Title: Wild Child
Author: Eileen S. Whipple
Email: whipples@connect.ab.ca
Rating: PG-13 for certain sexual themes, language.
May change to R by the time it's entirely written.
Classification: X-File
Summary: A man is murdered, his daughter is the 
prime suspect, and the agents must prove her innocent.
DISCLAIMER: Do I really have to write it? We all know
who owns X-Files.

NOTES: This isn't even close to being finished, so
hold tight. Also, Brea is based on certain people that
I know.



FISCHER ESTATE
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA
JULY 7, 1996 2:34 AM


"Dad, are you awake?" seven-year-old Sarah Fischer said groggily, 
pushing open her father Eric's door.
	
When the door was halfway open, Sarah heard a growl, an animal 
growl. "Dad?" the girl whispered in a frightened voice.
	
As she pushed the door open all the way, she saw the blood and 
the four-legged creature escaping off the balcony.
	
Sarah screamed.



LAX AIRPORT
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
JULY 9, 1996 3:57 PM


"The man's youngest daughter found the mauled body," FBI Special 
Agent Fox Mulder explained to his partner Dana Scully as he 
loaded their luggage into the trunk of their rented black 1996 
Saturn.
	
"What about the other daughter?" Scully looked through the file 
she was holding for the eldest daughter's name. She found it. 
"What about Brea?"
	
They both got into the car. "As you may have read in the police 
report, she was at a friend's house when it happened. She's been 
there since. The house-help have sent the youngest daughter Sarah 
to stay with her sister."
	
"Where's the mother?" Scully asked, pulling on her seatbelt.
	
"Eric and his wife Gillian have been divorced for nearly one 
year. She's been studying animals in Africa for the past few 
years. It seems that over those years, Eric had an affair and 
Gillian found out." Mulder turned the key in the ignition. "They 
divorced and she gave Eric custody because she was going to be 
in Africa for a while. Brea hated her father for having the 
affair."
	
Scully said, "Well, I would be too. Wouldn't you?"
	
Mulder shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." He pulled out of the parking 
lot.
	
"The body had deep claw marks on the chest and sides. How's that 
possible?" Scully asked.
	
Mulder kept his eyes on the road. "Sarah said she saw a four-legged 
creature leaving her father's room. She also heard a growl."
	
Scully laughed. "So this is a werewolf case?"
	
"I don't know. Maybe." Mulder reached up, loosened his tie and 
undid one shirt button. "Man, it's hot."
	
Scully had been smart. She'd worn a white blazer and skirt. She 
had also fastened her auburn hair back with an enameled black 
barrette. The first button on her blouse was also undone.
	
"I thought California was going to be warm, not scorching," said 
Scully.
	
The obviously bored Mulder turned the radio on. He turned the dial 
until he got a rock station. Scully rolled her eyes.
	
"Don't worry, Scully. We'll be there soon."
	
She scowled as she rolled down her window. "I hope so."



FISCHER ESTATE
5:07 PM


"Do you think we can talk to Sarah?" Scully asked Agent Darren 
Paulsen, an agent who was also working on the case.
	
Agent Paulsen said, "Probably not until tomorrow. She's still 
upset."
	
"Did anyone talk to Brea?" asked Mulder. "She might know 
something."
	
Paulsen laughed. "That's very unlikely. She wasn't here, remember?"
	
"But she did have a grudge against her father, didn't she?" 
Mulder pointed out.
	
Scully said, "But would she kill him because of that?" 
	
"You never can tell," said Paulsen.
	
"Who do you think did it, Agent Paulsen?" asked Scully.
	
Paulsen shrugged. "Some psycho or something. I mean, this guy was 
clawed deeply and he bled to death."
	
"Any other suspects?" Scully looked around.
	
Paulsen shrugged again. "His wife? I don't know."
	
"Has she been notified?" Mulder asked. "These girls need someone 
to take care of them. They can't stay with friends forever."
	
"We're still trying to get ahold of Gillian Fischer." Paulsen was 
startled by the ringing of his cellular phone.
	
