Title: Mulder's Creek: 28 Pressing Issues
Author: Neoxphile 
Author Email: neoxphile@aol.com 
Rating: PG-13 
Category: X-File , Friendship 
Keywords: Pre-XF, Alternate universe, Crossover 
Pairings: Mulder/Scully Romance, Doggett/Reyes romance 
Crossover Info: Dawson's Creek 
Spoilers: X-Files seasons 1-8, Dawson's creek seasons 1-4 
Summary: A colleague of Mrs. Leary's thinks that Sam's reunion with her
 family would make a great news story - and is reluctant to take no for an 
answer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Opening scene

The waves race towards the shore, and then, as if being unable to
stand another moment's separation from the bulk of the sea, they rush
back, dragging sand and small shells with them. Mulder sighs as he
watches Doggett and Reyes splash through those same waves, laughing.
He gently pulls Scully closer. She smiles and resettles her self on
the blanket they'd spread out hours before at lunch time.

"Can you believe that we go back to school tomorrow?" He asks
quietly, just loud enough to be heard over the roar of the surf and
the cries of the seagulls.

"No"she sighs, echoing him. "The summer seemed to fly by. Except the
week you spent at your aunt's. That dragged on and on."

He thinks to agree with her, but it would be dishonest, even for him
lately. The days in Roswell flew by. "Well, at least we've gotten to
spend a great deal of the last three weeks together."

"Sure." She laughs, poking him in the side. "But you know that you're
sad you haven't been at home, at the center of the 'drama'."

"Yeah, right." He gives her a wry smile.

"Soexplain it to me again. She just started talking, just like
that?"

"No! I've told you that she's been talking to me since the 4th of
July. But you just had to play little Ms. Skeptic-"

"Little?!" She sticks her tongue out at him, which he ignores.

"But yeah, as far as my parents know she got sick of trying to get
her wants and needs across to me, and so she became more brave at her
attempts to speak."

"Ok, but why did she really start talking to them, then?" 

"Easy. Because if she didn't, she was going to be placed in a special
ed class since my mom is back at work and can't home school her any
more. You've got to give her credit, it worked."

"And your dad was able to get her re-evaluated by the school on such
short notice?"

"Yup. She'll be starting in a normal seventh grade class tomorrow." 

Scully smirks at him. "Wish my life was so eventful." She teases.

"Oh no you don't." She quickly corrects her.

"Just kidding." She assures him.

**
Theme song  "Stranded" By Plumb
**

Wednesday 6:30am, Leary home

Mulder yawns as he walks through the living room. His sister sits
barefoot, and clutches a spoon, as she eats cereal and watches
cartoons. She wrenches her eyes away from the screen just long enough
to acknowledge his presence, so he gives her a little wave on the way
by.

In the kitchen he decides to eat his own breakfast like a civilized
person, at the table. He's just about finished when his mother rushes
into the room and plunks Price into his highchair. It's the first day
she'll be bringing him to a sitter - the same one Bessie used for
Alex- and it seems to be stressing her out. The baby doesn't seen
phased by the behavior of the whirlwind that looks like their mother,
but Mulder is.

"Umbusy morning, Mom?" 

Mrs. Leary impatiently blows a stray lock of hair out of her face.
"The busiest. Sweetie, could you give Price his breakfast? I'm afraid
if I do, I'll have to change."

"Well, ok, just this once." He teases his mother. He then gets up and
goes through the cabinet until he finds a jar of banana custard,
which is his brother's favorite. For reasons Mulder can't quite
discern, Price inevitably uses feeding time as target practice when
Mom is the one wielding the spoon. Mulder, on the other hand, is now
and always greeted by nothing more than smiles and lip smacking when
offering the exact same flavors of baby food.

He's half-convinced that Price senses much, much, more than is normal
for a four-month-old. Price pauses his eager swallowing just as the
thought crosses Mulder's mind, and laughs. It's a sweet baby laugh,
but the coincidence unnerves Mulder even as he hands the baby his
bottle.

