See Part 1 for details

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

In the morning, Byers awoke and properly donned his robe
and slippers.  Frohike was already awake and cooking. 
Jimmy woke up next and then Langly.  They sat quietly at
the table, eating Huevos Rancheros, Frohike's breakfast
specialty.  

Langly was getting his second cup of coffee when he asked,
"Has anyone checked on Frankie yet?"

He got blank stares.

"Okay, she's my friend, I'll go get her up,' he whined,
slamming his mug on the table and spilling his coffee.

Langly walked down the hall, past their bedrooms, past the
bathroom, to the old storage room that was now Frankie's
room.  He listened at the closed door and heard nothing. 
He knocked lightly and was greeted by more silence.  He
knocked harder, but there was nothing.  The door moved
slightly.  Langly pushed it open and the room was empty. 
The bed was still there, unmade.  He could still smell her
sleepy scent in the air.  But her clothes and her bag were
gone as well.  Frohike's pajamas were on the bed.  He hung
his head as he walked back to the kitchen.

"She's gone."

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Frohike asked.  "Is she just
out, or did she leave entirely?"

"Her stuff is gone, too.  Shit!"  Alarm started tingling in
his head.  Langly walked down the stairs to the offices to
see if she left a note.  There wasn't one anywhere.  He ran
to the bathroom to shower and put fresh clothes on.  He
walked out, not bothering to comb his wet hair and grabbed
his jacket.

"I'm taking the van," he announced, slipping his arms in
the sleeves.  "I'm gonna look for her.  If I find her, I'm
bringing her back.  And she's staying."  Langly was firm in
his statement.  He thought for a moment and continued,
"Man, you know what?  I actually slept good for the first
time after seeing her.  She used to make me lose sleep.  I
knew she was a street kid, but…the streets ain't kind.  And
I'm not dealing with it, anymore.  She'll apprentice or
some such shit.  But she's staying.  No buts about it."

The other Gunmen just nodded and watched as he left. 
Frohike ordered Jimmy to wash the dishes as he and Byers
began combing hospitals and police files on the Internet
for her name, and anything about her.  They wanted all the
info they could get.  During his search, Frohike noticed an
IP address signature left in some of the files' histories
that was ever-so familiar, indicating someone had been
there just before him.  Skinner was up early looking things
over, as well.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Skinner sat in his office looking at the printed
information he had found on Frances McKirk, Brooklyn, New
York.  It bothered him to view her files, violating her
privacy, but he needed to know her history, to satisfy the
investigator in him.  She had been in and out of hospitals
in the city, been arrested and released numerous times for
various reasons, including prostitution.  She was also in
the files of the Department of Child Protective Services of
New York City, with numerous complaints of physical abuse,
and 
suspected sexual abuse as a young child.

"That poor kid," he said to his empty office.   Her father
had beaten her badly throughout her life.  Both arms had
been broken, as well as her right collar bone and her left
cheek.  She'd had multiple concussions and both shoulders
had been dislocated numerous times.  After she ran away,
she was stabbed, sliced in the abdomen, raped repeatedly
after which she was arrested for prostitution.  No wonder
she didn't want to dredge all that up with him the night
before.  He was nauseous from simply thinking about it.

Scully and Mulder walked into his office, files in their
hands.  He didn't look at them as he resettled his glasses
on his face.

"Sir, are you alright?" Scully asked, concerned with the
ashen pallor of his face.

"No, I'm not.  I went through Frankie's files.  That little
girl is very lucky to still be alive, with what she's been
through."

"Yes, sir, Mulder and I looked her up ourselves.  It's
amazing to see that she was so selfless to help you after
having been abused for so long.  I would think she would be
distrustful and even violent towards most people."

"That's a common misconception, Scully," Mulder explained. 
"Most adults who were abused as children grow up to be
loving and nurturing people.  It's less often that the
cycle continues.  At least with sexual abuse.  Physical
abuse tends to have a higher rate of cyclical reoccurrence.
 It makes complete sense for her to help us.  She wants to
be normal, wants love and respect and admiration.  And
she's willing to risk her life to get it."

Skinner shook his head.  What else was she willing to do?
he wondered.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Langly drove past all the usual haunts, looking for
Frankie.  None of her friends had seen her since the day
before when she took off after the mugging.  She
disappeared, which she was prone to do.  Where did she go
when she disappeared? he wondered.

