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Title: Sarah Companion: Alice Summary: A companion piece to the Sarah series; A small piece on Alice, the child that Sarah as a psychologist wanted to help. The Mulders open up their home to help the child and Josh seems to be the most help. Author's note: Thanks to Carol Gritton and Eleanore for the delightful character of Sarah, this wonderful series and for the opportunity to be a part of it. Thanks to everyone who has responded to my stories, it is GREATLY appreciated and very encouraging. I am having a lot of fun with these and couldn't do it without your support.I hope you enjoy this. A month had gone by since Sarah had returned from her honeymoon and Alice was still not responding. Sarah had tried everything, from trying to get her to play games, to actually getting mad at her, trying to shock her into a reaction. The girl was not catatonic, her eyes moved, she had expression in her face. She'd eat on occasion, she'd go to the bathroom by herself, she slept most nights. But she wouldn't talk to anyone, it was as if she'd given up on everyone and everything, even herself. Alice had gone through several stages after her parents died. Denial, fear, anger, hate. Now she was going through self blame. She was only six years old. She tried to show her mother the picture she'd made for her at school. Her father was driving and yelled at her to sit back in her seat. Then an oncoming car jumped the divider. It wasn't Alice's fault. Her father hadn't been distracted, it had happened all to quickly. It wasn't her fault. But you couldn't tell her that. Ted Robinson, Alice's uncle was her only living relative and took custody of her when she was released from the hospital. But he was a single man with no experience with children and he traveled quite a bit in his work as a salesman. He'd come to Sarah for help, he couldn't take care of her. It had been a while since Sarah had invited her father to lunch. They tried to keep in touch but she was so busy, Mulder didn't see his daughter as often as he'd have liked. So when she called, he jumped at the chance. They met in small cafe a few blocks from her office and Sarah was waiting when he arrived. "Am I late?" He asked as he kissed her cheek and took the chair across from her. "No, Dad, I'm early." Sarah smiled. "I ordered your usual, I hope that was all right, I don't have much time and I don't want to spare a moment." "Sure, that's fine. What's up, is something wrong?" He was suddenly worried about her. She been back for almost a month and they seemed well enough. "Dad, do you remember me telling you about Alice?" Mulder nodded. "Yes, how's she doing anyway?" "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. She's not doing well at all, Dad." Sarah sighed and put down her fork. "Her uncle is a good man, but he can't handle her and they don't have the money for private care. God, I hate putting her in a home, Dad." Mulder knew in an instant what she was asking. "Sarah, your mother and I can not adopt another child. Not now, it's too late for us. We're just getting ready to have each other again. Josh will be going to college soon and as much as I hate having an empty house, I don't think we can take on another child. Especially one with emotional problems." "Dad, it's not permanent. It's just for a few months until Mr. Robinson can get things in order. He wants to take care of her, Dad, it's just that everything happened so suddenly. He's been off from work for over a month and has to get back to put things in order." Sarah's eyes were pleading with him and she was chewing on her lower lip. "Dad, don't you remember how hard it was when I first came to you." Mulder's heart melted. Of course he remembered. He didn't regret it for a minute, a second. Suddenly he could sympathize with Robinson. Slowly a smile came to his face. He knew she had this planned out. He could never say no to her anyway and she knew it. "I have to talk to your mother. She might not be as understanding." Sarah grinned. "Thanks Dad. I'll bring her over tomorrow afternoon. I promise it'll only be a few months and I really think you'll be good for her. You have such a way, Dad." She reached for her purse and pulled out money for the lunch. "Put that away!" he said sternly. "I got it." "I'm sorry, I've got to get back to the office." Sarah stood and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, Dad." "I love you too, pumpkin." He smiled and patted her back. He watched her start to walk off then called after her. "Call me." She turned and smiled, waving. The next