"BRAZIL"
April 5, 1995
By Michele Blankenship  
AKA Phenyx@aol.com



     Fox Mulder just wasn't in the mood for an argument right now.  Scully
would be here any minute, they had a plane to catch in less than an hour. 
He really didn't have time to argue about this trip.  Mulder glanced at the
petite black-haired woman glaring at him.  Christina Grissom was a lovely
girl.  She was vivacious, semi-intelligent and for the past month, Mulder
had been seeing her regularly.  He and Chris had spent a few very
pleasurable and exhausting weekends together.
     As Mulder stuffed his shaving kit into his suitcase, he vaguely
wondered why he had never noticed that Chris had a rather annoying whine.
     "Mulder," she complained.  "We were supposed to spend this weekend
together.  I had made plans and everything."
     "Something came up. I'm sorry." he said over his shoulder.  He did not
have time for this.  He wasn't done packing yet and Scully would be here
any minute.
     "Yeah."  Chris pouted with disgust. "Your *partner* called.  Do you
always pick up and take off just because she asks you to?"
     Mulder looked at the woman as though she had lost her mind. "Of
course."
     "Well, I'm asking you to just stay." she retorted. "You can meet
Scully in Florida on Monday."
     Mulder shook his head as he stuffed an extra pair of shoes into the
case. "I can't do that.  She's my partner.  I have to watch her back."
     "You're watching a lot more than her *back* I'll bet." she muttered
just loud enough for him to hear.
     "Look..." Mulder began.  He was cut off by two quick knocks on his
door.  Mulder knew it was Scully knocking, but he chose to ignore her for a
moment.
     "Look, " he said again. "Don't get an attitude about this, okay?"
     The door suddenly opened as Scully entered the apartment.  Chris
glared at Scully with open contempt.  Scully had used *her* key to open the
door.  Mulder hadn't seen fit to give Chris a key of her own.  
     Scully, noticing the crackle of tension in the air started lamely,
"Oh.  This is bad timing isn't it?"
     Mulder waved at her half-heartedly. "No. Not at all.  I'm almost ready
to go. I need about five minutes."
     Mulder walked to the far side of the room and picked up a blue nylon
jacket and some other odds and ends bound for the suitcase.  
     Chris stood directly behind him and said,  "I'm asking you to stay,
Mulder.  Why is that any different than *her* asking you to go?"
     Scully tried to make herself invisible by pressing herself as far
against the wall as possible.  She tried to sneak out of the apartment but
Mulder stopped her with a look.  
     Mulder then turned on Chris.  *Now* he was angry. 
     "Don't," he warned her, shaking one finger at her. "Don't make me
choose.  I can guarantee that you won't like my answer."  He glared at
Chris.
     "But, I thought... " Chris began, her voice quivering.
     Mulder crammed the jacket and his last few items into the case. "It
doesn't matter *what* you thought." he hissed. " This is the way things
are."   After a moments pause he sighed, burying his anger, then said
calmly, "I have to go."
     Chris stood stubbornly before him and said, "You can't go.  We need to
talk about this."
     Mulder shrugged. "There's nothing else to say." he answered bluntly.
     "Mulder," Chris said finally. "If you go now, *I* won't be coming
back."
     Again Mulder shrugged.  He went over to Chris and tenderly brushed his
fingertips across her lips and said softly, "That's too bad.  It's been a
lot of fun."  
     Mulder suddenly pulled his hand away.  His eyes lost all trace of
warmth or affection.  The tender Mulder was now gone.  In his place stood a
cold, calculating and efficient federal agent.
     Scully blinked from her position against the wall.  Mulder always
startled her when he changed moods so suddenly, even though she had seen it
happen hundreds of times.
     Chris, on the other hand, who knew nothing of Mulder's idiosyncrasies,
was stunned speechless.  She stood in the middle of the room staring at
Mulder in astonishment.
     Mulder scooped up the suitcase and headed for the door.  He called
lazily to Chris over one shoulder, "Be sure you lock up on your way out. 
And don't forget your curling iron."  He flashed a brief, dismissive smile
at her and then he and Scully were in the hall.
     Scully didn't say anything for several minutes.  After they had gotten
into the car and were on their way to the airport, Scully finally said,
"I'm sorry, Mulder."
