EMAIL ADDRESS: My new email is: myriss@bsc.net

If you have any of my stories archived, can you please update it with my new email address. I no longer check my old ones.

DISTRIBUTION: Ephemeral OK. I will forward to Gossamer myself. Others OK but please let me know so I can visit.

RATINGS WARNING: PG-13 (contents may be somewhat disturbing).

CLASSIFICATION: V

KEYWORDS: 3POV

SPOILERS: Nothing really.

SUMMARY: Friendship transcends any boundaries.

THE DISCLAIMER: Any character you recognized from the t.v.

series belongs to 1013 and Fox (except for Scully or Mulder who belongs to each other). I am just borrowing them.

*AUTHOR'S NOTE* - I guess this is AU where William is still with Mulder and Scully. This is not beta-ed. All the mistakes are my own.

****

Daisy Mae

by Myriss

"What's your name?" he asked me. He was about my age, with a flop of red hair and blue eyes.

It's been so long since I had a friend of my own.

"Margaret Mae," I said, trying not to sound eager. "But you can call me Daisy Mae."

"Daisy Mae--." He said it as if he was testing it , then he nodded as if it had passed. "--Daisy Mae."

****

He came up and we played every single day. It was nice to have a friend, although in the back of my mind I was always worried.

Will has just moved here with his parents. His Daddy was a professor and his Mommy was a doctor. They used to be FBI agents.

"FBI agents?" I asked.

Will nodded happily. "Yep."

"But now your Mommy is a doctor?"

He grinned, his chest puffing out proudly. "My Dad says my Mommy is his personal doctor."

"Well, my Mom didn't work, " I started to say. "She stayed at home---" I broke off. There was a loud banging in the a hall, outside of the door.

Will started. "What's that?" he asked, puzzled.

My heart thumped. I was so scared that I could barely move.

"Daisy Mae--?" he looked at me, puzzled.

I grabbed Will and pulled him into the closet. Oh he was so angry. I could hear his footsteps stomping out there. Banging things around in rage.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Daisy Mae," Will whispered, frightened. "What is it? What is it?"

I just shook my head, shushing.

Don't speak, Will. Don't speak.

Then finally silence. He was gone. And we could hear Will's mother calling him.

Trembling, we climbed out of the closet. Will's face was white and frightened.

"Is--is it gone?" he asked shakily.

I nodded.

"W--what is it?"

I leaned forward. "He's Bad," I said to him.

Will's face paled. "W--will he come back?" he asked.

I had to warn him. Had to warn him.

"You have to hide there-" I nodded to the closet. "He doesn't look there."

*****

I was afraid Will would not come back to play. So many of my friends didn't after that happened. But he did. And I was glad.

"I didn't think you would come back," I told him.

Will shrugged, looking nonchalant. "You're my friend," was all he said.

*****

Sometimes *he* was gone for a long time. I don't know where he goes and I always hope that he never comes back, but he always does. Will was over, playing with me when he did.

The door flew open with a loud bang--

He had found us before we could hide in the closet. I shrieked in pain. He was hurting me...like he did before...and he was so angry...so angry and filled with rage.

Will yelled, "Leave her alone! Leave her alone!" and ran to help.

"NO, WILL!" I screamed back. "NO! He'll hurt you! He'll hurt you bad!"

And for the first time, I did not try to run and hide. I couldn't let him hurt Will. Will was my friend...

*****

He was lying so still...so still....in bed. I crept up closer and peeked over the edge of bed. I could see the covers moving up and down as he breathed.

I sighed with relief. He was sleeping. And unhurt.

I reached out a hand to touch his pale cheek.

"Oh my God--" a voice said from behind me.

My hand dropped to my side and I turned around. It was Will's mother. She had his red hair and his nose.

"A--are you Daisy Mae?" she asked me. "Are you Will's Daisy Mae?"

I nodded.

She stared at me incredulously, her hand covering her mouth.

A man came up from behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. When I saw him, I started to run away until I saw his eyes. He had Will's eyes and I knew then he wouldn't hurt me.

