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Title:Sarah Companion: Missing Summary: A companion piece to the Sarah series; Takes place early in the series; Sarah turns up missing after a sleepwalking episode and an unusual being leads her to safety. Author's note: This is posted with the permission of Carol Gritton, author of the Sarah series. Thanks to Carol Gritton for the delightful character of Sarah, this wonderful series and for the opportunity to be a part of it. "Sarah, I know you'll be good for Mrs. Cook, won't you? I'll be back tomorrow night to pick you up. Ok?" He looked into her sad brown eyes and at those pouty lips and his heart broke. "Do you have to go, Daddy?" Her lips stuck out even more. "Yes, Sarah, we talked about this. Remember?" She nodded. "All right, now give me a big smile." She accommodated him and he was tempted to cancel this assignment when her little arms flew around his neck. "I'll be good." She told him. "I know you will. You're my good girl. I love you, Sarah." He hugged her tightly. "I love you, too." She released him. "Go ahead with Debbie, I think she wants to play." He was surprised when she gave him a kiss on the cheek and then took off running with her friend. He stood and watched her run off. He smiled at Jill Cook. She'd been so good with Sarah whenever he had to go out of town. Debbie was Sarah's age and they played together quite often. Jill was thirty five and her husband worked for the city. Sarah was used to staying with Debbie after school until her father got off work. Mulder felt comfortable leaving Sarah with them. "You're awful quiet, Mulder. Is there anything wrong?" Scully unbuckled her seat belt and stretched her legs. There was never enough room in these airline seats, no matter what your size was. "Not really, Scully." He half smiled. "I just hate leaving Sarah. We're still so new at this and she's still feeling the pain from Annie's death, you know?" "I know it's hard, Mulder. We'll be back before you know it. She'll be fine." Scully patted his hand. Mulder nodded and turned to look out the window. This had not been an easy case anyway and now they had a new development. He didn't think it would pan out but they had to check out all possibilities. Sarah and Debbie were down for their afternoon nap. Both were sleeping soundly when Jill checked on them. They looked like little dolls to her. She closed the door and went back to the living room. She had just picked up her crocheting when Sarah came out. "Sarah? What's the matter, honey?" Sarah didn't respond. She didn't even look at Jill. She walked over to the front door and tried the knob. It was locked so she was unable to open it. Jill sat stunned. "Sarah?" She got up and went over to her. Sarah was staring at the door, turning the knob. After a moment, she turned the lock in the knob to unlock it. Jill couldn't believe her eyes. It was as if Sarah didn't even see her. Like she was in a trance. 'Sleep walking.' Jill thought. 'That's it. She's sleep walking.' At first she didn't know whether to awaken her or not. Then when Sarah was still unable to open the door, she went to the chair next to the door, pushed it over and climbed up to reach the dead bolt. Jill kept a chair there to sit on, to put on and take off wet boots and clothing and the like. "Oh my God." Jill said out loud. She had to wake Sarah up. She put her hand on Sarah's shoulder, gently, so as not to startle her. "Sarah? Wake up, Sarah. " Sarah closed her eyes and then reopened them. "What?" She rubbed her eyes. "Come on, honey, let's go lay back down." She took Sarah's hand and walked her back to the bedroom. She waited until Sarah was down and breathing steadily again before she left the room. When she returned to the living room, she sat down and put her head in her hands. It didn't worry her so much that Sarah walked in her sleep, what bothered her was the fact that she would be able to unlock the door. Fox had neglected to tell her this new stage of Sarah's life. She immediately took the chair into the kitchen. She didn't want it near the door. Jill discussed this with her husband when he returned home that evening. "Well, we'll sleep with the bedroom door open tonight. We'll be able to hear her if she gets up in the middle of the night. I'll run up to the hardware store and get a hook for the top of the door, she'd never be able to reach that." Ted was a good father. He was as concerned for Sarah as he would be for Debbie. Jill nodded but was still a little uneasy. Sarah dreamed that night. Her father was calling to her. "Sarah! Sarah!" She couldn't understand why he was calling. 