"Rescue"  1/2
by B. Bennett and Elaine Risley

Category: S
Keywords: MSR
Rating: PG13 for implied sex and innuendo
Archive: Gossamer only.  Any place else, please ask first.
Spoilers: major movie spoilers, The End
Summary: Filling in the blanks in between Antarctica and
the final M&S scene of the movie, with a pit stop along the way.

All recognizable characters belong to Chris Carter and company; the
unrecognizables belong to us. Infringement was absolutely our intention,
although no profit was or will be made from this venture .  This
collaboration is a first for us, so feedback would be much appreciated.
We hope you enjoy it!

Special thanks to Dianora for the edits, the advice, the
encouragement, and for keeping us entertained with her highly
amusing emails.

email: bedina@juno.com and postjade@yahoo.com



Mulder awoke to the sound of Scully's prayers - whispered,
raw-voiced, and somewhat slurred in his ear.  She was
rocking back and forth as she held him in her arms and for
a moment he reveled in it.  Then, as the icy cold registered,
he remembered where they were and his eyes blinked open.

The sight of Scully's face frightened him into action.  Her lips
were blue and telltale signs of frost bite were spreading across
her cheeks.  Icicles were starting to form in her hair, and her
rocking and chanting seemed almost mechanical.

"Come on, Scully," Mulder said, trying to shake the fog from
his brain.  How long had he been unconscious?  He touched
his hand to the bullet wound at his temple.  It hurt like hell, but
he didn't have time to consider it; he had to get them back to
the half-track.  There was enough gas to start it and get the
heat running; more importantly, there was an emergency
signaling beacon in the back in the vehicle.

Mulder climbed cautiously to his feet, trying to ignore the cold
that bit at his extremities.  Scully, he had to focus on Scully.
She seemed barely aware that he had pulled away from her
embrace, and sat huddled with her knees pulled up tightly
against her body, shivering as she stared into the blinding white
snow.

Mulder put his hand to her chin, lifting it so she would look at
him.  "Scully," he said,  "Come on.  I'm going to get you out of
here."

She looked up at his touch, but her eyes lacked recognition.
He slid his arms under hers and pulled her to her feet.  She didn't
seem capable of supporting her own weight, so without hesitation,
he put his shoulder to her hip and lifted her in a fireman's carry.

Mulder took only a second to stare at the cavernous hole left
by the departing alien ship before he started off in the direction
of the half-track.  He knew it wasn't far, but the snow was deep,
and Scully grew impossibly heavier with each tiring step.  Every
muscle in his body cried out in frozen exhaustion, and it took all
of his concentration not to collapse.  The half-track seemed to
be a million miles away.  "Just a little further," he kept gasping,
as much for his own sake as for Scully's.

When the vehicle finally came into sight as he cleared the last
hill, Mulder thought he might cry.  He pushed forward, stumbling
and panting heavily.  When he reached the door, he pulled it open
and propped Scully into the passenger's seat.  She appeared to
be asleep.  He leaned over her and dug around in the front pocket
of the suit she was wearing for the key, but she still didn't stir.
Suddenly panicked, he set his ear against her mouth.  She was
breathing, although shallowly.  He retrieved the key and fumbled
it into the ignition.  The vehicle sputtered and then came to life
with a reassuring rumble.  Mulder turned the heater on full blast,
then reached behind his seat for the emergency beacon.  He
wrestled it from the cab and set it outside the driver's side door,
flipping the activation switch.  He returned to the cab and reached
a second time into the rear of the cramped half-track to retrieve
an arctic mummy case sleeping bag.  Draping it over the back of
the driver's seat, he began pulling off his wet clothes, his frozen
fingers making the work clumsy and awkward.

"Remember Florida, Scully?" he asked.  She didn't stir.  Shit.
"Well, it's raining sleeping bags." Still no response.  As quickly
as he could, he stripped off the rest of his damp clothes and slid
his tired body into the sleeping bag, wearing nothing but his socks
and boxers.  Then he reached for Scully.  It took several minutes
to get her out of his snow suit, and a part of his brain marveled
that he'd ever managed to get her in there in the first place.  He
tried not to think about the fact that she was naked, or to worry
about what his body's reaction might be as he pulled her small,
limp form into the sleeping bag.  It wasn't what he expected.
He almost screamed as her frozen skin made contact with his
comparative warmth.  All his fears amplified as he realized just
how dangerously close to hypothermia she must be.  He pulled
the zipper closed, then slipped his arms down into the bag and
began vigorously massaging her back and arms.  Scully moaned
against his chest, and he felt her icy cold hands slip around his
waist.  Then she went still again.  Mulder wrapped his arms around
her, pulling her shivering body against him as tightly as he could.
He gently kissed the top of her head.

"Please hurry," he said to no one in particular.

******

The next thing Mulder knew a man was shaking him, repeating,
"Are you ok, buddy?" over and over.  Mulder blinked rapidly,
trying to force his tired eyes to transmit information to his brain.
The tall, burly man was wearing a jump suit with "Antarctic Rescue
Team" emblazoned on the breast pocket.  He grinned when Mulder
opened his eyes.

"Okay, buddy, we're going to get you out of here."

Suddenly, Mulder felt multiple hands tugging at the sleeping bag.

"Whoa, he's heavy," someone mumbled.

"Scully," Mulder grunted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" asked a guy in a red parka, leaning down to hear him.

"She's hypothermic," Mulder said again, stronger this time, and
tugged the sleeping bag down enough to reveal Scully's bruised
face.

The guy in the red parka whistled through his teeth.  "We got two of
them in here, guys.  Easy."

Four men worked together to move them from the cramped cabin of
the half-track and into the back of a much larger vehicle.  No mention
was made of separating them, and Mulder assumed they were left
together to preserve warmth until they could be given the appropriate
medical treatment. Mulder was very much looking forward to a warm
bath.

Disturbed by the movement but still unconscious, Scully snuggled
against his neck and promptly began to drool on him.

Mulder's last thought as he drifted back to sleep was that he'd never
been so happy to be spit on.

*********

It was 2:00 am when Scully finally woke to an unshaven, rumpled
Mulder asleep with his head propped against the edge of her bed.
She looked around, uncertain, then she realized they were in some
sort of medical clinic.  She had seen the inside of enough them to know
it was military.  She returned her gaze to Mulder.  He seemed to sense
she was awake, because she only got to watch him sleep for a moment
before his eyes snapped open.