**

8am, Capeside Middle School

Sam walks into the classroom labeled "Ms. Walkers," the name which
matches that on the card guidance gave her as soon as the bus arrived
at the school. She glances around the homeroom, and notices that it
looks a lot like the classrooms at Candling - books filling cases,
desks, a chalkboard. The biggest difference is that everyone who is
already in the classroom, waiting for the teachers arrival, is
staring at her.

At first she feels really self-conscious, and wonders if theres
something on her face, a milk mustache maybe, but then she concludes
that it might be because shes new.

As if reading her thoughts, a girl with short blond hair comes up to
her and asks, "Who are you?"

"Sam Leary." 

"Thats a boys name." Another girl says, emphasizing boys.

"Its a nickname for Samantha." She tells them, wondering why they
wouldnt realize that.

"Your older brother is Mulder, right?" A boy with spiky brown hair
asks. "He was my little neighbors big buddy last year."

"Yup, Mulders one of my brothers." Sam says, flashing the boy a
grateful smile.

Which dissolves when he asks, "If your brother goes to school in
Capeside, why havent we ever seen you before?"

"Yeah, why?" Someone adds.

"Where have you been?" Yet another voice asks.

"Where?" Voices chorus.

Sams eyes dart towards the door, seeking an escape route, but the
teacher come in, causing the room to fall silent. For now.

**

2:15pm, near Capeside High School

Fowley is enjoying the still-warm September weather on her walk home.
The leaves havent started to change yet, so it looks like a summer
day. She hears her name being called, and a look of annoyance takes
up residence on her face when she realizes who it is.

"I thought the other schools get out later." She says, not hiding her
displeasure.

"They do, but there were no sessions scheduled for therapists today
so we could have a meeting about departmental procedures. We got out
early." Zane tells her with a boyish smile. "So how come youre not
happy to see me? I thought you liked me." He adds with a pout.

"I do." She says, giving in to his charm.

"Then why do I get the sense that youll turn me down if I offer to
walk you the rest of the way home?"

Fowley puts her hands on her hips. "Dont play stupid, Ive explained
Grams policy to you."

"I know, youre not allowed to date anyone eighteen or older. Thats
reasonable enough, but what if you were dating someone and he turned
eighteen before you did? Would you have to break up with him on his
birthday? Thatd be a nice gift."

"Id doubt shed go that far, but theres a big difference between
someone who is turning eighteen, and someone who is already
twenty-three." She points out.

"I know, which is why I wont try to get you to disobey her. I can
wait."

"I wont be eighteen until next May." She warns.

"Patience is a virtue." He says primly before grinning. "I do,
however want to meet this Grams of yours."

"Why?" she asks warily.

"To ask her policy on friends, of course. Now can I walk you home?" 

She nods and leads the way.

**

4pm, Leary home

Mulder straps Price into his stroller, and calls for Sam. She comes
down, and he notices that she looks rather morose.

"Hey, Sam. Im going to bring Price to the park to enjoy the
remainder of this gloriously warm day. Snows just around the corner,
you know. Do you want to come with? Scully is bringing her nephew
too."

"No, thanks." 

"Was school ok? You look a little sad." 

"It was ok." 

Mulder senses that theres a lot shes not saying, but he doesnt
want to push it. He has distinctly unpleasant memories of his mother
prying when he was a moody thirteen-year-old, which inevitably
resulted in his being angry as well as unhappy. "Thats good. I know
first days can be rough. My day went ok, I have a couple of classes
with Scully and Doggett. Well, if you want, we can play a game or
something when this little guy and I get back."

"Sure." 

Mulder watches for a minute while she scurries back to her room. He
has a feeling that whats bothering her will come eventually, even
without pestering her.

**

"Mulder, I wanna play catch!" Alexander crows, looking at Mulder with
an expectant look. The hero-worship from the late spring has not worn
off yet.

"In just a couple of minutes." Mulder tells him with a grin.

"Goodie!" 

Before he goes off to play catch, he asks Scully if its ok. "Youre
sure you dont mind? I mean, Id be leaving you with Price."

"Mulder, my nephew thinks youre a god for some bizarre reason. I
couldnt deprive him of a game of catch with God. Dont worry so
much, its not as though Ive never looked after a baby before, and
youll be within sight."

