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Title: Anabelle 05. Back To School Summary: Let's keep it simple, it's Anabelle's first day of school down in D.C. Does anyone else get that wary feeling in their gut? The latest installment in the series! I can't believe I actually made it to part five. Just a little note, this story is pretty much all about Anabelle. Now, to those who like and are following the series, this is no problem. But to someone just starting with this piece, this is where I say to go read the other pieces that came before this, because you will be lost. I'll list them at the end of the story. Archive-wherever, Gossamer especially, anyone else though, just drop me a line and tell me where it goes. Feedback-yes please. My addy is RhiaRamsay@aol.com. Tell me what you think of the story, or if I should just give up with this idea. Disclaimer-Mulder and Scully belong to each other, I don't care what Fox and co. says. Anabelle Mulder belongs to me, Mulder, and Scully, and if anyone says differently, they can bite me. Josh Aidenn and Grimalkin belong to me, and Lucy Mulcahy belongs to herself, I'm not even going to touch that one. ;) My thanks to the real life Lucy for helping me tons with the story, and just kidding about the little thing above. :) Monday, March 21, 1998 The alarm clock buzzed, shattering the early morning stillness of the room. A hand snaked out of the battered sleeping bag on the floor and knocked the clock onto the floor. But to no avail. The alarm kept ringing. Finally a bleary head with tousled, rainbow dyed hair emerged, sleepily growling at the buzzing clock. She grabbed the clock and slammed it against the floor. The buzzing ceased. Anabelle Mulder sighed and collapsed back onto the sleeping bag. It was too damn early to get up. Unfortunately it was her first day at her new school, the 'prestigious' Kensington Academy. Anabelle winced at the thought. Kensington Academy was famous (or infamous, Anabelle thought) for teaching the children of the upper class of the Washington D.C. area. And she bet ten to one that most of these kids were notorious snobs. She pulled the sleeping bag over her head, fully prepared to head back to sleep. But she knew she couldn't. Unfortunately, it was time to go back to school. She went into autopilot mode. Out of sleeping bag. Into bathroom. Shower. Towel dry. Back into bedroom. Twenty minutes later Anabelle stood in her bedroom in only her underwear trying to decide what to wear. Hey, it was the first day at a new school, it was imperative she made a good impression. In other words don't wear anything too weird. Save the home designed outfits for later in the year. Today, stick with the store bought stuff. She winced as she stared around the nearly bare room. All her clothes were still in boxes, so was the rest of her stuff for that matter. This was going to take some digging. Finally after rooting through six boxes (yes, she did have that much clothes) she found something somewhat decent, although still not what an average girl would wear. But who ever said she was average? Anabelle looked at the black tank top and the black leather jeans that she had shelled out a pretty penny for. "Good enough," she muttered, and slipped them on. She'd have to remember to bring a sweater too if she got cold in the tank top. "I think I'm ready," she said, and began to walk out of the door. Then she doubled back and made a beeline for her closet. "Can't forget the heels," she muttered again. She was one of the short people who knew the vital importance of heels and making yourself look taller. She could even run better in heels than she could in a pair of sneakers. She selected a pair of chunky heeled ankle boots and then finally made her way downstairs. She found Mulder in the kitchen making himself a cup of coffee. "Morning," she muttered, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. "Morning," Mulder responded, moving over to the table where an open x-file was laying. "You want some coffee?" he asked. "Yah," Anabelle said blearily, walking over to the coffeepot and pouring herself a cup. She then reached into a paper bag and pulled out a bagel. She walked over to the table and sat down, almost falling face first into her coffee. She looked around and smirked. "Well isn't this the happy little domestic scene?" Mulder looked up from the file. "Strange, isn't it?" he said. "Yeah." She looked over at him warily. "You want me to start calling you dad now?" "I'm not going to force you to do anything you're not ready for," Mulder reassured her. He reached into the pile of papers on the table and pulled a manila envelope and pushed it towards Anabelle. "You've got to fill out some things in here and drop them off at school today." "Lovely," Anabelle grimaced and opened