Title: An Act of Kindness
Author: Rotem Shahar
Feedback: LaughsR@prodigy.net
Rating: PG
Category: VA
Keywords: none
Spoilers: Christmas Carol, Emily
Summary: A little girl is left on the playground all alone.
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully aren’t mine. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013
Productions, and FOX. No infringement is intended and no money is being 
made by using these characters.

~*~*~
6:42 p.m.

Dana Scully left the basement office and walked to her car. It had been a 
long day of monotonous paperwork, and Mulder’s childish behavior hadn’t 
improved her mood. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the 
back roads to her apartment, effectively avoiding rush hour traffic. She
just wasn’t in the mood to deal with the angry drivers and blaring horns. 
The cars and traffic frustrated her, and she was already frustrated and 
tense as it was. 

The residential areas were tranquil and peaceful. No horns honking, no 
furious drivers yelling, no loud music from the car next to you.

She saw children playing together in the streets, light-hearted and carefree.

Scully remembered her childhood. Remembered playing on the different 
Navy bases with the kids after school and on the weekends. She 
remembered all the games they played and all the hiding spaces she’d found 
where no one was able to find her, no matter how hard they looked. She 
remembered all the childish pranks she and her friends had pulled and 
getting into trouble for them.

She thought of Mulder and how childlike he acted sometimes.

‘I need to relax, take a nice long bath and go to sleep’ Scully thought to 
herself.

She drove by an elementary school and envisioned Emily playing in the 
playground. Pulling into the parking lot, she leaned her head back and closed 
her eyes, envisioning Emily swinging on the swings, hanging from the 
monkey bars, playing on the jungle gym; she pictured Emily playing in the 
sandbox.

A few tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them away.

Scully missed Emily. She missed her very much.

Upon opening her eyes, Scully saw a little girl with light brown hair sitting
on a swing, dragging her feet through the dirt.

Scully got out of the car and approached the little girl. 

"Hey, why are you out here all alone?" She asked gently.

"My parents told me I’m not supposed to talk to strangers." The little girl 
told her.

"You’re parents are very smart." Scully said. "I’m an FBI agent." Scully 
explained, taking out her badge. "We’re kind of like the police."

The girl curiously examined it. Once she was satisfied, she handed back the 
badge and stated, "I’m Emily."

Scully gasped softly, but regained her bearings quickly.

"I’m Dana. Do you want me to push you on the swing?"
Emily nodded and held on tight as Scully pushed her back and forth.

"How old are you?"

"Five!" Emily exclaimed, proud of her age like all little kids are.

~*~*~

Half an hour later...

A car pulled into the parking lot and two people rushed out. 

"Mommy! Daddy!" Emily shrieked happily.

They saw Scully pushing Emily and the woman yelled, "Get away from her! Stay 
away from my daughter!"

Scully easily stopped pushing Emily on the swing and pulled out her badge in 
order to calm the parents.

"Just making sure she got home okay," Scully told them, heading towards the 
parking lot.

She knew this wasn’t ‘her’ Emily. But it was still hard to leave her. This 
Emily looked different, acted different, and sounded different. But she was 
Emily.

Scully got in the car and finished her drive home.

~*~*~

The End.