Subject: "Stranded" 1/2
Date: 12 May 1995

This is a post for the talented authors of the E-Mail X-Creative Club of
AOL. I just send them out, folks, not write them. All comments to the author
listed, please. Story sent to the ftp's of trustno1.pc.cc.cmu.edu and
aql.gatech.edu. Gerri
*******************************************
This story is an original concept of my own design based upon the
characters and situations created by Chris Carter and Fox Broadcasting
Co. and all that other stuff...

People have expressed concern over Scully's always being the victim,
in this story she gets to be the hero(ine). This story could take place at
any time within this season (after Scully's return). I am trying to focus
on strong character development, good dialogue and plenty of
unresolved sexual tension. Let me know if you like it, hate it, etc.
Comments always welcome.

Stranded
by Unicorn83@aol.com

2/21/95
Part 1

Agent Fox Mulder had made all the arrangements in advance, the
first leg of the trip would be flown from Dulles airport to Albany, NY
where they would transfer to a smaller privately chartered flight to a
little town just outside of Saranac Lake. Another wild goose chase,
Scully thought grimly. She and Mulder were on their way to the
airport to investigate allegations of alien abductions, in fact, a whole
rash of them located in upstate NY. Scully was most definitely NOT
looking forward to the trip. It wasn't that she hated travel, she just
hated small planes and pleaded with Mulder to let her drive up from
Albany, alone if necessary.
"No way...you and I are going together in one plane...I'm not
waiting for you at the other end."
"But Mulder, you could join me in the drive..."
"Scully, it's over a 3 hour drive from Albany..."
"I could do it standing on my head..."
Mulder tried to imagine Scully driving in that position. "That I'd
like to see...but the answer is still no...and pouting will get you
nowhere."

The first half of the trip went off without a hitch, but when they
were transferring flights in Albany, the day began to darken and
drizzle. Scully wasn't so sure about this...the plane was awfully small
and it was just starting to rain. Mulder shrugged off her fears by
explaining he had made dozens of uneventful trips in planes of this
size and there was nothing to worry about, or so he said.
The plane rocked and bucked in the strong headwinds and it was
all the pilot could do to keep it steady and on course. Mulder was
unflinchingly calm, which annoyed Scully to no end. The plane took
another drop in altitude and Scully unconsciously grabbed the seat for
piece of mind. It didn't help. "Mulder...how long?"
Mulder turned around from the co-pilots seat and smiled
reassuringly. "We can't be more than half an hour from the landing
field...relax, it's almost over."
Just as he finished uttering those last few words, lights and buzzers
went on all along the dashboard. The pilot didn't look so happy and
come to think of it, neither did Mulder, "What's going on?"
"We've lost engine power and she won't restart."
"What? Mulder did he say WON'T?"
"What do you mean she won't restart?" yelled Mulder looking
at the dashboard frantically, "you've got to do something!"
"I am...grab that stick and prepare to land...!" the pilot had begun
his descent and was struggling against the winds and the plane's
weight to keep the nose up.
"LAND...land where?" Mulder grabbed the stick and strained
to help the pilot control the falling plane.
"You're gonna help me land this hunk of shit..!"
"HOW?"
"In the first clear spot we see..."
"But we're in the Adirondacks for Christ'sakes...there aren't
any..."
The pilot looked over at Mulder, "Now you understand why I
need your help...."

