Title: When the Snow Falls Author: Dana Quell Rating: PG Summary: New Year's Eve, 1999. A suspicious case. And one little boy... Disclaimer: Nope, Mulder, Scully, Kersh, they all don't belong to me. Please don't sue, I didn't make any money with 'em. Micheal Rippler and Joe Tandar do belong to me. If you want to use them, feel free, but ask first, okay? Author's Notes: Hey, all! How's it going? A few things. 1) this was written way back in December '98, so that's why it's Kersh and not Skinner. I could have changed it typing it up, since they got the X-Files back and all, but I felt that it'd be a better story if it were Kersh. 2)If the title seems really dumb, or doesn't fit, just ignore it. I think that's it. Enjoy! Dedicated to all the Philes in JetCjr6, to Atannah, and to Lili. You're all great, guys! ~ When the Snow Falls By Dana Quell December 29, 1999 10:21 am FBI Headquarters Assistant Director Kersh's Office "A lost child case? In New York?" Special Agent Dana Scully asked disbelievingly. Assistant Director Kersh nodded. "I know it's not what you two are used to, but it is an urgent situation. You're expected there in six hours. There's a car that's already been comissioned; it's waiting in the parking lot. Just ask the attendant for the New York car and he'll lead you to it. You're expected to report in at the Albany bureau by 5 o'clock." Kersh looked at the two agents in front of him. "Don't mess this up. Dismissed." The agents pulled hemselves out of their chairs and left the office. Kersh turned to the man who stood behind him, the man who had held Scully and her partner's attention. "Do you really think this will work? What if it doesn't go as we planned?" The man puffed on his lit cigarette. "Don't worry. If they aren't lost in those woods by tomorrow, I'll send in one of my agents." Kersh still didn't look convinced. "So you're _sure_ this will work?" The smoking man leaned close to the assistant director and grinned, puffing smoke in his face. "It will work. They will be gone. And you'll be sorry you doubted me. Very sorry." "Kersh swallowed. "Whatever," he said nervously, fixing his tie. The cigarette smoking man smiled again. 12:32 pm Road to Albany, NY '98 Ford Taurus "It's a waste of time, Scully," Special Agent Fox Mulder whined to his partner. "I mean, if it were so urgent, why would they take a pair of agents from DC and drive them to New York? Wouldn't it make sense to use agents from the Albany Bureau? Something's just not right." Scully turned to him. "I do have to admit that it is suspicious. But there's obviously something that we can't see, some reason for us being there." She looked at him again, daring him to answer back. Mulder glanced from the road to his partner and accepted her silent dare. "Yeah.l Like killing us. Or losing us in those woods. What a perfect opportunity. I'd bet there isn't even a lost boy." Scully rolled her eyes in exasperation. "God Mulder, I swear, sometimes you are so-" "Paranoid?" Mulder broke in. "Only because everyone's out to kill me." He smiled at her, seeing how mad she was getting. She sighed in frustration. She absolutely hated it when he finished her sentences. It was so annoying the way he did that all the time. Nearly as annoying as the way he continuously leered at her, or the way he whined so much. She glanced angrily at him, and was satisfied to see that his attention had turned back to the desolate highway. Mulder noticed her angry glance and sighed his own sigh. Lately she had been acting like a bitch, and he intended to tell her so. He pulled the car over with such force that her head slammed into the window. "Ow!" she cried, holding her head. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mulder turned to her, fire in his eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing! Lately, Scully, you've been acting like you've got PMS, which we both know isn't very plausible. What's the matter, not enough pollen in your yogurt?" "What's the matter with me? Mulder, you're the whiny little boy, and that act gets so annoying. Yeah, sit there and bat your eyelashes in a pretense of innocence. And finishing my sentences- what the hell is that about?" "Oh, sonow you're blaming your bad mood on me? It's always Mulder who causes your headaches, your moods, your misfortunes. Is that right?" Scully stared at him, not believing his arrogance. "It's always about you, Mulder. Haven't you realized that by now?" she asked quietly. "Your sister, your quest, it's always been about you. I was merely the sidekick, the comic relief, the person you could ditch and then ship all the paperwork on later." Mulder sat stunned by her words for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak. "No, Mulder," Scully said, silencing him. "Don't say anything to me." "Fine with me," Mulder replied, starting the car back up and wheeling out onto the highway. 