'I'm coming, Daddy.' She got out of bed, still asleep and left the bedroom. She had her blanket with her, the one she slept with at all times, dragging along behind her. Sarah walked to the front door and turned the knob. The door was locked. Her little fingers twisted the lock on the knob. The door handle turned but still didn't open. She walked over to the ottoman in front of the easy chair and pushed it to the door. It was small but not too heavy and she pushed with all her might. Climbing onto the ottoman, Sarah was able to reach the deadbolt and turned the knob. It unlocked. But the door still didn't open. She still heard her daddy. "Sarah!" She looked up and saw the hook. Her little mind, even though asleep, worked through the problem. She picked up an umbrella from the stand next to the door and leveled it under the hook and pushed up. The hook fell from its metal eye. The door opened. She pushed the ottoman out of the way and dropped the umbrella, picked up her blanket and walked out. Mulder woke with a start. He sat up sweating, breathing heavily. Scully was knocking on the internal adjoining door. He clambered out of bed to open the door. "Mulder are you all right, I thought I heard you yell?" Scully looked him over. "Yeah, I had a dream, that's all." He went back and sat on the bed. "Do you remember it?" Scully sat next to him, him in his boxers, her in her blue satin pajamas. They knew each other well enough, she didn't need to worry about what they were wearing. "Not really. Sarah was calling to me. I don't really remember anything else. It just startled me." He ran his hand through his short dark hair. "Do you want to call her? I'm sure it'd be all right." This was new to Mulder, she knew that. Parenthood was never easy. He glanced at the clock. Three am. "No, it's too late. I'm sure she's fine. It's probably just because I'm away from her. I guess I'll never get used to this." She patted his leg and stood. "Do you want me to stay?" He smiled at her. "No, go ahead and get some sleep. I'm all right." He grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Thanks, though." She left him sitting on the side of the bed. He was a new parent, she had to smile. This was a side to Mulder she'd never thought she'd see. Jill reached over and turned off the alarm. Five am. She nudged her husband and got out of bed. She went out to the kitchen to start the coffee and felt a draft. She followed it to the living room and saw the front door standing wide open. She stared at it for a moment before she registered what it meant, then she ran to the girl's room. Sarah was gone. "Oh my God. Ted! Ted!" She ran to their bedroom. "Sarah's gone. The front door is wide open. Didn't you put the hook in? Oh, God, Ted, she's gone." Ted pulled on a pair of jeans and ran to the front room. "Calm down Jill. She couldn't have gotten far. We'll find her." "Oh God, Ted, she's just a little girl!" He ran back to the bedroom and got a shirt and slipped into sneakers, grabbing his keys on the way back. "I'm going to go look for her. You call the police, get them out here." He headed for the door. "Jill." She turned to him. "We'll find her." Sarah walked and walked without really knowing it. When a car passed her, the noise and the breeze startled her awake. She became frightened. She didn't know where she was. It was dark and she was alone and she was scared. She began to cry and after a moment, she heard a voice. It sounded like her mother and it called to her. "Sarah, Sarah." She followed the voice and it led Sarah to a small frame house. She'd stopped crying when she heard the voice. "Mommy?" She called out. A vision appeared before her. "Mommy." She had missed her mother so much. "Where have you been, Mommy? Is Daddy with you?" "Come here, Sarah." The vision motioned to her. "You're safe here." Sarah crawled up onto the wooden swing and into the lap of her mother. She feel asleep shortly thereafter, dreaming of her mother's voice singing to her. The police arrived and were questioning Jill when Ted returned. "I've looked all over the neighborhood. I've knocked on all the doors on both sides of this street and the two on either side. No one's seen her." The police surmised the situation and based on the placement of the ottoman, the umbrella and Jill's statement determined there had been no foul play on their part. They took the description as Jill had no photograph of Sarah and said they'd call. They offered no hope. "Oh God, Ted. I have to call Fox." She was still in tears. Scully was waiting for Mulder. He was interrogating a suspect with the lead detective. She was going over the report filed by the arresting officer and the autopsy report. When Mulder's cell phone rang, she answered it. He had passed it to her when he entered the interrogation room. "Scully." "Ms. Scully? This is Jill Cook. Agent Mulder leaves Sarah with me?" She was sobbing at this point. "What's wrong?" Scully's heart sank to her stomach. "Calm down Jill, tell me what's wrong." "She's gone, she just walked out of the house last night. In her sleep. I don't know when." Her voice was becoming a bit shrill. Scully closed her eyes. 