the envelope, spilling a few papers onto the table. "I should have known. Emergency cards. Is there a pen anywhere in this crap heap?" she said, rooting around until she found one. "Ahh, okay. Where do I begin? Name..." she looked up. "What name should I put down?" "Hmm?" Mulder asked? "What name should I put on this? Anabelle Morgan or Anabelle Mulder, I don't know?" "Uh..." Mulder reached for the envelope. "On here it says Anabelle Mulder. I guess put that one down." Anabelle grimaced. "Great, the aunts think ahead and change my name with out even telling me. Oh well, I was planning on changing it anyway." She continued on with the rest of the card, mumbling as she wrote. "Address...phone number...parent's name...work address...work number...cell number...Hey, who should I put down as an emergency contact?" Mulder paused for a second. They had no relatives in the area, no one he could really trust with his daughter anyway. Except... "Why don't you put Scully's name down, I don't think she'll mind." "You sure about that?" He nodded. "Yeah, she likes you, and I don't think that it'll much of a problem." Anabelle shrugged. "What the hell. Just give me her phone and cell numbers and we're all set." Mulder rattled them off by heart and with a satisfied sigh shoved them back into the envelope and shut it. "All done." "Well that's good," Mulder said, looking at the clock, "because we've got to get going of you want to make it to school on time. It's kinda far from here." "What!" she yelped. "But I'm not ready yet, I still gotta do my makeup and my hair!" "Get moving then!" Mulder said, standing up and shooing her out of her chair. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Anabelle said as she dashed up the stairs. She ran into her room and grabbed her purse, pulling out some face powder and a dark colored lipstick. She quickly applied them and then reached for her hair brush, brushing back her straight, almost shoulder length hair. She tried to fix the long bangs that still brushed her cheekbones, but gave up and just ran her hands through it a few times. She nearly ripped open another box and rummaged around in it for a few moments. Finally she re-emerged with an ivy green sweater. She tossed the sweater into the messenger bag that was acting as a backpack, grabbed her purse, and ran out of the room. She went down the stairs, jumping the last few feet. She skidded into the living room where Mulder was standing waiting by the door. "There," she panted. "Three minutes. A new land speed record." "You ready to go?" Mulder asked. "Yep!" Anabelle said as she grabbed her jacket from where she dumped it onto the couch. "Let's get outta here. It will not look good if I'm late for the first day of school." They made their way out of the apartment and down the metal staircase. Mulder's bureau issued car stood waiting at the curb and they climbed into it. Soon they drove onto the beltway, but were stopped at the appearance of traffic. "Great," Anabelle muttered. "Is it like this every day?" she asked. "Yeah, one of the few constants around here. Beltway traffic, it's always bad," Mulder sighed, trying to maneuver the car in between two others. "Maybe tomorrow we can try to take side streets." "Just get me there on time. I get the feeling they're gonna string me up if I'm late," Anabelle said, reaching to open her window. Twenty minutes later By this time Mulder had removed his suit jacket and tossed it in the backseat. Anabelle had kicked her boots off and now had her stocking feet hanging out the open window. "How far did we drive so far?" she sighed, slouching against the seat. Mulder craned his neck out the window to look at the signs on the side of the road. "I think...about two miles." "Aargh!" Anabelle moaned. "Twenty damn minutes and all we've gone is two damn miles? What is up with this place?" "There must be an accident or something up ahead." Mulder reached for the radio to try to find a traffic report, the traffic was worse than usual. He pressed the buttons on the console, trying to find one that was saying something about the horrendous traffic. Suddenly Anabelle sat up straighter and stilled his hand. "Hold on a sec, I like that song." The music swelled and she began to sing along. "Children play in the park, they don't know I'm so happy Living life is just a game We may now enjoy the dreams we shared Cry sweet tears of joy Now I need you Tell me you will stay "Okay, continue on," Anabelle said and leaned back in the seat. Mulder rolled his eyes and proceeded to find a traffic report. Soon, the newscaster's voice blared from the speakers. "Traffic on the beltway is at a crawl this morning because of a jack-knifed tractor trailer near Exit 15." Mulder hastily flipped off the radio and groaned. They had to get to Exit 16. "Hey, Belle, get my coat from the backseat please?" he asked. Anabelle stretched an arm back and grabbed the suitcoat, then handed it to him. Mulder dug through it for a second and found his cell phone, and hit the first speed dial. -Scully,- her familiar voice rang out. "Hey, it's me," he said. -Mulder, where are you?