Slowly, the darkness cleared and gave way to light...and pain.
When Scully came to, she was suspended forward from her seat being
held in place only by the shoulder strap. And the first thing she saw
was blood. And lots of it. She gave herself a quick cursory check and
didn't feel any pain located in one particular area, she hurt equally all
over. "Mulder..." she croaked. Mulder was also leaning forward in
his seat and she couldn't see his face but there was blood all over him
as well. Scully lurched forward to reach him and felt the plane shift in
response. Slowly she reached around to touch his chest, straining
aginst the bonds of the seatbelt just to reach him.
Thank God, he was breathing, even and steady, and she could feel
his heartbeat under her hand, strong and regular. She relaxed. Her
hands felt sticky and every breath she took reeked of the clotting
blood. How long had they been out? She didn't dare move him or
wake him until she could determine the full extent of his injuries.
Next, she moved her hand towards the pilot and reached around to
his seat in front of her, discovering the source of the blood. The pilot
was impaled on a rather large tree branch. It must have come through
the window sometime during the crash and penetrated his chest just
below the sternum, striking an artery. He was effectively pinned to the
seat which served to keep the plane tilted on its nose and leaning to the
right. How the hell was she going to get out of here? Much less, how
was she going to get Mulder out of here?
Slowly she shifted her weight trying to unfasten her seatbelt until it
finally gave way and once again the plane creaked in response. Scully
nervously looked around for the exit, climbed towards the back of the
plane, over their luggage and threw open the small emergency door.
When she was clear of the wreck, she turned back to survey their
situation. It looked pretty bad. The plane had crashed nose forward,
the pilots wing was gone and Mulder's side of the plane fared no
better. The wing was bent at an unusual angle which would make it
impossible to open his door and get him out. It meant she'd have to
get him out the back. But there seemed to be just enough room under
the wing for her to fit and knock out the window to perform a cursory
check of Mulder's injuries. That is, if the plane precariously balanced
as it was, didn't fall on her first.
She looked around quickly to see if there were any branches big
enough to use as temporary braces for when she went to retrieve the
unconscious Mulder. She knew dragging him out would most likely
unbalance the plane and cause it to roll over, taking them with it and
that was not a prospect that she was looking forward to. While she
was scanning for the 'braces', the plane began to shift again and she
thought she could hear Mulder stirring inside.
"Mulder?" Scully moved slowly underneath the unstable plane
near his window, "Mulder..can you hear me?" A small muffled reply
in response meant he was regaining consciousness. Damn, I need more
time. "Don't move or the plane will tip over...I'm coming in to get
you." Scully had to crawl slowly back into the plane to get near
Mulder.
"Scully?" she heard him mumble.
"Don't move...I'm coming to get you.."
"No, I'm hurt, can't...get out.." Mulder was trying desperately
to fight off the darkness, to stay awake, stay conscious but he knew he
was losing.
When Scully reached him he was semi-conscious, "Mulder, I need
to know where you're hurt?" Mulder mumbled unintelligibly and
Scully was forced to repeat the question again, only louder.
Mulder's rolling head drifted upright as he stated, "Left wrist,
right ankle, ribs and head." Then he blacked out.
Knowing he would be dead weight made it all the more difficult for
Scully to remove Mulder from the unstable plane. His injuries were
bad, but not immediately life threatening, but they were severe enough
to need treatment. But first things first, Scully needed to pull their
luggage from the plane to make it easier to drag Mulder out the back.
Getting Mulder unhooked from his seatbelt was the easy part, cutting
off his trouser leg and pushing back the collapsed dashboard to free
him from the wreckage was more difficult and time consuming. But
when she finally got him free of the plane and far enough away to
avoid its collapse, she began treating his immediate injuries.

Mulder awoke to Scully's ministrations. "Hold still..."
Even covered with dirt and blood, she had to be the most beautiful
thing he'd ever seen in his life, maybe she was an angel and he was
already dead but then the pain settled in and he realized where they
were. "What...what happenned?"
"We crashed...what does it look like...?" Scully was annoyed,
probably at him, but mostly at their situation.
"The pilot?"
"Dead..Mulder, I'm going to have to stitch up that cut on your
head...by the way, try not to move around too much, you've got a
slight concussion."
When Mulder tried to nod in response, his whole face hurt. So
much for being a famous runway model. Mulder observed Scully
quickly rummaging around through her luggage and pulled out a
pocket sewing kit, the kind they give out complimentary at nice hotels.
"Wait a sec..."
"Mulder...you need stitches...and I'm going to give them to
you...now do you want to be conscious" she made a fist and held it
up to his face for closer inspection, "or unconscious..?"
"Do I still have a choice?"
"Not for long."
"Conscious...and be gentle...I'm sensitive."

