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Title: Sarah Companion: You Can't Always Get What You Want Summary: Mulder and Sarah are at odds and tempers become frayed; Sarah learns that actions have consequences. "But I want it, Daddy!" Sarah whined and tugged on her father's hand as he strode past the tempting stores in the mall. Mulder kept his eyes focused ahead and said, "There are many things that I want but I can't have them." "But Daddeee..." "I said no, Sarah, and that's the end of it," replied Mulder sharply. "How many more times do I have to tell you you can't have everything you want?" "But I neeeeeed it, Daddy." Sarah tugged extra hard on her father's hand. Mulder stopped in his tracks and turned to his daughter. "Don't be so dramatic, Sarah. You don't need a cellphone. It's not the end of the world if you don't have one." "All my friends have cellphones." Sarah sulked. Mulder knew that was hardly likely. "I'm willing to bet that Vanessa doesn't have one." Sarah scowled at him. "What about Cindy? Darryl? Lucy?" Sarah shook her head to all of them. "So, we've established that in fact not all your friends have cellphones," said Mulder, as if he was summarizing evidence from a case. "This is just a craze, sweetheart -- next week you'll be asking me for something else that you desperately need. Now come on -- I told Mommy we'd be back by one. We need to buy toiletries first and we don't have all day." "No." Sarah stamped her foot, fury bubbling just under the surface. "I'm not coming until you say I can have it." "Then you'll be standing there for a long time. Sarah, I want you to stop this nonsense and come with me." Sarah glared at her father's back as he walked away and stuck out her tongue as far as it would go, only for him to glance back over his shoulder and see her. Mulder made no comment about her insolence, just telling her to get a move on. Reluctantly, Sarah started to follow along behind him, dragging her feet; her sneakers making excruciating screeching sounds as they scraped against the mall floor. "I hate you," she said loudly. "I know you do, but I'll get over it." "Dana would let me have it." Interesting, thought Mulder. At one time, Sarah would have thrown her birth mother in his face but now it was Scully -- a sure sign that Sarah had completely accepted Scully as her other parent. "I don't think so, Sarah." "You never let me have anything I want." Mulder did not reply; he simply shook his head, mentally running through the litany of his daughter's complaints. He'd heard it all before, many times. At first it had hurt, now he just let it wash over him. His daughter's tantrums and sulks always followed the same pattern. "You're mean and I hate you." "I don't like you very much at the moment, either," replied Mulder. He stopped and turned to Sarah. "Your attempts at emotional blackmail are not working, so you might as well give up." With that, Mulder carried on towards the drug store with Sarah trailing behind, whining and complaining continuously. She'd been like a bear with a sore head when she'd woken that morning, not even bothering to join her father and mother for their ritual cuddle. Mulder wasn't surprised -- it had been a hot and sultry night and Mulder had heard Sarah tossing and turning for most of it, so he knew she hadn't slept well. At one point he'd gone into her room to find her spread across the bed and the sheet that had been covering her in a heap on the floor. Mulder had carefully covered Sarah again then headed back to bed. Sarah had been contrary over breakfast, demanding waffles instead of the bagel Mulder had defrosted overnight at her request. Then Sarah had complained that the waffles were too crisp and not nice like Mommy made them. He should have known that he was going to be in for one of those days when they would be constantly at odds. Scully wasn't there to add her calming influence either -- she had left earlier to help her mother clear out her attic, Mulder's requests to take care and not to over-tax herself now that she was pregnant echoing in her ears. Mulder had tried to jolly Sarah out of her mood over breakfast but she wasn't having it. She had then fought with her father over what to wear, and eventually he had given in and let her wear the new shorts and t-shirt that Scully had intended to save for Sarah's forthcoming stay with Granny Mulder. He knew Scully wouldn't be pleased but by then he was too hot and bothered himself to argue with Sarah any further. Stuffing his wallet in the back pocket of his shorts, Mulder had