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Title: Down by the Old Mill Summary: Mulder and Scully investigate what seems like a runaway case. What they discover is a far greater mystery than they imagined. Mill Valley, California The two girls ran through the playground. The taller one reached the large redwood first. "I win!" she shouted with glee. "So, bet I can walk across the mill faster than you." "I bet you can. You have better balance than me." "Come on let's go." The two girls began walking across the wide beams of what was left of the mill. It was an old structure but it was very stable. It was a favorite hang out of many Mill Vallians; young and old alike. The two girls looked nothing alike. One was tall with long brown hair and green eyes. She was light skinned and her face was covered with freckles. The other girl was shorter. She had medium length black hair, brown eyes and wore glasses. Her skin was tanned. "Look at the creek!" the dark haired girl exclaimed to her companion. They both looked down. There was a small glowing light in the creekbed. They both went down to investigate. When they got close the ball of light exploded and then all was silent. Mill Valley, California Mulder and Scully climbed the many stairs leading to the Smithston residence. They were responding to a runaway case. The Smithstons' two daughters Kimberly and Stacy Anne had disappeared the day before. Scully was unsure why they were investigating this but she went along with question. They arrived to the top of the stairs and knocked. "Hello," said a young, quite lovely woman. "Mulder and Scully FBI We're here to investigate the disappearance of your daughters." "Oh please come in." The woman, whom Scully assumed was the mother, had bloodshot eyes. It was apparent she had been crying. She led them into the living room and motioned for them to sit on the couch. The woman sat on the couch opposite from where they sat. "The police think Kimmy and Stacy Anne ran away but I know that isn't true. They would never do that. They loved it here. The police just put runaway on any missing teen case without solid leads." "Can you please tell us about yesterday?" Mulder asked gently. "It began like a typical weekend. Around 11 the girls knocked on the bedroom door to tell us they were going to get bagels and coffee. They returned 15 minutes later. They watched TV for awhile and around 2 they decided to go to Baskins Robbins." "Did they take anything with them?" Scully asked. "Nothing." "Could they have come back to get anything?" "No we were either on the deck or in the living room up until we notified the police. Plus nothing of theirs is missing." "When did you start to become concerned?" "After we watched a movie. It had been 4 hours since they left. The girls usually don't stay out longer than 2 hours. We paged Kimmy several times but there was no response. We decided to go look for them. We went to Baskin Robbins. Kimmy's boyfriend works there. He told us that the girls had been there and that he had walked to the park with them and stayed there until 2:30. A mother who was there with her children recalls seeing them walking along the mill. She said they walked down to the creek and then disappeared." "Is it possible they left the park another way?" "Well, they could have walked through the tunnel to the road but they wouldn't do that. Kimmy hated going into the tunnel and it was too cold to go wading anyway." Did you get the woman's name?" "Yes Alice Jenkins. She lives on East Blithdale. Here's her address. The police have already questioned her as well." "We'll check things out and let you know if anything new develops." Instead of investigating Mulder and Scully first went to the hotel. They checked in and went to their rooms. Within a few minutes Mulder was knocking on the door. "I thought you might want to know why we're investigating this." Scully motioned for him to enter. He handed her the case file. Inside were pictures of the two girls and they're parents. Scully noticed that Kimberly looked nothing like her family. Scully flipped through and found the police report, newspaper articles, the witnesses statement and as she suspected Kimberly's adoption papers. Mulder sat and began to explain "Andrea and Gregory Smithston had tried for years to have a baby. The doctors told them the chances were slim. They tried to adopt but were told it might take years. A year later they were contacted by a lawyer. He said he could give them a newborn baby but they could never ask any questions or try to find out anything about the parents. He did tell them the mother was in prison. They wanted a child so badly they agreed. The next day they were given a healthy baby girl. The named her Kimberly Marie. Two years the same men contacted them. He inquired about the health of the child and made them another offer. He knew of this new fertility drug that was experimental. They were looking for couples to try it. The Smithstons agreed once again. Andrea got pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl they named Stacy Anne. Kimmy and Stacy have lived in the same house all their lives. They had happy lives and wouldn't have any reason to runaway. Here's what caught my attention. This is a picture of the lawyer." Mulder handed her a picture and Scully gasped. It was Mulder's father. They now knew who, the question was why. Scully continued flipping through the papers then stopped suddenly. "Mulder look at this." Mulder walked over to the bed where Scully was sitting and looked over her shoulder at the paper she was holding. It was the police report. She highlighted something then handed the file to him. The highlighted part read: Runaway report: Looking for minor Stacy Anne Smithston. Phone call received May 23rd at 8:00pm by minor's mother Andrea Smithston. Other girl missing but is an adult so no investigation is warranted. One witness: the bus driver who drove them from Mill Valley depot into San Francisco. Mulder looked up at Scully. "They never