A slow smile spread over his face.  "Scully?" he said.

"Mulder," she whispered.  Her mouth was dry and her voice felt raw
and unused.

As if reading her mind, Mulder stood and poured a glass of water
from the pitcher on the bedside table.  He slipped an arm behind her
head and gently tilted her forward as he brought the glass to her lips.

Scully drank some and then let her head fall back against the pillow.
Everything hurt.

Then she smiled.  They were alive.

Mulder almost sighed in relief as he watched the expression cross her
face.  He set the glass on the bedside table, then leaned down and
gently kissed her forehead.

Scully reached for his hand.  "We've got to stop meeting like this,"
she whispered.

"Yeah," Mulder smiled.  "Next time, I get to pick the vacation spot,
and you can follow me."

"Pick Bermuda," Scully croaked.

"Bossy," Mulder said affectionately, sitting on the edge of the bed
next to her.

With her free hand, Scully reached up and gently touched the bandage
on his left temple.  She looked at him questioningly.

He shook his head, smiling.  "No big deal; I'll explain later."

Scully settled back onto the pillow, still holding Mulder's hand.

Her eyes closed.  "You owe me dinner," she said.

"What?" Mulder asked, not understanding but amused.

Scully yawned.  "You crawl naked into a sleeping bag with me, and
you don't even buy me dinner first.  Tsk."

Mulder laughed softly as he brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.
"You got it."

******

When Scully woke again several hours later, a young orderly was
coming in with a tray of food.

"Where am I?" she asked, looking around for Mulder.  He wasn't there.

"New Zealand.  Feel like eating?" The orderly set the tray on a
rolling stand and moved it toward her.  Scully suddenly felt famished.

New Zealand, she thought, New Zealand.  The last place she
remembered was the ice.  Where was that?  Before that the only
thing she could recall was the hallway outside Mulder's apartment.
Something stung her just as they had been...oh, the memory was
suddenly quite clear.  Scully felt her cheeks blush.  "How long have I
been here?"

The orderly smiled at her. "Two days.  I'll ask the doctor to come in
and talk to you."

As he was leaving, Scully asked, "Do you know where my friend is?"

"Mr. Mulder?  He left you a note." The young man pointed to her
bedside table as he walked out the door.

Scully picked up the note.

Scully, went into to town.  Will be back asap.
Mulder

Scully sighed and moved the tray of food over toward her.  There was
a warm porridge and juice and hot tea, there was also a piece of toast
with something dark brown spread on it that smelled like yeast.  Gross,
Scully thought, vegamite.

Mulder returned a half an hour later, just as the doctor was leaving.
Scully was sitting up in bed, looking almost completely healthy.  Her
face was chapped from the ice, but she seemed alert and Mulder was
happy to see an almost empty food tray sitting on a stand next to the
bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Good," Scully said, taking a sip of tea.

Mulder reached for the leftover toast on her tray.  "Are you going to eat
this?"

Scully shook her head.  "No thanks.  That stuff smells like what we
used to give the cats for hair balls."

Mulder munched happily on the vegamite.  "It's an acquired taste," he
said with a grin.

"Whatever, Mulder," Scully said, smiling.

"So what did the doctor say?"

"They're releasing me."

"Good, it looks like I did my shopping just in time."

Scully looked confused.  "What shopping?"

"Well," Mulder said, picking up several bags he'd left by the door
and setting them on the bed, "As much as I like that alluring little
number you're wearing now, I thought you might want something
a little more conservative for the trip home."

It suddenly occurred to Scully that she had no clothes, only the
hospital gown she was wearing.  The implications of that struck
her hard.

Mulder immediately interpreted the horrified look that crossed
Scully's features.  "Hey," he said, stepping to her side and taking
her hand.  "Don't."

Scully knew what he meant.  Don't go there, don't dwell on it.  We're
alive.  It's okay.  It wasn't okay, not to her, but she understood his
point.  She shut her eyes for a moment and composed herself.  When
she opened them, she said, "So what did you get?"

Relief was evident in Mulder's face.  "Well, I had to guess at sizes."

Scully rolled her eyes.  "Great."

Mulder pulled jeans and a sweater from one bag.  The sweater was
navy and of heavy cotton.  He followed that with a couple of white
turtlenecks, a black cardigan, and several pairs of heavy wool socks.
There was a shoe box that contained a pair of Gortex hiking boots.

"I hope that's not a sign that you want to go camping," Scully said
as he showed her the boots.

Mulder grinned at her, then shook his head.  "No, we've both seen
enough of the great outdoors for a while.  I just thought these would
be warm."

"Warm is good," Scully nodded, noting that everything so far had
been the right size.  "Have you been going through my closet when
I haven't been looking, Mulder?  Because all this stuff should fit."

Mulder raised his eyebrows at her.  "What size pants do I wear,
Scully?"

"32 x 34," she said without thinking, then laughed at the expression
on his face.

"Five years," they said simultaneously.  They both laughed.

Mulder stood.  "I need to take care of the plane reservation and
call Skinner.  I promised I'd let him know when they released you.
He's been checking up twice a day."

Scully sighed and fell back against the pillow.  "Skinner," she said.
"Did he say anything about my resignation?"

Mulder dropped his eyes.  "Only that he hadn't submitted it yet.
He wants us back in D.C., he wants to talk about..." Mulder made
a futile hand gesture, "this.  There will be another board of inquiry."

Scully wrapped her arms tightly around herself.  "Great."

"Don't worry about it," Mulder said, trying to sound reassuring.
"What happened on the ice didn't go unnoticed.  Skinner was there in
the hospital after I was shot.  He knows they took you.  He's backing
us on this."

"You were shot?" Scully said, suddenly alert.

Mulder indicated the scab on his temple.  "The bullet just grazed me."

But Scully was already out of bed and moving toward him, really
seeing the wound on his head for the first time.  Mulder stood
still patiently as she pushed his hair back from his forehead to get a
better look.

"I'd call this more than grazing, Mulder.  You could have been killed."
A look of anguish was clear in her eyes.

Mulder took her hand from his head and kissed it.  "But I wasn't."
Desperate to lighten the mood, Mulder glanced down at the short
hem of her hospital gown.  "You've got great legs, Scully," he
grinned.

Scully's mouth dropped open.  She felt her cheeks pink as she walked
backwards to the bed.  "Thanks.  I should probably shower and get
dressed."

