Just Fruit

By MatineeMad
matineemad@yahoo.com


Distribution: Archive where you like – just keep heading attached.
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully belong to 1013 Productions, everything else belongs to me.
Spoiler Warning: none
Classification: S, A, M/S Friendship
Rating: PG
Summary: Fruits and vegetables take on a whole new meaning when Mulder visits the local grocery store.
 
Just Fruit
by MatineeMad
matineemad@yahoo.com
 
            “Just fruit,” Mulder mumbled to himself as he entered the grocery store. He thought back to this morning when Scully had repeated herself over and over. She acted like Mulder never went to the grocery store. He thought about commenting about his ability to cook for himself before he met her, but thought better of it.
            He hurried into the store to get his purchase and get home. He didn’t want Scully to think he couldn’t perform this simple task.
He followed a young boy and a young girl into the store. “Probably brother and sister,” Mulder thought to himself. The young boy motioned for the young girl to sit on the bench at the front of the store.
“Wait here, Amanda. I will hurry. Don’t talk to anyone. Just look down, like you have been told.”
Amanda smiled a little. “Hurry, Jonathan, we don’t want to be out at night. Can we get grapes this time?”
Jonathan looked at her with sad eyes. “I will try.” He hurried toward the fresh produce section.
 
As Mulder put his required purchases in his basket, he kept his eye on young Jonathan. After the young boy picked up his items, he carefully weighed them, doing mental calculations in his head. Then he would pull money out of his pocket and count it. He did this after every item. When he put things back, Mulder assumed Jonathan thought they were too expensive.
When Jonathan reached the grapes, he did his calculation over and over again. Finally he put his purchase in the basket. Slowly he removed two other items and returned them to their proper place.
 
Mulder was finished picking out his purchases but the young shopper intrigued him. Finally he decided to strike up a conversation with him. “Are those good grapes?” asked Mulder.
Jonathan was startled that anyone was talking to him. “Sir?”
“Those grapes. Looks like you know how to pick them.”
“It’s for my sister. She has been sick lately – and I want to make her happy.”
“You’re a good brother,” said Mulder, remembering how he used to do unselfish things for Samantha.
“I have to go. My sister is waiting.” Jonathan hurried off to check out.
 
When Mulder got to the checkout line, Jonathan was in front of him. He seemed very nervous about being in a hurry.
“That will be $7.35,” the cashier said.
Jonathan carefully counted out his money. He only had $7.25. “I thought I counted it right. Sorry, ma’am. I will put something back.” Jonathan reached for the single tomato in the plastic bag.
Mulder quietly opened his wallet and pulled out a dollar bill. “I think you dropped this,” he said as he handed the bill to Jonathan.
“That’s not mine, sir.” Jonathan was not going to accept it graciously.
“Yes, son. I saw you drop it.” Mulder gave him a big smile.
Jonathan finally nodded. “Thanks, sir.” Jonathan took his change and walked toward his sister.
 
As Mulder carried his purchases toward the door, he could hear Jonathan and Amanda talking. “I tried. I just don’t have enough. I got the grapes. Maybe it will make you feel better.”
“But what about you. You can’t just eat lettuce. I thought we were going to get meat.”
“I couldn’t! I didn’t have enough money! I tried! I really did!”
As Amanda patted her brother on the cheek, she saw a policeman enter the store. “We better get going. We can’t risk curfew,” said Amanda.
 
As they exited the store, Jonathan saw Mulder behind him. “Sir, why did you give me that dollar?”
“You needed it,” said Mulder.
“I can’t pay you back.”
“Will you smile for me?”  Mulder grinned.
Jonathan didn’t, but Amanda did. “Is that good enough?” she asked.
“Great!” Mulder headed to his car, as the children walked the opposite direction.
 