even considered it a missing person. It was considered a runaway case from the start. They didn't even include Alice Jenkins statement." "I think the person or peoples behind this are at a high level of power and were able to bribe the police into overlooking the matter." Scully looked up at Mulder and noticed a far away look on his face. She knew what he was thinking. He was thinking about his sister. He hoped that by finding these two girls he might also find her or in the very least get some long awaited answers. She hoped he didn't get to personally involved Mulder knew what was on Scully's mind. She felt this case was connected to her own abduction and to the death of her daughter Emily. She felt if she found who was responsible she would also bring the men who killed her daughter and abducted her and gave her the cancer to justice. He hoped she didn't get too personally involved. Mulder was staring absent-mindedly at the file when something in the birth record and adoption papers caught his eye. "Scully!" The urgency in his voice made her run to him. "What is it Mulder?" "Kimmy was a twin." "What?" "Kimmy was a twin. She was given to the Smithston's and the twin, another girl, was given to a family in Saratoga. And Stacy Anne was one of three. Andrea miscarried one baby and the second was stillborn, so the doctors said." "What do you mean?" "Andrea miscarried when a robber broke in and slashed her stomach. She was drugged at the hospital so they could operate and save the babies but one didn't make it. Her regular doctor wasn't in so another doctor had to operate. If I didn't know any better I'd swear this doctor was Alex Krycek's twin. This was the same doctor who performed the c-section when she went into labor early." 'So there are three other girls out there who might be in danger. We have to find them. Do you have the address of the girl in Saratoga?" "Yeah, Let's go." Saratoga "Maria don't be gone too long." "I won't mama, I'm just going to go for a quick walk to the creek and then I'll come straight home." Maria Kessington bounded out the door with a smile stopping to briefly kiss her mother's cheek. That was the last time her mother ever saw her Mulder and Scully left the Kessington residence with a chagrined look on their faces. They were too late. The government people who had taken Kimmy and Stacy Anne had gotten to Kimmy's twin Maria first. Their only hope was to find the other two girls before it was too late. They had a lead. The miscarried triplet had been found. They only hoped they could get there first. Scully had seen Mulder drive frantically before but never as fast or as dangerously as he was now. He was determined to get to San Jose and the second of the triplets before it was too late. "Mulder slow down!" Scully screamed as he almost collided with the car in front of them. He simply looked at her but he did slow down a little. The arrived at the house on Anne Darling Dr. in record time. Mulder practically ran up the front steps. He knocked and the door was opened just as Scully reached the front step. "Can I help you?" asked a plump Mexican woman who looked to be about in her mid-forties. "We're looking for Mrs. Estrada." "I am her," said the woman with a heavy Spanish accent. It was obvious that English was not her first language. "I'm agent Mulder and this is agent Scully. we're from the FBI can we come in?" "Of course," said Mrs. Estrada. Scully noticed that she looked very frightened. "We believe that your daughter may be in danger," Scully explained, hoping to calm her fears. She assumed that the woman was not legally in the country. It would explain the fear and why they had chosen to give the child to her. She would pose no problem at all in fear of being caught and sent away. "My Lili, how?" "Lili was one of three children. One of the triplets has already been abducted as well as her sister and the sister's twin." "Madre de dios," the woman muttered. "Where is she now?" Mulder asked. "She went crawdad fishing in the creek near the school." Scully noticed a pensive look on Mulder's face. Suddenly he jump up and started racing toward the door. "Come on Scully we have to hurry." He was almost out the door before Scully was even up." Mulder what..." "The creek, Scully, the creek!" "Mulder what are you..." "Don't you get it. the other abductions all happened on a creek bank. we have to hurry!" They were arriving at the creek. Scully looked down and to her great relief saw a young girl walking along the side of the creek. "Lili!" Mulder screamed. The girl looked toward him and when he motioned for her to come up she started walking toward them. Something caught her eye. Mulder and Scully saw it too. a small glowing light. Lili started walking toward it as if in a trance. Lili don't go near it!" Scully screamed as she and Mulder ran down. There was a bright flash and then total silence. Lili was gone. "Damn it!" Mulder shouted, as he came to a stop in the creek bed. "We were so close. We could have saved her." He turned to look at Scully. She was a few feet away. She looked lost in her own world. "Scully?" Mulder called. She didn't move, didn't even blink. "Scully?" he called again louder and more urgent. When she still didn't respond he walked over and shook her,"Scully!" She jumped then turned to look at him. "Mulder, did you see what I saw?" "Yes, I saw the Lili disappear in a flash of light." "No, the glowing ball, did you look close enough to see what it was." "NO, I was trying to get to Lili. Why? What was it?" "I know this sounds crazy but when I looked closely I saw an angel." Mulder didn't know what to say. He had to give her some credit. She didn't easily believe in the paranormal. She would have had to be totally convinced about what she saw. This put a new twist on the case. They had believed it to be a government conspiracy. They had thought the government had been taking the children. Mulder had secretly believed there was an alien connection, but angels? This put a new spin on things. "Why are