Mulder nodded.  "I'll be back in a little while."  He went to the door and
then turned around as he remembered.  "Oh, and Scully," he said,
"the underwear is in the blue bag."  He caught her blush as he was
leaving.

"Terrific," Scully thought as the door closed.  He probably got me
cut-outs and edible panties.

She pulled the blue bag off the floor and noted the English name of
the store.  She wasn't familiar with the brand, but the bras and
panties inside were exquisite jewel tone silks.  There were sapphire
and emerald matching sets, and at the bottom a set in pale pink.
She blushed for the third time since waking that day when she
read her correct bra size on a tag.

The memory of their almost kiss in the hallway outside his apartment
flashed through her mind again.  "Oh, boy," Scully said quietly to
herself, half out of excitement and half out of fear.  Big step.  She
decided not  to think too much about it as she headed towards the
shower.

Mulder returned half an hour later, entering the room just as Scully
was brushing back her damp hair.  In yet another shopping bag she'd
found the brush, along with a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant.
He'd thought of everything, which disturbed her a little, considering
Mulder wasn't usually the thoughtful type.

"Well," he said.  Scully noted he hadn't knocked.  "We're all set to fly
out of Sydney on Thursday."

Scully looked at him blankly.  "What's today?"

Mulder cleared his throat.  "Tuesday.  That's as soon as I could book
a flight."

Scully started consolidating her extra clothes into the largest of the
shopping bags.  "Then I guess we'll need to get hotel rooms somewhere,
or can we just stay in guest quarters on base?"

Mulder dropped his eyes and ran a hand across the back of his neck.
"Actually, I made other arrangements, but we can cancel if you don't
want to."

"If I don't want to what?"

Mulder took a deep breath.  "Well, I have this friend from my Oxford
days, David, who lives just about 40 minutes from here.  His family
has a huge estate.  They raise sheep.  Anyway, we came back here
one year for Christmas and they have this guest cottage."  He could
feel himself babbling, but he couldn't make himself stop.  He looked
at Scully, but her expression was unreadable. "I called, and he said
we're welcome to use it until Thursday.  I don't know if you've ever
visited New Zealand before, but it's actually a lovely country, so it
would give you a chance to see a little more of it.  There's a town
near their estate, or more of a village, really, with some neat little
shops and ..."

Two days in a guest cottage. Scully thought.  The X-Files were
closed.  She'd resigned whether Skinner had turned it in or not; she
wasn't moving to Salt Lake City.  She wasn't moving because she
didn't  want to leave D.C.; or, more specifically, she admitted to herself,
because she didn't want to leave Mulder.  Mulder.  Five years together.
This recent little near-death experience.  Good grief, he'd literally gone
to the ends of the earth for her.  What else is there?  What the hell?
She looked up at Mulder, who was still reciting something about some
peace and quiet and a great view.

"Okay," Scully said quietly.

"What?" Mulder said.  He'd been so busy talking he hadn't heard her.

"Okay," Scully repeated.

The smile that crossed Mulder's face was one of true pleasure.
"Great," he said, picking up her bag, "I rented a car."

Mulder drove.  The endless vista of lush green hills and quaint stone
walls rolling by lulled Scully to sleep.  She couldn't ever remember
being so tired.

She woke suddenly coughing to the sensation of someone, or
something, trying to put a tube down her throat.

"You okay, Scully?" Mulder asked, dividing his attention between
the road and the nape of her neck, which he was gently smoothing
with his left hand.

Scully cleared her throat and tried to fight back a wave of panic.
"I'm fine," she managed to say after a moment.

Mulder gave her a look that said he seriously doubted her.

Scully shook her head, as much to convince herself as Mulder.
"Really, Mulder, I must have just swallowed funny in my sleep."

Mulder nodded.  "You didn't drool on the car seat, did you?  Because
I want my deposit back."

"What?" Scully asked, frowning at him.

"You drool in your sleep."

Scully subconsciously wiped her mouth.  "I do not!"

Mulder grinned broadly.  "Yes, you do."

Scully hunched her shoulders in mock indignation and settled lower
in the seat.  "Well, you snore," she grumbled, turning away from him
to rest her head against the door.

Mulder pretended not hear, but laughed softly to himself.

"Here we are," Mulder called, seemingly a moment later.  They were
pulling into the longest driveway Scully thought she'd ever seen.  The
gravel path was lined with white fences, and Scully could see herds of
sheep in the distance.  The house was an enormous old farm house of
the type that was probably built a couple of centuries ago, and added
on to as future generations demanded more space.  It sprawled comfortably in
the
green of the yard, a huge wraparound porch appearing to be the most
recent addition. The drive circled in front of the house and then branched
off to the right.  Mulder stopped the car directly in front.

A tall good-looking blonde man, approximately Mulder's age, immediately
opened the wide, oak front door.

"Mulder!" he called as he walked toward them.

"David," Mulder called back. The two men shook hands and clapped each
other on the shoulder.  "It's good to see you," they said simultaneously, and
then laughed.

Scully stepped out of the car.

"You must be Scully," David said, advancing toward her.  "Mulder
tells me you've had a bit of a bug.  Nasty way to end your vacation."

"Yes," Scully said somewhat awkwardly, looking at Mulder.

"Well, she's feeling much better now," Mulder said, settling his arm
atop of her shoulders.  "We're just hoping for some peace and quiet
our last two days."

"Oh, of course," David said warmly.

"I really appreciate you putting us up like this," Mulder said.

"Oh, don't be too appreciative, the wife wants to go to America for
our next holiday, so I'll be looking you up."  The two men laughed
again.

"Well, I know you two will want to get settled, but how about coming
back to the big house for dinner?"

"I don't know," Mulder said, "we don't want to impose anymore than we already
are."

David snorted.  "Mulder, you don't know my wife.  The table has
already been set."  His tone turned menacing, although his eyes
twinkled with humor.  "Although if you tell her about the rubberband
incident, you're in big trouble."

Mulder laughed. "What time?"

"8 o'clock?"

"That sounds great," Mulder said, nodding.

"Well, here is the key to the cottage. Everything you need should be
there, but if anything is missing, give a holler."

"Will do," Mulder said taking the key.  "We'll see you in a few hours."

David nodded and smiled, obviously pleased with his guests.  "See you
then."

They got back into the car, which Mulder steered down the drive that
went to the right of the house.

"Vacation?" Scully asked.

Mulder looked at her somewhat sheepishly.  "Well, I couldn't tell him
the truth."