Mulder had to be the most infuriating man she'd ever met.
He even resisted attempts for her assistance. Well, she'd be
damned if she stood by and watched him refuse medical treatment,
after all, who was the doctor here anyway. The stitches didn't take
long and she judged that she couldn't have done better in a hospital.
Except maybe for the painkillers. But Mulder kept his mouth shut
throughout the entire process, even though she knew it must've hurt
like a bitch to do so. "Now let me have a look at that wrist..."
Mulder shielded his wrist from view momentarily, "How
bad is it?"
"Mulder, now's not the time to worry about your looks..."
He tried to shake his head but thought better of it, "that's not what
I meant...how bad off are we?"
Scully wasn't sure how much she should tell him, it's not as if
he could help anyway. She sat back on her heels and puffed out some
air. "Pretty bad..the radio's broken, we have one days rations
consisting of 3 candy bars, a ham sandwich, two cans of soda,
a thermos of coffee and a bottle of Evian water...however, we lucked
out that he carried a spare blanket, waterproof matches, a flashlight
and a first aid kit."
"Compass, maps?"
"No compass, and the maps say we're miles off course.."
"How close to the nearest town?"
"About 34 miles." Not walking distance, at least with Mulder
anyway.
Mulder sighed and leaned back against the tree in futility.
"Any more good news?"
"He also had a flare gun..."
"Well, that's fine for when they start the search..."
"How long?"
Mulder leaned forward in thought, his head throbbing worse than
before, "Judging by the weather, I'd say tomorrow morning." Well,
that was it. Mulder knew police procedure better than anyone, it
would be too difficult to perform the search at night especially in the
rain. But at least the pilot had radioed their last known location before
the emergency landing. It would make locating them easier in the
A.M. when the search began.
"Now can I see that wrist?"

Mulder had gritted his teeth and grimaced when Scully popped the
wrist back into the socket and wrapped it between two relatively flat
sticks to keep it straight. "I don't know why you didn't yell...it's not
like anyone can hear you", Scully was beginning to look at his
swelling discolored ankle.
"But you can hear me..."
"Like I care..."
Mulder painfully attempted to smile, "There goes my reputation.."
"For what...being a macho shithead?" Scully looked up at Mulder,
pain twisting his usually unlined face. It tore at her heart to see him in
this much pain. "Here take this..." she handed him two pills.
"Why..what are they?"
"Aspirin...just take them..."
Mulder attempted a smile, "I was hoping you'd say painkillers
or valium.."
"Sorry, I'm not that kind of doctor."
Mulder swallowed the pills dry, "for the pain?"
"No, the swelling."
"I hope they're bufferred?"
"How should I know...read the package."
Mulder reached for the package they came in and started to sputter
when he read it, "You gave me Midol?"
Scully looked up from his ankle, "Why, is that a problem?"
"It's a women's medication for..."
Scully's face turned dark, "I know what they're for, but it's all
I had...they work great."
"On women." Mulder made a distasteful face as if they flavor of
something had disgreed with him, "I hope I don't turn into a woman."
"Might be an improvement." Scully mumbled under her breath.
"This isn't funny", Mulder looked down the front of his shirt
checking for God knows what. "You could've screwed up all my
testosterone levels or something...scarred me for life..."
"Quit complaining Mulder."
"Oh sure, easy for you to say, you're already a woman."
"Well, look at it this way, you've always complained that you can't
get close enough to women...now you can be one...you can be your
own best friend."
Mulder looked up discomforted by Scully's bedside manner.
"Besides, why should it matter WHAT I gave you...at least I gave
you something...you know what they say, strong enough for a man
but made for a woman."
"That's a deodorant Scully."
"Oh, sorry." she grinned sheepishly.
"Is all this supposed to make me feel better...cause it's not
working..you still haven't told me if this stuff is harmful to the future
lineage of Mulders?"
"No chance of that, besides, they work great for swelling..."
"I just hope they're good for headaches too, cause I think I've got
a major one coming on."

