Mulder's final attempt to keep ahead of the Syndicate puts him on the run with Scully.
Dedicated to the wonderful Mortis. Where would I be without her? Not here, that's for sure. Thanks for everything!
U.S. Post Office
Arlington, VA
He held the future in his hands.
It was a rather plain little box, about the size of a small lunch box, and he knew that the object inside was much smaller, but it was probably the most important package in the world. Ever since he had learned of its existence, eight months ago, he had been determined to get his hands on it before others less honorable than he did. Now, he finally had it, and he knew his life was in extreme danger as long
as he knew where this box was. He was a walking dead man.
He had faced death before, but now he desperately wanted to live. He wanted to live to insure that the contents of this box were tested, to make sure it wasn't some hoax. He wanted to live to insure that if the contents were indeed genuine,
they could be replicated so the world might share in his discovery. But most of all, he wanted to live because of the hope that he might find happiness with the one person who made life worth living.
The creator of the box's contents was already dead, that he had learned just this morning. He couldn't go home, it wasn't safe. And he couldn't go to anybody in D.C. for help. Not his boss. Not his partner. Not even his friends, as few as they were. He would have to grab some cash from the ATM here at the Post Office now, before 'they' discovered he had the package. Then he would have to lie low for a few days. Fortunately, he had prepared for this eventuality.
He would have to contact the one person whom he trusted to test the contents. The one person who would help him find a way to keep it safe and to distribute it when needed. The one person he respected, trusted, and loved above all others.
He had to contact Scully.
************************************************************
U.S. Federal Building
Spokane, WA
6 Days Later
Scully's head was throbbing. She sat with her elbows on her desktop, trying to rub away the pain from her temples. Migraines caused by stress had to be the worst kind of headaches, she thought. And a job that was 80% desk work didn't help. Being out in the field had always seemed to keep these headaches at bay.
She looked up and out the window. Another sunny, summer day in Spokane, with temperatures in the 90's. At least the humidity wasn't as high as it was in D.C., and it had rained more this summer than last, making it a little more green outside town. But she would have preferred spending the day next to a lake in the shade reading a good book, not stuck in this air-conditioned, but still stuffy, building. Not
here finishing up the paperwork from at least five different cases. It had been like this for the past two weeks.
It didn't help that she hadn't heard from Mulder for almost a week.
Not getting an e-mail or a phone call from him for three or four days wasn't unusual; He rarely contacted her when he was out of town on a case. But she always knew when he was leaving on one, and didn't expect to hear from him for a while. He had said nothing last week about a case, but there had been no response to her e-mails or phone messages. Scully couldn't help it. She was starting to worry.
"Agent Scully?" Liz Girard, her assistant, poked her head in from outside the office. "Bill Hout called and said that the Sherman trial was being postponed until further notice."
Scully groaned. If it wasn't one thing, it was something else. The Sherman trial had already been held up twice, and Scully, being the arresting officer, had to be ready to jump when they finally got the trial rolling. Without her testimony, the pedophile might not get sent to prison for good like he deserved. She nodded at Liz, then directed her attention back to her work.
She soon found her mind drifting to Mulder again. He was planning on coming out in late August. They had arranged their vacation time to coincide, and he planned on taking her to Seattle. She wasn't sure exactly what was in Seattle that was so special that he had chosen it as a destination; except maybe the hotel he had made reservations at. She doubted they would leave the hotel room much.
Justin Monroe, one of the agents under her charge, and Cat O'Neil, Mulder's partner, knew about Scully's developing relationship with Mulder, but she doubted many others did. She wondered what Skinner would say when he found out that she and her ex-partner were vacationing together.
Scully hadn't seen him in six months, not since the case that had brought them together in February. Serial killer Matthew Ross, AKA 'The Beast', had been captured with the help of animal-psychic Moira Anderson. Ross was now in prison awaiting trial next month and Moira was still a friend, a friend who had encouraged Scully to take that final step in her new relationship with Mulder. Though six months had passed, she could still remember their last moments together as if
it had happened just last night. She still had the note he had left for her.
'Someday'.
The phone rang, breaking Scully's train of thought. "Scully."
"Agent Scully? It's Cat O'Neil."
Scully felt her breath catch and her heart speed up. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Cat's sigh on the other end was loud and frustrated sounding. "I was hoping you could tell me, but judging from your voice, you don't know anything, either. Mulder's gone. No one has seen hide nor hair of him for almost a week."
Scully leaned heavily back in her chair and closed her eyes. Oh, no. "Did he tell you where he was going?"
"Nobody even knew he was going anywhere. He didn't take any luggage, he made no plans. We aren't even on a pending case at the moment. We'd closed one up just before he disappeared." Her voice sounded worried and stressed. "He was acting perfectly normal, or as normal as he ever is, the last time I saw him. He's just gone. I'm terrified something bad has happened to him!"
"Why didn't Skinner call me?" Scully didn't realize she'd asked the question out loud until Cat answered.
"He was going to, but we both decided to keep quiet for a while. Skinner said Mulder's done this before and that we should cover for him. He also said that if you didn't already know, you would soon enough. But it's been six days with no contact. That's too long!"
Scully had to agree with Cat. "What does Skinner want to do now and how much trouble is Mulder in?"
"Skinner's willing to give him more time," Cat answered. "The Bureau is ticked at him, as usual. OPR is very anxious to get their hands on him. Any excuse to fire him. John and the boys think he's dead. They'll really believe that after I tell them you haven't heard from him."
Scully barely registered Cat's use of Byers' first name. "He's not dead. I'd know it if he were dead." She said it with confidence, then wondered how she could be so sure.
"Look, I've got to go," Cat said. "Both Skinner and I thought you should know what was going on." She paused. "You'll call me if you hear from him, right?"
