Title: Superman Pyjamas
Author: Josie Marchant
Rating:R for child abuse and some language
Disclaimer: They were only borrowed Chris, thanks for not sueing.
Summary: Little Fox Mulder longs for a Daddy who loves him

The 7 year old child pushed open the front door of his house, his nose was bloodied and he had
cuts all over his knees. A large gash was above his eye. His clothes and hair were dripping wet,
tears ran down his hot red cheeks,
"Fox! honey"
"Mommy" the child sobbed. Mrs Mulder rushed to her son and bent down by him, he threw himself into her arms. She lifted him up, holding him securely under his bottom.
"What happened?" she asked as she carried him upstairs, "Who hurt you honey?"
"The...big...boys" he cried "they told..me I had a si...lly name and that..I needed to be
taught a lesson" he sniffed. Mrs Mulder gently put her son down and peeled off the wet clothes.Running a bath she lifted him into it, he winced in pain as he went into the hot water.
"We'll get you cleaned up Fox before Daddy sees what a mess you're in" she sighed. The child was still crying in pain and with fear, his nose was still gushing blood and it hurt each time his Mother dabbed his cuts. "I'll go and get your pyjamas" Elizabeth Mulder went into her young sons room and took the superman pyjamas out from underneath his pillow. The child was huddled in the bath, hugging himself. Gently she cleaned up his nose and his cut forehead, lifting him outof the bath she wrapped a warm fuzzy towel around him, drying him off as softly as she could.
She worked quickly so as not to let her husband Bill see the boy in such a state. Fox held onto his Mother tightly as she carried him into his bedroom, his head buried in her neck, he whimpered.
"Let's put you in bed Fox sweetheart" she tucked him under the covers, he held onto his teddybear tightly and sucked on his thumb furiously. "You don't have to go into school tomorrow honey, you're going to stay home with me"
"What...about Daddy?" he asked.
"I'll talk to Daddy, I won't let him shout at you Fox" She sat down on the bed by him. Bill
Mulder was a fierce man, he wanted his eldest child to be tough and strong and stand up to people. He didn't seem to accept that Fox was just a child, and he wasn't averse to striking him when he became frustrated. "Go to sleep now Honey, it's all right. Shh" she gently stroked his head, his eyes began to close and his breathing became steady, his little nose nuzzled into his teddy bear and a more content expression came over his face. This peaceful moment with her son was interrupted as a telephone began to ring. Elizabeth went to answer it, it was her husband on the end of the line. "Hello Bill, right, what time will you be in then? oh, yes...I know...bye" she put the phone down, Bill was going to be late home tonight and so wouldn't be needing the dinner Elizabeth had cooked. He always did that to her, never considered any of the hard work she did for the family, it wasn't easy with two young children,but he didn't care. He just drank and hurled abuse at her and his son. The little girl Samanthawas the only one who didn't suffer at the hand of her Father. Samantha was two and the apple of her Father's and Fox's eyes. Today she was at Elizabeth's mothers house, so that Elizabeth
could have a little bit of a break from the daily chores of taking care of the house and the kids. Fox had been at school, so that's why he hadn't gone.
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Later that night Fox had come down with a fever, he was feeling very poorly indeed and Elizabeth wanted to keep an eye on him. Her Mother had dropped off Samantha earlier on and she had gone to bed straight away. Elizabeth held Fox on her lap, wrapped in a blanket. He was shivering and sweating, the child whimpered in discomfort, and although his Mother's hands felt cool on his skin, he couldn't understand how he could be cold and hot at the same time.
"Mo..mmy...make it...stop" he murmured.
"It's all right Fox sweetheart, you'll be all right, Mommy can't make it stop, but you'll feel
better soon" she held onto him tightly. "You be a brave boy for Mommy, can you do that?"
"Yeah" he sniffled, his little face was covered in beads of perspiration. "Good boy Fox, I
love you honey" Elizabeth kissed his fevered face.
Within the next half an hour the child fell asleep in his Mother's arms, he snored gently, and Elizabeth smiled at the sweet little contented grunts he made, his little nose wrinkled each time he took a breath in.
