pen pals

Forward:This story was written based on the X-Files characters created
by Chris Carter and Ten Thirteen productions. In no way this story is
being used to infringe or defame these characters or the X-Files
television series. The story is based on my speculation of what
happened to Agent Fox Mulder's sister when she was a child. According
to the writers of the X-Files, this story has no affiliation to what really
happened to Samantha Mulder when she was a child, as no one really
knows the whole story. As the series unfolds, we will hopefully learn
more about what happens. I have submitted my story to the writers &
producers of the X-Files via the Internet in hopes they will use my story in
a future episode. This story is also available over the Internet on my
home page so others can view it at their leisure. The idea for this story
has been in the back of my mind before I was assigned this project. I
have always loved the X-Files since it premiered and within the past year,
I have submitted my stories, ideas, and suggestions to the writers of the
X-Files. Unfortunately, none of my ideas have been selected. Lots of
activity regarding the X-Files goes on over the Internet, and through
discussions are where I get a lot of my ideas for the stories that I
write.===============================================June
8th, 1996 6:58pm- Washington, DC, Scully's Apartment Dana Scully
arrived home to find a package sitting in the hallway outside her door.
Curious, she picked it up and tucked it under her arm while she let herself
into the apartment. Once inside, she set the box wrapped in brown paper
down on her dining table and left it there while she hung up her coat and
kicked off her high heels. Mulder would be coming over later to discuss
the case they were currently working on, but until then, she wanted to
relax. She made herself a cup of hot coffee and carried both it and the
package with her over to the sofa. She noticed that her mother's return
address was on the label. I wonder what this could be? She didn't say
she was going to be sending me anything. Dana set her tea down and
ripped the paper open. Inside she found a rather old, very familiar

shoebox with an envelope taped to the top. She opened the envelope
and read the letter her mother had enclosed. Dear Dana, I found this
when I was going through some boxes in the attic and almost threw it
away, but was afraid you would kill me if I disposed of it without
consulting you, considering how important some of this stuff was to you
as a girl. So, I decided to send it to you and let you dispose of it as you
see fit. Here's hoping that it will bring back pleasant memories for you.
Love,MomSmiling at some of the memories the box did evoke, Dana
reverently lifted the lid. It was filled with smudged envelopes with the
name "Danni" scribbled on them in a child's handwriting.Danni had been
her nickname in elementary school, a name she had gotten through a
pen-pal program between her class and a third grade class somewhere in
New England. Dana had complained that her pen pal had a boy's name,
and from the moment said pen pal first heard about it, she had insisted
on calling her Danni, so they would be even. The envelope on the top
was the last one she had received. A sad smile crept over her face as
she remembered what had brought a stop to their correspondence
October 7th, 1971 11:30am - New Ridge Elementary School, Ithaca
Naval BaseDanni was excited. It was pen pal day, and she was expecting
a letter from Sammie. These two girls had become closer than any of the
other pen pals in the two classes because they were so much alike.
Sammie's dad worked for the government, and Danni's was in the Navy.
They both had older brothers, though Danni also had another brother and
a sister. And both of them LOVED reading fairy tales and ghost stories,
though neither of them believed in fairies or ghosts. Of course, there were
differences between them too, but that just served as fodder for
conversation. Sammie's family didn't go to church, so she had been
eagerly awaiting Danni's account of her first Holy Communion, which she
had just sent to her in the last letter. And then there was the fact that
Sammie's parents had been fighting a lot lately. She was scared they

were going to get divorced, and Danni was the only one of her friends she
had told about it. Because of their closeness, Danni looked forward to
pen pal day for the whole month. Just recently the two girls had discussed
exchanging photos when school pictures came out, and maybe even
talking their parents into finding a way for them to meet in person. Danni
couldn't wait to see if Sammie had thought of anything. The children
clustered around Miss Reynolds as she entered the room with the box full
of letters and began handing them out. Danni was right at her knee, since
Sammie's was almost always on top. But something was wrong. She
could tell from the way Miss Reynolds had looked at her when she
pushed through the crowd of other kids. There was a strange sadness in
her eyes, as if she was thinking about something she didn't want to be
thinking about. Finally, all the letters had been distributed but one, which
Danni knew had to be Sammie's since she was the only one left. But she
didn't like the way Miss Reynolds kept looking at her so pityingly. What
was wrong? Was Sammie hurt. The teacher pulled her aside. "Dana "
she handed her the envelope with a somber sigh. "I'm afraid this is the
last letter you will be receiving for a while." The little girl frowned. "But,
why? Did something happen to Sammie?" Miss Reynolds nodded
reluctantly. "I'm afraid so. Dana Sammie has been kidnapped. Her
family is searching for her, but God, I hate to tell you this-they don't have
much hope." Danni fell back against the back of her seat, stunned. Her
pen pal had been kidnapped! Even though she had been told that it was
babyish for a nine-year old to cry, she couldn't help it. The tears came out
of their own accord. "I'm sorry, Dana. I know how close you two were." "I'll
pray every day that they find her," she managed to gasp out between
sobs. Almost crying herself, the teacher put her arms around the girl and
held her until the weeping subsided. "You do that, honey," she whispered
softly. "It's all any of us can do for her now." June 8th, 1996
7:16pm-Washington, DC, Scully's Apartment Blinking back the tears that

had resurfaced with the memory, Dana opened the last letter she had
received from her pen pal and began to re-read it. Suddenly, she froze as
one part unexpectedly caught her eye. "He says the girls have started
calling him 'Foxy' at school. Dad teases him about it, saying that he
should be flattered, but he hates it. He told me that when he grows up,
he's not going to let anyone call him by his first name. Except me, of
course, because I'm his sister." Oh, my God she thought to herself,
stunned. Because she hadn't read the letters in so long, she had never
made the connection before now. But now, the name that was always
signed at the bottom of the letters came back to her in a rush, without
even looking at it Sammie Mulder. As if she were once again the little girl
learning that her pen pal had disappeared, Dana began to cry, holding
her face in her hands. The agony Mulder had gone through all those
years looking for his sister took on a more awful reality in the light of this
new revelation. The doorbell rang. Forcing herself to regain control, Scully
wiped her face and went to answer it, still clutching the letter tightly in one
hand. The first thing Mulder saw when she opened the door was that she
had been crying, and crying hard. His face instantly expressed his
concern. "Scully, what's wrong?" She couldn't answer, and her hand
shook as she held out the letter to him. He took it, and his eyes filled with
pain as he recognized the handwriting. Then, the meaning of the
envelope he held in his hands sank in, and he glanced up at his partner in
surprise. "You were Danni?" he asked softly, amazed. Dana nodded. "My
mom sent me the letters so that I could decide what to do with them. I
hadn't looked at them in years, never made the connection until now."
"Oh, God." He had never imagined that she shared his keenest loss with
him in this way, and all he could do was wrap his arms around her and let
her cry, while his own tears fell into her hair. When they were both
calmer, Dana pulled away and walked over to the box. Picking it up, she
brought it back over to where he was still standing just inside the door. "I

know we have business to discuss, Mulder, but I thought that first, you
might like to read some of these." It wasn't often that Fox Mulder was
given an opportunity to see something new about his beloved sister, and
his eyes filled with tears again at the suggestion. "Yeah, Scully," he
replied softly. "I would love to."