He answered it, walking away. A few minutes later, he returned 
to tell Mulder and Scully, "You can talk to Sarah and Brea now, 
if you can find your way out of this fuckin' maze."
	
Mulder laughed as Paulsen left in another direction. The Fischer 
estate had an extremely large yard, a tennis court, a swimming 
pool and tons of trees. It looked like a jungle of some sort.
	
As Mulder started walking, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It 
was Scully. "We better be careful. It's a jungle out there."



BARTLETT RESIDENCE
MALIBU 5:34 PM

	
"Mrs. Bartlett?" Mulder pulled out his FBI credentials. "I'm 
Special Agent Fox Mulder and this is Agent Scully." He pointed 
to his partner. "We're here to see Sarah and Brea Fischer."
	
Mrs. Bartlett smiled. "Come in. We've been waiting."
	
The two agents stepped through the threshold. Mrs. Bartlett 
said, "Sarah's in the living room. Would you like some coffee?"
	
Mulder smiled. "Yes, please, Mrs. Bart--"
	
"Call me Wendy." They nodded as Wendy went into the kitchen.
	
Scully and Mulder entered the living room where they saw a girl 
with dark blonde hair sitting in front of the TV, watching a 
cartoon.
	
"Sarah?" Scully said in a questioning tone.
	
The girl turned around. "I'm Sarah. Who are you?"
	
"I'm Dana Scully and this is Fox Mulder. We're here to ask 
you some questions about your daddy."
	
Sarah frowned. "My dad died."
	
"We know," said Mulder. "What happened to him? Did you see?"
	
Sarah turned away from the two agents. "I saw the blood and the 
animal leaving." The little girl looked like she was going to 
cry. "The animal growled."
	
Mulder sat down on the coffee table. "What do you think it was?"
	
"I...I don't know. I saw a tail." Sarah broke down. "I don't know. 
I'm sorry."
	
Scully knelt beside the sobbing girl, placing an arm around her. 
"That's okay. We know it's hard." Sarah wrapped her arms around 
Scully's waist, putting her head in her lap.
	
As Scully stroked Sarah's hair, Mulder whispered, "I'll go see if 
Brea's around. Meet me when you can."
	
Mulder went into the kitchen. "Excuse me, Wendy. Do you know where 
Brea is?"
	
Wendy was pouring coffee. "She's is the backyard with my daughter, 
Jesslyn. Just call her Jess. Everyone does." She smiled.
	
Mulder said, "Okay. If Agent Scully comes looking for me, tell 
her I'm out back." Wendy nodded.
	
He wandered to the back door. Through the glass, he could see a 
large aqua pool. The Bartlett house was big but not as large as 
the Fischer estate.
	
Mulder opened the door and stepped into the bright yard. He saw 
two teenagers lounging by the pool. They were both wearing 
flowered bikinis and sunglasses. Their already-tanned bodies 
were stretched out on towels.
	
Mulder knew that Brea was fifteen but she looked too mature to 
be that age. Her body resembled that of a twenty-year-old's.
	
A girl whistled. She then said, "Can we help you?"
	
Mulder pulled out his creds. "I'm here to see Brea Fischer."
	
The girl with pale blonde hair said, "I'm Brea. What can I do 
for you?" The first girl that had spoken was Jesslyn.
	
Before Mulder could answer, Scully's voice interrupted: "We need 
to ask you some questions about your father."
	
"My father was murdered." Brea yawned. "Oh, well," she said 
nonchalantly, examining an oval-shaped fingernail.
	
Scully crossed her arms. "You don't sound very mournful."
	
Brea sneered, tossing her hair over her tanned shoulder and 
removing her sunglasses. "What's there to be mournful about? 
My father was a lying, cheating son of a bitch."
	
Scully's mouth dropped open. The girl had insulted her dead 
father so calmly, it made Scully furious. "How dare you talk 
about your father like that! He gave you everything you could 
ask for."
	
Brea stood up and walked to Scully. "Listen," she said angrily, 
"I know what my father did. He screwed that slut-bag secretary 
of his."
	