afternoon, they were waiting on Sarah to bring Alice. "You know you're awfully good about this, Scully." "Well, I agree with Sarah, I think you'd be good for Alice. You're the one that's at home most often, Mulder. And if we can help the child .... " Her voice faded out. A moment later, Sarah came in the front door with a small girl. She was six years old, with long blonde hair and piercing clear blue eyes. She was carrying a teddy bear that looked just like Sarah's Growler. Growler had been with Sarah since she was six. Mulder had given her the teddy not long after she had come to live with him. The last time he'd seen Growler, it was threadbare, and missing an eye. "Mom, Dad, this is Alice." Sarah stooped down to be eye level with Alice. "Alice, this is my mother and father. Mr. and Mrs. Mulder." She pushed the girl an inch forward. Alice looked past them, a glazed look in her eye. Her face expressionless, her eyes blinking every so often. Mulder reached down and took her hand in a handshake. He spoke softly, but she didn't reply. From the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Josh exiting the kitchen. "Hey Josh." She called out to him. "Hey Sis! How's it going? Who's the munchkin?" He smiled as he came up to the group. "Josh, this is Alice. She's going to be staying here for a little while." Josh patted her head, tousled her hair. "Hello munchkin." Alice looked up at the tall boy with wondrous eyes. It was the first movement of attention that she'd shown. The look didn't escape Mulder's notice. "Josh, she's going to stay in Sarah's old room. You want to show her where it is?" "Yeah, sure. Come on munchkin." Josh reached down and picked up the little girl by the waist and carried her like you'd carry a suitcase under your arm. "It'll be fun to finally have someone to pick on again." They thought they heard her giggle just slightly as Josh left the room. All three looked at each other, amazed at the turn of events. Sarah said, "I think this is going to work out really well." "Well, he is just an overgrown kid himself, you know. But don't get your hopes up, you know how much Josh is out these days, he may not be around enough to make a difference." "He's already made a difference, Dad." Sarah smiled. Mulder picked up the couple of bags that Sarah brought and carried them to the bedroom. Josh had tossed the girl on the bed and was tickling her when Mulder came in. Alice was giggling but when she saw Mulder, she scooted away from Josh and pulled her teddy bear to her as she moved to the head of the bed, eyeing Mulder cautiously. Scully came up behind him. "I'll take it from here, honey." She patted his back and placed the first suitcase on the bed. "I'm out of here, guys. Got a one on one game with Jimmy. I'll be back in time for dinner." Josh headed for the door. "Isn't it a little cold for basketball?" "It's an indoor game, Mom. I'll be fine." He grinned. "Sarah wants to talk to you before she leaves, Mulder. I'll get Alice settled." Mulder left them alone and Scully began unpacking. "We're really glad to have you here, Alice. You'll be sleeping in here. We'll put your clothes in this dresser and the rest in the closet. If there's anything we can get you, all you have to do is ask." Alice watched her with the same cautious eye that watched Mulder. These people seemed nice enough. She wanted her mother. She missed her mother. When Scully had finished she sat on the edge of the bed, a little closer to Alice. "You can call me Dana if you want. Why don't I show you where everything is?" She reached her hand out. Alice studied her for a minute, then looked around the room. Slowly she put her tiny hand in Scully's, the teddy bear still clutched tightly in her other arm. Scully showed her where the bathroom was, where her and Mulder's bedroom was, in case she needed something in the middle of the night and where Josh slept. Then she took her to the kitchen and finally to the back yard. A swing was set up and Scully led her over to it. They sat side by side and swung for a few minutes, then she heard the girl sigh. It sounded like a sigh of relief. Scully's heart went out to her. To be taken from one strange place to another, no one she knows. A child so young, so frightened. "I have to start dinner, do you want to help?" Alice didn't say anything, but she put her hand in Scully's and scooted off the swing seat. Scully stood and they came back into the house. Mulder was waiting for them when they entered through the back door. "Sarah left, she said to tell you good bye and that she'd call later. What have you two been up to?" "We found