Title: Bohdi Walk (4/4)
Author: BethLynn (BethLynn@aol.com)
Disclaimer: See (1/4)

RHYTHM

Jessie sat with a journal on her lap. This was her third
time through them and she was catching the rhythm of the
words. Events were becoming clear.

Mulder rubbed his hand along his jaw wishing for a shave.
*Breakfast would be nice too,* he thought, running a hand
down his washboard stomach. He heard a whistle from behind
him and turned in time to catch an apple Scully lobbed at
him.

"I want some real food, Scully." He looked at the apple with
slight distaste. It looked nothing like the bacon and eggs
he was envisioning.

Scully approached him brushing her hair. She reached out and
snagged the apple back, taking a bite.

"It was your idea to camp, Mulder," she justified around a
mouthful of fruit.

Mulder frowned at her as she licked juice from her lips. A
soft growl pushed past his lips and he went to sit down next
to Jessie. *Time for a huddle.* He picked up a journal and
waited for Scully to join them on the sand.

Scully looked after her partner curiously and followed him.
She wiped at her mouth with petite fingers and sat down.

"Any ideas what that sound could have been, Jess?" Mulder
was frustrated. They seemed to be accomplishing little
toward solving this case. He had ideas, but no evidence to
support them. It was also becoming difficult to work with
Scully and keep his thoughts to himself.

"I heard chanting when I first entered the valley, Agent
Mulder. It was familiar. It wasn't the song that we were
singing on the platform though." Jessie shook her head and
started to speak again, but stuttered to a stop. Agent
Mulder was staring at her again.

"Jess, you didn't tell us you were singing on the platform.
Were you singing when the twins disappeared?" Mulder flipped
absentmindedly through a journal, his gaze never leaving
Jessie. His tone was precise. Inarguably professional.

Jessie squirmed. It did not occur to her that the actuality
of singing had anything to do with the twins disappearance.
She was hopeful the teaching songs would provide some
insight into events. She had not realized they might be an
active part of occurrences.

"Yeah, we were singing. It was the `Path' song." She closed
her eyes, preparing to review events before Troy and Jeff's
disappearance.

Mulder reached to touch her arm. He needed more. If they
were working with transmitters and frequencies, then the
song could be a catalyst.

"The path song, Jessie?" Scully's soft voice prodded her,
questioning.

Jessie felt for the words.

"Grandfather taught us chants as we hiked the Crest Trail.
He drilled us. There were many. They're written in the
journals." She sighed and shifted on the sand. "I learned
them, but they never really had any meaning. Troy was the
one who listened. He said they were important, but he didn't
say why." She frowned in thought.

"When grandfather was murdered. . . ."

Mulder raised his brows at the use of the word `murdered'
and glanced sideways at Scully. She gave a wide-eyed little
shrug and turned back to Jessie.

". . . we were separated. We lost touch of each other for
awhile." She played with the ends of her hair, tying it in
knots.

"I remember humming the `Path' song - that's the name of it
actually. It was learned on the trail, but it is also called
the `Path' song. Anyway, I was humming it, but didn't
remember the words right away. Troy and Jeff were singing it
and I was just ready to join in when they vanished." A tear
fell and she swiped at it with the ends of her hair.

"Jess." Scully leaned forward to pat her arm. She waited
until Jessie looked at her. "I'm sorry. I know this is
painful. But remember - we don't know that your cousins are
dead. They may be alive. Hold onto that."

Mulder nodded and bit the inside of his cheek. Confirmation
of the existence of the transmitter was tantamount.

"Jess, we need the words to that song. I believe the tune is
significant, also."

"Mulder what about the sound at the platform?" Scully asked.
She watched Mulder purse his lips in concentration, and
prayed they would have answers soon. She wanted to pull that
pouty lower-lip between hers and . . . . She rolled her eyes
in self-reproach.

"I have a theory Scully." He watched her roll her eyes.
"Excuse us, Jessie. I need to speak to my partner for a
moment." He grabbed Scully by the arm and led her away.

Scully let Mulder drag her from the camp-site, across the
sand to the Bohdi-stone. She was confused by his rough
handling. Her gaze met his in concern.

"Scully, I have apologized for this morning. Don't you think
it's time for you to get over it?" Mulder spoke in a low
urgent voice. He depended on the cooperation of his partner,
as far as providing a united insoluble presence as
government officers. It was unprofessional for her to
ridicule him in front of others.