- she asked. -It's already after eight.- "I'm stuck in traffic on the beltway." From somewhere off to the side Anabelle got the gist of the conversation and yelled out, "We got lost!" "Quiet," Mulder mouthed. -Y'know Mulder," Scully said -it's easier and faster to get to Kensington Academy using the side streets.- Mulder winced. "I know, but it's a little late for side streets now. If anything comes up just tell them that they can reach me by my cell." -Okay. I'll see you in a little bit then.- With that Mulder clicked off the phone and tossed it down. Suddenly Anabelle sat up straighter. "Hey, I think it's moving a little!" "It's about damn time," Mulder muttered as he put the car back in gear. Thirty minutes later Mulder guided the car up the stylish drive to the Academy while Anabelle stared at the campus. "I am so screwed," she said. "It's not that bad," Mulder reassured her. "Coming from good old Delancey High it looks like Windsor Castle." She looked at the digital clock on the dashboard and sighed. "Well, I am now officially twenty minutes late for my first day of school." She bent down to slide her boots back on. They pulled up to the front door of the school. "Okay, Belle, remember you have an appointment with Cassie this afternoon, so try to get the public bus from here. And please, no calls from the principal's office on the first day of school," Mulder pleaded. "Yes, Dad," she sarcastically groaned and opened the car door. She took a deep breath. "Wish me luck," she said, smiling nervously at him. Mulder grinned back at her. "You'll do fine. I'll see you tonight." "See ya then," Anabelle smiled, and she hoisted herself and her bags out of the car. Mulder drove back down the drive and onto the street. He was sure she'd be fine at school. For all the things that had happened over the past two weeks she was handling it well, better than he had expected. The thing was Anabelle had propensity for trouble. Knowing her, he'd be hearing from the office within a week. The song 'Make Me Smile' is by Chicago. They own it, not me. Anabelle looked up at the rather imposing school building. She was not looking forward to this, especially since she was now twenty minutes late and in the middle of first period. "Might as well get this over with," she muttered to herself, and started up the stone steps. Once inside the front hall she shucked her leather jacket off and tucked it under her arm. She looked around the large entranceway, still in the time between classes. Luckily for her a door to the side of her had the words 'Main Office' emblazoned on the frosted glass. 'Start there,' she mentally decided and walked over to it, her heels clicking on the tile floor. The door pushed open to reveal a quiet office, with a number of secretaries working at their desks. One of them looked up suddenly at Anabelle and asked, "May I help you?" Anabelle smiled hesitantly. "Yeah, hi, it's my first day here and the package they sent told me to come here to get my schedule and other stuff." The secretary rummaged around her desk for a moment and then pulled out a paper. "Yes, Anabelle Mulder." The secretary looked up at her with a stern expression. "You do know you were supposed to be here twenty five minutes ago." "I'm new to the area," Anabelle offered as way of explanation. It wasn't exactly a lie... "Try taking the side streets here, it's usually the fastest way," the secretary said. "I've heard that," Anabelle said dryly. The secretary pulled out some more papers and handed them to her. "Now, the top sheet there is your schedule, the second is your locker number and combination, and the rest are some things your parents need to sign. Oh, and do you have your emergency cards?" "Yeah," Anabelle searched through her bag a second and came back with the cards. "Here you go." "Thanks," the secretary said, and took them. "Your first class, U.S. History I, I believe, is in room 221." "Okay," Anabelle said and headed out the door. Seconds later she was back. "Where exactly is 221?" "Up the main staircase one flight, turn right, go down to the end of the hall and make another right. It's in that hallway." "Thanks." She walked out into the hallway and headed up the large center staircase. As she walked she stared around at the nicely kept up school. It was clean and the walls appeared freshly painted. At her old high school they were lucky if the floors were clean enough so your feet wouldn't stick to the floor. Anabelle turned right into the hallway and began