TITLE: Turning Nine AUTHOR: Erin M. Blair E-MAIL: eblair@sonic.net / erinmblair@gmail.com FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: OK to Gossamer, Ephemeral, The Nursery Files. Others: please ask me first. RATING: PG CATEGORIES: SA -- Story, Angst. KEYWORDS: Pre-XF. SPOILERS: Little Green Men, Pilot. DISCLAIMER: Fox Mulder and Samantha Mulder belong to Chris Carter. SUMMARY: What if Samantha Mulder came back after her abduction to the Mulders shortly before her ninth birthday? NOTES: This is one of the rare times that I didn't write a full fleged MSR. I would like to thank Jen and Lisa for beta reading this story for me. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Samantha hated shadows. She hated being alone in the dark. Most of all, she resented her parents for not being there that night. She never blamed her brother - he couldn't have prevented what happened that night. They were children. They didn't have the adult capabilities to understand what was going on. Although her abduction had taken place in front of her brother, she trusted him with her life. This was a huge reason why she loved confiding in him. After they watched their parents get up from the table to go to their master bedroom, she turned to her brother, her voice in a whisper. "Ever since I came back from the bright, white place in the sky, I've been having these nightmares." She paused. "Fox, there were these men hovering over me." "Men?" She nodded. "I don't know who they were, but I was on this table. They cut my skin open." He grimaced. "Samantha, I'm so sorry." "It's not your fault, Fox." That was all she told Fox when she came back. She told their parents nothing. She feared strangers, thinking that they were going to abduct her again or worse. She became so paranoid that she withdrew from the friendships that she had previously held. When her birthday arrived, it was just her family celebrating with her. It's the way she wanted it. ~ * ~ * The End