Scully was silent for a while. If Mulder did contact her and involve her in whatever was going on, she was pretty sure he would not want anyone else to know, especially if he hadn't told the Gunmen anything by now. Softly, she told Cat, "I can't promise anything." Then, she hung up.
************************************************************
Scully's House
Colbert, WA
Once home that evening, even more stressed than before, Scully immediately checked her messages. Nothing. She had called Skinner after talking to Cat and had asked for permission to send an agent out to help Cat find Mulder. She had desperately wanted to go herself, but something held her back, and it wasn't her job here. Mulder knew where she was now, and if he wanted to contact her, she best be easy to find. Knowing that Justin Monroe had gotten along well with Cat, she asked him to go. While Justin was not a 'fan' of Mulder's, he agreed, privately excited about going to D.C. He'd requested more times than he could count to be assigned there. Scully had to remind him it was only temporary.
She couldn't sleep that night. She hated sleeping with the air-conditioner on, so she worked up a sweat tossing and turning. Somewhere around 3 A.M., she fell asleep.
And she dreamed.
***She was on a beach. A lovely beach, with white sand. It was facing a beautiful azure ocean. Somehow, she knew it was the Pacific. A warm wind was blowing off
the water, tugging at her hair and at the white, gauzy dress she was wearing. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh, salty air. She leaned her head back and felt the warmth of the sun on her face.
She felt him come up behind her and turned, smiling.
He stood barefoot, in jeans, his shirt unbuttoned, the edges flapping in the breeze. He wasn't smiling. In fact, his expression was worried. Scully felt her smile disappear. She knew she was dreaming, but his worry frightened her.
"Where are you?" she asked, her voice sounding oddly distorted.
"You'll have to figure that out for yourself, Scully," he said quietly.
"Are you all right?" Even knowing this was a dream, she hoped to find answers.
"What do you think? What do you feel?" He smiled sadly. "All our work, Scully. It's all come to this."
"What?"
"I'll tell you soon."
"When? When will I see you?"
"Soon," he said again. "Just start looking."
Mulder turned and started walking up the beach. Scully wanted to follow, but her feet felt like they were stuck in cement. She realized the SHE wasn't controlling this dream.
"Mulder?!" she called after him.
He turned, a full smile on his face now. "Someday, Scully! Someday!" Then he turned again and disappeared into the glaring sunlight.***
Scully woke, her body bathed in sweat. Without really knowing why, she jumped out of bed and went to her computer. She turned it on and waited impatiently for the hard drive to warm up. Then she called up her e-mail messages. One new one was displayed:
'722500-THE ROCK'
Scully felt her brow furrow. The address of origin seemed familiar. She wracked her brain, realizing she hadn't seen it in more than a year. With anger and confusion, she grabbed the phone, glad for once she had two phone lines, and dialed a number she hadn't used since she left D.C. She waited impatiently as it rang several times, staring at the message, not understanding. Finally, someone answered.
"Lone Gunmen," a sleepy sounding Langly answered.
Glancing at the clock, Scully realized it was only 5 A.M. in D.C. It didn't matter. She needed answers now. "What the hell does this mean!?" she demanded without preamble.
Pause. "Scully?"
"Yes, it's Scully. I got your e-mail, and I want to know what it means!"
"Just a minute." She waited as Langly gathered the rest of the Gunmen, wincing when he dropped the phone at one point. Finally, he came back on the line. "Speakerphone," he said. Scully heard a click, and knew that now all three could hear her.
"I repeat: what does this e-mail mean?"
She heard Frohike first. "We don't know, Scully." He sounded more awake than Langly had. "Mulder gave it to me about a week ago, said to e-mail it to you if he didn't show up in a week. At first, I didn't think anything of it. He's been acting so weird lately."
"So, Mulder wanted me to have this?" She looked again at the numbers. What was Mulder telling her?
Scully stared at the message, something tugging at the back of her mind. Then she recalled what Frohike had just said, "Wait a minute. What do you mean he's been acting weird? In what way?"
"Well, excitable, temperamental, more than usual anyway."
Byers interrupted. "He's actually been acting like he was up to something. Even Cat noticed it."
Cat. Hmmm. Later. "I talked to her today. She said he was acting normal."
"Well, yeah. He was. Just before he disappeared."
"Other than purposely mentioning his 'vacation' to Seattle several times to Frohike," Langly added.
"Sure. Rub it in," Frohike quipped.
Scully would have been amused by their banter at any other time, but not tonight. "Do ANY of you know what this means?"
Byers was the first one the respond to Scully's inquiry. "We guessed it was some private thing that only the two of you knew about. Something you set up when he was in Washington, maybe?"
The Rock! Scully released a breath. "Of course!" she whispered. "You guys, I love you! I gotta go!" She barely registered all three voices expressing worry and surprise before she hung up the phone.
Looking at the calendar next to her desk, she frowned. It was July 20. If '722' was what she thought, July 22, then she had only two days. The '500' was easy, now that she knew what to look for. 500 hours. 5 A.M. 'The rock'. She smiled.
"Looks like I'll get to see your refuge sooner than I thought, Mulder." She stood to get dressed, knowing sleep was impossible now. Too much to do. She had to be in South Dakota in two days. She had to meet Mulder.
************************************************************
Black Hawk Stables
North Spokane
Scully knew by noon that day that she was being followed. She began to feel paranoia creep through her, convinced that every employee of the Federal Building was watching her. And while she was sure someone was, she had no idea who it was
or who they were working for. She kept about her business as usual, even down to her riding lesson that evening.
A few weeks after Matthew Ross' arrest, Scully had started taking lessons from Moira. Twice a week, after work, she drove out to 'the barn' to spend an hour learning dressage and jumping. It had become a sort of stress relief for her, and she had made a lot of horsy friends, most of them teenage girls who were in awe of her position in the FBI.