walking down it. It was a classic school hallway, lined with doors with the numbers over it. There were a few kids walking down the hall, either on their way somewhere or just killing time. Each one stared at her as she walked by. She figured that it wasn't everyday that they saw some girl walking around in leather jeans and rainbow dyed hair. She just hoped that there were other not so normal people there; all the ones she passed seemed way to preppy, and she knew she didn't fit in with them. She turned the next hallway and soon saw the door to room 221 in front of her. She took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," she muttered, and rapped on the door. Through the window in the door she saw a youngish woman dressed in a skirt and blouse approaching it and she opened the door. "Hi," she said, a little too chipper for the early hour. "You must be our new student, Anabelle Mulder." She held the door open and Anabelle walked in. As soon as she walked in she noticed that the typically noisy class went silent for a second. Then came the few snickers that she was used to by this time. The teacher turned back to her and handed her the textbook they were using for the class. "Put your name in there and get it covered and you'll be all set. You can sit right back there, last seat by the window." "Thanks." She headed back to her new seat and sat down in it, dumping her bag, purse, and jacket onto the floor. "So, Anabelle," the teacher asked as she sat down in front of her podium, "Where did you move here from?" "New York," Anabelle answered, and then slouched when the teacher began to lecture again. The stuff they were going over sounded vaguely familiar, she remembered going over it a week before her little episode. 'That's a nice way of putting it,' she thought. Her eyes wandered the room, and soon they settled on the boy sitting next to her. 'Very nice,' she thought. He seemed tall with fine looking features and blond hair. Suddenly, as if he knew she was looking at him, he turned to look at her. She saw that his eyes were a lovely and strange caramel gold color. She smiled hesitantly at him, and he smiled back and spoke. "So how do you like it here so far?" he asked her. Anabelle shrugged. "I don't really know, I haven't even been her ten minutes yet." "Took the beltway, didn't you? Try the side streets tomorrow," he offered helpfully. "Y'know, that's the third time I've heard that today," Anabelle smirked. "It's very true," he grinned. "Hey, I didn't catch your name before." "Anabelle Mulder. And you are?" "Josh Aidenn," he said. "Very nice to meet you Josh," she grinned, but then ruffled her brow in puzzlement. "Aidenn...where have I heard that name before?" Josh was silent as Anabelle finally arrived at the answer. "As in Senator Aidenn, the one from Virginia?" "The very same," Josh said sourly. "I take it you're not too pleased with having a senator for a father?" she asked. "I just don't like the whole politics business," he said, picking at an invisible thread on his jeans. At that moment the teacher decided to pay attention to what was happening in the back row. "Josh, can you please answer the question?" the teacher asked, more than a little exasperated from his lack of attention. "Uh..." Josh stuttered, but then he grinned. "It was a government conspiracy designed to control the lives of the American people." "No," the teacher said bitterly. "Please try to pay attention, will you?" "You're into conspiracies?" Anabelle asked, intrigued. Conspiracies were something she was familiar with, now even more since she'd met the Lone Gunmen. Josh shrugged. "I guess so. It's kind of like my way of rebelling against the family who thinks the U.S. government is one of the greatest things around." Anabelle shuddered at the picture the family made in her head. Put that together with her reading through a few X-Files when Mulder wasn't looking didn't sit well with her. "I think I'm inclined to agree with you there." The bell rang then, and the class let out a collective sigh of relief. "Where are you headed next?" he asked as he stood up. She bent down to scoop up her bags and jacket. "My locker, if I can find it," she answered as she straightened up and looked at Josh. 