"Ok, great." Mulder tosses the ball to Alex, who immediately runs
away, giggling. Mulder ambles after the preschooler, laughing
himself.

Scully shakes her head and looks a Price, who is lying on his back on
a baby blanket, pulling at his socks. "Its all your fault my
boyfriend is neurotic, you know. Well, more than he used to be. He
has this strange idea that if he doesnt spend lots of time with you
after school, youll forget who he is. Maybe if your sister had been
around when she was little things would be different, so maybe its
not entirely your fault."

She means her comments as a joke, but Price doesnt take it that way.
His eyes immediately fill with tears, and his mouth begins to tremble
before he opens it widely to bawl. Looking contrite, Scully
immediately picks him up, and tries to comfort him, by standing and
bouncing him gently. "Shhh, I was just kidding. I know you dont
understand me, but youre going to make Mulder think I did something
to you."

To her chagrin, Mulder notices that Price is crying, so he and Alex
head back over. Of course, by the time they get there, Price is quiet
again, with one thumb stuffed into his mouth. Scully looks relieved
that the worse is over, and is about to explain to Mulder thats
shes not entirely sure why he was crying when she feels a tap on her
shoulder. She looks behind her and sees a frowning face framed by
stark-white hair.

"Arent you ashamed?" The woman asks her.

"Of what?" She asks, bewildered. The woman wasnt there the moment
before, so she couldnt have overheard the one-sided conversation.

"In my day and age young women didnt have babies, and they didnt
flaunt them in public if they did. Certainly not two of them." The
woman says coldly, giving Price and Alexander a distasteful look.

Scully blinks. "I dont have children! One of these boys is my
nephew, and the other is my boyfriends baby brother."

The woman stalks off with a haughty shake of her head. Mulder, who
has been holding his breath to keep from laughing, makes a strangled
noise as the woman wanders away. He coughs for a second, and wipes
tears away from his eyes. "Oh man, that was rich."

"Yeah, a riot." She says, putting his brother into his arms.

"I guess that just means you and I ought to put off starting a family
for a few years."

"Darn, and I was hoping to be knocked up by the time I was eighteen."
She tells him with a smirk.

"What does knocked up mean?" Alex asks, giving them a puzzled look.
Neither of them had remembered that he was listening.

Scully blushes, but Mulder answers the question. Sort of. "Your
auntie hopes to be taller soon, so she can knock higher up on a door.
People inside hear it better if you knock near the top of the door."

The little boy nods, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. Then
his eyes widen. "Grown-ups can get taller?"

"Were not quite grown up, kiddo." Mulder tells him, ruffling his
hair. "We wont be grown-ups until youre four."

"Oh." He nods his head sagely. "Thats a big time away." 

"Sure is." Mulder agrees.

**

8pm, The Ice House

The rush finally over, theres time to wipe down the tables and talk.
Reed and Skinner, who dont have any classes until later in the week,
are happy for the time to catch up; they hadnt had any shifts in
common during the last couple of weeks of summer.

"So, what did you do at the end of the summer?" Reed asks.

"Oh, you know, annoy my sister, tried not to annoy my dad so he
wouldnt send me out to chop wood for the fireplaceI watched too
much TV, and slept in too. You know, the usual stuff. How about you?"

"Pretty much the same, except for the sister part. We had a festive
gig near Boston at the end of the summer, though, and that was pretty
cool."

"You didnt invite your friends?" Skinner says, looking surprised. He
still feels a little guilty about having missed Beer is Not a Sex
Crimes first gig, but hed been grounded for some stupid infraction.

"It was small and last minute, so no. We only got to do three songs,
so it wasnt really worth it for anyone else to go all the way there
for it."

"But it was fun?" 

"Sure. I mostly liked listening to the other bands though." 

"Oh, who was good?" Skinner asks with interest.

"Theres this one band, The Money Grubbing Communists, and they were
wicked good. Even if they do have a weird name."

"Ha. Like you guys have a leg to stand on when it comes to
criticizing a bands name." Reed frowns at him. "What did you like
best about them?"

"The lead singer Chris." 

"Hes a good singer then?" 

"No" Reed looks down, but smiles.

"Oh." Skinner says, catching on. "Thats nice." 