“You finally made it,” said Scully as Mulder walked into the apartment holding his purchases.
“Sorry for the delay. I got sidetracked…” Mulder absent-mindedly sat down and started flipping through the channels.
Scully knew immediately that something was wrong. After starting the salad, she came and sat down next to Mulder. “Penny for your thoughts,” she said.
“Huh?”
“Did something happen while you were gone to the store?”
“No…not really.”
“Mulder, remember…open communication.” She smiled at him.
“You will think I am dumb.”
“Never, my dear. Spill your guts, G-man.”
            “When I was at the grocery store, I saw these children. The boy was buying purchases for he and his sister with the meager funds that he had. When he didn’t have enough money, I gave him a dollar.”
            “That doesn’t sound so bad. Good samaritanism is hard to find.”
            “I know they are probably homeless but I didn’t do anything. I just let them walk away into the darkness.”
            “You can’t save, everyone.”
            “I know that but there was something wrong there. I have a gut feeling,” said Mulder.
            “Okay, why don’t you go back in a couple of days and see if they show up again.”
          
All week Mulder thought about the young children. Why didn’t he follow them? What if they were living on the street? He found excuses to go to the grocery store every night hoping to find them. Finally on Sunday night, he saw Amanda sitting on her bench – with her head down.
“Amanda?” said Mulder as he sat down. Amanda didn’t look up. “Amanda, are you okay?” Finally Amanda raised her head. She was pale and her eyes were bloodshot.
“What is wrong?” Mulder was really worried.
“Nothing. Jonathan is buying…stuff for us.” Mulder was not convinced.
As Jonathan was walking away from the checkout line, a security guard approached him. “Young man, you need to come with me.”
“Why?” Jonathan was panic-stricken. “I didn’t do anything. I paid for everything I have.”
“Please, young man.” The security guard was adamant.
“Is there a problem, sir,” said Mulder as he approached, flashing his FBI badge.
“This boy took a container of cough syrup. I saw him.”
“I’ll take care of it,” said Mulder, grabbing Jonathan’s arm. “Let’s step outside.”
Jonathan grabbed Amanda’s hand as they exited the store.
Amanda was scared, but followed her brother. “What’s going on, Jonathan?”
As they reached the door, Jonathan turned to Mulder. “I did not steal anything. Please don’t hurt my sister. I will do anything you say.”
“Let’s talk in my car,” said Mulder.
 “Amanda, take the bag and run as fast as you can. I will be there when I can.” Amanda grabbed the bag and immediately started running. Jonathan started running in the opposite direction.
Mulder caught Amanda first and walked her to his car. “You are going to sit here with me until Jonathan comes to get you.” Within seconds, Jonathan was standing by the car.
“What must I do to get my sister back?” His voice was very emotionless.
“Get in the car and don’t say a word.” Jonathan got in the front seat with Amanda.
 
Mulder had been driving for 10 minutes when Jonathan finally spoke. “Are we going to jail?”
“Is that where you want to go?” asked Mulder.
“No. Amanda is sick. She needs her medicine. Please!” pleaded Jonathan.
“Here we are.” Mulder stopped the car in front of Scully’s apartment. “This is not the police station,” said Amanda.
“No. We are stopping by to see my friend. She is a doctor.”
 
The children slowly walked to the apartment building with Mulder. Both were trying to figure out a way to run but neither thought they could outrun the FBI agent. Finally they reached Scully’s door.
“Don’t be afraid, kids. It will be okay. I’m a friend.” Neither believed him.
“Hey, Mulder. What….what is this?”
“This is Amanda and this is Jonathan. Amanda is a little sick.” Scully immediately knew who they were. Mulder had talked about them all week. She was so glad that they had connected again.
“Come in. I’ll get my medical bag.”
 
Thirty minutes later, Jonathan was asleep on the living room couch. Amanda was sitting at the dining room table eating a bowl of cereal.
“What is the verdict, Dr. Scully?”
“Anemia and a sinus infection. I suspect Johnny here would be anemic too, if he would let me examine him.”
“Can she stay here tonight?”
“Sure, but why?”
“I think there is a story here. Unfortunately Johnny is not going to tell me while Amanda is around. I am going to take him to my apartment. He won’t run as long as he is separated from Amanda.”
“Be careful, Mulder.” He smiled at her, as he scooped up a sleeping Jonathan.
 