out where everything was and sat on the swing for a little while, didn't we Alice?" She smiled and lifted Alice to sit in a bar stool at the island. "Now we're going to fix dinner." Scully pulled out a package of meat from the freezer. "Does spaghetti sound all right?" "Sounds great. I'll leave you to it, I've got some work to finish up." Alice sat quietly as Scully prepared things. Twenty minutes later, she placed the fixing for a salad in front of Alice. "Why don't you help me with this. Tear the lettuce up like this and put it in the bowl." She showed the girl, then rinsed the cherry tomatoes to go in the salad as well. Alice looked at the lettuce, then up to Scully, whose back was turned away from her. A moment later, Scully heard a crash and turned. The bowl was on the floor, broken glass all around the kitchen floor. Alice sat, clutching the bear, her big eyes staring at the mess on the floor. Scully didn't know if she did it deliberately or not. The girl looked scared enough. Mulder heard the crash and came to the door. "What happened? Are you two ok?" "Yeah, we're fine, just an accident. Why don't you take Alice in the living room while I clean this up." He carefully made his way to the girl and when he reached for her, her arm went to cover her face and she stiffened. As if she was afraid he would strike her. It startled him. "It's all right, Alice, I don't want you stepping into the glass. Let's go in the other room." She allowed him to carry her out, but she sat on the couch with her thumb in her mouth. Mulder thought about how it seemed she'd regressed in years, while it was not unheard of for a six-year-old to suck her thumb, it was not common. Twenty minutes later, Scully came out. "Well, dinner is almost ready and I still need help with that salad." She took Alice's hand and led her back into the kitchen, sitting her upon the same bar stool. This time a plastic bowl sat in front of her and a fresh head of lettuce. Alice looked a bit puzzled at Scully, then picked up the lettuce and began tearing it apart like Scully had shown her. When the bowl was full, Scully gave her the rinsed container of cherry tomatoes and she dumped those in with the lettuce. "That's very good, Alice. You're a good cook." Scully gave her a smile and sat the bowl on the table. Mulder came in and helped Alice down and into a chair at the table. He sat next to her and then Scully took her seat. She fixed Alice a plate and cut up the spaghetti so that she could eat it with a spoon. She figured she'd be safe with spaghetti, what little kid doesn't like that. Alice looked at it, then watched Mulder and Scully take a bite. She was hungry. Alice moved her bear to her left arm and picked up her spoon, taking a bite. Mulder grinned at Scully as Alice took bite after bite. Alice kept looking at the empty place where Josh should have been. Every once in a while, she'd look behind her to the back door. This didn't escape Mulder's notice. "Josh is running late, isn't he Scully?" "Yes, he should be here in a moment." The girl perked up at hearing Josh's name and went back to her dinner. She managed to get most of it inside her on not on her clothes. Josh finally showed up just as they were finishing. Scully fixed a plate and warmed it up for him, then wet a wash cloth for Alice to clean herself with. She dutifully wiped her hands and mouth, still struggling with the bear in her arms. They didn't want to force her to let go of it just yet. The girl needed a 'security blanket' and the bear was designated it. Alice was very passive as Scully gave her a bath and dressed her in her pajamas. She brought her out to the living room afterward to watch a little television. They had several old Sesame Street tapes from when the kids were younger that might interest Alice. They were saving them for grandchildren. Sesame Street would never go out of style. Alice sat on the floor, cross legged, her eyes glazed over. It was her first day and she still hadn't spoken, but they didn't want to pressure her today. It was hard enough getting used to a new place, being around strangers in a normal situation. They'd wait till tomorrow before they started asking too many questions. At bedtime, Scully took her hand and led her to the room. "Now, Alice, you know where we're if you need something. You get a good night's sleep." She pulled the covers up around her and the bear and ran her hand over the child's head. As she headed out of the room, she turned off the light and pulled the door halfway closed. The screaming started around two in the morning. Mulder was up in a flash. It brought