"Mulder, what are you talking about?" Scully was taken-
aback. He was using his mouth-full-of-marbles voice. It was
a low insistent tone he adopted when she inadvertently
annoyed him.

"This," he said. He deliberately and elaborately rolled his
eyes, complementing it with a slight shoulder roll.

Scully scowled.

"Mulder, what in the hell are you talking about?" She was
fast losing patience. "You need to elaborate. I don't
understand this." She rolled her eyes and shoulders back at
him.

Mulder felt his control slipping. She was deliberately
misunderstanding him. He took a deep breath, and froze.

Scully watched Mulder take a deep breath and felt the
distinct urge to knock it out of him. Her hands fisted
unconsciously.

*Scully, don't move.* Mulder's voice reverberated through
her mind with just the right amount of urgency. She froze.

*Rattler.* Mulder followed the snakes movement with his
eyes. It slithered past behind Scully and moved sleekly on
toward the water.

*Scully, that snake just went swimming,* he thought in awe.
He watched the snake glide across the surface of the water
and alight on the opposite shore.

"Mulder," Scully whispered. "Can I move now?" She waited.

"What?" He turned back to his partner. "Oh, yeah. Um, yeah.
It's gone. It went. . . ." He pointed over his shoulder.
"Where were we?"

"I was about to knock you flat, because your irritating me,
and, . . . snakes." Scully gave him a little push and yelled
`come-on' over her shoulder. She paced rapidly around the
Bohdi-stone peering at the face of the rock. She paused here
and there bending to look beneath it.

Mulder followed behind her appreciating the view
occasionally, but generally at a loss for what they were
doing. *Scully, what are you doing?*

"Snakes, Mulder. Snakes!" She pushed aside some scrub-oak,
peering behind it.

"You're looking for snakes?" The moment he said the word
`looking' in conjunction with `snakes' he understood what
she was hunting for. The Bohdi-stone was the only place they
had not searched. They avoided the area because of the
snakes. `Transmitter', he mouthed.

ANSWERS

They found it. Mulder boosted Scully on top of the stone and
pulled himself up. It was embedded in the rock and
apparently impervious to the weather. Small and barely
noticeable, it seemed incapable of the performing the duties
they theorized. But, there it was. Proof.

"No. We'll destroy it if we try to move it. We don't have
any tools." Mulder slid down the side of the Bohdi-stone and
wiped his hands on the rear of his jeans.

Scully watched him bend forward at the waist stretching, and
winced as his back cracked. She was leaning against the side
of the rock, arms crossed, head reclining against its rough
surface. Jessie was still at the camp-site, immersed in
journals.

"Mulder, you were going to share your theory regarding the
sound on the platform." She moved to stand behind him when
he plopped to the ground. "No, sit up," she urged. She
brought her hands to the sides of his head and pressed on
the muscles of his neck. He groaned.

"Um, yea," he moaned. Scully was kneading the muscles at the
back of his neck and lower jaw. Incoherent bliss was
approaching.

*I was stalled on a highway one morning. It was fairly
deserted and I had to wait for assistance. I was leaning on
the back of the car watching a vehicle approach. It was far
in the distance, but I could see it because the highway
sloped over flat land for a span. I could hear it come
closer. The sound of it vibrated. It - the sound - did this
two steps forward, one step back, advance. It was gaining
volume, consistent in its inconsistency. As the car passed
me, the sound seemed to explode into the air as if breaking
through a barrier. It then faded rhythmically away." Mulder
panted as Scully worked a knot from the back of his neck.

"From the description you and Jess gave of the sound, I
would have to say someone, or thing, was passing through."
Scully was digging into his shoulders now, her breath
wafting in his ear. He groaned again. Incoherence arrived.

PATH

"Here it is!" Jessie loped toward them with a journal in her
hands. "The words to the song the guys and I were singing."

Scully stepped away from Mulder, hands raised.

Jessie dropped the journal in Scully's arms and extended a
hand to help Mulder up.

Mulder grabbed her hand automatically, and felt himself
pulled up by a surprisingly strong grip. He was reluctant to
let go of her hand, because once again, a feeling of
recognition set in.

Scully scrutinized the pages before her, nodding her head to
an imaginary beat. The song talked about the middle-path.
She was sure she had read through this before without
noticing the significance of the phrases.