Scully had decided to change into more comfortable and warmer
clothes since they would be spending the evening sleeping in the great
outdoors without the benefit of a tent or sleeping bag, and in the rain
too. After she had changed, confidant enough that Mulder couldn't
watch, she offerred to help him change too.
"First time you're interested in taking off my clothes and I can't do
anything about it.."
Scully rolled her eyes at Mulder's sarcastic remark. "Very
funny..do you want my help or not?"
"No, I can do it myself." Scully turned her back to Mulder after
she handed him his sweatpants and a sweater from his bag.
"Just yell out if you need me." Scully began to wander around the
woods near the crash site searching for dry usable wood to start a fire.
She could hear his cursing and unsuccessful attempts to pull up his
pants balancing on one leg using one hand and smiled imagining the
sight. Curiousity got the better of her, as did the approaching
darkness, so she headed back to see what she could do, wood in hand.
Mulder was lying on his back in the dirt struggling vainly in an
attempt to get the sweatpants up over the bottom of his boxers. Scully
tried not to laugh aloud as she leaned against a tree watching the
performance.
"Oh, be still my heart..."
Mulder looked over embarrassed. "I didn't want to bother you."
Scully smirked, "Nice boxers."
"Doctor Scully, I'll have you know my mother insisted I always
wore clean underwear in case I got into an accident."
"Are they still clean?" she quipped.
"Very funny, I could use a hand here."
"I can see that you do", Scully made mock applause and Mulder
glared at her. "All right, but no funny stuff.."
Once Mulder was safely settled, she took a look at his ankle.
"You didn't put any weight on this did you?" her face darkened
slightly.
Mulder looked innocent, "Who Me?"
"Mulder, this ankle needs to kept still and straight..AND NO
WALKING!" Scully removed his shoe to wrap the ankle up tight with
what was left of the bandages. "You're not going to be able to get
your shoe back on...is there something else we can use?"
"High tops...in my bag."
Predictably, Mulder always carried sneakers everywhere they
went, he usually liked to go running no matter where or when, but not
today. The hightop fit snugly around the wrapped foot, making it
virtually immobile. Mulder grunted and groaned throughout the
setting but remained motionless despite his frequent and unrestrained
cursing.
"Scully, what happens when I have to..." Mulder grinned
mischieviously.
"You're on your own" she snapped sensing the remainder of
his question, "now get some rest while I start the fire."

"I think you're enjoying this", Mulder said smiling.
"What?"
"Taking care of me like this.."
"I am not." Scully quickly turned her back to Mulder supressing
a secret smile and pretending to bank the fire.
"Yes you are...because I'm helpless.."
"That's not true." Scully kept her back to Mulder.
"I know you're lying" he said, the humor evident in his voice.
At that Scully turned around to face him, "How do you know?"
"Because when you're lying, you won't look me in the eye..."
Scully had never realized that before but she filed it away for
future reference. "Besides, you're hardly helpless...if there's anyone
around here who's helpless it's me."
Mulder was taken aback by her comment. "You, how are you
helpless?"
"Because it's usually a case of you taking care of me not the other
way around."
"That's not true." Mulder said defensively, he appeared genuinely
concerned by her feelings.
"Of course it is.."
"If you felt this way why didn't you say something before?"
"Never mind." and self consciously, Scully turned away.
"No, you know damned well that your abilities and mine are just
different...that's what makes us good together...we compliment each
other!"
Scully glanced back over at him, wanting to believe his every
word, why should he lie to me, after all we are partners. But she had
to admit there were times she felt inadequate to the task at hand and
wondered why he didn't request another agent to work with. Maybe it
was true. "How?"
"You're the clinical M.D. in forensics...and the firearms expert
and you have to ask?"
"Yes, why haven't you ever requested another more experienced
agent to work with?"
"Because I don't want another agent, I want to work with you."
She sighed in resignation, "Yeah right."
"Now why should I lie to you, I've got nothing to gain?"
"The truth is Mulder, I probably need you more than
you need me."
"You don't need me Scully...never have, never did...you got
through the academy all by yourself...spent two years with the bureau
before me...and I'm sure you'll be with the bureau long after the
X-files and I am gone."
Somehow Scully doubted that. She could never imagine either the
X-files or Mulder out of her life, she expected them both to go on
forever.