left Sarah to it. Things didn't improve once they were seated in the car. "Belt up, sweetheart," said Mulder as he put the key into the ignition. "Don't want to," answered Sarah sullenly, with a very pronounced pout. "Then we'll be sitting here all day. I'm not moving until you snap on the belt. What if we had an accident? I wouldn't want you to go through life horribly scarred, or in a wheelchair, just because you didn't wear your seat belt; I'm sure you wouldn't want that either." Mulder paused for a moment, then, "So what's it to be, Sarah? Are we going to sit here and fight all day, or are you going to put your seat belt on?" Sarah glared at him, then with a noisy and exaggerated sigh, she clipped the belt into place. "I'll wait here for you, Daddy," Sarah announced when they reached the drug store entrance. "No you won't. I want you to come in with me." The child's face took on a pained expression. "But I don't want to go in. It's boring and you take too long." "Too bad. You're coming in whether you like it or not." Mulder was fast losing patience with his recalcitrant daughter. He grasped her hand and jerked on it to pull her in. "Ow!" yelled Sarah. "You hurt me!" Mulder was past the point of sympathy. "Stop exaggerating, Sarah. If you'd done what I'd asked in the first place, you wouldn't have cause to complain." "I'm going to call Social Services and tell them you beat me," she yelled, rubbing her arm. Mulder was tempted to ask if Vanessa had been putting ideas into his daughter's head again, but he refrained. "Don't be so silly, Sarah. I want you to come with me -- now." Mulder had his hands on his daughter's shoulders but Sarah was past the point of no return. "No! I'm not going in there!" With that, the little girl started to struggle and lash out with her fists. Mulder managed to catch his daughter's flailing wrists in his hands and as they continued to struggle Sarah bellowed, "GET OFF ME!" Mulder could see heads turning their way, wondering what the commotion was and on the very periphery of his vision, Mulder spotted a burly looking man approaching wearing an anxious and concerned expression. "Is everything okay here?" asked the man. "Everything's fine," answered Mulder through gritted teeth. "My daughter's throwing a tantrum. There's nothing to worry about." The man didn't look convinced - Sarah was still struggling and protesting loudly. "Maybe you should let her go," he suggested. "It looks like you're hurting her." "And maybe you should butt out," growled Mulder, still clinging on to his struggling daughter. "This is none of your business." The man pulled himself up to his full height -- he had the edge over Mulder by a good few inches. "Look pal, for all I know you could be trying to abduct this kid..." "This kid is my daughter. Can't you see the likeness?" Mulder was beginning to wonder if the guy was blind. The burly man humphed. "Show me some ID." "Excuse me?" Mulder wasn't sure he'd heard right. "I want to see some ID." Muttering curses under his breath, Mulder kept one hand on Sarah and fumbled in his pocket for his wallet. When he found it he flipped it open and thrust his Bureau credentials in the man's face. "Satisfied?" Sarah's would-be saviour still didn't look convinced and he turned to Sarah. He couldn't deny that the child was the image of her father but he had to be sure. "Is this man your daddy?" Sarah glared at Mulder then barked, "Yes, and I hate him." Deflated, the man raised his hands to Mulder in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, I'm sorry...you just can't be too sure these days..." "Yeah yeah, I know." Finally, the man grunted and walked off, leaving Mulder mumbling about goddamn nosey parkers. Suddenly Sarah kicked out blindly, in a last bid to escape her father's clutches, and caught Mulder on the shin with her sandal, breaking the skin there. Her father's cry of pain stopped her in mid-struggle and she looked down at the blood gathering on his leg, shock registering on her face. Mulder had to walk away, put a little distance between them; he was afraid he might hit Sarah. He stood there, hands on hips and shaking his head, his back to his daughter, counting mentally to ten as the little girl watched and waited, afraid of what was to come next. Mulder came back and glared down at her. "I'm done with your whining and bad behavior, Sarah Elizabeth. I've had enough. You'd better adjust that attitude before you're much older, young lady." He grasped his daughter's elbow. "Now get moving and don't let me hear another peep out of you." Mulder went around the drugstore as quickly as possible -- he didn't want to spend a minute longer in there than he had to. Sarah haphazardly tossed the toiletries into a carrier bag while her father paid for them, then they came out of the store and headed off towards the mall exit and their car. "I'm thirsty, Daddy. I want a drink," announced Sarah. "I'm sorry, Sarah, we don't have time. You'll have to wait until we get home." "But I want one now. It won't take a minute, Daddy." "I said no, Sarah. We're already running late. Why didn't you think of this in the drug store? We could have gotten you a drink in there." Mulder continued his long strides towards the exit. Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. "I WANT A DRINK!" she yelled, very loudly. Mulder spun around, an angry expression on his face and his teeth clenched, hissing angrily, "If I hear 'I want' from you once more, Sarah, you're going to be in big trouble. Now come on." "I'll lay down on the floor and scream," threatened Sarah darkly. "Go ahead," answered Mulder. "I'll walk away and leave you to get on with it." He would too, and Sarah knew it. "Keep this up, Sarah, and you won't be going to stay with Granny Mulder at the holidays." Mulder knew that his threat had hit home. The little girl's expression became wary and Mulder could see her turning the options over in her mind. Sarah adored her paternal grandmother and was eagerly awaiting the school holidays and her stay in Connecticut. "You have to let me go," reasoned Sarah, her chin jutting out defiantly, as she put her father to the test. She knew he never made a threat unless he was prepared to carry it through, but she was willing to test his resolve this one time. "Granny will be sad and disappointed if I don't visit her." "Yes, that's true, but once I explain to Granny why you are unable to visit, I'm sure she'd understand. One phone call, Sarah that's all it takes and your visit will be no more." "You won't really cancel my visit," she said brazenly, making one last attempt at calling her father's bluff. "You don't really mean it, Daddy." "I don't think you'd want to test me on that, Sarah." Sarah wore the angriest expression Mulder had ever seen. "Now, are you coming or do I make that call when we get home?" When Mulder and Sarah arrived back at the house, Sarah stomped in with such a scowl on her face that Scully was taken aback. The child looked like she had her own personal thundercloud above her head. Scully looked at her husband and partner, her eyebrows raised in silent communication, and Mulder mouthed back, "Don't ask," making a throttling motion above his daughter's head. Scully's eyebrows raised again, this time in complete understanding of Mulder's unspoken reply. "I want my drink now." Sarah stood glaring at her father, her bottom lip at full pout. "Didn't I make myself clear in the car, Sarah? You won't have anything if you carry on speaking to me like that," replied Mulder. "Sweetheart, why don't you..." began Scully, deciding to intervene and attempt to defuse the situation. "I'm not your sweetheart!" screeched Sarah, letting Scully have the full force of her anger. "And you're not my Mommy! You can't tell me what to do. I hate you!" Scully stood there open mouthed -- Sarah had never spoken to her in such a manner before. Mulder was just as taken aback. "Sarah Elizabeth! How dare you speak to your mother like that! I want you to apologize right now." "I won't!" yelled Sarah, stamping her foot. "You will apologize this minute, young lady." Mulder's cheeks were deeply flushed, a sure sign that his own temper was barely being kept in check. The little girl remained defiantly silent. "I warned you about your attitude, Sarah - I won't put up with it any longer. Go to your room and stay there until I say you can come out." Sarah glared at her father, then stomped off to her room, slamming the door with such force that Scully thought it would come off its hinges. Mulder exhaled a huge sigh of relief. "I'm so sorry, Scully..." "It's all right, Mulder -- " "No, it isn't. Sarah had no reason to speak to you like that...it was unforgivable. I won't have her addressing you in that manner." Scully gave him a moment then asked, "What the hell's been going on between you two?" "You don't want to know," he replied with a long sigh. Scully wasn't about to let him off the hook so lightly. "I'll get us some iced tea and you can tell me all about it." Mulder was still distracted, listening to the banging and crashing that was emanating from his daughter's