'He's even nicer standing up,' she thought. "Let me see your papers," Josh said. Anabelle gladly handed them over, she couldn't make heads or tails of them. He stared at them for a few seconds. "Well you're in a lot of the same classes I am, and your locker is number 1013." "1013?" Anabelle repeated. "Yeah," Josh said, a little puzzled. "Anything wrong with that?" She shook her head. "No, that's just my dad's birthday. He shrugged as they began walking out of the class. "Spooky," he said. Anabelle bit back a laugh. "You have no idea." Josh lead her down a hallway she hadn't seen yet. Your locker's this way, in the English wing." "They have wings here?" Anabelle asked incredulously. "What the hell were they thinking?" she muttered, nearly to herself. After a short walk they reached her locker. "Right here," Josh pointed out, sidestepping the girl kneeling on the floor in front of the open locker next to hers. "Something's the same at least," Anabelle grinned as she spun the combination lock. While Anabelle was fiddling with the lock Josh leaned over to the girl at the next locker. "So what's new with the psychic mad stalker?" he asked with an evil grin on his face. The girl looked up at him and glared, brushing a wave of blond hair out of her eyes. "Oh, you're real funny," she said sarcastically. She slammed her locker shut and stood up, noticing that the girl standing next to her with the rainbow hair was doing the same thing. Josh caught her curious look and waved a hand in Anabelle's direction. "This is Anabelle Mulder, Kensington's latest inmate. Anabelle, this is Lucy Mulcahy, our resident psychic mad stalker." Lucy shot a glare at Josh, then turned to Anabelle. "Just ignore him, he's always like this." She continued speaking without pause. "Yeah, the homeroom teacher was asking where you were this morning." "My dad made the mistake of taking the beltway this morning," Anabelle offered dryly. "Yeah, I can see why you were late then," Lucy nodded. "Try the--" "Don't say it!" Anabelle cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "I've heard it at least three times use the damned side streets!" They all went silent for a second, but then, suddenly, broke out into laughter. The class bell rang, echoing through the hall. "Great," Anabelle muttered. "Late for yet another class." "Don't worry," Josh said. "We've got gym next. It's a class you can actually be late for." Anabelle slouched down on the rolled up wrestling mat. It was one of many perched against the gym walls and serving as a sort of bench to sit on. Gym was okay so far. She wasn't a big fan of indoor soccer anyway, she'd be more than happy to sit out. In all likelihood she'd have probably ended up tripping over the ball. She couldn't play most sports either, she tried, but it was just not a thing she excelled at. Except baseball. She loved baseball. There was just something about it... Getting bored from watching the soccer game which resembled a Keystone Kops movie Anabelle pulled a book out of her messenger bag and, laid back on the mat and began to read. A short while later the mat shook with the weight of someone sitting down by her feet. She looked over the top of her book and saw Lucy sitting there, her blond hair messily pulled back. "What are you reading?" she asked, the harsh gym lights glinting off her braces. Anabelle sat up straight and looked at the book cover. "Uh...Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Lucy shrugged. "Never heard of it." "I don't think it's published here yet. I got it from a friend in England as a Christmas gift," Anabelle said. The book was a gift from Cecily Duncan and her kids last Christmas. Sess knew that Anabelle was a real sucker for those fantasy books, and it was the perfect gift for her. She hadn't gotten a chance to read it until now though, and luckily it was a really good story. "Hey, what classes do you have on your schedule?" Lucy questioned. "Let's see." Anabelle took her schedule out once more and handed it to Lucy, looking over her shoulder as she scanned it. "Oh eww, you've got Lorenzo for math," Lucy said with a disgusted expression on her face. "What's wrong with her?" Anabelle asked. Lucy winced. "You remember Church Lady from those old Saturday Night Live skits?" "Yeah," Anabelle said, oblivious for a second until it dawned on her. "She's like that?!?" she yelped. She moaned, and collapsed back onto the wrestling mat. "Oh man, I am so screwed!" Lucy laughed. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. She finds something immoral about everyone. Even the principal." 2:08 p.m. Anabelle stood on the stone steps once more, talking to Josh who was trying to tell her the way to the bus stop. But it just wasn't making sense to her. "Do you understand where it is now?" Josh was asking patiently. Anabelle bit her lip. "Uh...d'you think you could go over just once more?" she said sheepishly, and Josh groaned. "I know, I'm sorry!" she said. "I'm just no good with directions! It's an inherited trait!" "Tell you what," Josh said, running a hand through his hair. "Why don't I get my sister to give you a ride home. She won't mind." "Are you sure it's not a problem?" she asked. "I don't want to impose on her if she's got other things to do." Josh smirked. "It's no problem at all. She owes me quite a few things." "Thank you so much!" Anabelle said. To tell the truth