===========================================================================

Stranded
by Unicorn83@aol.com
2/21/95
Part 2

The dark descended fast in the adirondack mountains, thought
Scully, glad that she had started the fire before sunset. She believed
they had enough wood to last until morning and hoped she had stoked
the fire well enough to keep them warm throughout the night, glad for
Mulder's company no matter how annoying he was.
"What's for dinner?"
Did I say 'annoying', better upgrade to irritating, Scully
mused
looking over at Mulder. "Half a ham sandwich."
"What's on the ham?"
"Mulder...does it really matter?"
"Yes, it does matter..."
"Mustard" she said curtly, hoping to end the discussion.
"I really don't like ham with mustard" Mulder whined.
Scully looked over angrily, knowing he was seeking
attention,
"Eat it or don't, it doesn't matter to me, there's no other choice."
"Wrong, I have another choice" he said smugly, "I could eat
the
candy bars instead...what kind of candy is it?"
Scully growled at him as she halved the ham sandwich
thrusting
it in his direction, he smiled sheepishly in response. "Do you think it's
Boars head?"
"MULDER!" she yelled finally exasperated with his attitude.
"Forget I asked."

Mulder had been trying to get a rise out of Scully all evening.
But as the sky grew darker, the air grew colder and Scully was forced
to move closer to the fire, and to Mulder as well, since he had
possession of the only blanket.
"I'm willing to share if you don't hog all the covers..."
Mulder
said trying to make light of the situation after noticing that Scully was
shaking.
"It's not that bad." she said pretending to get comfortable.
Mulder looked over at Scully, knowing he had been sawing
away
at her nerves since the crash and he knew what had to be said,
"There's enough for both of us...". Mulder could see that Scully was
sorely tempted to take him up on his warm offer, especially since he
was waving the extra end, "please?" He knew she couldn't refuse
when he offerred so nicely. Scully wasted no time scooting over to sit
next to Mulder as he draped the blanket around her cold shoulders.

Sitting so close to Mulder made Scully's heart race and she
hoped
that her body reactions wouldn't betray her true feelings. Afraid that
he might be thinking about her quick reaction to jump into his arms,
well, his blanket made Scully nervous and a little uncomfortable. Stop
it, she chided herself, you're acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. He
probably doesn't see it the same way you do. You're the only one
who has these feelings. He looks at you like a little sister, after a few
moments of convincing herself, Scully moved closer to Mulder to
conserve body warmth.

Mulder mused that if he wasn't injured right now he might
not be
able to control himself. And began to worry that his body would
betray his true feelings for Scully as she gently leaned closer to him,
her hair faintly smelling of perfume and woodsmoke. And he knew
that if he didn't take his mind off her good smelling hair, well, "What
are you thinking?"
Scully, her reverie broken, looked up from the fire, "I was
just
thinking about my life."
"What about it?"
"It just occurred to me that I thought there would be more..."
"More what?"
"More to life than just being an agent...I want kids someday,
you
know?"
"Well, why can't you...other agents have families?" He could
feel
her laughter against his chest.
"Mulder, this is Scully you're talking to...the woman who
can't
make a commitment to one man for more than 3 months..."
"Maybe they're just not the right men...anyway, what am I?"
"That's different, we're partners..."
And she's not interested in you, Mulder thought soberly, so
just
get that idea right out of your mind. But he needed to know for sure,
he just couldn't help himself, "What if we weren't?" Scully sighed in
response and he was afraid she'd break his heart someday, just like
Pheobe, but he knew it would be worth it.

