Title: Dance Without Sleeping 
Author: Fiona MacDonald
Rating: PG 
Classification: X 
Summary: A young girl with unusual power. 
Spoilers: None 

Disclaimer: These characters belong to someone else (CC, et al). 
No copyright infringement intended. Please do not repost,
forward or otherwise distribute without the permission of the
author.

Please ARCHIVE - thank-you! 


"Walking on the edge of rage and understanding
Between the black and the white
This child is so angry
Alone here tonight
Alarming desperation
Leads me to believe
With all my shields and protection
It's only me I deceive"
 
 Melissa Etheridge, Kevin McCormick & 
 Mauricio Fritz Lewak - "Dance Without Sleeping"
 1992 - used without permission

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

		Dance Without Sleeping

 
Hi, my name is Jonathan Millar. I'm sixteen. I guess
that this story really starts when Kelly was born. She's my
little sister, ya know. Kelly was special right from the
start - different, like she always got what she wanted.

People are saying they were scared of her, but before...
well, it's just the way things were. I remember she wanted
a horse for her eleventh birthday. Mom and Pop said they
couldn't afford one, so like, the whole town got t'gether and
got her one. They was always bringing stuff for that horse -
'til the day they found it dead. The sheriff reckoned it
musta been some kinda gang from the city that beat the horse
to death. I never told anyone that I heard Pop tell Mom that
he thought Kelly did it. Called her devil's spawn...dunno
what that means but it sure upset Mom. A week later she had
left. Didn't take much with her, just some clothes. That
was 'bout two years ago.

Kelly still gets most everything she wants. 'Cepting
she couldn't get Andy. He's a senior at Millbrook High and
he's...well, I guess he was goin' steady with Cathy.

They're saying that Kelly killed Cathy but I don't
believe it. I mean it was all weird how she died. How could
Kelly have anythin' to do with that? And where is Andy? How
come no one seen him since then, huh?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sheriff Montgomery Tanner. Been deputy and then sheriff
of this town for twenty-five years. Mostly a quiet town; the
occasional bar brawl in the summer-time with the extra help
around, but mostly quiet.

I remember the day that Millar girl was born fourteen
years ago. Everyone was happy for the family. They had lost
a young boy the year before so nobody wondered when they
began to spoil that little girl. She sure was a cute little
thing.

I guess she'd be about seven when the folks round here
started to notice that bad things happened when she didn't
get what she wanted. Dunno if we were just superstitious or
if there was something else to it. Patrick Jackson, well, he
swears up and down that she broke his arm when he told her
that she couldn't have an ice cream. Said she never laid a
finger on him - just looked at him real weird-like. A couple
of other folks had accidents too, but there was no real
evidence to back up their claims that Kelly had something to
do with any of it.

Still she had the town nervous enough that when she
demanded a horse they got her one. Everyone knew that her
parents couldn't afford to keep the horse so they looked
after all that too. We were shocked when we found the horse. 
Almost every bone in its body was broken, internal organs
were damaged...but not one single sign of ever being
touched. No bruising, no lacerations, nothing. Gawd knows,
how long that poor animal lived before it died. We didn't
want to scare the townsfolk so we made up a story about a
gang from the city.

Meg Millar disappeared shortly after that. John said
that she went to her sister's place in Pensacola. Nobody
ever seen or heard from her again. Come to think of it, John
hasn't been around the last few days.

Things were quiet until early this year. Kelly took an
interest in Andy. Now, Andy, he's a real nice guy. Been
brought up right. He always treats Kelly real polite-like,
said that they could be good friends. But Kelly wanted more... 
and everyone knows that Kelly gets what she wants.

Andy finally had to tell her that he was going steady
with the Adams' girl, Cathy. Another real nice kid from
round here. That put Kelly in a real bad mood. She sulked
around for a couple of weeks. Then the incident happened. 
Cathy's dead and Andy has disappeared.

No one has seen Kelly either.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She killed her...she killed Cathy.

Oh my poor baby.

I...I'm Jane Adams. Cathy is...was my daughter. 

No one wants to believe me...

Why won't anyone believe me? Kelly killed my baby!

Kelly wanted Andy...and now she's got him.