"Even so, why do you bring it up?" asked Mulder. "It's all in 
the past."
	
Brea said loudly, "I have to live with it every day, for the 
rest of my life. That's why my mother left and is staying in 
Africa."
	
Mulder saw some dried blood under Brea's nails. "What happened?" 
He pointed to her hands. "The blood, I mean."
	
"For your information, I scraped my leg on the side of the 
pool." She pointed to a wound on her thigh. "What? Do you 
think I killed my father? If you do, you're fuckin' crazy."
	
Scully said sternly, "There's no need for that kind of language. 
People can have civilized conversations without swearing."
	
"You're not my mother so I think you better keep your damn mouth 
shut!" Scully was stunned, speechless, as Brea said, "Besides, if 
you were my mother, I'd probably kill myself." Brea turned and put 
on her sunglasses, grinning at her friend.
	
Mulder led the shocked Scully into the house where Wendy was 
reading to Sarah.
	
"Wendy, can Agent Scully take over?" said Mulder. "I need to 
talk to you."
	
Wendy stood up, handing Anna Sewell's "Black Beauty" to Scully.
	
"What do you want to talk about?" Wendy asked as she and Mulder 
strolled into the kitchen.
	
"Does Brea get in trouble a lot?"
	
Wendy sat at her table. "You mean the swearing and revealing 
clothes?"
	
Mulder sat too. "Yeah."
	
"She became very promiscuous, you could say, just after the 
divorce. One reason was Eric was never home, always off on 
business trips. She'd bring different guys into the house 
every week. "
	
Mulder asked, "Has she seen her mother at all?"
	
"Yes," answered Wendy. "About eight months ago. She and Sarah were 
on safari with Gillian. That's when Brea was bitten by a tiger."
	
"Bitten? Where?"
	
Wendy said, "On the shoulder. Gillian was studying the tiger and 
when Gillian had her back turned, the tiger attacked."
	
"How was her recovery? How long did it take?"
	
"A few months. Two or three, maybe. She has a scar but it's not 
very noticeable," Wendy said.
	
"Thanks." Mulder started to stand up but Wendy stopped him, 
touching his arm.
	
She said, "If Brea said anything rude to you or your partner, 
I'm very sorry. I'll try to talk to her or I'll get Jesslyn to."
	
"Thank you for your cooperation, Wendy. We'll be back if we 
need any more questions answered by either of the girls."
	
He stood up and walked into the living room. "Scully, I'm done. 
Let's go if you're finished reading." He smiled at the little girl.
	
"Just one more page, please," Sarah pleaded, sticking out her 
lower lip in a pout.
	
"Can you wait a few minutes, Mulder?" He nodded and sat in a 
chair.
	
Scully finished the page she was reading and started another, 
reading with a clear, strong voice which she used when she was 
recording her findings in investigations or autopsies.
	
"Thanks a lot," Sarah said after she'd finally finished the page. 
"You're a good reader. I can't read big books like this yet but 
pretty soon, I'll be able to. I love books."
	
"That's good to hear," Scully said, getting off the couch.
	
"It was nice meeting you, Sarah," Mulder said as he and Scully 
left. "Goodbye."
	
"See you!" the little girl called after them.
	
As the two agents walked down the front sidewalk, Mulder commented, 
"What a sweet kid. Her sister, on the hand, is a very expressive 
young lady."
	
"She's a little snot, that's what she is," Scully said furiously.
	
"No attachment to cases, remember, Scully?" 
	
"But that girl's attitude makes me shudder to think what she's 
capable of. She must have ice water running through her veins."
	
"I'm sure she loves her mother and her little sister a lot."
	
"Yeah, I guess that's what counts but is she a suspect?" Scully 
asked.
	"
I think we shouldn't count her out yet."
	
"Enough about the case. I'm starving. Let's go for something 
to eat."



6:03 PM


"Can you believe that bitch, Jess?" Brea said to Jesslyn.
	
"She tries too fuckin' hard."
	
