Well, Here is my first plunge into the world of "X-Files:Creative". This is part 1 of 2 of a Cross-Over story called "And If I Die...". It mixes our two Agents in with the "Nightmare On Elm Street" Saga. I am posting part 1, and will post part 2 early next week after I finish up some touches and hopefully get some feedback. I still do not know how to just simply "post" the story text files in my main Unix shell and include them with this message. I will try, but if you just get this message, I will be posting a reply to this one with the file attached (the only way I can at this point, or that I know how!). If anybody can please, help me out I-N S-P-E-C-I-F-C-S, I will do better next time I promise! Also, can anybody throw this up to the ftp site? I don't even want to tackle that one! Here goes..... *********************************************************************** THE X-FILES: "And If I Die..." By Tony Anderson (demeter@eskimo.com) Based on the television series "The X-Files" and film series "A Nightmare On Elm Street" (c) August 1994 The author is intending no infringement on copyrights held by both the creators of "The X- Files" and "A Nightmare On Elm Street". The following is written purely for reading enjoyment and not for purposes of profit or exploitation. Copies may be freely distributed, but please retain this title page and said notices. THE X-FILES: "And If I Die..." By Tony Anderson (Aug. 1994) PART ONE OF TWO *************** Agent Fox Mulder shuffled through the papers on his desk, looking for a specific file. He piled the folders up on one corner next to the phone and continued sifting. A knock is heard and Agent Dana Scully enters carrying a mug of hot coffee. "Lose something, Mulder," she asks sipping carefully. "What? In this filing system?" he replies opening the top drawer of the desk. Scully moves over to a chair and sits, watching him search. "I'd love to help..but..I wouldn't know where to look". Mulder shoots her a look and continues into the next drawer. "You should see it when I do lose something." Mulder stops searching and pulls a file out of the bottom drawer and opens it, laying it flat on the desk. "Scully, do you ever have bad dreams?", he asks coyly. "On occaision, we all do, there called 'night terors'." "Do you believe in The Boogey Man, Scully?" Mulder picks up the file, moves around and sits on the front of his desk, facing Scully. "Maybe when I was a little girl." "We have another little girl with the very same problem you did," he adds. "I don't follow," she says, wondering where her partner was heading. "A girl, eight years old, named Drew Osborne, she has this little difficulty in sleeping." "What is it, she doesn't get much sleep?" "No, she doesn't get any sleep, flat out refuses to close her eyes. Apparently, there is this 'ugly man who scares her with knives'." Mulder explains looking down at the file then back over at Scully. THE X-FILES: "And If I Die..." By Tony Anderson (August 1994) "Mulder, this is not an unusual occurance; did the child speak to a family counselor or Doctor?" "Yes, he thought the same things you are right now." "And?", Scully asks. "And, after seeing a therapist on numerous occaisions they finally had to give Drew an injection to force her to sleep." "What is it that is scaring her so bad?", Scully replies, realizing the girl's problem far eceeded her own at that age. "Nobody is quite sure at this point. The therapist suggested that she be admitted for a series of tests, to determine her problem, whether it be physical or mental." "Has she completed them?" "Well, she would have, except two days prior to her check in date, she was given an injection after a series of screaming fits with her Mother. After Drew went off to sleep...her Father mysteriously had his throat cut in an upstairs bedroom, just down the hall from her." "Was it a break-in?", Scully wondered. "Homicide says no way. There are no signs of struggle or a break-in anywhere in the house." "That is where we come in," Scully summarizes. "Exactly, our first move is to talk to Drew." ***** Sylvia Osborne moves towards the front door, to answer the knock that echoed through her now quiet home. She pulls open the door and finds two strangers before her. "Yes, can I help you?"she asks, her face showing obvious signs of exhaustion and fatigue. Mulder holds up his badge, as does Scully, for her to see. "Sylvia Osborne? We're FBI, I'm Agent Fox Mulder and this is Agent Dana Scully. We spoke with you on the phone?" he reminds her. "Yes, please, won't you both come in," she replies and leads them both inside. THE X-FILES: "And If I Die..." By Tony Anderson (August 1994) Mulder and Scully put their identification away as they follow Sylvia through the emaculatly kept home. The only sounds heard were those of their feet on the polished oak floors below them. They followed her into the living room where she gestured for them to sit. Scully sat on the sofa beside Sylvia as Mulder sat in the armchair beside them. Sylvia looked at Mulder in the chair and a flush of memories raced back into her mind. Tears welled up in her red swollen eyes until she realized who she was with. "I'm sorry, it's been hard, but I am doing better," she smiles wiping her eyes. "We understand Mrs. Osborne, We're very sorry," Scully says putting her hand on Sylvia's arm. "Call me Sylvia, please," she answers. "Sylvia, we know of the unusual circumstances surrounding you're husbands death," Mulder explains. "Yes, but nobody believes us; they consider me possible suspect, as well as Drew." "Can we speak to Drew ourselves, Sylvia?" Scully asks her. "Yes, I only hope someone can get through to her...I have tried..but..," she stops, her words falling quiet. "We'll try the best we can. Don't give up Sylvia, Drew needs you now more than ever," Scully tells her. Sylvia gets up and composes herself to face her daughter again. "I've tried to maintain calm when I'm around Drew; she's been through so much lately. Her room is upstairs," she replies walking towards the staircase across from the front door. Scully and Mulder follow her up the stairs to the second floor. ***** They stop in the hall as Sylvia knocks on her daughter's door and opens it slowly to see if by some miracle, she went off to sleep on her own. She opens the door all the way to find her daughter sitting in a chair by the window, looking