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Title: Sarah 02. Vignette Summary: Mulder undertakes a night time vigil. He sat by the side of the small bed, just watching her sleeping. Every so often he reached out and brushed away the lock of hair that kept falling across her forehead. Her hair was thick, dark and full of curls and it fanned out across the pillow. Her eyes moved rapidly beneath their closed near-translucent lids, a sudden frown wrinkling the smooth skin of her brow - she was dreaming. He hoped it wasn't a bad dream - she'd had too many of those recently, hence his nightly vigil at her bedside. The comforting glow of the night light allowed him to study her perfect features - the little button nose and full, Cupid's bow lips that she got from her mother. She looked more like her mother than him, and it was a painful reminder of what they had both lost every time he looked at her. They drew admiring glances wherever they went, and that made his heart swell with pride. Then when she turned those big, brown eyes on him - the ones that could see deep into his soul - he was like putty in her hands. He would give his life for her, were it ever necessary. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek, the skin soft beneath his lips. "Daddy!" Her anguished cry jolted him into immediate wakefulness - he must have dozed off. Her pitiful sobbing tore at his heart. He reached out, gathering her into his lap and she put her arms around his neck, holding on tightly. "It's okay, sweetheart," he crooned softly. "I'm here." He stroked the glossy mane of curls that hung down her back and felt the warm dampness of her tears where she nestled against his neck - he wanted to cry too, she had been through so much. They both had, but it had been worse for her. During her waking hours she clung to him, terrified that something was going to befall him, that he was going to leave her. She asked him endless questions about death and what it was like in Heaven - he had answered her questions as best he could, trying to explain things in a way that a child could understand. He had promised her that he would never leave her, and he didn't know what he was going to do now that his return to work was imminent. She quietened, and lay back against her pillow. "Feel better?" he enquired gently, and she nodded. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" "I had a bad dream," she replied, her voice trembling. He smoothed the hair back from her brow. "Oh, sweetheart - if I could take away the pain, I would," he said softly. He knew that the pain in her tiny heart was raw, just like that in his own. Right now, she was his main concern - he would deal with his own pain later. "Mommy's never coming back, is she?" she asked in a tiny voice. Fox Mulder hesitated. "No, Sarah - she isn't," he replied gently. "She was very sick - she couldn't fight it anymore." "Couldn't the doctor make Mommy better?" "No, baby - she was too ill." His eyes clouded momentarily, then he smiled down at his six-year-old daughter. "Mommy loved you very, very much, Sarah," he said. "I know," replied the child as she snuggled down in the bed. "I miss her, Daddy." "I miss her too, sweetheart," replied Fox. God - how he missed her! That was why he spent his nights by his daughter's bed, unable to sleep in his own now that Annie was gone. "Do you think that Mommy is better now?" asked Sarah. "I think so," replied Fox. "Is she happy?" "I'm sure she is." "I want her to be happy," declared the little girl sleepily. "I don't want her to hurt anymore." "I'm sure Mommy will be pleased to know that," he said softly. "I'm going to sleep now," said a tired little voice. "Okay," replied Fox. He caressed her brow with his thumb - the action soothed her, and her eyelids began to drift slowly downwards. "I love you, Daddy," she mumbled, already half asleep. "I love you, too," he whispered. "Goodnight." He dropped another kiss on her cheek, and waited patiently for the deep and regular breathing that would tell him she was asleep. Only then could he allow himself to close his eyes and deal with his own pain. The End.
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