Title: Sarah Companion: Father's Day
Author: Carol Gritton
Series: Sarah series
Disclaimer: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully et al are the property of 1013 Productions and Fox TV. They are used without permission and no infringement of copyright is intended.
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ARCHIVING: Please archive at Gossamer and Spookys; anywhere else please ask first so that I can visit once in a while. Thank you!
Rating: G
CATEGORY: S, MSR

Summary: Sarah goes to stay with Scully when Mulder is called away on a case. Will he make it back in time for Father's Day?

For David.

"Scully, I'm sorry it's such short notice, but I didn't get much notice myself." Mulder was full of apologies as he made arrangements for Scully to care for Sarah over the weekend. No sooner had he and Sarah arrived home that evening than a brusque phone call had informed him that his services were required in Phoenix, and he was to leave later that night. "I hope I haven't ruined your weekend."

"Of course you haven't, Mulder. I'm always happy to look after Sarah. What time will you drop her off?"

Mulder glanced at his watch. "Around nine. I'm packing her things as we speak." Scully heard him call out to his daughter, and ask her to sort out any books and videos she wanted to take with her. Sarah yelled something back that Scully didn't quite catch, and Mulder sighed in exasperation. "Well, I don't know where it is, Sarah. If you can't find it, you'll have to go without it." Another sigh. "I'm sorry about that, Scully."

Scully chuckled softly. "It's okay, Mulder. Look, you finish your packing and I'll see you both in a little while."

"So I'm going to stay at Dana's all by myself?" Sarah had asked when her father had told her of the last minute arrangements.

"That's right, sweetheart. Is that okay?" Sarah nodded eagerly. This was exciting news for the little girl, and a change of scene. Usually when her father went away, Sarah went to stay with Mrs. Scully, or Scully moved into their place to take care of her, sleeping in Sarah's little bunk bed. Sleeping at Scully's wasn't new - Sarah and her father now stayed over most weekends since he and Scully had become an item, but the child had never stayed there on her own. Scully opened the door and welcomed them, with a kiss for Mulder and a hug for Sarah.

Mulder was once again full of apologies. "I'm really sorry, Scully..."

"Oh, stop that, Mulder. You know I don't mind in the least - in fact, I'm quite looking forward to it!" Scully gave him a smile. "Sarah and I can have a girls only weekend."

"Dare I ask what that consists of? No, let me guess. Shopping and endless Mel Gibson and George Clooney videos."

"Jealous, Mulder?" Scully's blue devil eyes glinted with amusement. "Ha! You wish," he replied with a grin. "Do you have time for a coffee?"

"Sorry, Scully. I have to get to the airport." He glanced around quickly. "Where did Sarah go?"

"I think she's making herself at home," chuckled Scully. The little girl had headed straight for Scully's guest room, taking her small overnight bag with her.

"I'm sure that Sarah thinks of your place as her weekend retreat. Don't let her take advantage of you, Scully - you know how devious she is!" His tone was affectionate as he thought of his daughter's antics. He glanced at his watch. "I'd better be on my way."

"Sarah, come and say goodbye to your dad!" called Scully, and the little girl bounded back into the living room, jumping up at her father.

"Ooh, Sarah," he chuckled. "You're too heavy." He pretended to sag under her weight, making her giggle.

"Stop it, Daddy! I'll fall!" Sarah squealed happily and held on tightly as he released his hold on her slightly, then caught her in a firm grip again.

"I have to go now, sweetheart." He smoothed the hair from her brow and kissed her cheek. "You be good for Dana, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." Sarah clung on tightly, as his hands smoothed over her back and up into her hair. "I love you, sweetheart," Mulder whispered softly.

"I love you too, Daddy."

"Scully, I'll call you in the morning, hopefully before Sarah goes to school."

"All right, Mulder. When will you be back?"

"I'm hoping that it's nothing more than a flying visit and that I'll be back on Sunday. I'll let you know once I have a better idea of what's going on."

"Okay. You'd better get going - that plane won't wait for you." Mulder leaned down and kissed her, then gave his daughter another hug before depositing her on the floor. "Have a safe journey, Mulder," said Scully softly then she and Sarah watched as he departed.

As Scully had surmised, Sarah had made herself right at home in the little guest room. She had placed the photos of her father and mother - the ones that always accompanied her when she stayed away from home without Mulder - on the night stand beside the bed, along with the two books she had brought with her. Her nightgown lay ready on the pillow, alongside Growler, her beloved teddy bear, and her toothbrush and toothpaste were in the bathroom. Scully had put Sarah's usual glass and towel out ready. Ever since the first time Sarah and her father had stayed over at Scully's, the little girl had insisted on the same glass and towel. Scully wondered if they made Sarah feel secure in her alternative surroundings, or if it was just one of those fetishes that children developed now and again, like not stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk.

Scully smiled to herself, remembering a similar phase that she and Melissa had gone through when they were young. Whatever Sarah's reason for wanting the same familiar objects around her, Scully was more than happy to accommodate her. "I think it's time you were getting ready for bed, Sarah," said Scully, guiding her young charge towards the bedroom. To her surprise, the child didn't protest. "While you do that, I'll fill the basin for you so that you can wash up."

Sarah appeared beside her a few moments later, clad in her night gown. She washed her face and hands, then brushed her teeth. When she returned to the bedroom, Scully was ready and waiting to brush Sarah's hair and braid it loosely. "There - into bed with you." Scully pulled back the covers and the little girl slipped beneath them. "Would you like me to read to you?" Sarah shook her head; she was plainly tired.

"Just cuddle me, please," she asked. Scully did what she'd seen Mulder do many a time - get up and lay beside Sarah with an arm wrapped around her. Sometimes he talked or sang to her softly, until she fell asleep.

"Dana?" The little voice was so tired.

"What is it, sweetie?" Scully pressed her lips to Sarah's soft, fresh skin.

"Is Daddy on the plane yet?"

Scully looked at her watch. "I expect he's at the gate waiting to board."

"What time will Daddy get there?"

"I don't know, Sarah. It'll be in the middle of the night, I expect."

"Is that why he won't call until tomorrow morning?"

"That's right, sweetheart. He wouldn't want to wake us up, would he?"

Sarah turned onto her right side, facing away from Scully. "Dana, will you sing me the mockingbird song?"

Scully panicked momentarily, not knowing exactly what Sarah meant, then she suddenly recalled hearing Mulder singing "Hush Little Baby" on several occasions. She cleared her throat, then began to sing softly. She only knew the first verse, but after several repeats, she noticed that Sarah was asleep. Scully lay there for a little longer, then carefully withdrew her arm and left the room.

Mulder caught them just as Scully and Sarah were preparing to leave the next morning, so there was only the briefest of conversations. He promised to call again before Sarah's bedtime, then it was off to school for the little girl. She belted herself into her seat as Scully climbed into the driver's side. "Dana, why does Daddy go away on his own sometimes? Doesn't he want you to go with him?" Sarah asked as they drove.

Scully chuckled. "No, it's nothing like that, sweetheart. Sometimes I have to go away and do a job on my own, too. Your dad has a special skill and special training in catching bad people, which I don't have. Sometimes it's difficult to catch the bad guy, so they ask your dad to help. He can tell them what sort of person they should be looking for." Scully prayed that Sarah didn't ask how Mulder did that, because she didn't know how to explain it. She reached out and stroked the child's hair. "You know, Sarah, your dad's very clever."

"I know," replied the little girl, her chest puffing out with pride. "Daddy knows everything."

Scully smiled and shook her head. That Mulder! She pulled up outside the school gates and walked Sarah into the yard. The child was impatient to be off with her friends. After checking that Sarah had her lunch, and reminding her that she would be there to pick her up, Scully gave the little girl a hug and a kiss, then let her go to join her friends. She waited momentarily, just watching Sarah's little group, then walked back to her car.

Scully was just enjoying a short break, with a cup of coffee and a muffin, when the office phone rang.

It was Mulder again. "Checking up on me, Mulder? Can't trust me to run the office in your absence?" asked Scully in amusement.

"I couldn't trust anyone else to run it, that's for sure!" he chuckled.

"So how's Phoenix?"

"Hot. And wouldn't you know that I got the hotel room with the broken air conditioning unit?"

"It could only happen to you, Mulder," laughed Scully, imagining the cursing that must have permeated the air when he made that discovery. He hated the heat as much as he hated the cold and the wet. "I'm glad you think it's so amusing," he grouched. "It must be at least three hundred degrees in that room. Come to think of it, it's not much better in this office." Scully was still chuckling at her partner's discomfort. "Now, Mulder - you wouldn't be exaggerating just the tiniest bit, would you?"

"Me? Exaggerate?" came Mulder's tone of feigned hurt. "Scully, you wound me." She chuckled again, then said,

"So, Mulder - is there a purpose to this call, or are you really checking up on me?"

"I just wanted to make sure that Sarah was okay last night. She didn't give you any trouble after I left, did she?"

"She was fine, Mulder. She went to bed with no problem."

"How about this morning?"

"No, everything's fine. She went off quite happily with her friends. I stood and watched them briefly, then I left her to it."

"Yeah...you start to feel like a spare part, don't you?"

"I will admit that I felt a small pang at her being so eager to join her friends," said Scully. "But it's good that she mixes so easily, Mulder."

"Yeah - I would have hated for her to be a loner, like me. I wasn't a good mixer, Scully. I was too clever for my own good - it put the other kids off. No one wanted a walking encyclopedia for a friend. People were only interested in me when they thought they could exploit my sporting prowess. I was a whizz on the track and on the basketball court." Mulder sighed. "I don't want that for my daughter, Scully. I want Sarah to be liked for who she is, not what she is, or what she can do for someone else."

"I don't think you need worry on that score, Mulder. I think Sarah will grow up with her head screwed on the right way around." Scully looked at her watch. "Is there anything else, Mulder? I'm due upstairs in a few minutes."

"Scully, I'm disappointed in you. I've only been gone a few hours and already you're having an assignation with another man."

Scully could hear the smile in his voice. "Mulder, is there anything else?" she asked again, in a long suffering tone.

"No, I don't think so...oh, yes, there is. I forgot to leave any money behind for Sarah's allowance..."

"Don't worry, Mulder - I'll take care of it. How much is it again?"

"Five dollars. I usually give it to her on Saturday morning."

"Okay. I'd better go, Mulder. You'll call tonight?"

"Yeah. Enjoy your assignation, Scully!"

Scully arrived at the schoolyard prior to the end of the day's classes. She was glad it had stopped raining, but it was still wet underfoot. There were a few other parents there, but none she recognized. She made her way to the spot just inside the gate where whoever was picking up Sarah always waited.

"Mrs. Mulder?" Scully started briefly, and turned to look at the woman now standing beside her. She remembered her from Sarah's party. It was Cindy's mother.

"Oh, Mrs. Perkins. Hello." They shook hands.

"You remember me!" The woman seemed both surprised and pleased by that.

"Of course," replied Scully politely. How could Scully forget anyone who called her 'Mrs. Mulder' every time she saw her? She'd tried to explain that she wasn't married to Mulder, but she hadn't gotten very far. Scully decided it wasn't worth trying to explain the situation. "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you. We don't see you here very often. Are you collecting Sarah today?"

"Yes. Her fa..." Scully didn't get any further.

Cindy's mother was off again. "Usually the sitter picks her up, or now and again Mr. Mulder comes down. And there's another lady...an older woman..."

"That's my mother," said Scully. "She takes care of Sarah when Mul...when we have to go out of town."

"Is that often? I understand you're both in some sort of law enforcement."

Scully didn't want to go into that. She smiled. "It's more often that we would like." A smooth change of subject was in order. "So how's Cindy?"

"Oh, she's just fine," gushed Mrs. Perkins. "She had a wonderful time at Sarah's party - she still talks about it!"

"Well, I'm glad she enjoyed it. We were certainly pleased to have her. Ah, there's the bell."

The first of the children spilled through the doors and out into the yard. Scully craned her neck to see Sarah. She saw her coming across the yard, carrying something in her hand - then she remembered. Sarah had mentioned that they would be making Father's Day cards that day.

The little girl was talking animatedly to another of her friends when an older, bigger boy careered into her. Sarah was almost knocked off her feet, and Scully saw the card fly out of her hand and land in a puddle. "Excuse me," said Scully, and as she moved quickly towards Sarah she heard her yell, "You stupid idiot!" at the boy, who just ran off laughing.

Then the little girl bent down and retrieved the now spoiled card, her pretty face crumpling and tears starting to fall. "Dana, look...look what he did to Daddy's card." Sarah was heartbroken, the tears coursing down her cheeks. Scully cast her eyes over the ruined card with its now soggy red tissue heart adorning the front, then wrapped her arms around the distraught little girl and held her while she cried.

"I can see, Sarah. All your hard work got ruined. I know you're disappointed, but I don't think that boy meant to spoil your Father's Day card. It was an accident, sweetheart."

"He should have looked where he was going."

"Yes, he should have."

"Daddy won't have a card now. There's no time to make another one," sobbed Sarah. She summoned up all her anger and cried, "I hate that boy!"

Scully wiped the child's tears away and caressed her cheek, thinking quickly. "You know, Sarah, I think we can make another one."

"Can we?" Sarah looked up with a hopeful expression on her tear stained face. "I wanted to give it to Daddy when he comes home on Sunday." Sarah sniffed and Scully handed her a tissue to blow her nose.

Now wasn't the time to tell her that Mulder's homecoming on Sunday wasn't definite. She'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it. Scully smiled and squeezed Sarah's shoulder. "Shall we go home and see what we can find to make another card?"

"Okay."

"And how about we order in a pizza for dinner?"

"With pepperoni?" asked Sarah, looking up hopefully.

"With whatever you want," laughed Scully. Sarah was her father's daughter, all right. "And we can have ice cream for dessert."

"Is there any of that pistachio ice cream left? I like that one."

"I think your dad might have left us a few scoops," answered Scully, with a warm smile. She leaned down and kissed the top of the child's head, then slipped her arm around Sarah's shoulders and led her to the car.

Scully and Sarah sat at Scully's table. Before them were the items necessary to make a new Father's Day card for Mulder, Sarah having disposed of the spoiled one in the trash when they'd reached Scully's apartment. "Now, do you think we have everything we need, Sarah?" asked Scully.

"I think so," answered the child, looking at the array of bits and pieces before them. Scully had managed to find two sheets of thick paper in her desk, along with some glue. Sarah had wanted to make an identical card to the one she'd made at school, and Scully had told her that she thought Sarah could make it even nicer if the heart was made from satin and padded, just like the boxed cards that were available in card stores. Sarah's eyes had lit up at Scully's suggestion, and Scully had found an old red satin slip which had seen better days that would serve their purpose perfectly. For the padding, Scully had provided some soft cotton balls of the kind she used to remove her makeup. She had even managed to find a heart shaped cookie cutter for Sarah to draw around.