"This is it, Mulder." Scully noticed Mulder's gaze
transfixed on Jessie and wondered what was so absorbing.
Jessie was obviously feeling ill-at-ease. Scully gave him a
little nudge and glared at him.

"The song?" she reminded him. "This is it." She thrust the
pages into his hands and pulled Jessie away toward the
platform.

*How does the tune go, Jess?* Mulder followed them up onto
the boulder.

Jessie felt fear seeping into her heart. This is where she
was five days ago, with two people and a song. She hesitated
before apprehensively humming the tune.

Scully felt a chill race up her spine and she clenched her
jaw against the urge to join in. Mulder was staring at the
pages of the journal, mouthing the words as Jessie hummed.
She reached over and clapped a hand over his mouth, shaking
her head no.

He stared at his partner in surprise. He tried to talk to
her, but she shook her head again and clamped her hand
tighter over his mouth.

*Scully, I can't breathe with your hand over my mouth.* He
tried to get away from her. His hands were full of journal
and he could not pull her hand away.

"Mulder, don't sing," she scolded. She followed him as he
backed away from her hand.

*Scully, I don't breathe through my nose. You're suffocating
me.* He briefly remembered Clyde Bruckman's prediction that
he would die of auto-erotic asphyxiation and wondered if
this could be it. He grinned idiotically beneath Scully's
hand and snuffled air through his nose in aborted laughter.

Scully glared at him and gingerly removed her hand from his
mouth. He was grinning, the fool. She wanted to remind him
about the correlation between singing the `path' song and
vanishing. She was sidetracked by the music in her mind.

Mulder felt the smile drop from his face as he watched his
partner's eyes widen in obvious fear.

Jessie and Scully looked at each other and started backing
away from the center of the platform. Scully grabbed
Mulder's arm as she passed.

The sound grew and Scully once more pulled Mulder over the
edge of the boulder and into the water below.

TROY

Mulder surfaced blowing the breath from his lungs. This is
getting old, he thought. He swam for shore.

Scully stroked swiftly toward the platform calling Jessie.
Warm thoughts enveloped her mind.

Troy was back. Jessie launched herself at her cousin. He
caught her in a bear-hug and sank to the floor of the
boulder. A sob rose from his stomach and escaped in the
sound of Jessie's name.

Mulder stared at the man. He was haggard in appearance. The
clothing he wore was filthy and there appeared to be a
bullet hole through one shoulder. His right hand was
bandaged and there was a bruise over one eye. He rocked
gently, whispering to Jessie.

"Troy?" he queried. The man stared at him with tired eyes
and nodded.

Scully grabbed ahold of Mulder's wet shirt-tail and hauled
herself the rest of the way up the side of the boulder. She
paused when she saw the man holding Jessie in his arms. The
family resemblance was unmistakable. Training took over and
she moved closer to him in order to look at his wounds. He
flinched away, and Jessie grabbed him.

*Troy, it's okay.* She petted his forearms and he relaxed.
*This is Agent Scully. The man is Agent Mulder. They're with
the F.B.I. They've been trying to help me find you.*

Fleeting expressions passed over Jessie's face and Mulder
knew she was talking with her cousin. Scully crouched next
to Troy and he let her take a perfunctory look at his
wounds.

"We're leaving Jess," Troy announced gravely. He stood and
glanced dismissively at the agents.

"Yeah, Troy. Let's get you down the mountain. You need to
see a doctor." Jessie tried to move him toward the steps at
the back of the boulder. He would not budge.

"Jess, we're going back the way I just came," he stated
resolutely.

"Agents thanks for helping Jessie, but we're through here."
He inclined his head toward Mulder. "You should leave also.
Company is coming."

*What do you mean?* Scully glared at him, torn between
concern and irritation. They just spent three days looking
for him and his brother, not knowing if they were alive or
dead, and he thought he was just going to leave without any
explanation.

Troy's gaze focused on Scully as her thoughts reached him.
He glanced at Jessie and cocked an eyebrow briefly in
question.

*Well-well, Agent Scully. How long have you had an implant?*
He stared at her calmly. His interest was heartfelt.

Scully decided to continue the conversation out-loud. She
stepped closer to Mulder and grabbed for his hand.

"I've had an implant for almost four years. Why?" She was
uncomfortable with the topic of conversation and gripped
Mulder's hand tightly. Events seemed to have slipped hugely
beyond their experience.