"But her partner--what a hunk! I'd like a piece of that action!" 
Brea exclaimed. 
	
"I'd hop in the sack with him in a second," Jess said. "He could 
do wonders with that nose. Don't you think?"
	
They heard someone clear their throat behind them. "Oh, hi, Mom."
	
"Hey, Wendy."
	
"I'd like to talk to you, Brea. I just want you to be nicer to 
those agents if they come around again."
	
"They think I killed my father!" Brea said. "They have no right to 
even imply that, not until they have concrete evidence."
	
"So you are a suspect?" Wendy said.
	
"How could I be? He's my father. If I'm a suspect, that means 
Sarah's one too."
	
"The law enforcement is trying to bring your mother back to the 
States for questioning," Wendy informed Brea. "I doubt it was her 
though. She wasn't fond of your father after the affair but she 
wouldn't kill him. And Sarah couldn't kill anybody, especially 
your father."
	
"I know that. That's why I can tell you it wasn't me. I hated my 
father for having the affair but not enough to kill him. Sarah 
couldn't have either. She loved him too much."
	
Jess looked at her watch. "Sorry to cut the lecture short, Mom, 
but Shaun and Connor are picking us up in an hour. We have to 
get ready."
	
"Okay. Just be home by midnight." 
	
"Sure, Mom." Jess kissed Wendy's cheek quickly, grabbed her towel 
and headed to the door.
	
"Thanks for watching Sarah, Wendy," Brea said as she hugged her 
friend's mother.
	
"No problem. She's a darling so I don't mind." She followed the 
girls into the house.



RIBS N' STUFF RESTAURANT
6:42 PM


"Scully, I've never seen you so angry," Mulder commented as he 
cut a piece of steak and dipped it in barbecue sauce.

"It's kids like that girl that make me afraid to have children. 
Imagine hating your father the way she does. It's absolutely 
repulsive." Scully twirled her fettuccini Alfredo around her 
fork and ate it.

"I know. Just don't let it get to you. Brea will come around. Her 
father's dead. She'll feel grief sometime soon." He sipped at 
his cola.

"I hope you're right." She wiped her mouth. "That Sarah is a 
sweetheart. She's adorable. When I was reading to her, she just 
sat there listening, her blue eyes wide with innocence."

"How poetic, Scully." Mulder chuckled. "I'm sure you're hoping 
this girl doesn't turn out like her big sister."

"You read my mind. Unless Brea changes, I'm afraid Sarah will 
most likely turn out like her. That girl is a wild child. She 
needs to be controlled."

"You were never a wild child?"

"No. I loved and respected my parents enough to not disobey them. 
I did have a few wild times but nothing major."

Mulder snickered. "I remember drag racing with my friends on 
Martha's Vineyard which isn't huge so we didn't go far. I also, 
um, streaked at a party in England. Do you remember Phoebe?"

"How could I forget her?" Scully rolled her eyes.

"Well, she was quite upset with me, as well as my friends who'd 
dared me to do it, so she stole my clothes and slashed my tires. 
It was my friend's party so he had to lend me clothes and I had 
to spend the night on the couch."

Scully burst out laughing. "Phoebe was that vicious? It serves 
you right for embarrassing her. Did she ever forgive you?"

"Yeah but her sophisticated friends could never respect me again, 
or so she said. She was so uptight. She still is." He leaned 
forward. "Any tales of your youth you'd like to share?"

She hesitated. "Okay. My friends and I had a crush on our English 
teacher in high school and one night, we were out late and my 
best friend Virginia started flashing cars. It was so funny. She 
got us all doing it. We were out there for hours. It was Friday 
and I was sleeping over at Gin's house. Well, on Monday, we had 
English and this teacher said, 'Girls, it's nice to see you 
getting things off your chests. But next time, choose a better 
way.' He'd seen us that night. 

"We were so mortified and then, to top it all off, we found 
out that my brother Charles' friends had seen us as well. I had 
so many young guys asking me out. Melissa thought it was a hoot 
so she and her friends started doing it as well. Pretty soon, 
all of Charles' friends were asking the Scully girls out. Luckily, 
my dad never found out why."