All in all, Scully was rather pleased that she had risen to the challenge. She was sure that her own mother would be proud of her. "So, what do we have to do first?" she asked.

"You have to fold the paper in half," answered Sarah, "then open it out again." She did that, making a firm crease along the fold then flattening the sheet once more. "Now I'll draw the heart and cut it out."

"Would you like me to hold the cookie cutter in place for you?" volunteered Scully.

"Yes please." The tip of Sarah's tongue peeked out from between her full lips as she drew carefully around the cutter with a pencil. "Would you cut it out for me, Dana?"

"Sure, sweetheart." Sarah watched with her head propped in her hand as Scully carefully manipulated the scissors around the heart shape.

"Dana, Daddy will be home on Sunday, won't he?" It was as if the little girl had read Scully's mind earlier.

Scully knew there was no point in lying to Sarah. "I don't know, Sarah. He hopes he'll be able to come home on Sunday, but it all depends on how things go in Phoenix."

"Why did Daddy have to go? Why couldn't someone else go?" she pouted.

"Because your dad's so good at that part of his job that they didn't want anyone else," answered Scully. "They only wanted the best."

Sarah digested that quietly for a moment, then, "I hope Daddy will be home in time."

"I'm sure he'll try very hard to be here, sweetheart." Scully stopped cutting and surveyed her handiwork. "There - what do you think of that?"

"Excellent!" beamed Sarah. "Now we have to make the satin heart."

"How do you think we should do that?" asked Scully.

"I don't know, Dana."

"Well, first of all I think we need to make a template."

"What's that?"

"You make a shape and then cut around it. In this case, we'll have half a heart shape."

"But we need a whole heart," pointed out Sarah.

"That's right, and that's why we double over the material and cut around the template. When you open it out, you'll have a complete heart."

"Show me, Dana!" Sarah watched carefully as Scully took another piece of paper and made the template.

"I think we need to make the satin heart a little bigger than the hole in the card."

"Why?" asked Sarah.

"Because when you pad the satin out with the cotton , it's going to stretch a little bit. If you make the satin heart the same size as the hole then it will just fall straight through the other side."

The little girl nodded and Scully placed the template on the doubled over satin and cut around it. Then she showed Sarah the complete heart. "There you are!" smiled Scully.

"You're clever, Dana!" cried Sarah in delight.

"Thank you," chuckled Scully. "Now, how about we order that pizza and finish this off after dinner?"

Sarah cleared the table while Scully got the plates out of the cupboard and slipped them into the oven to warm up a little. She didn't like eating warm pizza from a cold plate, or as Mulder was so fond of doing, direct from the box. The pizza soon arrived, its aroma filling the kitchen.

"Mmm, that smells delicious!" Sarah rubbed her tummy and licked her lips - a perfect imitation of her father. Scully couldn't help but laugh. "Can I have the slice with the most pepperoni, please?"

"Okay," said Scully, opening the box. "Sweetheart, could you get some paper towels for me, please?"

While Sarah did that, Scully served up a slice of pizza each. Once the child was seated at the table, they made a start on their meal. "We always used plates when Mommy ordered pizza," Sarah informed her hostess matter-of-factly. "She said it was uncouth to eat from the box."

Scully almost choked as she stifled a giggle. She was sure that Sarah had no idea what 'uncouth' meant, and she wondered what Annie would have made of Mulder's pizza eating habits. "Daddy likes to eat it from the box. He says it tastes better." Sarah wrestled with a long string of cheese. "And he says it saves on washing up." With Mulder some old habits die hard. Sarah washed her slice down with half a glass of orange juice.

"Would you like another slice?" asked Scully.

"Yes please, but not too big. I want to save some room for the ice cream."

"All right. How about this one?" Scully indicated a small slice. "It's only small but it has lots of pepperoni on it."

Sarah nodded and held out her plate. "What are we going to do later, Dana? What time do I have to go to bed?"

"Ten o'clock, same as always on a Friday."

Scully waited, expecting a protest, or for Sarah at least to try and con her into believing that Mulder had said it was all right for her to stay up later than ten, but the child didn't say word. It appeared that she only tried it on when he was there, as if it was some sort of game between them.

"When we've finished dinner and cleared up, we'll finish your daddy's card. What would you like to do after that?"

Sarah shrugged. "We could watch a video or play 'Nopoly'." Sarah couldn't quite get her tongue round "Monopoly."

"Shall we see how we feel when we've finished the card?"

"Okay. Shall I get the ice cream out yet?" Scully chuckled.

"All right."

Scully had been right about the amount of ice cream left in the tub. There was barely enough for two scoops each; Mulder had polished off most of it after he and Scully had made love on the last occasion he and Sarah had stayed over.

Scully flushed slightly - that was the night Sarah had almost caught them 'in flagrante.' They were on the sofa - they'd sat and talked after Sarah had gone to bed that night. It was late, and things had gotten a little heated between them - so much so that they were stretched out on the sofa, entwined in a tangle of arms and legs.

Mulder was down to his shorts, and his agile mouth was inflicting sweet torture on Scully's breasts, when they heard a sleepy little voice say, "Daddy, I want a drink."

Mulder's response had been a whispered, "Oh, shit." He'd raised his head slightly and seen Sarah standing there in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. She still looked half asleep, thankfully. It also helped having the lights on low. "Don't move," he whispered to Scully, who was lying rigid beneath him, dressed only in her panties.

"I don't intend to," she hissed back. If she had ever wanted to die of embarrassment, it was at that moment. Mulder had somehow moved off her, trying to maintain his cool exterior and handing her his shirt so that she could cover up. He carried Sarah into the kitchen and filled a glass of water for her, sitting her on the counter to drink it, his hands resting either side of her. She wasn't wearing her slippers and he didn't want her standing on the cold floor.

"I think you ate too many of those chips," he said softly, gently tapping the end of Sarah's nose with his fingertip. The three of them had watched a couple of videos earlier in the evening and devoured a huge bowl of potato chips between them.

"What were you doing on the sofa, Daddy?" asked Sarah suddenly. "Were you making a baby?" Mulder's heart skipped a beat. This was every parent's nightmare come true. How long had Sarah been standing there before she announced her presence? What had she seen or heard?

He did his best to remain calm, replying with a smile, "Not tonight, sweetheart." Mulder pushed Sarah's hair away from her brow.

"I heard a funny noise."

"What sort of noise, Sarah?"

"It was like squeaking, Daddy. Like a kitten."

Mulder knew that Scully would be mortified if she knew Sarah had heard her whimpers of pleasure. Luckily, before he could respond, Sarah handed back the glass then wrapped her arms around his neck. She was almost asleep again as he carried her back to her bed and tucked her in.

"That was close," he said with a grin when he got back to the sofa.

"You'd better get used to it, Mulder," replied Scully. "It comes with the territory. It's all part of being a parent."

"Then we'd better start taking steps now."

From that moment on, it had been decided that any sexual activity be kept within the confines of the bedroom - at least when Sarah was around - and that Mulder would instruct Sarah to knock on the bedroom door before entering. The little girl made no mention of the nocturnal episode the next morning, much to her father and Scully's relief. That was one night they wouldn't forget in a hurry - it would be something they'd talk about in years to come.

Scully and Sarah made short work of the ice cream remains, then the little girl helped Scully to clear the table. Once that was done, they resumed their work on Mulder's card. The next thing they had to do was to glue the satin heart to the card. Scully kept an eagle eye on the glue as Sarah spread it carefully on the card, then laid the red satin over it, pressing it down firmly.

"Is that all right, Dana?" The little girl looked up into Scully's face for approval.

"That's excellent, Sarah," replied Scully and the child beamed with pleasure.

"Will it take long to dry?" asked Sarah.

"Not too long. I think we should leave it for a few minutes though, just to make sure that it's stuck properly."

Sarah nodded her agreement, then turned to Scully again. "Will Daddy call later?"

"Yes, sweetheart. When I spoke to him this morning he said he'd call tonight."

Sarah nodded again then turned her attention back to the card. "Is it dry now, Dana? Can I put the cotton in?"

Scully touched the satin with a fingertip. "That's dried perfectly. You can pad it out now, Sarah."

The little girl carefully placed the cotton balls against the red satin, filling it gradually so that it was padded out.

Scully raised the card slightly to see how it was shaping up. "I think that's enough, sweetheart. We don't want to overstuff it and have it look misshapen."

"Let me see, Dana." Scully held the card up so that Sarah could see. "It looks good," declared the child. "Do you think Daddy will like it?"

"I think he'll like it very much," replied Scully. She knew that Mulder treasured all of the little things that Sarah had made or given him. "What do we have to do now?"

"We have to put a backing on the heart to keep the stuffing in." To that end, Scully took another piece of card, cut it to size then let Sarah cover it with glue and stick it over the back of the heart. "Do we have to leave it to dry again?" Scully nodded. While they were waiting for the glue to dry, the phone rang. "Do you think that's Daddy?" asked Sarah expectantly.

"It might be," answered Scully, glancing at her watch. It was about the time that Mulder usually called if he was away. She cupped Sarah's cheek and smiled. "Let's find out, shall we?"

Sarah nodded eagerly and skipped across the room behind Scully. "Don't tell him about the card, Dana," said the little girl anxiously. "It's a surprise."

"I won't say a word, sweetheart." Scully lifted the receiver and said her name.

"Is that Miz Dana's Boardin' House?" asked a very familiar voice with a dreadful imitation Southern twang to it. Scully couldn't help but laugh, while Sarah bounced impatiently at her side.

"Hello, Mulder. I have a young lady here who's very impatient to talk to you."

Scully handed Sarah the receiver. "Daddy!" squealed the little girl.

"Hi there, sweetheart. How you doin'?" asked Mulder.

"I'm okay, Daddy. Guess what? We had pizza and ice cream for dinner."

"Sounds good. How was school today?"

"It was all right."

Mulder immediately picked up the difference in his daughter's tone. "Did something happen, Sarah? You didn't get into trouble, did you?" His tone was anxious as he asked the questions.

"No, Daddy!" Sarah was highly affronted that her father could even think such a thing. "A big boy ran into me at home time and nearly knocked me over."

"Did he hurt you, sweetheart?"

"No, Daddy." Mulder was relieved to hear that.

"So what else happened at school today?"

"We learned about more dinosaurs, Daddy. There was one called a Diplodocolus, and it was the longest dinosaur in the world."

Mulder chuckled softly. "I think that should be Diplodocus, sweetheart."

"That's what I said, Daddy," replied the little girl indignantly. Then her tone changed again, to one of excitement. "And guess what? We're going to do a project on dinosaurs and next week we're going to see the dinosaur fossils at the museum!" Mulder knew his daughter would enjoy that. She loved visiting the museums and Mulder took her as often as he could. "Daddy, why don't you buy the same orange juice as Dana? Her's is much tastier than ours."

Mulder laughed. "Remind me to ask her for the name of it when I come home."

"Okay. Will you be home on Sunday, Daddy?"

"I hope so, sweetheart. I'll do my best. Can you put Dana on?"

He heard Sarah telling Scully that he wanted to talk to her, then Scully's voice was in his ear. "Everything okay down there, Mulder?"

"Fine, Scully. The heat just gets hotter. I feel as if I'm being slowly roasted alive."

"You should take a long, cool shower when you're done," said Scully.

"It's not the same without you here to scrub my back," came the low, sultry response.

Scully's knees trembled. "Will you take a raincheck?"

"Scully, I'll take whatever you can offer when I get out of this hell."

She chuckled. "Okay. What time do you think you'll be done today?"

Scully could practically hear Mulder's shrug at the other end of the line. "I don't know, Scully. At the moment, it looks like I might be here well into the night."

"Mulder, you can't function well without sleep," said Scully.

"Hey, you're talking to the expert in sleep deprivation," chuckled Mulder. "Anyway, I'm not sure I could sleep in this heat."

"You should try to get at least a couple of hours."

"I'll try, but I'm not promising anything."

"I guess that'll have to do."

"Can you put Sarah on again?" Mulder waited while his daughter came back to the phone.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"I have to go now, sweetheart. You be good for Dana, and sleep tight. I'll call again tomorrow night, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. Hurry up and come home, won't you?"

"I'll do my best, Sarah."

"All right, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Mulder then had a few more words with Scully, before telling her that he loved her and missed her, and saying goodbye.

After Mulder's phone call, Scully and Sarah went back to the card, which was all but finished. All that remained was for Sarah to write a message in it.

"I don't know what to write, Dana," said the little girl.

"What did you say in the other card?"

"'To Daddy, lots of love from Sarah'," replied the child.

"That sounds good. You could write the same thing in this card. Would you like me to help you?"

"I can do it myself, Dana," Sarah assured her.

"All right. I have a special gold felt tip pen that you could use to write your message. Shall I get it?"

Sarah's eyes lit up. "Yes please."

Scully rose and crossed to her desk, retrieving the gold inked pen from the top drawer. She brought it back to the table and uncapped it. "Let's just make sure that it still works." Scully scribbled on a blank offcut of card that was lying on the table. "Perfect. Here you are, Sarah."

"Should I write something on the front, Dana?"

"That's up to you, sweetheart. Do you want to write something on the front?"

Sarah nodded. "I'm going to write 'Happy Father's Day'. That's what I put on my other card."

"That sounds good."

Scully watched as Sarah wrote her message with painstaking slowness, the tip of her pink tongue visible between her full, rosy lips. Finally the little girl was done. "I've finished it, Dana." Sarah recapped the gold pen and laid it on the table.

"It looks wonderful, sweetheart. Very professional. I think your daddy will love your card."

"I can't wait for Daddy to come home so that I can give it to him," gushed Sarah.

Scully wrapped an arm around her young charge's narrow shoulders and said softly, "Sweetie, it is possible that your daddy might not come home in time." Scully didn't want Sarah to get her hopes up too much, only to have them dashed. But Sarah was nothing if not optimistic.

"Daddy will be here, Dana. I know he will," replied the little girl firmly, and with conviction.

Scully merely smiled and stroked Sarah's hair.

After Sarah had finished Mulder's card, they had cleared up then sat together on the sofa and watched one of the videos that the little girl had brought with her.

Once Sarah was in bed, Scully placed another call to Phoenix. Mulder was surprised, but pleased, to hear from Scully again. "Hey Scully - can't live without the sound of my voice?"

"Very funny, Mulder," replied Scully drily. "You have no idea how refreshing it is not to have you theorizing outrageously in my ear."

Mulder couldn't help but chuckle and say in mock hurt, "Scully, you wound me. So what's up?"

"Mulder, you know it's Father's Day on Sunday, don't you?" asked Scully.

Mulder sighed audibly at the other end of the line. "Oh, Scully...I'd forgotten all about it."

"Sarah's expecting you home, Mulder. Do you think you'll be able to make it?"

"It's not looking very promising at the moment. God, Scully - I don't want to disappoint her if I can help it."

