Somewhere in the ocean

Thursday, August 21st

In the morning

"Let him in peace, you bastard." said Chico, enraged and kicked the man in the red coat who had hit Mulder with the handle of his weapon. Mulder felt as if his head would explode.

"Chico?" he asked, astonished. "Shit! What are you doing here?" he asked then, afraid. Skinner's boy in the hands of the monster. Of someone who should be dead, but was alive, or whatever. A seven year old boy. He remembered that all the kids killed in the rituals where about seven. He became more nauseous at that. Before he had just to be afraid for Scully, but now there was Chico too.

He looked at the tiny boy. Chico ran to him and embraced him tight and kissed him softly on his stubbly cheek.

The boy looked at the stubbly face with concern and caressed softly the bruises he could see. "Does it hurti muchi, Tio Foxi? Is Tia Dana fine?"

Mulder nodded reassuringly. "Not superfine, but it goes. Don't worry. All will be fine." At least was it what he hoped. When the puny hand brushed again over his bruised face his eyes caught the deep red mark on the left palm. Before he could look at it better the guard came back with two other men.

"Bring him back to the woman. And you, boy. You know you shouldn't go out of your room. The master will be angry when he finds out. Come now."

"No, I want to go with Tio Foxi. Leave me alone." The boy said with a gazed filled with hatred towards the men and hung more on Mulder's neck.

The coated man yanked him out of Mulder's arms and the other men brought Mulder back to Scully and threw him into the little room. He hit his head on the wall when he tried to avoid banging into her. He slid slowly down, holding his throbbing head.

"Oh, my God. It's Chico." Said Scully when they heard him cry and shout. Suddenly there was a cry of pain, but not the boy's and the boy came in running.

The men came running behind him and tried to yank him out of the cell.

"Let him there. The Master will deal with him then. And if he prefers to stay in there with them, rather than in his cabin, it's his problem." One said and held on his face a handkerchief to stop the bleeding from Chico's scratch.

They locked the door and went away. Only one remained to guard.

"That was not a good choice, Chico. Now you're stuck with us in this bad smelling cell." Scully said but embraced the tiny boy.

"Do you think, in the streets it was better than here? There are very bad smelling places there too. But you do noti smelli that badi just a little sweaty." He was content to be with them, he had been very afraid alone in his cabin and sometimes the bad smelling entity appeared who scared him a bit. Well, a lot, but he wasn't going to say so.

"What happened, Chico? Why are you here?" asked Mulder.

"The evil wants me. I'm noti sure of whati. Papai was lookingi for you. We were at the sub garage of the FBI, when they attacked us. They were going to killi Papai. But if I wouldi come with it, it would let him go. That's why I'm here. Don't worry, it will let you go too. I made him sweari it." He embraced them both and gave each one a smacking kiss. He wouldn't let the entity kill them.

"What sign is that on your palm, Chico? Let me feel it."

"I don'ti knowi. It was suddenly there. It doesn't hurti."

Mulder touched it.

He held the puny hand to the soft light by the loophole in the door to examine it as good as he could manage. It was the same sign as there was on the wall of the pier, painted by the blood of the first killed boy there. The only thing they found out then in the library, was, that it meant something like "The Change", but nothing more. He didn't have a good feeling about it.

He squeezed the little hand reassuringly. Chico was sitting on Scully's lap holding her tight, he hugged them both and they remained that way all the time.

FBI-HQ Washington DC

Skinner's office

Thursday, August 21st

18:00 pm

Skinner was standing in front of his window but saw nothing as the hunted face of his tiny boy before him. His face had become haggard from the overhelming grief he felt of losing him to God knows what. It wasn't fair, he thought.

Unannounced, the cigarette smoking man entered the office smiling slightly before Skinner turned around, then he hid it behind his drag on the cigarette he already lit for a while. He puffed the smoke in small ringlets to the clean air and sucked in again and let the smoke this time go through his nose. Sure, he didn't know what was attacking the boys and had been in the basement for a while, but it made him feel good inside. He wasn't very fond of the fact that Skinner had adopted a boy, a streetboy he heard, but on the other hand it would have been a good weapon against the AD, who had become very independent and was losing his respect for the consortium and, what pissed him off more, from him. He still had his mind set on giving him a lesson on who was the boss here.

It was regrettable that the troublesome Agents Mulder and Scully were missing, as he wanted to give them a lesson too. His face went dark with that thought, Scully being cured of cance. He wanted to know who they managed it. Perhaps she could be taken again for another experiment. This would give him Mulder directly in his hands.

A puppet on the strings.

Skinner turned around and knew who came in unannounced when he smelled the dark smoke of the Morley cigarette. "What the hell do you want? If it's nothing that doesn't help find my agents or my son, forget it it. I don't have time for your crap."

"Well, we had nothing to do with this. You brought your own ghosts by adopting a smearing boy from the third world." Cancerman said condescendingly and was totally unprepared when a slamming fist hit his face breaking his nose and his body fell heavy to the floor. He flinched, when Skinner lunged for him and yanked his wrist behind his back and slammed him to the wall.

"Don't you ever call my boy a smearing again because a smearing rat is what YOU are. Get out of my office, you bastard." He said slowly and threw him out of the office and slammed shut the door behind him.

Skinner was trembling from the accummulated hatred he felt towards the cigarette smoking man. Sure, he had made an enemy of life, but what was enough, was enough. He kicked his chair, frustrated. There was no sign of the three. Not in this country. Suddenly it was clear for him. He searched his wallet for the visitcard from Washington, the Delegade in Rio de Janeiro.

The connection was made in seconds and he could hear the singing voice of the short man.

"Hello, Washington, this is Walter Skinner from the FBI."

"Walter? What a pleasure to heari your voice. How's Chico by the way?"

"That's why I'm calling. Raul Donato took him away and my two agents with him."

"What? Are you crazy? Donato is dead, buried half a meter into the ground." Shouted the Delegate, puzzled.

"I wish I were. He took them, I saw him or whatever it is. I know it sounds crazy, but ... something like Donato took him from me. It wasn't human, Washington." How the hell could he explain something as crazy as he became to believe it was.

Washington felt a chill and closed his eyes. "If you think it's ... unhuman, then I will believe in you. What can I do to help?"

"Well, I believe now, that they are heading back to Brazil, as it was there he wanted to perform his rituals before I killed him. I thought if ... ." he was interrupted by the delegade's voice.

"Take the next flight, I'll arrange the things here. And I will exhume Donato's grave site, to be sure his body is still there."

"Why ... thanks Washington. I know it sounds crazy, but what grabbed me the other day was completely inhuman."

"Don't worry, I've heardi and seen stranger things in my life. And as a true Brazilian, I more believe than not and we have our superstitions. No one wouldi believe."

Skinner sat back when the Delegade hung up. Now he had to tell Maggie where he was going. He arranged his flight which would leave in three hours and sent a fax to the delegate which had the flight number and arrival time, and then called Plumper.

"Well, Agent Plumper. What do you think of a flight to Rio?"

He recieved the answer he had expected and they would meet at deperature hour at the airport. He braced himself to meet Maggie now.

Somewhere in the ocean

Friday, August 22nd

19:00 pm

They were awoken by the sudden freezing cold in their cell they were in. Nothing could be seen through the dark as the chilling feel to be observed. Mulder and Scully pulled themselves closer to each other, with Chico in the middle, protected between them as well as possible. Faint first they could hear a heavy breathing sound and two burning eyes appeared from nowhere accompanied by the smell of death. A figure was transforming to reveal Donato hovering over them. The knotted hands with the long fingernails tried to caress the tiny frame of the boy between them, but they closed their arms over him. The breathing sound became stronger. The entity laughed and took their faces into his claw hands to observe them more closely. They could try to protect the boy for now he came just to scare them. He regretted he had sworn to let the pair go he longed for their souls to be his. What a sweet couple they would give to serve him for eternity. But what he needed the most was the boy. But he could haunt them a little bit.

He came closer to the woman's face he held.

"Don't touch them, your monster." Shouted the tiny boy.

Donato chuckled not bothering with the rage he could feel the hatred in the boy's voice and forced her head up to meet him for a kiss and suck a bit of her life force. He licked at the soft lips and invaded her mouth. He could feel her choke as his tongue reached her throat and then beyond. Her lover tried to kick him and jerk out of the steel grip which forced Mulder's head up. Finally the entity let go of her and she fell limp to the side and then he turned to the struggling man. Her lover had the right amount of hatred in him now and the demon claimed the mouth to explore and take a bit of his lifeforce as well, still he was unconscious as the woman.

"You promised to let them go." The boy shouted.

"Why are you complaining? They are still alive, and as I said, I'll let them go in the end. Even if I long for them to be mine. They aren't harmed now, except of a bit of their lifeforce. I will hold my promise to you when you hold yours. You know. The one I claim is you. More than I claim these two. Hold your promise. Otherwise they will suffer what was meant for them, to be mine for all eternity. I just came in to remind you." The monster said and held the tiny face inches from his to observe with his burning gaze the shiny crystal-blue eyes. He let him go then and retreated, the two were still nagging at his force.

The little boy nestled himself between the two limp frames and cried himself into sleep. Dreaming of the man with the protective arms safe, or so he hoped, from the evil entity. He shuddered and trembled all the more, as he saw what was meant for him in the dark mind.

End of part nine

Feedback? I know I'm bad so I will hide till the other part comes out.

