of the discussion even though Mulder still felt differently about it. They had decided on this only a few years ago, they weren't to know then what they do now, he couldn't prevent it, but he could not go around his partner's wishes.

William came plundering down the stars two at a time, loud enough to alert everyone that he was descending the stairs into the kitchen. "Women." The boy huffed as he dropped his jeans on the bench behind his father. Mulder laughed at his son's exasperated huff, he needn't ask the boy as to what caused his exclamation due to William's ready need to share. "Mom's muttering something about Russia and Danica's talking to herself in German. I thought she wasn't allowed to do that anymore." Mulder nodded as he jumped up from his place at the bench and threw his sons clothes back at him.

"It will pass, go get dressed mom will be even more annoyed if you're late for archery." The boy huffed as he dropped from the bench, clothes in hand and ran for the stairs only managing to stop before them in order to turn to his father;

"I have a proposition;" Mulder hummed, his boy could be eccentric at times. "If Danica answers a question today in the positive, can I get a puppy?" Mulder let out an audible laugh, his head thrown back. He ruffled his son's hair while he took the opportunity to climb the stairs before the distracted an energetic boy. He declined his sons offer, there would be no dogs, Danica's still living cat was enough for one household and that decision had been final.

Approaching his daughter's room Mulder knocked before ignoring the 'go away' and pushing the door open. She had changed already, her long hair pulled into a perfectly tight bun and her pink skirt pulled over her black leotard. She was trifling through her closet, clothes and shoes awned the floor behind her in a clumsy mess. She had become an obsessive compulsive in her years when it concerned neatness. Something was wrong if she was allowing herself to make a mess.

Danica cussed under her breath a word in German her father rarely heard leave her mouth, but had a feeling it had been said a lot. She moved from the closet to her bed where her gym bag set, usually pre-prepared with her ballet belongings. She huffed at her father, asking if he was going to continue watching her flurry of if he was going to help her look, in return to her statement he inquired into what she was looking for. Perturbed by his question Danica glared, "my point shoes."

Mulder could only help but to look at his daughter with worry, she had been using said shoes the day before in the rec room and had thus left them there. Her inability to remember where they were worried him, but he didn't voice the concern instead he told the flustered and agitated girl where they were

It wasn't until later, when she was beside him in the car staring out the window aimlessly, her iPod tucked into her bag that he questioned into her well-being. "Great." Her words were laced with sarcasm "and as a pre-emptive strike, let me go ahead and answer your next questions: my favourite color is still green. I don't have a boyfriend. Yes, I'm still allergic to glucose. No, I don't play baseball anymore. And while I could explain the difference between Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives of New Jersey, I won't because some things you need to learn on the streets." She answered these things as though her father didn't know her from inside out. He did, although she thought he didn't, her father always listened even when she thought he wasn't paying her any mind.

Her arms crossed over her chest, her tongue pushing against her teeth. She was impressed with her come back, she thought she had won. But she hadn't. Her father may have gone silent but he wasn't done with her yet. "How has school been?" He asked, it was an inane question but he needed to get inside his daughter's head. She was a mystery to him constantly and now that something was bothering her he found it even harder to get inside her head.

"I don't know what thrill you adults get out of inane questions, but they're pointless to me." She mumbled angrily under her breath, her hand on the doorhandle waiting for a cue to leave. She may have been annoyed and being rude, but she wasn't rude enough to leave her father mid attempted conversation. "I finish at seven, don't be late." She added, even though he knew the routine that had been following her for two years.

Silence fell over the car, "So, we good here?" She asked with a rise of her shoulders. "Because I'm going to walk away now and find people my own age." She pointed to the group of girls that were heading towards the lit up studio, a question of permission burning in her eyes. Mulder nodded his head slowly allowing for his little girl to slip out of the car and her problems to slip out of her mind.

He picked her up at seven, on schedule, he was in fact twenty minutes early. Danica offered him a forced smile and that had been the only interaction all the way home and throughout dinner. She retired to her room when the meal was finished and they were dismissed from the table. She turned down and offering of something sweet from every member of the family and remained in that realm of silence until the early hours of the morning.

She tiptoed down the stairs, her barely there movements voiding the room of noise even though her chest felt as though it was caving in on her through her hyperventilation. She froze when she pulled the rec room door to the kitchen open; the room was filled with more light than its usual amount for that time of night. A soft noise hit her ears, sports scores in a deep electronic voice. It was there she realized on the other side of the room her father was on the couch, still awake.

She continued to tiptoe as she made her way across the wooden floors. Reaching the small sitting area, she climbed over the back of the couch and allowed herself to slip into her father's side. The man jumped, frightened by the movement but he hadn't had time to scold the girl for her stealth when he realized she was shaking. "Hey, hey," He calmed as he shifted enough to hold the girls face in his hands and watch her eyes through the murky blue light. "Danica, Danni, what's wrong?" She didn't answer him, instead continued with her shallow breaths. Remembering a trick from when William was young and in mid-screaming tantrum he pursed his lips and blew a huff of air onto her face.

Taken aback Danica tried to pull away from her father. "Danica, what's wrong?" He was gripping onto her tightly, scared that she was going to slip through his fingers.

The girl hiccupped, tears streaming her face as a sob tore through her throat. "What is wrong with me?" She looked at him through her tears, her eyes begging for an answer. "I'm broken, Papa. I wake up in the middle of the night and I can't breathe and I'm cold and frightened. I dream, I dream of people speaking languages I don't understand and I am so frightened Papa, I don't understand what is wrong with me. Why is it always the same dream?" She crashed herself into his chest, her sobs wracking her body and tearing her breath away again. "I hate to sound ridiculous but is some past life coming back to haunt me." Mulder shook his head, they never pressed her to remember the going ons in Russia. He always knew she would remember eventually and when the time came he would be ready.

He wasn't ready.

He wasn't ready for his little girl to grow up.

He wasn't ready for Danica to dicover that bad things happened to her

Or

That bad things could continue happening.

No, Fox Mulder wasn't ready to accept that his children could grow up so fast and that their innocence, even though tainted at her age, could be shattered into a million pieces.

Danica continued to talk, speaking of bruises and broken bones and of how she woke she could still feel it. Scares on her body now had stories and gooseflesh turned to violent chills that lead to nervous ticks. She had started picking at the skin of her legs when she woke from these dreams and her father found the flesh tainted and marked.

She shook as she spoke, her eyes pressing closed and her teeth clenched. Horrors played behind her eyes and screams filled her head.

Mulder came to one decision as he watched her in the dark. No matter what his partner said he was taking the girl back.

She needed to find peace in the place that now knowingly haunted her dreams. Her past needed to be laid to rest and it needed to happen soon.

That was it. He was taking Danica back to Russia.

Until next time,

A