"I know, Mulder," said Scully softly. "I know you'll be here if you can."

Mulder was still worried over the incident in the school yard. "Is Sarah all right, Scully? What happened at school? "

"Exactly what she told you, Mulder. She was coming across the yard to meet me and an older boy wasn't looking where he was going and ran into her."

"Did he hurt her?"

"No. I think it was her pride that was hurt more than anything." Scully smiled and Mulder heard it. "Sarah yelled at him and called him a stupid idiot."

Mulder chuckled. "I can imagine. You've never been on the receiving end of one of Sarah's tongue lashings, have you?"

This time it was Scully who laughed. "I can't say I have, Mulder."

"Then consider yourself lucky. It's one of the few occasions when I see Annie in her." He paused, then, "Anyway, just as long as Sarah's okay."

"She's fine, Mulder. Stop worrying - you'll give yourself an ulcer."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah - I hear you, Scully."

"You may well hear me Mulder, but are you actually listening to me?"

"Always, Scully." Mulder heard a 'humph' from the other end of the line. "You sound as if you don't believe me."

"I'll admit there are times when I swear you're deaf to the sound of my voice," replied Scully.

"Excuse me?"

Scully clicked her tongue. "Mulderrr..." She spoke his name in the long suffering manner that she often used where Mulder was concerned, but it was laced with affection.

"Sorry - I couldn't resist it." There was a short silence between them, then Mulder said, "It must be late there."

"Yeah, I'll be going to bed soon."

"I wish I could join you." Mulder's tone was low; soft and wistful. "I miss you, Scully. I don't want to wake up alone to the searing heat of a ratty, musty motel room with scratchy sheets and a sticky carpet. I want to wake up to you tomorrow morning; to your warmth, your soft touch and that unmistakable scent of you combined with sleep. I want to feel the silk of your hair and the whisper of your breath against my cheek."

Scully didn't know what to say other than, "I miss you too, Mulder."

She was often at a loss for words after being allowed into his innermost thoughts and feelings. She was well acquainted with the depth of his passion as far as his work was concerned, but the depth of his romantic side was something Scully was still discovering. She hadn't realized how long she'd been silent until she heard Mulder asking anxiously if she was still there. "Yeah...yeah, I'm still here, Mulder."

"I thought you'd fallen asleep on me, Scully. I'm not that boring, am I?"

"Mulder, you may be many things, but boring isn't one of them," chuckled Scully.

"I'm relieved to hear that! Listen, I have to go - I'd hate to deprive you of your beauty sleep."

"You're all heart, Mulder. You take care, and try and get some sleep yourself, okay?"

"I hear you, Scully. I'll call again tomorrow. Sweet dreams!"

"You too, Mulder." With that, Scully put the phone back into its cradle.

Scully got herself ready for bed, but before finally retiring, she slid silently into the little guest room. Scully had allowed her charge to stay up a little later than usual and Sarah had fallen asleep almost as her head touched the pillow. She was now out for the count, sprawled across the bed, the covers down around her hips. Scully leaned over and carefully pulled the covers up around the child's shoulders, then perched on the edge of the bed. She just sat and watched Sarah sleeping, reaching out to push a stray lock of the little girl's silky hair away from her forehead. Scully smiled to herself, thinking how innocent Mulder also looked when he was asleep. She liked nothing more than waking before him and just watching him sleep when he and Sarah stayed over.

Scully took one of Sarah's shapely hands in hers, and with a light and rhythmic touch, stroked the soft skin on the back of her young charge's hand with her thumb, considering how much the little girl's existence had changed her life, and how important she had become. Sarah was now as important to Scully as she was to Mulder and was the one thing that helped Scully to maintain her bond with Mulder when he wasn't there - as a part of Mulder, Sarah was a tangible link with the man that Scully loved. With a final, gentle kiss, Scully placed the child's hand back on the covers then made her way to her own room.

Despite going to bed late, Sarah was bright eyed and raring to go the next morning. "Dana, can we go shopping this morning?" she asked over breakfast. "I want to buy Daddy a present for Father's Day."

"I think we can do that," smiled Scully. "Did you have something in mind for your father?"

Sarah nodded around her mouthful of cereal. "I brought it to show you," she replied when she'd swallowed her cornflakes. "Shall I get it?"

"Finish your breakfast first, sweetheart - we have all day."

Scully smiled at the little girl's eagerness, and wondered what sort of gift Sarah had in mind for Mulder. Scully suddenly remembered that she had to give Sarah her allowance. Scully retrieved her purse from her bedroom and took it back to the table, sat down and withdrew five crisp one dollar bills out of her wallet and handed them to the little girl. "Your father left these for you Sarah - it's your allowance."

"Thank you, Dana. I'll put it with my other money after breakfast." Sarah leaned towards Scully in a conspiratorial manner, as if worried her father might overhear, then said, "I brought some of my savings so that I could buy Daddy's present. I had to hide my wallet at the bottom of my bag so Daddy wouldn't see."

"That was good thinking, Sarah," smiled Scully, running a hand over the child's dark locks.

There was a comfortable silence as Sarah finished her breakfast and Scully sipped her coffee. It was odd not having Mulder there to share in what amounted to their Saturday morning family breakfast. Their weekends together started on a Friday evening, when Mulder and Sarah would drive over after work, and they ended early on the Sunday evening, when Mulder and Sarah would leave so that he could get his daughter prepared for school the following day.

In between times, they indulged in all the normal type of family activities: grocery shopping, going to the park so that Sarah could ride her bike or Scully and Sarah could watch as Mulder played a game of pick up basketball; driving out to the beach for a meal or simply staying home to watch a video and relax.

Scully's mind was elsewhere, thinking about what Mulder might be doing at that moment - she wondered if he'd been able to get any sleep. She suddenly became aware that Sarah was trying to attract her attention. "Dana." The little girl tugged on the sleeve of Scully's silk robe - the one Mulder had given her for Christmas. "Dana!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart - I was miles away." Scully patted Sarah's wrist. "What did you want to say?"

"Shall I show you what I want to get for Daddy?"

"All right." Sarah took that as permission to leave the table and she scampered off to the guest room, coming back a few moments later with a folded sheet of paper in her hand. The little girl clambered up into Scully's lap and made herself comfortable. "What have you got there, sweetheart?"

"I found this in one of Daddy's magazines and I thought he'd like one."

Sarah unfolded the sheet of paper and Scully could immediately see that it was a page of advertisements torn from one of the many magazines of weird and wonderful things that Mulder was so fond of reading. She wondered what on earth Sarah had been doing with such a magazine; Scully had seen them lying about Mulder's apartment often enough and surmised that the child's curiosity had gotten the better of her. "There - one of those." Sarah was pointing at something called a "Visible Alien", which was similar to the commercially available "Visible Man" and "Visible Woman" figures that could be purchased in science and nature stores. They showed all the body's internal systems and organs, and were self assembly. Scully chuckled loudly and Sarah gave her a perplexed look, her smooth brow wrinkling. "Why are you laughing, Dana?"

"I'm laughing because I know your daddy will like this a lot."

Sarah's face broke into a wide smile. "I know he will. Where can we get one, Dana?"

Scully looked again at the advertisement, which was for a mail order company. There was no way they'd be able to order one of the figures and have it by the next day. Then Scully had a brainwave. "I think I know just where we can get one of these, sweetheart."

"Where Dana?" Sarah jiggled enthusiastically on the older woman's lap.

"You leave that to me." Scully smiled and lifted the young girl off her lap. "You go and have your wash and get dressed, and while you're doing that, I'll make a phone call."

Half an hour later, Scully was negotiating her way through an older part of the city with Sarah by her side. "Where are we going, Dana?" asked Sarah, looking up at Scully inquisitively.

"To see some friends of your dad's," answered Scully, signaling a right turn.

"Do I know them?" Sarah hadn't met many of the people Mulder counted among his friends and acquaintances.

"I don't think so, sweetheart." Scully would certainly remember it if Mulder had told her he'd taken Sarah to meet these particular friends. She signaled again and pulled into the curb, putting the car into park and shutting off the engine. Sarah glanced out of the window.

"Are we here?" she asked, looking at the less than salubrious surroundings. It definitely wasn't as nice as the area where Scully lived, or where Mulder and Sarah had their apartment. This was a run-down part of town, with shabby houses and many deserted and boarded up business premises.

"This is it," answered Scully, unclipping her seat belt. They left the car and walked down a short alleyway, finally coming to a solid door, which Scully rapped on loudly. They heard the sound of umpteen bolts being drawn back on the other side of the door, and then it was opening. The big door opened just a crack, and Frohike's face peeked out.

Sarah took one look at the goblin like visage and stepped smartly back behind Scully. She had not exhibited such behavior for months, not since the first few meetings with Scully, when Sarah had been shy and anxious, preferring to shelter behind the protection of her father.

"It's okay, sweetie," said Scully soothingly, placing an arm around the child's shoulders. "This is one of your dad's friends."

"Ladies!" smiled Frohike. "Welcome to our humble abode. Come on in." Sarah inched out slowly from behind Scully, slipping her hand into the older woman's and grasping it tightly. Together they entered the Lone Gunmen's lair. "Who's your new sidekick, Scully?" inquired Frohike as he closed and bolted the door behind them.

"This is Mulder's daughter, Sarah."

"I guessed that," said the little man. He'd heard of the likeness between Sarah and Mulder, but seeing the child in the flesh proved just how marked the resemblance was. "Hello, Sarah." Sarah returned the greeting in a shy voice, knowing that it was impolite not to. Frohike turned his attention back to Scully. "Where is Mulder anyway?"

"He had to go to Phoenix."

Frohike leaned in towards Scully and said in a low voice, "If you were my girl, I'd never leave you alone." Then he smiled and jiggled his eyebrows at Scully, who merely smiled back and raised her eyebrow. She knew that the little man's lechery was harmless and that he would more than likely turn and run a mile if she made a move on him.

Sarah took in her surroundings. The whole room was rather dark and dingy, lined with metal shelves and racks holding various bits of electrical equipment like video and tape recorders, close circuit TV monitors and listening devices. They were stacked side by side and one on top of another, and there were other pieces of equipment that couldn't be identified.

"Hey, who's the munchkin?" Sarah spun round and saw a taller thin man, with long, straggly blond hair and glasses.

"I'm not a munchkin," the little girl answered indignantly. "I'm Sarah Elizabeth Page Mulder. Who are you?"

Scully chuckled and rested her hands lightly on her young charge's shoulders. "Sweetheart, this is Langly."

"Oh. Are you Daddy's friend too?" Sarah studied these two odd characters. How could they possibly be friends of her father?

"Yes, I am. We've known your dad a long time. Before you were even born, I think."

Then the third member of the trio made his appearance. "I thought I heard voices." Byers came up to Scully and Sarah. "Hello, Agent Scully." Scully dipped her head in acknowledgement of his greeting. "And you must be Sarah."

"That's right," replied the little girl, studying the smartly dressed, red bearded man. "Who are you?"

"This is Byers, Sarah," said Scully. "He knows your dad, too."

Frohike, Langly and Byers - what sort of names were those, wondered Sarah, thinking that they were the three men's first names. She'd never heard of anyone else with those names, like she'd never heard of any other boys called 'Fox.'

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Sarah," said Byers, putting out his hand. The little girl was tickled by this, and she blushed, taking his hand and shaking it as it was impolite not to. Byers turned to his two confederates. "Gentlemen, where are your manners? Haven't you offered our guests any refreshment?"

Frohike and Langly looked at one another sheepishly, and Frohike mumbled, "We er, we were just about to." Once he'd ascertained that Scully wanted coffee and Sarah a Coke, he scurried off to the kitchen, while Langly wandered off in the direction of one of the several computers that occupied desks in the room.

"So to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Agent Scully?" asked Byers.

"Didn't Frohike tell you? Sarah's after one of those "Visible Aliens" - it's going to be her Father's Day gift to Mulder. I thought you might be able to help with that."

"You saw our ad in the latest LGM?" Byers looked at Scully in surprise.

"I'm afraid not," answered Scully apologetically. "Sarah showed me an ad that she'd torn out of one of Mulder's other magazines. In any case, I didn't know you carried classified ads."

"We don't normally but we just happened to come into a consignment of said merchandise," said Frohike, coming back with the refreshments.

"What exactly do you mean, you just 'came into a consignment'?" asked Scully suspiciously. "We're not about to take possession of stolen goods, are we?"

"Scully! How dare you suggest such a thing!" retorted Frohike in mock shock. "You know it would be more than my life's worth to reveal our sources."

Scully rolled her eyes. "All right, all right," she sighed. If she'd ever thought Mulder paranoid or obsessive, these three knocked him into a cocked hat. They saw conspiracies and government machinations at every turn. At first she'd found them amusing, even laughable, but they had come up trumps for her and Mulder more times than they could count. "Just don't say any more about the items - the less I know about them and where they came from, the better."

Scully and Sarah finished their drinks then Scully asked, "So, Frohike, do you have it?"

"Yeah - I'll go get it."

Sarah watched as Frohike headed for a back room, then tugged on Scully's sleeve. "Dana, that little man looks like a troll," she whispered. Scully did her best not to laugh - she'd often thought the same thing herself. "Is he really Daddy's friend?" Scully could understand why the little girl found the concept difficult to comprehend.

"Yes, he is, sweetheart. He's a very good friend of your dad's." Scully's thoughts drifted back to the time Frohike had turned up at her apartment when they feared Mulder was dead and they had shared their mutual sorrow. "So, here we are." Frohike was back with a box. "Would you like to see it?"

"Yes please," replied Sarah before Scully could open her mouth. Frohike opened the box and removed all the pieces.

"There you are, Sarah - one "Visible Alien," complete with instructions."

"Daddy won't need the instructions," replied the child confidently, giving the model close scrutiny. "He's clever, he knows everything." Frohike and Scully exchanged smiles over Sarah's head. "I bet it won't take Daddy long to fit this together."

"I'll tell you what we could do, sweetheart," said Scully. "We could time your dad to see how long it takes him to assemble it."

"Yeah!" Sarah liked that idea. "We could do it after he comes home on Sunday."

Scully made no response to that - whether Mulder would be home or not was still a matter for conjecture. She squeezed the little girl's shoulders and asked, "So are you happy with the kit, Sarah? It's what you definitely want?"

Sarah nodded her head with vigor. It was a done deal. "Can I have my wallet please, Dana?"

"That's okay, Sarah," smiled Frohike, waving an arm. "You can have it for free as it's for your dad."

The little girl's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Sure."

"Thank you!" Sarah wandered off to have a better look at the box.

"So you do have a heart after all, Frohike," said Scully in a low voice, her face split into a teasing grin. "That was very kind of you."

The little man shrugged. "What can I say, Scully? I'm a sucker for a pretty face." He let out an exaggerated sigh. "Ahh - if only I were a few years younger..."