     "Don't be sorry." he said honestly.  "That had nothing to do with
you."
     "The hell it didn't." Scully retorted.
     Mulder simply shrugged.  "Chris just doesn't understand the
relationship that you and I share."
     Scully smiled, "Don't hold that against her, Mulder.  Sometimes I
don't understand it myself."
     Mulder smiled in return.  With one last shrug,  Mulder promptly
dismissed the entire incident from his mind.
     Scully sat silently, watching Mulder drive.  She knew that Mulder had
just crushed Christina's feelings.  The poor girl was probably crying at
this very moment.  Or- if she was a really spiteful bitch, she could be
tearing Mulder's apartment to shreds right now.  The fact that amazed
Scully was, Mulder didn't care either way.  He had just spent the past
several weeks, intimately involved with the woman.  Despite everything,
deep in his heart, it simply didn't matter to him at all.
     Scully found herself stunned by a startling revelation.  Mulder *used*
women.  Scully had known him to have a handful of short lived sexual
encounters since they had met.  However,  this was the first time Scully
realized that Mulder had never been in the least bit upset or annoyed when
the relationships ended.
     Scully shivered slightly.  Her caring and attentive best-friend was
actually a first class bastard.


     At dusk, four days later, Scully sat near a river in the middle of the
Brazilian rainforest.  She stared hypnotically into the small fire that she
had managed to start.  She was hungry, tired and dirty.  She hugged her
knees to her chest and pulled Mulder's jacket close around her body.  She
remembered the secret thoughts she had harbored toward Mulder during their
flight to Miami and her face burned with shame.
     So much had changed in the last four days.  Four days ago,  Scully had
never dreamed that the case would turn into a political powder keg.  She
and Mulder had found themselves caught between North American politics and
South American drug traders.  Even now, Scully didn't fully understand what
had happened.  
     The series of events had unfolded so rapidly that Scully was no longer
sure how they had managed to wind up in Brazil.  She couldn't recall how
the burly group of criminals had managed to find her and Mulder stowed away
in the hold of their ship.  Four days, Scully thought as she leaned her
head against her knees.  
     Four days ago, Mulder had been alive and well and arguing with
Christina.  Four days ago Scully had been responsible for Mulder losing his
girlfriend.  Nearly two days ago, she had been responsible for his losing
his life.
     Scully pulled the blue jacket she wore up around her face and deeply
inhaled Mulder's still lingering scent.  The physical and emotional
exhaustion of the past few days finally caught up with Scully.  Hot
scalding tears began to run down her cheeks.  Her quiet sobs were lost
amongst the greater sounds of the wildlife around her.  She allowed herself
the luxury of finally mourning Mulder's death.
     *It's not fair* her mind raged.  The drug traders had carted Mulder
and Scully through the jungle from the coast.  Early on, Mulder had made a
teasing remark about being traded as slaves.  However,  the situation
seemed to become exactly that.
     The small band of hoodlums had driven into the forest in a caravan of
three jeeps.  Luckily,  they had seen fit to keep Mulder and Scully
together in the same vehicle.  As the hours, and then days, passed, Mulder
became more nervous.  He and Scully both knew what would happen to *her*
when the group finally reached its destination.  Scully should have seen
disaster coming.
     Mulder had become increasingly protective of her.  Whenever one of
their captors would come too close, Mulder had gotten violent and
threatening.  At one point, Scully had seen his wrists were raw and
bloodied from straining against the ropes that bound them.
     Yesterday afternoon,  the caravan of cars had been bouncing along a
seldom used path.  The lead vehicle had suddenly lurched in a rut in the
dirt.  Everyone heard an unsavory snapping of metal as the jeep broke an
axle.  Scully and Mulder had stood and watched as the other men tried
vainly to get the car back into working order.  Scully remembered thinking
that if their situation wasn't so dire, she would have been able to
properly admire the surrounding landscape.
     The dirt road on which they were traveling had crossed a beautiful
river.  The water churned whitely just before plummeting over a twenty foot
drop.  It was a lovely waterfall.  At the time, Scully had been unable to
appreciate the view.
     Mulder had nudged Scully meaningfully.  She had managed to convince
one of the men that she needed to be untied in order to relieve herself. 
