Taking Advantage Author: Waddles 52 Summary: Kersh takes advantage of Mulder and Scully by sending them on a wild goose chase, while Mulder wishes Scully would take advantage of him. Dangerous climbs and forest fires add up to another typical outdoor adventure for our two favorite agents. Spoilers: Maybe a tiny one for Drive Rating: PG Category: MT Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. Archives: Please ask. Feedback: Much appreciated DASWaddles52@aol.com Dedication: To my son Chris, a hard taskmaster and to Vickie for saving this from the shredder Southern Idaho "Would you mind telling me again what we did to make Kersh dislike us so much?" Mulder asked, trying to navigate a bumpy road. "At this point I think all we have to do is draw a breath, and what do you mean by 'we'?" Scully answered, bracing herself for the next bump. "Okay, what did 'I' do to piss him off?" "As I said before, just living and breathing." "Scully, what are we doing here?" The bouncing in the car was quickly becoming uncomfortable. Time and weather extremes had caused parts of the road to disintegrate into seemingly bottomless pits. "Our assignment is to find a cache of fertilizer and other products used in bomb-making that is thought to be stashed on federal property." Scully recited what Kersh had told them. "I know that, but what are 'we' doing 'here'?" "The threat of domestic terrorism has become stronger as each day passes. If we can find those materials and the people who have hidden them, we can possibly save many lives." "Cut the Bureau rhetoric, Scully," Mulder demanded angrily. "This assignment stinks to high heaven, and it's not just the fertilizer." "What do you want me to say, Mulder? I don't like these assignments any more than you do, but the only way we can get the X-Files back is to do what we're told in the best way possible." "Do you think that will be enough?" Mulder asked while trying to dodge another huge hole in the road. "I don't know, Mulder," Scully sighed. "At the moment, I think it's all we can do. You need to turn right pretty soon. That should take us to the ranger station." Mulder saw the turn and maneuvered the car past another hole. An hour later they pulled up to the ranger station. It appeared to be deserted. Mulder opened his door. "I'll go in and see if there's anyone here." "I'm coming with you." Scully opened her door and followed after him. The door to the station was unlocked, so they went in. "Hello, anyone here?" Mulder called, looking around. Scully spied a note taped to the back of the door. She quickly read it. "Well?" Mulder queried. "There is a forest fire in a far western section of the park and the rangers had to go there. They won't be back until it is under control. They've left us a map and some provisions which are located along the back wall with the first-aid supplies." They made their way over to the supplies. "I guess these are ours." Mulder pointed to a backpack with a map folded on top of it. Scully was looking over the first-aid supplies. "They're really well provisioned." "I guess they have to be considering they're so isolated." Mulder picked up the backpack and handed Scully the map. "Let's go back to the car and combine these supplies with what we brought with us." Soon they had combined the supplies and were ready to go. "It looks like we walk from here." Scully said, balancing her backpack, trying to find a comfortable position. "How far?" Mulder inquired. "It looks like about 10 miles, but it's pretty rough terrain for the most part. It's going to take a while." Scully handed the map to Mulder. "Damn," he muttered and began folding the map. "A guide would have been helpful, but I guess we'll just have to rely on your excellent navigational skills." "Since I'm navigating, I suggest we get started so we can find a place to camp before dark." Scully started walking and Mulder followed. Four hours later, they had just finished setting up a light tent and Mulder was starting a fire. Scully rummaged through her backpack, looking to find something for their evening meal. "Well, Mulder, we have a nice selection of MREs, some freeze-dried meals and peanut butter and crackers." "Just toss me one of the MREs. I'm too tired to fix anything." Mulder was putting twigs on the small fire. When it was going to his satisfaction, he moved back and took the MRE from Scully. He sat down, leaned against a log and opened his meal. Scully sat beside him and did the same. They ate within a comfortable silence. When they were finished, Mulder took the packaging and tossed it into the fire. He came back to the log and sat back down by Scully. "I can't believe we only