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TITLE: JUNGLE HEAT II: The Sign of Evil(10/16)

Part Ten

Rio de Janeiro

Friday, August 22nd

20:00 pm

Skinner and Plumper were lodged in the Delegate's large house near the Ipanema beach. If it wasn't for Chico's disappearance and his two trouble some agents, Skinner would have enjoyed his stay. He wouldn't have stayed there, as he didn't want to be a burden, but Washington had insisted. He was very hospitable, and it was fun to observe his numerous family members, so different of any he knew before. And thank God, all spoke at least a bit of English, excluding the baby naturally, who kept crawling towards him all the time, the instant they got there.

They only talked about the case, when they were alone, after dinner.

"Donato's body is still there, Walter."

Skinner sat back on the couch and said: "That's what I feared. We think, this ... Donato is bringing them to Brasil. The killings of boys Chico's age finished at once when they were taken, before that there had been found all second day a boy's body."

Somewhere in the ocean

Saturday, August 23rd

in the morning

The soft motion of the waves until now was interrupted by a sudden jolt and the lightning and thunder bolts took the crew of the little ship by surprise. The growing wind was beginning to throw it like a toyship in a bathtub to it's own demandor.

Mulder and Scully felt miserable and weak since their last encounter with the evil being last night. The little boy between them was silent and seemingly deep in thought. They were hungry from not getting anything to eat and drink for two days. They began to feel really sick by the rocking motion of the ship, which suddendly began to increase. It seemed to keep on for hours, suddenly ending as it began. It seemed as if nothing had happened.

Their door opened and the sudden glare of light burned in their eyes, after being enclosed for hours in the dark cell.

"Stand up!" the growling voice of one of the coated guards ordered, and yanked first Mulder out shoving him around. Mulder almost couldn't stand, weak as he was and from the awkward position he had to keep himself in the tiny cubicle. He fell to his knee and soon a foot connected with his already sore ribs, so that he gasped for air and curled himself like a fetus. As another foot connected, his eyes began to tear."

"Stop it, you bastard!" shouted Chico and Scully in unisound. While Scully was still struggling to stand, Chico advanced the man and gave him a certain golp of Capueira with his tiny feet, but not tiny enough to hurt and the man himself fell to the ground holding his guts.

Another man held the raging boy, who was only seeing red and the arm which held him. Chico bit it, and kicked backwards, aiming for the knee, and missed, as the man had already freed him while holding his injured hand.

"Oh you Brazilian wild cat, I will teach you not to ... ." The man began to say but was interrupted by the appearence of the ghostlike entity who shoved him away of the tiny boy.

"What's going on here?! I said to prepare them and nothing else." said the entity holding all in check with his burning eyes. Silently they bound the hands of the kidnapped trio, not without struggle but shoved them to the next cabin where there were three big boxes, and some kind of machine in the middle. Another coated man approached Mulder and picked him with a syringe with some green liquid in it, a third of it was injected into his right arm before he fell limp into the steel grip of the two who held him. Then the man approached Scully and Chico and injected them with the rest."

The men put first Mulder's limp body into the mashine and shoved a mask over his face like the ones used by the divers.

It was impossible for Mulder to move a finger in his state, but he could nevertheless hear and feel all what was going on around him. A brown substance began to fill the mashine warm to his skin, soon it covered him completely.

Rio de Janeiro, PD

Monday, August 25th

05:30 pm

"Our cover man in the Favelas said there were some rumours about some rituals, but he couldn't find out more than that. It's held in deep secret. The only lead he could give was to go to Mamae Oxum." Said Washington but flushed a bit by that, what didn't pass unnoticed by the AD and agent Plumper.

"Whose that Mamae Ogum?" asked Skinner and raised an eyebrow as the delegade was really blushing now.

"Well, Umbanda woman." When he saw Skinner's blank face to it he continued. "It's a medium, ahm ... Fortune teller. Some kind, I don't know the exact word for it. She helps us sometimes."

"Well, if she can be of any help. Let's go, after this encounter with this Donato it really doesn't matter who we ask for help." Said Skinner with a slight grin. "Nevertheless we also have the help of some clairvoyants, when we are stuck in an investigation of abductions."

"Sure? So let's go then. She attends only from seven pm up. Time enough so we can buy some candles and other stuff she needs. Andi please, she's ... she's very , well, peculiar, do all she demands or she will leti us down. Probably she's totally different from the ones you know from USA. And iti can go a little bloody, because she is noti one of the common clairvoyants, she's also the ialorix , the bab of Umbanda. She lives outside the city in a very old house, more a hut than a proper house, it's very rustic."

After an hour and a half they reached the hut. It was indeed very rustic, nothing the AD and the agent had seen before, it was surrounded by banana trees and other kinds of trees they had never seen before.

It reminded them more of the jungle than anywhere else. To tell the truth, when they left the big city, they were soon on a long road. The civilization seemed to quickly give way to the jungle. Where they looked, they could see only the green of a jungle like place, sometimes they could see a single house or the entrance to fazendas and that was all.

When they reached their destination also the somewhat heavy traffic on the single road turned less and stilled completely, when they entered one of the entrances to reach the silent hut. But there were some cars of all classes there and when they got out of their car they could hear the dull sound of drums and another instrument acompained by the rythmic singsang of some people.

Washington motioned them into the hut. The floor was earthen, but clean. Dozens of people were standing in a circle, whose middle contained a very thick dark-skinned woman clothed all in white, with a white turban on her head. She had a big cuban type cigar in her hands and occasionally puffed on it heavily. Her penetrating gaze met immediately with Skinner's, she pointed at him and said something in a strange growling voice, he couldn't understand and it didn't seem Portuguese either. A very old dark-skinned man, dressed in white like the others in the room, came towards them.

*Sr. Washington, Mamae Ogum says you have to wait in the other room. She is going to attend to you alone after the reunion. Please come this way. And you are not clothed properly, please make these men you brought change their clothes to the white ones I'll give you.*

"We have to wait in the other room. Until the reunion is done. And we have to change our clothes. I forgot to mention that people can just come in white clothes. Sorry, but it is necessary."

"No problem, if it helps." Said Skinner after a look at Plumper and followed with them the old dark man to another room. He could feel the burning gaze of the old thick woman following them. He looked around a bit and could make out in the corners and walls images of catholic saints as well as from Indios and old-blacks. The air was filled with the heavy scent of the candles, flowers and the strong scent of fumigating sticks, bottles and more weird stuff.

The sound of the drums went through and through their bodies, and gave the two FBI men a slight chill. Finally the drums went silent and they heard the several cars drive away.

The door opened and the thick woman entered by bows of the old very dark-skinned man. Her gaze was only upon Skinner in the penetrating way, never wavering. She approached him until she was was inches of his face.

"You, I waitedi for you, my soldier against the evil exu. The sailor."

She said in her growling voice and continued in her surprisingly good English, even Washington was startled to hear. "It's noti easy what you seeki for. Lucky you the Caboclos, the ancient Indios and the Er^s, the children spirits are on your side to help againsti the evil spiriti. He tooki your little boy and the white pair of the Caboclo. That was his mistake."

She smiled then and sat on a big white chair and the dark old man brought her another big cigar.

"But how is it possible, Mamae Ogum? He is dead and his body is still buried." Asked Washington.

"His death only freed its evil spirit. He was a big Macumbeiro and the evil spirit quiumba and his soul he sold. But he died too soon, so he couldn't go back to his earthen body, he needs the changeling in the form of a pure spirit. He prepared his way by killing some children, but the only one to give him all the power is this man's boy." She looked again at Skinner with a searching gaze and waved him to step closer and sit down beside her on a little stool. It was a little difficult for him to sit down, as the stool was indeed very low. "You have to bring the woman you love here for the final battle of the spirits."

"I can't bring her here."

"Sure you can." She interrupted him, before he could continue.

"She has a strong spirit and her love to you and the boy and the pair is indeed needed as much as yours. It's not a simple spirit to handle with your gun anymore. They are here now. You have two days to bring her with you here. A day longer and it will be too late for all of them. Go now, there's nothing more I can do for you else without the woman. I will light the candles you brought and the offers to calm the exus. Go now." She stood up and left the room.

Rio de Janeiro, Harbor

Monday, August 25th

in the evening

Three long wooden boxes were unloaded from the little ship ancoured by the harbor of Rio. A custom officer stopped the men, before they could heave it into a waiting truck. They obeyed and lowered the boxes to the ground and opened one of the boxes.

*What's this?* asked the customer officer curious, as he looked at the odd brown statue of a man.

*As written in the papers, it's one of the three statues to be used in a new Brazilian movie. It's from America. Hollywood.*

*Oh! Hollywood! Who will be the artists?*

*Bruna Lombardi and Malu Mader. It will be a thriller.*

*La Lombardi and Malu Mader? I just love them.* He stepped closer and touched the odd statue. It was strangely warm to the touch.

*It's a new material they use there, that's why the director had to import it.*

*Sure, I'm looking forward to watch the movie.*

Without further problems the men drove away with the huge truck.

End of part ten

Feedback? sorry to be so mean to Mulder, it gave me a heatbreakbut it seems something is afecting me. Sigh. Well, if cancerman was near I think I would have sincerely damaged him. He's lucky, he's not in this part. But what isn't can still be. Feedback appreciated.

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TITLE: JUNGLE HEAT II: The Sign of Evil(11/16)

Part Eleven

Rio de Janeiro

by the Delegate

Monday, August 25th

11:55 pm

Skinner saw no other way but to ask Maggie to catch the next flight to meet him in Rio. He thought he was crazy to even acknowledge what the woman had said, but in a way she seemed sincere to him. He sighed, this case was more of an X-File than anything else. Too weird for his taste. It was one thing to read about them in Mulder's and Scully's report-files but to actually live one was another thing.