Scully sighed and looked out the window.  "No, the part about aliens and
bad men always takes too long to explain."

"Yeah," Mulder agreed, grinning wryly, "and then there are the inevitable
looks."

"True.  So you want to clue me in on what you did tell them, so I can play
the part at dinner?"

Mulder took a deep breath.  "I said you were my girlfriend and we'd been
vacationing in Australia and New Zealand when you came down with the
flu so badly you had to be hospitalized.  I said you were tired and wanted to
spend our last two days someplace quiet and out of the way."

Scully nodded, but in her mind she was thinking "girlfriend."

The cottage turned out to be lovely.  It sat on a hill nestled among a tall
stand of trees, overlooking a pond where the sheep came to drink.  It was
small, with a great room, a kitchen area, a bathroom and a small bedroom
off to the side.  There was a deck off the kitchen.  Once inside, Mulder took
their bags to the bedroom.  Scully noted through the open door that there
was only one bed.  On the other hand, there were two large sofas in the
great room.  While Mulder put their things away, Scully walked out onto
the deck.

The air was crisp, but not cold, and the sun was just beginning to set.
She rolled her head, trying to ease the muscles in her neck and was
rewarded with the relief of cracking joints.  Suddenly, she felt warm
hands on her shoulders as Mulder stepped up behind her.

He bent down and whispered in her ear, "What do you think?"

Scully looked out at the pastoral vista in front of her.  "It's beautiful," she
said honestly, not turning around.

Mulder smiled and gently pulled her against him, resting his chin atop of
her head.  "So are you," he said softly.

Scully relaxed, and he wrapped his arms around her.  They stood that
way for a long time, watching the sun set.

Mulder closed his eyes, feeling a contentment he could never remember
experiencing before this moment.  He dropped a kiss against the side
of her head, and she turned her face ever so slightly, leaning back
against him.  So much time had passed, and they had spent so much
of it deliberately forcing their relationship to be platonic, that stepping
beyond seemed like leaping off a cliff.  Mulder thought of the hallway
outside of his apartment.  He remembered all the things that had brought
them to that moment, remembered why he had bent to kiss her, how he'd
reached that decision.  He turned her around in his arms.  She kept her
face down, pressing her forehead into his chest.  Mulder made a show
of checking the collar of her turtle neck, and then the collar of her
sweater.

"Bee free," he whispered.

Scully looked up at him then, and in her eyes he saw not just permission,
but desire.  She slid her hand behind his neck and laced her fingers
through his hair, briefly caressing the nape of his neck before she pulled
him forward.  He bent to kiss her, and when their lips touched, all the
chaos of the past few days swirled together and coalesced into something
that seemed crystal clear and perfect.

When they finally parted,  Scully held his face in both hands.  Their
foreheads were touching, their breathing was shallow.

"You..." was all Mulder could manage to say.

Scully leaned forward, and in his ear she whispered breathlessly, "I
don't want to waste another minute, another second, of our time together,
ever again."

Mulder shook his head.  "Me either," he said.  He hugged her briefly,
tightly, before taking her hand and leading her back inside as the New
Zealand sun finally dipped below the hills.


Continued in part 2.

"Rescue"	2/3
by B. Bennett and Elaine Risley

Information and disclaimer in part 1.

email: bedina@juno.com and postjade@yahoo.com



"Mulder, stop it!  We're going to miss dinner," Scully protested, making
a half-hearted effort to shove him away as she slicked shampoo through
her hair.  They were sitting front to back in the old-fashioned bathtub, and
Mulder was pressing kisses to the back of Scully's neck, hampering her
attempts to finish washing.  In pretend exasperation, she tossed the
shampoo bottle over the side of the tub.  "You're going to have to call
David and explain why we're late," she warned, her threatening tone not
matching her actions as she settled back into Mulder's waiting embrace.

"Screw David," Mulder mumbled, pulling her warm, wet body tightly
against him.  He tilted her head just enough to reach her ear with his
tongue.  "Or better yet..."

Scully laughed, twisting in his arms to cup his face in her palm.  She kissed
him firmly on the lips.  "Three times not enough for you?" she asked dryly.

"No such thing as enough, Scully."

"You're all man, Mulder," Scully said as she turned awkwardly in the tub,
sliding her legs up and over his.  Mulder moved forward until they were face
to face in the middle of the tub; he sitting Indian style with her legs wrapped
around his waist.

"You've no idea," he said, planting a warm kiss on her forehead.

She slipped her arms around his neck.  "I think I have some idea."

"Nope," he said, bending her back to rinse her hair.

"We need to go."

"We're going," Mulder said as he began nibbling on her neck.

"I'm serious," Scully said in her best professional voice.

"Oh, alright," Mulder said, with exaggerated disappointment.  He
tightened his left arm around her and used his right arm to help him
stand.

"Jesus, Mulder!" Scully squealed as she tightened her grip on him.
"You drop me and you're going to regret it."

Mulder laughed.  "Not as much as you will."

"Oh, is that so," she said, half-heartedly hitting him on the shoulder.

Mulder moved as if to drop her and she squealed again.  "That girly
scream of yours really turns me on, Scully."

"I'm beginning to think just about anything turns you on, Mulder.
Girly screams, sunsets, sheets, tubs, sofas, tables; how do you feel
about dirty socks?"

Mulder grinned and dropped her onto the bed, falling half on top of
her.  "Mmmm," he said, "dirty socks."

Scully laughed.  "Mulder! Dinner, please.  I need to eat to keep up
my energy."

Mulder stood up suddenly and tossed a shirt at her.  "Stop goofing
off then, Scully.  Let's go."

He began to dress, first pulling on a fresh pair of boxers.  Scully
lay on the bed and looked at him a moment.  "Are you always like this
after sex?"

Mulder affected a blank look.  "I don't know.  It's been so long I
can't remember."

Scully's lips twisted upward into a smile.  She walked to the edge of
the bed on her knees, then reaching out, she grasped Mulder by the
waistband of his shorts, pulling him towards her.  Mulder sighed
noisily as she tenderly placed a kiss square against his abdomen.

"There are a lot of things we need to talk over here," she said,
gently playing with his chest hair as she looked up into his eyes.
"Things have changed.  But for now I want you to know how glad I am
this happened."

Mulder smiled, brushing her damp hair from her eyes with a caress.

