Aliens in the Architecture Time Line: Takes place after Never Again and before Gethsemane. The characters belong to Fox, Chris Carter, etc..... not me. Classification: X, A, UST Spoilers: for Never Again, Memento Mori and Small Potatoes Rated: PG Summery: A trip to the forest brings with it an uninvited guest and a long overdue conversation. I would really love some feed back. Please send to Exduck@llano.net or Eeees@aol.com Note: I have put together a picture (JPG) to go with this story. If you would like to see it either Visit my X-File Page: www.llano.net/~exduck/x.htm (look under "Story Pix") or I would be happy to e-mail you a copy. Aliens in the Architecture By E.Livingstone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She was cold and alone. The one she had trusted... the one she had depended on, was dead. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would join him. This wasn't how it was supposed to end, not here... not like this. In the distance she heard a noise, it was getting louder. Through the cracked window she could see nothing but darkness, but as a light flashed across the sky she saw the stranger approaching and knew she only had one chance left. It was theoretical at best, but she had nothing left to lose and only one chance to survive. Earlier that night ``````````````````````` Dana Scully was drenched from head to toe and had come to realize she was not going to be getting warm or dry any time soon. As she made her way through the dense foliage of the forest that surrounded her, she pushed the wet hair away from her face and silently cursed her overzealous partner. The same partner who had insisted she come out here with him to chase a lead, then promptly ran off ahead, leaving her to make her way through the pouring rain alone. "What am I doing out here? " She spoke aloud, to no one in particular. "Saturday night...normal people would be out on a date... dinner... dancing... but am I out on a date? Noooo... I'm running around in the woods, because some nut job says he saw little green men. No, sorry... little gray men. And my partner, who's a bit of a nut job himself, considers this sort of thing to be a good time!" She yelled the last to of her tirade into the darkness. She was pretty sure he and the other man they had come with were out of ear shot, but somehow yelling at him made her feel a little better. She flinched slightly as a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed quickly by thunder. "You've got to get yourself a life Dana." She told herself, as she tried to step over a fallen log, but the slick mud at her feet caused her to stumble. Catching herself, by grabbing the nearest tree, she managed to stay on her feet, but lost her flashlight in the process. As the light stuck into the mud at her feet, the forest that surrounded her was cast into darkness. "Son of a... " She started, as she kneeled down and groped blindly for her flashlight. Just as she found it she heard a noise and worked desperately to wipe the mud off the light so she could see who... or what, it was. "Loose something?" The voice asked, startling her. She jumped back, losing her balance and falling backwards into the mud, still holding the light in her hand. "God, Mulder, are you trying to give me a heart attack? What's wrong, pneumonia not good enough for you?" "Is it just me or is there some hostility in your tone, Scully?" She just looked up at him, "Hostile... why should I be hostile? Just because it's the middle of the night, I'm in the middle of some god forsaken forest and now I'm covered in mud." "Well look on the bright side, as soon as you stand up the rain will wash the mud off." Even in the small amount of light her flashlight was giving off she could see the smile on his face and as much as she wanted to be angry at him she couldn't. He was like a kid on Halloween. "You really want more of a life than this Scully?" He asked as he took a seat on the fallen log she had attempted to climb over. He held out a hand to help her up. He had obviously heard her ranting and she cringed a little as she took his hand. "This is a life?" She asked, tried wiping the mud from her clothes. "Come on Scully... you're not the type that needs all that wining and dining..." "Excuse me?" She asked, taking a seat next to him. "Since when have you ever known what I needed?" Mulder was silent for a moment before asking, "Did he know?" The question hung there. She knew exactly what and who he was referring, but was still surprised by it. "Mulder..." She started, breaking the silence "It's a simple question, Scully... you say I don't know what you need. I'm just wondering if he did?" "You want to do this now?" She asked, trying to not get angry. "It's been over a month since that night... you haven't brought it up once ... but here, deep in the forest, in the middle of a rainstorm... now you want to talk." He looked down at his feet, "You didn't answer my question." "Ok... you want to talk... fine, let's talk. Did he know what I needed..." She paused for a second, thinking, " yes... I suppose he did. " "So he wasn't just another pretty face?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood, but it wasn't working. There had been plenty of reasons why he had not talked about that night... the night he had busted in his partner's door to find her in the arms of another man. The fact that the other man had been his doppleganger didn't matter much. He didn't know what had happened up to that point and she had not offered the information. A part of him wanted to know, the part that was intrigued... even flattered with the fact that she thought she was with him, that she would let him be the one to be touching her. But mostly he was reminded that she was with another man.... that man was the one romancing her...the one touching her.... the one... Mulder tried to push the images away, the truth was that he didn't know what did or didn't happen, but for whatever reason he had to know, here and now. How far had that man gotten using his identity? But mostly he had to know how she could have not know it wasn't him. "You really thought it was me?" "You think I would let Eddie VanBlunht...." "What... let Eddie VanBlunht what?" "God Mulder, what is this... is it jealousy?" "I... I don't know what this is Scully..." He answered honestly, keeping his eyes averted. "It just seems like after all of this time... all that we have been through together... how could you have believed it was me... how could you not have known?" "Well, he did have your face, Mulder." She answered, somewhat defensively, but knowing it wasn't that simple. "You've been looking at this face for about four years now Scully. When is the last time we split a bottle of wine.... listened to soft music in front of a roaring fire..." He turned, looking into her eyes and continued softly, "when is the last time I kissed you?" She broke eye contact, trying to look away, but not before a flash of lightning illuminated her face, showing him how his words had affected her. "Did he kiss you, Scully?" He asked softly, needing to know. "Did you let him kiss you?" "Does it matter?" She asked, not really sure why she just didn't tell him. "Yes... it matters to me." "Why... why does it matter? He wasn't you." "But you thought it was... you've spent four years with me, as my partner... but one day with Eddie 'friggen' VanBlunht and your ready to change everything between us, for him... I mean, me... I mean... you know what I mean." Getting flustered, he stopped and stood up, before facing her and continuing. "Just tell me Scully, why... if we looked so much alike, why did you see us so differently?" She looked down at her feet, wishing he hadn't asked that question... knowing the answer would hurt him. "You don't want to hear this, Mulder." "Yes I do..." he urged her, as he knelt down in front of her, continuing softly, " talk to me, Scully." "He was... I don't know... attentive." "That's it... attentive? That was his big move?" "A girl likes to have a little attention paid to her once in a while, Mulder." "I pay attention to you..." "...once in a while." She finished, with a slight smile. "But, I do have to admit you've been more attentive that usual lately." She stood and moved away from him before adding," It's just too bad it took a terminal illness to get your attention." "That's not fair..." He started , as he stood back up. "No, Mulder.... no, it isn't fair." She interrupted, with a mixture of anger and sadness in her voice as she turned to look at him. But one look at the guilt and sorrow in his eyes softened her. "I'm sorry...." "Why?'" He asked quietly, "You meant it, didn't you?" "Yes... but I'm still sorry." She pushed a strand of wet hair behind her ear and tried to look at him, only to find she couldn't quite bring herself to look into his eyes. "The fact is Mulder, that I am dying... and it's hard enough living with 'what ifs', but to be leaving this life with regrets... " she paused, hoping she was making sense to him. " Last month my partner... my best friend, came over to my apartment for no other reason than the simple fact that he wanted to be with me... to talk... to listen, and for the first time in four years it was just us. I wasn't competing for his attention with aliens, mutants and God knows what else... he was really there with me... just me." She gave him a second to let her words sink in before continuing. "I suppose I should have been tipped off when he started actually looking at me like I was a woman." She smiled slightly, as she tried to decipher the expression that crossed his face, " I don't know Mulder, maybe it was curiosity... a fear of never knowing what might have been... maybe I saw what I wanted to, but that night between a bottle of wine and some soft music, my ' what if ' was staring me in the face. And in that moment... yes, I was willing to change the dynamics of our relationship for him... for you." He stepped up to her, lightly touching her face and bringing her eyes up to meet his, before asking, "And now?" He brushed his thumb across her wet cheek and felt her tense slightly. "Mulder..." It came out in a raspy tone, "if this is some kind of competition between..." "We alone here, Scully...it's just the two of us... and believe me, you have my complete attention." He moved closer, their bodies slightly touching. With his face close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cold skin, he whispered softly, " Let's talk about ' what ifs '. " Her resolve was weakening fast, as her gaze fell to his mouth. But as a voice cut through the darkness calling their names, urging them to hurry... that he had found something, Mulder turned away from her and she could see it was taking everything in him to not run through the darkness to answer the man's call. "Just you and me... huh, Mulder?" She said quietly, as she stepped away from his touch and picked her pack up off the fallen tree. "Scully... I.." "Go... " "But..." "Let's go, Mulder..." She pushed past him as she spoke. "This is why we're here, right?" She didn't give him a chance to answer, not that he had an answer to give her. Grabbing his pack he hurried to catch her as she made her way to the voice that was calling their names. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Wills was still yelling for the two FBI agents that he had gone to the forest with that night. There had been no answer and he was getting restless. He had found what he had spent the better part of his life looking for and wasn't about to wait any longer to investigate it, just because Mulder and Scully had run off. Deciding to start without them, he moved cautiously through the jumble of strange twisted metal that was spread out before him. Suddenly a bluish light appeared from inside one of the bigger pieces. The glowing became stronger and Mark moved to stand beside it, leaning over to look inside of what looked like a tinted window. The crack that ran through the window seamed to be widening, focusing the glow from inside into a thin band of blue light, escaping from the wreckage. Fascinated, Mark moved his hand into the light. His eyes widened, feeling the strange sensation that the light caused against his palm. But as he tried to pull his hand back the light became hot and as much as he tried, he was unable to pull away from it. Starting to panic he closed his eyes against the pain and tried to scream for help, but the sound never made it to his lips. He felt his whole body becoming slowly paralyzed as the light moved up his arm and into his chest. He watched in horror, unable to move or even scream for help, as the crack widened until the window shattered completely. The glowing from inside shot out in one blinding beam of light, enveloping and then lifting him completely off the ground. He hovered there a few feet above the wreckage, as the light that surrounded him slowly pushed its way into his skin. As the look of terror gradually left his eyes, the light from inside the wreckage blinked out and he fell face first onto the twisted metal. Standing up, he steadied himself, looking at his hands curiously and then around at his surroundings with fresh eyes. Leaning over, he reached inside through the now wide open window and touched an elaborate set of buttons inside, keying in a code. As a small light started flashing, he looked over at the form that lay prone inside and whispered, "I'm sorry... I promise you... you will be remembered... but not here... not like this." Pulling out a component from the console, he stepped back and away from the wreckage, stumbling over the foliage and debris, trying to get as far away as possible. He hadn't got far before meeting up with, Mulder and Scully rushing in from the other direction. "Mark... what is it what have you found?" Mulder asked. "Uhhh, nothing... I thought I saw something, but I guess I was wrong." "What? You dragged us out here in the middle of the night... you were yelling five minutes ago that you had found it. " "It was a mistake... sorry." He answered, starting to panic a little, knowing they were too close to the wreckage. "I think we'll take a look anyway..." Mulder told him, as he moved past. "No." Mark grabbed Mulder, nearly pulling his arm out of the socket," Let's just go back." Scully pushed the two of them apart, "What the hell is wrong with you... we came all this way... we're going to go look at what ever it is you think you saw out here." She moved away from the two men, but only got a few steps before an explosion rocked the forest. The blast knocking all of them off there feet. Mulder pushed himself off the wet ground and shook his head, trying to think straight. As he got to his feet he started calling out for his partner. The fire blazing in the distance, caused enough light for him to see her several feet away, struggling to get up. Rushing to her, he dropped down and tried to help her. "Don't try to move, Scully." "I'm fine..." She started weakly. "I know, I know... your always fine. Just humor me, ok?" She complied and sat back so he could get a better look. "You've got a pretty deep gash and a good size bruise forming on your forehead." "What hit me?" "Looks like some form of metal." He answered, seeing bits of it scattered all over the ground. Turning back to her, he reached under his coat and ripped a piece of his t-shirt off, to use to stop the bleeding coming from her forehead. "What happened to Mark?" She asked, wincing as he pressed the cloth in to her wound. "I'm right here." The voice answered from behind them. Mulder helped Scully to her feet, before asking the man, "What was that... you said there was nothing to see, Mark. Nothing doesn't generally explode like that." "I'll tell you exactly what I saw... but right now I think we had better get Agent Scully to a doctor, don't you think?" Mulder looked at Scully, her eyes starting to droop and decided that Mark was right, he could grill the man later, but now she was his priority and they started back for civilization. Mulder didn't notice Mark as he took a last look at the burning wreckage or the lone tear that slipped down his face, before he turned to follow. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Mulder snuck down a hospital corridor, keeping one eye peeled for an extremely large and fowl tempered nurse, the same nurse that had already sent him back to the waiting room three times. But hoping the fourth time would be the charm, he made his way to the exam room that held his partner. He heard her voice in the room ahead and smiled, but his smile faded as he heard laughter... her laughter. Confused he stood motionless, trying to hear what was going on in there. "Mr. Mulder..." The booming voice came from behind him, causing him to cringe. He turned, giving her his best smile, "Hello, Nurse.... " He paused, getting a better look at her name badge, " Johnson.... have I told you how lovely you look this morning." "Nice try." She said simply, as she pointed her arm out in the direction of the waiting room. "It's ok, nurse... " A deep voice told her. Mulder turned to see the voice had come from the doctor leaving Scully's room, a very young, handsome doctor, with a big smile on his face. "Agent Mulder... I'm Dr. Edward Blake." "How is she?" "Mild concussion... a few stitches. She'll be fine, I would like her to stay 24 hours, but she said she would rather go. Tell me, do you normally have any luck getting her to do what's best for her?" Mulder's only response was to laugh and shake his head. "Well then, do your best to have her get some sleep. You'll have to wake her periodically... just to be on the safe side. I've referred her to another doctor on staff here for any follow up she might need." Mulder nodded in understanding, "Can I see her?" "Yeah sure... go ahead." Mulder started for her room and then stopped, looking at the younger man. "Why don't you want to be her doctor?" With a wide smile the man replied, " Because it would be terribly unprofessional for a doctor to ask his patient out on a date." He patted Mulder on the shoulder and headed down the corridor. Still watching the man walk away, he felt Scully touch his arm lightly, causing him to glance sideways at her. "What's with you and Doogie Houser?" She smiled, as she started pulling on her jacket, "This isn't going to be another long discussion about my needs, is it?" He lightly touched the bandage on her forehead, before teasing, "Let me guess, the young doctor stimulates your mind?" "Well... " She countered, " it's a good place to start..." `````````` Mulder paused before knocking on the door of Scully's motel bathroom. He was intruding and he knew it, but she had been in there for a long time and he needed to talk. With a couple of quick raps on the door he asked her, "Is everything alright in there, Scully? You haven't drowned in that tub have you?" Scully instinctively sunk lower, under the bubbles of her bath. "I'm just trying to warm up after our delightful little trip to the forest, Mulder. How did you get in here anyway?" "Picked the lock." "Figures... so what can I do for you?" She didn't have to be able to see his face, to know the sly smile that he wore, at her question. "Did you find out what happened to Mark?" She asked. "No..." He slid down the bathroom door, leaning his back against it as he continued, "It's like he just disappeared... it's so strange." "What's so odd about it? He was obviously up to something out there." She said loud enough to be heard through the closed door. "He tried to destroy the evidence before we could see it." "He has been pursuing extraterrestrial activity longer than I have Scully... if he found a downed ship out there, why would he destroy it?" "My guess... it wasn't a ship...and he wanted to continue the hoax by making it almost impossible to disprove it." He rested his head against the door, "Well it's a theory..." "But not yours." She added as she stepped out of the tub. "Something else is bugging me about this. The doctor that examined Mark said that he had a gash in his side that took fifteen stitches to close. He never as much as winced during the whole trip out of the forest and to the hospital." "Maybe he just has a high threshold for pain?" "That's just it, I've known this guy for years... he's a big guy, but he's a wimp. He once got a splinter and complained about the pain for days. But after finding, whatever it was he found out there, he...." He didn't have a chance to finish as the door swung inward, causing him to fall back onto the linoleum floor of the bathroom. Scully was startled by her partner's sudden appearance. As he fell at her bare feet she jumped back quickly before he could get an eyeful from his vantage point. Quickly regaining her composure she looked down at her partner. "Mulder...don't think that I don't know what your thinking... cause I do." "Huh?" He asked, confused. "You think something happened to Mark out there... something... otherworldly." As she spoke, she moved passed him, making her way to her suitcase. "I never said that..." He sat up as she walked by. "But you were thinking it." "Maybe I was just thinking about what you're wearing... or aren't wearing, under that robe." She looked at him with a smile, "Funny, from most men that would have sounded like a come on... from you it just sounds like an excuse." She gathered up some clothes to sleep in and headed back to the bathroom to change. He stood up to let her close the door, once again separating them. Talking through the door she told him ," Go do what you have to Mulder... search the woods... find Mark... whatever, but you're on your own for a while." "You are always getting mad at me for running off without you, so why are you all of the sudden trying to get rid of me, Scully... you got a date later." She opened the door, dressed in an oversized t-shirt and flannel shorts. As she passed him she raised an eyebrow and said, "Well... Dr. Blake was willing to make a house call..." "Yeah, I bet he was... " He spoke in a low sarcastic voice as he watched her crawl into her bed. "Speaking of the young doctor, he told me I was suppose to keep an eye on you for awhile...you know, make sure you don't slip into a coma or anything." "I don't think you have to worry." "But I do." He had attempted to make the statement causally, but the honesty of it was obvious... to both of them. "The key is on the table... go look for Mark, you can come back later and make sure I'm still breathing." He quietly walked over to the bed, kneeling down and taking one of her hands gently in his. " Before I go, do you need anything?" The words brought back the memory of their earlier conversation and he laughed lightly, " I know...I know... if I was a better man I would have just known what you needed, without having to ask." She squeezed his hand lightly, "If it makes you feel better, I haven't got a clue what you need either, Mulder." His mouth opened, and for a brief moment he was about to tell her, what mattered most to him... who mattered most to him... what he needed more than anything in the world, but the words would not come and he settled for telling her to get some sleep. Reluctantly, he grabbed the key off the table and set-off in search of Mark. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Dana smiled as she watched the man before her refill her glass with wine. Looking around the nearly full restaurant, she watched the couples talking in hushed tones and dancing around the big dance floor to the soft music that played. Turning back to her date she smiled at the handsome doctor as he reached out and took her hand. "What's with you and guys named Ed?" The voice came from beside her and she turned to see her that partner had come out of nowhere to invade her perfect evening. "Go away..." She whispered under her breath. "I don't trust him." He said, ignoring her. "Mulder..." She started, talking through clenched teeth. "I'm only looking out for your best interest here, Scully." "Yeah..well it would be in your best interest to get out of here, before I'm forced to kill you." She spoke louder, unconcerned if her date heard or not, although he seemed oblivious to anything but her. "Ok... but remember you haven't had the best judgment as far as men go lately...." With his last words Mulder vanished, leaving an empty chair behind. "So, Dana would you care to dance?" Her date asked standing up and holding out his hand. "I'd love to." she replied, happy to be rid of Mulder and returning her attention to the handsome doctor. As they swayed to the music she rested her head on his chest. "This night feels like a dream." "Probably cause it is." Startled at the familiar voice, she looked up to see that Mulder had reappeared, and was the one holding her as they danced. "Mulder... what the hell are you doing? Where's my date?" She asked trying to get some distance between them, but not succeeding. "How should I know what happened to him... this is your dream Scully. I guess your subconscious just likes me better than him." He was smiling down at her and moved his hand up to rest on the side of her face. As soon as his fingertips made contact with her skin their surroundings changed. They were back in the forest, but unlike before there was no storm... no rain, it was warm and peaceful. Still holding her he leaned in, his mouth grazing her ear, "Lets talk about ' what ifs', Scully." "It's just a dream." She said softly. "Yes... it's a dream... which means it can be anything you want... we... can be anything you want.." His face hovered above hers and she closed her eyes as he continued, "We are alone here Scully... no distractions.. no remorse... no.... " Suddenly the pressure from his hand disappeared and she opened her eyes to see the rest of him had disappeared as well. She spun around, searching