He was alone in the living room, everybody had gone to sleep na hour ago and he was too nervous to sleep. He had had more nightmares than before and almost all involving Chico. He went to the balcony and stared at the wide open ocean. Rio was beautiful at night. Even in this late hour of the night the endless stream of the headlights from the cars kept going on. The streetlights were balancing gently by the steady ondulation of the waves. He could hear the soft urging sound of the sea, the waves breaking on the sandy beach of Ipanema, and he could make out some people dancing to the sound of their drums in the heartgoing beat of Samba. It was a warm evening, even though it was winter, as he had been told,. Yeah, it was just like Chico had told him, the city seemed never to sleep. He sighed, and hoped his tiny boy was still fine and nothing had happened to him and his two agents.

Only when it began to clear on the horizon he realized that a new day had begun. The hours had rushed through the night with him standing on the balcony. Suddenly a tiny hand tugged at his pants legs.

He looked down, it was the crawling baby. He smiled at the little girl, who demanded to be pulled up.

"So, little girl, how did you manage to break out of your room?" he asked whispering and pulled her up.

"I hope she never manages it, Sr. Walter. I wouldi have a hearti attachi. Didi you stay awake alli nighti? That's not goodi. You have to sleepi. Come ini. Breakfasti willi be ready in some minutes."

Washington's wife said smiling at the huge American. Her accent was heavier than Washington's, and almost all word seemed to end with the "tshii" sound.

After an hour Skinner and Detective Paulo Saiko drove to the airport. Maggie's flight would arrive anytime.

Rio de Janeiro,

In the woods

Tuesday, August 26th

in the morning

Mulder felt like hell. His body was aching and he couldn't move a finger. And for an endless time, it seemed to him, all of his bodiy function seemed to have ceased but his breathing.

Finally a strong light entered through a widening breach into the brown mass he was embedded. The face of one of the coated men appeared. The rest of the mass was torn apart. He could only see the ceiling of an old house as it was still impossible for him to move.

He was brought to a dark room and lowered down to the earthen floor. The men left him in the dark. Not long after he could see Scully from the corner of his eye being left beside him. But the tiny boy wasn't left with them. They locked the door.

Only after hours he managed to move his fingers a bit, when he heard Scully's low voice calling him.

"Mulder. Are you okay?"

He smiled at that and was surprised he could. The stuff they injected them seemed to wear off. He was really relieved, it was too disturbing to be impossiblized to move. "You bet. What about you?" he asked and tried to move his head to her side. He managed it barely and felt a sudden pain going through his stiff neck, but nevertheless he turned his head to Scully's side.

Time given, their movement improved more. Finally Mulder managed to crawl near Scully. She sat slowly up and flexed her numb limbs and turned towards Mulder as she had heard him wince.

"Let me check your ribs. As I was afraid of. They are cracked and at least two are broken." She groped around and found a sheet, or what she thought was a sheet, by the feel of it. It was thin so it was easy to shred it and she bandaged Mulder's ribcage tightly, or as good as she could manage with it. And then gave him a kiss.

Mulder was glad Scully couldn't see his face, as his eyes began to tear again with the pain which shot through him.

"I don't know about you, but I have enough to be thrown around. What do you think of a frontal attack?" she asked and stood up groaning a bit. After a while she stood steady on her feet and helped Mulder up.

"My thought too. Let me catch some breath first and then we can search around if we find something which can help us. I couldn't see anything, when I got in here, what about you?"

"The only thing I could see was a box in a corner and a bed." Said Scully and touched her way around in the pitch-dark room. She reached around when she heard Mulder groan again. "What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"Well, it did find me." He muttered.

"Huh?"

"The damn box hit me." He said and rubbed his sore sides. It really wasn't his day, or better, days to think of.

"Give me a break, Mulder." She got close to him and reached for the box. "It's empty. Shsh, someone is coming."

They heard the door being unlocked and a soft light came through the opening door, to reveal just one of the coated man. Scully crashed the box over the head of the man and Mulder managed to take the gun from the limp hand. He gave him another blow with the handle of the gun to knock the cringing man totally out.

Slowly after an affirming nod to each other they got out of the room all the while glancing around. They pressed themselves on the corridor walls and continued forward. There was another door and they could hear the raging voice of Chico coming from behind it. Mulder took hold of the doorhandle and opened it slowly. They could see Chico kicking the leg of one of the men. Another one was standing with his back to the door. Mulder hit him too with the gun handle while Scully took the weapon.

"Don't come near me." Said the man who grabbed Chico in his arms, and held him with his big hand around the throat. "Throw your guns away, or I kill him." He said with a threatening voice. Chico kicked savagely at the knees of the man and momentarly felt his grip loosen a bit.

Without further thinking he bit into the hand forcefully and yanked free. Like a flash Scully was beside him and kicked the man repeatedly and finally knocked him out by a last blow into his guts.

There seemed to be no other men in the house and they went to the front door. Mulder opened it a bit, but closed it again afterwards. All the men were there constructing something, but he couldn't find out what.

"We have to find another way out of here, they are all spread around in front of the house." Said Mulder whispering. They looked around and saw a window in the back. They opened it carefully and looked out.

There was nobody there. Scully got first out of the window and helped Chico and then Mulder. He was really in a bad shape, but managed to get out.

They were surrounded by woods. After some questioning they decided to continue south for a while and then change direction. They got a good distance to the old house until it disappeared behind the thickening wood.

Rio de Janeiro

Tuesday, August 26th

in the evening

Skinner was really apprehensive when they got to the house of Mamae Ogum, with Maggie, Agent Plumper and Washington. All wore white clothes. It was a warm evening, occacionally a soft breeze refreshed the damp August evening. They were still in winter, but all the days he was there he didn't see a cold day or night so far.

Nevertheless Washington wore a light jacket, as he felt cold. For him lower than 70* Fahrenheit was cold. That made Maggie imagine what the summer was like in Rio.

The last cars of the other visitors where leaving the house and the old very dark-skinned man motioned them to follow him. This time they were led to the main room, empty now, but still full with the statues of all kind and sizes.

Some young women and girls, of different types from blondes to mulates, were silently lighting the candles in the colors of white and light blue. Some dark and some white men were sitting in a corner of the room with their instruments, some they had never seen before. They were playing to the heartgoing rhythmn of the drums.

A colorful instrument in the shape of an arrow and a coconut at his base gave a strange sound to add to the supernatural feeling they felt.

The young women sat down in front of a big white chair, and Mamae Ogum entered the room with the old man. She sat down in the big chair and waved Skinner and the others to approach her.

"Sit here, beside me." She said to Maggie, who sat on the little stool. She was really amazed at all she heard and saw so far. But to find Dana, Fox and Chico she would do anything. The older woman was beautiful, even as she was very over weight. The dark face shone a harmony through which made her ebony face even more beautiful, seeming like an African Queen in her white lace dress and the turban-like hat.

"They are fine for now but the evil is behind them." The woman looked up then and waved to the musicians. Slowly a small group of men and women entered from another door and stood in a circle around the present people and began to sing. Some seemed to be in a trance.

Suddenly one of the women entered into the circle and began to shudder as if she was having a seizure and whisper in a strange strangled voice. The old woman stood up from her chair and entered the circle. The old man gave her a cuban-like cigar and she began to puff it into the face of the shuddering woman whose face had become evil-like and the pupils turned white.

She hissed to mamae Ogum in a strange language but what was more chilling, that her voice had turned into a growling male voice. They hissed back and forth for a while and without any forewarning the woman tried to advance mamae Ogum her hands where suddenly like claws. Skinner stepped between them in a reflex motion, before the claw could hit her but it sliced his forearm instead. Mamae Ogum threw a liquid over the face of the fierceful woman and held Skinner away from the woman on the floor. She was screaming in the howling voice of a man and suddenly a dark smoke left her body and she calmed down.

When she raised her face the fierce look had left her and it was serene as before as if nothing had happened at all. Maggie was at Skinner's side to treat the deep cuts on his forearm.

"Let me treati iti. What did you think in comming between us, sailor?

You couldi have diedi. Buti, thank you, it's a very strong evil spiriti as I said before and was very angry, somethingi happenedi. We have to prepare for the battle to come."

End of part 11

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TITLE: JUNGLE HEAT II: The Sign of Evil(12/16)

Part Twelve (Mistic)

State of Rio de Janeiro,

Somewhere in the woods

Tuesday, August 26th

in the evening

It was hot in the forest, the only sound they heard was their own hard breath and the occacional jungle sounds. They were on the run for hours now. Mulder was still leading but almost at the end of his strength. The aching pain in his broken ribs almost made him pass out, but he continued, knowing, the farther away they were, the better the chances were to escape. But the first who passed out with a heart breaking scream was the tiny boy.

"Chico!" shouted Scully and bent down beside him. "Come, little one, what's the matter?" she asked gently as the boy's eyes fluttered open after a minute. The huge crystal-blue eyes were filled with tears of pain, whimpering and holding his stomach. He began to curl up and whine in earnest now. Scully checked him over and felt a slight swelling at the spot he held. He was so much slimmer almost pure bones as before he had been adopted by Skinner.

Mulder sat carefully down beside them and began to caress the sweaty strands of blond hair. The left palm of the tiny boy caught his attention. The sign on it was now in a very dark red. He didn't like it, it gave him a bad feeling. "What's the matter with him?" He asked distressed and winced, as if it was himself, when the boy cramped more before his eyes with a sudden shudder and then was still.

"I don't know, but I don't like this swelling on his stomach." She removed a bit of the t-shirt to look at the stomach of the boy. There was a dark-blue hematom over the swelling and another was beginning on the tiny chest. She had never seen anything like that in her life. And decidedly she didn't like it at all. "I can do nothing for him. He's unconscious now. We have to take him to a hospital, Mulder. And you too. Let's move on."