she was leery of taking the public bus just yet. She had absolutely no clue about the area, and knowing her luck she'd probably end up somewhere in South Carolina. A sports car screeched to a halt at the curb. "That'll be my sister, Cheryl, wondering where the hell I am. I hope you have a strong stomach, because she can't drive for shit." They walked down to the car and Josh opened the door for them to get into the back seat. Cheryl turned around to look at them. "Who's that?" she asked with an angry tone to her voice. "Just a friend," Josh said smoothly. "She needs a ride today. And remember, you owe me." Cheryl exhaled sharply. "Fine," she muttered. "Where do you have to go?" "Uh, into D.C. itself," Anabelle said softly, trying not to piss off Cheryl anymore and preserve her ride. "The Decatur Building, on G street." She smiled to herself. Mulder would be proud that she'd went there, instead of her original plan to wander the streets for an hour. They started driving off, heading towards D.C. A few minutes into the ride Josh turned to her with a question. "So why'd you move to the D.C. area of all places?" Anabelle looked out the window for a second, trying to think of the least complicated explanation. It wouldn't work to tell Josh the reason she came to Washington D.C. was because two aunts plotted her future, she found out the people she thought were her real parents really weren't, who her real parents were, a sudden attack of Delayed Onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and then moving in with her real father so he could help her get better and because her aunt who she thought was her mother was going overseas for a few years. "I moved in with my father," she said. "Broken home?" he said sympathetically. Anabelle grinned. "Let's just say my family redefines dysfunctional." "That bad, huh?" Josh laughed. She shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, we're not as bad as some you hear about. There's no uncle who likes to cross dress and a cousin who's sleeping with her stepbrother, we're just really weird. What about your family?" she asked him. "Surprisingly they're pretty normal." Josh's voice took on a mocking tone. "Mom and Dad are two wholesome (which is a bit odd for a politician) people from the heartland of Virginia who moved to Washington D.C. in order to kick off the husband's political career. They now have four kids, three girls and one boy," he finished bitterly. "Y'know, sometimes I wish my family was like that," Anabelle sighed. "Don't be fooled. It's a lot more dull than it appears. Sometimes it's necessary for me to throw a monkey wrench into their near perfect lives," Josh grinned. "We're here," Cheryl announced drolly from the front seat. Anabelle looked out the window and saw Cassie's building looming in front of her. "That was fast," she muttered, then louder, "Thanks for the ride and I'll see you tomorrow." She opened the car door, stepped out, and shut the door, nearly catching her jacket that she was holding in her hand. She heard the car drive off behind her, and tugged her ivy green sweater further down, it had been getting steadily colder since about noon and it was necessary to put it on. She pushed open the glass door to Cassie's office building and headed for the elevators. On the ride up she wondered what questions Cassie was going to ask today. That was what she really hated about therapy: the deep questioning, asking things that she would normally keep tightly inside not telling anyone, at least not until it was necessary. She knew it wasn't really healthy that way, but it was how she knew to cope with things. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out, walking to Cassie's office and pushing the door open. Her receptionist Gale was at the desk. "Hi Anabelle," she greeted her. "You can go right in." "Thanks," Anabelle said, and walked into the inner office that Cassie called her own. "Hey Cassie," Anabelle said, sitting down in the plush chair in front of her desk. "Hi," she said, reaching for a pen. "I hear it was your first day back at school today. How was it?" Anabelle smirked a little. "It was...interesting..." 