back instant memories of Sarah. He'd been thinking all day of how scared Sarah had been when she first came to live with him. Or more likely how scared he was. It took him a moment to realize it wasn't Sarah who was screaming. The noise stopped before he hit the room, however and looked in to see Josh sitting on the edge of the bed with Alice wrapped in his arms. She was crying softly and Josh was rocking her and soothing her. "You ok here, son?" Mulder asked quietly. "Yeah, Dad. Go back to bed, I'll take care of it." Josh nodded and winked at him. "Ok, if you need us, just call." Mulder padded off and found Scully getting her robe on. "Don't bother. You're not going to believe your son, Scully." "What do you mean, Mulder?" "He's sitting on the edge of the bed rocking her back to sleep." He replied incredulously. "You know she took to him right away. Maybe he'll be able to get through to her." Mulder nodded. "Poor girl." He sighed as he climbed back into bed. "I hope somebody can get through to her." They were awakened the next morning to the sound of cartoons coming from the living room. Mulder dressed and went barefoot into the room to find Josh and Alice lying on the floor in front of the television. Grinning, he asked. "Did you two have breakfast already?" "Yeah, Dad, we had cereal," Josh replied, tugging on Alice's hair. "You got a class this morning?" "Yeah, but not until ten." He called out to Mulder who was by this time in the kitchen making coffee. Mulder stood in the doorway after starting the coffee, watching the two on the floor. Alice was kicking her feet against the floor and she even laughed as some of the cartoons. She was scooted as close to Josh as she could get. Mulder smiled. Josh had never been a big brother. He was the youngest. The girls were his enemies in a matter of speaking, his victims of the practical jokes he'd become known for. It was nice to see him in this light. Scully came out a little while later and joined Mulder in the kitchen. "What's going on out there?" "Well, they had breakfast already and Josh doesn't have a class till ten. What are you up to today?" "Dr. Albertson has a few things for me today, I'll be over there for the morning. I should be back by two. What are you going to do today?" Mulder took a sip of coffee. "I don't know, I thought I'd take Alice to the movies. There's a Disney flick today and the kids always liked that when they were young. It's too cold for the zoo." "You're a good man, Mulder." Scully smiled and kissed him. "I never would've believed it if I hadn't experienced it myself." "You don't believe I was a good man?" His face in a pouty expression. "No, Mulder, that you would be so good with children. You just constantly amaze me." She chuckled as she slipped her arm was around his waist. He leaned down to kiss her, a smile across his face. "I love you too." "She's getting awfully close to Josh, Mulder." Scully sighed. "I hope that doesn't make matter worse." "I don't think it will. I think he'll be the key in turning her around, Scully. She seems to be able to respond to him. I think it's good." Mulder peeked out at the pair in the living room. "Well, have fun, I've got to get going. Be careful." She kissed him again. "I'll see you later." Alice sat stoned faced all through the movie. She and Mulder walked through the mall, her tiny hand in his. He pointed out a few things, she just stared. They sat at a bench for a while to rest and watched the people go by. A family passed in front of them and Mulder watched her eyes follow them down the walk way. Then her bottom lip began quivering and the tears began to fall. It broke Mulder's heart. He picked her up and she buried her face in his shoulder. After a few minutes, he carried her to the car and brought her home. When they arrived, Alice climbed up on the sofa and laid down, her thumb in her mouth. She wouldn't respond to Mulder the rest of the afternoon. Even when Josh came home, she didn't move. He tried, Josh turned on afternoon cartoons and talked to her. Laughed, pointed out funny scenes. But she wouldn't have any of it. She wouldn't eat dinner, it was as if she took one step forward and two back. Josh carried her to bed that night. "Alice, you know when I was little I used to be scared of the dark. Are you?" She looked at him with big blue eyes, her thumb in her mouth as he dressed her in her night clothes. "I used to want my mother or father to stay with me till I fell asleep. But as I got older, I got over it. Everyone is scared of something." He stared at her for a moment. "Do you miss your mother and father?" Tears came