"I'll take him." Said Mulder wincing a bit when he got up.

"No, I'll take him, and you lead the way. And don't arg. You know as well as I do that you're almost in the end of your strength. Or, do you want me to wind up carrying the two of you? That I surely can't handle." She said with a half smile on her lips by the last statement.

Rio de Janeiro

Tuesday, August 27th

in the morning

They were still at Mamae Ogum's hut outside Rio. Even as the hut was poor, it was clean and larger as they thought it was. She offered them a room, where they all slept in several rustic beds. It was too late for them to return to Rio and they had to return anyway in the morning.

Even though he didn't sleep the previous night, he remained awake for hours with Maggie curled beside him in his arms, as they shared a bed. His wound burnt a bit but after Mamae Ogum's ministrations it wasn't as bad as it seemed in the first place. He still couldn't believe what he had seen with his eyes what had happened last evening.

Maggie took all very lightly and didn't have shown any fear.

There was more a determined fierceness in her sight, which amazed him and made him love her all the more. He didn't tell her yet what Dr. Nichols had said about Chico and the swellings. Finally he slept the remaining hours left.

"Walter, wake up." Said Maggie softly some hours later to the sleeping man beside her. Even in his sleep there was a rug between his eyes telling stories of his restless and preocupied nights and days, until the disappeareance of Chico, Dana and Fox. Now that it seemed, that her daughter and Fox had finally found each other, this being took them and the sweet little boy, she loved now as much as it would have been her own child.

She had already taken a shower in the primitive but clean bathroom before she went back to the room, they, Washington, Plumper and Walter shared.

Skinner awoke with a start by the soft sound of the voice.

"Morning." He whispered after a kiss on her mouth.

"You can take a shower in the bathroom." She smiled and helped him up. When they were in front of it she said smiling. "But let me tell you first the rules of it."

The shower consisted in a watercane and a shower piece on it. It was tied to eletricity by a simple cable without further securities, in order to have warm water you had to turn a switch to warm water mode at the piece itself, before you turned the water on. That is if you didn't mind a shock otherwise. And no toiletpaper into the vase. He shook his head and thought seriously first, if he shouldn't take a cold shower.

When he came out Washington was already awaiting his turn and Plumper was coming out from the small bedroom as well, rubbing his eyes. But he stopped mid yawn, when one of the young women passed him, in his eyes the prettiest of all as he had noticed yesterday.

She was very exotic with her long almost-to-her-waistband reaching black hair with it's blue gleam. Her face was Hawaiian-like in a way. He supposed she had something Indio in her, she was short, but what legs.

"Tststs, Agent Plumper, don't forget to breathe again." said the AD to the startled man and followed the young woman to the kitchen, where Maggie was already waiting. Plumper followed him, a bit flushed in his face.

"Jurema, can you please bring the coffee for our guests?"asked Mamae Ogum the long hair, with a wide smile on her full lips.

"Sure, Mamae Ogum." she said obediently with a slight glance to the handsome American.

Somewhere in the woods

Wednesday, August 27th

in the evening

Suddenly the world seemed to break apart. The immediate surroundings became as cold as if they were back in Alaska. The howling sound of pure rage made Mulder and Scully with her tiny burden run much faster.

But they were without a chance against the evil being. A heavy blow from nowhere launched Mulder some feet away and he smacked against a tree trunk. In his agony he felt his right shin bone crack with the impact, but without further thinking he crawled back to Scully and the little boy. He froze, when he saw Scully being launched into the air and thrown towards a near bush and crash on the ground.

The only one who remained still in this havoc of whirling leaves and branches and all which remained loose, was the tiny boy, still unconscious.

The evil being appeared like a dark shadow in his black coat and pulled Mulder effortlessly only inches from his face. The burning eyes were observing him with a sardonic gleam.

"Did you think, you could run away from me? I'll teach you to ..."

"Stop iti. You promisedi." The little boy shout, struggling to sit up, and face the evil demon. He wasn't any more afraid for himself, but for his two friends. *You promised.* he said with regained force in Portuguese.

*And you promised too.* Retorted the demon in the same language and held Mulder higher into the air, as if preparing to slamm him to the ground.

*Don't! I promised and I will hold on it. But, please, don't hurt them anymore.* The boy begged and got up on unsteady feet. He was hurting less, but he could still feel something grow within himself, but he wasn't going to think about it. He missed his father, and the tiny shoulders sagged down a bit. He never was going to see him again or Maggie, but he would be strong and bear it. With a new resolve forming he held his shoulders proudly up again, he was a Skinner now, and Papai would be proud of him.

Mamae Ogum's hut

Same evening

"He has them again." Said the old woman and poured some more spices into the smoking bowl. "We have tilli Friday nighti to findi his hiding place. It's somewhere neari Rio. Come here, sailor. Iemanja , the Queen of the Ocean, is on your side, the Caboclos and the Er^s. I know, you're noti a believer, but you don'ti have to be. Just don't make them angry at you by laughing or something else on the ritual I'm performing. There is more between Heaven and Earth than just your scientific ways. Come here, woman, sit beside him and take his hands in yours, as your mother strength is what the evil fears more."

She held her hands out to recieve a bowl from Jurema full of some water it seemed and white rose petals. "All thinki now just on the three. Invision them healthy and secure in your arms." Slowly she began to splash the bowls contents over the heads of Skinner and Maggie while walking around them and talking all the time in a strange guttural language. Suddenly a dark shadow was forming in the middle of the room and the warm temperature sank some degrees. Like a blur the phantom-like shadow reached for Skinner and Maggie. They could only see the claw hand trying to hit them. In pure reflex Skinner embraced Maggie to protect her against it. He could feel his back burning by the crawls. Strange white smoke circles were forming around them, and the dark shadow disappeared like it had appeared. The white smoke circles transformed themselves into shiny humanoid forms.

The first was the translucent form of a beautiful white woman.

Her long straight black hair reached her waist, waving as if she was in the water. Her eyes were blue, like the ocean, her mouth small but full with ruby like lips, smiling now to them, with a sad but seductive glance in her eyes.

Mamae Oxum bowed her head in marvel and whispered, "Od^-ia-^, Iemanja!"

The young women began to sing in a tender and lamented song. The second was the form of an Indio with a bow in his hands and the last the form of a child, as they appeared they disappeared, leaving nothing behind as the strong sent of roses and the smell of the sea and jungle.

Not only the Americans felt a chill by the events.

The drum sounds were increasing in its intoxicating rythmn and all were ordered to kneel down and hold their hands together in a circle. Mamae Ogum remained in the middle and splashed more of the bowls content over all of them while murmuring in the gultural language. She went back to the big kettle and poured the rest of the water and petals in it and waved them to come near.

"Watchi and continue to holdi your hands."

Images were forming on the smoky superficie in the kettle. Mulder's face appeared, distraught and with trails of tears on the slightly dirty cheeks. Soon Scully's face appeared and nestled between them they saw Chico sleeping as all of them, not less dirty, resting his head on Mulder's chest and encircling Scully's waist with his right arm. He had his left thumb in his mouth like a little child seeking for protection. The images gained more force for a moment, but zoomed out to show the dark room they were in and then the surroundings of the old fashioned hut.

"Chico." Skinner whispered in dispair, when the images finally disappeared in the kettle and nothing could be seen as the white petals swimming gentle in the clear water, with their own reflection mirroring to them.

End of part twelve

Feedback? I know, I know. After this they need a vacation.

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TITLE: JUNGLE HEAT II: The Sign of Evil(13/16)

Part Thirteen

Somewhere in the woods

Friday, August 29th

in the afternoon

The three captives could hear the steady hammering outside the hut for hours now. Mulder felt miserable and exhausted.

Scully bandaged Mulder as well as she could. The boy begged for wood sheets to immobilize Mulder's broken shin bone. But she knew that he and Chico needed a hospital more than anything. The swellings had grown more pronounced and in several parts of his tiny frame. His body temperature was a little hot to the touch, but thank God he seemed to be without pain this time. He was just very tired.

They had been left alone in the dark room since their recapture. Scully laid back beside Mulder and took the tiny boy into her arms caressing his moist strands of blond hair from his forehead.

"You knowi, it's all my faulty. I shouldn'ti have gone with Papai. I shouldi have remainedi in the streets where I belongi. So nothingi wouldi have happenedi to you alli." the boy said with a sad gaze to them.

"Here you go. Are you taking lessons from Mulder? Nothing is your fault, Chico. Skinner loves you so much. Somehow we are going to get through this. You will see. And we all love you so much, don't we, Mulder?" She looked at him, taking his hand into hers, smiling.

He smiled back and caressing the silky hair of the boy reassured, "You will see, any moment Skinner will come storming in and rescuing us from this havoc. Sure, he will kick my butt for being captured again. He won't miss it." He leaned back. His body ached all over.

"He surely won't do it, Tio Foxi. " The boy yawned and laying his head down on Mulder's chest, said almost whispering. "He loves you and Tia Dana very muchi. Why don'ti you like iti when I calli you Tio Foxi? It's such a nice name. In Brazil we alli calli other people by the firsti name. And ..." Chico fell asleep, he was so tired.

They awoke when the men came in and yanked Chico out of their protective arms.

"Hey!" shouted Scully and tried to get up. She was shoved back, falling hard on Mulder. He winced in pain, but held her tight to him. The men in red went out with the boy and let them locked in.

"Are you okay, Mulder?" She examined him. The door opened again.

The men dragged them out with such a harshness that they almost hit on the doorframe. And finally they could see what all that hammering was about.

Beside the little hut the men had raised a church like construction. There was only one wall, where also a big altar has been erected. On it they could see the tiny naked frame of Chico. The boy was shuddering in the fresh evening air. The swellings were more pronounced now.