Tonight, however, she didn't feel much like talking to anyone, and quietly ignored the chattering and laughing going on around her while she went about preparing for her lesson.
Outside, while lunging her horse to warm him up, she spotted a car parked on the road just past the gate. Her breath caught, both in fear and anticipation of the challenge ahead of her. 'They' were hoping Mulder would come to her, or that she would lead them to him. Scully laughed softly to herself. Didn't they know that the hardest person to surveil was a person who was trained to do it herself and knew all the tricks in the book?
Suddenly, Scully was nearly pulled off her feet, and she shot her attention back to the horse circling around her on the end of a long line. Wally was a little grey Thoroughbred with tons of energy, and he proved it by bucking and cavorting around Scully. She had just started riding him about a month ago, and was still getting used to his antics. Bred for the racetrack, Wally was very efficient when it
came to re-locating his riders. Scully hadn't come off him yet, but she had come close to taking an unplanned dirt bath more than once since she had started riding him.
Soon, she had Wally calmed down enough to get on his back. She rode into the arena, which had been watered to reduce the dust, but was still stifling from the heat, and started her lesson with her three classmates. She tried her hardest to keep her mind on her riding, but it kept drifting. With a sudden, sharp twist, Wally shied at an imaginary monster by the arena wall. Scully grabbed his mane quickly, regained her seat, and got him under control. She took a deep breath and glanced at Moira with a guilty expression on her face. Moira just looked at her, a speculative gleam in her eye.
Finally, they were done. Moira flipped off her microphone and walked over to Scully. "You seem a bit distracted tonight. Need to talk?"
"You know me too well," Scully said wryly. "I need to ask a favor of you."
Moira nodded, then let Scully ride off to care for her horse. As quickly as she could, she untacked Wally and put him on the hot walker to cool down. Then she found Moira. "I need to borrow your pick-up."
Moira's eyebrows shot up. "My pick-up? Why?"
Scully sighed. "I can only tell you this. See that car parked by the gate?" She waited until Moira glanced down at the entrance to the stables. "I need to get out of town without the people responsible for that car knowing about it."
"This is something dangerous, isn't it?"
"Not for you," Scully quickly emphasized. "But, yes. It may be dangerous for someone else."
Moira was silent for a moment. "Fox?" Despite Scully's attempts to remind Moira he preferred to be called Mulder, Moira always called him Fox.
"Are you sure you can't read my mind?"
Moira smiled. "I'm sure. It's just that I remember you mentioning on Tuesday that you hadn't heard from him in a week and you were starting to worry."
Scully nodded. "Can you help me?"
Moira nodded. "Of course. I'll do anything you need."
"Okay, here's what I need you to do..."
************************************************************
Fortunately for Scully, the moon was waning that night. Dressed in a black shirt and jeans, with a duffel back full of 'goodies', including ammunition, Scully slipped out her back door at 2 A.M., jumped her fence, and silently disappeared into the forest behind her house.
Less than an hour later, she reached the parking lot of the Saint Joseph Catholic Church, the same church she attended every Sunday. Sitting in the parking lot, just as she asked, was Moira's pick-up. Finding the keys under the rim of the
left, rear tire, Scully climbed in and started her journey. She had a little over 26 hours to get to Custer, South Dakota and Mulder.
*****
In actuality, it only took 16 hours to get to Rapid City following I-90 all the way. She arrived in Custer, passing both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Mt., just after sunset. She was amazed by the number of people traveling in these small but lovely mountains, and she had to go to four different motels before she found a vacancy. The Triple M Motel was small, but neat and clean, with a cafe and heated, outdoor swimming pool. The manager was a spry woman with grey hair who stood even smaller than Scully. She didn't seem at all suspicious when Scully, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, checked herself in as Gloria Samuelson. She made sure she mentioned that her husband, Rod, would be joining her tomorrow. The little old lady, Mrs. Conrad, nodded her head. "I'm sure you both will have a wonderful
time!"
Scully reached her room, exhausted but wired. She was too tired to even shower, but she didn't think she would be able to sleep, either. Falling down on the bed fully clothed, she was asleep in moments, wondering what Mulder was doing right
now.
************************************************************
Triple M Motel
Custer, SD
The alarm that Scully had fortunately remembered to set before falling asleep woke her at 4 in the morning. Feeling groggy and stiff, she climbed off the bed. She wanted a shower, but wasn't about to be late, and she had no idea how long it would take to find the meeting place. Quickly, she brushed her teeth and her hair and headed out to find the Rock.
The motel was located on Highway 16 west of town. Desperately trying to remember Mulder's directions, which he had told her 6 months ago, she drove through town towards Custer State Park. It was just beginning to get light outside, and the town was still asleep. The tourists weren't out and about quite yet. As sleepy as she had been when she drove in last night, she hadn't bothered to look around. Now, she saw the incredible granite peaks that stood sentinel over the area. Granite peaks just like the ones that had been used to create man-made sculptures: The famous Mt. Rushmore and the as-of-yet unfinished Crazy Horse
Mountain.
It wasn't long before she saw the turn-off for the Outlaw Ranch. She pulled onto the gravel road, slowing down for a deer running across the road. The winding road passed forests and meadows, still green and lush. These mountains were incredibly beautiful and peaceful looking in the early morning light. She passed houses and crossed a little creek. Then civilization began to disappear.
The forest began to thicken. Then she saw it. An old logging trail that met up with the road she was on. She pulled onto it, only to be stopped by a gate. She realized that the gate prevented automobiles from driving onto the old road, but allowed people on foot, bikes or horseback to travel by passing through a small opening off to the side. She turned off the ignition and got out.
With slow, steady steps, she made her way up the trail. She could see 'the Rock' just ahead. It wasn't as large as she had envisioned. She realized that the large boulder was sitting on a hillside, leaving one side low to the ground while the other side created a drop of about 20 feet. With nerves near the breaking point, she moved towards it.