“Where is my sister?” Jonathan yelled at a sleepy Mulder, lying on the couch.
“What time is it?” Mulder turned to his VCR. “It’s 2am.”
“Yes, and I want to know where my sister is!”
Mulder sat up. “She is safe. Scully is looking after her – so we can have a talk.”
“About what?”
“Why is your sister afraid to be out at night. Why do you always tell her to not look at people? Did you know she is very sick?”
“I was trying to get her medicine in the grocery store. I couldn’t watch her suffer anymore.”
“Sit down, Jonathan. I want you to tell me everything. I promise I will not call the police or social services or anyone who will keep you from your sister. Trust me!”
“I can’t! I can’t afford to trust anyone! I have to protect my sister. She is all I have left!”
“Where are your parents?” Mulder’s voice was gentle and caring.
“Long gone. Six months now.”
“Where?”
“Who knows. They left for Southern California. A guy called and said that they were killed in a drug heist last month. They were bad parents anyway. They never took care of us.”
“You look okay to me. Not great, but okay.”
“Mr. Wilson next door helps. He lets me run errands for him and he pays me.”
“Is that how you eat?”
“I save up and we buy fruit. Mr. Wilson says that eating fruit each day gives us the necessary vitamins. I guess he’s right but I don’t like to eat fruit all the time.”
“Do you go to school?”
“Of course! My grandpa used to tell me that an education is the only way to make it in this world.”
A grandfather! Mulder was sure he was the answer to these children’s problems. “Where is your grandfather?”
“Don’t know. I haven’t seen him since Amanda was two. Mom said he disowned her for having Amanda. He would love her. She is funny, bright, and everyone’s friend.”
“Does she go to school too?”
“Yes, every morning. I walk her to school and then I go to school. After school, I walk back and get her.”
“Sounds like you have been a good brother.”
“Good brother? I’m afraid not. I don’t make enough money so Amanda only gets breakfast twice a week. She takes an apple or orange for lunch.”
“Just fruit.” Mulder smiled. “What about free lunches at school?”
“Can’t do that. The school would require a parent signature. Then we would probably go to foster care again. I can’t let that happen again. So we eat fruit!”
“You know that you can’t keep this up. Eventually someone is going to find out. Then what is going to happen?”
“We are careful. We only go to the grocery store when we have to. I never let Amanda out of my sight. I take care of her when she is sick.”
“But you are what….thirteen? What about friends? Hobbies?”
“No one ever wanted to hang around the Bannon kids. Our parents were drug dealers. My parents ran off everyone who tried to be nice to us. Eventually Amanda and I decided that we only had each other. We love each other. We protect each other.”
“Let me protect you, Jonathan. Let me look for your grandfather. See if he if still alive.”
“He won’t take us back. I guarantee that.”
 
For the next several days, Jonathan stayed at Mulder’s apartment. He talked to Amanda twice a day on the phone. She was still recovering and couldn’t go to school. Mulder went to school and got Jonathan’s and Amanda’s files on the pretense of a background check on their parents.
With the help of the Lone Gunmen, Mulder found a grandfather named George Mitchell in Hugo, Oklahoma. He and his wife had been living there for over 40 years. George was ecstatic to hear that Amanda and Jonathan were alive. He told Mulder that his daughter Stephanie and her common-law husband Dwayne had cut off all contact 10 years ago. They searched for a while but found nothing. About five years, they received an anonymous newspaper clipping that the whole family died in a house fire. Mulder believed it was faked to cover either their drug dealing tracks or social services’.
Mulder arranged to bring the children to Oklahoma during Spring Break for a visit. He told Scully of his plan and she agreed to accompany him there. Both Jonathan and Amanda were willing to give it a try – as long as Mulder and Scully went with them.
 
“This is it,” said Mulder as he drove up the gravel road.
“Are you sure they wanted to meet us,” said a nervous Jonathan.
“They couldn’t wait,” said Scully smiling.
“I don’t remember them,” said Amanda.
“Don’t worry. They were so excited when I called.”
 
“Welcome, children. My name is Mamie Mitchell and this is my husband, George.” Mamie looked at Mulder. “You must be Fox Mulder.”
Fox shook her hand. “Thanks for this.”
“They are our grandchildren, after all,” said George.
“I get my own room and my own bed!” Amanda seemed excited to be there.
Jonathan refused to leave Mulder’s side – and he sought his approval on everything. “Is this what you want us to do?” asked Jonathan as they looked at his room.
“Do you like it?’ asked Mulder.
“I guess so. I’m not sure what to expect.”
“Dinner’s ready?” said Mamie from the door.
 