"Im only getting to know him, but he seems really nice. Im probably
going to see him again this weekend."

"That sounds like fun." For a reason he cant quite put a finger on,
talking about Reeds new crush bothers him.

**

11:30 pm, Leary home

A voice distracts Mulder from his dreams. He rolls over with a groan,
and shakes his head to clear it. Eventually he realizes that the
rather loud and upset sounding voice is his mothers. Worrying that
theres something wrong that he should know about, he hops out of
bed.

Hes about to rush down the stairs to inquire whats wrong, when he
pauses at the top of the stairs, realizing that shes talking to
someone on the phone. "and you have the nerve to call at this time
of night looking for a scoop?? You wonder why no one respects you
as a journalist, if these are the methods youre willing to try
Actually, yes, I do think that theres something wrong with wishing
to invade an acquaintance's personal life for a storyIm not going
to stand here and listen to any more of this. Goodbye."

Mulder expected his mother to slam the phone angrily, so it surprises
him when she rips the phone cord out of the wall and heaves the
handset across the room instead. "Mom, is everything ok?" His voice
sounds timid even to him.

Mrs. Leary reaches to pick up the fallen phone. "No not really." She
puts the handset back into the cradle before turning to look at him.
Her face is flush and her eyes shiny.

"Whats the matter?" he asks, touching her arm.

"You probably know that people who do the TV news like I do dont get
along all that well with the print journalists." Mulder nods, so
shell continue. "Well, my coworkers have been respectful about our
wanting to keep your sister out of the lime-light. Unfortunately, one
of the journalists for the local paper has a nephew in one of Sams
classes, and now he wants to do a story on her kidnapping and
recovery."

"But they cant if you say no, right?" 

"I wish. People can sue the paper, but theres nothing to keep them
from writing whatever story or stories they want. All we can do is
not talk to them." She wrings her hands helplessly. "You know about
the first amendment and freedom of the press, Mulder."

"Im sorry, Mom." He says, giving her a hug.

"Thanks. Just promise that you wont talk to any reporters you dont
know, ok? Actually, dont talk to those you do know if Im not there.
You never know when the lure of a story might turn someone you know
against you." She says darkly.

"I promise." Mulder wanders back to bed, wondering what going back to
school is really like for his sister.

**

Thursday 6pm, The Ice House
 
The reporter is having a hard time of things. He tried to talk
directly to the little girl while her class was at recess, but a
teacher chased him off, accusing him of leering at little children.
He was rather put out by that, but he didnt let it get him down. He
tried to call Gale again to see if she could be reasoned with, but he
only ended up getting yelled at by her husband, who he met once.
Since Mitch was a very strong looking fellow, he decided that calls
to the house were probably not a good thing. He tried to talk to the
older of the sons, but was only told off in colorful terms.

So in desperation he decided that the best way to get his story would
be stalk the young man and see who he hung out with. There was an off
chance that the boys friends might not realize that he was a
reporter and let some salient details innocently slip.

Which is why he is now at the counter, waiting on a bacon burger and
onion rings. The pretty little waitress is definitely close to Gales
son, or she wouldnt have kissed the boy before dashing inside twenty
minutes ago. She smiles as she places the plate before him.

"Here you go." She says with a customer-friendly smile.

"You know, I think I saw you with a friend of mines son right before
I parked my car." He remarks. "Gale Leary?"

"Oh yeah, shes my boyfriends mother." Scully replies.

"Incredible how her family got their little girl back, isnt it?" 

"Really incredible." 

"I havent talked to Gale since before it happened. Do you know how
they happened to get her back?" He asks with a shark-like smile.

Which immediately sets off warning bells in Scullys head. "You know
I dont. Mulders never really talked about it, beyond being glad
that shes home safe and sound. Im sorry to cut this short, but I
promised my sister that Id help her with salads after I served you."
She smiles again, and dashes out back.

The reporter glumly picks up his burger. If the girlfriend doesnt
know, who would?

As soon as shes safely out of sight, Scully picks up the phone and
dials Mulder. "Hey, I think I might try out for the next drama club
play, since I just gave a performance youll thank me for."