Mulder was howling with laughter. "You were sure wild in your 
younger years. What happened?"

She scowled. "I grew up. I was never very spontaneous. There was 
that event and some others." She smiled. "But you really streaked? 
I know you're weird but not like that. I'm surprised Phoebe didn't 
dump you for that."

"All she cared about was what her friends thought. I never liked 
them." 

The two agents had never really talked about their days as 
children and teenagers but it felt so easy to talk about them. 
One incident Mulder didn't like talking about, though he'd shared 
it with Scully, was when his sister Samantha was 'abducted' in 
front of him. He wasn't sure if she was taken by aliens or by a 
group his father worked for. Samantha was the reason he'd started 
on the X-files.

"All I think Brea needs is love and attention," Mulder said. "But 
not from any guy she's dating. She needs her mother more than ever."

"But it's a shame that Gillian is a suspect. I don't see how she 
can be. She's in Africa."

"They can't reach her so she could've easily traveled to the 
States with out us knowing. We should start checking plane 
records." He grinned. "Wow, I'm so smart. I'm surprised my 
brilliant mind hadn't come up with that sooner."

Scully kicked him gently under the table. "Don't be so arrogant."

"Sorry."



SHAMROCK INN
7:49 PM


As soon as Mulder and Scully had gotten into their separate motel 
rooms, they called each other. "We should call Paulsen," Mulder 
said. "We should tell him to start checking airline records in Los 
Angeles."
	
"I'll call him," Scully said. "I'll call you if there's been 
any new leads."
	
She hung up and dialled Agent Paulsen's cell number. "Hey, Darren, 
it's Dana Scully. Can you do something for me?"
	
"Sure. What is it?" he asked.
	
"Could you call the local airlines and start checking flight 
manifests for Gillian Fischer's name. We think she might be in 
the US."
	
"I was trying to get ahold of you or Mulder. Gillian Fischer called 
the LA office. She's still in Africa but she'll be out here as soon 
as she can. She was in an area where there were no phones. That's 
why we couldn't contact her."

"Is that her alibi? Can it be verified?"
	
"I spoke with one of her colleagues and she said that Gillian has 
been out in the field for two weeks. She tried radioing her when we 
first called but there were some difficulties in transmission."
	
"Thanks, Darren. I'll call Mulder with this information." She hung 
up and punched Mulder's room number into the phone.
	
"Hey, Scully. What did Paulsen say?" he mumbled. She guessed he was 
eating sunflower seeds.
	
"Gillian Fischer is in Africa. She was out in the field for two 
weeks. That's why Paulsen and his men couldn't contact her. She 
has been reached and should be out here soon."
	
"So she's no longer a suspect. I do have another suspect. I should 
have told you earlier."
	
"Who is it?"
	
"Brea Fischer. When she was visiting her mother several months ago, 
a tiger attacked her. I believe she may have been--"
	
"You think she's a weretiger? That's so funny." Scully laughed but 
stopped when her partner didn't answer her. "You're kidding?" 
	
"No. All the signs are there. When she got back from Africa, she was 
a different person. A tiger had bitten her. She had a grudge against 
her father. What else is there to say?"
	
"You're crazy. A lunatic killed Eric Fischer, not his daughter. He 
was mauled to death."
	
"But a person couldn't do that with their bare hands. Eric Fischer 
was shredded to pieces. And did you see those plants under his 
balcony? It looked liked something very heavy fell on it. Perhaps a 
five-hundred-pound tiger."
	
"Brea's just over a hundred pounds. Even if she could change into 
a tiger, wouldn't she be the same weight in cat form?"
	
"Not necessarily. She may become larger. There are no rules to 
this, to animal transformation. But we might be able to figure 
out if Brea is a tiger. She probably changes every night and 
people who transform into animals usually possess any injuries 
sustained when not in human form."
	
Scully sighed. "Mulder, there probably is a better explanation 
for this but I'll try to go along with you for now."