Then Mulder had acted.  He had thrown himself at several of the men and
yelled at her, "Run !"
     Scully did what she was told.  She was halfway to the shelter of the
nearby trees when she heard Mulder's voice behind her.  He grunted in
exertion as he rammed his shoulder into the stomach of one of the larger
men.
     Time seemed to slow down to Scully.  She watched helplessly as one of
the men pulled a knife and plunged it into Mulder's side.  Scully had
screamed.
     She remembered the look of panic on Mulder's face as he glared at her,
"Scully! Run!" he had ordered her again.
     There had been a very loud gunshot.  Mulder's body had been thrown
backward forcefully.  There was a loud splash as Scully watched her
partner's body fall into the churning river.
     Scully had still been screaming when she turned her back on the
vicious scene and fled for her life.
     Scully had run blindly through the forest all night.  When the sun had
risen again,  she began to calm herself enough to think logically.  Panic
would serve no purpose here.  She had to find her way out of the jungle. 
Mulder had given his life so that she could escape.  She would not destroy
his final efforts.
     Scully decided that she would have to find the river again.  She would
follow the river to a road of some kind.  Roads all had to lead somewhere,
eventually she would find her way out of this place.  She had no time for
tears during the day.  Scully had spent the daylight hours trying to find
the river again.  Once she had found the river, she had to find food.  The
hardest part had been trying to start a fire.
     Now that her essential needs for survival had been met,  Scully
allowed herself to grieve.  She sobbed into her arms and rocked herself
back and forth.  She no longer cared what Mulder had ever done in the past.
 It didn't matter who Mulder had angered or how many women he had hurt. 
Dana only knew that Mulder was gone.  Somehow, the world was a less
interesting place without him in it. 
     The sounds of the night around her seemed to whisper Scully's name. 
Her head snapped up and for a reeling moment of deja-vu she expected to see
Mulder sitting across from her just as she had once seen her father.  To
Scully's bitter disappointment,  she found herself alone.  She was truly
alone.  She wept.   She cried for Mulder and she selfishly cried for
herself.  However, there was little comfort in the tears, or in the black
sleep that overcame her hours later.
     The sun was high in the sky as Scully trudged her way along the
river's edge.  Her head hug low, she concentrated on the path directly in
front of her.  Her mind was now blissfully blank.  She heard nothing, saw
nothing, and felt nothing.  The darkness of last night seemed to have
rooted in her soul and she carried it with her through the sun filled
afternoon.
     Finally, Scully stopped her trek at the bottom of a familiar waterfall
and paused to dip her hand into the cool water of the river.  She washed
her hands and face thoroughly.  She sighed and surveyed the area intently. 
She was pretty sure that the men who had been pursuing her had given up by
now.  They probably figured that she was as good as dead herself.  However,
Dana was still wary.
     Scully was just about to stand and begin walking again when a slight
movement caught her eye.  Upon closer inspection, she could see a faint
curl of white smoke coming from a clearing several hundred feet away.
     Scully crept silently toward the small fire.  As she came nearer, she
saw a figure sitting next to the flames.  She looked around her frantically
for something to use as a weapon.  She would simply have to overpower the
man.  Dana needed someone who knew the area in order to get away.  If this
was one of the rogues that had kidnapped her and Mulder, she would make the
bastard wish that he had never lived.
     Scully inched ever closer to the campfire,  brandishing an ugly
looking tree limb as a club.  She glanced furtively around the rest of the
clearing looking for other possible assailants.  Dana was less than twenty
feet away before she recognized the blue denim shirt and brownish hair.
     The club dropped to the ground with a thud.  Mulder flinched and
turned toward the sound as quickly as his aching side would allow.  
     "Scully." he breathed with relief.
     Dana stood gaping at him in astonishment for several seconds.  She
took in his filthy appearance and pale skin.  His hair stood straight up on
top.  His shirt hung awkwardly on one side.  His cotton undershirt was no
longer white.  The shirt was spattered with dirt and grime.  The bottom
portion of the shirt had been torn away to be used as a  bandage across his
side.  Scully could see the not quite red blood staining the makeshift
bandage.
     "Scully?" Mulder whispered again.