"What do you mean?" 

"Is there a reporter trying to get a story on your sister? This guy
just casually mentioned that hes a friend of your moms, and he saw
us together a little while ago. I get the feeling that he didnt just
happen to see us. I think he was following you. Asked me if I knew
you, which I said I did. Then he wanted to know if I knew how your
family got your sister back. " Scully explains. "I played dumb. Well
sort of, since I dont really know how she came back."

Mulder mutters swears with the phone held away from him before
continuing to speak to her. "Yeah, neither do I, I guess thats part
of what makes it such an appealing story. Thank you very much for
calling me, I think I need to call everyone and tell them not to talk
to anyone asking questions. My mom is going to have a fit."

"No problem." Scully tells him before really going to make salads.

**

8pm, Leary home

Mrs. Leary went for a ride after they ate and surprised them by
bringing home Baskin Robbins ice-cream for an after dinner treat.
Mulder and Sam claimed the chocolate quart, and the older Learys
enjoyed pralines and cream, which the kids turned their noses up at
because of the nuts.

They are just finishing their treat when Mrs. Leary turns to them
with a serious look on her face. Mulder freezes. This is never a good
sign. "Whats that look for, Mom?" He asks, trying not to sound too
nervous.

"Mulder, I want to thank you for letting your father and I know that
there is a reporter asking questions about us." Mulder shrugs. "Your
dad and I talked it over while we were out, and weve concluded that
theres only one way to deal with this."

"Hows that?" Sam asks in a quiet voice. 

"If its okay with the two of you, we want to go to my work and let
one of my friends do a story on us. It will be on Saturday. As long
as youre willing, of course." Mrs. Leary tells them.

"But why does anyone need to do a story?" Mulder asks.

"If we dont let anyone do a story, theyll do one anyway. And since
it will be mostly guessing on the reporters part, it probably will
have things in it that we wouldnt like very much. If we do a story
first, we can only say things we want said, and thatll be the end of
it." Mr. Leary says.

Sam looks upset, but she says, "Lets get it over with then." 

Mulder gives her a surprised look, hed thought shed be the one to
resist the most. "If its ok with Sam, its ok with me."

Their parents look relieved. "Great. Well talk more tomorrow about
what it is that were going to say. Ok?"

"Ok." 

**

Friday Capeside Middle School
 
"This seat taken?" Sam looks up to see a boy her age holding a lunch
tray.

"Theres no one sitting there." She says in a non-committal tone. The
day before shed thought someone was asking to sit with her, but they
had only wanted the chair.

To her surprise, he actually sits down. "Thanks. So are people
always so friendly to the new kids?"

Sam sighs. "I dont know. I just started this week, too." 

"And I thought people were so cold just because I started late." 

"Why did you start late?" She asks curiously, half-wishing she could
have started later too. A few years later, maybe.

"I usually live with my dad. Hes in the army, and they called him
over to the Middle East. He says that theyre sending a few people
over now because they already dont think that theyll go through
with that weapons inspector thing. Since I couldnt go with him, I
got dumped at my moms for the school year. With like three days
notice." The look in his blue eyes in not a happy one.

"You dont like her?" 

"I dont know her." 

"Yeah" Sam says, thinking that they have something in common. "My
name is Sam, by the way."

"Im Daden." 

"Thatsdifferent." Sam says, squinching her nose.

"Oh yeah? Well, Sams a boys name." He retorts.

"God! Its short for Samantha. Didnt any of you watch Whos the
Boss or  Bewitched?" In addition to encouraging a liking of comic
books, the Candling School also dosed the kids on a heavy diet of
Nick At Night offerings.

"It means deeds in Dutch. My name, that is. Its the only thing my
mom ever gave me." He explains.

"Wow, you really arent close." Sam remarks.

Daden shrugs. "I really only met her last night. Shes not Dad, but
she seems ok."

"Wait until you get to know her." Sam says with a knowing smirk.

Daden giggles. "I bet youre right." 

Sam doesnt quite realize it, but anyone looking can see that shes
well on the way to making her first friend in Capeside.