There were two stacks like totems beside the altar and they were bound to them. Mulder to the right and Scully to the left, in a half standing position. On the other side there were a handful of the men in red playing drums and other instruments. The sound was reveberating through the wood. The roof part over the altar was open to the dark sky with the first stars shining through, illuminating the altar with the tiny boy on it. Hundreds of red and black candles iluminated the rest of the tent-like construction.

There was no sign of the evil being yet. All the men in red, about thirty, gathered around the altar in a half circle. They began to hum to the steady tact of the drums. Three of them entered the half circle and began to sing in a strange growling language. Their voices were so deep that the ground vibrated a bit.

Two men from each side approached Mulder and Scully. They held their left wrists up and bleeding them with sharp daggers let the blood flow into golden goblets. When they were almost filled, two of them went to the altar and standing motionless beside the two ends held the goblets up in front of them.

Mulder sagged down, he felt very weak, the only thing that was holding him up a bit was that he was still bound to the totem by his wrists above his head as well as Scully. It made him feel worse to see her this way. Her right face side was blue by a blow she had recieved from one of the bastards, when she tried to help him. In the corner of her mouth he could still see the blood. He was beginning to feel an uncontrollable rage towards all in his own helplessness.

Scully saw his gaze to her and licked the blood away from the corner of her mouth. Her right face side was in pain, but she didn't let out a sound. She had never shouted out in pain, and wasn't going to do it now. Playing with her brothers she had learnt soon to show no pain, in order not to be called a whiny girl. She looked at Mulder again, smiling, and straightened herself up. The blood had slowed down to flow from the wrist cuts and began to dry on their arms.

She looked to the tiny frame on the altar. Chico seemed in a trance.

Only the steady movement from his chest reassured her that he was still alive. It broke her heart to see him so battered. He was so small. His eyelids fluttered open and he looked at them. He managed a little smile before he closed his eyes again.

There was a crescendo in the voices of the three men in the half circle. The air turned cooler. A small mist was forming among the three men. Soon it transformed into the dark shadow of the evil being, with his back to the altar. Slowly he turned around. First the fiery eyes gazed towards the tiny still frame of the boy, smiling. The burning gaze held the couple captive when he turned to them and he was slowly approaching.

He held first Mulder's head up, gently first and observed him intensively. The stale smell of death and rottenness was making Mulder nauseous, when the pock-marked face was inches from his own. The red gleaming eyes burnt like fire into his soul, holding him captive and he felt a shudder going through him. The grip on his head became tighter like forged steel, hurting his temples. A headache was forming all the more, it felt like his brain was being violated by the other.

Finally the being released him and went towards Scully.

Mulder sagged down again in a semi state of unconsciousness. The dull pain in his head made him vomit. He forced himself to open his eyes to see what the entity was doing to his Scully.

"What a pity. You would give such pretty slaves." The entity whispered observing Scully with his intensive burning gaze. He inclined his head to one side and passed his long rotten tongue over his own small lips. He longed to take more of their strong lifeforces into himelf, but he had already taken too much from them, more would be threatening to their lives. The boy was more important, and to have him willingly to go through it he had to let them free. But what a pity.

He let go of her too and turning back to the tiny frame on the altar, looked up through the hole in the roof over the altar. He could already see a little part of the full moon shining through. The time of transformation was near. Waving to the two men in red to come near and taking the goblets from their hands, they sipped at one then at the other, drinking a part of the fresh blood. He could already feel life itself.

The boy was motionless on the altar, pale to the moonlight. The entity wet his fingertip with the remaining blood and began to write on the tiny forehead the same sign as the one on the fragile palm and continued to write over the chest strange symbols 'til all the body was overwritten by them and gave the goblets back to the two men in red. "All of you, my children, drink. Eternity will be awaiting you, who remained faithful to me." One by one took a sip of the blood until the last of them emptied the goblets.

The moonlight was now directly over the pale tiny frame, iluminating it. Chico opened his eyes, he knew what was going to happen and was scared, but never averted his gaze from the burning eyes, now fiery. He could see the claw-like hands coming towards him holding his head between them. The entity's body began to gleam in a red light and darkening 'til it reached the color of purple wine.

He could feel something flow into him through the sparks of the glimmer around the entity's body. It wasn't hurting, but he felt weaker and weaker and soon he was drifting to a semi-consciousness.

He felt like he was in a dream. Dark shadows surrounded him first, to give place one by one to lightning ones, glimmering in pure light rosa and a stronger light blue.

"No!" he could hear someone scream. He ringed to open his eyes, but his lids felt so heavy and he drifted into darkness. Unbeknownst to him hell broke lose around the altar. The claw hands losened their grip on the tiny frame. The entity growled in rage by the disturbance of his ritual. It was almost fullfilled.

He looked up to the hole in the roof. He was in enraged.

The hour had passed. It was too late. And then he saw him. The one who had killed his mortal body. The entity let go of the boy, he was useless for the time being anyway, and turning roared to his men.

"Kill them all, my children. Kill them." Suddenly all the place was full of Policemen and two women. The entity launched for the one with the white lace dress but flinched away, when she threw a powder towards him. Where the powder had touched it burnt the rotten flesh away.

The howl of pure agony unleashed a storm. All the people struggled to keep upright.

A dark mist was forming around them, which separated itself to transform into eerie humanoid forms from the worst nightmare. One police officer was struck down by one of the evil forms.

Skinner broke his way through trying to reach Chico on the altar on the other side. The men in red attacked him from all sides. He almost froze in his tracks, when he saw one of them attacking Maggie. He didn't know, where he had been with his mind to bring her along, after they found out with Mamae Oxum's help where this place was. But knew deep within himself, that nothing would have held Maggie back. Nothing at all. He struggled to reach her but stopped in midway. She already had taken care of the attacker. He never thought she had a right fist like that and would be able to knock the man out. Now he knew where Scully had her resolve from, and stubborness and what else more.

Chico was still motionless on the altar. He seemed tinier than before.

The AD reached him and checked for his pulse. It was faint, but still there. He sighed with relief and snuggling him into his arms turned away from the altar. Donato was some feet away from him, the burning eyes observing him with hatred in his gaze, but couldn't approach him.

Washington and Plumper were in his way. A blow from one of the men in red almost broke his nose. The AD staggered a bit back with his light burden in his arms, but recuperated rapidly and shook his head. His nose was bleeding slightly. He held Chico in one arm and smashed his fist into the other's face that he fell some feet away and hit his head on the stone altar before another attacked. But for this one he was prepared and his fist touched the other's chin and knocked him out.

The entity finally approached Scully still bound to the stack, but struggling to break free of it. She had almost succeeded when she felt the evil being holding her head between his ugly claws. The pock-marked face was inches from hers his mouth almost touching her trembling lips.

Suddenly the face turned away from her and he hissed showing his pointed teeth in a eery grimace to the one who disturbed him. It was the other woman with rage in her face. She was holding a small bottle in her hands and threw again from its content over him. He hissed in pain now and growling released Scully from his tight grip.

"Mom! How... What the hell are you doing here?" whispered Scully unbelievingly and starred at her dumbfounded. The entity moaned when the woman threw more of the bottle's contents over him. He retreated and shoved the policemen in his back away with a wave of his hands, slicing their chests with his crawls. Then he yanked Mulder from the stack not concerned with the groans of pain from the battered man. He threw him over his shoulders and rushed out of the place like a bat out of hell.

"No!" shouted Scully and with all her remaining force freed herself from the restraining cords and dashed behind the evil being with Mulder in his claw grip.

End of part thirteen

Feedback? Did you like it? Was it creepy? Out of Character? ... Flame

me then. Just one thing, Chico likes to be hugged, a typical Brazilian.

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TITLE: JUNGLE HEAT II: The Sign of Evil(14/16)

Part Fourteen

Somewhere in the woods

Friday, August 29th

at night

Scully stumbled behind the evil being through the woods. She heard other footsteps following her. The distance between her and the demon was increasing step by step. She couldn't see them anymore after a while.

"Mulder!" she shouted and stopped a moment to take breath. Her body was trembling with the effort of chasing the demon. First she thought she was having some hallucination when ghost like forms were passing her, shining in different shades of rosa and light blue. After a second she ran behind them, trying not to think about what these shinny forms meant. An impossibility, but she would think about the scientific meaning when she had Mulder back in her arms. She tripped over a branch, but before she fell on the earthy ground, strong arms held her up. She looked startled up, it was Skinner, his face grim, even as it loosened a bit at her sight.

"Don't worry. We'll find him." He said already, holding her by her elbow and running again behind the shinny forms.

A grotto in the woods up the hill

Same night

Mulder felt miserable. He had passed out a few times and suddenly found himself in a grotto. The cave was enormous with a natural illumination by its walls. More specifically, by brilliant stones, which formed the same sign as on Chico's palm. Mulder tried to crawl, when the evil being had left him not too gently on the stone ground.

"Where do you think you're going? Or should I say crawling? Oh no. You'll stay here with me, my little one." The creature reached for Mulder and pulled him gently to him this time and began to caress with one nail the unmarked face tracing its edges just inches from his own pock-marked. Mulder squirmed and tried to pull away, but he held him tight with hands like steel, the eyes burning like coals in steady fire. His stale breath made Mulder again nauseous, it's smell of death more pronounced now. The cold mouth descended on his trembling lips, the slimy tongue forced his mouth open. Mulder could feel it descending his throat as the times before. He choked and struggled to break free hitting desperately on the shoulders and pulling at the hair.

Mulder's struggle became weaker and finally he lost all his force and darkness surrounded him.

