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Title: Katelyn I. Family Summary: The past comes back to find Mulder. Fox Mulder sat feet perched atop his desk, leaning precariously back in his chair. He looked as though a gentle breeze could send him sprawling gracelessly to the floor. He contemplated their last case it had lasted a week, a full week of wasted time. More textbook, word for word tales of sightings and abductions that turned out to be just a few very well versed kids. They had known fairly early on that it was a hoax but Mulder just couldn't help himself, they had stayed until the proof could not be denied, waste of time. When were people going to start taking what they did seriously? They worked hard to solve cases that other simply labeled unsolvable. Most of the time they were quite solvable to someone who took the time to open their minds a little or dig a little deeper. Even Scully had begun to open up a little, not as much as he would like but hell from her he'd take anything he could get! But those with open minds were few and far between, this last case proved it without a shadow of a doubt. The basement office was dark as usual, only a small desk lamp illuminating the confines of the dusty office. He thought better in the dark, so when he was alone he turned on as few lights as possible. The shadows were long time friends of his, insomnia helped forge that bond. The musty scent hung in the air, it wasn't exactly a pleasant aroma but one in which he found comfort in familiarity. As he sat he considered the reasons behind the relentlessness he had shown on the last case. His musings were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. "Come in," he called. "Agent Mulder?" A soft, timid voice reached him through the wooden encasement. As the door swung open, a beam of light hit the floor, Mulder looked up, waited for his eyes to adjust, and saw a very young woman standing behind it. She was tall, and thin with large warm brown eyes, and chocolate brown hair cascading down her back. Mulder noticed that she was dressed in black dress pants and a soft beige cardigan, nice but definitely not bureau standard, she couldn't be an agent. She was far to young if he judged correctly, and she definitely wasn't dressed right. Couldn't even be clerical staff, they also needed to dress in a more professional manner. His curiosity was piqued, he wondered who this strange young lady was, his investigators mind shifted into high gear. "The one and only, and you are?" She stood silent for several moments, taking in the sight of the man before her. "It's a pleasure to meet you Agent Mulder, my name is Katelyn Smith" She seemed very shy, head suddenly turned down and a blush rising to her cheeks. "Nice to meet you Miss Smith, to what do I owe the pleasure?" "Oh, I'm sorry, I came to bring you your mail. Ted the old mail clerk passed on last week I'm his replacement. I hope you don't mind, I've been trying to deliver your mail for the past week but the office door was locked." "No problem at all Miss Smith, my partner and I have been away on assignment." "OK then" she turned to leave. As she was passing through the doorway head down, she almost ran right into Scully who was making her way into the office. "Sorry!" Katelyn said mortally embarrassed. "That's OK" Scully said as she gazed at the woman before her coming to much the same conclusions Mulder had moments before. Katelyn turned to go red faced. "Um Miss Smith?" "Yes Agent Mulder?" "The mail?" he asked with a slight smile on his face. He didn't want to embarrass her any further but after all this is why she had come. She smacked herself on the forehead, "I can be so dense sometimes!" she muttered. "Here you go, sorry to have bothered you both." She handed the mail to a grinning Mulder and turned to leave. "No bother, it is your job after all Miss Smith." "Please call me Katelyn, I'll see you tomorrow morning." She said as she made her way back to the hall. <Smooth Katelyn, real smooth.> She thought as she punched the button on the elevator. <You've been waiting forever to meet this man and when you finally do you trip all over yourself like some dumb kid!> And indeed she had waited a very long time to meet the infamous Fox Mulder, three years to be exact. When she had applied to the FBI she was sure it would take years to get in even at ground level, but to her pleasant surprise it has only taken a few weeks. Since she had started work, she tried to find out as much about him as she could at the same time being as discreet as possible. She frowned when she thought about some of the things that people had told her, but when her thoughts turned to their first meeting she smiled. He was gorgeous, tall and thin just like she thought he would be, nice chocolate brown hair just like hers. The mental picture she'd had of him hadn't been totally off, but she hadn't expected him to be so handsome. As the elevator doors slid open she stopped her train of thought <time to get back to work, you'll have to wait 'till tomorrow to make a better impression, unless you can find some other excuse to go back down there> she smiled inwardly. She got back to the mail room, finished up her morning deliveries and looked for another reason to head down to the basement. "I think you have an admirer Mulder," Scully said with a glint in her eyes. Mulder rolled his, "She can't be more than 18 years old, Scully!" Katelyn the young girl had made five trips down to the basement in not more than three days. They were usually lucky if Ted made a trip down there once a week! "Young or not, I think she has a crush on you!" Scully was teasing him. "Well it looks as though my boyish charms have an effect on women of all ages" he said grinning. It was Scully's turn to roll her eyes. "I've created a monster." she muttered, as a knock came from the door. "Come in" Scully called. "Um hi Agent Mulder, Agent Scully. Brought you this mornings mail." "Thanks Katelyn, you know this is the best mail service we've had in years," Scully said giving the girl a small smile. "Thank you Agent Scully, it's been a little rough for me around here and you two seem to be the only ones that don't yell at me for it being late all the time. I actually don't dread coming down here" a sad smile playing at her face. "You're probably one of the only people that don't dread it Katelyn," Scully said with a chuckle. "Ah Katelyn don't mind the big boys up stairs they're all wound up tighter than rubber bands, they've got their heads stuck so far up their asses they rarely see the light of day." Katelyn smiled genuinely at this. "Thanks Agent Mulder, um.......can I ask you guys something?" "Sure" The agents said in unison. "Well I feel kinda weird asking but......" she trailed off. "It's OK go ahead, what is it?" Scully pushed. "Well one of the Agents in BSU asked me to go to the Christmas party with him, and well I don't really know anyone here so I was kind of hoping the you two were planning on going ........ so I would have someone to talk to." she added quickly. Mulder eyed Scully with a look of distaste on his face. There was nothing he hated more than Bureau functions, he looked at the girls face and had a hard time saying no. They had only known her for a few days but she seemed so alone. She never talked of her family, and well if she had to keep coming to the basement for interaction things weren't going well in her new job. "Whatdya say Scully, up to a night out with a G-man?" Scully eyed him wondering why he had so easily agreed, she knew how much he hated these things and was a more than a little suspicious at his response. "Sure Mulder." she said hesitantly. "Well there's one more thing, I would really understand if you can't but, oh hell I'll just ask if you can't I understand." she was tripping over every word that fell from her mouth, they both looked to her expectantly. "Well the guy that invited me, Agent Holeman, Brandon. I don't know him very well, and I know he's an agent and all but I don't want to take any chances. Would you be able to pick me up? I trust you both and then I wont have to worry about getting into a situation I can't handle." All the words left her mouth in one very long breath and then she held it. The breath left her lungs as she saw Scully smile, "You know Katelyn that was a very smart thing to think of, we'll be glad to give you a ride. Just write down you address here." She handed her a piece of paper. "Pick you up at 6:30 tomorrow night?"she asked glancing to Mulder for confirmation, he nodded. Relief flooded Katelyns face. "Thank you, both of you, you don't know how much this means to me. A new city, a new job I don't have many friends." "I understand," Scully said as she placed a comforting hand on the young girls shoulder. "We'll see you then." The women smiled to one another as Katelyn left. Mulder had been watching the scene unfold in front of him, he turned to Scully. "You know that was a very nice thing to do, poor girl looks like she could use all the help she can get." she said. "Yeah well ya know, I'm not doing this all for her. After all I will be escorting one of the finest agents in the building. And besides I don't know what it is about her but she seems so familiar to me. I feel like I know her, or I should know her from somewhere." Mulders eidetic memory was usually very good to him, but this time he was drawing nothing but blanks. "Probably just looks like someone you used to know." Scully managed to get out after she had gotten over the initial shock of Mulders comment. "Probably" he replied, but wasn't convinced. There was something more to this girl and he wanted to find out everything he could his curiosity was getting the better of him. "But you know Mulder, you need to be careful, young girls hearts are easily broken. Be sure to let her down easy." "I'm not sure that's what this is, but if it is I will. Pick you up at 6 tomorrow night?" "6 it is Mulder"
6:15 pm had found Katelyn standing in front of a floor length mirror frowning. She wanted to make a good impression but nothing seemed to be co-operating! Her normally well behaved hair seemed to have a mind of it's own this evening, and the dress she had spent her whole weeks paycheck on had looked far better on her in the store. She was sure if she'd had the time she would definitely be exchanging it. She adjusted and fussed with the deep green velvet material until it fell somewhat to her satisfaction. The dress hung to the floor in pleats and gathered at the waist. The neckline was modest, she didn't want to give off any other impression. The strapless dress she had chosen hadn't been at all daring although she decided a simple wrap would be a good idea. Her date seemed nice, sincere and sweet but she knew that even clothing could give off the wrong impression. As she studied her appearance in the full length mirror she found her thoughts heading towards the two agents in the basement. She wondered what the relationship was between the two of them, sure she could see they were close...... extremely close. But was there more too it than that? She hadn't known them for very long but she had done her best to spend as much time with them as possible. Did their feelings run deeper than they let on? She was sure that they did, but neither would admit to it. Maybe she could help them out a little she thought with a smile. Scully was definitely someone she would like to get to know even better, as a friend and a roll model she decided. The more she talked to her the more she realized that Scully was the kind of person she wanted to be. Strong, self reliant, brave, and carrying it off with a kindness and caring that most people with those traits wouldn't be able to handle. And well Mulder was Mulder, what more could she ask for ? Handsome, caring, and definitely extreme. Everything that she had hoped he would be. Looking at her watch she realized it was getting late, sighing she tugged at her hair once more and finally just yanked it up into a soft bun at the back of her head. She left a few locks to dangle around her face and fall softly to past shoulders. She added the pearls her mother had given her so long ago <you wouldn't believe me if I told you were I was going tonight mom, especially if I told you who I was going with!> she mouthed silently, eyes heavenward and with one last glance decided that this was as good as it was going to get. She sat down on the couch careful not to displace her hair or dress, looked once more at her watch and awaited her night in shining armor.
Mulder and Scully pulled up to a dilapidated old building in a particularly rough part of town. They both eyed the building with distaste. This was no place for a young pretty woman to be living, but neither voiced their opinions. " Are you sure this is the place?" Mulder asked Scully yanked out the paper with Kateyn's address scrawled upon it and hesitantly nodded. "Alright then, I'll go up Scully you wait here, do me a favor though, lock the doors." Scully glared at Mulder eyebrow raised. "I can take care of myself." she said with an ice laden voice. "Humor me Scully" he replied as sweetly as possible. Mulder walked up to the building, opened the door and climbed the two flights to Katelyns apartment. The inside wasn't much better than the outside, it was dark with only a couple of the overhead lights still intact and the walls were a pasty, dirty grey. His face was grim as he knocked on her door but he tried to disguise it with a smile when she answered. Katelyn opened her door to see Mulder standing there in a tux, her breath caught in her throat with pride as she looked up to him shyly. "Hi Agent Mulder." "Hi Katelyn, you look positively wonderful tonight!" She blushed. "Can you come in for a minute, I need to get my shoes." "Sure but Scully's waiting in the car we need to get going." he said as he passed the threshold. He was amazed at the transformation, her apartment didn't seem to belong in this building. the walls were all painted in a soft cream color, a willowy gauze hung from the windows and the furniture although a little worn was tasteful. The shock must have registered on his face. "I know my accommodations leave a little to be desired Agent Mulder, but right now it's all I can afford. I've done my best to make the inside a little more inviting though. " She looked up at him expectantly. "Katelyn you've done a great job with the place, although you really should find a safer neighborhood." "I know Agent Mulder, but believe me I've learned how to take care of myself, a lot of hard life lessons have taught me what I need to know" she said smiling sadly. Mulder looked at her with concern wondering at the hardening her eyes had just taken on. The usually bright brown eyes he had gotten used to suddenly turned almost black as she seemed to pull into herself for a moment. Clearing his throat to regain her attention "Alright well maybe we can work on this later, for now your carriage awaits," he said motioning to the door. They made their way to the car, and as he held the door for the