room. "What? Oh, yeah...that would be nice, Scully." Sarah kicked her bedroom door, then her bed, dresser and desk; she grabbed the first thing within reach -- a metal tub of markers and colored pencils - and hurled it at the wall. The tub resounded off the wall with a 'clang,' the markers and colored pencils flying in all directions. Sarah's next target was the photograph of her father that sat on the shelf next to her bed; she slammed it face down with a vehement, "I HATE YOU!" Soft toys were snatched up and hurled every which way as the little girl vented her rage. An orderly pile of comics was tossed hither and thither, videos swept to the floor. Finally, the little girl threw herself onto her bed and pummelled the pillow before hurling it at the bedroom door. Scully folded her legs beneath her as she made herself comfortable in her armchair, took a sip of her drink and asked, "So Mulder, what's the story?" He rubbed his brow with two fingers then related the morning's events as they had happened. "Can you believe it, Scully? Sarah said she would call Social Services and tell them that I beat her. Why would she say that?" Scully shrugged -- it was plain that Sarah's declaration was beyond belief to Mulder, and causing him much anxiety but Scully had no answer for him. "Is she still so uncertain of her place with me that she feels she has to keep testing me?" "I don't know, Mulder. You're the psychologist." "Some psychologist," he snorted. "I don't even understand my own daughter." He slumped against the back of the sofa. "But that wasn't the half of it, Scully..." Mulder went on to tell Scully about the audience they had attracted and Sarah's would-be rescuer. "Thing is, Scully, although I resented his interference, I would have done the same thing had I been in his shoes. If I'd come across the same scene, I couldn't have passed by or turned a blind eye." Mulder sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sarah was a little beast today, Scully -- no, a monster. I really could have strangled her." He held his face in his hands for a moment, before dragging them slowly down his cheeks. "I came this close to hitting Sarah...if I hadn't stepped away..." "But you did, Mulder, and you didn't hit her." Scully unfolded herself and moved across the room to sit beside him, taking his hand. "We all have our off days, Mulder -- even children." She smiled. "I've known plenty of occasions when you've contradicted everything I've said, just because you might have gotten out of bed the wrong side that morning. And what's more, I think you enjoy it." Mulder gave his wife a look of wide eyed innocence. "Me, Scully? No," smiled Mulder lopsidedly, shaking his head. "When have I ever disagreed with anything you've said? You must have me confused with someone else." Scully couldn't help laughing. Sometimes Mulder had the cheek of the Devil. "Not unless you have a very aggravating clone," she replied. Scully squeezed his hand. "Sarah's actions...they're not personal, Mulder - she loves you more than anything, you know that. The recent hot nights and subsequent lack of sleep are enough to put anyone in a bad mood. You just happened to be in the firing line. Give her a little space and she'll be fine." "I wish I could be as optimistic as you, Scully." Then Mulder smiled wryly. "How do you think it would go down if I said I was a victim of child abuse? From my own daughter? A battered father that would be a first." "You'll get over it, Mulder. It's just a little scratch." Mulder humphed. "I don't know where the urge for Sarah to lash out physically comes from...she was never like that when she was younger. Sarah's always had a temper...Annie was forever telling me about the battles they'd had, and yet when I was there she'd be sweetness itself...Sarah would do anything for me. That would really get Annie's goat -- she would take it so personally...as if she was a failure, but we both knew it was because I wasn't a constant presence in Sarah's life. I was just an occasional visitor, and children always act differently with visitors whether they're family or friends." "I think Sarah gets into such a rage that lashing out is the only way she can express it," offered Scully. "Children don't have the range of words to express how they're feeling, unlike adults who might swear and cuss and immediately feel better. Children vent their anger and frustration by hitting out; kicking, biting and pinching and generally being uncooperative. It's far healthier for Sarah to let it out rather than bottle it up inside." "I guess so," sighed Mulder unhappily. They sat together in silence for a while, finishing their iced tea. Mulder leaned his head against the back of the sofa and turned it towards Scully. He studied her intently then said, "Nice dress, Scully. Is it new?" "Yes. I bought it a couple of weeks ago, when you were out of town." Mulder eyed again the blue green linen shift. "The color suits you. It makes your eyes stand out." Scully blushed at this unexpected compliment. "Thank you, Mulder." "You're welcome, Scully." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "So, how did it go at your mom's? What treasures did you unearth in her attic?" "Stuff I haven't seen in years," chuckled Scully. "Mom still has things that we had as kids, and a few possessions of my dad's. She got rid of most of his stuff after he died -- a lot of it went to Bill and Charlie but there are one or two pieces that she kept...Navy things mostly. The most precious mementos she keeps in her bedroom." "Best not to hang on to too many memories," said Mulder thoughtfully, and Scully knew immediately that he was referring to his own unhappy past. "Well, all our memories will be happy ones, Mulder." Scully squeezed his hand. "I hope so, Scully." "You can count on it, Mulder." He nodded, but Scully could tell that his mind was still occupied with the morning's events -- he was merely being dutiful in asking about her morning. "Anyway, we'll talk about my day later. You're still troubled over Sarah, aren't you?" Mulder didn't say, but Scully knew he was grateful for the entre. "Is it me, Scully? Am I the problem?" "I don't know what you mean, Mulder." "Is Sarah having trouble relating to me?" Mulder turned to face her, his expression troubled. "Am I a good role model, Scully?" "In what way, Mulder?" "As a man...as a father. It suddenly struck me the other day that apart from Annie's brief marriage to Jim, Sarah has never had a constant male role model in her life. I can't count myself -- my contact with Sarah was erratic at best, until now. She's always been surrounded by women, from the moment she was born...her mother and grandmother, and now you, your mom and my mom. Do you think that the concentration of female influence has given Sarah a problem dealing with men, Scully?" "Not at all, Mulder. Sarah relates very well to men. She's not afraid or shy in male company." Mulder didn't look reassured. "As for your fathering abilities...you're a natural. Sarah adores you she worships the ground you walk on and hangs on to your every word. I don't think you have any worries on that score." Scully smiled. She'd told him the same thing so many times, but he still had lingering doubts about his parenting abilities. "You're over-analyzing the situation, Mulder...you're looking for things that aren't there. Sarah is a perfectly normal, healthy child. Tantrums are part of growing up; she's testing the boundaries of your authority...and don't forget that Sarah's on the verge of puberty and all that entails. Hormone surges, mood swings..." Mulder rolled his eyes. "I don't even want to think about all that, Scully." Scully laughed lightly. "We'll deal with it, Mulder, just like we deal with everything else. Together." He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm so glad I have you, Scully. I don't think I could go through it without your wise counsel." They sat together quietly, hand in hand, for some time. "I'd better go see if Sarah's okay," said Mulder, rising. He went to the little girl's bedroom and tapped lightly on the door. "Who is it?" demanded Sarah. "It's me." She jumped up and bolted for the door. "Go away! I don't want to talk to you. I hate you!" "Come on, sweetheart," pleaded Mulder. "This has gone far enough. Let me in so that we can talk." "No." Mulder turned the handle and met resistance -- Sarah was leaning against the other side of the door in an effort to prevent her father entering. "Come on, Sarah -- let me in." He didn't want to push on the door and risk hurting his daughter. "NO! GO AWAY!" Mulder cursed under his breath, his anger bubbling once more to the surface. "Okay, have it your own way. If you want to stay in there all day and miss dinner that's up to you." With that, he turned and marched back to the living room. Sarah threw herself onto her bed - she wasn't going to cry, she wasn't. But the little girl couldn't stop her eyes from filling and two big fat tears rolling down her face to splash onto her quilt. Sarah buried her face into her pillow and sobbed - she hated fighting with her daddy. The little girl was angry