Scully chuckled. "Just a few, huh? And even if you were, what makes you think that Mulder would ever let you near his daughter?"

"Agent Scully, are you implying that I would be out of her league?" asked Frohike with feigned haughtiness.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Frohike."

Scully looked across at her charge, who was busy attempting to read the outside of the alien's packaging. "Sarah's going to be a real looker when she reaches adulthood and I have a feeling Mulder will be one of those fathers that will be waiting on the doorstep to shoot any boy that brings her back even one second late from a date."

The little man chuckled. "I can believe that. So what's she like, Scully?"

Scully eyes travelled across the room to where Langly was showing Sarah something amusing on his computer. "Sarah's a definite chip off the Mulder block," she replied fondly. "She's extremely bright; funny, strong, determined, loving, intuitive...and she seems to share Mulder's unwavering faith that things will turn out right even when the odds are strongly against it." Scully smiled. "I feel privileged that he wanted to share Sarah with me - she's a delight to know. And she's turned Mulder's life around since she's been here with him - he's far happier and settled now."

"Jeez - a domesticated Mulder," said Frohike thoughtfully.

"Almost, but not quite," replied Scully, chuckling. "He still has his moments."

"Now that's more like the Mulder we know and love!" Frohike glanced over again at Sarah. "Still, it's good to know that the Mulder gene pool is untainted and fully functioning."

Scully and Sarah left after a while, the little girl clutching the gift for her father as if she was afraid it would disappear at any moment. Scully stowed it in the trunk of the car. "Come on, sweetheart - let's go to the mall and get some pretty paper to wrap this in. We want it to look extra special when you give it to your daddy."

By the time they reached the mall it was crowded with weekend shoppers. Scully and Sarah headed for a store that sold good quality wrapping and writing paper, from gossamer fine paper from Japan to beautifully embossed social stationery. "Do you see anything you like, Sarah?" asked Scully, as they browsed in the store.

"I like this one, Dana," replied the little girl. She pointed to some richly colored purple mulberry paper.

"Yes, that's very nice. What is it you like about it?"

"I like the color, and it feels nice." Sarah ran her fingers lightly over the surface of the paper.

The paper did indeed have a pleasant, soft feel to it when Scully handled it. "Okay, we'll buy some of this. I think we'll take two sheets, just in case one isn't enough. And how about some of this, Sarah?" Scully indicated a range of colored raffias displayed just a few feet away.

"What is it, Dana?" asked the child, looking up at her guardian.

"It's called raffia. We could tie it around your daddy's present, and maybe make a little decoration to finish it off." Scully smiled at the little girl. "What do you think of that idea, Sarah?"

"I like it, Dana."

"Good. Which color do you think would go best with your mulberry paper?"

"I don't know..." Sarah carefully studied the different colored raffias, then finally settled for a deep emerald green. "I like this one, Dana." She handed Scully the spool.

"That's a good choice, sweetheart - it'll contrast beautifully with the paper. We'll pay for these and then we'll go have some lunch."

Lunch was taken leisurely - Scully opted for a salad and mineral water and Sarah had a sandwich and milkshake. They chatted in between mouthfuls, and just generally watched the world go by. Scully enjoyed these infrequent outings with Sarah - the little girl was always good company, and Scully looked forward to the day when the two of them could do more together.

"Where are we going next, Dana?" asked Sarah. She'd had enough of resting and wanted to be on her way.

"Did you want to look in any more stores?"

"Can we go to "Claire's" please?"

"Okay. After we've looked in there, I think we should head for the supermarket and pick up something for tonight's dinner. How does that sound?"

The little girl nodded her agreement to that idea. "Can we go now, Dana?"

"Come on then," chuckled Scully, touching the child's cheek. The store that Sarah wanted to visit was packed to bursting with young girls and teenagers, all looking for that special piece of cheap jewelry or adornment for their hair. A store assistant handed Sarah a small black plastic basket to put her selections in.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, sweetheart?"

"I want to buy a necklace and some clips for my hair," replied Sarah, moving through the crush to the far wall. She began to study the necklaces. "This one's pretty." The little girl held up a necklace with small pale pink, opaque glass beads. "What does it look like, Dana?" Sarah held it up against her throat.

"Very pretty, sweetheart. Would you like that one?" Sarah nodded and dropped the intended purchase into her plastic basket. Then it was on to the hair adornments. Again, Sarah took her time making her selection, finally picking two hair pins decorated with pink diamante stars. "I like those, Sarah - they'll match your necklace," said Scully.

The pins joined the necklace in the basket. Then Sarah spotted another of the latest fashion crazes - a woven nylon thread choker and arm band set that looked like tattooed bands once you had them on. "Can I have one of these?" she asked, her eyes alight in anticipation. "I don't see why not. Which color do you like best?" Sarah picked up a red pack and then a black pack. "I don't know, Dana. I like them both."

"Well, why don't you buy both? You have enough money, and they're not very expensive."

"Can I really have both?" asked Sarah, looking up at her companion.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." Sarah dropped the two packs into her basket and they made their way to the cash desk.

Once the little girl had paid for her goods, Sarah and Scully headed back to the car. Their next stop was the supermarket. While Scully locked up the car, Sarah ran ahead and collected a grocery cart. "Can I ride on the front of the cart, Dana?" asked the little girl when Scully caught up with her.

"All right," chuckled Scully. She knew that Mulder allowed Sarah to ride on the cart when he and his daughter went grocery shopping. "But make sure you hold on tight."

"I will, Dana." Without further ado, Sarah stepped up onto the bar at the front of the cart and grasped the wire basket firmly. When they stopped to select an item, Sarah hopped down to take it from the display and place it in the cart. So far, they had picked up an iceberg lettuce, some scallions, cherry tomatoes and a lemon. "Can I have some grapes, please?" asked the little girl.

"Sure, sweetheart. See if you can find a nice big bunch. And pick up four of those red apples." Scully smiled as Sarah selected a juicy looking bunch of grapes, then rummaged amongst the apples to find the largest.

"Shall I weigh them for you, Dana?" Scully looked up from a display of pineapples.

"Yes please." Sarah placed the items on the scales one after the other, first weighing and then pricing them, carefully sticking on the label that had been printed by the weighing machine. The grapes and apples joined a large pineapple, a basket of strawberries and several other fruits in the shopping cart. "What would you like for dinner tonight, Sarah?" asked Scully as they wended their way amongst the aisles.

"Can we have barbecued ribs?"

"If that's what you want, sweetheart."

"It is. Your ribs are the best in the world, Dana - they always have lots of sauce on them. I like lots of sauce." Scully had to laugh - Sarah was smiling broadly and licking her lips. She ran a hand over the little girl's silky tresses. "Thank you, sweetheart. Ribs it is, then."

They soon had everything they needed for dinner and dessert, including a large tub of pistachio ice cream to replace the one they'd finished off the night before. Lastly, Scully stopped by the fresh flowers, selecting a small bouquet of pale pink roses and baby's breath. Once Scully had paid for the goods, she allowed Sarah to wheel the cart out to the car, where they packed everything into the trunk before setting off for home.

"Can I do something, Dana?" asked the little girl, as Scully unpacked the groceries and put them away.

"Of course you can, sweetheart. How about you trim the flower stems for me?"

"Okay!" Sarah carefully laid the flowers on the kitchen table and unwrapped them, then asked Scully to hand her the scissors from the ceramic utensil pot on the counter. "How much should I cut off, Dana?"

"Let me see...about that much." Scully indicated about an inch worth of stem. "If you cut across at a slight angle, they'll be able to take the water up more easily."

"Like this?" Sarah took hold of a stem and cut it, looking up at Scully for approval.

"That's perfect, Sarah. I'll go find a vase to put them in." Sarah carefully trimmed the rest of the stems and Scully soon came back with a simple but elegant crystal vase. "Put the plant food in first, sweetheart." Sarah tore open the little packet of powdered plant food that came with the bouquet.

Then she put the flowers into the vase and Scully took it to the sink and filled it with water. "Where are you going to put them, Dana?"

"Come with me and I'll show you."

The little girl dutifully followed Scully to her desk, whereupon Scully set the vase next to the framed photograph of her father, dressed in his full Naval regalia. It was one of her favorite images of him, although there were more informal snapshots on the mantel and elsewhere.

"That's your daddy, isn't it?" asked Sarah, looking up at Scully. She remembered asking her own father who the important looking man in the photo was when they started staying over.

"That's right sweetheart," answered Scully softly.

"I asked Daddy, and he said that your daddy died."

"Yes, he did. I hadn't been working with your dad for very long when my father died."

"How did he die, Dana?"

"He had a heart attack, sweetheart." Sarah digested that. "Do you miss your daddy?"

"I miss him very much, Sarah," replied Scully softly, stroking the young girl's hair. "He was in the Navy, so he was away a lot, just like your dad."

"I think I'd miss Daddy a lot if he died," said the little girl thoughtfully.

Scully placed her hands lightly on Sarah's shoulders. "I know you would, sweetie, but your dad will be around for a long time yet." Scully paused, thinking how she would feel if Mulder were no longer around. It was something she didn't like to contemplate too often. Scully smiled and squeezed Sarah's shoulder. "Come on, let's go fix ourselves a drink."

Scully and Sarah passed the afternoon on individual pursuits. Scully worked on her laptop finishing a report, and Sarah played games on the desktop computer. Soon it was time to prepare dinner. Scully had set the ribs in the fridge to marinate as soon as they'd returned from the supermarket and now all she had to do was transfer the pan to the oven. She had already put two large potatoes in there to bake. Between them, they made a salad to accompany the main dish and a fruit salad for dessert. Scully stood at the stove, slowly stirring a mixture of sugar and water for the syrup to dress the fruit salad.

Sarah watched for a while but soon became bored. "Can I go and play on the computer some more?" asked the little girl.

"Not now, Sarah. You've been on it for most of the afternoon. Why don't you read one of your books, or do some drawing?" answered Scully.

"All right." With that, Sarah scampered off.

Scully was taken a little by surprise - she had expected more of a battle with the little girl. One thing that Mulder and his daughter fought over lately was the amount of time the child spent at the computer. Sarah was of the opinion that it was never enough and Mulder thought it was too much; Scully was therefore quietly pleased that Sarah had done as she was asked without question.

Scully's thoughts began to drift and she wondered what Mulder was up to. He was obviously up to his ears, or unable to reach a phone as he hadn't called. She knew though, that whatever he was doing would have to take second place sooner or later so that he could call his daughter. As if on cue, the telephone started to ring and Scully called out, asking Sarah to answer it.

After a loud "Aunty Margaret!" Scully heard Sarah's excited chatter coming from the living room. Eventually, Sarah took the phone out to the kitchen so that Scully could talk to her mother, then hurried back to her drawing.

"Hi, Mom," said Scully warmly, nestling the phone between her neck and shoulder while continuing to stir the water and sugar mixture.

"Hello, Dana. It sounds like you've had a busy day!"

"Sarah told you all about it, did she?"

"Yes," chuckled Margaret Scully fondly. "And she told me all about Fox having to go to Phoenix at short notice. You didn't mind taking her for the weekend, did you?"

"Of course not. To be honest, I jumped at it. She's a pleasure to have around - I really enjoy her company, and it's an excuse to do girly things." Mrs. Scully laughed heartily at that. Dana had never been interested in girly things when she was a child, recalled Margaret. Maybe she was making up for it now. "Will I see you at Mass tomorrow morning?" asked Margaret, that being the purpose behind her call. "I don't think so, Mom. Sarah wants to bake a cake for Mulder."

"Is Fox definitely coming home tomorrow?"

"I have no idea. It all depends on how his case goes. I'm hoping he makes it for Sarah's sake - she's convinced that he'll be here and she'll be terribly disappointed if he isn't."

"I'm sure Fox'll do his very best to be there - I know he wouldn't want to let Sarah down."

"Why don't you come over after Mass and have lunch with us? Sarah would love to see you."

"It's been a while since I saw Sarah. Instead of me coming to you, how about we all go out to lunch? My treat."

"All right. We'll drive over and meet you at the church. I'd like to light a candle for Dad as it's Father's Day."

"That'll be fine, honey. I'll see you both tomorrow."

After dinner, Scully and Sarah wrapped Mulder's gift, and made a little heart shaped tag to fasten on the raffia. Scully had shown Sarah how to make a simple curly trim with the scissors and the raffia, and that also decorated the gift. "I'm going to hide this in my bedroom until Daddy comes home. I don't want him to see it 'cause it's a surprise."

"Okay, sweetheart."

That done, Sarah came back with her jewelry purchases from earlier. The little girl modelled each item in succession, admiring her reflection in a mirror and declaring her favorite to be the pink glass bead necklace and the diamante hairclips. "I'm going to wear these to Darryl's party," she announced.

"When's that, Sarah?" inquired Scully, recalling that Mulder had made no mention of a party invitation. He had, however, bemoaned the fact - in jest - that his daughter had a busier social life than he did. Sarah was always going to a birthday party, having tea or going on an after school treat with one of her friends, or staying over at Vanessa's. Then there were Sarah's piano and dancing classes. Mulder had even joked about renting out Sarah's bedroom when she wasn't there. In reality, he was pleased, and very relieved, that his daughter had settled so well and was popular amongst her peers.

"Next Saturday," answered Sarah, admiring herself in the mirror once more. "I made sure Daddy pinned the invitation on the notice board and wrote it on the calendar so he doesn't forget." Scully had suggested the pin board and calendar when Mulder found himself unable to keep up with all of Sarah's social engagements. "Vanessa has an invite too, and Daddy said that we can pick her up and take her to Darryl's party in our car as it's on the way."

"That's a good idea, sweetheart."

"See, Dana - I told you my Daddy was clever." Sarah wore a very smug grin. "Yes, you did, Sarah," laughed Scully. "You're clever too, Dana."

"Thank you." Scully gave Sarah a hug. The little girl's unsolicited declarations always warmed Scully's heart.

After Sarah had had her nightly bath, Scully decided that they deserved a treat. "Why don't we get that pistachio ice cream out of the icebox?" Sarah beamed - she was fully in favor of that idea. They made their way to the comfort of Scully's bedroom, taking the tub of pistachio ice cream and two spoons with them. No sooner had they started in on the ice cream than the phone on Scully's nightstand trilled.

"Would you get that for me please, Sarah?"

The little girl lifted the handset and said politely, "Dana Scully's residence. Who's calling, please?"

The more than familiar voice at the other end said, "You're not Dana Scully. Who are you?"

Sarah squealed with delight. "It's me, Daddy!"

"Sarah? No, that's not possible. You sound much too grown up." Mulder smiled, imagining his daughter's smile of pleasure at his words.

"I am grown up, Daddy. I'm seven."

"Seven? That's ancient!"