Scully wondered if he could read her mind. While the
chemistry
was undeniable, romance was definitely out of the question for the two
of them right now. They were partners. But maybe someday, if one of
them transferred to another divison or left the bureau, they could give
it a try. But right now she'd rather have his friendship than his love,
she needed it more. And some things were better off unsaid.

The night was growing cold fast and Scully could feel Mulder
drifting off next to her. "Mulder, why don't you lay down and get
some sleep?"
Mulder looked over groggily, "I know your type...get a guy
to fall
asleep and then have your way with him..."
"Very funny." But even Mulder could realize the truth of her
words and laid down to catch a few Z's. Scully, on the other hand,
preferred to stay awake and keep watch but the urge to sleep proved
too much even for her. Even she had to admit it had been an
exhausting day and the best thing for her to do would be to get some
sleep too, so she slowly laid down next to Mulder trying her best not
to wake him in the process.
"Don't bother...I'm still awake."
"For God's sake Mulder...can't you even follow the simplist
of orders?"
"Well if you didn't just poke me in my sore ribs with your
elbow
maybe I would've still been asleep..."
"Sorry."
"That's okay..I forgive you, I know the urge to resist getting
close to me was too much." he said sarcastically.
"Oh, please, don't flatter yourself." But he didn't know how
true
that statement really was.

As Scully tried to get comfortable on the hard, cold ground
Mulder
threw the blanket across her outstretched body and prayed that his
body wouldn't betray him in his time of need. Scully, sensing
Mulder's warmth, snuggled in and pressed her back up against his
chest. In an obvious gesture of protectiveness, Mulder draped his arm
across her shoulders drawing the blanket and her even closer and she
pressed against him naturally and sighed with contentment. They fit
together like a glove and there was nothing Mulder could want more in
life right now than what he already had in his arms...except not to be
injured. Neither of them could deny what passed between them...it
was almost electric. But if something should happen, no one could
know, no one. Unconsciously, Scully reassuringly touched Mulders
arm and he tried not to tense as they both lay awake staring into the
roaring fire wondering what was on each others minds but not daring
to say anything until each one fell asleep.

Scully woke up around three A.M to Mulder's labored
breathing.
Strange, I don't remember him doing that before. As she reached
around to feel his forehead, the heat eminating from his face could
be felt from a distance.
"Shit." Scully rolled over quickly to check Mulder's pulse, a
little
rapid and his breathing was obviously labored. He had spiked a high
fever sometime in the last few hours. Since there wasn't much she
could do given the present circumstances, she opted to give him
another Midol, hoping it would reduce the fever and followed it with
plenty of water.

Mulder was drifting through space and time. Images from his
past
merged with those from his present. Samantha...he stood and watched
from a discreet distance as the aliens worked on her. He screamed out
her name hoping she would awaken...but the forms scurried about the
exam table and Mulder, incapable of moving, could only look away.
When Mulder looked back, it was Scully on the table not Sam.
Scully....don't die, I need you...but she lay there motionless, just like
in the hospital and Mulder struggled desperately trying to move...to
reach her. TAKE ME, YOU BASTARDS, take me! Mulder was
reduced to tears when his efforts went ignored. Not again, I can't lose
again. One of the aliens turned around and started laughing and his
face became that of John Barnett, "What's the matter Mulder, this
bitch mean more to you than your own life?". Mulder could only nod
in acquiescence, he wanted to help her, needed to release her from her
pain, he couldn't lose her again. "Scully..."

Mulder was hallucinating from the fever and there was
nothing
Scully could do to prevent it. Four years of medical school and I can
do nothing, she thought with futility. So she did what little she could,
she cradled his head in her lap, speaking soft reassuring words and
washed his face with a cool cloth. Make him comfortable and pray for
him, that's all I can do. Her face was creased with concern and fear as
she watched her partner, the only man she's ever had feelings for in
her life, thrash about with a high fever. He spent the better part of an
hour rambling about Sam, his sister and how they should take him
instead. And it was then that he said it, "Scully, don't leave
me...please don't die, I love you." At first, Scully reacted with shock.
It wasn't possible, he's delusional, she tried every excuse she could
think of to rationalize his words. Until he said it again, "I can't live
without you, I need you." She wasn't sure what to do next, should
she be happy or was it just the fever speaking? He might not even
remember what he said, in fact, he probably won't. But then the most
important thing to do now was to keep him from getting worse.