The creature continued to suck at the weakening lifeforce oblivious to all else until he felt something pulling at his hair and a crippling pain going through him from his back. He growled in pain but held still to retrieve all of the lifeforce. He needed it to continue for another encounter with the one who could give him eternal life. Finally he sensed life expelling from the still body now in his claws while the hands of his tormentor or what they were yanked him from the lifeless body.

He was surrounded by shiny forms, etheral. Their closeness was hurting him and the one who had pulled on his hair came into his range of vision. It was the blue shinning form of an old and short Indio, his face distorted by pure rage.

The shinny forms were closing around him while he saw the red headed woman and the hated man approach.

"Mulder!" shouted Scully again and dashed to the lifeless body on the cold stone ground and kneeled beside him. She couldn't feel any pulse. She held him tight, rocking back and forth, desperately and silently weeping. It wasn't fair.

Skinner was in front of her with his gun ready to shoot. But of what use was the gun with ... ghosts? Or what the heck they were.

Nevertheless, he aimed for the head of the creature, when it tried to approach them.

Scully looked up in time to see the pock-marked face laughing evilly at her. Only then she acknowledged the brilliant forms with blue and rose breezes through her teary eyes. The shinny frames were holding Donato captive while another shiny frame struck out, with a golden sword in its hands, and decapitated him. She saw the look of horror in the last moment on the burning eyes and felt a comfort for a brief moment to see the evil creature die. Something was familiar to her on the executor's figure while the others silently disappeared.

Her heart stood still for a moment.

"Paje." She whispered unbelievingly as the executor turned around his face as gentle as she could remember in its etherality. Her tear stained face turned back to Mulder. He was all that mattered to her at the moment. How could she live without him? She almost flinched when she saw the etheral hand of the old Indio touching gently Mulder's forehead, brushing the stubborn lock away of the all too pale face.

"Pia pyra." He murmured, smiling. He looked her deep into the eyes and brushed her eyes close while he called her by the name he had given her. "Tapitaoby."

When she opened them again he was gone. Mulder suddenly stirred in her grip, coughed heavily, and opened his eyes tiredly.

"Scully." He said smiling and fell asleep.

She weeped, the tears of joy now running silently down her face. A squeezing hand on her shoulders made her look up to see Skinner's reassuring smile, before he turned away to meet Maggie and the tiny boy in her arms.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe what he had seen, and still felt a chill going through him. He embraced Maggie and took Chico back into his arms. The tiny boy was still unconscious but his breath was normal. Washington's white jacket was wrapped around the naked body. He turned back to look at Donato. Mamae Ogum was pouring a powder over him and stepped back. The creature began to burn with high flames. It decayed in seconds leaving no trace behind.

In the end it was as if it never had existed.

"Let's geti outi of here." The overweight but beautiful woman said. "Immediately." She hushed them. The walls were trembling slightly and encreasing.

*An earthquake.* Shouted a police man with wide open eyes in his terror.

"Don't be stupidi, Gonçales. There are no earthquakes in Brazil."

Admonished Washington his man and hurried to the two agents. "Someone help me, with this worrysome fellowi. We have to geti out of here." He held Mulder up by his shoulders and Plumper and Scully by his feet.

They all hurried out of the falling cave, the walls and rocks fell around them almost burying one. Most of the police men were already out of the cave, but the courageous ones waited 'til their Delegate was out with his burden and helped the fallen one.

Skinner glanced around. All were fine. He sighed in relief. When they got back to the hut and the church like construction the remaining men clothed in red were being taken away from the place. Washington gave some orders in Portuguese he couldn't understand. His worried glances balanced between Mulder and Chico.

Washington approached him, "Don't worry, Walter. I've orderedi a helicoptero to bring you to the hospital as soon as possible."

After some minutes the helicopter reached the place on the hill near Rio and left the Delegate and his remaining police officers and the young FBI agent Plumper behind.

"How, the heck, am I going to explain this havok? Paperwork. Is iti as badi as here with paperwork in the States?" he asked Plumper exasperated but smiling nevertheless. He would do any paperwork happily as long as his American friends and the tiny boy were healed and safe.

Sao Benedito Hospital in Rio

Saturday, August 30th

Past midnight.

Skinner sat beside the bed on a stool, holding Chico's fragile hand while caressing with the other the sweaty locks of his tiny boy.

He was still unconscious, his small frame full of swellings in all shades of blue.

Mulder was still in surgery. Battered but back again from the dead as he understood it.

Maggie entered the room and stood beside him a hand on his shoulder, "Fox is fine. They will bring him in half an hour to this room." When Skinner looked up she saw tears silently running down his face. He lowered his gaze a bit, embarrassed to be found in a weak state, but reached for her and drew her on his lap still holding with his right the tiny hand. She lowered her head onto his shoulder and held hers over the two interlaced hands.

The door opened again and a soft smell of roses filled the air of the room.

"Noti the medicine of the men will wake up this boy. It's not from this world. Let Mamae Oxum take care of iti. He is justi asleepi between our worldi and the one of the spriti. His young spirit has suffered too much." She stood on the other side of the bed and caressed the sweaty hair of the blond but tan boy. She began to pray in the strange language, closing her eyes. She didn't acknowledge when the door opened again and Mulder was brought in with Scully holding his hand. The nurses silently moved him to the bed and left after a glance to the other bed.

Scully tilted her head to one side and lifted her two eyebrows.

It was rather odd to see the overweight woman, but no more odd than seeing Skinner, all in white, with her mother sitting on his lap. It made her feel more distinctly that they were really going to marry.

Mamae Ogum opened her eyes again and said whispering, "Call him now, sailor."

Skinner obeyed without hesistation, "Chico. Chico, come on. Wake up." He could feel the tiny hand stirring, flutterly like the soft motion of butterfly wings. He leaned a bit forward and tried to call him again.

"Meu filho, wake up. Papai is here." He said the words he had learnt in Portuguese.

The tiny head turned a bit to the side. They could hear a heavy inhaling breathe sound. "Papai? Papai." But he didn't wake up yet.

End of part fourteen

Feedback? Did you like it? Was it creepy? Out of Character? ... Flame

me then. Just one thing, Chico likes to be hugged, a typical Brazilian.

Hey, did you honestly think I could kill Mulder? No way. He needs a

hospital so. ... Hospital???? Argh. He's still in Brazil, Brazilian Hospital.

Geee, I have to hurry to take him out of there soon.

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TITLE: JUNGLE HEAT II: The Sign of Evil(15/16)

BTW: Meu filho means My son.

Part Fifteen

Sao Benedito Hospital in Rio

Saturday, August 30th

Past midnight.

The tiny head turned a bit to the side. They could hear a heavy inhaling breath sound. "Papai? Papai." But he didn't awake yet.

Mulder remained motionless, just held Scully's hand tighter. She held his with both hands then and watched him observing Skinner when the AD leaned further forward and began to caress the silky hair, tenderly with his big hand. Mulder thought about his own father. The only caress he had ever received from him in his life was the hug on the day his father had been killed. He sighed. He looked up, startled, when Scully was running her fingers through his hair, trying to brush away the stubborn lock from his forehead. She had a secret smile on her lips and began to caress his face just with the fingertips gently tracing the outlines of his eyes, over his nose to his tip down to his lips. She leaned forward and kissed him on his lips. She sat down again but remained with her hand still caressing his hair, while she turned to watch what was going on.

"That's righti, sailor. Show him how much you love him. Always remember, thati he is a Brazilian in his hearti, a South American boy. But I see, you already perceived it." Mamae Ogum said, smiling with her accented singing voice. "An affectionate kiss wouldn't harm, would it?" She was smiling from one ear to the other, when the stiff marine type American leaned fore, kissing the forehead and cheeks of the tiny boy. There was still hope in this big guy, she thought to herself. The tiny blond boy would see to it. Lucky boy, to find a new affectionate family.

The boy's eyes finally fluttered open. There was a scared look first, but focusing immediately on Skinner's face and eyes it turned shiny by the watering crystal blue eyes. Chico laced his arms tightly around the large neck and kissed the whole slightly stubbly face, murmuring among the kisses in Portuguese. He just stopped, when he felt Maggie's hand caressing his hair. With a happy smile he embraced her too with one arm, as the other still held Skinner and kissed her with a smacking sound on the corner of her mouth. He whispered softly into her ear, "Mamae."

They were interrupted when the door opened again and a huge blond man entered. The doctor glanced around with his eyebrows disappearing behind his white gold hair fringe. His eyes were incredibly green and began to smile. It wasn't all day he saw strangers this way. A woman on a balding man's lap both embraced by a obviously Brazilian boy half on their laps too. A couple on the other bed, with a red headed woman kissing the darkhaird man and a big dark woman in a white lace dress standing between the beds. Now he grinned. *Mamae Ogum. What brings you here? I hope you're not sick. Nevertheless, it's always a pleasure to see you here.*

*No, I'm healthy as always. I was just visiting these people and trying to wake up this boy. But let's talk in English, besides Chico no one speaks Portuguese, Dr. Jorge.* She said still smiling from one ear to the other and gave the doctor three smacking kisses on his cheeks.

"Americans?" he asked then in perfect English. By Mamae Ogum's affirmative nod he turned around and held his hand to the woman on the balding man's lap. He smiled when he saw her trying to stand up.

"Don't worry. Stay seated. Nice to meet you. I'm George Stevenson from Connecticut. Lost in Rio since the first time I stepped on this country's ground. It seems to have glue on it or a secret spell from this enchanted woman with the golden heart." He shook Skinner's hand, while he was talking and turned to the nice couple shaking their hands at once. One with his right and the other with his left forcefully.