And..." she continued, the light in her eyes taking on a wicked
glint as she slipped her palms around him to cup his rear end, "I'd
like to assure you that I intend to launch a complex and detailed
analysis of exactly how you are after sex, as well as before and
during.  What do you say about that, Dr. Mulder?"

Mulder laughed and caught her up in a bear hug.  "I say, Dr. Scully,
that I don't think I've ever had adequate appreciation for scientific
process until this moment." He leaned back, and holding her face in
both of his hands, he kissed her with a passion that left them both
breathless.  After a moment of recovery, he continued quietly.  "We'll
talk, Scully.  I promise.  This will all work out."

Scully nodded, then after kissing him once again, she turned to dress.

A half an hour later, they were walking up to the front porch of the big
house, only five minutes late.  As Mulder raised a fist to knock on the
door, Scully reached out and tugged on his wrist.  He looked down at her
questioningly.

Smiling almost shyly, she stretched upwards on tiptoe to embrace him
around the neck.  "I just wanted a moment before we have to go inside
and play respectable."

Mulder grinned, pulling her against him and nuzzling his face into
her clean-smelling hair.  "They already think you're my girlfriend,
Scully; we don't have to pretend there's nothing going on. "

Although he didn't say anything else, Scully could almost hear the
"for once" added to the end of his statement.  She leaned back in his
embrace and looked at him.  "Did I thank you yet for saving my life?"
she inquired.

He lifted an eyebrow.  "I thought that's what the second time on the
kitchen counter was all about."

Scully turned and knocked on the large oak door.  "If you thought
that was gratitude, Mulder, then you haven't seen anything yet."

Just as Mulder pulled Scully back into his arms, the door was opened
by a tall woman with long red curls and a freckled complexion.  "Hullo,"
she said, with distinct British accent, "You must be Mulder and ...."
she paused, waiting politely for an introduction.

"Scully," said Mulder.

"Dana," Scully said simultaneously.

The woman smiled.  "Which is the first name and which is the last?"

Scully took a step forward, breaking Mulder's embrace.  She could
feel the pink creeping over her cheeks and it occurred to her that if
she blushed in front of a total stranger about being caught in Mulder's
arms, then she was going to have a hell of a time once they got back
to D.C.

"Call me Dana," she smiled.  "You must be David's wife."

"Yes, I'm Carol, do come in," she said a little breathlessly, stepping aside.
Carol appeared to be about 30, and was dressed in a long, flowing skirt
of a style Scully had always found tremendously appealing on other women.
"David's in the kitchen stirring the vichyssoise.  I thought we'd have a
glass of wine there before dinner."

"I hope you didn't let David cook it," Mulder commented dryly, as he
and Scully entered the foyer.  "No offense, I love your husband, but
he gave me food poisoning once before a midterm with his self-proclaimed
world famous taco salad."

Carol laughed, leading the way to the kitchen.  "Ah yes, 'David's
Special Recipe.'  Never fear, he's much improved since his college
days.  I'm a caterer; I've had a definite influence on him."

'A very successful caterer, by the looks of it,' Scully thought to herself
as she followed Carol, and made a mental note to find out from Mulder
exactly what David did for a living.  By the looks of the house, someone
was obviously quite successful.  The antique furnishings rivaled the
quality of those Scully had seen in house museums of Northern Virginia
and Maryland.

"Mulder!  Beer or rose?" David boomed as the trio entered the kitchen,
as if it were such a commonplace occurrence for Mulder to visit that a
welcome wasn't necessary.  "I've got some of that dreadful German
sludge you used to love so."

"David, be nice," Carol warned as she reached to uncork a bottle of wine.
"I swear, Mulder, he's been acting just like a child ever since you rang
you were coming. "

"Are you telling me he normally acts like a grownup?  That's news to
me," Mulder said, slipping an arm around Scully's waist.  She felt a
little trill of delight run up and down her spine at his touch.

Carol offered the first glass to Scully.  "Let's not talk about David; I'm much
more interested in you two," she said, neatly side-stepping David's attempt
at a rump-pinch.  "We can never convince our friends to trek all the way out
here to visit from the city, and I'm absolutely delighted you're here.  Tell
me,
how long have you been together?"

Once again, Mulder and Scully responded at the same time.

"Five years," Scully answered politely.

"Almost four hours," Mulder said with a grin.

Carol looked confused and David lifted an eyebrow.  Scully elbowed
Mulder in the ribs.

"Five years," Mulder amended hastily.

Carol smiled. "That's great, where did you meet?"

This time they both paused and looked at each other.  Scully arched
an eyebrow at Mulder as if to say, 'Okay lying-boy, where did we meet?'

"Work," Mulder said, "Scully is a forensic pathologist.  She teaches
at the academy and does consultations on difficult cases."

"Really?" David said.  "That sounds fascinating."

Carol shook her head.  "What an unusual career choice.  Whatever
made you go into that?"

Scully took a sip of wine.  "I guess it just seemed more exciting than
working in a hospital."

David nodded.  "I bet.  Do you two get to work together much?"

Scully gave him her best enigmatic smile.  "Oh, now and then," she
replied.

Dinner was delicious.  It surprised Scully how comfortable she felt
around Carol and David.  They were charming and obviously very
much in love, and her earlier discomfort at being caught in Mulder's
arms dissipated rapidly.  As they retired to the living room for coffee,
she found herself on the couch snuggled up next to Mulder, his arm
securely around her shoulder.  As the evening wore on, the sound of
Mulder's voice mixed with David's combined to lull her quietly to sleep.

A few minutes before midnight, David noticed that Scully had dozed off.
"I think your girl is ready to head home, Mulder."

Mulder smiled.  "She's had a rough week.  Normally, she's not like this."

"What happened to her face?" David asked in a style that Mulder knew
to be blunt but honest.

"David!" Carol admonished.

"That's okay," Mulder said. "She just has broken capillaries from being
so sick."

"Oh, I hate the flu," Carol said in sympathy.  "Can I get you some more
coffee, Mulder?"

Mulder shook his head and start to gently nudge Scully.  "No, I
should really get her back."

Scully slowly opened her eyes.  "Did I fall asleep?" she queried, in
a voice so innocent that Mulder felt he wanted to wrap himself around
her and never let go.  "I'm sorry."

Mulder smiled and stroked the side of her face, momentarily forgetting
that David and Carol were still in the room.  "That's okay.  Are you up
for the walk back to the guest cottage?"

Scully smiled back, already picturing the two of them curled around
each other in the four poster antique bed.  "You're not going to carry me?"