through the trees, but he was gone. "Mulder..." she called into the night, "This isn't funny..." She shivered as the only response she got was a frigid gust of wind whipping across her face. The trees felt as if they were closing around her and she fought the urge to run... away from what, she didn't know. But as she smelled the familiar sent of smoke carried along the wind, she knew her fears were well founded. Turning towards the offending smell, she saw him standing there, cigarette in one hand, gun in the other. "Mulder..." She called out again, in vain. "He couldn't protect you before... " He said calmly, taking a drag from his cigarette as he raised his gun, pointing it at her and beginning to slowly squeeze the trigger "And he can't save you now..." "Noooo!" She screamed bolting upright in bed, only to come face to face with someone sitting beside her on the bed. "Ahhhhh!" She yelled again, causing him to fall right off the bed and onto the floor. Regaining her senses she looked over at Mulder who was sprawled out on the floor of her motel room. "God Mulder, you scared the hell out of me." Pulling himself off the floor, he laughed lightly at the irony and replied, "Well at least we know you haven't slipped into a coma." Trying to get her breathing under control she watched him stand up and sit back on the edge of the bed. "Did you have any luck finding Mark?" "Maybe. I've got an address of a place he had been renting. I'm going to check it out as soon as I leave here." She swung the covers off of her, moving to get out of bed. "I'll go with you." "No you won't... the doctor said you needed bed rest." "Mulder, I've got a bump on my head. It's hardly life threatening." She told him, immediately wishing she would have phrased it differently. "Please... just stay here. " She knew all the reasons behind his request and could see by the look in his eyes that he didn't want to say them aloud. "You'll call me if you find anything?" "I promise. Now go back to sleep." as he spoke he was already half way to the door and with a quick wave he headed back out to find Mark. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Having given up on trying to sleep, Scully sat at the small table in her motel room typing a report on her laptop computer. A knock at the door caused her to look up and smile. She went to the door and said, "What wrong Mulder... lose the key?" Her smile disappeared as she opened the door to find it wasn't her partner... it was Mark. His skin was pale and he was clutching his chest, he tried to speak but couldn't catch his breath long enough to speak. He pushed past her and managed to take a few steps before collapsing face first onto the floor. Immediately recognizing that he was having a heart attack, she grabbed the cell-phone off of the night stand and dialed 911 as she rolled him over and ripped open his shirt. After completing the call she began CPR. As she worked on him, she could feel a strange heat radiating from inside his chest. The more compressions she gave, the more the heat intensified, until it became unbearable. She tried to pull her hands away, but she couldn't move them. Her eyes widened as she watched a glowing blue light push through the skin of his chest, surrounding her hands and slowly moving up her arms, paralyzing her as it made it's way toward her torso. Still able to move her head, she looked at Mark's face and saw him open his eyes. He looked at her for a long moment and then whispered, "I'm sorry." As his eyes closed again, the light enveloped her completely, pushing its way into her skin until it had completely invaded her body. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Mulder knocked on the half open door, calling Mark's name. There was no reply, so he swung the door open and stepped inside. After locating the light, he looked around the small one-room apartment. Everything seemed to be in order, except the computer that sat in the corner of the room. It had been disassembled, but was still operable. Moving closer to get a better look, he could see that it had been taken apart and reconfigured somehow. The monitor was blinking wildly as strings of numbers flashed across the screen. Pulling out his cell-phone he dialed Scully. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` She stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself as she heard a ringing noise break the silence. After taking a moment to sink in, she realized that is was the phone and went to pick it up off of the floor. "Hello." "Scully, It's me... I found Mark's apartment, but he's..." "At the hospital." She broke in. "He's what?" "He came here after you left... collapsed on my floor and they took him to the hospital. I think you should get over there...to make sure he's ok." "Yeah, I'm on my way... I'll see you in a little while." He paused for a second, " Scully?" "What?" "Are you ok... you sound...I don't know... distant?" "I'm fine, Mulder. I'll see you later." "Yeah...ok, later." She heard the click of the other line disconnecting and turned her attention to the laptop computer sitting on the table. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` He opened the door after knocking several times. "Hey, anybody home?" "Yeah... I'll be right out." Came her voice from the bathroom. "Your not going to like the theory I've come up with on this one. I talked to Mark, he said he has no memory of what happened. It's amazing he's still alive, really. Doctors said he had a major coronary. Oh by the way, Dr. Blake sends his regards. So Scully, do you want to hear my theory?" "I know what you think... you think his body was inhabited by an entity... an entity that came from the crash site that he discovered out in those woods." "Well no... but I like that better." Mulder's eyes wandered across her motel room to the cannibalized laptop commuter blinking in the corner and he stopped dead in his tracks. "He was injured by the explosion... his body was weakened." As she spoke, she walked by a mirror and looked at her reflection. She was wearing a silk robe, her hair damp. She started to speak again, not taking her eyes off her reflection. "His heart wasn't strong enough...but this body is stronger. She will get me home." He felt his body tense hoping what he was thinking was wrong. But as she turned and looked at him, he knew. Her eyes focused on him, exploring his body, she smiled and he felt his face turn hot. "Who are you? What... what have you done to her?" He demanded. "She's here... sort of. I like her better than Mark, I think being a woman suits me better." She was moving towards him, running her hand down the folds of her silk robe as she spoke. Then, looking up into his eyes she asked, "What do you think?" Pulling the gun from his holster he pointed it at her. "Stay back!" She looked at the gun and laughed. "What, your gonna shoot me?" She asked, continuing to move towards him, until the gun was touching her abdomen, pushing against the edges of her robe until it was touching bare skin. "Are your going to shoot her? You can kill me... but not without killing her....and I know you can't hurt her." She moved even closer. He could feel his hand shaking, "We are one now... I know everything she knows...which means I know you." She moved her hand up and ran a finger along his jaw line. " You're a part of her... as much as I'm a part of her." Her finger traced along his lower lip, causing his mind to race. Seeing the effect that she was having on him, she smiled widely. She was so close to him that the gun was inside her robe and he could feel her soft skin against his hand. Abruptly he pulled back trying to distance himself from her... to try and think clearly. Her expression clearly showed the anger she was feeling at his blunt rejection. "Wrong choice." It was the last words he heard her say, as her hand grabbed the gun out of his hand so quickly he barley realized what happened. But before he had a chance to react she swung the gun, smashing it upside his head and dropping him to the ground. The darkness started to become gray and gradually the light of the room pushed at his eyes. He opened them tentatively, blinking against the brightness of light. As the room came into focus he watched her from his supine position on the floor. She was across the room, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and working on the remains of her computer. Then, he saw the handcuff on his wrist and the other one connected to the bed frame. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned, "Your awake." He said nothing. "And your angry." As she spoke, she stood and moved to him, taking a pillow off the bed and dropping it to the floor, so he would be able to at least prop himself up. He still said nothing. "Look... I'm sorry about your head... but this hasn't exactly been a picnic for me either. I mean look... I've been through the mother of all crash landings... my best friend is dead... I'm trapped on this God forsaken planet and I've been through two human host bodies in as many days. So I'm sorry if I'm a little pissy, but I've had a rough couple of days, ok?" She paused, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking down at him before continuing, "This isn't about hurting anyone... I'm just trying to get home." Mulder didn't know whether to believe her or not. It was Scully... but at the same time, it wasn't. He just said simply "I won't let you take her." "You couldn't save her before... and you can't save her now." ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` As she worked at the computer, he worked on freeing the handcuff attached to the bed frame. He had managed to loose the key somewhere in the woods the night before. His spare key was at home, so his only option was to bend metal bed frame enough so that he could slide the cuff out. A small circuit that she was working on blew, causing a quick flash from the circuit board and a steady stream of curses from her. "For not being from around here, you certainly have a firm grasp on the English language." "I told you... I know everything she knows." She replied, keeping her back to him. "Did you get those colorful sayings from her or Mark?" "Well, she was raised around sailors." A sudden series of beeps signaled her and she responded by punching the keys of the reconfigured machine. "It won't be long now." She said, turning to look at him. He started yanking feverishly against the handcuff, realizing he was running out of time. "You never give up do you? She finds it kind of endearing....but personally, I think your just wasting your energy. He looked up into her eyes, trying to find his partner in there somewhere.... but she wasn't there. Her body was still with him but her sole had been taken. "You could take me..." He said, grasping at straws, "...let her stay... take me instead." "That's sweet, but no... the decision has been made... she's the one." "Why... why her and not me?" He asked angrily, yanking at the cuff on his wrist. "Because you still have a life to be lived, Mulder... hers is coming to an end." "It's not your choice to make." "I didn't make that choice. The men you chase... your, Cancer Man... he took her from you when they gave her this disease." As she spoke she ran her finger along her forehead down to the bridge of her nose." He didn't answer. "I'm going home, Mulder... what ever it takes, I'm going home." "And you don't care that you are taking her away from her family and friends...all the people that love her." "Her cancer is taking her from them... and from you. You must have prepared yourself for that eventuality." She eyed him closely as he turned away from her, "But you haven't... have you? You really thought you could save her." "You don't know anything about me." "But she does, Mulder... everything except what really matters. You have been facing this ending for a while now... well here it is. Whether it's today or six months from now, it's the same scenario. Your partner is dying and you are helpless to save her. Granted this way is a bit more dramatic than her wasting away in a hospital bed... but the fact remains that you can't save her, you never could... she understands that. You have to deal with it... you have to find a way to say good bye." "I can't..." He spoke in no more than a whisper. "You have to." "Don't tell me what I have to do. And don't act like your doing her some kind of favor... you are taking her life... she had time... maybe a little... maybe more... maybe enough time to find a cure... and you're taking that from her. I'm begging you... don't do this... don't take her... please." "I need her." "So do I... " He yelled at her, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. "Then tell her... tell her, before it's to late." "She's not here." He replied bitterly. "But she is... she's right here in front of you." She kneeled down in front of him. "I don't