young woman, Scully noticed how comfortable he seemed to be around her. He had always been good with young people but she wondered at how easily he was taking to the young girl. As Katelyn and Mulder climbed into the car they exchanged pleasantries and headed toward the hall. Entering the banquet hall they surveyed their surroundings, everything was elegant from the crystal chandelier hanging at the ceiling to the polished silver of the cutlery. A soft instrumental poured throughout the room, and people milled about sipping their various Christmas cheer. After checking their coats, Katelyn had gone off to find her date and Mulder and Scully had found their table. Oddly and conveniently enough Katelyn and her date Agent Holeman were seated only two tables over, close enough to keep an eye on. He gazed over at them and took in the sight, he hadn't met Holeman before but so far he seemed genuinely taken with Katelyn. Mulder almost laughed as he saw the man stand beside her, he was at least two inches shorter than her. He supposed that's what women her height had to put up with from time to time. What the man lacked in height he definitely made up for with brawn, the muscles straining against his shirt as he held out a chair for her. Mulder turned to look at his own date, Scully was dressed in a burgundy silk dress, it clung to her in all the right places and had a back to it that was almost non existent. He took a deep breath as he eyed it for the millionth time in less than an hour. He wasn't sure if it was intentional or not but he had noticed walking in that her tattoo peeked out from under the silk material from time to time. He had also noticed that her hair being pulled up the way it was gave a wonderful view of the creamy white expanse of her neck. A few tendrils carefully fell around her heart shaped face and she looked absolutely stunning. "You look wonderful Scully, thank you for agreeing to come tonight. I don't know why but I feel like I needed to be here for her. There's something about her........." he trailed off. Scully looked up to him and smiled. "That's just your chivalrous nature coming out again Mulder, and it's no problem seeing you in a tux is thanks enough for me." she almost sighed at the sight before her. She had only seen him in a tux once before, and at the time he happened to also be wearing one Pheobe Green. Not a pleasant memory. Tonight though, she had him all to herself and dressed like that no less. Her face blushed crimson as she turned her head hoping Mulder wouldn't catch sight. She was glad they were at an F.B.I. function as she looked over her partner. Had they been anywhere else she feared she would be having a much harder time keeping her hands to herself. He had checked his paranoia somewhere around the front door and it added a softening to his features that she wasn't used to seeing. She smiled up to him brightly thinking of all the possibilities the evening could bring. Mulder took a sharp intake of breath, Scully wasn't usually so liberal, or obvious with compliments. "Thanks Scully, I want to talk to her some more tonight though, maybe find out some more about her." "Well the music's in full swing why don't you go ask her to dance, I'll be OK." "Are you sure?" "Yup as long as you promise the next ones mine?" "Absolutely." he said grinning, Was she flirting? This was a new side to her, one that had been taking an appearance more and more often as of late, he can't say he minded one little bit. Mulder walked over to Katelyn's table. "Would you give me the pleasure of this next dance Miss Smith?" he asked to her holding out his hand and ignoring the glare her date was giving him. She smiled shyly up to him. "Sure Agent Mulder." She didn't even glance at Agent Holeman. "Please just call me Mulder," he said as they made their way to the dance floor. With one hand around her waist and the other holding hers out beside them they glided over the dance floor. Katelyn was in heaven, she reveled in the act she was now engaging in. She had waited so long to get close to this man and now that it was happening she could hardly believe it. "So Katelyn, tell me a little about yourself." he said to her. "Not much to tell really, I grew up in a place called Quonochataug then moved to New York after my mom died when I was 15. Stayed in foster homes there for three years till my 18th birthday in May then move here." "Quonochataug? really? I used to spend my summers there, small world." Katelyn frowned, she worried that maybe she had given away more information than she was ready to deal with. "Yes small world." "So you have no other family?" He continued. "No it was just me and my mom, my grandparents died when I was little." "What about your Dad?" he asked as they continued their dance. She looked up to him, eyes suddenly wide. "I never knew my dad, he wasn't around." "Oh I'm sorry Katelyn, that's an awful thing for a man to do." he looked disgusted. "Well I don't really blame him, I guess he just wasn't ready for that kind of thing." "I think it's awful, ready or not that's a responsibility no one should take lightly." She decided to change the subject. "I want to thank you for tonight Mulder. It really does mean alot to me, I probably wouldn't have come had you and Agent Scully said no." He smiled, "I'm actually enjoying myself, It's not to often I get to see Scully looking like that" he motioned over to were his partner was seated. Katelyn gave him a knowing smile as the music ended. "Would you save the last dance for me?" he asked her. "On one condition, you call me Kate. I've always hated my full name" "OK Kate, we'll see you later." She walked back to her table feeling as though she were walking on air. She plopped down in the seat next to her date, Agent Holeman or Brandon as he insisted she call him, stared at her. "What?" she asked as she noticed his piercing gaze. "Just wondering what's going on between you and ol' 'Spooky'?" "Don't call him that" She hissed. "Why not Katelyn the guys a freak!" She felt her blood begin to boil and the temperature in the room begin to rise. "A Freak? How dare you! He's more of a human being than you will ever be *Agent Holeman*!" She glared at him trying to regain her composure. "If you were to take the time to get to know him a little better instead of just listening mindlessly to all the stories, you might actually come to the same conclusions I have." she said a little more softly "He's the kindest man I've met in a long time." "Oh I see, so that's the way it is." his voice becoming almost intolerably loud. "well then what are you doing here with me? I'm sure the freak over there would have been more than happy to have accompanied you and *Mrs. Spooky* tonight." "UGH!" Katelyn growled as her hand clenched into a fist. She raised it up behind her and before Brandon even realized what was happening he was flat on the floor. Mulder sat down and thought about the girl he had just danced with. He still couldn't put his finger on what it was about her that made him feel so protective of her. It was bothering him, it's not that he minded, he really did like her, she was a good kid. It was just a feeling that he couldn't settle, a mystery of sorts. Mysteries never sat well with him. Scully pulled him from his thoughts, "How was your dance?" "It was nice, but I still can't figure out what it is about her, Scully there's just something....... something, I don't know what it is .......... " he trailed off a little baffled by his own feelings at this point. Normally he fully trusted