Langly found himself in Fells Point, driving past the
police station--one he knew only too well.  He thought,
maybe he should check to see if she was there, but he
didn't want to go in.  He pulled out his cell and dialed
the offices.

"Lone Gunmen."  It was Byers.

"I'm in the Point.  Did she get picked up?"

"No.  And she's not admitted to any hospital either.  I
assume you can't find her."

"Not yet.  But I will."

Langly flipped his phone closed and drove on.  She was
elusive, all right.  He drove into DC, trying like hell to
make it through the traffic.  He hated driving in DC, but
he knew she could probably be found in one place: asleep in
the grass on the Mall.  She had once mentioned that having
lived in cities all her life, she loved grass.  She didn't
care if she got covered in bugs, so long as she could catch
some sleep on a fresh bed of soft grass.  It was a secret
comfort of hers.  With her freshly laundered clothes,
Langly figured she wouldn't be rousted by the cops that
day.

He stowed the van on a side street and set out on foot.  He
walked past the Lincoln Memorial and on towards the Wall
when he saw a black jacket with jeans sticking out from it,
the signature red backpack and brown/black hair spread out
on the lawn.  Cautiously, he walked over and called out,
"Frankie?"

She looked up in fear, grabbed her things and started to
run, which was a mistake she realized too late.  Langly's
long legs brought him right up beside her and he tackled
her on the grass.  He turned her over and straddled her
body, pinning her legs down and grabbed her arms, trying to
tell her to stop fighting him.  He knew he was frightening
her, but she was swinging hard and he didn't want to get
hit.  She fought him as best as she could, but Langly was
too strong for her.  She slowed her struggling as the tears
made their way to the surface.  Soon, she was wracked with
deep sobs.  Langly sat back on the grass, moving off of her
and pulled her into his arms, rocking her gently to soothe
her.  He held her around her shoulders, stroking her back. 
She wiped her face quickly and tried to move away from him.
 Langly tipped her face toward him so he could look in her
eyes.  She stared directly at him, tears running down her
cheeks.

"Frankie, come on, you know I'm not gonna hurt you.  Why
did you leave?"

"I don't belong there and you know it," she choked out
between sobs.

"Does it matter?  I mean, c'mon, Byers and Frohike and me? 
You think we belong 
together?  And Jimmy's another story altogether.  Look, you
can't stay out here.  Krycek *will* find you.  He's got a
network bigger than you can imagine, bigger than ours. 
Every minute you're exposed is another minute that he's
closer to finding you."

Frankie collapsed into tears again.  Langly stroked her arm
a bit longer before urging her to get up and follow him to
the van.  She walked with him, trying to keep up with his
long strides.  She had always wanted to ride in the van he
drove and it calmed her a bit to finally do so.  But as
soon as they had turned back in to Takoma Park, she told
him she had to make a stop.

"Where are we stopping?" he asked, cautiously.

"I have to get the rest of my stuff.  It's on the other
side of town from your warehouse.  Sorry."

"Where is it?"

"In this other place, hidden.  I mean, it's just clothes
and books and stuff.  I gotta wash everything.  But it's
all I have.  It's in a duffel bag.  Cool?"

Langly followed her directions and pulled up in an alley
near the seediest warehouses he'd ever seen.  Frankie ran
in before he could turn to ask her which one it was.  He
waited a minute before getting out of the van to try and
look for her.  She walked out, dragging a huge, filthy
duffel bag behind her.  It looked ancient and stuffed to
the seams.  Langly opened the side door and helped her dump
the bag in the back before shoving her back into the
passenger to seat to get in and drive off quickly.  He
didn't like being out and exposed.

Picking up speed back to the warehouse, he was excited to
pull into the alleyway 
behind his home and help Frankie carry the bag down the
stairs to the office.  Langly pounded on the door to be let
in almost in a panic.  Jimmy opened it, quickly grabbed the
bag and one-handed it over his shoulder.

"Show off," Langly said.  He locked the door behind them as
Byers and Frohike ran over to question Frankie.

"Why did you leave without telling us?" Frohike shouted.

"Why won't you stay here where you're safe?" Byers asked.

"Look, she had to get her bag and it was heavy, okay?"
Langly said, covering for her.  "I found her on the way
back to the office.  She's staying this time."

Frankie looked up at him worriedly, then nodded in defeat. 
Jimmy carried the bag up to Frankie's room and she went up
with him, following at a safe distance.  She would have to
sort through her clothes and things and would have to do a
ton of laundry.  But she had a bed to sleep in and a roof
over her head and hot food to eat.  And company.