The morning air was moist, the ground covered in dew. The sun, barely over the horizon, was touching the tops if the Ponderosa Pines with a golden hand. It was going to be a hot day, Scully could tell, and the birds were singing loudly, as if they knew it would be too hot to do so later. She recognized a chickadee, and what she believed was a pine siskin. She smelled damp earth and heard flies buzzing, but it all felt like a dream. What if he wasn't there? What if he really was dead?
Suddenly, a figure stood up from behind one of the smaller rocks. Scully felt her heart skip a beat and she stopped sharply, watching as the man replaced his drawn weapon in its holster. The first thing she thought was, 'God, he's so thin!' Then she felt her feet carry her forward. He met her halfway, grabbing her up tightly in his arms, burying his face in her hair.
"I knew you'd come," Mulder whispered against her neck. "I knew it."
************************************************************
"Am I that predictable?" Scully's voice was shaky as she asked the question, but her hold on him tightened.
Mulder didn't think he had ever felt anything as wonderful as Scully's arms around him. The last week had been pure hell. Little food, even less sleep, always looking over his shoulder. It had been a little better since he had reached the Black Hills. With tourist season in full swing, the locals tended to ignore strangers. It was the perfect place to hide in plain sight. And now Scully was here. He wasn't alone anymore.
He felt Scully pull back and regretfully loosened his hold on her. She brought her hands up to his face, brushing her thumbs along the weeks growth of beard. She smiled slightly. "You look like a pirate."
"I feel like a hobo." He had managed an occasional shower at truck stops on the way west, but his clothes were the same ones he had set out in: jeans, hiking boots, T-shirt and leather jacket. He felt grungy, as well as incredibly tired.
Scully sighed, looking into his eyes. "What's going on, Mulder?"
Mulder grabbed Scully's hand and pulled her over to the Rock. Kneeling down, he pulled out the box. Scully's eyebrows rose. "It's a lunchbox."
Mulder grinned and nodded his head. It was indeed a blue nylon lunchbox/mini-cooler. "But look at what's inside." He unzipped the top and pulled the contents out. "I've had a hard time keeping this cool." He pulled out a 50 cc vial filled with a thick, pinkish liquid. Scully knelt down next to him as he handed her the little bottle. "We've both been injected with something similar to this before."
Scully was inspecting the liquid closely. "The vaccine?"
Again, Mulder nodded. "But not the same stuff that the conspiracy was trying to create. This is a true vaccine. Not only does it kill the alien virus after it's infected a host, but it can 'prevent' a person from being infected! And," he paused, smiling. "It can be replicated."
He knew Scully still had her doubts about the conspiracy and its true objective, but she had seen and been through too much to not understand how important it was for the world to have a defense against the contagion she had been witness to
first hand. "How did you get this?"
"A man named David Hendrickson. He was a doctor who worked on the Project years ago, when my father was involved. A grunt, basically. He left when he discovered their real objective, and they let him go because they didn't think he
knew anything important. But he did, and he developed this vaccine right under their noses, in Richmond." Mulder sat down fully, his knees drawn up. "He contacted me about eight months ago, wanting my help. He was afraid he had been found out. Last week, he called and told me he needed to see me. He wanted to hand the vaccine over to me." He lowered his head. "He mailed it to me the next day. The day after that, the day I got it, he was dead."
"Eight months?" Scully sat back on her heels. "You knew about this when you were in Spokane in February?" Mulder nodded. "No wonder you were so insistent that I know how to find this place." She looked up at the Rock.
"We need to have this analyzed, to make sure it is what it's supposed to be. Then we have to find a way to distribute it."
"As what, Mulder? Should we tell everyone 'It's okay. We have the only protection against future alien invasion'? You actually think anyone will believe you? You'd end up back in that padded cell!"
"What else can I do, Scully?" His voice had a hysterical edge to it, and he tried to calm down. "As long as I know this vaccine exists and where it is, my life is forfeit." He grabbed the bottle and put it back into the box.
"If we can replicate it, like you said, we could spread it out, keeping batches of it safe in several different places. We wouldn't have to tell how much or where. We could tell only the people we know we can trust, and tell them only of certain hiding spots, not all. 'They' would have no way of knowing where we put them or who we told. They'd have to leave us be."
Mulder nodded slowly at her suggestion. "It might work." Then he looked at her intently. "But what is this 'we' thing? It doesn't need to be 'us'. You can leave anytime you want, go back to work, tell them you tried to find me and failed." He sighed. "A part of me really wishes you would do just that."
"But you know I won't. I can't." She reached over and placed her hand on his knee. "You need my help. You asked for my help. And you've got it. Always."
"And your job?"
Scully shrugged. She knew there was a good chance she wouldn't have one when this was over. "It was starting to get boring anyway."
Mulder laughed softly, shaking his head. "Just us. Against the world." He paused. "Contramundum."
"What?"
"Contramundum," he repeated. "It's Latin for 'against the world.' You and me, against the world."
"Contramundum." Scully sounded the word out. "Doesn't sound so bad when you say it like that."
They sat quietly for a while. Then Scully slowly stood up, reaching down to Mulder. "Come on. I got us a motel room in town. You can shower, shave and sleep the rest of the day away."
Mulder grasped her hand and stood. "Actually, I was thinking of keeping the beard. It's a damn good disguise." He eyed her up and down. "If you're gonna help, you should think about changing your look, too."
"Well, I certainly am not growing a beard," she quipped. "Come on," she repeated.
"Wait." Mulder gave her hand a tug. "I want you to see this."
************************************************************
Mulder pulled Scully to the far side of the Rock, then he started to climb. She followed him up the side of the granite boulder, noticing bits of quartz and mica imbedded in the rock, which was covered in a pale green lichen. It was an easy climb to the top.