'Oh God. Oh Mulder.' "Have you called the police?" Ted took the phone. "Ms. Scully? We've called the police and they've taken a description and the report, but they can't promise anything. I've spent all morning looking around the neighborhood and I'm going back out now. Jill said she was sleepwalking yesterday during her nap. Do you know where she might go?" "No, I wasn't aware that she was sleepwalking. Agent Mulder and I will be on the next plane out. We'll call you when we land." She disconnected the call and took a deep breath before going to the door. Scully opened the door and motioned to Mulder. He stepped out and closed the door. The look on her face gave him an instant fright. His brow wrinkled as he asked, "What's up?" "Mulder, we have to go back, now." He interrupted her. "Scully, we're almost through here. I don't think ... " "Mulder." She stopped him, her eyes searching his. She stood very close to him. "Sarah's missing." She thought she would have to support him. His entire body slumped for a brief second. His face went flush, then pale white. Then it hit him. Sarah woke up in a swing on the porch of a frame house. Looking around, she saw nothing familiar. She became frightened and her thumb found it's way to her mouth instantly. Her blanket in her other hand, pulled up to her chin immediately. And she began to sob quietly. Jenny was in the kitchen making pancakes for breakfast. She had a week off from work and took it to relax. She was a bookkeeper and also ran the computers at her office. She always stayed near a phone when she was away from the office. Someone always needed to know how to do something. She really loved her job, but it was stressful at times. She was setting the table when she heard a noise in the front of the house. She went to investigate. She found a little girl, about six years old, in the swing on her front porch. "Hi, where did you come from?" Sarah turned and moved to the corner of the swing when she saw the woman. Jenny had a big smile. She knew the girl was afraid but she was good with children and knew how to reach the child. "Are you lost?" She kept her distance. The girl would come to her when she was ready. The trust had to come from the girl. Sarah nodded. Her thumb still secure in her mouth. The woman looked friendly enough. She sort of looked like her mother. Long dark hair and brown eyes like her mother. But this wasn't her mother. Where was she? She was here last night. "Have you seen my Mommy?" Jenny shook her head. "No honey. Who is your mommy? Can you tell me your name?" Sarah didn't say anything. "It's awfully cold out here. Do you want to come in and get warm? I was just making some breakfast. Are you hungry?" She didn't know how long the girl had been out here, but was afraid she might catch cold. "We can call your mommy and she can come get you." Sarah nodded and climbed down. She walked over and took Jenny's hand. She decided to trust the woman. Her Daddy told her to never trust strangers, but her daddy wasn't here and she didn't know what else to do. Jenny set her on the sofa and wrapped her in a blanket. Her feet were bare and were freezing. She warmed her some cocoa and fixed her a pancake and brought it to her. Sarah was hungry. She gobbled down the pancake in no time, the cocoa took a little longer because it was a bit too warm. Jenny sat back and watched her. She was a beautiful child. She wished she could have a child. "Do you want to tell me your name? Maybe we can call your mommy or daddy." Sarah was perking up. She didn't feel as frightened anymore. "Sarah." "Hi Sarah. My name is Jenny. It's nice to meet you. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Sarah shook her head no. "Sarah, your mommy and daddy are going to be worried about you, we need to call them. Do you know your phone number?" Sarah nodded. Proud of the fact that her father had taught her their phone number. She told the number to Jenny. Mulder was fidgety on the plane back. Scully tried to calm him, tried to tell him that Sarah would be fine. They would find her. But his track record with little girls was not what he would wish for. In his eyes, it was happening again - first his sister, now his daughter. "Scully, where is she?" He couldn't think straight. He didn't think he could live if something happened to Sarah. She'd become his whole life over the past several months. He couldn't lose her, he just couldn't. "Mulder, she's going to be fine. They'll find her." She took his hand. "Mulder, when did she start sleep walking?" Scully had called Jill and had found out a little more. "What do you mean, she's never sleepwalked." "Jill said she was sleepwalking during her nap yesterday. That's why they went to the extra care of the hook on the door." Mulder just shook his head. The plane landed and Mulder and Scully headed for the Cook residence. He met Jill in the yard. Ted was still out looking for Sarah. She was crying again and he put his arms around her. "I know it's not your fault, Jill." He took a deep breath. "Please, Jill, get a hold of yourself, I need your help." He was very patient for one so panicked. "I'm sorry, Fox. I just don't know what to do." Jill told Mulder where Ted had looked and where he was at the moment. Mulder paced. He couldn't be still. He had to do something. But what? What do you do? 