Mulder leaned in to kiss her forehead before he stood.  "Only if you're
willing to go piggyback.  I'm pretty beat myself."

Scully shook her head at the offer, grateful that Mulder chose not to
bring up the last time he'd carried her.  She took his hand and allowed
him to pull her up off the sofa.  Only then did they direct their attention
to David and Carol.

"Thank you for dinner," Scully said, trying her best to stifle a yawn.
"I had a wonderful time."

David surprised her by bending to kiss her cheek, then he turned and
slapped Mulder on the shoulder.  "No, thank you, it's been a delight
to have you.  Maybe we could talk you into something tomorrow?  I'll
ring you in the morning."

They said their goodbyes and headed out into the starry evening.  The
night was cold, and Scully shivered and leaned close into Mulder as they
walked, wrapping both arms around his waist.  He pulled her tightly
against him and steered them down the path towards the cottage.

"Are you okay?" Mulder asked.

"I'm just so cold, Mulder," she said, a note of panic creeping into her
voice.

Mulder had noticed the chill too, and found he could no longer stand
the idea of being cold, not even for a little while.  He took her hand.
"You want to jog back the rest of the way?"

She nodded and they set off in a swift trot.  By the time they reached
the cottage their blood was pumping and they were both wide awake.
Mulder went immediately to the fireplace, which had only hot embers
left, and added a few pieces of wood, which, he was happy to see,
caught without trouble.  Scully went into the kitchen and put on a
kettle of water.

"You want some cocoa?" she asked Mulder over the counter that
separated the kitchen area from the rest of the room.

"That sounds good," he said coming toward her.  He ran his hand
over the counter as he walked in and gave her a wicked grin.  "Ah,
memories."

Scully backed away from him in mock horror.  "Now, Mulder, I'm tired,
and a bit sore; you stay back."

Mulder gave her a look of false penitence.  "Tired and sore?  Is that
my fault?" He shook his head, and dropped to his knees in front of
her.  With an expression that was a studied mixture of lust and
innocence, he reached for the button of her jeans.  "Then let me make
it up to you."

***********

Hours after they had gone to sleep, Mulder awoke from a dream in
which he was giving Scully CPR, but she wasn't reviving.  The dream
was so vivid and so real that he sat upright in bed, his heart pounding
frantically.
Instinctively he felt for the pulse at her throat; it was strong beneath his
fingers.  Scully murmured something in her sleep and rolled over.  Mulder
found himself fighting back tears.  He left the bed and quietly slipped out
of the bedroom and through the kitchen, out to the deck for some fresh
air.  He sat down on the steps leading down to the drive way and took a
deep breath, trying to drive away the growing panic that grasped and pulled
at his chest.  It was no use.  He dropped his head into his hands and sobbed.
A few moments later, he felt Scully's tiny body slip around him.  She wrapped
her arms around his waist and let her legs fold alongside his longer ones.
Without a word, she rested her cheek against him and held on tightly.  He
could feel her tears trickling down his back.  They sat there in the dark,
crying, each unable to see the other's face, but comforted that they were
together.  It was a long time before they went back to bed, and when they
did, it was wordlessly and by mutual consent.  They would never speak of
this.

*********

The first thing Scully was aware of was the sun streaming through the
small window over the bed.  The next thing she noticed was the gentle
rasp of Mulder's unshaven face against her breast.  She was lying on
her back and Mulder was snuggled against her chest, one long leg
draped over both of hers.  She lifted the arm that wasn't pinned under
him and ran it through his hair.  He murmured something incoherent and
shifted more of his body on top of hers, causing Scully to gasp.

"Mulder, don't take this the wrong way, but you're killing me," she
wheezed, pushing against his shoulder.

Not opening his eyes, he wrapped his arms more securely around her
and rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked into his face.  Over
the years, Scully had consciously tried not to stare at her attractive
partner, and the chance to gaze openly at him delighted her.  She leaned
over and gently bit at his lower lip, causing him to grin and squirm beneath
her.

"Scully, that tickles," he groused in a sleep-deepened voice that Scully
found undeniably sexy.

She moved to nibble the skin where the jawline met his neck.  "I thought
we established last night that tickling turns you on."

He craned his head to give her better access.  "Baby, everything you
do turns me on."

Scully pushed herself up with a hand on either side of his head.  "Baby?"
she asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement.  "Am I your baby now,
Mulder?  Does this mean I have permission to refer to you by other than
your last name?"

Mulder finally opened his eyes.  "First of all, you've always been my baby,
you just may not have known it.  Secondly, " he said, pushing her arms
out from under her so that she fell back against his chest, "you can call
me anything you want as long as you do that to my neck again."

Scully kissed his neck again and then pushed herself up on one elbow.
"Can I ask you something?"

Mulder shifted, recognizing the shift in her tone to a more serious note.
"Sure."

"Is this..." she faltered.  "Am I...is this what you wanted?  I mean..." She
dropped her eyes.  "What we're doing, is it...what is it?"

Mulder tried to lighten the mood.  "You mean besides sex?" He scrambled
for words at the look on her face.  "Scully, I'm kidding," he said tenderly,
running his fingers through her messy hair.  "What I said to you back at
my apartment is true.  You complete me.  I can't imagine going on without
you, and I'm not just talking about work.  I'm talking about breathing.  I
don't
know when I started loving you because it seems so basic, so much a
part of me, that I assume it's always been and that it's that way for you,
too.  I'm sorry if I haven't made that clear."

Scully's eyes were glassy with tears.  She took his face in her hands and
gently kissed his forehead.  "It has been that way for me.  It's just so much
has happened the last few days that I'm afraid that it's flying past and I'll
wake up in Georgetown and it will be like nothing happened.  Something
happened, Mulder.  Something awful.  And then this between us.  This is
perfect.  I just don't want it swept under the carpet with the rest."

Mulder pulled her close to him.  "I don't want any of it swept under the
carpet, Scully.  Especially not this part.  Which isn't to say that I don't
think
discretion is called for, but I don't want to go back to the way things were."

"And my resignation?"

He silently studied her for a moment before answering.  "Is your business."
He grinned.  "As long as I get free consultations.  It's not like I can take my
kind of medical questions to just anyone, you know."

Scully laughed softly against his chest.  "Deal."

Mulder wrapped his arms around her, and was silent for a moment.
"Actually, Scully, maybe your resignation isn't such a bad thing."