That night, as the five of them sat down to dinner, Byers
looked at Frankie's face carefully.  He could see the
little scars from cuts and scratches.  Her nose had a bump
from having been broken.  She was definitely a damaged
flower, but a flower nonetheless.  She ate considerably
more calmly after having had Frohike's eggs when she
arrived that morning and Jimmy's grilled cheese sandwiches
when lunch rolled around.  She'd also stolen one of
Langly's elastics and pony-tailed her hair.  Sitting there,
she was finally just a young girl.

Langly stopped by her room to see how she was doing later
that evening.  Frankie was folding her freshly laundered
clothes and stacking them neatly on her duffel bag spread
out on the floor.

"We'll have to get you something to keep those in.  Nice to
have clean clothes, huh?"

"Yeah.  I forgot how much shit I have."

"Well, considering we've been here for a good many years,
you should see what Jimmy hauled out of this room.  You
comfy?"

"Yeah, the bed is great."

"Lock works?"

"Yeah."

Her face fell.  Langly sat beside her on the floor and put
his hand on her shoulder to find out why she'd suddenly
clouded over.  She looked up at him and quickly pressed her
mouth on his in an awkward kiss.  He kissed her a moment
but pulled away, trying not to seem rejectful, but he knew
he shouldn't be kissing her.

"Frankie, what was that for?"  He was genuinely perplexed.

She blushed.  "Well, I figured, you're here to…you know…"

"What?" Langly asked, really not getting it.

"Well, like, to pay for my place here, you can like…use
me."

He shook his head and let out a cynical, angry laugh.

"Frankie, no one here is gonna do that to you.  Not me, or
Frohike or nobody, over my dead body.  You're here to be
safe.  That's why you have a dead bolt on your door.  And
to be honest, that's there for your peace of mind, not
because any one of us would need to be kept out."

"Wow, I'm such an asshole," she admonished herself, looking
down in shame.

He squeezed her shoulders and laughed.

"Frankie, we're not like that.  And that's something you'll
have to get used to.  I mean, yeah, Frohike's a perv, but
John's repressed, and I'm just…you know…whatever, anyway,
and I mean, Jimmy's an overgrown boy scout, so you're
absolutely safe here.  I promise you that."

"On Manhammer's sword?"

"On Manhammer's sword, shield and helmet," he swore, with
his right hand over his heart and his left in the air. 
"And let me tell you something, I wouldn't ever besmirch
his name with a lie.  He's won me too much money!"

They shared a laugh at that and Frankie noticeably relaxed
against Langly.  He looked down at her and asked, "How much
do you know about computers?"

"Nada," she said, quickly.

"Well, move it down to the office.  You're about to get
lesson one.  And everyday will be like school here.  You'll
learn about computers, the Internet, research, writing,
everything.  You wanna pay your way, you start with the
paper."

"Man, I was never good in school," she warned him.

"Well, this isn't school, this is life.  You're learning
about why we put this paper out.  You think that living out
on the streets is the worst that can happen to you?  You
know what those nano-cytes did to Skinner?"

"What?" she asked, excited to finally find out why she
risked her life.

"They blocked his veins and arteries with carbon crystals. 
He had no blood flow.  His heart actually stopped beating. 
Krycek must've changed his mind, I guess, or figured
Skinner was more useful alive and brought him back. 
Because of us, Krycek just lost the biggest contact he had
to the FBI since he was an agent.  He has no one to
blackmail into doing what he wants, anymore.  So, welcome
to the world of black ops and secret government.  This is
our world."

Frankie nodded, not sure she believed him.  She stood with
Langly and followed him to the offices.  Frohike and Byers
were so engrossed in what they were doing they didn’t even
look up when the two entered.  Langly sat Frankie in front
of a desktop computer and said, "OK, I'm going to start you
with the basics about how they work, what they're supposed
to do and all that.  Trust me, you'll have fun."

She looked up at Langly, as his pale blue eyes flitted
about the screen.  She knew more than she let on, but to
sit there with him, as he fawned over her, like a peacock
showing his tail feathers, was an indulgence she felt she
deserved.  Byers and Frohike exchanged bemused smiles.  He
was trying to impress their little guest and they thought
it was adorable.