"Daddy!" cried Sarah indignantly. "You're much older than me, and you're older than Dana, so you must be ancienter." Beside the little girl, Scully was chuckling quietly and shaking her head. Mulder was always teasing his daughter, the same way he sometimes teased Scully, but it was never done maliciously.

"And you are one cheeky young lady," laughed Mulder, not bothering to correct his daughter's grammatical error. "So, what are you up to?" he asked, having managed to sneak a few minutes away from his work and phone home.

"We're on Dana's bed and we're eating ice cream out of the tub," replied Sarah. "Which flavor?"

"Pistachio."

"My favorite. I hope you're going to save some for me."

"But you ate all the ice cream last time!" Sarah reminded him. "You only left a tiny bit for me and Dana!" Mulder feigned innocence.

"No, you must have that wrong, sweetheart. It must have been someone else."

"It was you, Daddy!" exclaimed the little girl indignantly, making her father chuckle.

"So what did you do today, Sarah?" The little girl related everything that she and Scully had done during the day, omitting the trip to the Gunmen and all other details pertaining to his card and gift. "Sounds like you had a busy day," replied Mulder. "What did you have for dinner tonight?"

"Barbecued ribs, baked potato with sour cream and chives and salad and I made the salad," Sarah informed her father.

"And I bet it tasted good," answered Mulder.

"It did, Daddy. And I helped Dana make a fruit salad for dessert. I hulled the strawberries. Do you know what that means, Daddy?"

"No I don't, but it sounds like a very important job."

"It is, Daddy," replied Sarah in all seriousness. "It means taking out the little green stalky bits. When you come home, I'll make a fruit salad for you."

"I look forward to that, sweetheart. Did you save any ribs for me?"

"No Daddy - we ate all of them. Dana makes the best ribs. They were delicious!" Mulder chuckled as he pictured his daughter licking her full lips, her mouth and chin smeared with barbecue sauce. "And guess what, Daddy? We're going to meet Aunty Margaret after church tomorrow and she's taking us out to lunch."

"Well, you have a good time, okay? And say hi to Aunty Margaret for me."

"Okay, Daddy. Daddy, I love you."

"I love you too, Sarah," answered Mulder softly. He wanted to reach out and hug his daughter, he was missing her. For Mulder, the absences never seemed to get any easier, but he was comforted by the fact that Sarah appeared to suffer no ill effects from them, and enjoyed the time she spent with Scully or Mrs. Scully. "Can you put Dana on now, sweetheart?"

Scully's voice came over the line with, "Mulder? How's it going down there?"

"Slowly," he responded, not really wanting to talk shop. "So Scully, this is what you two get up to behind my back."

"Amongst other things," smiled Scully.

Mulder chuckled. "How come you serve up all my favorites when I'm not there?" he asked. "Just the thought of those ribs is enough to make me drool."

This time Scully chuckled. Mulder's time was short, so Scully didn't want to waste any more of it. "So Mulder, about..." Scully was about to say "tomorrow," but with their uncanny ability to communicate without speaking, Mulder anticipated her words.

"I don't know, Scully. I'm doing my best."

"I know."

"Have you explained..."

"Yes, but you know..."

"Yeah, Scully - I know my daughter." That wasn't surprising - Sarah had more than her looks in common with her father. She shared his unwavering faith that things would always come right in the end. "I'll make every effort to be there - that's the best I can do." It had to be enough. Mulder couldn't promise any more than that. "Look, I've got to go. I'll call again tomorrow and if I can make that plane, I will." He sighed. "I love you both and I miss you like hell."

"Right back at you, Mulder."

The rest of the evening passed quietly. To Scully's surprise, Sarah announced she was off to bed around nine thirty. Given that Sarah had stayed up late the night before, and they'd just had a full and busy day, Scully thought it was probably a good idea that the little girl went to bed early. Scully knew that sleep deprived children tended to get ratty and uncooperative eventually and the last thing she wanted to do was to have to discipline Sarah if she misbehaved.

With Sarah asleep, Scully settled down to watch a video. She was thoroughly engrossed when she heard a very soft, "Dana?" Scully turned and found Sarah peeking around the door.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" asked Scully, rising from her curled up position on the sofa.

Sarah ran to her, throwing her arms about Scully's waist. "I had a bad dream, Dana," answered the little girl, her voice muffled.

"Oh Sarah." Scully wrapped her arms around the child and dropped a kiss on her hair. "It's okay, sweetie, I'm here. Nothing's going to hurt you." Scully smiled and took the warm and rosy little face, with its anxious expression, between her hands. "Come and sit with me for a while." Sarah made herself comfortable on the sofa and asked for a glass of water.

The two of them then snuggled up. "Who's he?" asked Sarah, her attention caught by the freeze framed video.

"George Clooney. He's an actor."

"He's handsome," declared the little girl, making Scully chuckle. "Not as handsome as Daddy, though."

Scully smiled and squeezed Sarah's hand. "I think I have to agree with you on that, sweetheart."

Sarah drank a little more water then looked up at Scully, a worried frown on her face. "Dana, is Daddy all right? I dreamed that he was hurt and there was no one around to help him."

Scully knew that children sometimes had the uncanny knack of premonitory visions and she wasn't about to take any chances where Mulder and his daughter were concerned. She had learned to listen and take notice when Mulder and Sarah were apart, and one had uneasy feelings about the other. Scully patted the little girl's wrist.

"Shall we give your daddy a call, just to make sure that he's all right?"

"Okay," answered Sarah, her face immediately looking a little more cheerful.

Scully dialed Mulder's number. Eventually he answered with the customary announcement of his name. "Hi, it's me," said Scully.

"Hey, Scully. What's up?" Scully explained the situation and Mulder asked to speak to his little girl. He greeted his daughter warmly when she came to the phone.

"Daddy!" Sarah beamed happily from ear to ear at the sound of her father's voice. "I had a bad dream and I was scared."

"Were you, sweetheart?" said Mulder softly. "There are times when I get scared too. Dana will take good care of you, Sarah - she's the bravest woman I know."

"I know, Daddy." Sarah paused, then asked, "Daddy, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart."

"Your work is dangerous, isn't it?"

"Sometimes, Sarah." They'd had this discussion more than once, and no doubt they'd have it again, but he'd never lied to his daughter. He'd been as honest as he could about his work without scaring her. "There are times when it's dangerous, but that's not all the time. Sometimes it can be fun."

He could almost hear the wheels turn as Sarah took that in. "I don't want you to get hurt, Daddy," said the little girl.

"I do try not to get hurt, sweetheart, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If I do get hurt, Dana always does a good job of taking care of me. She kisses all my cuts and bruises better."

That made Sarah giggle. "No she doesn't, Daddy. You're too old for that."

"Is that so? You ask her." Mulder listened to the muffled voices at the other end, and then his daughter was back on the line.

"You're a fibber, Daddy!" exclaimed Sarah.

Mulder could hear Scully chuckling in the background and he said in amusement, "Tell Dana she's a spoilsport for not playing along."

Once again, he heard the muffled voices as the message was passed on and then Sarah was back again. "I'm going back to bed now, Daddy. I'm tired. You will be careful, won't you?"

"I'll be very careful, sweetheart. I promise. You sleep tight, okay?"

"I will, Daddy. I love you. Night night."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," answered Mulder softly. The rest of the night passed uneventfully.

Scully woke to find a warm and fragrant body curled up against her back. Not the long body with its rough edges and sharp corners that she usually woke up to on a Sunday morning. This one was much smaller, softer and more compact. Scully looked over her shoulder. Sarah. The child must have sneaked into bed beside her during the night. Scully was pleased that Sarah was comfortable and confident enough in Scully's company to feel that she could join her surrogate mother in her bed.

Scully smiled affectionately. The little girl's thumb was in her mouth, her long lashes almost brushing her rosy cheeks. As Scully turned to better study her charge, a slight whiff of Mulder's scent drifted towards Scully, and she inhaled deeply. She wasn't surprised, Sarah spent a lot of time in close proximity to her father and his scent had imprinted itself on the child's nightgown. Scully made herself comfortable then wrapped an arm around the little girl and held her close, drinking in the sensation of softness and warmth. No wonder Mulder liked this daily ritual so much. Scully could watch Sarah for hours, just as she watched Mulder when they were working, and not get tired of it. The child's face and body were as expressive as her father's - both would hunch over in intense concentration, just as they would blow out a stream of air in frustration or annoyance.

Sarah lay on her back, slowly surfacing into consciousness. She rubbed her eyes and scrubbed a palm across the tip of her nose. Temporarily disoriented, her eyes wandered around the room, then she heard a soft, "Good morning."

The little girl turned her head and saw Scully smiling at her. "Morning, Dana," replied Sarah sleepily. She then rolled onto her side and snuggled up to Scully, throwing an arm around her.

"Did you sleep well, sweetheart?" inquired Scully, and Sarah nodded. "That's good." Silence befell them again, and Scully thought Sarah had gone back to sleep.

Scully was just about to draw away carefully when Sarah asked, "What do you think Daddy's doing now?"

"I don't know, sweetie," answered Scully, toying with the child's thick braid and pressing a kiss to her downy cheek. "I guess he's probably asleep." Images flooded Scully's mind - of Mulder sprawled across her bed, fast asleep, all arms and legs; and of him wrapped around her like a protective cocoon, his warm breath caressing the back of her neck and making her skin tingle. A tremor coursed through her at the very thought of it.

"Dana?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Dana, when are you going to marry Daddy?"

Scully stroked the head of dark hair beneath her hand. Like her father, Sarah set great store by truthfulness and honesty. She had been shielded from the worst of her mother's condition as Annie was dying, but that all changed when Mulder went up to Boston for Annie's final days. He had kept nothing from his daughter. Illness and death were not subjects to be discussed in hushed tones, or behind closed doors - in Mulder's eyes, Sarah had a right to know what was happening to her mother. He was as open as he could be about everything, and Scully saw no reason not to follow his lead.

"I don't know, Sarah. Getting married is one of the most important things we ever do in our lives, and it's important to make sure that we do it right. It's important that we make sure we're marrying the right person, so it's a good thing to take a little time over the decision."

"You still love Daddy, don't you?" asked Sarah anxiously.

"Of course I do, sweetheart. I love your daddy very much."

"Daddy loves you too. He's told me lots of times."

"Has he?" smiled Scully.

Sarah nodded gravely. "When you get married, where will we live?" asked the little girl.

"I expect we'll have to look for a house," replied Scully.

"Can I help you look?"

"Of course you can, Sarah. We want to make sure that it's a house that we all like and feel we'd be happy in."

"Will it be a big house with a big yard?"

"Possibly," answered Scully. "We'll have to see."

"Will I be able to have all my friends over to play?"

"I don't see why not, Sarah."

"Daddy won't let me have all my friends over to our apartment 'cause it's too small."

"I can see it would be a bit of a squeeze, sweetheart," agreed Scully. Not only that, Scully could see Mulder pulling his hair out, being surrounded by half a dozen noisy and boisterous children concentrated in a small space.

"Will I have my own bedroom?"

"I think that can be arranged. Is there anything else you'd like, Sarah?" asked Scully, trying to mask the amusement in her voice.

The little girl's brows drew together as she thought for a moment. "I don't think so, Dana. If I think of anything else later, I'll tell you."

"Okay. Now that we've settled that, shall we have some breakfast and make that cake for your dad?"

"Did you and your mommy ever make things together?" asked Scully, as she and Sarah gathered together the ingredients and equipment they needed to make the cake.

"Sometimes," replied Sarah. "Once I helped Mommy make a chocolate cake for my Granny Page's birthday. When I told Daddy, he said I could make a chocolate cake for him one day." The little girl watched as Scully took the top off her food processor and wiped out the bowl with a clean cloth.

"You like making things, don't you, sweetheart?" Scully was impressed by Sarah's creative abilities. Although the results weren't always perfect, the little girl clearly relished the creative challenge. Mulder was usually the more than willing recipient of Sarah's creations and every one of them was accepted with love and cherished with pride.

Sarah nodded. "We made cupcakes at kindergarten once. Mrs. Rogers told us that you have to sieve the flour so the air gets into it and makes the cakes rise. My cakes were the best," announced Sarah proudly. "I put chocolate chips in them."

"Your cakes sound delicious, sweetheart," chuckled Scully. "I wish I could have tried one."

"You can have a piece of Daddy's cake when it's finished."

"I'll look forward to that, Sarah."

"You can't have any until he comes home, though. Daddy won't be able to eat it all, anyway. That would be greedy, wouldn't it, Dana?"

"It certainly would, sweetheart."

"At kindergarten we made Christmas cookies too. And little bird's nests at Easter. We made them from cornflakes and chocolate and put little colored coated chocolate eggs in them so that it looked like eggs in a nest."

Under Scully's supervision, Sarah whizzed all the ingredients in the food processor then poured the resulting creamy mixture into two round and lined baking pans. Scully hovered while the little girl carefully slid the pans into the oven.

"I like making things with you, Dana," said Sarah as she followed Scully to Scully's bedroom. They were going to get themselves ready for their church outing and lunch date while the cake baked. "You know all about making things. Daddy's not very good at that. That's why I like you to help me. I like it when me and you make things."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I like making things with you too."

Sarah squeezed in beside Scully on the dressing table stool. "Can I watch you put on your make-up?"

"If you want to," smiled Scully, reaching for her foundation.

Sarah continued to chat animatedly as Scully applied the liquid with a practiced hand. "I used to wear Mommy's make-up sometimes, like when I played dressing up. She even painted my nails for me once. One day I went into Mommy's bedroom and put on her favorite lipstick. It was an expensive one. Mommy came in and shouted 'Sarah Elizabeth!' when she saw what I'd done and sent me to my room. Mommy always called me Sarah Elizabeth when I'd been naughty, just like Daddy does."

Scully couldn't help but smile. Mulder never really got angry with his daughter, but he liked to let her know when he was less than pleased with her behavior. "What did you do with your mommy's lipstick?"

"I put it on all round my mouth, like this." The little girl demonstrated with a fingertip, running it over and above and below her lip line. "Mommy said I looked like a clown and I should be in the circus."

This time Scully had to laugh. Hadn't she and Missy got up to the same things when they were young? She suddenly recalled the time she and Missy had chased after Bill junior and sprayed him with their mother's favorite perfume - a much treasured gift from Captain Scully. Mrs. Scully had been upset and angry, and had made Scully and her sister save their money until they had enough to replace the near empty flacon. Scully could see her big brother's smirk even now, as she and Missy received their dressing down and punishment; however, the sisters had the last laugh as despite repeated washing, the perfume continued to linger on Bill junior's clothes until he refused to wear them.

Scully added a slick of her signature ruddy colored lipstick then a quick spray of perfume and she was done. Sarah sniffed. "I like that smell, Dana. Is it new?"

"Yes, it is. Your daddy gave it to me."