Scully pulled away and sat up.  "What?" she asked, staring at him.

Mulder reached for her hand.  "No, listen.  God knows I'll miss working with
you like crazy, Scully, but the alternative of flying out to Utah or Nebraska
or wherever-the-hell they want to send you is unacceptable."

Scully let herself fall back against the pillow.  "But if I follow through with
my resignation," she said thoughtfully, "and find another job in the city,
then..."

"Then we can move in together, have screaming, wall-pounding sex at
all hours of the night, neck in public every chance we get, and no one
can say a damned thing about it," Mulder finished.

Scully struggled to maintain her deadpan expression, even though her
heart was jumping around in her chest.  "You want to move in with me?
I'm not sure my other boyfriend would like that."

Mulder pulled her to him in a warm hug.  "I can kick Frohike's ass any
day."
Scully pinched him, hard.

"Hey, Scully," he mumbled against her neck, "as far as other jobs go,
I think you'd look really hot in one of those waitress outfits
from Hooters."  She moved to punch him, but he caught her wrist in
his hand, his eyes dancing.  They tussled briefly, then settled down with
Scully's head once again on Mulder's chest.

She rubbed her hand across his belly.  "Mulder, I'm just worried that..."

Mulder gently shushed her.  "No worrying, at least not until it's warranted,
OK?"

Scully buried her face in his neck, her hand still smoothing up and down
his chest.  "OK."

Mulder smiled, pleased with her agreement.  "Could you do me one more
favor?"

"What?"

"Move your hand just a little lower."


Concluded in part 3.

"Rescue"	3/3
by B. Bennett and Elaine Risley

email: bedina@juno.com and postjade@yahoo.com


There was a knock at the cottage door.

"Open up, you lazy sot." The voice belonged to David.

Mulder glanced at Scully, who was just pulling a sweater over her freshly
washed hair.

"You decent?" he inquired.

She lifted an eyebrow.  "In comparison to whom?"

He stuck his tongue out at her and opened the door.  David stood on the
porch, a pleasant grin on his face.  He was dressed in riding breeches and
tall black boots.  "I thought you were going to sleep all day," he boomed.
"Aren't you ready for our ride?"

Mulder crossed his arms.  "We are about 10 hours out of our normal time
zone," he said mildly, "and to what ride are you referring?"

David stepped through the doorway and touched his hand to his brow in
way of greeting to Scully.  "The time zone excuse doesn't fly with me,
Mulder; you never did sleep like a normal human.  And the ride I'm
talking about is the one you're going to take with me in about, oh,"
he glanced down at his watch, "twenty minutes.  So get your arse down
to the stable.  I've got some clothes there that should fit that skinny body
of yours."

Before Mulder could speak, David turned to Scully.  "Thought you might
want to see this joker on a horse.  He's really quite good, for a Yank.
Then Carol asked if you'd join her in the house." David smiled.  "She's
baking cookies or bread or some such treat. " He turned and headed out
the door.  "Don't dawdle, now," he called over his shoulder, "you've already
wasted half the day."

When David was gone Mulder turned and smiled at Scully.

"So you ride?" she asked.

Mulder shrugged sheepishly.  "A little. Do you mind?  It's been a long  time
since I've seen David."

Scully stretched her arms around Mulder's waist. "Depends.  Do I get to
see you in one of those sexy riding outfits?"

Mulder chuckled and leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.  "Only
if you promise to control yourself," he teased, "I don't want to cause a scene
in front of our host."

"Hey," he yelled, as Scully pinched him.

They left the cottage and arrived at the barn a few minutes later.  Scully
subdued an urge to whistle.  The barn was as impressive as the house.
She glanced at Mulder, who didn't seem to notice, and Scully wondered,
not for the first time, what kind of life he'd had growing up in Massachusetts.
She had a feeling the Mulder family had been much better off than the Scully
family, financially, if not in other ways.  David was busy saddling a tall,
gleaming,
bay horse, and she sat down on an upturned bale of hay while Mulder ducked
into the tackroom to change.  She quietly watched David for a few minutes.
David finally glanced at her as he slipped the reins over the horse's
cross-tied
head.  "Don't mind me stealing your boy for an hour or so, do you?" he asked.

Scully smiled.  She had a feeling Mulder was in for a talk.  "Not at all.  I'd
love
the chance to get to know Carol better."

David walked over to her, and picked up her hand.  "She's a good listener,
you know," he said, a little awkwardly.  "That is, if you feel like chatting,
then go
right ahead."

"Hey, leave my woman alone."

Scully turned, her hand still in David's.  Her jaw dropped.  She couldn't
help it.  Mulder was standing in the doorway of the tackroom, and he looked,
in her opinion, fabulous.  He still wore the sweater he'd pulled on earlier
that
day, but instead of jeans he now had on a pair of dark navy riding breeches,
which fit his lean body snuggly.  On his feet he wore tall, shiny, brown field
boots; a black riding helmet was tucked under his arm.  At the sight of
Scully's
expression, a crooked smirk spread over his lips. He sauntered over and lifted
her hand from David's.  Scully watched, mesmerized, as he lifted it to his
mouth and planted a courtly kiss on her knuckles.

"We won't be gone long," he said.  "You'll be up at the house with Carol?"

Scully stared into his eyes, feeling a little ridiculous at the butterflies
that
suddenly appeared in her stomach.  "Uh, yeah, Mulder, come up when
you're done."

Mulder smiled and dropped her hand, then turned to David.  "Is that one
mine?" he asked calmly.

"Yup, this is Topper," David said, handing Mulder the reins.  Mulder paused
to stroke the horse's neck, then put a foot into the left stirrup and swung
easily into the saddle.  He waited until David had mounted a tall gray mare
before he gently nudged Topper towards the barn door.  Before exiting, he
turned and caught Scully's eye.  "See you later, Baby," he said with a wink.

After they disappeared around the corner of the barn, Scully sighed noisily
and started towards the house.  She wondered if she could convince Mulder
to take up riding again.  She really liked those pants.

***********

Mulder sighed appreciatively as they topped the hill overlooking the house.
He hadn't ridden but once or twice since he'd left Oxford, and he was
surprised to find how much he was enjoying himself. Maybe he'd think about
taking up riding again.  He reined Topper in to allow David's smaller mare to
catch up with them.

David pulled up next to Mulder, a little breathlessly.  "This isn't a race, you
know."