Mulder looked out over the tops of the trees. The sun had come up over the horizon now, bathing the mountains in a golden glow. Older than the Rockies, there were no snow-capped peaks in the Black Hills. But Mulder pointed out a large mountain with a round, rocky top just off to the west. "That's Harney Peak. The highest point in the U.S. east of the Rockies." Then he pointed to a group of monolithic rocks that pointed into the sky. "Those are called the Cathedral Spires."
He directed Scully's attention to the east. "You can't see them from here, we're not high enough, but the Great Plains are that way. Miles upon miles of grass. We're sitting on an island of trees in the middle of an ocean of prairie."
He looked over at her. Her expression was peaceful yet full of wonder. "They're beautiful, Mulder."
"You know, a lot of Northern Plains Indian tribes believed all life began here in the Black Hills. They called them the 'Center of the Universe'. When I first came here, I could almost feel their power. I still can."
"I can, too," Scully whispered. Mulder gave her a sharp look. "I feel like I could talk to God here, and know that He hears me."
Mulder smiled. "When I'm here, I can almost believe that there is a God." His heart felt full; Scully felt the wonder of these mountains, too!
Scully looked up at him. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For letting me be here, in this place. Your place."
Mulder shook his head. "Not mine. Ours."
************************************************************
Triple M Motel
Custer, SD
By the time they drove back to Custer, the town had woken up. Traffic had increased and more than half the vehicles were from out of state. Scully knew their Washington license plates wouldn't even be noticed. She dropped Mulder off at the motel, telling him she had checked them in under the names Rod and Gloria Samuelson. He gave her an odd look as he gave her the key back and disappeared into the room. Shaking her head, she left on an errand of her own.
When she arrived back at the room a short time later, Mulder was just coming out of the bathroom. Wearing nothing but jeans, he was still damp from the shower. Again, Scully noticed how thin he was. Mulder had always been lean, but now his ribs were easily visible. He'd lost more weight that a weeks worth of running would have done. Even his face looked gaunt, despite the beard.
"I brought you breakfast," she told him, handing him one of the two small bags she carried. "Just save some for me. I'm taking the shower next."
Mulder took the bag of doughnuts from her, smiling appreciatively. "Thanks." He looked at the other bag. "What's that?"
"You'll see," she smiled at him.
"Most of the stores don't open until 7 or 8," Scully continued. "So, we'll have to wait to get you some more clothes." Moira had given Scully her ATM card with
the promise of being paid back in full, with interest Scully had insisted), when this whole mess was over. She wasn't about to use a lot Moira's money, but they would have it if needed. "I did, however, bring you these." She walked over to her carry-all and pulled out a couple of over-size T-shirts. She had originally bought them to sleep in, but they would fit Mulder just fine. "I'll be back."
When she had finished with her shower, and other tasks, she looked at herself in the mirror. Like Mulder, she had circles under her eyes, but not as bad as his. It would do them both good to stay here for a couple of days, to rest and plan, before heading out into the unknown. A part of her was excited; adventure in her life had been rare since leaving the X Files. Another part of her wondered why the Hell she wanted to go back to that kind of life. Her reflection offered no answers.
Scully left the bathroom wrapped only in a towel, expecting Mulder to be asleep or close to it. Instead, she found him sitting on the end of the bed, remote in hand, staring at the TV. He was watching some cheesy movie on the free Showtime the motel offered. It was a pretty racy love scene. It wasn't porn, but it was close.
"Don't tell me you still watch videos like this?"
Without looking away from the screen, he replied, deadpan, "Only the ones with red-heads in them."
Scully bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. He finally turned his head to look at her, probably wondering why she hadn't snapped out a quick comeback to his comment. When he saw her, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Scully let herself laugh out loud.
"I may have to dig out all those videos with blondes in them again," he said when he could speak.
Still smiling, Scully walked up to him. She had chosen blonde for her new hair color because it suited her complexion better than darker hair. Besides, she'd always
wanted to be a blonde. She moved to stand between Mulder and the TV. "I wanted to see if it was true."
"If what was true?"
"That blondes have more fun." She brought her hand up and gently ran her fingers along his bearded cheek. "Mulder?"
"Huh?"
"Turn off the TV."
Without hesitation, he lifted the remote, pressed the off button, and threw it on the table next to the TV.
"Thank you," Scully said simply. Then, without another word, she stepped back, untucked the towel from around her, and let it fall to the floor.
************************************************************
It was well over an hour later when Scully got out of bed and dressed, leaving a sleeping Mulder snoring softly under the sheets. She hadn't planned on seducing him this morning, but she could tell he was wired, like she had been last night, and would need help to get his overactive mind quieted. She had thought a little vigorous activity would help. She smiled. And vigorous it had been, despite his
exhaustion. Now he slept peacefully.
She brushed out her hair and pulled it into a ponytail. She smiled at herself in the mirror; she looked like a cheerleader! Scully had never been a cheerleader. Her eyes caught the reflection of the little cooler sitting on the dresser behind her. She turned and walked over to it, opening it, and taking out the vial. Protection against an alien invasion. She shook her head. Despite all she'd seen, she still didn't know how it was possible. But she had seen what Mulder called the alien virus kill. She herself had nearly been a victim. This indeed was a gold mine she was holding.
She placed the vial carefully back into the box, noticing as she did so that it needed more ice. Quietly, she left the room to get more ice at the cafe. While there, Mrs. Conrad, the manager, saw her.
"Mrs. Samuelson," they grey haired lady said. "Did your husband finally arrive?"
Scully turned to her smiling, thanking God, fate, or whatever for making her wear a cap when she checked in the night before. Hopefully, Mrs. Conrad wouldn't notice the change in her hair color. "Yes, he did," she replied. "But he's so tired, I wouldn't be surprised if he slept the day away."