and exhausted; she picked up Growler and clasped him to her chest, eventually crying herself to sleep. An hour had passed since Mulder had tried to talk to his daughter. Scully couldn't sit there any longer without intervening. "Mulder, I'm going to check on Sarah." "Leave her, Scully. Sarah's made her decision and she has to live with it." Scully knew how much it must be hurting him to harden his heart. If only they both weren't so stubborn! "I can't just leave her, Mulder. It's very quiet in there." "Do what you want, Scully, but don't blame me if Sarah bites your head off." Scully went around to her daughter's room and tapped lightly on the door. Getting no reply she tapped again and called out the little girl's name. Still hearing nothing from within, Scully quietly opened the bedroom door, peered round it and saw Sarah fast asleep on her bed, one arm wrapped around Growler. Scully also saw the devastation her daughter had wrought in the throes of temper; Scully tiptoed her way through the mess to quickly look Sarah over, noting the tracks of the little girl's tears over her downy cheeks. Reaching out, Scully smoothed a hand over the child's hair and sighed. However hard Mulder might try to pretend that he didn't care, Scully knew he would never forsake his daughter. Leaning down, Scully brushed her lips against Sarah's forehead then left the room as quietly as she'd come in. "Well?" inquired Mulder as he tossed down the remote and Scully sat in her armchair. "She's asleep." "Let's hope Sarah wakes up in a better mood than the one this morning." "Mulder, Sarah had been crying. I could see where the tears had dried on her cheeks." "Is that supposed to make me feel guilty, Scully? Because I can assure you, it doesn't. I've had enough of Sarah's whining and wheedling, her attempts at manipulating my emotions... What?" Scully was looking at him half amused and with one raised eyebrow. "Have you ever stopped to wonder where she gets those traits from?" Mulder was looking at Scully in amazement. "You think she gets them from me?" "Don't look so surprised, Mulder. I'd say it was 99.9 per cent certain that she gets them from you." He humphed unhappily. "So it's my fault she behaves like she does." "I didn't say that." "As good as, Scully." "Mulder, Sarah is your daughter without doubt -- nobody could deny that. She has all your good characteristics too -- your compassion and intuition, your thirst for knowledge and the truth. The trouble is, Mulder, that you do tend to see Sarah through rose tinted glasses," said Scully gently. "Isn't that the way most parents' prefer to see their children? Whatever you may think, I'm not blind to Sarah's faults, Scully. I'm well aware that she isn't the snow white angel I like to think she is." Suddenly he smiled, with just a hint of pride. "You should have seen her, Scully -- as she was fighting me, I could see her mind working...I could see her weighing up the pros and cons of pushing that little bit harder, just to see if I'd follow through on my threat to call off her visit to my mom's." He chuckled and shook his head. "Sarah's something else when she's in action, Scully." "Just like her father," said Scully with a wry lopsided smile. "So, have you considered how we're going to punish Sarah?" "I'm not going to stop her going to Mom's if that's what you're asking. Too much planning has gone into that to cancel it." "So what are we going to do?" "Tell Sarah she can't have her friends sleep over next week. I know she won't like it," continued Mulder. "And she's going to have to tell them all and explain why they can't come over." Scully nodded. It seemed a suitable enough punishment to her, and she knew it would hurt Sarah -- the little girl had been looking forward to the sleepover for a long time. Sarah had sat down with Scully and they had worked out what the girls' were going to eat and what they were going to do in the way of activities in the evening. "So what do you think, Scully? Does it send out the right signal? That bad behavior has consequences?" "I think it hits the right note, Mulder. We don't want to be too harsh, but not too lenient either. I think we've gotten the perfect balance. Sarah's not going to like it -- she's put a lot of thought into the sleepover arrangements, but at the same time, she'll learn a valuable lesson." A delicious aroma trickled under Sarah's bedroom door and made her stomach growl. It had been hours since she'd had anything to eat or drink and now she was ravenous and thirsty. Placing Growler against her pillow, Sarah slipped