his own intuitions but this time there was just nothing to base it on. He shrugged and held out his hand to Scully. "Dance?" A slow smile spread across her face, and she nodded. He pulled her from her chair and led her to the now almost full dance floor. As a soft musical melody was thrown from the instruments on-stage, he pulled her close. He reveled in the feel of her small arms around him, throwing waltz protocol out the window he placed his arms around her tiny waist and nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. She smelled of an ocean breeze, cool, sweet and eye opening, he was almost mesmerized by the feel and the scent. As they swayed softly to the music a sharp noise broke them from the spell, she looked over his shoulder to see Katelyn hovering above her date rubbing her hand. Mulder noticed at the same time. "What the hell?" "I don't know Mulder but I think we need to get over there." Mulder practically ran half way across the room to stand by the side of the damsel in distress or not as he realized it was probably the man on the floor that was in distress. "I told you not to call him that!" he heard Katelyn yell on his way over. "Kate is everything OK?" Mulder asked her as he arrived by her side. "Well Kate there's your own personal side show act now." Holeman sneered, as he rubbed his jaw and pulled himself up. "What's going on here?" Scully tried to repeat Mulder's question to get her attention.. "Everything's fine Mulder, I just don't want to be in the company of this lower than bug shit, small minded, maggot any longer!" she shouted loud enough for almost everyone in the room to hear, which of course was the desired effect. The room stilled, and everyone turned to stare at the four people standing. "You Bitch!" Holeman shouted as he grabbed Kates arm and pulled her toward him, Hard. "Get your hands off her." Scully hissed. But it was lost in the shuffle as Mulder yanked the younger agent off of Kate and took a swing. Holeman sat on the floor for a second time, stunned holding his cheek, Mulder and Scully were frowning but when he looked to Kate he saw a smile of victory on her face. Scully grabbed both Mulder's and Kate's arms and ushered them towards the door. "I think we should go" was all she said. On the way home Scully turned to look at Kate seated in the backseat. "Do you want to tell us what happened in there?" Kate didn't raise her head, her shoes taking on a whole new appeal. How could she explain without hurting him? She couldn't think of anything to say so she didn't say anything at all. Mulder had a fairly good idea about what had taken place, he glanced over at Scully silently communicating his thoughts to her. It didn't take her long to figure it out for herself. One glance at the pained expression on Mulder's face told her just about everything she needed to know. "Kate you were right when you called Agent Holeman small minded, that's all it is. No-one has ever really taken the time to get to know Mulder the way we have." Kate looked up to see a small smile playing at Scully's face. At that moment Kate realized that she was liking Scully more and more every day. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble but I couldn't just stand there while he was saying those things." She turned to look at the side of Mulders face while she continued. "Mulder I haven't known you long but I know the things he said weren't true, you've both been nothing but kind to me. I'm so sorry to have caused trouble, but I have a hard time keeping my temper in check sometimes." she turned her gaze back to the ever popular shoes. Mulder was smiling inwardly, two beautiful ladies sticking up for him, this was not something he was used to. "Kate there's no need to apologize. But do me a favor next time, and there will be a next time, ignore it it's not worth the trouble." "Ignore it?! How can you ask me to do that?! They have no right to talk about you that way!" "You know Kate it's very sweet of you to stick up for me but I can handle those guys on my own. You may be in enough trouble as is." "Not a chance" Kate muttered so quietly only Scully heard. The roads were treacherous, it had been a particularly bad winter in DC. They all held their breath as they finally pulled up in front of her place safe and sound. "Can I offer you both a coffee? As a thank you for tonight." Katelyn asked, a little hopeful. Mulder being unable to deny this young lady anything for a disturbingly unknown reason looked to Scully who smiled a little and nodded. "Sure Kate, lead the way." They stepped out of the car and made their way up the dangerously icy steps of the apartment building. One woman on each arm, Mulder felt like the king of the world. They found themselves standing at her door and made their way in. Scully had come to much the same conclusions as her partner, this area was no place for Katelyn to live. She didn't want to embarrass her new found friend but the growing unease prompted her to bring it up as they sipped their coffee. "Kate, have you looked into getting a place closer to work?" she asked trying to be subtle. "I would love to Agent Scully but really the truth is their is no way I could afford it. I know this place isn't the Ritz but the price is right." She motioned to her surroundings a little embarrassed as she said so. "Please Kate call me Dana, and maybe Mulder and I can keep an eye out for something reasonable for you closer to work. Would that be OK with you?" "That would be great Ag...um.. Dana, I would really appreciate it, the comute's a killer." "In the meantime Kate, if you don't mind I would like to stop by with a few friends of mine tomorrow to set up a bit of a security system." Mulder added. "That's not necessary, really I've actually lived in worse. I know how to take care of myself." Scully gave Mulder a knowing glance and chuckled, poor Mulder all the woman in his life tried to turn down his protections even when it was just for their own good. "It's probably not necessary Kate and it won't protect you from the people outside but at least it would make me feel better, please for my own piece of mind?" "OK if it would make you feel better, but I really don't see the point." She sighed, if only he knew what she had been through the last three years he might not have been so eager to think she was a helpless female. Fighting off the unwanted attentions of two foster fathers had taught her alot about self preservation. The first thing she had done when she moved to DC was take a self defense class. She had lived in five different homes over the three years she had been in placement most of the time they really weren't that bad, but the last one had been the worst. She had been older upon placement in that home, 17 and a half, almost an adult. She had awakened on more than one occasion to find her newest 'father' standing in her doorway watching her. She had never given away that she had seen him, but as the weeks went by the visits became more frequent. She was frightened, she had heard way too many stories about what could happen in the wrong home, and then one night her fears were realized. 