believe you..." She moved over to him sitting on his waist and resting one hand on the side of his face, her thumb gently tracing along his cheek. In a hushed tone, she whispered, "Let's talk about ' what ifs '. " Her words had the desired effect and she could see everything he wanted to say in his eyes, but she could also see his fear of giving up... of letting her go. "Can she hear me?" He asked, tentatively. "if I was to tell her... would she hear me?" "Yes... she hears you...." "Is she scared?" He asked quietly, his voice wavering. "A little... she's worried about leaving behind the people she loves... afraid to leave you... afraid you've forgotten how to be alone." Her body was getting closer to him as she spoke, until she was resting on his chest, her head buried in the crook of his neck. "She's tired, Mulder... tired of fighting... tired of trying to be strong." Instinctively his free hand moved to hold her, resting on the small of her back. Her sweatshirt had separated slightly from the waistband of her jeans and he lightly ran his fingertips along her soft skin. "Can she feel my touch?" He asked quietly, whispering into her hair. She lifted her head, "Yes..." her mouth grazing his lightly as she moved above him, "yes... she can feel you..." His eyes closed tightly at the contact. Reopening them, his eyes locked with hers and in one swift movement he rolled her underneath his body. By the time she realized that he shouldn't have been able to do that, he had already used the hand cuff that he had freed from the bed frame, to cuff her wrist, binding the two of them together. He lifted himself up, pinning her arms above her head and with a triumphant smile asked, "Could she feel that?" "What the... " She pushed him off of her and pulled at the cuff, "What do you think you will accomplish with this?" "I told you... I won't let you take her." He stood, causing her to follow. "And this will stop me?" "I will stop you... " "I don't have time for this... I have to get out to the crash site." "Well, you're going to have to go through me, to take her." She shook her head and then quickly reached out grasping his neck and lifting him off of the ground. His face blue and her point made, she released him and he fell to the floor with a thud. "Your going to have to kill me.... to stop me." He coughed, trying to get back up. "You are just a huge pain in my ass. And believe me I have no doubt as to why she has that particular phrase is in her vocabulary." She looked at him for a moment, deciding what to do. " Ok Mulder... looks like you get a little more time with her... but I'm still not giving you what you want. We are going to the forest... I'm going to go home and you will say your good byes." Without giving him time to argue, she headed for the door, dragging him behind her. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` They made it out to the crash site, or what was left of it. He had spent a good portion of the trip struggling against her, but it was like fighting with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Deciding to reserve some of his strength, he went along, biding his time and trying to think of a way out of this. She stood silently looking at the site that held what was left of her ship and her co-pilot. "You blew up the ship, didn't you?" He asked. "That's why you were trying to get us away from the area." "I told you this was never about hurting anyone." "Didn't work out that way did it?" He asked sarcastically, looking around at the bits of twisted metal " You said you lost your friend..." "He died in the crash... I need to go home as much for him as for myself... to let them know he died bravely. He was everything to me and I didn't have the chance to tell him. I never even had the chance to say good bye... I'm giving that chance to you Mulder." "Your forgetting that we are pretty much a package deal at this point. " He lifted their cuffed wrists to make his point. "Yes, but once I break all the bones in your hand, it should slide out nicely." She took in his startled expression, "How did you think I was going to remove the cuff?" Suddenly she looked upwards, beyond the tree line and then back to him. "It's time..." "Don't do this." "Tell her good bye... tell her what she needs to hear... what she needs to know. You're running out of time Mulder... tell her." "Please... " "This is all I can give you, Mulder... don't let her die never knowing the truth... tell her..." Suddenly a blinding beam of light surrounded them. "No... not yet." She yelled up into the light, then grabbing Mulder's cuffed hand she began to squeeze. Mulder could feel the light starting to lift him off his feet so he dropped to the ground, grabbing hold of small tree with his free hand. He tried to ignore the pain in his other hand, as she squeezed it tighter, her feet lifting completely off the ground as the light slowly pulled her upwards. He could feel the crack as her grip began to break the bones in his hand one by one. He tried to shut out the pain by concentrating on his grip on the tree, knowing it was his lifeline. He heard her cry out and looked up to see that her body had been pulled tight against his arm. As his eyes connected with hers, he pleaded one more time, "Please... she's all I have... don't take her from me." She was hovering above him and he could see the tears in her eyes as she nodded and let go of his hand, causing her body to quickly move to the origin of the light above, only to be abruptly halted by the cuff that tethered her to him. The force of the motion caused the cuff to slide part way over his crushed hand. The force of the light intensified he and felt the cuff slowly begin to slide upward, over his broken thumb. His mind screamed from the pain and he quickly wrapped his fingers around the cold medal cuff, keeping Scully from being pulled any further upwards towards the light above. He watched in awe as a bluish light seemed to be moving out of his partners body, releasing her from it's hold. As the last of the glowing light left her, she fell, landing on top of him... unconscious and unmoving. One hand still gripping the tree, he used the other to hold her tightly against his body as he watched the intense glow continue along the white beam, up to the source above. In an instant the light blinked out, taking with it their unwelcome visitor as well as all the remains of the crash site around them. With the light gone, they were cast into darkness, the only light coming from a flashlight that had fallen to the ground during the commotion. Tentatively he released the tree, moving his hand to her neck and feeling for a pulse. It was there... strong as ever, and he dropped his head back to the ground. Feeling her stir against him he lifted his head back up, surprised to be looking directly into her confused eyes. "What's going on... what... what happened." She pushed herself up, moving off of him and on to the ground beside, her eyes resting on the handcuff that dangled from her wrist. "What do you remember?" "There was an explosion... I hit my head... but we left here... didn't we?" "We came back... it's a long story and I will tell you all about it after we get you to the hospital." He stood, realizing that he probably needed a doctor more than she did. As they made their way out of the forest she looked at him and said, "We were at the hospital before... weren't we? I remember a doctor... Dr. Blake..." "Sure... that you remember..." Two days later. ````````````````````` Dana sat in her apartment reading, when a knock at the door got her attention. Getting up she moved to the door and opened it to find her partner standing in the hall, holding a bottle of wine. "What are up to Mulder?" She asked with a smile, moving aside to let him in. "I was at home and I really wanted a glass of wine... but as you can see," He lifted his arm to show her the plaster cast covering his hand, "I could use a little help." She gave him a slight smile as she took the bottle from him and went into the kitchen. Returning to the livingroom, she found him sitting on her couch, making himself right at home. She couldn't help but notice that he had turned on some soft music. She gave him a look as she handed him a glass of wine and sat down beside him. "What?" He ask innocently. She reached out touching his cast lightly, "How's your hand?" "The hand you broke?" "It wasn't me." "Well she did have your face." She looked at her wine glass. He had told her everything... everything she could not remember, but even with the proof of his broken hand and bruised face, it still seemed so unreal. "So tell me Mulder what did the two of you talk about?" "Oh no... I'm not telling you a thing until I get my answers about you and ol' Eddie." "Which one?" "Let's start with Vanbunht..." "What do you want to know?" "Everything that lead up to what I saw with my own eyes." She took a sip of wine, "Well, he came over... with a bottle of wine. He wanted to know why we never talk... really talk." "What did you say?" "What could I say, he was right... so we talked... we drank and we talked. I told him embarrassing stories from my youth and he listened." "And..." "He wanted to know if I ever wished things were different... and then he slowly moved in..." She deliberately moved into him as she spoke, demonstrating her words. " His mouth hovering above mine...." He could feel her breath on his face and swallowed hard, before managing to say, "then..." "And then... some crazy man busted in my door." She sat back, taking another sip of wine. "and, well... you know the rest of the story." He looked back at the recently, and often replaced front door, before asking, " And if I hadn't come to your rescue... how would have the story ended?" "You never give up do you, Mulder?" "She told me you found that trait endearing in me." "Oh yeah... what other little insights did she give you?" He paused not knowing whether he wanted to tell her the truth or not. "Come on..." "She said that you knew everything about me... except what really mattered." "Is that why you came over here tonight, Mulder? To tell me what really matters to you." He reached for her hand, taking it in his. "I know I'm not very good at being the man you need me to be, but for what it's worth... I do try." "I'm not complaining Mulder, you are who you are and oddly enough I find that part of you kind of endearing as well." "So you like it when I'm a selfish bastard?" He asked with a smile. "Well, I wouldn't go that far." she answered, returning his smile. "You know you do have other sides Mulder... intelligence, compassion, determination... there is a part of you that is very tender and completely devoted..." As she spoke the last word his eyes connected with hers and she felt herself blush slightly, "To... to your work... I mean." "Yeah well, I can't really take credit for that part of who I am." "Why?" "Because that would be the part of me that's you." He replied honestly. Her eyes showed the surprise she felt. "You really didn't know did you?" He asked, almost sadly. "Scully, you are a huge part of who I am... I need for you to know that... I'm sorry that you didn't already." He could see his word had touched her and gave her a big smile, "And you say we never talk..." "What am I going to do with you, Mulder?" "Oooo, Scully... I thought you'd never ask..." "Mulder..." "What?" He asked innocently, "I just wanted to hear some of those embarrassing stories from your youth." He raised his eyebrows, giving her his best evil grin, "Why... what did you have in mind?" She laughed lightly, running her finger across the top of the wine glass. "Are you sure you have time for that sort of thing? Don't you have mutants to chase or something?" "Not tonight, Scully... tonight I'd just like to spend a little time with my partner." She gave him one of her patented skeptical looks. "No really... my hand to God, tonight it's just me and you." She could see that his words where sincere, or at least that he would like them to be. "Maybe just this once we could shut out the outside world..." He continued, " at least for a while...." A sudden ringing from the cell-phone in his jacket cut him off and caused both of them to let out frustrated laughs. She gave him a knowing grin and he looked at her apologetically as he reached for his jacket, pulling out the phone. But her expression turned to surprise, as he turned off the small phone, before even answering it. Then looking back to her with a raised eyebrow and a smile he continued, "Now... let's talk about 'What ifs'." The End ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ E. Livingstone (Exduck@llano.net) E's X-Page: www.llano.net/~exduck/x.htm (X-File Pictures, links and visual story summaries) E's Page: www.llano.net/~exduck (Pictures and Links) Alternet E-mail addresses: Eeees@aol.com Wonbrikshy@aol.com ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Aliens in the Architecture Time Line: Takes place after Never Again and before Gethsemane. The characters belong to Fox, Chris Carter, etc..... not me. Classification: X, A, UST Spoilers: for Never Again, Memento Mori and Small Potatoes Rated: PG Summery: A trip to the forest brings with it an uninvited guest and a long overdue conversation. I would really love some feed back. Please send to Exduck@llano.net or Eeees@aol.com Note: I have put together a picture (JPG) to go with this story. If you would like to see it either Visit my X-File Page: www.llano.net/~exduck/x.htm (look under "Story Pix") or I would be happy to e-mail you a copy. Aliens in the Architecture By E.Livingstone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She was cold and alone. The one she had trusted... the one she had depended on, was dead. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would join him. This wasn't how it was supposed to end, not here... not like this. In the distance she heard a noise, it was getting louder. Through the cracked window she could see nothing but darkness, but as a light flashed across the sky she saw the stranger approaching and knew she only had one chance left. It was theoretical at best, but she had nothing left to lose and only one chance to survive. Earlier that night ``````````````````````` Dana Scully was drenched from head to toe and had come to realize she was not going to be getting warm or dry any time soon. As she made her way through the dense foliage of the forest that surrounded her, she pushed the wet hair away from her face and silently cursed her overzealous partner. The same partner who had insisted she come out here with him to chase a lead, then promptly ran off ahead, leaving her to make her way through the pouring rain alone. "What am I doing out here? " She spoke aloud, to no one in particular. "Saturday night...normal people would be out on a date... dinner... dancing... but am I out on a date? Noooo... I'm running around in the woods, because some nut job says he saw little green men. No, sorry... little gray men. And my partner, who's a bit of a nut job himself, considers this sort of thing to be a good time!" She yelled the last to of her tirade into the darkness. She was pretty sure he and the other man they had come with were out of ear shot, but somehow yelling at him made her feel a little better. She flinched slightly as a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed quickly by thunder. "You've got to get yourself a life Dana." She told herself, as she tried to step over a fallen log, but the slick mud at her feet caused her to stumble. Catching herself, by grabbing the nearest tree, she managed to stay on her feet, but lost her flashlight in the process. As the light stuck into the mud at her feet, the forest that surrounded her was cast into darkness. "Son of a... " She started, as she kneeled down and groped blindly for her flashlight. Just as she found it she heard a noise and worked desperately to wipe the mud off the light so she could see who... or what, it was. "Loose something?" The voice asked, startling her. She jumped back, losing her balance and falling backwards into the mud, still holding the light in her hand. "God, Mulder, are you trying to give me a heart attack? What's wrong, pneumonia not good enough for you?" "Is it just me or is there some hostility in your tone, Scully?" She just looked up at him, "Hostile... why should I be hostile? Just because it's the middle of the night, I'm in the middle of some god forsaken forest and now I'm covered in mud." "Well look on the bright side, as soon as you stand up the rain will wash the mud off." Even in the small amount of light her flashlight was giving off she could see the smile on his face and as much as she wanted to be angry at him she couldn't. He was like a kid on Halloween. "You really want more of a life than this Scully?" He asked as he took a seat on the fallen log she had attempted to climb over. He held out a hand to help her up. He had obviously heard her ranting and she cringed a little as she took his hand. "This is a life?" She asked, tried wiping the mud from her clothes. "Come on Scully... you're not the type that needs all that wining and dining..." "Excuse me?" She asked, taking a seat next to him. "Since when have you ever known what I needed?" Mulder was silent for a moment before asking, "Did he know?" The question hung there. She knew exactly what and who he was referring, but was still surprised by it. "Mulder..." She started, breaking the silence "It's a simple question, Scully... you say I don't know what you need. I'm just wondering if he did?" "You want to do this now?" She asked, trying to not get angry. "It's been over a month since that night... you haven't brought it up once ... but here, deep in the forest, in the middle of a rainstorm... now you want to talk." He looked down at his feet, "You didn't answer my question." "Ok... you want to talk... fine, let's talk. Did he know what I needed..." She paused for a second, thinking, " yes... I suppose he did. " "So he wasn't just another pretty face?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood, but it wasn't working. There had been plenty of reasons why he had not talked about that night... the night he had busted in his partner's door to find her in the arms of another man. The fact that the other man had been his doppleganger didn't matter much. He didn't know what had happened up to that point and she had not offered the information. A part of him wanted to know, the part that was intrigued... even flattered with the fact that she thought she was with him, that she would let him be the one to be touching her. But mostly he was reminded that she was with another man.... that man was the one romancing her...the one touching her.... the one... Mulder tried to push the images away, the truth was that he didn't know what did or didn't happen, but for whatever reason he had to know, here and now. How far had that man gotten using his identity? But mostly he had to know how she could have not know it wasn't him. "You really thought it was me?" "You think I would let Eddie VanBlunht...." "What... let Eddie VanBlunht what?" "God Mulder, what is this... is it jealousy?" "I... I don't know what this is Scully..." He answered honestly, keeping his eyes averted. "It just seems like after all of this time... all that we have been through together... how could you have believed it was me... how could you not have known?" "Well, he did have your face, Mulder." She answered, somewhat defensively, but knowing it wasn't that simple. "You've been looking at this face for about four years now Scully. When is the last time we split a bottle of wine.... listened to soft music in front of a roaring fire..." He turned, looking into her eyes and continued softly, "when is the last time I kissed you?" She broke eye contact, trying to look away, but not before a flash of lightning illuminated her face, showing him how his words had affected her. "Did he kiss you, Scully?" He asked softly, needing to know. "Did you let him kiss you?" "Does it matter?" She asked, not really sure why she just didn't tell him. "Yes... it matters to me." "Why... why does it matter? He wasn't you." "But you thought it was... you've spent four years with me, as my partner... but one day with Eddie 'friggen' VanBlunht and your ready to change everything between us, for him... I mean, me... I mean... you know what I mean." Getting flustered, he stopped and stood up, before facing her and continuing. "Just tell me Scully, why... if we looked so much alike, why did you see us so differently?" She looked down at her feet, wishing he hadn't asked that question... knowing the answer would hurt him. "You don't want to hear this, Mulder." "Yes I do..." he urged her, as he knelt down in front of her, continuing softly, " talk to me, Scully." "He was... I don't know... attentive." "That's it... attentive? That was his big move?" "A girl likes to have a little attention paid to her once in a while, Mulder." "I pay attention to you..." "...once in a while." She finished, with a slight smile. "But, I do have to admit you've been more attentive that usual lately." She stood and moved away from him before adding," It's just too bad it took a terminal illness to get your attention." "That's not fair..." He started , as he stood back up. "No, Mulder.... no, it isn't fair." She interrupted, with a mixture of anger and sadness in her voice as she turned to look at him. But one look at the guilt and sorrow in his eyes softened her. "I'm sorry...." "Why?'" He asked quietly, "You meant it, didn't you?" "Yes... but I'm still sorry." She pushed a strand of wet hair behind her ear and tried to look at him, only to find she couldn't quite bring herself to look into his eyes. "The fact is Mulder, that I am dying... and it's hard enough living with 'what ifs', but to be leaving this life with regrets... " she paused, hoping she was making sense to him. " Last month my partner... my best friend, came over to my apartment for no other reason than the simple fact that he wanted to be with me... to talk... to listen, and for the first time in four years it was just us. I wasn't competing for his attention with aliens, mutants and God knows what else... he was really there with me... just me." She gave him a second to let her words sink in before continuing. "I suppose I should have been tipped off when he started actually looking at me like I was a woman." She smiled slightly, as she tried to decipher the expression that crossed his face, " I don't know Mulder, maybe it was curiosity... a fear of never knowing what might have been... maybe I saw what I wanted to, but that night between a bottle of wine and some soft music, my ' what if ' was staring me in the face. And in that moment... yes, I was willing to change the dynamics of our relationship for him... for you." He stepped up to her, lightly touching her face and bringing her eyes up to meet his, before asking, "And now?" He brushed his thumb across her wet cheek and felt her tense slightly. "Mulder..." It came out in a raspy tone, "if this is some kind of competition between..." "We alone here, Scully...it's just the two of us... and believe me, you have my complete attention." He moved closer, their bodies slightly touching. With his face close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cold skin, he whispered softly, " Let's talk about ' what ifs '. " Her resolve was weakening fast, as her gaze fell to his mouth. But as a voice cut through the darkness calling their names, urging them to hurry... that he had found something, Mulder turned away from her and she could see it was taking everything in him to not run through the darkness to answer the man's call. "Just you and me... huh, Mulder?" She said quietly, as she stepped away from his touch and picked her pack up off the fallen tree. "Scully... I.." "Go... " "But..." "Let's go, Mulder..." She pushed past him as she spoke. "This is why we're here, right?" She didn't give him a chance to answer, not that he had an answer to give her. Grabbing his pack he hurried to catch her as she made her way to the voice that was calling their names. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Wills was still yelling for the two FBI agents that he had gone to the forest with that night. There had been no answer and he was getting restless. He had found what he had spent the better part of his life looking for and wasn't about to wait any longer to investigate it, just because Mulder and Scully had run off. Deciding to start without them, he moved cautiously through the jumble of strange twisted metal that was spread out before him. Suddenly a bluish light appeared from inside one of the bigger pieces. The glowing became stronger and Mark moved to stand beside it, leaning over to look inside of what looked like a tinted window. The crack that ran through the window seamed to be widening, focusing the glow from inside into a thin band of blue light, escaping from the wreckage. Fascinated, Mark moved his hand into the light. His eyes widened, feeling the strange sensation that the light caused against his palm. But as he tried to pull his hand back the light became hot and as much as he tried, he was unable to pull away from it. Starting to panic he closed his eyes against the pain and tried to scream for help, but the sound never made it to his lips. He felt his whole body becoming slowly paralyzed as the light moved up his arm and into his chest. He watched in horror, unable to move or even scream for help, as the crack widened until the window shattered completely. The glowing from inside shot out in one blinding beam of light, enveloping and then lifting him completely off the ground. He hovered there a few feet above the wreckage, as the light that surrounded him slowly pushed its way into his skin. As the look of terror gradually left his eyes, the light from inside the wreckage blinked out and he fell face first onto the twisted metal. Standing up, he steadied himself, looking at his hands curiously and then around at his surroundings with fresh eyes. Leaning over, he reached inside through the now wide open window and touched an elaborate set of buttons inside, keying in a code. As a small light started flashing, he looked over at the form that lay prone inside and whispered, "I'm sorry... I promise you... you will be remembered... but not here... not like this." Pulling out a component from the console, he stepped back and away from the wreckage, stumbling over the foliage and debris, trying to get as far away as possible. He hadn't got far before meeting up with, Mulder and Scully rushing in from the other direction. "Mark... what is it what have you found?" Mulder asked. "Uhhh, nothing... I thought I saw something, but I guess I was wrong." "What? You dragged us out here in the middle of the night... you were yelling five minutes ago that you had found it. " "It was a mistake... sorry." He answered, starting to panic a little, knowing they were too close to the wreckage. "I think we'll take a look anyway..." Mulder told him, as he moved past. "No." Mark grabbed Mulder, nearly pulling his arm out of the socket," Let's just go back." Scully pushed the two of them apart, "What the hell is wrong with you... we came all this way... we're going to go look at what ever it is you think you saw out here." She moved away from the two men, but only got a few steps before an explosion rocked the forest. The blast knocking all of them off there feet. Mulder pushed himself off the wet ground and shook his head, trying to think straight. As he got to his feet he started calling out for his partner. The fire blazing in the distance, caused enough light for him to see her several feet away, struggling to get up. Rushing to her, he dropped down and tried to help her. "Don't try to move, Scully." "I'm fine..." She started weakly. "I know, I know... your always fine. Just humor me, ok?" She complied and sat back so he could get a better look. "You've got a pretty deep gash and a good size bruise forming on your forehead." "What hit me?" "Looks like some form of metal." He answered, seeing bits of it scattered all over the ground. Turning back to her, he reached under his coat and ripped a piece of his t-shirt off, to use to stop the bleeding coming from her forehead. "What happened to Mark?" She asked, wincing as he pressed the cloth in to her wound. "I'm right here." The voice answered from behind them. Mulder helped Scully to her feet, before asking the man, "What was that... you said there was nothing to see, Mark. Nothing doesn't generally explode like that." "I'll tell you exactly what I saw... but right now I think we had better get Agent Scully to a doctor, don't you think?" Mulder looked at Scully, her eyes starting to droop and decided that Mark was right, he could grill the man later, but now she was his priority and they started back for civilization. Mulder didn't notice Mark as he took a last look at the burning wreckage or the lone tear that slipped down his face, before he turned to follow. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Mulder snuck down a hospital corridor, keeping one eye peeled for an extremely large and fowl tempered nurse, the same nurse that had already sent him back to the waiting room three times. But hoping the fourth time would be the charm, he made his way to the exam room that held his partner. He heard her voice in the room ahead and smiled, but his smile faded as he heard laughter... her laughter. Confused he stood motionless, trying to hear what was going on in there. "Mr. Mulder..." The booming voice came from behind him, causing him to cringe. He turned, giving her his best smile, "Hello, Nurse.... " He paused, getting a better look at her name badge, " Johnson.... have I told you how lovely you look this morning." "Nice try." She said simply, as she pointed her arm out in the direction of the waiting room. "It's ok, nurse... " A deep voice told her. Mulder turned to see the voice had come from the doctor leaving Scully's room, a very young, handsome doctor, with a big smile on his face. "Agent Mulder... I'm Dr. Edward Blake." "How is she?" "Mild concussion... a few stitches. She'll be fine, I would like her to stay 24 hours, but she said she would rather go. Tell me, do you normally have any luck getting her to do what's best for her?" Mulder's only response was to laugh and shake his head. "Well then, do your best to have her get some sleep. You'll have to wake her periodically... just to be on the safe side. I've referred her to another doctor on staff here for any follow up she might need." Mulder nodded in understanding, "Can I see her?" "Yeah sure... go ahead." Mulder started for her room and then stopped, looking at the younger man. "Why don't you want to be her doctor?" With a wide smile the man replied, " Because it would be terribly unprofessional for a doctor to ask his patient out on a date." He patted Mulder on the shoulder and headed down the corridor. Still watching the man walk away, he felt Scully touch his arm lightly, causing him to glance sideways at her. "What's with you and Doogie Houser?" She smiled, as she started pulling on her jacket, "This isn't going to be another long discussion about my needs, is it?" He lightly touched the bandage on her forehead, before teasing, "Let me guess, the young doctor stimulates your mind?" "Well... " She countered, " it's a good place to start..." `````````` Mulder paused before knocking on the door of Scully's motel bathroom. He was intruding and he knew it, but she had been in there for a long time and he needed to talk. With a couple of quick raps on the door he asked her, "Is everything alright in there, Scully? You haven't drowned in that tub have you?" Scully instinctively sunk lower, under the bubbles of her bath. "I'm just trying to warm up after our delightful little trip to the forest, Mulder. How did you get in here anyway?" "Picked the lock." "Figures... so what can I do for you?" She didn't have to be able to see his face, to know the sly smile that he wore, at her question. "Did you find out what happened to Mark?" She asked. "No..." He slid down the bathroom door, leaning his back against it as he continued, "It's like he just disappeared... it's so strange." "What's so odd about it? He was obviously up to something out there." She said loud enough to be heard through the closed door. "He tried to destroy the evidence before we could see it." "He has been pursuing extraterrestrial activity longer than I have Scully... if he found a downed ship out there, why would he destroy it?" "My guess... it wasn't a ship...and he wanted to continue the hoax by making it almost impossible to disprove it." He rested his head against the door, "Well it's a theory..." "But not yours." She added as she stepped out of the tub. "Something else is bugging me about this. The doctor that examined Mark said that he had a gash in his side that took fifteen stitches to close. He never as much as winced during the whole trip out of the forest and to the hospital." "Maybe he just has a high threshold for pain?" "That's just it, I've known this guy for years... he's a big guy, but he's a wimp. He once got a splinter and complained about the pain for days. But after finding, whatever it was he found out there, he...." He didn't have a chance to finish as the door swung inward, causing him to fall back onto the linoleum floor of the bathroom. Scully was startled by her partner's sudden appearance. As he fell at her bare feet she jumped back quickly before he could get an eyeful from his vantage point. Quickly regaining her composure she looked down at her partner. "Mulder...don't think that I don't know what your thinking... cause I do." "Huh?" He asked, confused. "You think something happened to Mark out there... something... otherworldly." As she spoke, she moved passed him, making her way to her suitcase. "I never said that..." He sat up as she walked by. "But you were thinking it." "Maybe I was just thinking about what you're wearing... or aren't wearing, under that robe." She looked at him with a smile, "Funny, from most men that would have sounded like a come on... from you it just sounds like an excuse." She gathered up some clothes to sleep in and headed back to the bathroom to change. He stood up to let her close the door, once again separating them. Talking through the door she told him ," Go do what you have to Mulder... search the woods... find Mark... whatever, but you're on your own for a while." "You are always getting mad at me for running off without you, so why are you all of the sudden trying to get rid of me, Scully... you got a date later." She opened the door, dressed in an oversized t-shirt and flannel shorts. As she passed him she raised an eyebrow and said, "Well... Dr. Blake was willing to make a house call..." "Yeah, I bet he was... " He spoke in a low sarcastic voice as he watched her crawl into her bed. "Speaking of the young doctor, he told me I was suppose to keep an eye on you for awhile...you know, make sure you don't slip into a coma or anything." "I don't think you have to worry." "But I do." He had attempted to make the statement causally, but the honesty of it was obvious... to both of them. "The key is on the table... go look for Mark, you can come back later and make sure I'm still breathing." He quietly walked over to the bed, kneeling down and taking one of her hands gently in his. " Before I go, do you need anything?" The words brought back the memory of their earlier conversation and he laughed lightly, " I know...I know... if I was a better man I would have just known what you needed, without having to ask." She squeezed his hand lightly, "If it makes you feel better, I haven't got a clue what you need either, Mulder." His mouth opened, and for a brief moment he was about to tell her, what mattered most to him... who mattered most to him... what he needed more than anything in the world, but the words would not come and he settled for telling her to get some sleep. Reluctantly, he grabbed the key off the table and set-off in search of Mark. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Dana smiled as she watched the man before her refill her glass with wine. Looking around the nearly full restaurant, she watched the couples talking in hushed tones and dancing around the big dance floor to the soft music that played. Turning back to her date she smiled at the handsome doctor as he reached out and took her hand. "What's with you and guys named Ed?" The voice came from beside her and she turned to see her that partner had come out of nowhere to invade her perfect evening. "Go away..." She whispered under her breath. "I don't trust him." He said, ignoring her. "Mulder..." She started, talking through clenched teeth. "I'm only looking out for your best interest here, Scully." "Yeah..well it would be in your best interest to get out of here, before I'm forced to kill you." She spoke louder, unconcerned if her date heard or not, although he seemed oblivious to anything but her. "Ok... but remember you haven't had the best judgment as far as men go lately...." With his last words Mulder vanished, leaving an empty chair behind. "So, Dana would you care to dance?" Her date asked standing up and holding out his hand. "I'd love to." she replied, happy to be rid of Mulder and returning her attention to the handsome doctor. As they swayed to the music she rested her head on his chest. "This night feels like a dream." "Probably cause it is." Startled at the familiar voice, she looked up to see that Mulder had reappeared, and was the one holding her as they danced. "Mulder... what the hell are you doing? Where's my date?" She asked trying to get some distance between them, but not succeeding. "How should I know what happened to him... this is your dream Scully. I guess your subconscious just likes me better than him." He was smiling down at her and moved his hand up to rest on the side of her face. As soon as his fingertips made contact with her skin their surroundings changed. They were back in the forest, but unlike before there was no storm... no rain, it was warm and peaceful. Still holding her he leaned in, his mouth grazing her ear, "Lets talk about ' what ifs', Scully." "It's just a dream." She said softly. "Yes... it's a dream... which means it can be anything you want... we... can be anything you want.." His face hovered above hers and she closed her eyes as he continued, "We are alone here Scully... no distractions.. no remorse... no.... " Suddenly the pressure from his hand disappeared and she opened her eyes to see the rest of him had disappeared as well. She spun around, searching