you silent?" he heard Scully ask in a soft voice. "Do you not believe me?" "Of course I believe you. This changes the whole case. I have a theory." "I figured you would." "What if Kimmy, Stacy Anne, Maria, and Lili were angels. Sent here for whatever reason and now their time is up?" "But what about the government connection?" "I think they knew. They wanted to study them." "But Andrea Smithston gave birth to the triplets." "I know that's the part I haven't figured out yet. We need to find the last girl." "I know where she is," Scully told him. In all the excitement she had forgotten what Mrs. Estrada had told her. "What?" A stunned Mulder asked. " Mrs. Estrada told me that originally she was asked to adopt two babies. She had agreed. Then at the last minute a rich woman who had declined earlier miscarried and agreed to take the other infant. Mrs, Estrada gave me the woman's address. She lives in San Jose, in Alum Rock. The girl's name is Cassie, the mother is Amanda." They were there in ten minutes. Thankfully Cassie was in her room. They had won this time. Mulder had a plan. He wanted to take Cassie near the creek in Alum Rock Park but not actually in the water. He would hang on to her of course, to keep her out of harms way. Scully reluctantly agreed. She was afraid for the child's safety and wanted to take her as far from any creek she could. She finally gave in to Mulder's request only to solve the case. They spoke with Cassie and her mother who both agreed that it was Cassie's best bet to not be taken like the other's. Scully went to a nearby store and came back with two kid leashes. "What the hell are those for?" Mulder asked her. "So we can attach Cassie to both of us without hurting her like handcuffs would." Mulder stared at his partner in amazement *how did she know that's what I had planned* he thought. as if reading his mind Scully shrugged and replied,"I know you." Fifteen minutes later they were making their way into the park. It was a little hard to walk with all of them tied to each other but they managed all right. They went to the creekbed and waited. Within minutes cancerman and his gang had arrived. "Give us the girl." "Why?" Was Mulder's simple to the point response. "You have no clue what you're dealing with here." "WE know it involves angels. that it has been an angel who took the girls, why is this happening? What is your connection?" They looked at Scully and studied her, measuring each word she had just said. "So you want answers. Hand the girl over and we will tell you everything." "I don't trust you." "Damn it Mulder we're running out of time!" "Tell them the truth," Cancerman began, causing everyone to look stunned in his direction. "Then let them decide what they feel is best for the girl." At the mention of Cassie Scully looked down. she looked very frightened. *She must be* Scully thought. *We're all standing here deciding her future* "Twenty years ago we discovered what we at first believed to be the corps of an angels. After taking her to a lab we discovered she was still alive. We began running tests. One of them was to mate the female angel with a human male. It was successful... There was two hybrids born. We gave the infants away but kept tabs on them so we could study how they grew while letting them lead a normal life. We also impregnated a human female with an a hybrid fetus. We implanted three just in case. It was a total success, Three girls were born. We took two and let her keep one. The five girls have lived happy normal lives until now. The angel broke free. We believe she is coming back for her children." "What would you do with the girl if we gave her to you?" Mulder asked. He had no intention of letting them get her but he did want to know. "We would take her someplace safe." "Where is a safe place?" Scully asked. "Away from water, natural bodies of water anyway. Angels feel safe near creeks streams rivers the ocean, any natural body of water. They also get power from the water. She can't take the girls unless they are in a natural body of water. We made sure that there was water near where we left each girl." Mulder and Scully looked at each other. They could take the girl. Or hearing this she could make the choice to not go near the creek anymore. There was no need to hand her over to the ruthless savages who no doubt planned to run several tests on her. They were about to refuse, they were prepared to fight for her, but then the girls real mother appeared. She was dazzling and beautiful. Cassie was immediately drawn to her. She tried to move forward by Mulder and Scully stopped her. "That's right," said the angel in the most beautiful voice Scully ever heard. "Come to me my daughter." She then looked right at the girl for the first time and saw that Mulder and Scully were restraining her. "Do not be afraid," she told them. "I have no intention of harming or keeping her. I just want to tell her and her sisters who they really are. They will be coming in to their powers soon. They must know how to use them. They are angels, partly at least. They are in the world to do good and to change it for the better, to help those who are poor weak or in need. I cannot take them with me but they must know who they are. Let her come to me." Mulder and Scully looked at each other then silently released the straps. Cassie looked up at them for a moment, a hint of fear in her eyes. "You don't have to go," Mulder whispered. "It's your choice." Cassie looked up at them one more time then slowly walked forward. In a flash of light both she and the angel were gone One week later Scully smiled as she watched Andrea embraced her girls. All the girls had been found in the creekbeds they had been abducted from. They all claimed to have no memory of their disappearance. Mulder and Scully knew better but said nothing. Who would believe them anyway. They just watched the happy reunions and considered the case closed. The End... don't forget to send feedback
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