1 month before her 18th birthday she awoke to find him sitting on her bed leaning over her, instead of standing in her doorway. She slammed her eyes shut as the images assaulted her, then felt a firm hand on her shaky shoulder. "Kate are you alright?" Mulder asked with concern. "Oh I'm sorry, what were you saying?" "I was saying that I'll be by about noon tomorrow with the guys OK?" both he and Scully got up to leave. "OK, I'll see you then, Dana would you like to come too? I could make some lunch for everyone." "Sure Kate but I'll buy lunch on the way over, my treat." With that she gave both of them a quick hug and watched as they made their way down the hall. She sat down heavily on the couch, it had been such a wonderful evening. Better than she could have ever hoped for. Well maybe she could have done without Agent Holeman but besides that. All the times she had dreamed about getting to know Mulder she never imagined that he would be so kind and friendly. She had thought over every possible scenario while contemplating her plan, and had tried to think of ways around whatever roadblock might occur. She was desperate to get to know him, to find out what kind of man he was at almost any cost. But at this point it was all for naught, she had gotten the job in the Hoover building, hell a mail clerk that wasn't so bad she would have become a janitor cleaning toilets if that's what it would have taken. She had no trouble finding or meeting the man to which she sought, and to top it all off he and his partner seemed to have actually taken a liking to her. She smiled to herself, and made the way to her bed, with thoughts of all the new possibilities.
The next day the Lone Gunmen had been by with Mulder and Scully to install the new alarm system. They had gone just a little overboard on it, despite the many glares from Scully. The afternoon had been nice, the three men were funny, making Katelyn laugh uncontrollably. She liked them they seemed to appeal to her sense of humor, which she had been told on many occasions was a little strange. After the alarm had been installed they had eaten lunch and discussed the numerous conspiracy theories the Lone Gunmen were printing in this months edition. The four men had seemed somewhat surprised at Kate's knowledge and intelligence, and she was happy to show it off to them. She had a better than average intelligence but didn't have much of a chance to display it. Further education for her wasn't an option, she couldn't afford it and besides school would have meant putting off getting to know Mulder. She had also spent more time talking to the agents, she was surprised to find out about the work that they did. Sure she had heard plenty of stories around the office but it was so hard to tell what was fact and what was fiction. When the conversation had begun to wade, everyone had stood to leave. Scully made her way out of the building leaving Mulder with Kate for a few extra moments. He leaned down and gave her a gentle hug, promising that he was going to get to work on finding her some place safe right away. She had smiled at that, it had been a long time since someone had cared about what happened to her. She had felt her face soften and her eyes grow moist, but fought the tears that threatened to fall. She simply hugged him back and ushered him out the door. Three weeks had gone by since then, Kate spent as much time as she could down in the basement when the agents were there of course, offering whatever services she could, but mainly just talking and trying to get to know them better. So much of their time was spent in the field and she found that she missed them both when they weren't around. When they were there they would spend lunches together as well as the occasional visit to her apartment. Kate knew that the time was drawing near to tell him, to tell them both. But as the time came closer, the fear increased. She didn't want to change the way things were, they were great now but how would they feel when she did tell them? Would they hate her for lying? Would he tell her he never wanted to see her again? Would she be a disappointment to him? She couldn't help but think of these things, the more she thought about it the more she didn't want to tell him at all. There had been no luck on the apartment front, and it was obvious that both Mulder and Scully were frustrated by it. It didn't bother Kate to much she hadn't really expected them to be able to find anything in her price range. Mulder had even offered to help her out financially just to get her out of that place. He assured her he could afford it and it wasn't a big deal but she just couldn't do it, her pride took over that discussion. "Kate really, do you know the crime statistics for your neighborhood?" he asked with exasperation, she was almost as bad as Scully! "I can't take your money, besides it's my home, as 'unsavory' as you might believe it to be its not that bad. I have friends there, I know some of my neighbors. I *like* my place! I've worked very hard to make it into something I can be proud of!" Kate was beginning to get angry, her pride was hurt. She had worked so hard to make the once intolerable apartment into a home. It may not be much but it was hers, and he had no right to sit there and run it down. Mulder was also getting angry, he was only trying to help, to keep her safe. He really had grown to like Kate very much but she was so damned stubborn! Scully put a placating hand on Mulders arm, and tried to tell him to lay off a little bit, he wouldn't hear of it. She gave Kate a sympathetic glance, there was no stopping Mulder when he really wanted something and she knew it. "Would you *please* quit being so stubborn! I'm only trying to look out for you!" he shouted. Kate glared at him as she made her way to the door, "I've taken care of myself quite nicely for more than three years, I don't see any reason why that should change now!" She hissed as she slammed the door behind her. Mulder slumped down in his chair as he watched the door slam shut and muttered "women!" Scully glanced at the door then back to Mulder, she wasn't sure if she should go after her or try to talk some sense into her partner. She wasn't even sure what had just happened. The girl was a good match for Mulder, stubborn with a temper to rival his. She sighed and decided that it was probably best to let them both cool off for awhile and maybe they would work it out on their own. If they didn't she would step in. With that she went back to the case file she had been going over.
Kate sat back in the ugly orange vinyl seat of the subway car, thinking about the days events. <He really was only trying to help> she thought, but it still hurt, he had no idea what she had been through, what it had taken for her to get this far. It had been such a struggle and now he just wanted her to say 'sure everything I have worked for doesn't mean a thing to me so I'll just give up and let you take over'. well that wasn't exactly what he was proposing but it felt like it. She stood up as her stop was announced from the speakers. <Plenty of time to think about this at home> she thought, and made her way to the door as the train came to a halt. She stepped out and headed towards the escalator, glancing at her watch she decided to grab a bite to eat before heading home, her favorite diner was right along the way anyhow. The sidewalks were a mess, dirty slush covered every square inch of pavement. The smell of exhaust fumes hung heavy in the air as she pushed open the door to the diner. A set of chimes announced her arrival and it wasn't long before an almost elderly lady poked her head out from the kitchen. "Kate! You're here a little late tonight, rough day on the job?" "Evening Mable, and yeah it was a rough day." Mable noted that the usually energetic girl looked tired and drawn. "You OK sweetie? Let Mable fill that skinny belly of yours and make it all better." Mable was such a kind old