TITLE:  Katelyn Part1 Family.
AUTHOR:  Toma
E-MAIL:  terrytoma@sprint.ca
RATED:  PG
CLASSIFICATION:  S, R.
DISTRIBUTION:  Anywhere Just let me know.
SPOILERS:  None really but assume right up to this point.
KEYWORDS:  M/S UST (For now).
SUMMARY:  The Past comes back to find Mulder.
                    
FEEDBACK:  Absolutely!  This is the first story I have ever
posted I would love to hear what everyone thinks.  Mail me at
terrytoma@sprint.ca

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!   

               
            Katelyn
         Part-1 Family
            By Toma



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 said 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.

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"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" 

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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.

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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.

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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 said 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.

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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.


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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.

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xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx 

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 said 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.


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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 damnit!"  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.

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xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx 

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."


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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.

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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. 

"Damnit! 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.


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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.


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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.

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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.


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"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.

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