He was like a mountain rock and incredible huge, at least half a head bigger than Skinner. Introductions done he turned to the tiny boy. Chico looked up, open mouthed when the doctor approached him.

"So, that's the sleepy head everybody is talking about. Gee, what do we have here?"

"Where?" asked the tiny boy, whispering, and tried to look over his shoulder, but not ready to let go of Skinner's neck.

"Here." Answered the doctor and reached behind Chico's ear and a lollipop appeared. "Odd place to hide a lollypop. Don't you think?"

Chico giggled and lost a bit of his apprehension.

The doctor sat half on the bed. "Could you lie down for a moment? Then you can embrace your Daddy again. Okay? That's fine. Don't worry, I'm just going to tickle you a bit. No tickle?" while he continued to talk he examined the boy. He saw a lot of swellings on the tiny body. He had never seen something like that. But as he was examining, they were slowly diminuishing before his eyes. He glanced at Mamae Ogum. She smiled twinkling her eye at him. "Mamae Ogum, if you keep on with this, I won't have any work. There, they vanished. Strange country. I think, I'm going fishing again. Ever thought to join our staff?" He tickled the boy a bit then turned to Skinner. "We will make some x-rays, but it seems nothing is wrong with him. After that settled, I think you can take him home in a few days. And you Ma'am look that this boy gains some weight. To be slim is fine, but that is ridiculous. Aha, there I see I have a patient." He ruffled Chico's hair and stood up and approached Mulder. He examined him, "Was he in some battle? So far he is fine. A few days of rest and you can take him home. What was that? A vacation in this marvelous country to the spirits? You guys never heard about beaches sun and the sea? A jungle to visit, in a secure distance so, or what else?" He stood up. "Sorry for the accomodation, but it was the only free room. And as you seem to be from the same family ... . I'll let you alone now. And you young boy, eat all they serve you. That goes for you too." He looked at Mulder. "It's bad for our image to have such rickety patients." He tapped at his own chest. "Otherwise they think, I eat all the patients food." He smacked on Mamae Ogum three kisses on her cheeks and left after a hug.

"Jorge, never changes." Said Mamae Oxum smiling and turned herself to Maggie first. "I have to go now. Take care of the two." She kissed her on the cheeks and before Skinner could react he received the same treatment and she was already approaching Mulder. He stiffened a bit, when she kissed him on his cheeks and a third on his nose tip. "What a sweeti guy. Oh, ifi I were some years younger." She turned to Scully then. "Ah, the redi headi." She gave her the traditional three kisses too and whispered something into her ear. Scully blushed deeply, but grinned.

Finally she turned back to Chico. She embraced him and gave him the kisses. "Don'ti forgeti to thank Iemanj properly, Chico." The boy nodded. After all, he was still a Brazilian, even when he was an American now too.

The door opened again.

"Ah, this room seems like a bus waiting room. Thomas, give Mamae Ogum a hugi before I leave. Washington, fine your here. Bring me home. This palce is becoming to crowded. She waved a good-bye while she left, taking the Delegate with her.

"Thanks, Mamae Ogum." Called Skinner behind the retreating woman.

"You can thank me by taking carethat the boy doesn'ti enter another freeze." She turned around. "Open your eyes to the smoking man. He is dangerous." And disappeared. Skinner raised his eyebrow, but said nothing. But he surely wouldn't forget the warning.

"I'll be back in an hour, to take you home." said the Delegate before he hurried behind the overweight but beautiful dark-skinned woman.

Agent Plumper went to the tiny boy's bed.

"Hi, Tio Thomas. Fine to see you here too."

The agent ruffled the silky hair as everybody seemed to do, when they got in touch with him. "Hi, champion. Nice to see you back too." He turned to Skinner. "Sir, all the remaining men have been arrested. The most died by the fire exchange with the police forces. Some are drug dealers, well known by the police and some unknown thieves. The more infamous ones died. I think, this case is closed. Except convicting the men who were arrested. I don't know what happened to Donato, and there is no trace left from him or what it was. The corpse in the sepulture has been cremated."

"That should be the end of it." said Skinner and squeezed the puny hand of Chico reassuringly.

"He is gone nowi." Said Chico whispering and yawned a bit. "I can'ti feeli him anymore. I thoughti I wasn'ti goingi to see you anymore, Papai. And Mamae and Tio Foxi, why does he don'ti like iti when I calli him Foxi? It's such a nice name and he surely seems like a foxi and Tia Dana and Tio Thomm...." He fell asleep with a contented smile. It had been a long and difficult day.

Wednesday, September 3^rd

"Finally I can get out of here. I'm sick of hospitals." Said Mulder when he was being wheeled out of the Brazilian hospital. Not that it had been that bad. In fact, he had thought it would be a less well equipped hospital, as they were in a third world country. But as so much here, the modern took partnership with the ancient. A country full of contraries indeed.

"So take care of yourself the next time you follow a goose chase or whatever. This way we don't have to visit you all the time in a different hospital too." Said Skinner with a raised eyebrow to his troublesome agent. It was a sunny day again. What a blessed winter they had in this exotic country. He smiled at his tiny boy in his arms and kissed him on his cheek. The boy immediately kissed him back while embracing him around his neck to give him a big hug. Skinner flushed a bit, when he saw Mulder staring at him open mouthed.

"A Limo?" Mulder asked, dumbfounded.

"Courtesy from the Rio PD. Washington said it was the only car they had to take all of us at once. Otherwise they had only the double cabin Fords of the Department." Said Scully with a smile, when she helped Skinner and the Police man who was their driver to get Mulder into the backseat with his leg in a cast. They all sat in the back seats of the large limo, Chico as usually on Skinner's lap with Maggie beside him. Mulder was on the other side with Scully.

The driver made some unusual maneuvers to get past the cars.

"That's why I didn't hazard to drive here. The people are crazy. I hardly saw someone stopping on yellow. They pass even when it is becoming red. And who he walks doesn't seem to know what the zebra crossings are for." Said Skinner holding tightly to the handle over the car door.

Chico giggled, "Papai, it's justi because the drivers don'ti respecti the traffici lights and sometimes iti is safer to crossi in the middle of the streeti than on the zebra crossing. You see? When they stopi, the most cars stopi on the crossingi. There is no way fori the walkers than to pass beside the crossingi in order noti to be trampledi over. Andi you have to learni to looki on both sides of the streeti, because some drivers don'ti knowi thati there are some streets which are one way." He caressed his father's face absently while he was looking out of the window. He stiffened. "Papai, can we stopi a momenti? I thinki I saw Melissinha. It's sure Melissinha. She has a big Teddi bear in her arms." Chico said excited.

Skinner requested their driver to stop for a moment. After parking Chico stepped out of the huge car and began to run, but was soon without breath. He still hadn't recovered completely from his ordeal.

Skinner was behind him and took him in his arms. "Tell me, where she is, Chico. I'll bring you there."

"Can you see her over there? It's the tiny girli with the redi hair. Perhaps she is losti. She shouldi be home by her mother and noti oni the streets." Skinner went with him there. *Mellissinha, it's me Chico. Did you get lost in the city?* The little girl of about three to four years old looked up. Her thumb was in her mouth and the face was smeared by dirt and tear tracks. Her clothes weren't in any better shape.

Skinner saw that Maggie had followed them and that she was looking, marvelled at the baby girl. Chico sat on the ground beside her, when Skinner let him down. He embraced the tiny girl, not concerned that his own clothes became dirty.

*Chico, happy see you. Mamae is angel now. Is that you Mamae and Papai?* asked the little girl, smiling up at the dark haired woman and the huge man she had seen a long time ago, when he came to the Favela where she lived before, and taken Chico away.

*Is nobody taking care of you, Melissinha?*

The baby girl shook her head violently. *Tio Albeto, say I go away. So I go, but Tchau-tchau go with me.* She said and showed her old dirty Teddy bear.

Chico related all she said to Maggie and Skinner, when Maggie asked what the baby girl had said. "Walt, we have to take her somewhere. She can't be left in the streets." Maggie said and held tentatively her arms out to the girl. The baby girl accepted without hesitation to be taken in the gentle arms. She smiled at the dark haird woman again.

*Me dirty. You smell good.* she said when she saw that she left a smearing spot on the woman's dress. Maggie looked at Chico for a translation.

"She saidi she is dirty and that you smell very good."

"Tell her it doesn't matter and after a bath she will smell good too."

"Well, Washington will know what to do with the girl. Let's go. He will be home in an hour he said." Skinner said with a raised eyebrow. It was better not to think too much.

End of part fifteen

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TITLE: JUNGLE HEAT II: The Sign of Evil(16/16)

Part Sixteen by request, R to NC17,

At Washington's house

Wednesday, September 3rd

Midday

Washington stopped in his tracks when he saw the tiny, dirty girl in Maggie's arms. He had come home half an hour earlier. As his new friends were going back to America in two days, he wanted to spend more time with them. He rolled his eyes in dismay.

"Don'ti telli me, you foundi another kidi to adopti, Walti? I knowi, there are thousands of them outi there, buti that's ridiculous. You remindi me of one Brazilian couple in Sao Paulo. They adoptedi abouti 70 kids. What is more amazing, they have already four of their own." He stepped closer. "Hmm, cute little baby girli. She reminds me of Dana. Maggie, don'ti you thinki it's time to give her a bath?" He said, smiling. He felt more like laughing out loud when he saw Skinner's face, gasping for breath. Skinner was trying to say something, but was silenced by the sight of Maggie's blue eyes, shining at the thought, and Chico's head, tiltled in thought.

"Come withi me, Maggie. I thinki I have some clothes for her from Jussara. She is abouti her age." Said Washington's wife, laughing and led her to the bathroom. She thought it was time to give the poor, huge American time to get used to the idea. Washington couldn't help but laugh aloud when he heard Chico's innocent question.