Scully placed the bottle of Ralph Lauren's "Romance" back on the dressing table and considered the story behind it. Scully had found the pretty gift bag on her desk one Friday afternoon on her return from an autopsy. She and Mulder had argued that morning, and both gone their separate ways in the worst of tempers. Neither had called the other all day, and by the time Scully had returned to the basement office, Mulder had quit for the day, leaving the gift behind - his peace offering. Scully had opened the little card and read his simple one worded message: Sorry. She had smiled, and reached for her cellphone. A familiar and unpleasant sensation had begun to make its presence known in Scully's chest at the length of time Mulder took to answer his phone, and she was ready to bite his head off by the time his voice came over the line, however his delight that she was calling had tempered her mood. "I'm calling to thank you for the gift, Mulder."

"You're welcome, Scully. I hope you like it."

"I do, Mulder. I was thinking of treating myself, but you've saved me the trouble."

"Well, I'm glad I did something right for once."

"Mulder, you do many things right," Scully had replied softly. She had paused then asked, "Are you and Sarah still coming over tonight for the weekend?"

"I didn't know if I'd be welcome, Scully."

"Mulder, you're always welcome. And it's kind of lonely here without you at the weekends."

"Then we'll be there at our usual time."

"I look forward to it. Thanks again for the perfume, Mulder."

"You can thank me later, in person."

"Oh? And how do you propose I do that?"

Mulder's voice switched to a lower, more intimate tone as he murmured, "I want you to wear it for me tonight, when we go to bed. Just the perfume, nothing else."

Scully's stomach had performed a flip flop at his words and her voice had deserted her. She could imagine her partner's smile as he whispered, "Until later."

"Dana?" Sarah's voice seemed to be coming from miles away. "Dana? Why are you smiling?"

Scully glanced down at her small companion. "I'm sorry, sweetie, I was thinking about your dad."

"You miss Daddy as well, don't you?" Scully smiled, and stroked the little girl's cheek. "Yes, I do."

Suddenly Sarah enveloped Scully in a hug. "Daddy will be home soon, Dana."

All Scully could do was nod mutely - she was incredibly touched by the little girl's concern and expression of comfort. There were times when Sarah was wise beyond her years.

"Should we check on the cake?" asked Sarah.

"It's best if we leave it alone, sweetie - the sponge might sink if we open the oven door before the timer goes off."

The child giggled. "Do you remember when Daddy tried to make a cake for your birthday, Dana? It came out like a Frisbee 'cause he opened the oven door before it was time and the cake collapsed when the air got in." Mulder had wanted to surprise Scully with a home cooked birthday meal and cake. The main course, a somewhat adventurous dish that Mulder had tackled, went off without a hitch, but the cake had been a disaster.

"I remember, Sarah," laughed Scully. "Your poor daddy - all his hard work was ruined. You know, sweetie, we shouldn't really laugh. Your dad was very upset about his cake. He tried his best but it didn't work out." Scully gave Sarah a squeeze. "Now, I'd better think about getting dressed, and once I've done that, we'll sort you out, young lady."

Mulder had packed a few items of Sarah's smarter casual clothes, just in case Scully decided to take the little girl out somewhere on the spur of the moment. Sarah was just slipping into a fuchsia pink polo shirt when the oven timer pinged. "It's time to get the cake out, Dana!" With that, the little girl took off for the kitchen, with Scully following close behind. "Can I do it?" asked Sarah eagerly, reaching for Scully's oven mitts.

"All right, but be extremely careful, Sarah. The pans will be very hot, and I don't want you to burn yourself."

"I'll be careful, Dana." Sarah turned off the oven, then slowly opened the door, taking a step back as the heat gusted out.

"Okay, sweetheart...now pull the rack towards you just a little...that's it, and lift slowly." Scully watched, and hovered, as Sarah lifted first one pan and then the other, placing them both on a cooling rack. "Well done, Sarah. We'll leave them to cool and when we get back from lunch, we can finish the cake off. You'd better finish dressing now. We don't want to keep Aunty Margaret waiting."

The little girl skipped off to her room. Scully followed a few moments later and found Sarah had already slipped into her chinos and loafers. "Can you help me with my cross, please?" Sarah handed Scully the gold cross that Scully had given her the previous Christmas. The little girl wore it most of the time, tucked inside her clothing. Scully fastened the clasp and picked up Sarah's hair brush. "Can I take Daddy's card to show Aunty Margaret?"

"If you think it won't be damaged," said Scully, brushing out her young charge's thick wavy locks.

"I'll be careful with it, Dana."

"All right. I'll find you something to put it in so that it doesn't get spoiled." Within ten minutes they were ready to go. Scully checked her purse one last time, while Sarah carefully placed Mulder's card in a plastic document sleeve that Scully had found. "All set, sweetheart?" Sarah nodded. "Then let's go."

Margaret Scully was sitting outside the church in the warm sunshine when Scully and Sarah arrived. The little girl was eager to see the other member of her adopted family and had her safety belt undone before Scully had even cut the engine. "Aunty Margaret!" cried Sarah joyfully as she erupted from the car, throwing herself at Mrs. Scully and wrapping her arms around the older woman.

"Hello Sarah," laughed Margaret, returning the little girl's tight hug and dropping a kiss on the top of Sarah's head. "It's been a long time since I saw you - let me look at you." Mrs. Scully pushed Sarah back a few steps and held her by the shoulders. "Goodness me - I'm sure you've grown a few more inches."

They were joined by Scully, who also gave her mother a hug and a kiss. "Hi, Mom. I hope we haven't kept you waiting."

"Not at all, honey. It's so good to see you both. Sarah, you look so well, dear."

The little girl beamed as Mrs. Scully took in the healthy radiance of Sarah's skin, her long lean limbs, the bright, sparkling brown eyes and the thick, glossy hair that tumbled around her shoulders. The child was a walking picture of health, and the knowledge that she was secure and loved beyond measure. Both were reflected in Sarah's general demeanor and her joyous nature. The little girl ate like a horse, and was never happier than when she was dashing around in the fresh air. Like her father, Sarah appeared to have a never ending supply of energy and enthusiasm for whatever came her way.

"Are you ready to go into church, Sarah?" asked Scully. "How about you, Mom - are you coming in with us?"

"I think I'll wait out here and enjoy the sunshine for a little while longer," replied Mrs. Scully.

"Okay. We'll try not to be too long."

"I'll be fine, Dana - take your time. I'm sure Father McCue will want to say hello." Margaret smiled, and Scully and Sarah headed for the church entrance.

They had only just passed through the doors when Scully heard the familiar voice of her family priest. "Dana! It's good to see you." Father McCue took Scully's hands in his, greeting her warmly.

"Thank you, Father." Scully placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder and said, "Father, I'd like you to meet my partner's daughter, Sarah Mulder. Sarah's staying with me for the weekend - her father was called to Phoenix on business."

The elderly priest smiled warmly and held out a hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Sarah."

"Thank you," replied the little girl, shaking Father McCue's hand. She studied him for a moment and then asked curiously, "Do you really speak to God? Does He answer you?"

The priest chuckled. "Yes, Sarah, I speak to God every day, but he doesn't always answer me."

The little girl nodded. "I spoke to God once, when my Mommy died. I asked Him to look after her in heaven."

"And I'm sure He's taking very good care of her, Sarah."

"That's what my Daddy said. He said that now Mommy was in heaven, she wasn't sick anymore."

"Your daddy is quite right." Father McCue turned to Scully. "We've missed you at Mass recently, Dana."

"I'm sorry, Father. My work has been taking up much of my time lately."

"I understand, but don't forget us completely, will you?" smiled the priest. "I'll try not to, Father," answered Scully, returning the kindly old man's smile. "Well, I'd better be on my way - my sermon won't write itself. It was a pleasure to meet you, Sarah - I hope I'll see you again soon." Sarah smiled and slipped her hand into Scully's. "Thank you, Father."

"It was nice to see you, Father," smiled Scully. "You too, Dana. God bless you both."

Sarah took an opportunity to glance around the church, and what she saw took her breath away. "Dana, look! Look at that window!"

The little girl pointed to the beautiful stained glass window above the door. "Look at the colors!" Scully turned to look. She'd seen the window many times, of course - but it was fascinating to see it through the eyes of another.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, sweetheart? It's called a rose window because of its shape."

Sarah nodded, her face turned up to the window and wearing an expression of awe. She just couldn't tear her eyes away from it - she'd never seen anything like it before. The red, blue, green and yellow pieces of stained glass were as vibrant as the day they were first cast - the sunlight that shone on them making them even fresher and brighter, and casting a rainbow effect, in which dust motes danced, into the interior of the church. "I'm going to draw that window for Daddy when we get home," announced the little girl.

"I thought you wanted to finish the cake," answered Scully.

"I do, Dana. I meant that I'll do my drawing after we finish the cake."

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan. Come over here with me, sweetheart." Scully led Sarah to a three tiered metal stand that contained small burning tea lights. "I'm going to light a candle for my dad. Would you like to light a candle for your mom?" asked Scully softly.

Sarah nodded eagerly and asked, "Can I light one for Daddy, too?" The little girl thought the world of her father, she adored him; just as Scully had adored her own father.

"Of course you can." Scully took two tea lights out of the box in front of her, placing them on the shelf next to an already burning candle. She lit the long wax taper and handed it to Sarah. "Use this to light your candles, sweetheart." Scully watched carefully as the little girl touched the taper to the wicks of the tea lights, one after the other. As they flared into life, Scully took the taper back. "I'll light my candle now." As she did so, Scully offered up a silent prayer for her father, then took a step back and crossed herself.

"What are you doing, Dana?"

"I was just saying a prayer for my dad."

"Can I do that? I want to say a prayer for Mommy and Daddy."

"All right," smiled Scully, running a gentle hand over the child's hair.

Sarah closed her eyes and pressed her small, elegant hands together. After a few moments, her eyes opened and Sarah crossed herself, just as Scully had done. "Am I allowed to do that, Dana?"

"I don't think anyone will mind this time, Sarah," smiled Scully.

"Why are we whispering, Dana?" inquired Sarah. The little girl's question made Scully stop and think for a minute. She wasn't even conscious of the fact that they had been conversing in low voices. "I don't know, Sarah. It's just something that everyone does when they come into church."

"It's nice and quiet in here. Is that why people whisper?"

"It might be, sweetheart. Perhaps they don't want to disturb the people who come here to pray, or just come to sit quietly and think." Sarah nodded, and slipped her hand into Scully's. "I like coming to church with you, Dana. I'd like to come again."

"Well, I'll have to see what I can do."

Scully knew she would have to discuss the matter with Mulder first, given his own feelings on organized religion, however, she didn't think he would object to Sarah making the odd church visit now and again. Knowing Mulder as she did, Scully was sure he would want Sarah to make up her own mind about religion as she grew older. That was his philosophy as far as Sarah was concerned when it came to certain subjects - he wasn't going to influence her one way or the other; he would present both sides of the argument and leave her to make up her own mind.

Margaret Scully led the way into the restaurant, Sarah clutching the older woman's hand, and Scully bringing up the rear. Mrs. Scully had booked ahead the night before, and they were soon shown to a table near the window. They sat down and the began to peruse the menu while their glasses were filled with iced water. "Can I get you anything to drink?" asked the waitress.

"I'll have a white wine spritzer," replied Scully.

"I'll have the same," said Margaret, and turning to Sarah she asked, "What would you like to drink, sweetheart?"

"What's a spritzer?" asked Sarah.

"It's white wine and mineral water," answered the waitress.

Sarah looked at Scully. "Can I have one?"

"That's not allowed, sweetie. It's not legal for restaurants to serve alcohol to children."

"But Daddy lets me have some of his wine sometimes," pointed out the little girl. That much was true - Scully had been there on just such occasions. And Mulder never let Sarah have more than a sip or two.

"Why don't you have a mocktail and I'll let you have a taste of my spritzer?"

Sarah considered for a moment. "Okay, Dana. I'll have a Shirley Temple, please." The waitress scribbled it all down. "So that's two spritzers and a Shirley Temple."

"Yes please," confirmed Scully. The waitress nodded and went off to fill the order.

"Would you like me to read what's on the menu, Sarah?" asked Margaret.

"Yes, please."

The menu was quite extensive so Mrs. Scully picked out only the dishes she thought Sarah might like. "Anything you like the sound of there, sweetheart?"

"I think I'd like the seafood linguine, but I want to know what the specials are before I decide."

Scully covered a smile as she read the menu herself. It never ceased to amaze her just how accustomed Sarah was to dining out, and fine dining at that.

Right on cue, the waiter arrived to take their orders. "What are the specials, please?" inquired Sarah, before anyone else had the chance to say anything. The waiter reeled them off one by one. A fish dish, a chicken dish, salad Nicoise with fresh tuna, pasta with the chef's special sauce, and a saffron risotto with Parmesan shavings. Sarah thought for a moment and decided she didn't want any of them. "I'll have the seafood linguine, please. Does that come with garlic bread?"

"Yes, it does, or you can have a green salad," replied the waiter, trying not to look amused at the young girl's sophistication.

"I'll have the garlic bread, thank you." Sarah then folded her menu and sat back in her chair, taking a sip of her water.

The waiter turned to Mrs. Scully. "For you, ma'am?"

"The saltimbocca, please, with the vegetable selection."

Lastly, it was Scully's turn to order. "The saffron risotto, please, with a green salad, and Italian dressing."

As the waiter departed, the drinks arrived. The waitress set one down by the side of each place setting. Sarah wanted to taste Scully's spritzer immediately. "It's nice, Dana." The little girl giggled. "The bubbles are tickling my nose!"

Scully and her mother both laughed as Sarah was already slipping out of her seat, clasping the Father's Day card in the protective folder. "Look what I made for Daddy," said Sarah, clambering into Margaret's lap. Scully marveled at the ease with which Sarah related to the older woman, as if she'd known her all her young life.

Margaret studied the proffered card in great detail. "It's wonderful, sweetheart - I'm sure your daddy will be very pleased with it. Did you do it all yourself?"

"Dana helped me."

"I'm impressed!" answered Margaret, smiling at her daughter.

"Thank you." Scully grinned. "I have to admit that I surpassed even my own expectations. Once the suggestion was out of my mouth I wasn't sure I could rise to the challenge."

"Practice makes perfect, Dana. You'll be doing a lot of this when you have your own family. There's always something that needs making for some school project or other. I was always making a costume for one or other of you."

Sarah's ears pricked up at that. "Do you have any pictures of Dana wearing her costumes?"

"Yes, I do, sweetheart."

"What sort of costumes did Dana wear?"

"Oh, now let me see...one year Dana was a fairy, another year she was Mary in the nativity play..."

"Don't forget the ugly duckling," interjected Scully, with a rueful smile.

"How could I, dear?" chuckled Margaret. "You were so upset - you wanted to be the beautiful swan but you weren't tall enough."

Sarah listened to all of this enthralled. "Can I see your pictures, Aunty Margaret?"