The front door clicked shut and Bill Mulder walked in, he had been drinking, again.
"Hello Bill" Elizabeth whispered.
"Hello, what is he doing down here, he should be in bed....and what the hell happened to his face!" he shouted. Little Fox woke up with a start at the sound of his Father's voice. "What have you been doing Fox William?" he shouted.
"Da..da" Fox murmured at him, he was clearly a little delirious with his fever, the image of his Father appeared blurred infront of him.
"What? Fox for fuck's sake you're not a baby, you address me as Sir, you know that"
"Bill, he's not well" Elizabeth shouted. "He's running a fever, leave him alone, he's only a
baby" She held the boy close to her.
"Elizabeth, I'd like you to leave the room please, Fox and I need a man to man chat"
"Bill he isn't a 'man' he's 7 years old and he's sick, he needs to be with me"
"I won't ask again" the man raised his hand. Elizabeth nodded and gently put Fox on the couch,
he couldn't even sit up as he was so weak and feverish. "Go now!" Bill shouted. Elizabeth left the room in tears.
"I'm sorry Fox my darling, I'm sorry" she closed her eyes as she heard the first slap and a cry.
"Sit up" Bill pulled the child up. "Did boys at school hurt you Fox?" he asked. Fox stared athis Father, he couldn't even make out what he had said to him, let alone figure out the answer.
He pushed his sweaty hair off his forehead and sleepily rubbed his eyes. "Answer me Fox William!" his Father shouted.
"Dad..dy" he stared at him, "I gonna..go..bye..byes" he fell back against the sofa with his eyes shut.
"The correct term is go to bed young man! And no you're not, we are having a conversation. Did the boys at school do this to you Fox?" he slapped the child across the face. Fox was too weak to even argue, he let out a muffled yelp. "And you just cried? typical weakling, no wonder they pick on you Fox, no wonder. Jesus Christ I need to toughen you up don't I eh? This just won't do Fox William, no son of mine is going to be a puny little shit. You understand me? do we have an understanding?" he repeated.
"Yes...Da..d.dy..Sir" the child slurred out. "I...wan'..Mommy..now" he slid off the couch and onto the floor. If he hadn't been sick he wouldn't have even attempted to get away, he knew that it made his Father more angry. He lay on the floor at his Father's feet. A dribble of saliva ran down his chin, his fever was becoming worse. Bill looked at the child on the floor,
"You are a mess" he said. "Jesus Christ, you can't be my child, look at you" he spat at the boy, the spittle ran down Fox's cheek, but the child was so hot now that the coldness of it was welcome. "Get up" Bill pulled him up by the elasticated waist of his Superman pyjamas. Fox yelped again. He really was only a tiny child, at 7 he was also a beautiful child, people would often comment to Elizabeth about what a fine young man she had. Bill too received praise on behalf of Fox, and in public he was every bit the proud Daddy, but as soon as things became private Fox was nothing to him but a human punch bag, to use and abuse and torture. Elizabeth knew it, but she had been on the receiving end of Bill's blows one to many times, and she, like her son, was also afraid.
Fox this time was saved by the ringing of the doorbell. Bill quickly carried the child
upstairs and threw him onto his bed, then running downstairs he answered the front door.
Fox lay crumpled on his bed, he cried out in pain.
"Mommy" his voice full of pain and sorrow.
"Shh sweetheart, don't let Daddy hear" Elizabeth crept into the room and put the light on. "It's all right Fox honey, lie down baby" she tucked him back into the bed. "That's it, Daddy will leave you be now, I promise you that. Shh" she stroked his face gently. His eyes fluttered shut and the contented breathing began again.
"Momma...don't leave...me...don't" he murmured.

"Momma...don't...don't leave...me..NO!" he sat bolt upright in the bed tears streaming and sweat pouring down him.
"Mulder, are you all right?" Scully came through the interconnecting door of their hotel room, "Oh Jeez" she came over to him and hugged him "you've been dreaming it's all right" she whispered. Her hand gently ran up and down his back. "Shh"
"Sc..ully..he..he kept hitting me" he murmured.
"It was a nightmare Mulder, shh that's all" she soothed. "Shh"
"No" he let go, Scully fondled his hair gently. "What you call a nightmare" he sniffed.
"Was my reality"

END

I know it's not a great ending, but hey I'm a newcomer to this, it's only my third.
mail me, xfiler_uk@yahoo.com