through the trees, but he was gone. "Mulder..." she called into the night, "This isn't funny..." She shivered as the only response she got was a frigid gust of wind whipping across her face. The trees felt as if they were closing around her and she fought the urge to run... away from what, she didn't know. But as she smelled the familiar sent of smoke carried along the wind, she knew her fears were well founded. Turning towards the offending smell, she saw him standing there, cigarette in one hand, gun in the other. "Mulder..." She called out again, in vain. "He couldn't protect you before... " He said calmly, taking a drag from his cigarette as he raised his gun, pointing it at her and beginning to slowly squeeze the trigger "And he can't save you now..." "Noooo!" She screamed bolting upright in bed, only to come face to face with someone sitting beside her on the bed. "Ahhhhh!" She yelled again, causing him to fall right off the bed and onto the floor. Regaining her senses she looked over at Mulder who was sprawled out on the floor of her motel room. "God Mulder, you scared the hell out of me." Pulling himself off the floor, he laughed lightly at the irony and replied, "Well at least we know you haven't slipped into a coma." Trying to get her breathing under control she watched him stand up and sit back on the edge of the bed. "Did you have any luck finding Mark?" "Maybe. I've got an address of a place he had been renting. I'm going to check it out as soon as I leave here." She swung the covers off of her, moving to get out of bed. "I'll go with you." "No you won't... the doctor said you needed bed rest." "Mulder, I've got a bump on my head. It's hardly life threatening." She told him, immediately wishing she would have phrased it differently. "Please... just stay here. " She knew all the reasons behind his request and could see by the look in his eyes that he didn't want to say them aloud. "You'll call me if you find anything?" "I promise. Now go back to sleep." as he spoke he was already half way to the door and with a quick wave he headed back out to find Mark. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Having given up on trying to sleep, Scully sat at the small table in her motel room typing a report on her laptop computer. A knock at the door caused her to look up and smile. She went to the door and said, "What wrong Mulder... lose the key?" Her smile disappeared as she opened the door to find it wasn't her partner... it was Mark. His skin was pale and he was clutching his chest, he tried to speak but couldn't catch his breath long enough to speak. He pushed past her and managed to take a few steps before collapsing face first onto the floor. Immediately recognizing that he was having a heart attack, she grabbed the cell-phone off of the night stand and dialed 911 as she rolled him over and ripped open his shirt. After completing the call she began CPR. As she worked on him, she could feel a strange heat radiating from inside his chest. The more compressions she gave, the more the heat intensified, until it became unbearable. She tried to pull her hands away, but she couldn't move them. Her eyes widened as she watched a glowing blue light push through the skin of his chest, surrounding her hands and slowly moving up her arms, paralyzing her as it made it's way toward her torso. Still able to move her head, she looked at Mark's face and saw him open his eyes. He looked at her for a long moment and then whispered, "I'm sorry." As his eyes closed again, the light enveloped her completely, pushing its way into her skin until it had completely invaded her body. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Mulder knocked on the half open door, calling Mark's name. There was no reply, so he swung the door open and stepped inside. After locating the light, he looked around the small one-room apartment. Everything seemed to be in order, except the computer that sat in the corner of the room. It had been disassembled, but was still operable. Moving closer to get a better look, he could see that it had been taken apart and reconfigured somehow. The monitor was blinking wildly as strings of numbers flashed across the screen. Pulling out his cell-phone he dialed Scully. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` She stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself as she heard a ringing noise break the silence. After taking a moment to sink in, she realized that is was the phone and went to pick it up off of the floor. "Hello." "Scully, It's me... I found Mark's apartment, but he's..." "At the hospital." She broke in. "He's what?" "He came here after you left... collapsed on my floor and they took him to the hospital. I think you should get over there...to make sure he's ok." "Yeah, I'm on my way... I'll see you in a little while." He paused for a second, " Scully?" "What?" "Are you ok... you sound...I don't know... distant?" "I'm fine, Mulder. I'll see you later." "Yeah...ok, later." She heard the click of the other line disconnecting and turned her attention to the laptop computer sitting on the table. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` He opened the door after knocking several times. "Hey, anybody home?" "Yeah... I'll be right out." Came her voice from the bathroom. "Your not going to like the theory I've come up with on this one. I talked to Mark, he said he has no memory of what happened. It's amazing he's still alive, really. Doctors said he had a major coronary. Oh by the way, Dr. Blake sends his regards. So Scully, do you want to hear my theory?" "I know what you think... you think his body was inhabited by an entity... an entity that came from the crash site that he discovered out in those woods." "Well no... but I like that better." Mulder's eyes wandered across her motel room to the cannibalized laptop commuter blinking in the corner and he stopped dead in his tracks. "He was injured by the explosion... his body was weakened." As she spoke, she walked by a mirror and looked at her reflection. She was wearing a silk robe, her hair damp. She started to speak again, not taking her eyes off her reflection. "His heart wasn't strong enough...but this body is stronger. She will get me home." He felt his body tense hoping what he was thinking was wrong. But as she turned and looked at him, he knew. Her eyes focused on him, exploring his body, she smiled and he felt his face turn hot. "Who are you? What... what have you done to her?" He demanded. "She's here... sort of. I like her better than Mark, I think being a woman suits me better." She was moving towards him, running her hand down the folds of her silk robe as she spoke. Then, looking up into his eyes she asked, "What do you think?" Pulling the gun from his holster he pointed it at her. "Stay back!" She looked at the gun and laughed. "What, your gonna shoot me?" She asked, continuing to move towards him, until the gun was touching her abdomen, pushing against the edges of her robe until it was touching bare skin. "Are your going to shoot her? You can kill me... but not without killing her....and I know you can't hurt her." She moved even closer. He could feel his hand shaking, "We are one now... I know everything she knows...which means I know you." She moved her hand up and ran a finger along his jaw line. " You're a part of her... as much as I'm a part of her." Her finger traced along his lower lip, causing his mind to race. Seeing the effect that she was having on him, she smiled widely. She was so close to him that the gun was inside her robe and he could feel her soft skin against his hand. Abruptly he pulled back trying to distance himself from her... to try and think clearly. Her expression clearly showed the anger she was feeling at his blunt rejection. "Wrong choice." It was the last words he heard her say, as her hand grabbed the gun out of his hand so quickly he barley realized what happened. But before he had a chance to react she swung the gun, smashing it upside his head and dropping him to the ground. The darkness started to become gray and gradually the light of the room pushed at his eyes. He opened them tentatively, blinking against the brightness of light. As the room came into focus he watched her from his supine position on the floor. She was across the room, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and working on the remains of her computer. Then, he saw the handcuff on his wrist and the other one connected to the bed frame. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned, "Your awake." He said nothing. "And your angry." As she spoke, she stood and moved to him, taking a pillow off the bed and dropping it to the floor, so he would be able to at least prop himself up. He still said nothing. "Look... I'm sorry about your head... but this hasn't exactly been a picnic for me either. I mean look... I've been through the mother of all crash landings... my best friend is dead... I'm trapped on this God forsaken planet and I've been through two human host bodies in as many days. So I'm sorry if I'm a little pissy, but I've had a rough couple of days, ok?" She paused, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking down at him before continuing, "This isn't about hurting anyone... I'm just trying to get home." Mulder didn't know whether to believe her or not. It was Scully... but at the same time, it wasn't. He just said simply "I won't let you take her." "You couldn't save her before... and you can't save her now." ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` As she worked at the computer, he worked on freeing the handcuff attached to the bed frame. He had managed to loose the key somewhere in the woods the night before. His spare key was at home, so his only option was to bend metal bed frame enough so that he could slide the cuff out. A small circuit that she was working on blew, causing a quick flash from the circuit board and a steady stream of curses from her. "For not being from around here, you certainly have a firm grasp on the English language." "I told you... I know everything she knows." She replied, keeping her back to him. "Did you get those colorful sayings from her or Mark?" "Well, she was raised around sailors." A sudden series of beeps signaled her and she responded by punching the keys of the reconfigured machine. "It won't be long now." She said, turning to look at him. He started yanking feverishly against the handcuff, realizing he was running out of time. "You never give up do you? She finds it kind of endearing....but personally, I think your just wasting your energy. He looked up into her eyes, trying to find his partner in there somewhere.... but she wasn't there. Her body was still with him but her sole had been taken. "You could take me..." He said, grasping at straws, "...let her stay... take me instead." "That's sweet, but no... the decision has been made... she's the one." "Why... why her and not me?" He asked angrily, yanking at the cuff on his wrist. "Because you still have a life to be lived, Mulder... hers is coming to an end." "It's not your choice to make." "I didn't make that choice. The men you chase... your, Cancer Man... he took her from you when they gave her this disease." As she spoke she ran her finger along her forehead down to the bridge of her nose." He didn't answer. "I'm going home, Mulder... what ever it takes, I'm going home." "And you don't care that you are taking her away from her family and friends...all the people that love her." "Her cancer is taking her from them... and from you. You must have prepared yourself for that eventuality." She eyed him closely as he turned away from her, "But you haven't... have you? You really thought you could save her." "You don't know anything about me." "But she does, Mulder... everything except what really matters. You have been facing this ending for a while now... well here it is. Whether it's today or six months from now, it's the same scenario. Your partner is dying and you are helpless to save her. Granted this way is a bit more dramatic than her wasting away in a hospital bed... but the fact remains that you can't save her, you never could... she understands that. You have to deal with it... you have to find a way to say good bye." "I can't..." He spoke in no more than a whisper. "You have to." "Don't tell me what I have to do. And don't act like your doing her some kind of favor... you are taking her life... she had time... maybe a little... maybe more... maybe enough time to find a cure... and you're taking that from her. I'm begging you... don't do this... don't take her... please." "I need her." "So do I... " He yelled at her, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. "Then tell her... tell her, before it's to late." "She's not here." He replied bitterly. "But she is... she's right here in front of you." She kneeled down in front of him. "I don't believe