"Next time you come over, we'll look at them together. How about that?" smiled Margaret and Sarah nodded enthusiastically, while Scully groaned.

"Do you have to, Mom?"

"Why shouldn't I, Dana? I'm proud of you and your achievements."

"Well," humphed Scully. "Just don't let Mulder see them. He'll never let me live it down."

"Really, Dana - I'm sure you're making a big fuss about nothing." Knowing her partner as she did, Scully didn't think so.

Sarah tugged on Mrs. Scully's sleeve. "Aunty Margaret, I worked it out that when Dana marries Daddy, that will make you my granny, won't it?"

"That's right, dear." Mrs. Scully never ceased to be amazed at how children were able to flit from one subject to another, like butterflies going from flower to flower, seeking nectar.

"Will I be able to call you Granny Margaret?"

"If that's what you would like to do."

Sarah considered for a moment, her chin cupped in her palm. "I think I would like to call you Granny Margaret. Can I call you that now?"

Mrs. Scully already felt more like a grandmother to Sarah than an aunt, and she was inwardly pleased that the child had so readily accepted her as another member of her burgeoning family. "I'd like that very much, sweetheart."

"I'll have three families when Daddy and Dana get married, won't I, Granny? I'll have Mommy and Daddy, Granny Mulder and Samantha, I'll have you and Dana's brothers and I'll have my Granny Page and Uncle Tim and Aunty Clare and all my cousins in Boston."

"That's right, Sarah." Margaret's fingers combed through the little girl's lush hair. "Your family will be a big one, won't it?"

"I think our meals are coming," said Scully, interrupting their discussion. "Sit back in your own seat now, sweetheart." Once Sarah was seated, Scully tucked a napkin into the top of the little girl's polo shirt and laid another across her lap to prevent her clothes getting splashed with pasta sauce. Any further discussion was curtailed as they dug into their meals.

"Dana, I have to go to the bathroom," announced Sarah after she'd finished her main course.

"Okay, I'll come with you."

"I can go on my own, Dana. I know where it is." The restaurant was one that Mulder, Scully and Sarah had frequented several times before.

"All right, Sarah. Make sure you wash your hands."

"You don't have to remind me, Dana." Sarah stood there with hands on hips, striking a pose Scully usually associated with Mulder.

Margaret chuckled as the little girl headed off to the bathroom. "Sarah's a proper little lady, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is. She doesn't let you forget it, either." Scully's smile was wide and affectionate. "Sarah is such a character, Mom. She's like Mulder in so many ways, without the irritating parts." Both Scully and her mother laughed aloud and with affection. "Sarah loves working out problems and discovering things for herself." Scully paused briefly. "I think it's time Mulder gave her a little bit of independence. I've been trying to talk him into it, but he's resisting. He's not keen on the idea."

"I can understand Fox's worries," responded Margaret. "And they are only to be expected. Times have changed so much since you and your brothers were children. Not forgetting that for much of the time, we had the additional security of living on base." Scully nodded in agreement. "What sort of independence are you thinking of for Sarah?"

"Nothing drastic...letting her run the odd errand to the convenience store, perhaps. It's only a few yards down the street from their apartment; Sarah wouldn't have to cross any roads." Scully sighed. "I think she would welcome that little bit of responsibility, but Mulder won't even entertain it."

"I know it's a difficult decision for a parent to make, but ultimately it is Fox's decision. You know he would never forgive himself if anything happened to Sarah."

"I know, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to her because he followed my advice." Scully sighed again. "I know that the ultimate decision is his, but I truly believe that Sarah is ready for some responsibility. She wants to do things on her own."

"Yes, I can see that," smiled Margaret. "Perhaps you should let the matter rest for a while. The more you press it, the more Fox will dig his heels in." Mrs. Scully eyed her daughter and said gently, "Perhaps he feels that you're muscling in on his parental decisions and responsibilities."

Scully shook her head. "I don't think it's that, Mom - he wouldn't have made me Sarah's guardian, or leave her in my care if he thought that. I'm sure that it's because Mulder is well aware of what's out there - we both are - and he's afraid for Sarah's safety outside a controlled environment." Scully was silent for a moment, thinking, then she sighed. "You may be right, Mom. Perhaps I should leave it for a while. Mulder might be a little more receptive in time."

"I was just about to come looking for you," smiled Scully as Sarah retook her seat at the table.

"The bathroom was busy. I had to wait in line," replied the child. "Oh. Did you remember to wash your hands?"

"Yes, Dana." Sarah gave her guardian a long suffering look that said, 'I'm not stupid, you know.' Scully patted Sarah's wrist and said warmly,

"Good girl. Now, what would you like for dessert?" While Sarah had been in the bathroom, their plates had been cleared and the dessert menus left.

"What do they have?" asked the little girl. Scully ran through the list of half a dozen or so desserts.

Sarah thought about it for a moment then decided on the tarte au citron. "Sounds good, Sarah - I think I'll have the same," declared Mrs. Scully. "What about you, Dana?"

"Pecan pie for me, I think. Would you like coffee, Mom?"

"Yes please, dear." Once the waiter had taken their orders, the conversation started up again. "Did you hear from your daddy today, Sarah?"

"Not yet, Granny. It's only early in Phoenix. That's right, isn't it, Dana?"

"That's right, sweetheart. But knowing your daddy, I would imagine he's probably up already." Mulder was never one to let the grass grow under his feet while on a case.

"I expect Daddy will call later, when he's on his way home," said the little girl confidently. "He might call from the airport."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see. If your dad is able to call, I'm sure he will." Scully looked across and smiled at her mother. "Mulder never goes anywhere without his cellphone - it's practically welded to his ear." Both Mrs. Scully and Sarah laughed out loud; the little girl picturing her father with a cellphone attached to his ear.

Once the desserts and coffees were dispatched, Mrs. Scully settled the check. Scully had pulled out her wallet and offered to pay, but Margaret was insistent that lunch was her treat. Scully then ran her mother home, keeping half an ear on the conversation coming from the back seat where Sarah sat cuddled up to her adopted granny.

"I enjoyed having lunch with you, Granny," said the little girl.

"I enjoyed it too, Sarah." Mrs. Scully gave the child a slight squeeze. "I hope we can do it again soon."

"So do I." Sarah wrapped her arms around the older woman. "I love you, Granny Margaret."

"I love you too, Sarah." The sound of kisses exchanged. Scully glanced over her shoulder and announced, "We're here, Mom."

Once Scully had brought the car to a stop, they all got out. "Will you come in for some tea, Dana?"

"I don't think so - we should head home to finish off Mulder's cake."

"All right, dear. Sarah, it was wonderful to see you. You look after yourself, and that daddy of yours, okay? Make sure he stays out of trouble." Mrs. Scully smiled warmly at the little girl.

"I will, Granny."

"Dana, it's been good to see you. Give my love to Fox when he comes home. Take care, and drive safely."

"I will, Mom."

Hugs and kisses were exchanged all round, then Margaret kept watch and waved as Scully and Sarah drove away.

Once they were back in Scully's apartment, Sarah went off to change into shorts and a t-shirt. They had made a brief stop on the way home to buy a large chocolate bar - Sarah had insisted on making fudge frosting with real chocolate for her father's cake. Scully tied the sash of the pinafore that she had made Sarah wear, knowing that working with the frosting was likely to get messy.

"I like staying with you on my own, Dana. Can I come and stay with you again?" asked Sarah as she stirred the melting chocolate and butter mixture.

"I'd like that very much sweetheart."

"Will you ask Daddy when he comes home when I can come again?"

Scully chuckled. "I think your daddy might like to have some time with you for a while first. I promise I'll mention it to him soon and sort something out, okay?"

"Okay." Sarah ran the wooden spoon through the chocolate. "It's melted, Dana."

"Let me see...so it is. Set it to one side, sweetheart - it needs to cool down a little before you begin adding the confectioner's sugar."

"I love chocolate, Dana."

"I know you do," chuckled Scully.

"I could eat it all the time," declared Sarah, with a big smile.

"That might make you a bit sick, sweetheart."

Sarah was impatient to get on with making the fudge frosting.

"Can I start putting the confectioner's sugar in now, Dana?"

"All right. Did you measure out the right amount?" The little girl nodded and showed Scully the bowl with the white powdered sugar heaped in it. "Good girl. I think it'll be best if you add a couple of spoonfuls at a time."

"Okay, Dana." Sarah added the sugar and beat it in until the mixture became too stiff for her to handle. "I can't do any more, Dana, my arm hurts."

Scully chuckled. "It's hard work, isn't it? I'll finish it off for you." Scully quickly completed the task and handed the bowl back to her charge. "There you are, sweetheart."

Sarah sandwiched the two sponge layers together with a generous amount of frosting, reserving the remainder for the top of the cake. With one last swirl of the palette knife, the little girl stood back to admire her handiwork. "I've finished, Dana."

Scully cast an eye over the frosting. "It looks wonderful, sweetheart. You've done an excellent job."

Sarah basked in the praise, feeling very pleased with herself. She couldn't wait until her father came home and tasted her cake. "I'm going to wash my hands now, Dana, and then I'm going to start my drawing of that window in the church." With that, the little girl trotted off to the bathroom.

Father's Day. Mulder was finding it difficult to concentrate on his work and as he sat at his temporary desk in the Phoenix field office, his mind wandered back to a conversation he'd had with Scully not so long ago. "Do you ever regret not telling your father about Sarah?" she'd asked as they'd driven back from a crime scene one morning. Mulder had shrugged and replied, "I don't know, Scully. It's not something that I've thought about very much. Would it have changed anything between us if I had..." Mulder had looked pensive for a moment. "I don't know that, either."

"Have you ever talked to Sarah about your father?"

"Not really." Mulder took his eyes off the road momentarily and regarded his partner.

"Why all the questions, Scully? Has Sarah been asking about him?"

"No, nothing like that, although I imagine she might be curious."

"She hasn't said anything to me, not since my mom mentioned him that time we went up to visit."

"Perhaps Sarah has picked up on the way you feel about your father, Mulder," suggested Scully. "You know that children can sense things like that."

Mulder conceded that point. "Has she seen what he looks like?"

"Yes, she knows what he looks like. We went through my album together and I pointed out who was who and told her some of the stories behind the photos."

"I'm sure you did, Mulder." Scully gave her partner a smile. He smiled back, with one of those rare eye crinkling, teeth revealing Mulder smiles. "I can keep her amused for hours with my stories. She loves hearing what Sam and I got up to when we were young."

"Then perhaps it's time you told Sarah a little more about her Grandpa Mulder. She has a right to know about him."

"Maybe," answered Mulder thoughtfully. He smiled wistfully. "I've told you before that it wasn't all bad... I remember the good times, when he used to take me fishing on the lake by the summer house...we used to get into our little rowing boat, row out into the middle of the lake and stay there most of the day. Mom would make us a picnic lunch, and if we caught anything, Dad would barbecue it for dinner the same evening." Mulder smiled again, his eyes shining. He was warming to his theme. "Once, Dad let me drive the car. We found a deserted stretch of beach and he let me take the wheel. God, Scully - I felt so important and grown up. It was our secret - if Mom had known that Dad had let me drive she would have had a fit. I couldn't tell Sam, she would have blabbed to Mom straight away." Mulder chuckled softly. "Sam could never keep anything secret. I guess I inherited my secretive nature from my father... who knows what secrets he took with him to his grave?"

Mulder came back to the present, staring at the papers in front of him until all the words began to mesh into a blur. He sat back, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired and hot and thirsty.

He was also missing Scully and Sarah, and feeling resentful at having to work when he would rather have been at home with his family; sleeping late and then making slow, sweet love with Scully, enjoying a leisurely brunch at a restaurant then a baseball knock-about in the park with Sarah and the junior sized bat and ball he had given her recently. Scully would be there with her camera, capturing their activities and antics for posterity. Mulder's thoughts stayed with Sarah, and her reaction if he was unable to get home in time to make her Father's Day complete. He had no doubt that he would be receiving some sort of card - the school usually had the children make cards for special occasions to give to their parents' - and maybe a gift. Definitely a gift, he amended. Perhaps something hand made at school, or maybe something Sarah had saved up her money to buy. The origin of the gift would be of no consequence to Mulder - he would be delighted to receive it wherever it came from.

A sudden image of his daughter flashed into Mulder's head. He could see her with her nose pressed against the window of Scully's apartment, staring out forlornly, like an orphan watching and waiting for a new mother and father to come and pick her out from all the other children desperately wanting a new home and a new mommy and daddy. Sarah had had a preoccupation with orphanages, and one day Mulder had gently broached the subject with her. His heart had almost broken when she'd revealed that she'd been afraid that no one would want her after her mother died, and she'd have to go and live in an orphanage.

Mulder's fingers drummed on the desk, the same rhythm over and over, thinking, thinking. There was no contest really; he knew what he had to do. He stood abruptly, his chair shooting backwards, and marched purposefully into the ASAC's office.

**

Sarah had finished her drawing and she now found herself once again studying the photograph of Captain Scully in his uniform. He looked very solemn. Sarah headed back to the sofa with the photo in hand and made herself comfy beside Scully, who had been reading while her charge drew at the desk. "Tell me about your daddy," asked the little girl.

It was Scully's turn to study the photo of her father. His bluff, gruff exterior had always masked his inner feelings and even now there were still times when Scully wondered if he had indeed been proud of her. "Well, as I told you yesterday he was a captain in the Navy, and he was away from home a lot. He'd go away for months and months at a time; not days or a week like your dad. I didn't see very much of my dad, maybe a couple of times a year if we were lucky. Having two brothers and a sister..."

"Aunty Missy?" interjected Sarah.

"That's right, sweetheart," replied Scully with a smile, thinking how tickled her sister would have been to learn that the little girl thought of Missy as her aunt. Scully continued with her narrative. "Because I had to share my dad with my two brothers and my sister, I didn't get him all to myself like you do with your dad. The time I spent with my dad was always very special. We had names for each other - he was Ahab, and I was Starbuck."

"Why?" asked the little girl.

"Because it was something that only I shared with my dad. It was special, just between us. The names came from his favorite book - 'Moby Dick'."

"But why were you named after a coffee shop?" Sarah wore a perplexed expression which made Scully chuckle.

"Sweetheart, the book was written a long, long time before Starbucks came into existence. They took the name from the book like we did."

Sarah digested that. "My dad used to tell us about all the different places he'd visited around the world, and he always brought us back a small present each."

"Like Daddy does for me," smiled Sarah, and Scully nodded. Sarah's little face took on a sudden anxiousness. "Dana, Daddy will like my present, won't he?"

"He'll love it, sweetheart. I promise." Scully squeezed her young charge's shoulders gently.

A long pause followed, then Sarah said very quietly, "Daddy's not coming, is he?" The little girl's chin trembled, and her sad brown eyes filled with hot tears. Scully addressed her companion gently and with great sympathy. Mulder's probable nonappearance was just as disappointing to her.