     Dana rushed to his side.  She desperately wanted to throw her arms
around him.  Instead, she bowed her head low in order to look at his wound
and to hide the tears that swam in her eyes.
     "Your hurt." she whispered stupidly. "let me look at it."  
     Scully hands shook with emotion as she tried to pull the cotton away
from Mulder's wound.  Mulder backed away from her touch.
     "No, Scully. It's all right.  Just a scratch, really." he gently
pushed her hands away. "Nothing to worry about."
     "Mulder" she frowned. "Let me see that for myself." 
     Mulder sighed when he saw the determined look in her eyes, then
nodded.
     Scully couldn't stop the smile that suddenly lit up her face.  How
many times had the two of them had similar discussions?  How many times had
they argued?  Scully didn't care.  She only knew that she would be able to
argue with her partner again in the future.  So, she smiled.
     However, once she got a good look at Mulder's side, her smile vanished
as quickly as it had come.
     The wound was on Mulder's left side just under his fifth and sixth
ribs, forcing him to lift his arm so that Scully could get a look at him. 
Dana carefully pulled back the top denim shirt and gently touched the skin
around the soiled cotton bandaging the wound.
Mulder flinched slightly.  Scully then tried to remove the bit of cotton. 
He needed a fresh bandage.
     Mulder flinched again as the cotton tugged on the area.  Scully
glanced at him apprehensively when she began to realize how dire the
situation was.  Mulder returned her look with understanding.
     Scully began to carefully pull the ruined piece of cloth from Mulder's
side.  The cotton gripped at the edges of the wound. Scully tried to be as
gentle as possible but she knew she was hurting him.  As more of the
bandage came away, Scully could see bright red edges of flesh tinged with a
yellowing pus.  
     It took Scully several minutes before she could entirely remove the
piece of cotton.  Once she had an unobstructed look at the ragged cut, 
Scully gazed intently at Mulder's face.
     Mulder knew he was badly hurt but he continued to try to shrug it off.
"Is it that bad, Scully?"
     She shook her head slowly, "No, it's worse."
     The knife wound in Mulder's side was no more than an inch deep but a
good five inches long.  The skin was torn more than cut.  The surrounding
skin was an alarming shade of red and was hot to the touch.  The cut itself
was now bleeding freely.  Mulder's blood mingled with the infectious ooze
and began to trail down his side.  Scully was shaking visibly.
     Scully then pulled the shirt away from Mulder's shoulder to reveal the
neat round hole in the skin.  The bullet wound was not a big concern for
Scully.  There was an equally neat and round exit wound on the opposite
side of Mulder's shoulder.  The bullet had passed through the fleshy part
of his arm just above the clavicle.  This wound was not bleeding nor did it
have any of the alarming redness that was present around the knife wound.
     Scully sat Mulder down by the fire and went back to the river for some
water.  She tore her own under shirt into thin strips and began the slow
and painful job of tending to Mulder's wounds.
     As Scully carefully dabbed at Mulder's side, she said quietly, "I
thought they had killed you."
     Mulder thought he had heard her voice waver a bit but he wasn't sure. 
She wouldn't look at him.  Mulder could only stare intently at the back of
her head.  
     Several hours later, the two had climbed the incline and now stood at
the top of the falls.  They found themselves back on the dirt road.  The
ruined jeep was still stranded silently where it had been left but the
other two vehicles were gone.
     Mulder, one arm wrapped tightly around his side, put his back against
the jeep and slid to the ground.  His wound was bleeding slowly, causing a
small red patch to form on the cotton protecting his ribs.
     Scully was worried.  The fact that Mulder was still losing blood was
cause enough for concern.  However, the infection that had set in was going
to be a serious problem.  Scully methodically searched the abandoned
vehicle, hoping to find a first aid kit or some food.  
     When Scully had finished ransacking the jeep,  she set her find on the
ground in front of Mulder.  There was one blanket, a few torn and oily
rags, an empty dented canteen, three very old pieces of gum from the
dashboard,  a tire jack, and an old Bic lighter with about three drops of
fluid visible inside the plastic.
     "Yum." Mulder said dryly. "I love Juicy Fruit."
     Scully frowned at the items.  "Its better than nothing." She replied.
She held up the lighter and grinned. "At least it will be easier to start a
fire." she said enthusiastically.