**

Saturday 1pm, channel 

Mulder sits next to his dad, who is holding Price in his lap. Sam and
his mom sit a bit forward from the rest of them, making them the
center of attention. Everyone is dressed up nicely. Mulder and his
father are wearing button down shirts and slacks, and Price is
wearing a brand new pair of blue corduroy overalls with a train
embroidered across the front. Mulder had smiled to himself when hed
first seen them, and he couldnt wait for his brother to start
talking so hed finally get an answer about trains from him. Mrs.
Leary is wearing an airy white summer dress since it is still quite
warm out, and Sam, after much cajoling was also forced to dress up.
Shes got her hair French-braided and is wearing a dress too.

Gale smiles at the camera man, and he gives the signal that the tape
is rolling. Gales smile widens as she addresses the camera. "Hi, Im
Gale Leary. You probably know me as the news anchor for this station.
Id like to take the opportunity right now to introduce you to the
rest of my family." She points at Mr. Leary. "Over there is my
husband Mitch and our sons, Mulder and Price. This young lady next to
me is our daughter, Samantha."

Sam smiles wanly at the camera, then Mrs. Leary goes on. "Samantha is
the reason that were here to day. As you may or may not know,
Samantha was kidnapped when she was two weeks old. Our home was
broken into in the middle of the night, and that day was the last
anyone reported seeing her."

Mrs. Leary takes Price from Mr. Leary. Price looks like he might cry
for a second, but doesnt, quickly settling on his mothers lap. "At
least until the day that Price was born in May. We received an
anonymous phone call from someone involved in her kidnapping, and
they told us if we didnt investigate our daughters past, they would
release her. We readily agreed, as any parent would, and Sam was
dropped off at the hospital. To this day we do not know where she
was."

I see what you meant by only telling them what we want to know,
Mulder thinks. Obviously the truth isnt one of those things. But
really, whose business is it but theirs?

"Sam herself has only been talking for a few weeks, and has memory
loss so she hasnt been able to fill any of the blanks in for us. We
dont feel that where she was is important, since she is back with
us, and thats all that matters to her family. Right now the
important thing is to concentrate on the future rather than dwell on
the past. "

"Wed like to thank those people who have prayed for her safe return
over the years. Thank you so much."

The camera man shuts down, and they are soon ready to go. Mr. and
Mrs. Leary are excitedly talking to Sam about how brave she was to go
on TV and let everyone know about the kidnapping, and Price babbles
along, seeing to want to add his own comments on the matter. Mulder
trails behind, wondering how many reporters are going to cry
themselves to sleep tonight in anguish over losing the chance to be
the first to break the story. He hopes its a lot.

**
 
5pm Ice House

Skinner is wiping down the counter when the bell on the door jangles,
letting him know that someone has come in. He looks up and sees a
young man walking quickly towards him. The guy smiles at him.

"Hi, is Reed here? He said he was getting off around now." He said.

"I think hes clocking out now. I can go tell him that youre waiting
for him. Although, itd be easier if I know your name." Skinner says
with a brief smile.

"Oh. Im Chris." 

Chris. The Chris, presumably. Skinner gives him the once over. Hes
short, although taller than Scully and Fowley, hes probably not even
as tall as Reyes. His hair is too long, at least in Skinners
estimation, and it looks like it could use a good wash. Besides being
short, the guy is heroine addict thin. Reed could do better, Skinner
thinks.

"Um?" Chris says, looking concerned.

Skinner gives him an apologetic look, realizing that hed been
staring for quite a while. "So Ill go let him know that youre
here."

"Ok." Chris looks relieved.

He must have a nice personality, Skinner thinks with a slight shake
of his head as he wanders towards the back room to find out where
Reed is.

**

Sunday, 3pm, Leary home

The Learys recently bought a porch swing, so Mulder and Scully try it
out. It has hearts carved into the arms, which Mulder thinks is
silly. He mother gushes over how "perfect" it is, so he just grinned
and bore it when she asked his opinion when they went to look for it.
Sam had only shrugged, which had made him wonder for a second how
much of a girly-girl his sister might have been if shed grown up
entirely under his mothers influence. Thered probably been a lot
more frilly dresses in her past. He was rather thankful that none of
the girls hed grown up with were the prissy type.