Mulder squeezed Scully's hand, and looked down at her. He
leaned into her and nudged her with his elbow. Blue eyes met
his and he stared at her calmly. Unspoken webs of
reassurance passed between them, binding them together in
belief.

Troy felt time slow as he watched the agents bolster each
other with some form of alliance he could only guess at. The
end was nearing. There must be something he could give them.

"Ah, a recent abductee. You don't have the `Rip-tide'
implant then." He shook his head slightly. "Too bad."

"What are you talking about. What is a `Rip-tide' implant?"
A sense of urgency was beginning to creep up on Mulder. If
he was not mistaken, he heard the sound of chopper blades -
barely. He needed as much information from portal-man as he
could get.

"A `Rip-tide' implant. A push-me-pull-me. It pushes you and
pulls you through the middle-path. The place between here
and there." Troy rubbed the heals of his hands over his
eyes. "Agents I've been awake for several days. I've been
around the world and back through these pathways. I've
learned more than I ever wanted to know about our government
and their operations." He winced as Jessie poked at the
bullet wound on his shoulder. He caught her hand and gave a
negative shake of his head.

"I can even guess that you are more involved than you
appear, or want to be. The fact that Agent Scully has an
implant tells me that your involvement is involuntary, or
motivated by a search for the truth." He felt a wave of
incoherent affirmation from Agent Scully.

"Sorry I can't stay and talk dope with you, but I don't
intend to die. I came to get Jess. We're outta here." Troy
pulled Jessie close wrapping both arms about her.

"Where are you going?" Scully asked. She was not ready for
this big man to leave. She was certain he had some answers
she and her partner were searching for.

"Someplace safe. I've made some friends in high places." He
inclined his head toward the sky. Jessie tugged at his chin.

"Troy, where's Jeff?" Jessie blinked as tears welled in her
cousins eyes. Hysteria bubbled in her throat.

"He didn't make it Jess. They killed him." Troy choked back
a sob and passed a hand over his eyes. He could hear the
helicopters now. It was past time to go. "Agents, time for
you to `live'."

*Run!* His shout reverberated through Scully's head and she
reflexively turned toward the trail.

Troy began to chant, his tone of voice encouraging Jessie to
join him. He paused and lunged for Scully before she could
leave the platform. He caught her hand and gave it a
squeeze.

*I'll be seeing you.* He gave her a weary grin, and resumed
his chant.

The sound of helicopter blades vibrated through the valley.
Mulder ran. He snagged Scully's hand in passing, dragging
her behind him down the Crest Trail.

They ran until a massive shock-wave knocked them to the
floor of the trail. Mulder rolled onto his back and looked
behind.

Black smoke billowed into the sky.

OFFICE

J Edgar Hoover Federal Building
Washington D.C.
Morning

Mulder closed the file in front of him. He kicked himself
back from the edge of his desk and propped his feet on top.
He watched Scully enter their office.

She was wearing a slim black suit. Her red hair cupped her
face. Big blue eyes twinkled at him. Moist full lips parted
in greeting. He grinned.

*I want you,* he thought.

Scully felt it was too early in the day for Mulder to be
looking so mischievous. She crossed the room and sat down.
The desk stood between them. She assumed he spent the night
at the office. His clothing was wrinkled and askew. He ran
his hands through his hair, apparently trying to bring some
order to the hedge-hog style he was wearing at the moment.

"Hey, Scully. Did Jessie Verdi remind you of anyone?" Mulder
frowned slightly. "She seemed familiar to me."

Scully stared at his long-lanky body, the dark hair, and the
hazel eyes that, at the moment, appeared green. She pursed
her lips and shook her head.

"She was easy to know, Mulder." She reached into her pocket
and handed Mulder a vial.

Mulder looked at the object she handed him. It was small,
cylindrical, and very familiar. It resembled the container
that carried Scully's implant.

"What is this?" he queried. He sat forward unscrewing the
cap.

"Troy palmed that to me as we parted." Scully leaned forward
and turned the vial in Mulder's hand. "Read it." She
gestured toward a small label on the side.

Mulder slipped his glasses on and peered at the side of the
container. He paused. He glanced up and met Scully's blue
gaze, yearning suffusing his features.

"Jeff's Rip-tide."

END

End (4/4)

Please e-mail feedback to BethLynn at bethlynn@aol.com.
Thank-you.