"Oh, Papai. Is Melissinha really going to be my sister? That wouldi be fine. I hadi always to take care of her when her mamae had to go to worki." The boy looked up, happily, at his huge father. On trying to get up on his arms, and as always not succeeding, he finally pulled Skinner by the sleeve and held his arms up. "I can teachi her English, as Tio Hans taughti me. I always wantedi a sister, and nowi I have two. Isn't it, that when you marry Mamae, Dana willi be my sister, so I don'ti have to calli her tia anymore. And Tio Foxi willi be my brother too, because he is goingi to marry Dana sooni. Did you see the ringi she is wearingi? I saw iti immediately. Why don'ti you marry alli together? Then there willi be a feasti alli year on the same day. Hey, why don'ti you say somethingi?" He asked, finally, and couldn't quite understand why everybody was laughing but his father. Grown ups were strange sometimes.

"Chico, you won't let me get in a word edgewise, but maybe now I can answer your questions. And it's anything, not something." Answered Skinner with a little smile. He was a little shocked. Another child? Nevertheless, it would be hard, if not impossible to say no. He knew that look she had a moment before.

"I'm going to ask Mamae." Chico climbed down and dashed to the bathroom. "Mamae! ... "

"Stop laughing, Agent Mulder." that was just what he needed, to have Mulder and Scully laughing at him. Washington wasn't any better help, it was his fault anyway to bring that stone to a roll.

Fortunately Agent Plumper wasn't here. Speaking of whom, where the heck was he? "What can you ...?"

"What I can do to accelerate the process of adopting?" Washington interrupted him, laughing. He knew it would be impossible for the huge AD to deny Maggie and Chico anything. "Welli, I've to aski Judge Rodrigo. It's the same from the other time. He signing the papers and I'm doingi some researchi on the girl's background, iti shouldn'ti have any problem, if she is really alone in the worldi. Paulo Saiko. That's the man I need." Still muttering to himself, left them.

Skinner sighed. As he could see, everything was taken out of his hands. What did he do to deserve it? Nothing, he decided. With a last glance from the corner of his eyes to his two laughing agents on the couch he turned and went to see what his suddenly increasing family was doing. How the heck, was he going to explain this to his sister and younger brother? Life wasn't easy anymore. But he had to agree, the baby girl was really cute, but he would be damned if he were going to admit it to anyone.

"Scully, I would have paid to see Skinner's horrified face from a moment ago. Do you think he can manage it with two chatterboxes? He's really lucky, Melissinha isn't yet able to speak English, because of what I saw in the Limo she's a lot like Chico." He sat her on his lap and embraced her. "Who knew our AD would settle down with two kids?"

"Mulder, be careful. Your ribs are still broken and your leg ..."

"Nevermind. It doesn't hurt anymore and besides, I missed you."

"Missed me? I was with you all the time."

"Okay. So I missed holding you. Better?" he asked, kissing her along the jawline and her throat.

"Ai, ai, ai, ai, ai. It's time to marry for you two too. Tio Foxi, you kissi like Papai. I justi came to say, that lunchi is ready. It's oddi to say lunch, 'lanche' in Portuguese means snack."

In the evening

*Thank you, Paulo. I'll call you tomorrow.* Washington hung up the phone and went back to the crowded living room, where everybody but Plumper were present.

Mulder was dozing on the couch with his head on Scully's lap, she was caressing his hair absently and watching the little girl on her mother's lap. The baby girl was chatting almost without interruption reminding her of her sister Melissa. It seemed like destiny was attemting to reconcile her mother's loss. Melissinha's name after all was Melissa as she found out that the end "inha" meant little, like some of Washington's boys called Chico, Chiquinho. She thought about what her brothers would say to the new situation. She knew that they weren't happy about her mother's future marriage.

Skinner was sitting beside her on the two-seat couch with Chico on his lap, the boy chatting along in a confusion of the two languages.

Watching them together, they really seemed like a family. Her mother's face shone a tranquility and happiness through. Her thoughts were interrupted by Washington's cheerful laughter.

"Everythingi is okay. The judge signed the papers after he saw Maggie. Congratulations to your new daughter. That wasi easy. There are just some other papers both have to sign. It would have been easier if you already were married."

"Thank you very much, Washington." Skinner said.

"Whati are friends fori?"

Later that night

"Mulder, don't you think it's time to go in?"

"Why? It's a warm night. Everybody is sleeping and this hammock is relaxing. There are still people walking along the beach." They were at the balcony of their room on the second floor. Their view was to the beach of Ipanema. The hammock was wavering to the soft breeze. Scully was lying half on Mulder, her head on his chest.

Washington's house was really big with a lot of spare rooms.

Scully and Mulder received without hesitation from the Delegate's wife a room with two singlebeds. A larger one for Skinner and Mrs. Scully and the two kids. And another one for Plumper. Just that he remained more at night there than during the day. When asked what he was doing all day long he said just sightseeing. As he hadn't had a chance for it the last time they were in Rio.

Mulder suspected there was something else holding him away. From the near beach they could hear drums to the rythmn of the samba and some people dancing and singing. The night was clear with brilliant stars.

Some hours before there were fireworks and the streets full of people gathered around musicians on high cars, dancing and singing. Botafogo, a Soccer team of Rio had won a game in some Championship. Another excuse for the Cariocas to have a feast. They laughed, when they saw a man alone dancing through the street with all the shakings and rollings around his waist to the rythmn of Samba, balancing and kicking a soccer ball all way through.

Far away they could see the giant-wheel of an amusement park still in brightly lit. Couples were with their kids, even so it was well after midnight. As they heard on September 7th was Independence Day Holiday, but the people were already celebrating the day. As it was also the week of Independence.

Washington had tried everything to make them stay during the holiday, but it was really time for Skinner to go back to work. But Plumper already said he was going to stay for two weeks, for his vacation, if it was okay with Skinner.

The white open arms of the Christ Statue high on the Corcovado mountain seemed to welcome and bless all the newcomers to the still marvelous city, in spite of the increasing crime, but it couldn't be that bad when you can still see happy faces by rich or poor. People of all races walking side by side, dancing and singing on the streets and the beautiful beaches walked by couples in the never sleeping city. Indeed a different country full of contraries.

The couple in the hammock rocked gently to the soft breeze from the sea, unperceived they kissed, oblivious suddenly to the beauty around them or because of it they forgot for some hours their quest for the truth to find their own by loving each other with all their heart. Maybe the hammock wasn't so bad to cuddle in after all.

When the kisses were becoming too hot for Scully's taste out in the open she withdrew herself from Mulder's arms. "Come inside. It's late." She helped him up, smiling when she saw his pouting lip. But he said nothing, obeying after a last glance to the Christ statue shining holy by the lights surrounding him.

He sat down on his bed with Scully's help. He sighed when he saw Scully going to her bed and switch off the bedlight.

Okay, he was beaten up and battered, but that didn't mean she had to treat him as an invalid, because he could assure her, he definitely was in prime health in certin areas!

He began to pull his t-shirt over his head, when he felt her hands on his chest, caressing and finally pulling his t-shirt fully over his head. She began to kiss him going from his mouth down to his throat. He groaned and leaned carefully back.

"I ... I thought ...you were going ..." he couldn't continue when he felt her hands slipping down and yanking his sweat-shorts away.

She leaned on him again, careful with his broken ribs. "How do you feel?" She asked, while kissing him along his throat.

He barely could answer, "Like in seventh heaven. Love me?" he whispered.

"That's what I'm doing. If you didn't feel it, I think I've got to be more convincing." She slowly found her way back to his chest, licking and biting until he reached his nipples. She took care first of the left and then went to the right, stroking his manhood in synchrony to her ministrations on his nipples. Mulder felt the delicious torture of her mouth, trying to control himself by holding her hand away he began to slip her up his body, but the effort was too much for him and he groaned in pain.

"Try to relax. Let me be in charge." And continued to kiss him forcefully on his full lips.

"You're marvelous." He whispered, feeling her shudder when he stroked her breasts. Scully felt desired, and was lost when she saw the fire of pure passion and love in his eyes, even though the light in the bedroom was dim only illuminated by the streetlights, she could see it, his love and desire only for her. It amazed her how easily he spoke of his love to her after all the years of denial. She couldn't wait anymore, and sitting on his thighs always carefully with his broken ribs she lowered herself feeling the force of his desire.

The soft pulsing on his throat quickened when she traced his face with both hands. She squeezed his sensitive nipples while she rode him.

The drum sound from the beach seemed to synchronize with their own savage rythmn 'til she could feel him shuddering, and arcing his body for a final deep thrust. They gave themselves over to one another.

Finally she lowered her sweaty body on his and plunged her tongue into his velvet mouth. Finally satisfied, they embraced, her head on his shoulder with her mouth and her tongue tracing tiny circles on his throat. He trembled.

"I love you." whispered Mulder into her ear while he brushed his hand up and down her spine in small circles matching the ones of her tongue on his sensitive throat and neck.

"Not more than I do." She whispered back. A dim light appeared on the bedside but strangely she wasn't afraid and it transformed itself into the the short but shiny translucent form of the old Paje, for a moment and they could hear the soft laughter he used to give back in the jungle. Before he disappeared completely he waved good-bye.

A soft breeze came from the open balcony door and they could hear the soft sound of breaking waves, smell the spicy aroma of the sea and hear the heartgoing drums in the rhythmn of the jungle. Down the horizon the first light broke through for a new day to begin, touching with its first sunlight the open arms of the Christ Statue high on the mountain Corcovado.

Finis

End of the last chapter

End of part sixteen

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