to her eyes as she nodded her head. It was the first sign of understanding since she'd arrived. Then she spoke for the first time. "I want my mommy." And she began to cry. Josh pulled her to him and rocked her. He felt sorry for her, he didn't quite know how to handle this end of it. He wanted to help her, but this out of his league. "I know you do, Alice. I know. But you know what?" He pulled her back to look into her face. "Your mommy is watching you right now. She's with your daddy in a very special place and they're looking out for you now. They love you very much, Alice." "They can see me?" She sniffled and looked up at him. "Sure! They are watching over you." Josh smiled. "Are they angels?" Her tiny voice trembled. "Yes, they are special angels, Alice. They help people, but they can't do their work, because they're worried about you. Because you're so sad." Her face scrunched up in a frown as she thought about that. "Can I have some milk?" She asked. "Sure, come on." Josh took her hand and led her to the kitchen. Mulder and Scully sat in the living room and was surprised to see the two pass in front of them. They looked at each other as Josh talked to her as they headed for the kitchen. They both got up and peeked through the kitchen door. "What do you want with your milk? How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" Josh was getting out the bread. "Yeah. And some milk. Can I have chocolate milk? Mommy used to give me chocolate milk with peanut butter samiches." Alice said. Josh chuckled, that's what he and Steph used to call sandwiches. "Sure thing, kiddo." Mulder looked at Scully and shook his head. "Can you believe this, Scully. He has her talking." "Not only that, she's talking about her mother." They returned to the sofa to wait to see what happens next. When they were finished in the kitchen, Josh took her to bed and tucked her in. She had tears in her eyes again, but Josh read her a story and before long, she was fast asleep. Mulder called to him as he came out of the room. "Josh, what happened? She seems better tonight." "Well, I finally got her to talk about her mother. She wanted to know if she was an angel. She was upset for a little while, but I got her to see that she wasn't alone and that her parents loved her." Mulder's mouth was hitting the floor as he turned to Scully. Josh never ceased to amaze them. He was carefree, sometimes even irresponsible, and he was good natured and kind hearted. But they never would've guessed that he could've handled a situation like this. Josh grinned, he knew he'd surprised his parents and it tickled him. "Well, I've got a couple of chapters in history to read for tomorrow, so I'll be in my room. Good night." He kissed both Mulder and Scully, who still hadn't said anything and headed off to his room. A month and a half had gone by and slowly Alice emerged from her shell. There were a few days that she would lapse into a depressed state, but Josh was there to pull her back. She was beginning to laugh and talk and play like a normal child. Christmas was coming and snow was on the ground, so most of the playing was done inside. Josh had no classes during winter break but spent a lot of his time with friends. Tonight they were going to decorate the Christmas tree. Josh brought it in earlier and he and Mulder set it in the corner of the living room. All afternoon, Alice stared at the tree. She stood in front of Mulder on the sofa and waited patiently for him to put the paper down. He peered out over the edge to find her staring. "Is there something you want, sweetie?" "Mr. M., when are we going to put the lights on the tree?" 'Mulder' seemed to be a mouthful for her and he didn't particularly want to be called Fox, so they decided on Mr. M. "Well, when everyone gets home, we'll do it. How about after dinner?" She nodded and looked at the bare tree. Then she turned back to Mulder. "Um, Mr. M., um, will Santa know where I am?" She leaned her hand on his knee and rocked back and forth, nervously. "Sure he will, Santa knows where everyone is." His thoughts went immediately to Sarah's first Christmas with him. The surprise of the tree, she was so tickled at first seeing the tree half decorated, then finishing it with him. Then he remember what her response was when he asked her what she wanted. To have her mother back. He looked into the big blue eyes of Alice and even though the two were totally different in looks, he saw Sarah. He ran his hand down her hair. "Santa will know where to find you, Alice." The afternoon and evening went too slow for Alice as she asked all sorts of