walked three miles today." "Well, it was pretty rough terrain. We have to get over that hill tomorrow, then maybe the rest of the way will be easier." Scully yawned. "I think I'm ready to call it a night. Coming?" She stood up and headed for the tent. "In a minute." "Suit yourself. Try not to wake me when you come in." Scully gave him a big smile. "See you in the morning?" "Sure." Mulder made himself a bit more comfortable and began to mull over the facts of the case. Soon he was asleep in front of the fire. After a breakfast of trail mix and coffee, they set out, ready to tackle the hill. The ground was steadily turning uphill and it was becoming harder to find a good purchase. They both stopped and looked at their destination. It was going to be a difficult climb. The hillside was littered with loose rocks and a few shrubs. There wasn't much to grab on to. "I'll go first," Mulder decided. "That way I can pull you up if you need help." "Thank you, Mulder. You know, I could do the same for you," Scully protested. "I'm sure you could, but I'm a little heavier. It'll be a lot easier for me to pull you up." "Okay," Scully agreed. "Let's take this slowly. It doesn't look like this ground will be very forgiving if one of us takes a fall." They had been climbing steadily for a time. Both were sporting various scrapes and bruises from short slides in the loose rock. They were approaching the summit and both were thinking about how good it would feel to sit down and rest. Scully's attention was turned to Mulder, who seemed to be having a very difficult time. He was only about 10 feet from the top, but could not find a handhold or foothold. He began to slide, then quite suddenly he rolled backwards and began to cartwheel down the side of the hill. Before Scully could react, he rolled a few more times and landed in a heap against a bush near the bottom. Mulder made no attempt to move. The pain in his lower back and right ankle was excruciating. In fact, there were few areas of his body that actually registered no pain. In a few minutes Scully was kneeling beside him, taking off his backpack. "Mulder, don't try to move." "I don't think that's going to be a problem, Scully," he groaned and despite her admonishment, tried to sit up. His back screamed in agony as Scully attempted to hold him down. "Don't move! You may have a back injury." "I do have a back injury." His teeth were clenched and it was all he could do to speak coherently, the pain was so intense. "Where is the pain located?" she inquired. "Lower back." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to gain some control. "Mulder, can you hear me?" "Um, yeah." He squinted up at her, still barely in control. "Mulder, listen to me. I want you to try to move your legs, very slowly." He followed her directions. Very slowly he moved his legs, then the pain exploded in his lower back and down both legs. The control that had been hanging on so precariously was now a distant memory as he screamed and roared his discomfort. He quickly grabbed Scully's left hand and held it, squeezing it for all he was worth until the pain became bearable again. Scully pulled her hand from his and began to feel along his extremities. Silently she worked, feeling nothing out of the ordinary until she reached his right ankle. Her attempt to rotate it was met with another roar of pain, so she set about removing his hiking boot. After much painful pulling and tugging it popped free, nearly causing her to lose her balance. The swelling was evident even through his thick sock. She gently removed it and saw that the skin had already turned an ugly shade of blue and dark purple. Closer examination revealed a slight click upon movement. "At least one broken bone, and probably some torn ligaments," she thought. She needed to do one more thing, and it wasn't going to be easy. She needed to examine his back. She carefully straightened out his legs. "Mulder, I need to roll you on your side. Don't move. Let me do all of the work." He barely acknowledged her. He had retreated to a place in his mind that let him ignore most of the pain coursing through his body. Scully rolled him and pulled up his shirt. She carefully felt the bones in his back, starting at his neck and ending in his lumbar region. Thankfully, she felt no deformities. There could still be fractures, pinched nerves or muscle damage, but she breathed easier after she finished. She left him on his side. Gradually Mulder emerged from his mental retreat. "Well, what's the verdict, Dr. Scully?" "You have at least one broken bone in your right ankle, and none that I could feel in your back. You won't be walking out of here," she