     Scully began gathering dry wood for a fire.  Mulder tried to make a
ring of stones by pushing rocks of appropriate sizes around with his foot. 
However,  he was forced to stop and rest several times. 
     While Scully carefully fanned the smoldering kindling, she studied
Mulder intently.  Just forming the small circle of stones had exhausted
him.  He now leaned against the jeep, his face pale.  He was looking much
worse.  
     Once the fire was going properly and a hearty supply of fuel was
waiting nearby, Scully went to Mulder and checked his side again.  He was
still bleeding.  Mulder's head was leaning against the side of the jeep and
his eyes were closed.  Dana brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead
and gently pressed her palm against his brow.
     "Mulder?" she patted him softly on one cheek. "Mulder? Answer me." 
After a moment, he stirred and blinked at her.
     "What?" he asked grumpily.
     Scully tried to sound nonchalant, "Mulder, you're running a fever."
     The look in Mulder's eyes told Scully that her partner knew exactly
how desperate the situation was becoming.  Scully could also see
resignation in the depths of her friend's eyes.
     "Damn." Scully whispered to herself.  To Mulder she said with
conviction, "Yesterday, I thought  you were dead.  I didn't like the way it
made me feel.  I am NOT going to lose you again.  Do you understand me?"
     Mulder smiled weakly at her. "Yes, Ma'am."
     Scully went to work.  She would simply have to improvise.  She removed
what was left of both Mulder's as well as her own cotton undershirt.  She
tore the cloth into squares and set it aside.  She crawled under the car
and used the tire iron to remove the jeep's oil pan.
     Scully took the pan to the river and cleaned it as best as she could. 
She filled the pan with as much water as possible and set it over the fire
to boil in the hopes of further sterilizing the container.  As she waited
for the water to heat up,  she redressed Mulder's side again and placed a
cold wet rag on his forehead in the attempt to lower his temperature.
     A plan began to form in Scully's mind.  She knew that Mulder would
need his strength in order to survive this.  How long had they gone without
food, Scully wondered.
She wished that she could catch a couple fish from the river.  However, she
didn't want to leave Mulder.  Dana feared that she would return and find
him dead.
     Scully was forced to pluck whatever small creatures were nearby and
toss them into a pan of river water to boil.  Eventually,  the result was a
thin grey broth.  She dipped the small tin cup from the canteen into the
brew and frowned at the odor rising from the soup.  Scully fanned the cup
for a few minutes in order to cool it.  Then, with a grimace, she tasted
the steaming concoction.  
     Scully made a face at the horrid taste.  With great courage and will
power,  she managed to gulp the entire mixture down.  At first she thought
she would retch it up again but she managed to retain her meal.  She waited
nearly an hour to see if she would have any nasty side effects but, aside
from being incredibly grossed out, she was fine.
     She woke Mulder and offered him a cup of soup.  Dana held his head for
him as he drank.
     "Yuck." he coughed. "What is that stuff?" 
     "Drink it." Scully ordered. "You need the protein."
     Mulder glared at her apprehensively. "What kind of protein?" he asked.
     Dana smiled sweetly. "You *really* don't want to know."
     "Yech. You're trying to poison me." he complained.
     "I am not." Scully grimaced again and groaned, "I already had my
share."
     Mulder frowned at her again but he did as he was told.
     Scully spent the ensuing night watching over Mulder.  She made sure
the fire didn't die and kept cool cloths on Mulder's forehead.  Whenever
possible, she tried to get Mulder to drink more soup.
     Despite continued direct pressure, Mulder's wound continued to bleed
slowly.  By morning, Mulder was wavering in and out of consciousness. 
Scully knew she would need to take drastic measures.  Otherwise, Mulder
wouldn't survive another night.
     Dana rested her head on her knees and tried to find the strength to do
what needed to be done.  She glanced sadly at Mulder's sleeping face and
whispered, "Don't make me do this."  Mulder slept.  He couldn't answer.  
     A single tear trailed down Scully's cheek.  As she began her
preparations,  she silently hoped that she didn't kill Mulder during the
process of trying to save him.