out with an THE X-FILES: "And If I Die..." By Tony Anderson (August 1994) emotionless stare. "Drew honey, there are two people here who want to talk to you," Sylvia says going to the window. Drew doesn't move or even acknowledge their arrival into her room. "It's alright, come in," Sylvia says with a small forced smile. Mulder and Scully enter the small light-green room, decorated with various stuffed animals and scattered toys on shelves lining the walls. Scully walks over slowly and bends down to face Drew. "Hi Drew, my name is Dana, I heard about you're dreams," she said with a smile. Drew turns and looks up at her Mother. Her Mother smiles back at her. "It's alright Drew, their here to help us," she explains to her daughter, not sure who can help them. "You know Drewm I had bad dreams like you when I was you're age." "You..did?" Drew asked, surprised. "Yes, I was terrrified of my closet, I was convinced that a giant spider was living in a web and eating my dolls," Scully tells her. Mulder, listening intently, gives a smile. "Giant doll-eating spiders yes, extra-terrestrials, no," he says in a small whisper to her. Scully gives Mulder a "you're not helping" look. "What did you do, move?" asks Drew. "No, my Dad.." Scully stops mid-sentence, realizing she has hit a sore subject. "Somebody showed me the closet in a new light and I discovered that there wasn't any spider, and I had just lost or missplaced my dolls." THE X-FILES: "And If I Die..." By Tony Anderson Drew paused and thought about Scully's words. "The bad man is real. He says he's going to get me if I go to sleep," Drew explains slowly and cautiously. "Drew, what does this man look like?" Mulder asks crouching down next to Scully, before her. "He gots a red and black sweater on and his face is all burned," she tells him in a whisper, as though the 'bad-man' will hear her. "When do you see this man?" Scully asks. "She sees him only when she's asleep; I can't get her to sleep, I've tried everything," Sylvia added. Drew begans to build panic in her eyes. "Momma, don't make me go to sleep again!" Drew says in a plea. "Do you ever see the bad man when you are awake?" Mulder asks. "No. He only comes when I dream," Drew replies. Scully looks at Mulder; they both share concern for the child. "What about the knives, Drew?" Scully asks her. "He has sharp knives, and he wants to cut me," she explains. "Does he hold them?" Mulder asks. "No, he has them on a glove. It's on...this hand." She holds up her right hand and shakes it a little. "He killed my Daddy!" Drew exclaims. "It's alright honey, nobody will let him hurt you," Scully says calming her a bit. "Can we come see you again, Drew?" Scully asks her giving a smile. Drew nods her head yes, and tries to return the smile. Sylvia opens the bedroom door as the two agents file out into the hall. THE X-FILES: "And If I Die..." By Tony Anderson (August 1994) "I'll bring you're lunch up soon sweety," Sylvia tells her. Closing the door behind herself, she follows the agents downstairs, and into the living room. "What do you think I should do?" Sylvia asks, hoping for any signs of hope. "She is a bright girl, Sylvia, you should be very proud of her. I think you should give her some time, and be as close to her as you possibly can. I think the events of you're husbands death might have created the dreams," Scully replies, ignoring an irritated look from Mulder. "The doctors told me the same things. It's just when she talks of the dreams they seem so real to her," Sylvia says. "Part of these dreams are her 'reality' right now. She has created this "bad man" as an escape for her fears. I think what she needs right now is a great deal of understanding," Scully says hoping to soothe Sylvia's obvious anxiety. "I hope you're right," Sylvia replies. ***** Mulder and Scully, after saying goodbye to Sylvia, head back towards the car. "Why did you tell her that, Scully?" Mulder asked anger ever present in his voice. Scully got in the passenger side and locked her door. She pulled the seat belt over and buckled it in place. "What do you mean?" She asked him. Mulder buckled his belt and started the car, pulling it away from the curb and onto the road. "About the the "bad man" being a figment of her fears, how do you know that for sure?" He asked, looking from the road to her, back and forth. Scully paused, realizing she had summarized and basically given Sylvia advice, something the Bureau does not encourage or recommend. She had made a mistake; acting sctrictly on instincts rather than a combination of this and cold hard facts. "She needed to hear something Mulder," Scully pressed. "Sylvia, or Drew? In a nutshell Scully, you just told that girl that her dreams are harmless figments of her frantic THE X-FILES: "And If I Die..." By Tony Anderson (August 1994) imagination," he explained. "Are you telling me you actually believe that this "bad man" was responsible for her Father's death?" Scully asked him. "I am not believing either Scully, we need to examine both possibilites before making judgements; I'm starting to sound like you," he replied. Scully silently thinks to herself and turns to him. "It's a good thing Mulder, balance of judgement is an important part of The X Files," she tells him, with a smile of truce. "Who is more the fool, the fool, or the fool that follows?" he adds with a small laugh. ***** Sylvia had brought Drew's lunch up to her room and waited to see if her daughter would eat. Drew remained quiet and distant as Sylvia tried to get through to her daughter. "Honey, you've got to eat. You need to keep you're strength up," She said hoping something might have changed after the two FBI agents had visited. Drew continued to stare out the window. "Drew, you have to get some sleep, the Doctor suggested I let you try again on you're own, but if you didn't to give you the medicine," Sylvia said carefully. Drew turned to her Mother as tears began to well up in her eyes. "Mommy, please don't make me sleep, I don't want to," she said starting to cry. Sylvia got up from her daughter's bed and held a needle in her right hand, the one the Doctor had given her. "I'm sorry Drew, honey, it's for you're own good," she said rolling up Drew's shirt sleeve. Drew continued to cry as her Mother gave her the injection. "He's gonna come back Momma, the Bad Man's gonna come back," she told her in a panic. * * * *