George, Mamie, Mulder, Scully and the children sat down at the table. After saying grace, the adults began filling their plates. Mulder watched as Jonathan put vegetables on both his and Amanda’s plate. As Amanda reached for a slice of bread, Jonathan nodded his disapproval. She put it back, disappointed.
After everyone took several bites, Jonathan told Amanda to take a bite “but chew slowly.”
Finally George saw that the children had very little food on their plates. “Aren’t you kids hungry?”
“We always had to wait for Mom and Dad to finish – to make sure there was enough food for us,” said an unashamed Amanda.
“We could always eat vegetables because dad never liked them,” Jonathan added.
“Sometimes we got to eat grapes!” said Amanda. “I love grapes. You think you would let me eat them sometime. I will be very good. I promise.”
Mamie was nearly in tears. “Excuse me.” She went into the kitchen, followed by Scully.
 
Jonathan motioned for Amanda to get up. “We didn’t mean to make her cry. We will go get our things. Mr. Mulder, could you give up a ride to the bus station?”
“Sit down. No one is leaving. Johnny, you and Amanda fill your plate and eat as much as you want.”
Amanda smiled. “Are you sure? Jonathan, do we have enough money?”
“Both of you eat!” George said kindly. “I can’t eat all of this myself.
Suddenly the children began to eat in a hurry, like someone would take it away. Mulder smiled – and looked toward the kitchen.
 
“Are you okay now?” asked Scully as she handed Mamie a tissue.
“I want to love those children until they get tired of me and George. Do you think they will stay?”
“Frankly, Mulder and I are on the road all the time with work. This is the only option for these children right now. Are you willing to give it a try?”
“Absolutely!”
 
Mamie and Scully came back into the dining room smiling.
“Everything okay?” asked Mulder.
“Just fine. We are going to spend the weekend with the Mitchells and learn about the ranching business,” Scully said nonchalantly.
“You’re kidding, right?” said Mulder alarmed.
“No, partner. Ever ride a horse?”
 
Mulder and Scully spent the weekend more to get the children to accept the Mitchells than to enjoy their company. By Saturday dinner, Jonathan was calling George “Pawpaw” and Amanda was showing Mamie how to dress the old doll she carried around. It was a family picture that Mulder had only dreamed of.
“We will be leaving after dinner, Mr. Mitchell,” said Scully. “We have a flight at 8pm.”
“We appreciate everything that you have done,” said Mamie. “Will you come visit us again?”
“Please!” both children pleaded.
“We would be honored,” said Mulder.
 
The goodbyes were exchanged and Mulder and Scully headed to the airport. Mulder had not said much since he had a long talk with George earlier in the day. Scully didn’t want to press him but it was obviously bothering Mulder.
 
“Do you think the children will be happy?” she asked.
“Of course. They have cows and horses and a garden with all the fruits and vegetables they can eat. It is paradise!”
“So why are you so sad?”
“Just fruit,” he mumbled.
“What?”
“George said the kids would be loved and never have to eat ‘just fruit’ again.”
“And?”
“And what?” asked Mulder.
“What are you not telling me.”
Mulder took a deep breath. “Once my father only let me eat fruit – to punish me.”
“Why?” she asked.
“He said that I didn’t deserve any real food. After a while fruit would make me sick – and I would understand his pain and suffering.”
“Oh, Mulder, I am so sorry.” She put her hand gently on his forearm.
“That’s why I had to help these kids. I couldn’t let them suffer anymore. They deserved better. Jonathan is such a good boy. He gave up everything to protect his sister.”
“Sounds like another older brother I know,” smiled Scully.
“Let’s go home, Scully.
 
“It’s so glad to see both of you,” said Maggie Scully as she opened the door.
“Thanks for inviting us for Sunday dinner,” said Mulder.
“Sorry I haven’t called in a couple of weeks, Mom. Work has been busy and we just got back from a…uh…case.”
“No apology. I am always glad to see my two favorite FBI agents – together.”
“What’s for lunch?” asked Mulder, as he sniffed out loud.
“Smells good, whatever it is,” said Scully.
“Actually it’s your favorite, Dana. Vegetable soup and fruit salad.”
Mulder and Scully looked at each other and said simultaneously, “Oh my gosh!”
Mulder took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Let’s eat.”
 
The End