You're all scared of her...cowards!

~~~~~~~~~~

The screen went blank as Special Agent Fox Mulder turned
off the VCR. He turned to watch his partner's reaction. 
They were in the basement office the FBI provided for the 
X-Files department. The only sound was the soft whir of the
VCR rewinding the tape as he waited.

Special Agent Dana Scully stared at the photograph of
Kelly Millar in the file folder on her lap. The young girl
stared solemnly at the camera. Her long blond hair fell in
curls around her face. Her body was showing signs of a well
developed female figure. She was wearing a floral summer
dress that stopped about mid-thigh revealing long shapely
legs. All in all, a very pretty girl.

But it was her eyes that kept Scully's attention. They
were so dark they were almost black. She wondered if the
photo had been enhanced in any way. Dark eyes were uncommon
in blonds, but eyes this black were rarely seen in anyone.

"The autopsy report on Cathy Adams says she died of
heart failure. Why would her mother say that Kelly killed
her daughter?"

"Kelly was with Cathy when it happened." Mulder leant
forward and tapped his pen on the report that Scully was
reading. "And the report says that Cathy's heart appears to
have exploded."

Scully grimaced. "The autopsy was done by a local
medical examiner. Seeing that video leads me to believe that
he let an over-active imagination get the better of his
judgement. But even if the heart did 'explode', I don't
understand why Kelly would be accused of murder."

"That's what a lot of people in the town say."

"What does Kelly have to say about all of this?"

Mulder shrugged. "No one has spoken to her yet. 
Apparently, Mrs. Adams isn't that wrong - even the Sheriff
refuses to go out there."

"How do you get these things so fast, Agent Mulder? 
That only happened two days ago."

They turned at the sound of the voice. Assistant
Director Walter Skinner stood in the doorway. His arms
crossed, he was leaning on the door frame. Light from the
television screen reflected in his glasses, almost obscuring
his eyes from view. His right hand held a folder.

"You know something about this case, sir?" Mulder asked,
shooting Scully a surprised look.

Skinner nodded and stepped into the room. "Andy...
Andrew Richards is my brother-in-law's son. My nephew."

He handed another photograph to Scully. "I was just
coming down here to tell you about it. I've assigned this
case to you officially...and I'm coming with you on this
one."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
The sun was getting low as they reached the Millar place
and turned into the driveway. Their stop in town had not
garnered them any more information than they already had from
the videos and files. The Sheriff had been out of town. No
one else had wanted to talk about what had happened - or
about the strange young girl known as Kelly.

The house had a run-down look about it. The paint was
peeling and the porch around it was sagging in places. 
However, the three FBI investigators did not notice. Instead
their attention was focused on the solitary figure on the
front steps. A young male sat naked and bound to the
railing.

Mulder stopped the car. They drew their weapons as they
got out. Mulder was in the lead when Skinner passed him.

"Sir," Mulder hissed, but the A.D. did not slow down. 
Mulder broke into a trot to keep up. He could hear Scully
right behind him. There was no sign of anyone else.

By the time the two agents reached the steps, Skinner
had untied the boy and was holding him in his arms. He
murmured softly trying to quiet the boy's sobs. Skinner
looked up and met their eyes.

"Andy."

Scully looked concerned. "Is he alright, sir?"

Andy looked up at the sound of her voice. Fear in his
eyes as he began to whimper. "Go 'way...go 'way."

Scully backed away a couple of steps and Andy quietened
down again. She met Skinner's concerned eyes.

"Mulder, take Andy to the car and call for back-up."

"Sir, I..."

"That's an order, Mulder. He's terrified of Scully for
some reason - and I intend to find out why."

Mulder stared at Skinner for a moment. He could see the
tight control that the older man was keeping on his anger. 
He wondered briefly if he would have such control in a
situation like this. He looked at Scully.

"We'll be fine, Mulder." Scully smiled faintly.
"There's no obvious signs of physical trauma, but he could
probably use some of your expertise in psychology. You might
be able to find out what is going on from him." 

Skinner watched the two agents in silence. He felt a
slight twinge of envy as he recognized the wordless
communication between them. He spoke gruffly.

"Let's go."

Scully followed Skinner to the open door as Mulder
coaxed Andrew to his feet. The boy was quiet as Mulder led
him away.

Skinner led the way inside. The house was shrouded in
darkness. The meagre light coming through the doorway seemed
to stop a few feet inside as if it feared to go any farther. 
They stood, one each side of the doorway, waiting a moment
for their eyes to adjust.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mulder wrapped his overcoat around Andy and put him on
the backseat of the car. He pulled out his cell-phone and
called for back-up. Thankfully Sheriff Tanner was back in
his office. He sounded reluctant but agreed to come out with
an ambulance.

With a sigh, Mulder disconnected.

~~~~~~~~~~

Skinner could hear music playing. He tilted his head
and listened carefully. The black was becoming grey and he
could make out the stairs in facing them and the hallway that
went down the right side. The music was coming from
somewhere down there. He indicated to Scully to follow him.

There were two doors in the right wall of the hall and
one at the far end. Skinner stopped at the first door and
put his ear against it. He felt Scully move past him.