you..." She moved over to him sitting on his waist and resting one hand on the side of his face, her thumb gently tracing along his cheek. In a hushed tone, she whispered, "Let's talk about ' what ifs '. " Her words had the desired effect and she could see everything he wanted to say in his eyes, but she could also see his fear of giving up... of letting her go. "Can she hear me?" He asked, tentatively. "if I was to tell her... would she hear me?" "Yes... she hears you...." "Is she scared?" He asked quietly, his voice wavering. "A little... she's worried about leaving behind the people she loves... afraid to leave you... afraid you've forgotten how to be alone." Her body was getting closer to him as she spoke, until she was resting on his chest, her head buried in the crook of his neck. "She's tired, Mulder... tired of fighting... tired of trying to be strong." Instinctively his free hand moved to hold her, resting on the small of her back. Her sweatshirt had separated slightly from the waistband of her jeans and he lightly ran his fingertips along her soft skin. "Can she feel my touch?" He asked quietly, whispering into her hair. She lifted her head, "Yes..." her mouth grazing his lightly as she moved above him, "yes... she can feel you..." His eyes closed tightly at the contact. Reopening them, his eyes locked with hers and in one swift movement he rolled her underneath his body. By the time she realized that he shouldn't have been able to do that, he had already used the hand cuff that he had freed from the bed frame, to cuff her wrist, binding the two of them together. He lifted himself up, pinning her arms above her head and with a triumphant smile asked, "Could she feel that?" "What the... " She pushed him off of her and pulled at the cuff, "What do you think you will accomplish with this?" "I told you... I won't let you take her." He stood, causing her to follow. "And this will stop me?" "I will stop you... " "I don't have time for this... I have to get out to the crash site." "Well, you're going to have to go through me, to take her." She shook her head and then quickly reached out grasping his neck and lifting him off of the ground. His face blue and her point made, she released him and he fell to the floor with a thud. "Your going to have to kill me.... to stop me." He coughed, trying to get back up. "You are just a huge pain in my ass. And believe me I have no doubt as to why she has that particular phrase is in her vocabulary." She looked at him for a moment, deciding what to do. " Ok Mulder... looks like you get a little more time with her... but I'm still not giving you what you want. We are going to the forest... I'm going to go home and you will say your good byes." Without giving him time to argue, she headed for the door, dragging him behind her. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` They made it out to the crash site, or what was left of it. He had spent a good portion of the trip struggling against her, but it was like fighting with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Deciding to reserve some of his strength, he went along, biding his time and trying to think of a way out of this. She stood silently looking at the site that held what was left of her ship and her co-pilot. "You blew up the ship, didn't you?" He asked. "That's why you were trying to get us away from the area." "I told you this was never about hurting anyone." "Didn't work out that way did it?" He asked sarcastically, looking around at the bits of twisted metal " You said you lost your friend..." "He died in the crash... I need to go home as much for him as for myself... to let them know he died bravely. He was everything to me and I didn't have the chance to tell him. I never even had the chance to say good bye... I'm giving that chance to you Mulder." "Your forgetting that we are pretty much a package deal at this point. " He lifted their cuffed wrists to make his point. "Yes, but once I break all the bones in your hand, it should slide out nicely." She took in his startled expression, "How did you think I was going to remove the cuff?" Suddenly she looked upwards, beyond the tree line and then back to him. "It's time..." "Don't do this." "Tell her good bye... tell her what she needs to hear... what she needs to know. You're running out of time Mulder... tell her." "Please... " "This is all I can give you, Mulder... don't let her die never knowing the truth... tell her..." Suddenly a blinding beam of light surrounded them. "No... not yet." She yelled up into the light, then grabbing Mulder's cuffed hand she began to squeeze. Mulder could feel the light starting to lift him off his feet so he dropped to the ground, grabbing hold of small tree with his free hand. He tried to ignore the pain in his other hand, as she squeezed it tighter, her feet lifting completely off the ground as the light slowly pulled her upwards. He could feel the crack as her grip began to break the bones in his hand one by one. He tried to shut out the pain by concentrating on his grip on the tree, knowing it was his lifeline. He heard her cry out and looked up to see that her body had been pulled tight against his arm. As his eyes connected with hers, he pleaded one more time, "Please... she's all I have... don't take her from me." She was hovering above him and he could see the tears in her eyes as she nodded and let go of his hand, causing her body to quickly move to the origin of the light above, only to be abruptly halted by the cuff that tethered her to him. The force of the motion caused the cuff to slide part way over his crushed hand. The force of the light intensified he and felt the cuff slowly begin to slide upward, over his broken thumb. His mind screamed from the pain and he quickly wrapped his fingers around the cold medal cuff, keeping Scully from being pulled any further upwards towards the light above. He watched in awe as a bluish light seemed to be moving out of his partners body, releasing her from it's hold. As the last of the glowing light left her, she fell, landing on top of him... unconscious and unmoving. One hand still gripping the tree, he used the other to hold her tightly against his body as he watched the intense glow continue along the white beam, up to the source above. In an instant the light blinked out, taking with it their unwelcome visitor as well as all the remains of the crash site around them. With the light gone, they were cast into darkness, the only light coming from a flashlight that had fallen to the ground during the commotion. Tentatively he released the tree, moving his hand to her neck and feeling for a pulse. It was there... strong as ever, and he dropped his head back to the ground. Feeling her stir against him he lifted his head back up, surprised to be looking directly into her confused eyes. "What's going on... what... what happened." She pushed herself up, moving off of him and on to the ground beside, her eyes resting on the handcuff that dangled from her wrist. "What do you remember?" "There was an explosion... I hit my head... but we left here... didn't we?" "We came back... it's a long story and I will tell you all about it after we get you to the hospital." He stood, realizing that he probably needed a doctor more than she did. As they made their way out of the forest she looked at him and said, "We were at the hospital before... weren't we? I remember a doctor... Dr. Blake..." "Sure... that you remember..." Two days later. ````````````````````` Dana sat in her apartment reading, when a knock at the door got her attention. Getting up she moved to the door and opened it to find her partner standing in the hall, holding a bottle of wine. "What are up to Mulder?" She asked with a smile, moving aside to let him in. "I was at home and I really wanted a glass of wine... but as you can see," He lifted his arm to show her the plaster cast covering his hand, "I could use a little help." She gave him a slight smile as she took the bottle from him and went into the kitchen. Returning to the livingroom, she found him sitting on her couch, making himself right at home. She couldn't help but notice that he had turned on some soft music. She gave him a look as she handed him a glass of wine and sat down beside him. "What?" He ask innocently. She reached out touching his cast lightly, "How's your hand?" "The hand you broke?" "It wasn't me." "Well she did have your face." She looked at her wine glass. He had told her everything... everything she could not remember, but even with the proof of his broken hand and bruised face, it still seemed so unreal. "So tell me Mulder what did the two of you talk about?" "Oh no... I'm not telling you a thing until I get my answers about you and ol' Eddie." "Which one?" "Let's start with Vanbunht..." "What do you want to know?" "Everything that lead up to what I saw with my own eyes." She took a sip of wine, "Well, he came over... with a bottle of wine. He wanted to know why we never talk... really talk." "What did you say?" "What could I say, he was right... so we talked... we drank and we talked. I told him embarrassing stories from my youth and he listened." "And..." "He wanted to know if I ever wished things were different... and then he slowly moved in..." She deliberately moved into him as she spoke, demonstrating her words. " His mouth hovering above mine...." He could feel her breath on his face and swallowed hard, before managing to say, "then..." "And then... some crazy man busted in my door." She sat back, taking another sip of wine. "and, well... you know the rest of the story." He looked back at the recently, and often replaced front door, before asking, " And if I hadn't come to your rescue... how would have the story ended?" "You never give up do you, Mulder?" "She told me you found that trait endearing in me." "Oh yeah... what other little insights did she give you?" He paused not knowing whether he wanted to tell her the truth or not. "Come on..." "She said that you knew everything about me... except what really mattered." "Is that why you came over here tonight, Mulder? To tell me what really matters to you." He reached for her hand, taking it in his. "I know I'm not very good at being the man you need me to be, but for what it's worth... I do try." "I'm not complaining Mulder, you are who you are and oddly enough I find that part of you kind of endearing as well." "So you like it when I'm a selfish bastard?" He asked with a smile. "Well, I wouldn't go that far." she answered, returning his smile. "You know you do have other sides Mulder... intelligence, compassion, determination... there is a part of you that is very tender and completely devoted..." As she spoke the last word his eyes connected with hers and she felt herself blush slightly, "To... to your work... I mean." "Yeah well, I can't really take credit for that part of who I am." "Why?" "Because that would be the part of me that's you." He replied honestly. Her eyes showed the surprise she felt. "You really didn't know did you?" He asked, almost sadly. "Scully, you are a huge part of who I am... I need for you to know that... I'm sorry that you didn't already." He could see his word had touched her and gave her a big smile, "And you say we never talk..." "What am I going to do with you, Mulder?" "Oooo, Scully... I thought you'd never ask..." "Mulder..." "What?" He asked innocently, "I just wanted to hear some of those embarrassing stories from your youth." He raised his eyebrows, giving her his best evil grin, "Why... what did you have in mind?" She laughed lightly, running her finger across the top of the wine glass. "Are you sure you have time for that sort of thing? Don't you have mutants to chase or something?" "Not tonight, Scully... tonight I'd just like to spend a little time with my partner." She gave him one of her patented skeptical looks. "No really... my hand to God, tonight it's just me and you." She could see that his words where sincere, or at least that he would like them to be. "Maybe just this once we could shut out the outside world..." He continued, " at least for a while...." A sudden ringing from the cell-phone in his jacket cut him off and caused both of them to let out frustrated laughs. She gave him a knowing grin and he looked at her apologetically as he reached for his jacket, pulling out the phone. But her expression turned to surprise, as he turned off the small phone, before even answering it. Then looking back to her with a raised eyebrow and a smile he continued, "Now... let's talk about 'What ifs'." The End ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ E. Livingstone (Exduck@llano.net) E's X-Page: www.llano.net/~exduck/x.htm (X-File Pictures, links and visual story summaries) E's Page: www.llano.net/~exduck (Pictures and Links) Alternet E-mail addresses: Eeees@aol.com Wonbrikshy@aol.com ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^