Mrs. Conrad smiled broadly. "Well, you just best keep him company, now. You are on vacation, after all. You'll have enough time for sight-seeing later."
Scully nodded. "I wouldn't dream of leaving him alone now that I have him all to myself." She was only a little surprised to realize she meant it.
"Have a good day, then." The little woman walked off to greet another guest, and Scully, cup of ice in hand, went back to the room, where 'Mr. Samuelson' slept.
*****
It was early afternoon when Mulder finally woke. Scully had spent most of the time writing notes. It had become habit for her to write detailed reports about every case she was involved with, and she had decided to treat this 'little' adventure like a case. Even if she didn't have a job when it was over. She had tried to nap next to Mulder, but the sleep she had received last night had made it impossible to rest.
She was staring off into space, wondering how long they should stay at the motel, when she felt his gaze on her. She turned her head to look at him. "Good morning, Sunshine," she said softly, a small smile on her face.
Mulder grunted something unintelligible and sat up, rubbing his hands over his face. Scully let her eyes roam over his naked torso. Despite his thinness, he was still well-muscled and sexy. "What time is it?" he asked, looking at her once more.
"Just after 3." She glanced at the curtained window, hearing the voices of a vacationing family pass by outside the room. "We should probably do some shopping and get something to eat. You know, play the tourists so nobody gets suspicious."
"You should have told them we were on our honeymoon. Then we wouldn't be obligated to even leave the room."
"Nobody would buy that." Mulder glanced at her questioningly. "Have you ever noticed how we act in public? We look like we've been married for years!"
Mulder chuckled, then threw the sheet off and stood to walk over to the TV, grabbing the remote. Scully let her eyes track him for a while, then looked away quickly, suddenly embarrassed. The air conditioner was on high, but she still felt abnormally warm. "Would you quit that!"
"What?" He flipped on the TV and walked back to the bed.
Scully glanced at him. "I can't think clearly with you walking around butt-naked!"
"It's nothing you haven't seen before. Even before that night at the cabin in Hayden Lake."
"Yeah, well, before Hayden Lake, you'd never walk in front of me with nothing on!" She paused, thinking back. "Not so comfortably, anyway." She faced him as he sat back down on the bed.
"We never got the chance to enjoy each other's physical attributes back when you were with the X Files, did we?" Mulder asked. "We always seemed to be in dire straits whenever one of us was naked." Scully tried not to smile. "But I remember using my imagination often enough."
Scully's eyes widened. "Oh, really? When and where did you use this imagination?"
"Oh, anytime." Mulder had a slight smile on his face. "But most often it was when we were working late in the office. I especially liked it when you would bend over to get a file in one of the lower drawers. What a view!"
"Mulder!" Scully didn't know whether to be angry or amused.
"Then you would suddenly realize that bending over might not be such a 'polite' thing to do, so you'd squat down. And if you were wearing a skirt, it would ride up, and that was an even better view!"
"You sexist pig!" Scully exclaimed, but there was laughter in her voice. "All that time I thought you respected me, and instead you were eyeing me as if I was some piece of..."
"I was admiring you, Scully!" Mulder interrupted. "That's all! It's not like I was jerking off under the desk!"
Scully was speechless.
"Don't tell me you never..." Mulder stopped, looking like he didn't know how to continue. "Okay, this is going to sound really egotistical, but you never looked at me that way back then?" He looked incredibly hopeful.
Scully was still a little stunned, but that familiar puppy-dog expression on his face made her smile. "Well, I guess. Yeah, I...watched you on occasion, wondering..."
"Why do I hear a 'but' in there?"
Scully sighed. "But, I never really thought you looked at me as anything more than a sister, or sexless friend, or even a mother at times." She felt herself blush again at Mulder's astounded stare.
It was his turn to be speechless. For a moment. He glanced at the TV, as if for inspiration, then looked back at her. "Scully, do you, by chance, recall moments in our past when we were pressed together in very close quarters? Do you remember *feeling* anything unusual? Do you actually think I was thinking about my mother at the time!?"
Scully didn't think it, was possible, but she felt her face heat even more. Before she could respond to him (God, what could she say?), the TV caught her attention, as well as Mulder's.
"There is a nationwide manhunt going on today for two missing FBI agents," the female reporter from CNN was saying. Pictures of both Mulder and Scully were flashed onto the screen. "Agent Dana Scully, an Assistant Special Agent
in Charge with the Seattle Field Office based in Spokane, and Agent Fox Mulder of the Washington D.C. Division, have both been missing for two days. While the FBI is being tight-lipped about what may be behind the agents' disappearance, they are requesting the help from law-enforcement officials across the country in locating
them.
"The missing agents, who are former partners, are expected to be traveling together and are more than likely armed. Whether or not they are dangerous to the public, the FBI would not say." The woman continued onto the next story.
Mulder and Scully sat silent for a while. Then Mulder spoke. "Rather vague, weren't they?" He paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "I would have thought the Bureau would have wanted to keep this quiet."
"Someone must have leaked it to the press," Scully replied. "They had to make some kind of formal statement. But you're right; they weren't very open with their information."
"Just enough to make people nervous," Mulder nodded. "They'll think we're a pair of renegade agents out to kill everyone." He sighed. "Maybe we should wait until tomorrow to go out shopping."
She looked at him, a smile on her lips. "Oh, come on. I want to play tourist while I can. No one's gonna recognize us!"
Mulder's brow furrowed. It obviously wasn't what he had expected her to say. "Okay. Let's go."
Scully tried not to watch him as he dressed, but she couldn't help it. He pulled on one of her T-shirts to go with his jeans. It had a picture of a jumping horse and
rider on it and said in big, red letters: JUST JUMP IT! She thought it made him look cute.