'Oh God, it's happening again.' He didn't know how to stop it. If he couldn't get her back .... He just couldn't think in those terms. He had to get her back. "I've got to go, Scully." "Where, Mulder? Where are you going to go?" "I don't know, I have to do something!" He shouted. "I can't just sit here and wait. I'm going to go look for her." "Mulder, wait. The police are looking, what if they call? Maybe we should go back to the apartment. Does Sarah know the number?" "Yes, she does. The police have my cell number. I can't just wait, Scully." His eyes were full of tears and dark with fear. "You go to the apartment for me. Call me if you hear anything." The cell phone rang just then and he tore it from his coat pocket. Scully watched his face. He went pale and closed his eyes. Tears fell and Scully was afraid. "We'll be right down." Scully almost stopped breathing, waiting. Mulder's worst fears were being realized. He faced her. "They found a body." That was all he said. She grabbed his arms and held on. He broke down and cried in her arms. Jenny placed the call, an answering machine, no one was home. She left the message, saying that she had found Sarah and to please call her, leaving her number. She didn't want to call the police. The child was simply lost. She didn't believe Sarah had been abandoned. Social services would put the child in a center until they located the parents. She'd seen what those centers were like and Sarah didn't belong there. In the meantime, she found a pair of socks for Sarah and a tee shirt for her to wear. Sarah talked like there was no tomorrow. She told Jenny everything as if Jenny were her best friend. She told her of her daddy and her daddy's friend Dana. She talked of her school and what she was learning in class. She sat drawing on paper with colored pencils that Jenny had given her to occupy her. Jenny tried to ask her questions about where she had come from the night before and Sarah told her she was at Debbie's house and that she heard her daddy calling to her. Then her mother led her here. "Sarah, where is your mother?" "She's in heaven," Sarah said quietly. "I thought you said she brought you here?" Jenny asked cautiously. Sarah nodded. "She held me on her lap till I went to sleep." Jenny frowned. She wasn't sure what to think of this. "Mulder, let me do this." Scully didn't want Mulder going in there and seeing Sarah's body. He wouldn't be able to handle it. She knew he couldn't. "Please, Mulder. Please let me do this." He was in such shock, he couldn't even cry anymore. Scully didn't even know if she was getting through to him. Finally he looked at her and nodded. She stood and walked into the coroners area, leaving him sitting alone in the hall. Scully stood by the body still covered by a sheet. She took a deep breath and nodded. They pulled back the sheet. Tears began to fall, it wasn't Sarah. 'Thank God. It's not Sarah'. She shook her head no to the officer and exited the room. Mulder looked up and saw the tears on her face, but he saw more. He saw relief. She shook her head and he breathed again. He'd been holding his breath for what seemed like forever. She came over and they held each other. They cried in each others arms. "Thank you God," Mulder whispered. "Thank you." He gained strength from Scully and stood up straight. His eyes clear. "She's all right." He nodded. Scully just nodded with him. Sarah had become important to her as well. She was, after all, part of Mulder. She'd come to think of the child as part hers. It would kill her as well, if something were to happen to her. When they left, they headed for Mulder's apartment. He wanted to check the machine. The police had his cell number, but he just felt he needed to check at home. The phone began ringing as he was unlocking the door. He raced in and picked it up just before the machine got it. "Hello!" "Mr. Mulder?" "Yes, who is this?" He was out of breath. "Mr. Mulder, my name Jenny Gordon, I've been trying to reach you." "Look I don't have time for a sales call." "Mr. Mulder, I found your daughter on my porch this morning." She thought