"Hey, Scully," he was saying. "What's the matter? Is Will--?" Then he saw me. His eyes widened. Then carefully, as he if was afraid that he would spook me, he took a step forward.

"Are you Margaret Mae Gentry?" he asked me.

I stuck my finger in my nail and chewed on my fingernail nervously, and then nodded.

His mouth opened, then closed, then he turned to his wife and said quietly, ""Fifty two years ago, a little girl named Margaret Mae Gentry was sent to the store to buy some bread and sugar that her mother had forgotten. She disappeared and was never seen again. " He turned to me, his eyes sad. "Two years later, a neighbor--a Mr. Harvey Tate--with two kids of his own--was arrested for the murder and rape of another little girl named Annie Baker. The police suspected that Harvey Tate was also involved in the disappearance of Margaret Mae Gentry but they could never prove anything. The day before his trail, Harvey Tate committed suicide by hanging himself in the his jail cell."

"He seemed so nice," I said, my voice was like a wisp of smoke.

Will's Daddy went still. He could hear me. Like Will could.

"He always gave me candy. His daughter Tammy was my friend. We used to play all the time at their house. He used to wave to me when I walked by their house to school....I didn't know he was bad--" my voice broke off, clogged with tears.

"It wasn't your fault, Daisy Mae," Will's Daddy told me. "It wasn't your fault."

"He hurt me," I whispered. "He hurt me bad. He--he said that

I've been a bad girl and that my Mommy and Daddy wouldn't

want me anymore--"

"He lied to you, Daisy Mae," Will's Daddy said gently. "You weren't bad and it wasn't your fault. And your Mommy and Daddy would have loved you...no matter what..."

I hiccupped and went on, "He tied me up, but I got loose. I

tried to get out, but I couldn't. He hurt me so bad. I

crawled into the closet to hide...I could hear him banging

out there...he was so angry...He kept yelling at me to come

out from where I was hiding, that I would be sorry..." I

stared down to my feet. "It was so dark in the

closet...then the door opened, it was so light--I thought--"

"Go on," Will's Daddy said softly.

My voice was small. "I was afraid. I thought he was waiting

there for me. I didn't go and the light went away--"

"Daisy Mae?" It was Will. He had woken up and was sitting up in bed, looking at me. "Daisy Mae, are you okay?"

Then he saw his parents, "Mom? Dad?" Then, frightened, "The th--thing--?"

"It's okay, Will." I assured him quickly. "He's gone. He won't come back."

Will swallowed hard. "Never?"

I nodded.

Will sighed in relief. Then looked at his mother, who looked very dazed and, and at his father. "See," he said, grinning triumphantly, "I told you there was really a Daisy Mae and that she lived upstairs in this room. I told you, didn't I?"

"You sure did, Will," his Daddy said. He turned to me.

His voice was gentle as he asked, "Are you still afraid, Daisy Mae?"

I knew what he was asking. I shook my head.

Then he turned to Will. "Will, " he said, his voice low.

"It's time for Daisy Mae to go."

Will drew his brows together in puzzlement.

"I don't understand, Daddy. The bad thing is gone. Why can't she stay here with us?"

"She doesn't belong here," his father answered, ".She belongs somewhere else. She has..for a long time...but she's been too afraid to go."

Will started to shake his head in protest. "But she's my friend, Daddy! My friend! I don't want to her to go! I want her to stay." He looked at me. "You want to stay, don't you Daisy Mae?" he asked me.

I opened my mouth to answer him and that's when I saw it.

The door and the light pouring in. And I could see them...Mommy and Daddy...my little sister Milly...Grandma Barkley...Uncle Charlie...all of them...standing there...waving at me...telling me to come...that they were waiting for me. Waiting for me so long...

I turned to Will. He was crying. He could see them, too. He nodded to show me that he understood.

Oh, Will, you will always be my friend!

I reached out and squeezed his arm gently. Then I was running into the light...

...into my parents' arms...

...I was home again....

The End.

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