questions. Finally they were ready to decorate. First the lights were strung, then the decorations. Finally the angel. It was the same golden winged fairy that Sarah had put on the tree, their first time. It was well worn and used, but it was a traditional piece. Mulder handed it to Alice and asked if she wanted to put it on. She looked at the piece and her brow furrowed as she turned to Mulder. "It looks like Mommy. Does Mommy have wings?" Mulder looked at Scully, briefly. "Yes, baby, all angels have wings. " He picked her up and placed her on his shoulders, then leaned over for her to place the angel on the top of the tree. The next day, Alice went to Sarah's office for a session. She'd been seeing Alice twice a week for counseling since depositing her at her parents home. She was amazed at the progress that Alice had made. It was clearly a good decision for her to be around her parents and Josh. Even Stephanie took her out for a day and bought her a Barbie doll. But Alice had to know that life was not all presents and she had to talk about her parents. Alice sat in the chair, her legs, dangling off the edge, swinging back and forth. Sarah faced her. "Alice, tell me about your mother." She looked over at her hands on the arm of the chair, then up to the ceiling. "Are you coming over for Christmas, Mrs. Chalmers?" Alice asked. "Yes, Alice, I'll be there for Christmas. But let's not talk about that. Tell me what you liked most about your mother." Sarah tried again. Alice sat forward. "Mommy's not coming back." "I know, Alice. But I think you need to talk about her." Alice had been doing so well, Sarah felt she was ready to deal with this. Her uncle had called her and was close to being ready to take her back. Sarah needed to be sure Alice was ready. Alice sat back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling again, her feet swinging back and forth. Sarah sat patiently for a few minutes. Then Alice sighed and stopped squirming. "She used to sing to me when she put me to bed." Sarah smiled. "That's nice, Alice. What did she sing?" "The sunshine song." Her lower lip began to tremble. "I broke the dish." A tear fell down her cheek. "What dish, Alice?" Her eyes met Sarah's then quickly lowered. "The .... the bowl. Your mommy's bowl." "Well, Alice, it was just a bowl. It wasn't important. Are you sorry about it?" Sarah asked. She nodded, still not looking at Sarah. "Well, my mother forgives you, Alice." Sarah reached over and touched her knee. She waited for a response. Alice looked like she had something to say, but couldn't quite get it out. Then in a soft voice, Alice asked. "Does Mommy forgive me?" Her little eyes peeking up at Sarah. Sarah felt her heart leapt to her throat. She moved her chair closer to Alice. "What should she forgive you for, Alice?" Tears were falling hard now and Alice couldn't answer. Sarah reached over to her desk and pulled a few kleenex from the box. She was so close. If she could get Alice to say it, then she could start to help her realize that it wasn't her fault. "You're going to go back to school in a couple of months, Alice. What do you think of that?" "S'ok." She wiped her eyes, pulling her feet into the chair. "Am I going to stay with Dana and Mr. M?" "Well, just for a little while. But your Uncle Ted misses you and he's getting things ready for you to live with him. Wouldn't you like that?" Sarah knew she didn't know her uncle very well. It was going to be tough to uproot her again. "I want to stay with Josh." Sarah smiled. "You like Josh?" "Uh huh, he's funny and he plays with me." Alice smiled a bit. Then her face turned serious. "He's like Daddy." She looked at Sarah. "Daddy was funny too. Only he was mad at me." Time was escaping her. She had other appointments, but Alice was doing well. She didn't want to break now. Josh was waiting in the outer room to pick Alice up. "When was he mad at you, Alice?" She tried again. "At the accident." She replied, stumbling with the word. "I was being bad and they got killed." The lower lip trembled and tears fell again. "Alice, do you think they died because you were bad?" She laid her head back against the chair and nodded. "I should've sat back, I shouldn't ... I shouldn't have been talking." Alice stammered. "Alice, you have to listen carefully. The accident wasn't your fault. Even if you were sitting back, even if you weren't talking. It still would have happened. It had nothing to do with you, Alice." Alice looked up into her eyes and considered what she said, but didn't respond to it, she pushed one leg back out over the edge of the chair to swing. "Well, Josh