As the cobwebs slowly receded from Mulder's foggy brain he
remembered where he was, laying flat on the cold ground near the
crashed plane, his head in someone's lap. He felt as if he had been hit
by a truck. He was stranded...with Scully in the mountians of upstate
New York. And the next thing he felt was the warmth of Scully's lips
softly pressing on his forehead, checking for a fever like his mother
used to do when he was younger, and then again, not like his mother
at all.
He croaked, "If you tried that just a little lower, you might
get
lucky", then he slowly opened his eyes. A frown of concern furrowed
Scully's usually unlined brow, her hair cascading loosely around her
face, she was just close enough to kiss.
"Mulder...are you okay?" He could feel the warm rush of
her
breath upon his face. She had either intentionally chosen to ignore his
last remark or just refused to respond with an answer. "You were
unconscious and ran a high grade fever all night...how do you feel?"
Leave it to Scully to get clinical at a time like this. "Thirsty."
Scully smiled warmly knowing Mulder was feeling better.
And then she paused, tilting her face up towards the grey
morning
sky, "Mulder, did you hear that?" In the distance, a slow rythmic
thumping was barely audible. "It's a helicopter...."
"The search party.." Mulder croaked, "Quick Scully, get the
flares."

Mulder was being loaded into the helicopter by the Mountain
Rescue team when one of them commented to him, "You two are
pretty lucky to be alive."
But before Mulder could even answer, the other member of
the
team immediately chimed in, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind some of that
luck...getting lost with her in the mountains overnight.." The
remaining male members of the rescue team chuckled at Mulder's
frown. Then he decided, they're right, and he looked gratefully over
at where Scully stood talking to the pilot. She had been acting
strangely since this morning when he woke up with his head in her
lap, overly concerned, cautious, and distant. And he couldn't help
wondering what made her act like that? Had he said something or
done something to upset her? Did she know what I was dreaming of
last night? Maybe my body did betray me being so close to her. He
couldn't remember much about last night very clearly, but decided to
apologize anyway, if only he could get her alone.

Scully debated with herself all morning if she should mention
Mulder's hallucinations to him but finally decided that some things are
better left unsaid. So she headed back over to join him on the copter
but Mulder looked like he was deep in thought and Scully was loathe
to bother him.
"Something on your mind Mulder?"
Mulder looked over momentarily distracted, "Did I ...say
anything
last night?"
Scully grew nervous wondering how much he remembered,
"No, why?"
"Just curious, you seemed so distant today and I thought...are
you okay?"
Scully had paled slightly during their conversation, she could
see that falling for him would be easy, "I'm fine, why?"
"Because just now you looked like you had something on
your
mind." Leave it to Mulder to notice when she lied.
She looked directly at him, intentionally making eye contact,
"I'm was just thinking about your health..."
At that Mulder laughed, "My health...I'm as healthy as I ever
was." Scully stared him coldly down and he grinned sheepishly,
"Alright, I'm a bad liar, so sue me." But she knew he was still
worried about her, leave it to Mulder to be worried about me when
he's the wreck.
After all this, don't I owe it to him to be honest, "Mulder..."
he looked over at her and she knew she couldn't say it. Not now.
"At least you'll finally get those well deserved days off."
"Oh, and how am I gonna do that?"
"Doctor's orders."
Mulder shook his head negatively, "Can't..."
"And why not?"
"Because we have a case to consider before that, did you
forget
why we came up here in the first place?"
"No, but I was hoping you'd forget." she chided him.
"Scully, you ought to know by now..I never forget."

The End.