In deference to the heat, she had put on a pair of shorts that morning, and couldn't help but feel good when she caught Mulder looking at her bare legs. It made her remember what he had said about using his imagination, checking her
out while they were working. She should have been angry. It was incredibly sexist.
But she didn't mind it at all.
************************************************************
Triple M Cafe
Custer, SD
Scully was acting very unusual this afternoon.
"Every shopping trip or tourist excursion should begin with a meal," she was saying. Mulder assumed that was why she had dragged him to the cafe first. He didn't mind; he was starving. And the Scully sitting across from him, this blonde, smiling Scully, was so fascinating, so new, he wasn't about to lose sight of her yet. She was playful, giggly. Even her seduction of him this morning had been different. She had always been exciting in bed, a fact that had awed him upon discovery, but this giddy, almost ditzy, Scully attracted, amused and confused him. "My mother taught
me that," she finished.
After the waitress brought them their orders, the two started eating; but Scully kept chattering. She was telling him about all the places she wanted to visit: Reptile Gardens, Bear Country, Wind Cave. She told him how they should try to get in some hiking or horseback riding. She giggled and laughed more at that meal than she had in all the seven years they had worked together on the X Files. Mulder felt his confusion grow, and his amusement and attraction began to die. He was beginning to miss 'his' Scully.
"Scully?" He finally interrupted her chatter.
"Gloria," she automatically corrected him.
"Gloria," he lowered his voice. "Was there something other than hair color in that bag this morning?"
Scully beamed at him. "Gee, Rod. I'm only trying to be 'blonde'!"
Mulder watched Scully's face closely, then saw the sapphire glint that he had somehow missed before. He must still be tired! He started laughing. "You are nasty!"
"I know, I know! Not ALL blondes act like that. Moira's blonde, and she's one of the most level headed people I know. She always tells me it's the bleached blondes that give blondes a bad name, not the natural ones." She shrugged. "So, I'm just playing the part."
Mulder shook his head. "And doing a very good job, I might add. I got really worried there for a minute. The last thing I need right now is for my calm, rational Scully to lose it."
"YOUR calm, rational Scully?"
Mulder just gave her a smug smile.
"Okay. Your calm, rational Scully thought of something very important while you were sleeping." Mulder gave her his full, serious attention. "Do you remember Chloe Wood? I introduced you to her back when the X Files were closed and I was teaching at the Academy."
Mulder nodded. "She was one of the pathologists down there, wasn't she?"
"Actually, she was a virologist. She specialized in vaccine reproduction before she went to work for the Bureau."
Mulder felt excitement roar through him. "Where is she now?"
"Last I heard, she lives and works in Tucson, Arizona. And I'm almost sure we could trust her to help us."
"Almost?"
"Trust No One, remember?" Scully's face became serious. "How many people we've put our faith in have either turned on us or died?"
Mulder became somber. "They'll never know she's involved. We're still one step ahead of them, remember?"
Scully's eyes drifted to look outside the cafe window. They were pensive, worried.
"Hey," Mulder asked softly. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm wondering what my mother is thinking about all this. I hate how my exploits worry her."
"She has faith in your abilities, Scully." He reached over and grasped her hand, waiting until she turned her attention to him again. "And she knows you're with me, now, too. I'd like to think that would make her feel better about the situation."
Scully gave him a soft smile. "You're right. It would. She knows we'll take care of each other." She glanced down at her plate. She hadn't eaten much, he saw. But she seemed pleased that he had eaten all of his meal. She muttered something about him being too thin, then stood to pay the bill at the register in the front. Mulder stood to follow.
"Now what?" he asked.
She turned that dazzling, blonde smile on. "Now, we get to play tourist!"
************************************************************
FBI Headquarters
Washington D.C.
Justin Monroe reclined in Mulder's chair, feet on the desk, watching Cat O'Neil pace the room with amusement. She glanced at him, her dark eyes flashing. "You know, I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop smirking at me, get off your ass, and help me figure out what to do now!" They had just received word today that they had been taken off Mulder's case. His disappearance, as well as Agent Scully's,
was being investigated by a team from the Office of Professional Responsibility. They had made it clear that whatever Mulder and Scully's reasons for their flight,
neither of them would have a job when they got back.
Justin, having heard the rumors and stories for years, knew both agents had been under fire before. Separated, removed from the X Files, put on probation and/or suspension. They had survived everything the Bureau had thrown at them, and had still managed to keep going, solving the most difficult cases time and again. They were, Justin knew, living legends. And more than one person in this building, and elsewhere in the Bureau, were on their side, no matter what the reasons were for their disappearance.
"What do you want me to do?" Justin asked his new partner. "Make my own rut in the floor? We're off the case, O'Neil. It is out of our hands. This is the X Files, and while their disappearing act is a mystery, it is not 'paranormal'." He said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Cat glared at him, her arms folded across her chest. Justin had to admit that she was a fine looking woman. If he were interested in that sort of thing, he might be tempted to hit on her. But he had also learned in the last couple of days that she had one hell of a temper, one he was quickly learning to respect.
"We can look into the matter on our own time," Cat told him. He could tell she was clenching her teeth in an effort not to yell. "Come on, Monroe. Don't you want to find Scully?"
Justin sighed. "Yes. Of course, I do. But we have a job here. One I'm not too thrilled with at the moment, but a job nonetheless."
A knock sounded on the office door. Justin stood immediately when he recognized Assistant Director Walter Skinner. "Can we help you, sir?"
************************************************************
Skinner stood in the door, his eyes darting between the two young agents. It was almost deja-vu, he thought, though these two looked nothing like Mulder and Scully. They were strangers to this office, even if O'Neil had been working here for almost a year now. Every time he came down, he expected to see Scully instead of her. He expected to interrupt his two best agents intently working on reports or
bickering about a case. He glanced at Mulder's nameplate on the door; he hoped he wouldn't have to take it down anytime soon.