She stopped at the second door. She could hear music -
the sounds of a waltz - and the sound of footsteps. She
motioned for Skinner. He moved quietly to her side. At his
nod, she slammed the door open and stepped into the room.

"Freeze, FBI!"

She heard Skinner echo the words behind her. The young
girl finished her pirouette before stopping and facing them. 
The girl's dark eyes met hers and Scully knew they were
looking at Kelly Millar.

Kelly dismissed Scully quickly as she noticed Skinner. 
Her lips smiled, but her eyes remained cold and dark. She
spoke with a commanding voice.

"I want you." She raised her hand and pointed at
Skinner.

"What did you do to Andrew?" Skinner kept his gun aimed
carefully at Kelly, even though she seemed not to notice.

"Andy was too weak. He wore out too soon. But you are
here now - you will take his place." Kelly started to move
towards them.

"Don't move," Scully snapped.

The dark eyes focused on her again. Scully felt cold.

"Who is she?"

"FBI. Agent Scully. And I'm Assistant Director Walter
Skinner."

"Do you love her, Walter?"

"What?" Skinner looked perturbed by the question.

"Do you love her?"

"No. She works for me..."

"Then we should get rid of her."

The girl motioned towards Scully with her hand. A sharp
pain shot through Scully's lower arm and she screamed in
agony. She looked down and realized from the unusual angle 
between her wrist and elbow that the arm was broken. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mulder heard Scully's scream from inside the house. 
With his gun at the ready, he raced towards the house. The
front door was closed and would not open when he tried the
handle. He threw himself bodily at the door, jarring his
shoulder. He winced.

"Dammit...

"Scully...Scully, the door is locked!" He yelled,
banging on the door. He heard no rely from within.

"Skinner...Sir!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Suddenly, Scully felt herself fly through the air and
hit the wall about three feet above the ground, almost
parallel to the floor. She felt a popping in her side. 
Another sharp pain that caused her to gasp. With each
breath, she could feel it stabbing. 'A rib,' she thought
through the haze of pain.

"Stop!"

Skinner stared at Kelly, trying to mask his anger.

"You lied, Walter. You do care for her." Kelly smiled
back at him.

"Of course I care about her. She's a friend - I care
about all my friends."

"No, Walter. You care for her as more than a friend. 
You see you can't lie to me." Her eyes darkened even more as
she looked at him. "I know."

~~~~~~~~~~

Mulder eyed the window.

Shading his eyes, he tried peering into the darkness of
the room without effect. He pushed his hands against the
frame in the slim hopes that it would open. He stepped back,
slipped his jacket off and wrapped it around his gun-hand.

A part of his mind registered the silence from inside -
it was worse than hearing Scully's earlier scream.

Turning his head slightly, he used the handle of the gun
to smash the window. The coat around his hand and arm
protected him as he knocked away the remaining shards of
glass. He climbed through the window and, unhesitatingly,
headed into the room. It was then that he heard the noise.

Low and soft. Rumbling and threatening.

The dog was large and black, almost indistinguishable
from the shadows in the darkened room. Bared white fangs,
the glint of an eye and the growl gave it away.

Mulder froze.

~~~~~~~~~~

Skinner could feel her presence pressing down on him. 
He felt a coldness sliding through his mind, knocking down
barriers. Probing and prodding at things he chose to forget.
He tried to stop it. Suddenly, he was confronted by his
feelings. Feelings of desire and love for Scully. Feelings
that he had buried deep and denied even to himself. He felt
the gut-wrenching ache of loneliness that he had endured over
the past few years. He was forced to see it for what it was
- a self-imposed solitaire because no otheer woman measured up
to Scully.

Skinner heard Kelly's laughter. With a half-sob, he
pulled himself back. He stared at her for a moment.

"It doesn't matter, Walter." Kelly was watching Scully,
still suspended against the wall. "She has lost - I have you
now."

"No." Skinner watched Kelly turn slowly to look at him. 
He deliberately ignored Scully and focused on the young girl. 
"You may be able to force me to do what you want, but that
doesn't mean that you have me. Let her go."

Kelly turned her full attention to Skinner. "Why should
I do that?"

"Let her go and I will stay...I will be all yours."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You have my word." Skinner shifted uneasily as he
watched Kelly's eyes darken again. "Besides, you can always
force me if I am lying."

"Prove it." The words were spoken softly and he had to
strain to hear them.

"What?"

"Prove what you say. Make love to me here - now - in
front of her. And I will let her go." Kelly smiled. "You
really don't have any choice."

Scully landed hard on the floor, her breath almost
knocked out of her. She struggled against the pain to stay
conscious. She had to do something. She had to stop this
madness. She could see Skinner moving towards Kelly. She
tried to yell - to tell him to stop, but she could only
manage a squeak.