lady blue-grey hair puffed out in what she could only describe as a beehive, with the make-up and stature to match. She was always telling her how skinny she was and plying her with food but other than that she really was sweet. She was one of the few people she had met here, that she felt comfortable with and had told her the real reason she was in DC. "Thanks Mable" she sighed, maybe a good -stick to your ribs meal- would make her feel better. "What happened?" Mable asked as she set a plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes in front of her. "We had a fight today." Mable gave her a knowing look, and tried to get her to talk about it but the young girl wouldn't elaborate. Instead they chatted about other things, the weather, her job, anything but the problem in question as she finished her meal. Mable looked at the clock hanging on the wall and spoke, "Kate it's getting late, Jimmy the dishwasher is still here let me ask him to walk you home. Don't want you out there this late by yourself." That set Kate off, much to the confusion of the kind waitress. "I can take care of myself Dammit!" She saw the look of hurt on Mables face and tried to apologize. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap but really I'll be fine." "OK sweetheart but please be careful and don't dilly dally!" "I wont, I promise, see you later." she called as she made her way out into the chilly night, the door chiming behind her. She began to walk down the dimly lit street, cars whizzing passed and her breath coming out in big white puffs about her face. She looked down to see her watch read 11:30 p.m. <damn it really is getting late> she berated herself. As much as she knew she could take care of herself being out this late alone in her neighborhood really was stupid, she quickened her pace. She turned the last corner before her apartment and started to count down the blocks, <five..........only four more to g.........> she felt the knife at her throat before she heard him. "Now then, what's a pretty young thing like you doing out here by yourself at this time of night?" The assailant sneered. Kate was frozen with fear, all of her self defense training becoming useless. The only thing she could do was pray that this man only wanted her money, as she was dragged into an alley. She tried to gather her strength, and take note of her surroundings. It was dark too dark, her fear raised a notch. The ally was covered in garbage, it smelled of urine and stale grime. Why couldn't she think? The man had such a tight hold on her neck that she began to feel faint. Gulping for air she regained some composure and noticed that they were not alone, another man stood a few steps away leering at her. <oh God please just leave me alone>. When she noticed the second man the realization hit her that if she didn't get it together soon she would be in trouble. "Please just take the money and go.........." There was no response from either assailant " Leave me alone!" she cried The men said nothing one just continued to stare and the other held her firmly knife pressed almost casually at her throat. She swallowed hard and took the deepest breath that she was able to, and stared at the one man she could see. They didn't want her money, she could see it in his eyes. <I wont let them do this to me, I wont let it happen again, they'll have to kill me first> she promised herself. With renewed strength she turned on the attacker closest to her, implementing all of the training she had taken to it's fullest. She took one of her free hands and reached down between her own legs to grab the mans crotch, pulling hard and twisting. The knife grazed her throat as she leaned forward but the man dropped it with a howel of surprise and pain as he fell back against the pavement clutching himself. As her first assailant fell, Kate quickly knelt down to retrieve the knife he had dropped and held it in front of her towards the second man, a gleam of challenge in her eyes. The second man glared at her as she tried to inch her way back down the alley, but he wasn't going to let her get away that easily. He dove for her, pulling his own knife from the front pocket of his jacket. Before it registered in her mind what was happening she felt the knife graze the inside of her forearm, and the resulting trickle of warm blood, at the same time she noted that she had gotten in a good slash to the mans temple. She clamped her lower lip in pain, trying to regain her senses. The man continued to draw closer as she tried to back away only to find herself bump into the rough brick wall at her back. She looked from one direction to the other, trying to figure out something anything to get her out of this situation, she saw the first man begin to get to his feet, the second man still advancing. "Hey Doug, let her be she's not worth it!" He called. "Look what the little bitch did to me Frankie!" He motioned to his forehead not taking his eyes off her. "Come hold her for me, I want to take it out in trade!" She watched as the first man quickly stepped closer to her, while she struggled she realized she was no match for them. Dropping the knife he pinned her hands behind her back. She felt the first blow to her faced and started to feel faint, in her stupor she realized that the cut on her arm was bleeding freely, leaving a slight puddle on the ground below her. She felt a second blow to her ribs as she allowed the darkness to overtake her. She awoke an undetermined time later to find herself laying in a small pool of blood, she hurt everywhere. She could feel the swelling in her face, and feel the deformation of her ribs as she tried to stand she screamed in pain and slumped back down to the ground. Tears trickled down her cheeks, and she laid her head on the rough hard ground, muttering almost to quietly to be heard <Please help me, Daddy I need you, please come get me.> as she once again found the blessed darkness enveloping her. Fox Mulder sat bolt upright on his couch, he shook his head and felt the fear almost overcome him as he reached for the phone. He dialed and awaited an answer. "Scully" came a very sleepy voice. "It's me, something's wrong, I think it's Kate." "Mulder it's 1:30 in the morning! What makes you think something's wrong? Did she call you?" "No she didn't just get dressed, I'm coming to get you then we can head over to her place." Scully took in the panicked voice of her partner and decided it was best to just let him check it out for his own piece of mind. "Alright" she sighed " I'll be ready." They drove down the slippery streets at a dangerously fast pace, Scully held tight to the armrest as they slid their way through another turn. "Mulder, Slow do......." Her voice trailed off as she they both saw the ambulance and police lights blaring, the blue and red lights ricocheting off the surrounding brick walls casting an erie glow. Mulder hit the breaks none to gently causing them to slide right up on the curb. He didn't even turn off the engine just jumped out when he was able to slam the car in park. Pulling out his badge he ran over to what looked to be the officer in charge. "What's going on here?" he shouted over the ruckus of the crowd. The policeman took a look at the offered badge before saying anything. "Young girl, beaten, looks like robbery possibly rape. She's bleeding pretty badly, they're about to put her in the ambulance now." Mulders face fell, he looked beside him to Scully. "Do you have an I.D. on the victim." she took over noticing that her partner seemed to be all of