5:47 pm Voyage Inn Room 609 Sculy paced around her room, unpacking her clothes and thinking. The small tv in the corner was on, and the weatherman was broadcasting tomorrow's weather. "....be sure to wear your thermals tomorrow. It's going to be a chilly one, around the zero mark. It will also be cloudy and with a small amount of snow. Maybe about three inches-" The weatherman's report was interrupted by the snapping of the tv as Scully turned it off. Scully sighed, then glanced to the adjoining door to Mulder's room. She wished they hadn't argued earlier; after all, it would have made things easier checking in with the Albany Bureau. She sighed again, then glanced out the window where gray storm clouds threatened to burst. Done bun can't be undone. December 30, 1999 7:09 am Voyage Inn Dining Room Mulder sat down across the old fashioned wood table from Scully. She was silently studying her breakfast, which consisted of yogurt. He looked down at his breakfast and saw the same thing. He sighed. "Pass the bee pollen, please," he requested. Scully glanced at him. "Not funny, Mulder. You know perfecly well that I've been eating my yogurt plain. I'd advise you to do the same." Mlder shrugged. "Fine. Good thing I've come prepared." He took out a little vial from his pocket and opened it, then dumped all of it on his yogurt. Then he swirled it around and spooned some into his mouth. Scully watched in disbelief as he ate the yogurt/beepollen mix. He ate all of it, with her watching, and when the last bits were spooned into his mouth, he grimaced. She smiled at his face, and laughed hard when he spit it out. "If you can't take the taste, don't eat the bee pollen, Mulder," Scully laughed. Mulder frowned at her, then ran from the table to the nearest bathroom to vomit. 10:13 am white Forest National Park Forest Ranger Station "That little boy is lost up there, and he needs our help. Is that understood?" the forest ranger in charge asked. All the assembled rangers nodded, and he dismissed them. They scattered, going to their various parts. The remaining ranger turned to Mulder and Scully. "You must be Agents Mulder and Scully," he observed. "I'm Micheal Rippler, head ranger out here." They all shook hands, and Rippler gestured to a young ranger behind him. "This is Joe Tandar. He'll be guiding you through the area." "Hi," the ranger said nervously. "Please, call me Joe." "You guys best get a move on to your area. Joe's been briefed already. He'll explain everything to you on the way," Rippler said. "Now, shoo!" He scooted them to the door, and, closing it with a sigh, leaned against it. "You're using a rookie to deal with Mulder and Scully?" a voice rasped out from the shadows. Rippler jumped, then recognized his superior as he lit a cigarette. "Oh, it's you. Yeah, Joe needs a way to prove himself to all you bigwigs, so I thought that this would work." "Just make sure he doesn't screw up," the man said again, puffing his cigarette. "Oh, Joe knows what he needs to do," Rippler replied. "He knows." 5:32 pm White Forest National Somewhere deep in the woods "Can't we stop and go back? We've been searching for hours now and we haven't even found a trace of the boy," Scully complained, making a mental note to herself not to wear high heels and her good suit the next time she was traipsing through the woods. Joe shook his head. In the hours that they had left the station, they had been briefed, and they had complained. THey had complained a lot, and they had barely been talking to each other. It was hell. "No, we can't go back." "We've got orders to stay out here all night if we have to." "But it's starting to snow." Mulder took his turn to complain. Joe looked up, and saw that the Fed was right; it had started to snow. "We stick to our orders in the ranger business, Agent Mulder. I"m sure that you do too in the FBI." Scully stuck her tongue out at Mulder in a childlike gesture, and he immediately fell silent. They continued on through the falling snow. * Three hours later, Joe was tired of their whining. If either of them complained just one more time, he'd shoot them both in an instant. Now if he only had a gun... "I'm sorry, but I have to stop. My feet are getting blisters," Scully said, moving toward a log. Joe sighed. "Why don't we just make camp for tonight? There are caves over there where we