By the wee hours of the morning, Langly went back to
Frankie and found her with her head resting on her folded
arms, fast asleep.  He smiled, touched at how sweet and
innocent she looked when she slept.  He lifted her small
frame carefully into his arms and carried her to her room. 
She was a lot lighter than he thought she should be, but it
must be the baggy clothes she wore that fooled him into
thinking she was bigger.  He laid her on her bed, removed
her boots and pulled the covers up over her.  She rolled
onto her side and curled up, sticking her thumb in her
mouth.  She looked like an angel to him.  He turned off the
lava lamp and closed to door to hit his own sheets.

In the morning, Frankie awoke with a start.  She didn't
know where she was for a 
minute, since she had slept very deeply.  Looking around
the room, she remembered the last two days and sighed in
relief.  Then she heard the loud sounds of breakfast from
the kitchen.  She looked at her door and it was wide open. 
Panic set in quickly as she began checking her clothes to
see if they had been removed.  She thought carefully for a
moment, moving her hips and legs about.  She didn't feel
like she had been used.

Slowly, she stood.  She didn't feel unusually sore.  Maybe
she should take a good look.  After refastening her jeans
in the bathroom, she concluded that everything was fine. 
Shrugging, she made her way to the kitchen where her hosts
were eating Jimmy's pancakes for breakfast.  There was a
place set for her.  She sat and nodded at the good mornings
she got.

She began to eat quietly, covertly looking at everyone as
they ate.  No one said a word, as Langly, Byers and Frohike
combed the newspapers, like they did every day.  She still
watched them carefully, though.  Langly put his paper down
and got up for his third cup of coffee.  He looked at
Frankie, as she was looking warily at the other three.  He
realized she was looking for an opening to see what
happened the night before.

"Hey, Frankie, you sleep good after I dropped you off?" he
asked, opening the 
discussion.

"Huh?" she asked, cautiously.

"Well, you fell asleep reading at the desk last night.  So
I carried you up to your room.  Sorry I couldn't lock the
door."

"Nah, its cool."

So he put her in bed.  She looked at him.

"Well, like I said, it's not like you'll need it anyway."

"You should leave that door open, though, Frankie," Byers
said.  "It can get awfully hot in there when we turn the
heat way up.  I opened it this morning to let some fresh
air in.  I hope you don’t mind that I did so.  I think we
need to open a vent in there for air circulation, Frohike."

"Yeah, right, like I wanna put in more duct work.  I gave
up tin knocking," Frohike stated firmly.

"C'mon, Fro, she's gonna need A/C when it gets hot, too,"
Langly whined.  "I mean, shit, have a damn heart."

He nodded in sullen agreement.  He looked at Frankie and
said, "Well, you tell me when you want the work done."

"Yeah, whatever.  So…I slept with the door open?  All
night?"

Langly shook his head, his golden curls bobbing on his
shoulders.  "Not all night, no, but Byers is usually awake
first, so he opened it.  We tried to be quiet." 

Byers stood and tightened his robe belt.  "Excuse me,
please, I need to prepare for the day."

Byers walked to his room to gather clothes and go to the
bathroom for his shower.  She heard him lock the door from
the kitchen.  At this point, Frankie didn't know what to
make of everything.  But no one had touched her…except
Langly to put her to bed.  And all he did was remove her
boots.  She woke up wearing the same clothes.  She was, for
all intents and purposes, untouched.  A small smile grew on
her face.

She showered after Byers and changed her clothes to get
down to the office to learn more about computers from
Langly.  He handed her coding books and told her he'd test
her on her skills.  Byers was smiling as he watched the two
together, like siblings.  He called Langly into a storage
alcove behind a shelving unit to ask him about her.

"What do you really know about her, Langly?  Besides all of
the horrendous things we found in her records.  I mean, is
she as bright as she seems?  Is she willing to be an
apprentice?  I understand that you're adamant about her
staying here, but is she in the same frame of mind?"

"Well, I think that the fact that she fell asleep at the
computer last night says a lot.  I mean, Byers, you don't
know street kids.  They'll stay up for like 3 days cuz they
can't find a safe place to sleep.  She fell out in front of
me.  So she trusts me.  And she was looking us over while
she was eating.  She didn't wake up raped, so I think she's
relaxing a little.  We just can't let the guard down.  Man,
we gotta keep making sure she knows that being here is
safer than anywhere else."

Byers nodded in firm agreement.  He followed Langly back to
the work space.  Frankie was using the typing program,
learning the correct fingers for the keys.  She was picking
it up quickly.  Langly smiled.  A Gunkid.


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