a sudden silent. "No actually she wasn't carrying any ID, but we did find this in her pocket." he held out a business card, Scully grabbed it and read aloud 'Special Agent Fox Mulder'. Mulder didn't stick around past Special Agent, he ran to the ambulance where the girl was now being loaded, Scully close at his heels. "Oh God" he said as he took in the sight of their young friend. She was unconscious and from what skin he could see she was very, very pale. Her face bloody and bruised and her normally beautiful brown hair was matted with dirt and blood. Mulder reached for her hand, when he held it all he could think about was how cold it was. "Is she going to be OK Scully?" He asked her almost pleading. "I don't know Mulder, I'm going to go with her to the hospital, meet us there?" "Um OK, I'll stay here for a bit and try to find out what happened, if anything happens though call me." they were trying to pull her into the ambulance, but before they could do so Scully had to pry Mulders hand away from the patients. "I'll call as soon as I know anything." He simply nodded and made his way back to the policeman. "Can you give me any more details?" "Do you know her? An ID might be helpful in notifying someone." "Yes she's a friend of ours, her name is Katelyn Smith, she has no family so there's no one to notify." The policeman took note of the sad agent before him and tried to reassure him. "Agent Mulder was it?" at the agents nod he continued "Try not to worry I think she will be OK, nothing life threatening. I've seen this type of thing before she's lost a lot of blood but she wasn't here for too long. A couple of drunks from the bar around the corner found her and gave us a call but I'm afraid beyond that we don't know very much." "Thank you, I'm going to the hospital but please keep that card and if you find anything don't hesitate to call." "Will do agent Mulder, we'll probably see you at the hospital later, we'll need a statement when she's feeling better." With that Mulder walked back to the car, jumped in and headed toward the hospital. Scully was sitting in the generic hard plastic chairs of the ever unpopular waiting room, she looked up to see Mulder watching her. "How is she?" he whispered. "She's going to be OK, they have her in surgery right now to repair the damage to her arm. She's very lucky she was found when she was though, the cut was situated such that she could have bled to death." she tried to comfort him by placing a hand on his arm. "Dammit! I knew this was going to happen! I told her! I should have had her move in with me, or just gotten her a place!" His voice rang throughout the room. "Mulder you know good and well she would have never accepted it. Don't try to make this your fault as usual, It. Is. Not. Your. Fault." she annunciated her words carefully and continued. "How did you know?" He looked at her, unsure of wether he should tell her or not. "She called to me, I heard her loud and clear. I don't know how to explain it but that's how I knew." She simply eyed him not believing it but decided that this was neither the time nor the place to go into it. He took in her silence and his eyes thanked her for not pushing things. "There was something else, I'm not sure I believe it or maybe it just got muffled in the transmission so to speak but I need to check it out. How long will she be in there?" "well surgery should be over soon but she'll be in recovery for a couple of hours, it may be awhile before she wakes up she took a couple of nasty blows to the head." she told him. "OK I'll leave our numbers with the desk, and we can head over to the Gunmen, it's late but this is important." Scully was intrigued, what could be so pressing that he needed to head over there *right* now? She saw the look in his eyes and knew it was useless to argue. "Alright, lets go." she said as she stood. They had made their way over to the offices of the Lone Gumen in record time, Scully's heart was still up somewhere in the region of her throat. The urgency her partner was displaying was beginning to scare her. "Mulder look at this, her names not really Katelyn Smith." Frohike called to him over the monitor, where he sat hunched. "What?" both agents sounded very surprised. "She changed it about 6 months ago, shortly after she turned 18. The State kept it in her file." he continued. "What did she change it from?" Scully asked. "Her old name was Katelyn Malcolm, changed it on August 7th." Scully watched as Mulders face drained of all color, his knees gave out and he plopped into a nearby seat. "Can you find out her mothers name?" Mulder asked with a shaky voice. "yup, hang on I'll dig a little deeper into the file, um mother would be one Tracy Malcolm." Mulder eyes squeezed shut, and he remained silent. "Are you OK Mulder? What's wrong?" Scully asked him shaking his shoulder. Mulder looked up into her concerned face, " Tracy, Quonochataug, Katelyn." was all he said. She looked at him, confusion evident, "And?" He took a deep breath as he tried to sort through what was happening and to find a way to explain. "The summer before I left for Oxford, 1979, I stayed with my dad in Quonochataug. I met a girl that summer, Tracy." he looked at Scully pleadingly. Hoping that she would take it from there since he didn't think he would be able to formulate any more words. She did understand so she clarified as much for herself as for the others in the room. " Katelyn would have been born somewhere between April and June of 1980, right Frohike?" "May 18th to be exact Scully," he informed her. Scully closed her eyes finally understanding. "She's your daughter, right Mulder?" He simply shook his head in the affirmative still dazed. The gunmen stood there staring at them with surprise. "Wow." Langly voiced the opinions of everyone in the room. Scully stood and pulled Mulder after her, thanking the gunmen they made their way back to the car. They needed to get back to the hospital. The ride over was made in total silence, Scully was unnerved by this new information. It wasn't really a bad thing as far as she could tell but she had yet to figure out what Mulder thought about it all. She wanted to comfort him, but left him with his own thoughts for now thinking that's what he needed. Kate was still asleep when they arrived but Mulder insisted on sitting vigil by her side holding her hand. Scully almost felt like an intruder when she walked in to bring him some coffee. "how is she?" she asked. "The doctor says she should be waking up soon," he replied not taking his eyes off the girl in the bed. "How did this happen Scully? She's my flesh and blood how could she have been kept from me like this? why didn't she tell me? why didn't her mother tell me so many years ago? I've missed everything in her life. First steps, first words, first date. Why?" "Oh Mulder, I don't know, only Tracy knows. Maybe Katelyn can help you figure it out when she wakes up," Scully said softly while putting her arms around him from behind. She gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head and continued cautiously "Is it possible that she was with someone else that summer? It would explain why she never told you. How long did you know her?" "Only a few months, the last time I saw her was the August before I left for England. After that I didn't spend much time with my dad. It is possible she was with someone else without me knowing but I really don't think so Scully, Tracy wasn't like that." He looked up sadly to Scully and whispered "I've missed her whole life." "Not her whole