Skinner heard the thud of Scully's body. He hoped that
she was okay, but he feared to take a look. He had to get
her out of here. He touched Kelly's cheek gently. He was
surprised when she leaped into his arms, knocking the two of
them to the ground.

Kelly straddled him and her lips closed over his. He
felt her tongue almost frantic in his mouth. She tore his
shirt open and ran her hands over his chest. She was already
moving against him. She sat up and rocked harder against
him. She pulled his hands to her breasts and squeezed.

Again, he felt her in his mind. Not quite thoughts,
they were images and feelings. What she wanted...what she
desired. He tried to understand her adolescent feelings. 
Her felt her passion and lust...and anger. It was pure,
animal and wild. She pressed her feelings of ardour onto him
and he felt himself responding physically.

He was appalled at the depravity of her thoughts as she
became more and more aroused. If Andrew had been subjected
to this, it was no wonder he was in the state they had found
him in. Kelly was moaning, her eyes half closed when she
reached for his belt. 

He heard a sound - and a whimper.

'Scully.' Her name came unbidden into his mind. He
felt Kelly freeze. Her eyes opened and their darkness nearly
overwhelmed him. He reached for her but she pulled free and
jumped to her feet.

Noooooo," she threw back her head as she screamed. 
"You lied. You want her...but you can't have her. I'll
make sure of that."

Scully watched Kelly turn and started to tremble. She
was slammed up against the wall again. She saw Skinner
reached out to Kelly. He was slammed against the far wall
before he could touch her arm. Scully started to cry as
Kelly's eyes locked with hers. There was another pop in her
side as another rib was snapped. A pain in her leg and she
knew that it had been broken.

She wondered why she had not passed out from the pain
that she was feeling. But as the thought crossed her mind,
Kelly smiled and she knew the answer. Kelly would not let
her - the young girl wanted Scully to feel every pain as she
slowly killed her.

Scully flinched at the sound of a loud explosion. She
barely saw the look of surprise on Kelly's face as she
slipped into darkness.

Mulder watched as the three bodies fell to the floor. 
He could hear the sound of sirens in the background. He felt
weak. He leant against the doorframe and looked down at his
leg. Blood oozed freely from a long gash on his inner thigh. 
The flesh between his groin and knee had been torn open by
the dog. He had managed to pull his belt off and get it
around the leg as a tourniquet. Feeling light-headed, he
bent forward to lower his head. He was almost knocked off
his feet as Jonathan ran into the room. With a groan, Mulder
lowered himself to the floor. He could hear the voices of
the Sheriff and his deputy.

"In here," he called and kept an eye on the new arrival.

Jonathan looked at his sister laying on the floor and
dropped to his knees beside her. He began to sob.

"Kelly...Kelly, don't go. Don't leave me."

Kelly reached up a shaky hand and touched his cheek. 
She left a stain of blood when her hand dropped away. Her
head rolled to the side.

Mulder caught a glimpse of her blue eyes before he was
distracted by Jonathan. The young man jumped to his feet and
advanced towards Mulder. 

"You did this." He kicked Mulder's leg and the agent
gasped in pain. "You killed her. You're gonna pay."

Mulder heard the yell as Jonathan's foot hit the wound
again. There were distant sounds of scuffling and Mulder
lost his fight for consciousness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Skinner stood beside the hospital bed - just watching
Scully as she lay sleeping. It had been two days since they
had been brought here. For two days he had stayed beside
her, waiting for her to wake up. The doctors were keeping
her sedated because of the number of broken bones in her
body. She had only been semi-conscious sporadically.

Mulder entered the room in a wheelchair, his bandaged
leg propped up. Skinner moved over to let the younger man
get next to the bed.

"Any change?"

"No."

The two men were silent for a while.

They both started at the tap on the door and turned to
see Sheriff Tanner. The big man seemed uncomfortable as he
entered the room. He cleared his throat.

"I thought you might want to know what that we haven't
found Jonathan yet." The Sheriff shook his head. "We found
John's body in the coal cellar. And some remains that we
reckon might be Meg. They've been taken to Millbrook for
testing."

He nodded towards Scully. "She gonna be okay?"

Mulder looked up at Skinner. "I think she's going to be
just fine."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The driver pulled over to the side of the dusty road and
waited for the young hiker to approach. The blond boy smiled
as he leaned in the window.

"Can I give you a lift, sonny? I'm heading into
Millbrook."

"I need a ride to Washington, DC."

"That's a little farther than I'm goin' sonny."

The young man stared at him for a moment. 

The driver nodded slowly. "Sure, I'll take you there. 
Get in."

The young man smiled as the truck pulled away from the
side of the road. But the smile did not reach his eyes -
eyes that were an ominous shade of black.

The End