she heard a gasp. "Mr. Mulder?" "Oh God, where is she? Where is Sarah?" He was breathing again. "Can I talk to her?" "Sure, just a minute." He heard her call to Sarah. "Hi Daddy." She sounded none the worse for wear. He let out a deep breath and tears threatened to fall again. "Hi, baby. Where did you run off to? I'm coming to get you. Are you all right?" "Yes, Jenny and I are going to make cookies. I saw mommy, she was here. When are you coming home, daddy?" Scully sat down and breathed a sigh of relief as well. She watched as Mulder got the address. She'd wait until they had Sarah to call the police, but she called Jill. The poor woman had suffered enough. Mulder drove like a madman to the address Jenny had given him. It was quite a ways from the Cooks home. It gave him chills to know that Sarah had been out alone all that time on the streets. "Mulder, slow down. If you wreck the car, you won't get to her any sooner." Scully was grateful Sarah was found, not only for Sarah's sake, but for Mulder's as well. They pulled up to the house a half an hour later. The engine barely stopped before Mulder was out of the car. Scully was close on his heels as they ran to the front porch. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a small woman with long dark hair. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask to see identification. I hope you understand, I'm not turning her over to just anyone." She smiled politely. Mulder pulled out his bureau ID and badge. She seemed impressed and let him in. Sarah was in the kitchen putting icing on refrigerator cookies they had baked. "Hi, Daddy." She jumped up and ran to him. He knelt down and held out his arms. She ran with such force, he almost toppled to the floor. He held her so tightly and a tear fell down his cheek. Sarah was quiet for a moment, she felt something was wrong. Then she began to talk. She'd become quite the little chatterbox lately. And Mulder began to laugh. Jenny stood back and watched. The scene brought tears to her eyes. She was a single woman, alone. Jenny wanted a family so badly, but it just wasn't in the cards for her, and she was envious of the happy scene before her. Scully also stood by, watching. Mulder stood, picking up Sarah with him. He walked over to Scully and put an arm around her and all three hugged. After a few minutes, Sarah struggled to be let down. She was a big girl now, she didn't need to be carried. "Mr. Mulder, may I have a word with you?" Jenny asked him. He nodded and handed Sarah's hand to Dana. "Sarah, why don't you finish icing those cookies and then we'll get them ready for you to take home with you." Sarah ran to the kitchen. Jenny had given her a spoon to use to ice the cookies. "Mr. Mulder, I guess you want to know how she came to be here?" "Yes, I do." "Well, I found her on the swing this morning about 7:30. I don't know how she got there. Is this your wife?" She motioned toward Scully. "No, I'm sorry, this is Dana Scully, my partner and a friend." They shook hands. "Well, she said her mother brought her here. And when I asked where her mother was, Sarah said she was in heaven." "Her mother died earlier this year. She's only been with me a few months. She said her mother brought her here?" Jenny nodded. "I know it sounds strange and maybe you don't believe in this sort of thing." She saw Mulder half grin at Scully. "But I believe in angels, Mr. Mulder. Perhaps her mother knew she would be safe here." Mulder nodded, looking at Sarah. He turned back to Jenny and took a deep breath. "Thank you. I can never thank you enough for taking her in and keeping her safe." "I suppose I should've called the police, but I know where Social Services would've taken her and I .... " She didn't finish. "I understand." Mulder reached out to shake her hand. He grasped it firmly and she saw the gratitude in his face, in his eyes. She smiled. "Well, I'm glad she's back with you. If you ever want to bring her by, she's been a delight. She can keep the socks and the tee shirt. It's all I had for her to wear." Jenny helped Sarah wrap the cookies and put them in a bag. She walked them out to the porch. Mulder had hold of Sarah's hand and Scully had the bag of cookies and Sarah's other hand. Jenny knelt down. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Sarah. You take good care of your Dad, Ok?" Sarah grinned and pulled away from Mulder and Scully. She put her arms around Jenny's neck, then turned back to Mulder and Scully. "Good Bye," Jenny told them. She stood on the porch and waved until they were out of sight. As she entered the house, she heard a noise behind her and turned. The porch swing was rocking slightly, as if someone were sitting in it, swinging. Jenny smiled and closed the door. The End
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