can take shelter from the snow." "Good idea," Mulder replied, changing course and moving towards the caves. Scully got up and followed, leaving Joe to follow her. Inside the caves wasn't as cold as the outside, and it was definitely dryer. Mulder immediately went to one wall and sat, while Sculy made a beeline for the opposite wall. Joe sighed again. It was going to be a long night. * During the darkest hour, Joe got up from where he had taken to be his designated sleeping spot and reached into the duffel bag that he had brought. Pulling out a full syringe, he moved quietly tot he wall where Mulder was sleeping. He took the syringe and quickly injected its contents into the part of the federal agent's neck which was open. As soon as the syringe was empty, Joe tossed it deeper into the cave and, grabbing his bag, left. * "AGH!" Scully was woken to a feral cry and the sounds of a fight. She instantly opened her eyes, and saw a sight that she had never expected. Mulder was throwing things around the cave, and apparently he was the one yelling, though Scully couldn't be sure, because she had never heard him yell like that before. She gasped and, hearing the noise, he turned to her, a wild look in his eyes. Scully backed up inadvertantly, and glanced around for Joe. Where was he? It didn't matter; Mulder was advancing on her with the same look in his eyes that he had when they had visited that damned house in Maryland, his gun in hand once again. He began shooting randomly, near her. She jumped. "Mulder, what the hell are you doing?" she asked, drawing her gun and pointing it at him. God she hated doing that, but in times like these it was neccessary. He didn't reply this time, instead just continued shooting at her with that wild look in his eyes. Scully glanced around, looking for some way to escape but only saw the dark confines of the cave and the bright glowing light of the snow. She was able to get to both, if she hurried, so she made a decision. She ran out to the blinding white snow, figuring that if she had gone to the back of the cave, there would have been no way out. Mulder followed her, slowly. Scully ran, faster and faster, trying to escape the gunshots she heard ringing out behind her. The snow was still falling, but it was falling slower than before. She wished that there was no snow; after all, it was only hampering her movements. She was also grateful to have it, for it masked her somewhat, and hampered his movements, but... Shots continued to ring out behind her. Scully glanced back and mentally cursed her partner's longer legs. He was catching up to her. Through all the white, she couldn't see where she was going. So it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise, when she hit a towering stone wall. She was surrounded on three sides, and Mulder was still coming after her from the fourth. She wished he would just run out of clips already. How many did he have, anyway? Suddenly, Scully hear a noise to her left. She glanced over in that direction, and crawled through the snow, finding a little blond boy. Recognition dawned on her. "Stewart," she said hesitantly, reaching out to him. The boy nodded his head. But before he could say anything, or Scully could say anything more, another shot rang out. Scully looked towards the source, then back towards the boy, who had a dark crimson spot spreading on his clothes. He then collapsed, staining the pure white snow red. Scully's eyes grew wide as she reached for a pulse. Finding none, she glanced up to see Mulder advancing. She looked around for someplace to run, but found only the gray walls of a high cliff surrounding her. Mulder was still coming. She stood. "Mulder," she said, hoping that if he heard her voice, he'd snap out of whatever it was he was in. It didn't work. He kept advancing on her. She backed up, and hit the wall, scrabbling for a means ofescape. Suddenly he stopped his advance, and looked down. Dropping his gun, Mulder fell to his knees beside the little boy. Scully wakled up to him slowly, then picked up the gun and threw it as far away into the woods as she could. Mulder apparently didn't see her, or care to see her. He stayed, sobbing over the child's life he had taken. Scully didn't know how to comfort him, or that he could even be comforted. She only knew she had to try, and quickly. She moved, cautiously, closer to him, and when he still ignored her, she wrapped her arms around him. He allowed her to engulf himself in her embrace, and leaned back. They stayed that way, each comforting the other with one embrace, as the white snow fell gently down around them.