     Mulder woke sometime later.  For several minutes he watched Scully as
she bustled around the camp.  The fire was burning brightly and as Mulder
watched, Scully stirred the coals with a pipe of some sort.  She then used
a stick to pull some triangle shaped white cloth out of the pan of boiling
water that  sat over the fire.
     "Hey." Mulder said.  Scully jumped at the sound of his voice. 
     "You're awake." She commented.
     "What's going on?" Mulder asked her.
     Dana bowed her head so that Mulder couldn't see her face.  She wished
that he had remained unconscious for a while longer.  It would have made
things easier.  Then again,  Mulder never made things easy.
     Scully sighed loudly and sat down next to Mulder.  Gathering her
courage, she looked him right in the eye and said, "You're still bleeding."
     Mulder put one hand on her arm. "You should go for help, Scully."
     She stared at him, "Mulder, I'm not going to leave you out here alone.
 You'll die."
     "Leave me to die or stay here and watch.  Either way, the result is
the same." he said gently.
     "NO." Scully yelled, suddenly angry. "You are not going to die. I wont
LET you."  She was shaking visibly. "We just need to stop the bleeding
that's all."
     "How?" Mulder asked her kindly.  "The infection is only getting worse.
How can you stop it?"
     "I have an idea." she whispered.  Unable to look at Mulder, Scully
reached over to the fire and wrapped a rag around the end of the tire iron
that had been stuck into the flames.  She gently pulled the metal out of
the flames and stared meaningfully at the glowing red steel.
     Scully heard Mulder swallow hard and she knew that he had figured out
her plan.  She put the iron back into the fire and turned to Mulder again. 
Her eyes were filled with tears.
     "I can't think of anything else to do, Mulder.  If I don't do
*something*, you'll die."
     Mulder swallowed again.  He couldn't answer her verbally so he simply
nodded his head.  Scully was planning to cauterize his wound.  She would
burn the infection away and stop the bleeding at the same time.  It was
going to hurt like hell.
     Scully lifted Mulder out of his shirt and began removing his soiled
bandages.  Her hands were shaking visibly.  Mulder scooped both of her
hands up in his and squeezed her reassuringly.
     Dana whispered, "I hate you for making me do this." 
     "I know." Mulder cupped one hand under her cheek and rubbed away a
tear with his thumb. "It'll be okay, Scully."
     "It could kill you." she said softly.
     "That which does not kill me only makes me stronger." Mulder quoted
with a smile.
     Scully sniffed once and wiped the tears from her cheeks.  She washed
the area around Mulder's side as carefully as possible.  She then took one
of the old rags and tied one end around his left wrist.  The other end of
the rag she tied tightly to a tree root, thereby preventing Mulder's arm
from getting in her way.
     Once Dana was sure that everything was ready, she straddled Mulder's
body with her own, placing one knee directly on his chest.  She would have
to hold him down for as long as she could.
     Mulder looked at her silently, waiting.  Scully was deeply affected by
the emotions she saw swimming behind his eyes.  She knew that he was
frightened. She could see the fear in his eyes.  However, she could also
see the faith that he had in her.  As she looked into his deep, trusting
gaze, she knew that those eyes would probably haunt her for many years to
come.
     Dana placed her hand over his eyes in an attempt to calm them both. 
Mulder pulled her hand away from his face.  He then gripped her left
shoulder with his free hand and nodded.
     "I'm sorry, Mulder." Dana whimpered as she pulled the red hot tire
iron from the fire and quickly pressed the metal to his side.
     For a moment, the only sound was the hiss of hot metal on moist flesh.
 Scully welcomed the pain of Mulder fingers as he clawed at her shoulder. 
His entire body tensed and he began to writhe beneath her as his skin
burned.  He gasped.  Then, Mulder began to scream.
     Scully, sobbing uncontrollably, wanted desperately to cover her ears. 
She forced herself to place her entire weight on Mulder's chest as he
wailed.  His body jerked and nearly bucked her aside.  Scully held the
burning metal in place for an agonizingly long five seconds.  She counted
the seconds aloud as the putrid smell of burnt flesh rose in the air.
     Scully finally tossed the tire iron aside.  Mulder's body shivered
with relief.  He moaned and lost consciousness as Dana quickly covered the
burn with the soft fabric that Mulder had seen her pull from the boiling
water earlier.  She had run out of cotton from the undershirts.  This cloth
was made of the finer, softer silk from her panties.  This softer bandage
wouldn't aggravate the burn as much as the coarser fabric would have so,
she had torn the garment in two and sterilized it in boiling water.