4:45 p.m. Anabelle walked down the street, finally heading towards home after her long day. This time she did catch the bus, but only since Cassie had to physically walk her there because her first attempt sent her in circles. This therapy session wasn't too bad. Mostly they talked about her first day at school, what happened and her feelings about it. Nothing too intense, but she didn't feel it wise to say that Mrs. Lorenzo, a.k.a. Church Lady, called her 'a punk from hell who looks like she got lost in a paint factory'. Now, she was finally headed home, just to collapse on that beat up old leather couch and sack out. Turn on the TV and just relax... Suddenly she whipped around, almost positive that someone was following her. The street was clear though, just one car going by was the only thing even moving. From by her feet came a soft sound, almost like a little whine. Anabelle looked down to see a grey cat sitting there staring up at her. "Well, hello," she said as she bent down to look at it. Even though she knew better than to touch stray animals, something about it was just beckoning to her. She tentatively reached a hand out and scratched its silky grey head right behind the ears. The cat arched its neck and pushed its head further against her hand. She looked the cat over. It seemed in good condition, no visible scratches or blood anywhere. It was a little dirty, but nothing a good bath wouldn't take care of. A visit to a veterinarian couldn't hurt either. Her other hand felt around the cat's neck looking for a collar, but there wasn't any. Anabelle bit her lip. She knew she shouldn't, really shouldn't take in any stray animals, but there was just something about it that was telling her that this was something that should happen. She gently worked her hands under the cat's stomach and scooped it up, hoping she was doing it right. She'd never had any sort of pet before so this was new for her. Luckily the cat rubbed up against her stomach, so something was going right. She made her way home and climbed up the metal stairs. She unlocked the door with one hand, the other hand filled with an armful of cat. Once inside the apartment she put the cat down on the counter dividing living room and kitchen, and dumped her bags and jacket on the floor by the couch. Next she turned back to the cat, who was prowling around the counter. "Let's get you cleaned up," she said, picking it up once more and putting it down next to the sink. She turned the tap on and grabbed a paper towel to wash the cat with. When she faced the cat again she found it in the sink, playing around in the water that was filling the basin. "Huh. A cat that likes water. Never saw that before." Eventually she got the cat (which she found out was a female) washed and dried. That was a bit of a challenge because she kept jumping back into the sink to either swim or take a drink. The cat was now standing amidst a pile of paper towels pawing at them while Anabelle stood staring at the nearly empty fridge. The past two weeks had been mostly take out and now they had some serious shopping to do. She looked up at the clock. Mulder should be home in about an hour, and then they could get some food, for both her and the cat. "Well it looks like we're both going to have to wait for some food." She walked over to the couch and laid down on it, sighing with tiredness as she sank into the worn leather cushions. Anabelle heard the cat padding over on the wooden floor and soon round the corner of the couch. She hopped up onto the couch and settled on Anabelle's stomach. "Hmm, what am I going to name you. How about Grimalkin? I think it's the perfect cat name. What do you think?" Grimalkin stretched and nuzzled her head underneath Anabelle's chin. "I take it that's a yes." They were still like that an hour later when the metal stairs began to clank with the weight of people walking up them and the sound of voices arguing floating upwards. Anabelle rolled her eyes. "That's how they flirt you know," she said to Grimalkin. The apartment door opened and she heard Scully saying, "The reason none of the paperwork is done is because we spent half the day in Skinner's office getting reamed out for something the local cops messed up!" "I know that! But Skinner doesn't care!" Mulder sighed, dropping something onto the counter that sounded like a bunch of said paperwork. "Hi everyone," Anabelle called out, stretching an arm above the back of the couch and waving at them. The "Hey, Belle," was from Mulder and the "Hi," was from Scully, who was battling her own stack of paperwork. "Hey, do you know any good vets in the area?" Anabelle asked, luckily the evil grin on her face couldn't be heard in her voice. "Why?" asked Mulder warily, afraid to know the answer. Anabelle sat up and placed Grimalkin on the back of the couch. "Meet Grimalkin." Mulder looked over at Scully, who shrugged. "Well it's better than some of the things you thought would happen," she said. Anabelle looked at Mulder. "You've been telling stories about me? Oh but don't worry, I've got a whole stack of my own. And by the way we have to go shopping tonight, there's absolutely no food in here and we're both starving," she motioned to Grimalkin and smiled. Overall, Anabelle would have to say that it was a good day. The End Coming next time--Scully's going to get to here some of those stories Anabelle has about Mulder. ;)
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