"So I saw you on TV yesterday." Scully says, breaking his reverie.

"Yeah? Did I look fat? You know they say the TV cameras add ten
pounds." He tells her with a wry grin.

"Only your butt." She tells him with a serious look, before laughing
at him.

"Oh thanks." 

"It was really brave of you all to do that, you know?" She says,
referring to the news segment.

"I dont know about that." He corrects her. "It was just a preemptive
strike against a flurry of reporters wanting to break the story, you
know? It made it easier on us than it would have been if we hadnt
done it."

"Even so, there are now millions of people who dont even know you
but know something about your family history."

"Millions? Wow, Moms station would be thrilled to hear that." 

Scully rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean." 

"But of course. What would be the fun of talking to you if I didnt
get to give you a hard time?"

Scully sighs.

**

Monday 3pm, Leary home

The front door swings open, and Mulder looks up from his history
homework. Its a bunch of dates, which he finds boring, so he doesnt
mind the momentary distraction. Sam bounds into the room, looking
happier than hes seen in days.

"Good day at school?" He asks, trying to raise an eyebrow like Scully
would in the situation. Hes marginally less successful at it.

"The best! I mean it, Mulder, the best like ever." She clarifies.

"What was so good about it? No homework?" 

"No, we got homework. Do you know much about multiplying fractions?
It was the best because kids were nice to me. They all saw that news
thing this weekend, or most of them did. Now they dont ask why I
didnt go to school with them cause they know."

"Well, thats good. Im glad we did it then. Some people I go to
school with saw it too, and they said that you must be a strong girl
to deal with everything. Pretty cool since they dont know the half
of it, huh?"

Sam nods. "No kidding." 

"So do you have any new friends yet?" Mulder asks, hoping that the
question wont be the wrong thing to ask.

"Yup, one so far. His name is Daden. He was nice to me before the TV
thing, though."

Mulder gives her an impulsive hug. "Thats great! Maybe school wont
be so bad after all, huh?"

"Itll be ok. But Mulder, you didnt answer my question. Do you know
anything about multiplying fractions?"

**

Tuesday Capeside Middle School

Because he lost a bet over whether or not the character Gambit will
appear in the second X-men movies, Mulder is meeting Sam after school
so he can take her to pick out her choice of comic books. If hed
won, shed have to load the dishwasher for a week. Mulder still isnt
sure if she didnt realize how cheap a comic book is, or she was just
convinced shed win.

When he parks and begins to walk towards the school he gets a chill
like one would in the presence of evil. He almost chuckles when he
notices Krycek giving him an unfriendly glance.

"I should have known youd be here." Krycek grumbles.

"The question is, why are you here? I know things didnt work out
with that airhead you dated in the spring, but have you completely
given up on finding a girl our age dumb enough to date you? I know
middle school girls are young but even they arent-"

"Im picking up my brother from school, if you must know." Krycek
says with a scathing look.

"Since when do you have a brother?" Mulder asks, giving him a
suspicious look.

"Since when do you have a sister?" Krycek counters.

"Touch." 

"Ive nearly always had a brother, he just doesnt live with Mom and
I. I guess my parents had a difference in opinions in regards to
wanting a second child. Dad did and Mom really, really didnt. They
split up as soon as my brother was born. My dad said she didnt even
look at the baby after he was born. Right now my dad is off playing
army hero, so the kid is staying with us. I think she wanted to send
him to boarding school, but her conscience, or what passes for one,
got the better of her."

"Must be strange for you. I know its been strange for me." Mulder
says almost sympathetically.

"A little, but Ive seen him. Its not as though we never met before,
hes at my Dads when I spend time with my father." Krycek shrugs.

Sam and a brown-haired boy walk over to them. "Mulder, this is my new
friend, Daden Valentine." Sam explains.

Mulder and Krycek exchange a look. Its not a happy one.

**
 Credits
Produced by CC, KW and Neoxphile
**

< Voice Over>
This episode of Mulders Creek featured music from:

Crash Palace ("Two Kinds") 
Juliana Hatfield ("My Sister")
and
Republica ( "Im Back")

Stay tuned for scenes from the next Mulders Creek