     Scully cried openly as she wrapped Mulder's wound quickly and gently
put his shirt back on.  She then took the spare tire from the jeep and
kicked it under Mulder's feet in order to elevate his legs.  Dana could see
the grayness of shock creeping into Mulder's face.
     Dana threw several more branches on the fire before she knelt to check
Mulder's vital signs.  His skin was clammy and cold, despite the fact that
he was sweating profusely. His pulse was thready and irregular but he was
breathing. 
     Mulder was definately in shock.  All Scully could do for him was to
keep him warm.  She removed her own shirt and pillowed it beneath Mulder's
head.  Dana then crawled next to Mulder, pulling him against her body for
warmth.  She pulled the blanket up tightly around his chin and began to
stroke her hand through his hair.  He felt so cold against her skin, like a
block of ice.  Dana began to murmur nonsense to him in the hopes that he
could hear her.
     When the sun began to set hours later and Mulder's body began to
shiver,  Dana prayed to a God she wasn't sure existed.  She promised many
things and swore many oaths.  After a time she started repeating half
remembered prayers from her old catechism classes.   Tears of fear and
worry still rolled down her cheeks as exhaustion overcame her and she fell
asleep, clutching Mulder's unmoving form in her arms.  

     Mulder was only half aware of his surroundings.  He registered vague
surprise at the fact that he was actually alive.  He knew he was alive
simply because he hurt.  Every inch of his body ached.  His scorched side
screamed at him.  The rest of his body just moaned. Mulder could hear birds
and insects chirping.
     *We are in the forest* he thought to himself.  He tried to open his
eyes but failed.  Even his eyelids hurt.
     As Mulder struggled toward consciousness,  he became aware of a warm
softness beneath his cheek.  He could hear a deep far away sound of
thunder.  When Mulder finally managed to open his eyes, he realized that
the thunder he heard was in actuality a heartbeat.
     Mulder found himself tightly curled around Scully's sleeping body. 
Her arms were wrapped around him tenderly.  Mulder's head was pillowed on
Dana's breasts.  The only thing separating them was the thin cotton-nylon
blend of her brassiere.
     Mulder's first thought was to flinch away from her, before she woke
and discovered the embarrassing situation.  However,  Mulder could barely
move, let alone flinch.  His next thought was, *this is nice*.  He quickly
discovered that he didn't *want* to move, therefore he wasn't going to try
and do so.
     Mulder sighed and closed his eyes again, relishing the softness of
Dana's skin.  He listened to the rhythmic pounding of her heartbeat as he
drifted into a blissful sleep.
     Dana woke some time later.  She held her breath and pulled Mulder
close.  She sighed with relief when she felt his strong, regular
exhalations against her neck.  Scully placed her palm against Mulder's brow
to feel his relatively normal temperature.  His skin was still a little too
warm but Mulder's fever was now only a mild one.
     Scully was torn between the need to get up and check Mulder's wound
and the desire to let him rest a bit longer.  Finally, Mulder made the
decision for her.  Dana became aware of slight tickling feeling on her
skin. A moment later, she realized the feeling was caused by Mulder's
eyelashes brushing against her breast.
     "Mulder?" Dana whispered.
     After several seconds he answered, "Hmm?"
     "Are you awake?" 
     There was another long pause. "Umm... no?"
     Scully smiled. "I should check your side again." Dana shifted her
weight as she began to get up.
     Mulder groaned.  "Oh... don't move! "
     "What? " Scully asked with sudden concern.
     "It hurts." he complained.
     Scully stroked his hair in a very motherly fashion. "Where does it
hurt?" she asked.
     "Everywhere." he moaned. "Just don't move."
     Dana obliged him for several minutes.  The two of them lay together in
silence.
     Mulder moved slightly in order to snuggle closer to Scully.  She could
feel his grin rather than see it.  His body shook gently with an unheard
chuckle.
     "What?" Dana asked.
     "It was worth it, you know." he replied.  Scully frowned in confusion.