life, you've found her now, or I should say she found you," Scully said with a small smile. "Whatever happened, it happened a long time ago, you need to just take what you have now. I also got some good news from the doctor while I was getting coffee, there was no sign of sexual assault." He was still angry but realized the truth to her words, he stood and embraced his partner. He was grieving the loss of the childhood he missed but elated that the attack while still horrible wasn't as bad as they had anticipated. While he held her close he heard a soft whimper coming from behind him. "Daddy? don't leave." He turned and quickly stepped back to the bed, taking her hand once again he whispered in her ear. "It's alright baby, I'm here I'm not going anywhere, wake up your having a bad dream." Scully stepped back to watch the scene unfolding before her, a tear trickling down her cheek. Mulder a Daddy, it was almost surreal. She didn't know where she would end up fitting into the equation so she quietly stepped out of the room to give them some privacy. Back in the waiting room she tried to sort through what was happening. She had yet to figure out how Mulder felt about all of this and for that matter she had yet to figure out how *she* felt. As selfish as it might sound she wasn't used to having to share Mulder with anyone. And well for lack of a better word she was jealous, and disgusted with herself for feeling that way. Mulder watched as Kate's eyes fluttered open. "Hi, how are you feeling?" "Daddy?" She whispered. "yes It's me, it's Mulder." he said. Those last words caused her eyes to fly open, what had she just said? She stared at him fear evident beneath the bruised features. "Sorry Mulder I must have been dreaming." she stammered trying to cover up. "It's OK Kate,....... I know" he said very softly. She didn't know what to say, she was terrified he was going to run for the hills, never to look back. "Um, I know it must be a shock to you but it's OK really nothing has to change please, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just wanted to get to know you. I'll find a job somewhere else if that's what you want, just please don't leave." all that was said in one long breath, as she glued her eyes to the floor. He raised her chin with his finger so that he could meet her gaze and smiled. "Shhhh it's Ok, everything's going to be fine, right now I want you to get some rest, we'll talk when you're a little stronger." he said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead trying almost in vain to find one square inch that wasn't bruised. "You get some sleep, I'm just going to find Scully, don't worry I'm not going anywhere, OK?" She smiled sadly and nodded.
He found Scully seated in the waiting room, reading a magazine. "Hi" he said to get her attention. "Hi, how's she doing?" "She seems OK, but she's scared. Scully I don't understand, when she found out I knew she was terrified. She had already decided for me that I was going to walk out on her. Why do people keep making decisions for me?" "You're the psychologist Mulder you tell me." she knew the reason but he had to verbally sort this one out on his own. He turned to her and smiled "Setting herself up for the worst in case it happened?" "That would be my guess. Mulder how are you doing with this?" "I guess I'm doing OK, still in shock I think, but the more I think about it about her the happier I am. She's a good kid Scully. I don't know how to be a father though and that scares me, I don't want to let her down." Scully took his hand in her own and beamed, "Mulder you've been doing a pretty good job of fathering her ever since you met her! And you know what? The poor kid even looks like you!" she joked. Mulder blushed slightly. "I need to talk to her, I need to find out what happened if she even knows, but she's resting now. How about we go grab a bite to eat? Would you come in when I talk to her? I could use your help with this, I don't have a whole lot of experience in family matters." He asked almost embarrassed. "Sure, you know I'll be there if you need any help with this, what are partners for?" "Thanks Scully." They headed down to the cafeteria. "ahhhh Scully I think sleeping beauty has decided to grace us with her presence!" "Good morning Kate, How are you feeling?" Scully asked her. "I'm OK thanks," she said as she tried to focus on her surroundings. "It wasn't a dream?" She asked as she looked upon the two people in her room. "No it wasn't a dream but your safe now sweetie" Scully soothed, as she smoothed the hair back from the young girls forehead. "Am I OK? Did It happen again?" Scully looked to Mulder to see if maybe he knew what she was talking about. He seemed as confused as she was. "Did what happen again?" she asked. The girls cheeks flushed crimson, she didn't know how to ask but desperately needed to now. "Um did they......" she trailed off not being able to finish. It dawned on Mulder and Scully at the same time what she was referring to. "your safe sweetie, other than some bruises, a cracked rib and some nasty cuts your OK." Kate sunk back into the bed, and began to sob. Mulder rushed to her side and sitting down on the bed he gave her a gentle albeit awkward hug. "It's Ok baby we're here, your safe nothing like this is ever going to happen to you again, we'll take care of you" she suddenly stopped crying and stared up at him, questioning. "You're still here." she said very quietly. "Of course I'm here where else would I be?" "You're still here" she whispered again " I thought you would be long gone when I woke up. Why would you stick around for someone like me? I'm not worth the trouble." she said matter of factly, as she pulled away from his embrace. She laid back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The attack had brought back so many vivid memories ones she had carefully placed deep within herself. Now they were all coming back with a vengeance, she couldn't explain it to them she knew they would walk out on her if she did but she needed time to try and put all the pieces back together, so she pulled away from them and took residence inside herself. "Kate, what did you mean when you said 'did it happen again,'" Mulder asked her quietly. She was sure he was going to leave now, leave her alone just like her mother had three years ago. But when she looked up again all she saw in his eyes was concern, fear and anger. Even still she couldn't tell him, she had gotten very good at burying these feelings so she remained silent. "Please I'm not going anywhere, I'm not going to leave you." He leaned down beside her soothing her swollen face with the back of his hand gently reassuring her. Just then the nurse entered the room, handing Katelyn some pain medication. It wasn't long before her eyelids were once again drooping, but as she slept Mulder didn't move. He said he wasn't going anywhere and he wanted her to believe that he meant what he said. He turned to Scully who was sitting in the chair by the bed sadly watching the girl. "Mulder she's going to need some help when she gets out of here." "You're right and I'll make damn sure she gets it," he replied solemnly. The End Notes: A Thousand thank you's to Kelley2! Without whom this story would be far less than it is. She kept me excited, on track and was always quick with replies. This isn't the first fic I've ever written but this is the only one I feel comfortable with posting. After re-reading my first one I truly realized how awful it was!
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