With a heavy sigh, Skinner strode into the office. "Have a seat, Agents." He waited while Monroe and O'Neil sat at their respective desks; Cat had finally talked the
janitorial staff into moving an old, tiny desk into the office about a month ago. Mulder hadn't said a word.
Skinner walked over to the corkboard, glancing up at the 'I Want To Believe' poster. Then he looked at a picture stuck in the board with a thumbtack. It was easily visible from Mulder's desk. It was a picture of a group of about 15 people. 'The Beast Task Force' from Spokane, Washington. They had taken the group photo the day that Matthew Ross had been arrested. They were happy, for the Beast had been killing for more than five years. He noticed both Monroe and O'Neil in the picture, but his eyes were drawn to two tired looking agents standing at the edge of the group. Always on the edge, those two, Skinner thought wryly.
They were both smiling slightly, but they had an air of sadness about them, as well. As if they knew that Ross' capture meant separation for them once again. Mulder was standing behind Scully, his left hand sitting almost proprietary-like on her hip. Though he couldn't be sure, it appeared as if Scully was leaning back against the man behind her.
It hadn't taken a rocket scientist to know that something had changed between Mulder and Scully after Mulder's return from Spokane. Mulder's behavior had been enough of a clue. His slight blush when Skinner had asked him, "So, how is
Agent Scully?" the day of his arrival back had spoken volumes. Rumors about the two of them being lovers had circulated for years; how else could you explain their bond? But Skinner had always doubted the rumors. Just like he doubted the rumors about Mulder and O'Neil that were going around now. He knew they weren't true. But if Mulder and Scully had finally taken that final step into intimacy, he was happy for them.
He turned again to look at his agents. He had asked Monroe to stay on to help with the X Files indefinitely this morning, the same time he had told them they were off Mulder and Scully's case. He liked the young man, despite his obvious disdain for the work Mulder loved. He and O'Neil worked well together. They would take care of the X Files. But they weren't Mulder and Scully.
"Agents," Skinner finally said. "I want you to find Mulder and Scully."
Dark brown eyes met sky blue eyes, both startled.
"Sir," O'Neil started. "OPR has taken over the case."
"I know," Skinner nodded. "And I'm putting you both back on it...unofficially." He paused, meeting the eyes of both agents. "And if you do find them, you will help them with whatever they ask. Understood?"
O'Neil nodded immediately, excitement in her eyes. Monroe nodded after a long pause. "Good," Skinner nodded back at them. "Prove to me you are both capable of taking over the X Files by doing what may be the impossible. Just like Mulder and Scully did for years." With that, he left the office.
*************************************************************
The Black Hills of South Dakota
Mulder and Scully spent that evening and the next day playing tourist. After finding Mulder appropriate clothing, including a new pair of jeans and a pair of khaki shorts, he and Scully set out to see the sights. They were determined to have the vacation they knew they weren't going to get in the fall.
They visited 'Bear Country', a wildlife park, as well as Mt. Rushmore, fighting the hordes of visitors at the monument. They decided to visit 'Reptile Gardens', though neither of them had any fondness for snakes, and were surprised to find more than slithery serpents. Scully appreciated the colorful parrots and the tropical flowers. Mulder liked the Bewitched Village trained animal show, which included a bell-ringing cow, a dancing chicken, a gun-fighting bunny, and a gold-mining pig. Scully even managed to get Mulder on a horse when she talked him into a trail ride just before sunset. He groaned and complained that he hadn't been on a
horse since he was a kid, and had no desire to get on one now. But in the end, he seemed to enjoy the ride through the pines, as well as Scully's compliment that he looked 'pretty damn good' on a horse.
It was fun and relaxing.
If the days were relaxing, the nights were anything but. Despite the fact that they needed their sleep, it was next to impossible to just sleep while sharing the same bed. One touch, and they both went wild. It was almost like a honeymoon, Scully thought. They couldn't get enough of each other.
Finally, early Monday morning, they checked out of the motel and started driving south. Arizona was their destination, but they were in no hurry to get there. Neither of them discussed why. It was simple: They were together, they were alive. The future was so dark and unsure that they wanted to take advantage of every second of peace they could find. But in the end, they knew they had a job to do.
It was while they were stopping for gas just north of Denver that they had their first scare.
Scully had gone into the convenience store to pay for the gas and grab something to eat when Mulder saw the black sedan pull up. He tensed, but continued to clean the windshield of the truck, keeping his eye on the car. Two men stepped out, one wearing jeans and T-shirt, the other in slacks and a polo shirt. Despite their casual dress, Mulder smelled ‘Fed'.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Scully step out of the store. She looked up, noticed the men, and faltered ever so slightly. 'Stay cool' he told her silently. Without taking her eyes off the men, she continued walking towards Mulder. The older man made eye contact with her. She didn't look away. The man finally did, as if embarrassed, then he and the other one went into the building. Mulder gave a sigh of relief. There had been no recognition on the man's face. Either he wasn't looking for them, or he just never realized that Scully could be a cute blonde when she wanted.
Without a word, they both got in the truck and drove away. Scully swiveled in her seat to watch out the back window. The men never reappeared and their car never moved. She faced front again, taking a deep breath.
They were silent for a long while. Then Scully asked quietly, "Do you think they were looking for us?"
"Everyone's looking for us," Mulder responded. "Don't you watch the news?" Their pictures were still being flashed from time to time, but the press was losing interest; no one would tell them why two FBI agents were missing. Mulder was pretty sure the only people they had to worry about were Federal agents. And whoever else knew about the vaccine. An image of a tall, cigarette-smoking monster came to mind. He was out there somewhere, Mulder was sure of it.
*****
End of Part 1
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