He continued, "Second or third degree burns are a small price to pay for
waking up in heaven."  He brushed his fingertips across her bare skin in
elaboration.
     "Fine." Scully said with a smile.  Pretending offense, she firmly
placed her hands against Mulder's chest and shoved him off of her.  
"Welcome back to Earth." she added as he rolled away with a loud groan.
     Scully smiled as she briefly shook out her wrinkled shirt and slipped
it back onto her shoulders.  Mulder lay on his back watching her, a happy
grin on his face.
     Scully then knelt beside Mulder to check his wound.  As she lifted his
arm, he gasped slightly.
     "Does the burn hurt that much?" Dana asked gently.
     Mulder shook his head. "I'm not sure.  Every muscle in my body aches."
he complained.
     Dana smiled tenderly at him.  "You were in shock." she explained. "You
spent half the night shivering. That's why you're so sore."  As she spoke,
Scully firmly massaged the muscles in his arm and shoulder.  
     After a few minutes,  Mulder could move his arm more easily.  Scully
gently removed the bandages from his side and inspected the area.  The
burned skin was charred black in a two inch wide strip.  The ragged cut
that had been there the day before was no longer visible.  The surrounding
skin had changed color from bright red to a pale white.  Other tell-tales
signs of infection had also disappeared.  
     Scully swallowed hard.  Despite the improved condition of the
infection, she knew that Mulder would need a skin graft over the area once
they got to a hospital.  Even then, the resulting scar was going to be
horrible.  Tears filled her eyes again as she thought to herself, *you did
this to him*.
     Mulder couldn't see Dana's face or the tear that trickled down her
cheek.  When Scully sniffed quietly, he used one hand to tilt her chin up. 
He brushed the solitary tear away with his fingertips.
     "What wrong, Scully?" he asked gently.
     "It must really hurt." she whispered.
     Mulder shook his head convincingly, "No.  Not much."
     Scully looked at him with sad eyes. "Liar."
     Mulder feigned shock, "I never lie !" he protested.  "I'm simply
downplaying the true extremity of the facts in order to preserve the
emotional well-being of a friend."
     Dana smiled.  After covering Mulder's side again, she wiped her eyes
on her sleeve and said, "I should try to rig something and catch some
fish."
     Mulder smiled back.  "I'm not hungry.  It can wait."  Scully looked at
him, puzzled. "You're exhausted, Scully." He continued. "You should just
try to get a little more sleep."
     "You're the one who's hurt, Mulder.  Stop trying to mother me." 
Scully scolded.
     Mulder shrugged. "Old habits, you know?"  With one hand he patted the
ground beside him, indicating where she should rest.
     For a moment Scully stood watching him and thinking.  They still had a
long way to go before they would be truly safe.  Mulder was still weak. 
Scully was now quite sure that he would recover but he wasn't up to the
long hike out of the forest.  He would need a few days to rest and regain
his strength.  They were in no hurry.
     Scully was, admittedly, still very tired.  She curled up on the ground
next to Mulder and rested her head on his chest, carefully avoiding the
tender area.  Mulder put his right arm around her shoulders.  His left arm
he held close to is body to protect his sore ribs.
     After several long minutes of silence, Scully said, "It was one of the
hardest things I've ever done."
     Mulder knew she was referring to the *treatment* she had given him the
day before.  He caressed her shoulder reassuringly.
     "I know it was hard, but you saved my life." he said.  "I'm afraid
that I could never have done the same thing for you."
     Scully looked up at him with questioning eyes.
     Mulder swallowed and went on. "I could never purposely hurt you in any
way."
     Dana felt tears of guilt welling up in her eyes again. "Gee, thanks."
     "No... I mean, you're stronger than I am." He hugged her tightly.  "If
our places had been reversed, you would have died. Because, I'm not strong
enough.  I would never have been able to watch you suffer."
     There was a pause so long that Scully began to think Mulder must had
fallen asleep again.  
     As Scully felt herself drifting off, she heard Mulder's voice harsh
with emotion say, "It takes a great deal of courage to do what you did... 
"
     Dana smiled.  She knew what Mulder was trying to say to her.  He
couldn't say the actual words, but Scully understood the underlying
meaning.  She hugged her partner tightly and eventually fell into a deep
and peaceful sleep.


END.