"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting you're getting up in years," Mulder said
innocently,
referring to the scant three-month age difference between them that had been
the source of many joking arguments during college.

David glared.  "Think you could give an old guy a break and walk for a bit,
then?"

Mulder grinned, and they continued along the trail at a more sedate pace.
They had scarcely ridden five minutes before David cleared his throat and
twisted in his saddle. "So what's the real scoop with you and Scully?"

Mulder busied himself with mock adjustments to the reins.

"You know, it looks like frost bite to me. You can tell by the white spots,"
David continued.

Mulder looked over at him, a slight panic crossing his face.

"Relax, Mulder, just tell me what's going on.  This is no vacation, is it?"

Mulder sighed.  "Not exactly.  We were on a case.  It ended badly.  I
just wanted her to get some R&R before we head home."

"What kind of case?" David asked, curiosity rampant on his face.

Mulder shook his head.  "I really can't say."

"Come on, not even to an old school chum?"

Mulder gave him a weary smile.  "Not even."

They rode on in silence for a ways.

"I seem to recall a letter, some years ago, talking about a new partner,
a little redhead.  She still your partner, Mulder?"

Mulder thought about Scully's resignation letter.  "No, but she used to
be," he answered, a little mournfully.

***********

After returning to the barn and bedding down the horses, he and
David walked into the big house to find fresh gingerbread, still warm
from the oven.  Carol and Scully were sitting at the kitchen counter,
laughing over glasses of wine.

Mulder walked up behind Scully and slipped his arms around her.
"Honey, you baked."

Scully smiled and leaned back into his arms.  "I'm afraid if I'd baked, the
kitchen wouldn't smell quite this wonderful."  She turned her head so that
she could see his face.  "We've been invited to dinner again this evening.
We have a couple of hours; do you want to head back to the cottage for
a change of clothes?"

Mulder nodded, and said his goodbyes, taking a large piece of warm
gingerbread to munch on as they walked back to their quarters.

"I love this stuff," Mulder said as he was licking the last crumbs of
gingerbread from his fingers.

Scully nodded.  "So I see," she said somewhat wistfully.

Mulder took her hand.  "What's up?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said.  "It's just, Carol was asking a lot of questions
about us and...I don't know how to explain this, but when she first
started asking I wasn't sure how I'd respond, and then after a while I
realized it was easy because we've been together so long. But now
we're not going to be able to work together and..." She trailed off.

Mulder wrapped an arm around her and drew her to him.  Scully rested
her forehead against his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm going to miss you too," he said softly.  "But if you stay with the
Bureau we won't be together anyway.  This way at least we can be
together when we're not working."  He leaned down and nuzzled her
hair with his face and was silent for a moment before he continued.
"Besides, Scully, I've been thinking about what you said.  About
whether or not I want to stay at the Bureau without the X-Files.  I'm not
sure I do.  I can't stop looking.  We've seen too much and come to far,
but maybe trying to do it from the Bureau is not the best way any more."

"Have you said anything to Skinner?" Scully asked.

Mulder shook his head.  "I started to, but he cut me off and asked me
to wait.  He wants to hold everything.  He's still holding your resignation,
and he asked me not to make any decisions until we're back in D.C. and
we have a chance to present to the board."

"What did you say?" Scully asked.

"I told him we would wait."

Scully sighed.  "I guess we owe him at least that."

Mulder took her hand. "Come on," he said, "I smell like a horse.  I want
to take a shower before dinner."

"I don't know, Mulder," Scully smiled.  "I think you're going to have to
soak that dirt off."

"Oh." Mulder grinned at her. "I think perhaps you're right.  As a matter of
fact, I think I may just need some help."

Scully let go of his hand and took a step forward, her eyes sparkling.
"Last one to the tub gets the faucet end."  She started to run.

************

Scully couldn't help but grin as she ran the head of fresh lettuce under
the faucet. Shortly after joining the X-Files and finding Mulder, she had
despaired of ever having a normal relationship again.  Yet today, after
her testimony to the committee and their conversation on the Mall, she
had walked hand in hand with Mulder around downtown Washington,
just like a normal couple would.  She still found it a little amazing that
something as simple as holding hands could fill her with such satisfaction.
It was after 9:00 before they got back to her Georgetown apartment, and
while she prepared something for them to eat, Mulder sprawled lazily on
the living room sofa, scanning the TV for something they might watch
with dinner.  Scully was filled with contentment.  The simple act of making
dinner and the prospect of spending the evening on the sofa in front of
the television with the man she loved made her feel distinctly Donna
Reed-ish, and she liked it. She finished the salad and looked around the
kitchen with a small frown, then shrugged as she reached for the phone.
Donna Reed probably had more time for shopping then she did.  Mulder
wouldn't mind pizza delivery.

The phone rang before she could pick up the receiver.  It was Skinner.
"Agent Scully," he said, "I have news."

Scully didn't say anything, a pit rapidly forming in her stomach.  Skinner
continued, "The board was very impressed with your presentation.  After
you left I petitioned for the X-Files to be reopened.  I just got the call.
You're back in business."

Scully looked over at Mulder, who seemed engrossed in Jeff Goldblum as
the Fly.  "That's good news, Sir," she said without much feeling.

Skinner didn't seem to notice her indifference.  "Do you know where Agent
Mulder is, I tried his apartment and his cell phone, but I can't get a hold
of him."

"That's okay, Sir.  He's here, I'll tell him."

She could practically hear Skinner looking at his watch.  Scully glanced
at her kitchen clock.  It was almost 10:00 P.M.

"Oh," Skinner said, after a moment's pause.  "Then I'll see you both in
the morning."

"Yes, Sir."

"9:00 A.M., my office."

"We'll be there, Sir," Scully said.  The pit in her stomach had formed a
chasm and she could feel herself falling in.

"Very good.  Good night, Scully."

"Good night, Sir."  Skinner hung up, but Scully just stood there listening
to the dial tone for a while until the annoying woman came on telling her
that if she'd like to make a call to please hang up and dial again.

Scully set the phone in its cradle and walked slowly to where Mulder lay
on the couch.  He obviously hadn't heard her conversation over Geena
Davis's screams.  She smiled at him and took his hand.  She held it
against her lips and softly kissed his palm.  Mulder hit the mute button on
the remote and looked up at her.  For the moment Scully savored the eye
contact, forced her brain to remember how he looked at this moment: happy,
satisfied, content.  She took a breath and sighed.

"They've re-opened the X-Files," she said softly.



End.