is waiting to take you home, Alice. I'll see you on again on Thursday and we can talk some more. All right?" Alice nodded and was out of the chair in a flash. She was just about to turn the door knob when she looked back as Sarah. Sarah had stood and was putting the chairs back into place. Alice ran over to her and wrapped her arms around Sarah's waist, burying her face against Sarah's midsection. A brief tight squeeze and the girl was off to the door again without saying anything. The sessions for the next two weeks went well. Alice had really opened up and Sarah finally made headway. The girl no longer felt it was her fault. Sarah knew there would be times when the girl would doubt herself again, but after talking to Alice's uncle, she would be seeing Alice for a while after and would be there to help her through it. Ted was ready to take her home. No one else was ready. "It's just two weeks to Christmas, Sarah. Let her stay here for just a couple more weeks." Mulder asked her daughter. "She's used to us and it'll be lonely for her with just her uncle." "Dad, we can't do that. If she stays any longer, it's going to be too hard for her to leave. It's going to be hard enough on her as it is." Sarah reasoned. "You can have your gifts sent over to her and in a couple of months, after she gets settled, you can have back for a visit." She saw the distressed look in his eyes and hugged him. "Dad, I really appreciate all you and Mom have done for Alice. I don't think she'd be this well along if it hadn't been for you." "Don't ask again. I don't think I could give up another one." Mulder sulked. It was like having Sarah in the house again as a child. All the old memories had come flooding back while Alice had been there. It would feel lonely again with no children in the house. Scully was helping Alice pack her things. "But I don't want to go." She whined. "Alice, your uncle loves you very much. And he's all alone. You don't want him to be alone, do you?" Alice thought about that, her brow furrowed. Slowly she shook her head no. "He's going to look after you and love you just as much as we do. And you can come visit any time your uncle says it's all right. You can call me too, if you have any questions, or if you just want to talk." Scully really did hate to see her go. "We're going to miss you too," she said as she hugged Alice. They walked hand in hand to the living room where Sarah was waiting. "Are you ready, Alice?" "No, Josh isn't here. I have to say good bye to Josh!" Her voice raised. "Honey, Josh might not be home for a long while. How about if he calls you later?" Sarah stooped down to talk to her eye level. "No! I want to see Josh." "Somebody want to see me?" Josh came in the back through the kitchen. "Hey munchkin!" He reached down and scooped her up. "You're finally breaking out of here, uh." He grinned as he tickled her. "Take me with you!" "You have to stay here!" She said. Then her lip trembled. "I don't want to go." Alice wrapped her arms around his neck. Josh carried her into the kitchen and sat her on the island in the middle of the room. He wiped away the tear that fell and turned her face upward. "Listen, kiddo. It's going to be up to you to teach your uncle how to be a parent. I've already got these people trained. But your uncle doesn't have anyone to teach him. You think you can handle the job?" "I have to teach him? But I don't know how?" "Sure you do. You just talk to him. Tell him everything that happens. Point things out, like where all the parks are and the zoo. Take him to the zoo, parents love that." He grinned at the child. "I guess I can do that." "Sure you can. And always give him a hug in the morning. Parents can't survive with hugs. They get all grouchy." He watched her eyes widen with the newfound information. "And if they get mad, just give them that puppy dog look, you know the one, the sad look. They can't stay mad at that." Josh picked her up and hugged her. "Now, you call me if you need any advice on how to train him, all right? I got all the answers, they work every time." "Ok." She kissed his cheek as he let her down in the doorway. Alice toddled off to Sarah and took her hand. She turned back before she got into the car and waved to the trio standing in the doorway. "Is she going to be all right, Dad?" Josh asked, his hands in his front pockets. "Yeah, Josh, she'll be fine." He put his arm around Josh's shoulders. "You have us trained, do you?" Mulder grinned, obviously proud of his son. "Uh, Dad." Josh grinned, holding his hands up. The End
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