"It does look like he might not make it, Sarah. Daddy did tell you that he might not be home today."

"But he has to come home today," sobbed the child. "I want to give him my card and present and the cake."

Scully enveloped Sarah in her arms and rested her cheek against the child's soft and silky hair. "I know you do, sweetie, but daddy will love the things you have for him whether you give them to him today or tomorrow."

"But I have to give it to him today or it won't count." Scully's heart contracted painfully; she knew it would be a hard lesson for Sarah to accept that sometimes her father's work had to come before her or other personal matters. "Why hasn't Daddy called?"

"Maybe he's busy, sweetheart." Scully stroked the child's hair, trying to allay Sarah's underlying anxiety. "I'm sure he'll call sooner or later."

In her head, Scully sent out a silent plea for Mulder to get in touch. I don't care how you do it, Mulder, but please, please call.

Sarah shuffled into the room, looking very glum and dejected, and slumped on the sofa. It was almost as if the life had gone out of her. Scully tried to engage her in conversation, but Sarah was not in the mood to talk. Scully's heart went out to the little girl - she knew that Mulder would have done his utmost to get home, but sometimes it just wasn't possible. The telephone rang, an unwelcome harsh and discordant noise shredding the unhappy silence into a million pieces, making both Scully and Sarah jump out of their skins.

Sarah looked up sharply. "Do you think that's Daddy?" she asked, her voice full of hope.

"I don't know, sweetheart. Let's find out."

Sarah could hardly contain herself as Scully lifted the handset. "Who is it, Dana?" she asked, bouncing on her toes. "Is it Daddy?"

Scully held up a finger for quiet, and gave her name. "Hey, Scully." Mulder's cheerful salutation came down the line.

"Mulder? Where are you?" Scully smiled at Sarah, seeing the young girl standing there, hands clasped and hardly daring to breathe.

"Not that far away," came the response.

Scully wasn't in the mood for games - she didn't want Sarah upset any more than she already was. "Mulder - " There was danger in that tone.

"Why don't you come find me?" Mulder heard Scully tell Sarah to go and look out of the window.

"Daddy's not out there, Dana," reported Sarah. She ran back to Scully's side. "Where is he?"

"You're looking in the wrong place, Scully. Try a little closer."

"I think I know where he is," smiled Scully, and she started to move towards the front door. "Shall we see if daddy's out here?"

Sarah nodded vigorously, her hair bouncing wildly about her shoulders. Scully opened the door and Sarah's face lit up like a beacon.

"Daddy!" shrieked the little girl, seeing her father standing there, wearing a huge grin, cellphone to his ear. Sarah leaped immediately into her father's arms. Her long legs snaked around his waist, her arms around his neck, and she clung on like a limpet.

"Hello sweetheart," chuckled Mulder, his arms enfolding his daughter tightly as he drank deeply of her own special fragrance. "How are my two favorite girls in all the world?"

"We're fine, Mulder - even better now that you're home," replied Scully, grasping his arm and standing up on tiptoe to kiss him. Somehow, Mulder managed to wrap an arm around Scully while holding onto Sarah and the three of them squeezed through the door as one. "It's good to be home, Scully. I missed you. Both of you."

"We missed you too, Daddy. I thought you weren't coming home."

"What?! And miss my special day?" asked Mulder in mock seriousness. "You didn't think I'd let you celebrate without me, did you?" His hand stroked up and down Sarah's back. It felt so good to have her in his arms again. Mulder squeezed his daughter then set her feet back on the floor before turning to Scully and enveloping her in a hug and kissing her, long and deep. "Welcome home, Mulder," she said breathlessly, cupping one stubbled cheek and reluctantly prying herself away from him.

"Look Daddy - I'm wearing my Galli bears t-shirt!" Sarah danced from foot to foot in front of her father, who sat on the sofa with his arm around Scully. The little girl was full of nervous energy at his return. "So I see." Mulder had seen the t-shirt in a shop window in Juneau, Alaska, while there on a recent case, and hadn't been able to resist buying one for his daughter. Sarah had fallen in love with the pale green shirt, and the three cool looking polar bears on the front, as soon as she'd set eyes on it. At the moment, the bears were all wearing tiny pairs of sunglasses that could be bought separately from the t-shirts. "And do you like my tattoos, Daddy?" Sarah indicated the black woven bands around her neck and wrist. "Tattoos?" Mulder looked questioningly at Scully, as if to ask what she'd been doing to his daughter in his absence. "They're not real, Daddy," Sarah informed her father. "I'm relieved to hear that, sweetheart."

"You've caught the sun, Mulder," said Scully, noticing his tanned face and arms. She envied him the type of skin and coloring that enabled him to tan with ease - Scully's red hair and fair skin meant that no matter how hard she tried, she ended up resembling a beetroot. "Well, Scully, it was a little difficult to avoid it," was Mulder's smiling reply.

Sarah clambered all over her father, delighted to have him back. "Daddy, Dana took me to meet a funny little man called Frokey. He looks like a troll, but Dana said he's your friend. And the man with the long hair called me a munchkin." Sarah pouted. "I told him I wasn't a munchkin. I'm not am I, Daddy?"

"Of course you aren't, sweetheart," replied Mulder, winking at Scully over his daughter's head. "I liked the man with the beard," declared Sarah. "He was nice."

"Byers," said her father and Sarah nodded. "He shook my hand and made Frokey get us drinks."

"So what were you doing visiting the Gunmen, Scully?" asked Mulder. "Special mission, Mulder. All will be revealed in a little while."

"I can't wait." Sarah couldn't wait any longer either. "Can I do it now, Dana?" she asked turning to Scully.

"Do what?" inquired Mulder, his interest piqued by all the secrecy.

"I think the surprise is going to be revealed sooner than I thought." Scully smiled at Sarah. "Okay sweetheart, you can do it now."

Sarah scurried off to fetch her father's card and gift, handed them to him then sat at his feet to watch him open it. "You have to read the card first, Daddy."

"All right." Mulder first read the front then the inside of Sarah's card. "This is beautiful, sweetheart. Did you make it?" The little girl nodded. "Dana helped me. She cut out the heart for me. It's made from one of Dana's old slips and stuffed with cotton balls." Mulder turned to Scully, the card in hand. "I didn't know you were so resourceful, Scully."

"Oh, there's no end to my talents, Mulder." Scully gave him a sultry smile. "Really?" Mulder's eyebrows lifted and a slow grin spread across his face. He leaned towards her in his typical space invading fashion and said with hushed silkiness, "I think I'll have to explore these other talents some time." The faint aroma of roses drifted up from the card - the satin slip that Scully had provided for the heart was impregnated with the scent of the perfumed sachets that she put in her dresser to keep her clothes smelling sweet. Mulder inhaled deeply, drawing in the perfume and wondering if Scully had ever worn the red slip in his presence. His mental meanderings were interrupted by Sarah instructing him to open his gift. "It's much too prettily wrapped to open," Mulder declared. "You have to open it, Daddy," insisted Sarah. "Well, I'll be very careful. I don't want to spoil this nice paper." Mulder was as good as his word, taking great care to open the gift without tearing the mulberry paper. Sarah watched with bated breath and eyes aglow as he slowly drew the box out of its wrappings. Mulder opened the box and his face grew wide - he couldn't contain his laughter at the little alien figure. "Do you like it, Daddy?" Sarah asked eagerly. "I love it, sweetheart. Thank you." He kissed her tenderly. "You can take him apart and see what's inside him," explained the child. "There you are, Mulder - you can perform your very own alien autopsy," chuckled Scully. "What made you buy this for me, sweetheart?"

"I thought you'd like one, Daddy. I thought it would be fun."

"You made a very good choice, Sarah." The alien would take pride of place on the bookshelf behind Mulder's office desk.

It was Mulder's turn to hand out a gift. "I've got something for you," he said to Sarah. "Hop down and bring me the overnight bag, sweetheart." Sarah was across the room and back in a trice in anticipation of receiving a present. She watched and waited patiently as her father rummaged about in the travel bag. "Now, where did I put it...no, it's not there..." He moved to root around the other end of the bag. "Can't find it there, either. Maybe I left it behind." He looked up at his daughter from beneath his lashes to see the anticipation slowly fade from her features. "Ah, just a minute... Here it is!" Mulder produced the black regulation FBI baseball cap, with its yellow lettering, with a flourish and plonked it down on his daughter's head. "What do you think of that, sweetheart?"

"I like it, Daddy. I'm going to see what I look like."

"Has Sarah always marked Father's Day?" asked Scully as Sarah disappeared out of the room. "Annie did, on Sarah's behalf. Annie was very good about remembering the important days in the year." Scully had figured as much. "So Scully," said Mulder, holding up the little alien. "Was this your idea?"

Scully raised her hands, palms outwards. "Nothing to do with me at all, Mulder. It was all Sarah's idea. She saw it advertised in one of your magazines. I knew we wouldn't be able to get one by today through mail order, and then I thought of the Gunmen. I called, and as usual they came up trumps."

"Where did they get them from?"

"Don't ask, Mulder - like me, you don't want to know." Mulder chuckled. "You don't have to say any more, Scully." She stroked his chest, changing the subject. "I have to be honest, Mulder - I didn't think you'd make it home."

"Do you think I'd miss seeing my little girl on this special day?" Mulder asked softly, his hand stroking casually over her upper arm. Scully was smiling and shaking her head. "What, Scully?"

"Sarah's your daughter without a doubt, Mulder. She was convinced that you'd come home in time to celebrate Father's Day. Her belief sustained her all through the weekend, although she did waver a little this afternoon." Scully paused then said quietly, "You could have called, Mulder. It would only have taken a moment to put Sarah's mind at rest." Mulder's thumb stroked the back of Scully's hand. "I know, and I'm sorry I didn't call, but I didn't have time. I barely made the flight as it is."

"You closed the case?"

"Not exactly..." Mulder suddenly looked guilty.

"What did you do, Mulder?" asked Scully cautiously, not sure that she really wanted to know.

Mulder took a deep breath. "Scully, I have a confession to make. I told a little white lie. I said I had a family emergency, and if they didn't let me come home, I'd leave anyway."

"You certainly know how to endear yourself to others, Mulder," sighed Scully. "Skinner will have your ass for this, you know that, don't you?"

Mulder shrugged, resigned to the inevitable bawling out from their

superior. "It wouldn't be the first time, would it."

"Well, I'm so glad you're here, for Sarah's sake."

"I couldn't disappoint her, Scully - I just couldn't do it. I don't want Sarah to turn round in twenty years time and accuse me of not being there when it mattered. As I was sitting there, I suddenly remembered something I told Annie a long time ago: that there are some things more important than work." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Besides, I was missing you," he added softly. "The rest of me might have been in Phoenix, but my heart was here, with you."

"Oh, Mulder...I missed you too," answered Scully. She let time skip a beat then added, "Especially talking to you through the wall of the sports page at the breakfast table." Her blue eyes twinkled mischievously, and Mulder couldn't help but laugh happily. "Get used to it, Scully. I can't start my day until I've read the box scores." They both laughed, then sealed Mulder's homecoming with another long and loving kiss.

Sarah was back, still wearing the baseball cap, back to front this time. She was prowling around the room while Scully was in the kitchen making coffee, the little girl's fingers hooked over like claws. "I'm a wild animal, Daddy. I'm in a cage."

"That's where you should be all right, but I don't think there's a cage big enough to hold you," Mulder grinned at his little girl. "We'd have to feed you through the bars."

"Daddy!" cried Sarah indignantly. She loped over and scaled the back of Scully's sofa, draping her arms around her father's neck. He made a gurgling sound, as if he was being strangled. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Sarah." He'd never known his daughter to be so hyper. He knew she was glad to see him, so tried not to sound harsh when he reminded her gently that she shouldn't climb on the furniture. "Come and sit with me, sweetheart. I missed your hugs and cuddles while I was away." Instead of walking around normally, Sarah charged at her father, then leapt on him, almost knocking the breath out of him. "Raaaaar! I'm a tiger and I'm going to eat you up!"

"I've never seen a tiger wearing a baseball cap," he quipped as he wrapped his arms around her. "Now then, I think it's time you settled down a little, Sarah." The little girl burrowed into her father's chest. "I missed you, Daddy."

"I missed you too, sweetheart." Mulder's fingers gently combed through Sarah's hair. "Were you good for Dana?"

"Yes, Daddy. I was very good. I helped Dana with chores and I made my own bed."

"That's excellent, Sarah. I'm very proud of you." Mulder kissed the top of his daughter's head.

"Dana said that I can come and stay with her on my own again. And guess what else, Daddy? When we went to church this morning I lit a candle for Mommy."

"That was very nice of you, sweetheart," answered Mulder warmly. "I lit one for you as well, Daddy," revealed the little girl. "I said a prayer too. And I told the priest about Mommy. He said that he talks to God, but that God doesn't always answer him. And I drew you a picture of the window in the church. Dana said it's called a rose window because of the shape."

Sarah was still chattering away when Scully returned with the coffee and chocolate milk for Sarah.

"I have something else for you, Daddy," announced Sarah.

"Another present?" asked Mulder with a smile. "You're spoiling me, sweetheart."

Sarah gave her father a hug then slipped off his lap and held out a hand to Scully. "Dana, can you help me, please?"

"Sure."

They came back shortly, both holding the plate with Mulder's cake resting on it. "We made this for you," said Sarah, presenting the cake to her father.

"Actually, Mulder, Sarah did most of it," advised Scully. "It's really all her own work."

"It looks delicious, sweetheart. Chocolate cake is my favorite." Sarah beamed. "I know, Daddy. Do you remember when I made one for Granny Page and you asked me to make one for you one day?"

"I remember, Sarah," smiled Mulder. He examined the cake again. It was a little lopsided, but in Mulder's eyes it was perfect. "Shall we cut this?" Mulder set the cake on the coffee table, cut three generous slices and handed them around, then Sarah climbed back up into his lap.

"The frosting has real chocolate in it, Daddy. I had to melt it in a bowl over warm water."

"You've been really busy while I was away." Mulder forked up a mouthful of the cake and Sarah waited with bated breath for her father's verdict. "Delicious, sweetheart. My compliments to the chef."

Scully placed her empty plate and fork on the coffee table then stood up. "I won't be a moment, Mulder." Scully came back and presented Mulder with a neatly wrapped package.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Open it and you'll find out."

Mulder tore off the paper and drew out a silver, heart shaped photograph frame with a wonderful study of Sarah inside it. He stared at the picture for a long time before saying, "Scully...I don't know what to say. It's beautiful." His face suddenly clouded. "But I didn't give you anything for Mother's Day."

Scully took his hand in hers. "Yes you did, Mulder." He gave her a confused look. "You gave me Sarah. She's the most precious gift I've ever received."

The End