off her bed and headed for the door. She opened it a crack and heard the sound of the TV -- her father was watching the sports channel as he did most Saturday afternoons. Sarah also heard her parents' voices, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Mulder and Scully turned and looked at one another simultaneously when they heard Sarah call out for her father. "I'll go see what she wants," said Mulder at last. He rose and headed in the direction of his daughter's room, finding Sarah standing just inside the door. Her hair was a little disheveled and her eyes puffy from her earlier tears, and behind her Mulder could see the mess she had created in her rage. He lowered his tone and spoke softly. "Hey sweetheart. You called me?" "Yes Daddy. I'm hungry and I'm thirsty." "Okay. I'll get you some milk and cookies and then we'll have a talk." "Can I come out now, Daddy?" "Yes, you may come out now, sweetheart." Sarah quickly executed the couple of steps it took to reach her father and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his midsection. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn't mean to hurt you." Sarah's words were muffled and full of contrition as she made her apologies. "I didn't mean to be bad." "We'll talk about it when you've had your milk and cookies," answered Mulder, stroking her back slowly. "Come on now, let's go to the kitchen." Sarah and Mulder sat side by side on the sofa as the little girl devoured the cookies and washed them down with the cold milk. Scully was curled up in her armchair. As soon as Sarah had set the empty plate and glass on a side table, she snuggled in against her father, his arm going around her automatically. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she reiterated. Mulder wasn't going to be swayed by her big eyes and hang-dog expression -- he was determined that Sarah should realize that bad behavior and rudeness would not be tolerated and result in a withdrawal of privileges. "I'm sorry I was naughty, Daddy. I won't do it again, I promise." Mulder had had the whole afternoon to calm down and he met his daughter's velvet brown eyes. "You always say that, Sarah," he said quietly. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." "I won't ever be bad again, Daddy. I really, really mean it." Mulder half smiled at the desperation in his little girl's tone. "And how long would it be before you forgot that?" He touched her cheek. "Sarah, I love you very, very much, even though you're naughty sometimes, but there are times when I don't like you, like today. When you whine and complain and are rude, you're not very nice to know." Sarah looked up at her father, shame faced. "I love you Daddy," she replied softly. "Really I do." "I know you do, sweetheart." Sarah looked at her father through lowered lashes. "You didn't call Granny Mulder, did you?" "No, I didn't call Granny Mulder, but I came this close." He made a minute space between his thumb and forefinger. "You can still go and stay with Granny, but mommy and I have decided that you can't have the sleepover next week." "But Daddy..." "We've made our decision, Sarah." Mulder's tone had taken on a firmness that he hoped would reinforce the point he was making. "You know the rules -- if you misbehave you lose a privilege." Sarah looked suitably chastened as she answered, "Yes Daddy." "Good girl." Mulder squeezed Sarah gently and kissed her. "You'll have to let your friends know that the sleepover is canceled and why." "Okay Daddy." At that point, Scully rose and headed for the kitchen to check on dinner. Mulder stroked his daughter's hair. "Sarah, I would also like you to apologize to mommy." "All right, Daddy. Daddy, does Mommy still love me even though I was mean to her?" Sarah's tone was small and anxious, matching her expression. Mulder laid his cheek against the top of his daughter's head. "Sweetheart, mommy will always love you, the same as I'll always love you." "How do you know?" "Because I do. Sweetheart, you have to trust me on that. I know everything, remember?" Mulder grinned at his daughter and she giggled. "That's better -- I missed your smiles today. You're so much prettier when you smile." "I love you, Daddy." "I love you too, Sarah." Father and daughter hugged one another tightly. "Come on, let's go into the kitchen -- you can apologize to mommy then tidy your room and after that we'll say no more about it." Until the next time, thought Mulder as they made their way to the kitchen hand in hand. The End
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