summarized. "Couldn't you splint my ankle?" he asked, grimacing at the slight movement of his legs. "Yes, and I will. It will make you more comfortable, but let's face it. I don't think you can sit up, let alone get up and try to walk. Although I didn't feel any broken bones in your back, I can't rule out a serious injury without a CT scan or MRI." Scully pulled the cell phone from her jacket pocket, hoping against hope that she would be able to get a signal. It was useless. The hills and distant mountains were blocking the signal. She put it back in her pocket. "Mulder, I think the best course of action would be for me to walk back to the ranger station. They have a radio. I'll call for help, and come back with some of those first-aid supplies. I saw some Demerol and morphine there, along with a few other things we can use." "Scully, I don't know. I don't like the idea of you being out there by yourself. What if you get hurt, or run across one of those terrorists that are supposed to be around here," Mulder said sarcastically. "I think it's rather unlikely that I'll run across any terrorists. This has been a wild goose chase from the very beginning. It's much too isolated and the terrain too rough to get enough supplies up here to be any great threat." "I'm glad you finally recognized Kersh's 'shit patrol' for what it really is. Do you think you could help me move away from this bush? It's really uncomfortable." Mulder stated, trying to shift his position. He was stopped by the intense pain that the slightest movement caused. "Yes, Mulder. I had planned on setting up the tent and trying to get you comfortable before I left. There's a clearing that's pretty flat about 20 feet from here. I'll have to drag you, and maybe you can use your good leg to help me scoot you back, but first I want to splint that ankle." It took Scully several minutes to find two branches that were thick enough do any good. She brought them back to Mulder. "I'm going to need something to tie this on." "I've got a t-shirt in my pack," Mulder offered. Scully rummaged through his pack and found it on the bottom. "This one?" Mulder carefully nodded yes. Scully tore it into strips, and as gently as possible splinted his ankle. "Are you ready to move?" Scully asked. "I'd rather not, but I guess I don't have a choice unless I want to become a permanent part of this bush." "Let's get going then." Scully moved him to the clearing. Mulder helped her as much as he could and it cost him dearly. By the time they had reached their goal, he was covered in sweat and was shivering. Scully returned for their packs and wrapped Mulder in a light blanket. "You're going into shock. Just take it easy and try to warm up while I set up the tent." Scully set up the tent beside him. By the time she was finished, Mulder was asleep. She spread his sleeping bag out inside the tent, then emptied her backpack of everything but a handful of trail mix and some water. Although she was loathe to do so, she woke her partner. "It's time to move you inside the tent." "Sorry, I must have dozed off for a minute." "That's okay. Your body is showing you that you need to rest. Let's do this the same way we did it before. Ready?" A few tugs, and Mulder was inside. The move caused fresh waves of pain to wash over him. As she tried to get him into a more comfortable position, he bit his bottom lip and tried to keep from crying out. Scully had enough on her mind and he didn't want to worry her any more by showing that the pain was still excruciating. Despite his efforts, the pain became so terrible that he was forced to scream. "Scully! No more! I can't stand it!" Scully lay down beside him and put her arm around his waist. She spoke to him soothingly. "Shh, calm down. No more moving. We're finished. Try to slow your breathing down. Take slow, deep breaths. That's it. Slow and easy. You're all right. Better?" "A little. Scully, I don't think I've ever had anything hurt me so badly. I'm sorry I lost it, but the pain was so overwhelming that it just took over," Mulder apologized. "I've heard that back injuries can cause some of the worst pain a person can experience. Don't be ashamed of expressing your pain." "Thanks. I really wish you wouldn't take off on your own" "Mulder, you need medical treatment. If we stay here and wait for the rangers to return, it could be several days before they realize that we're late getting back. The longer we wait, the greater the chance of permanent injury. I want you to be able to walk into Kersh's office and tell him what a crock this assignment was." Scully sat up and began to pull items from Mulder's backpack. She set several bottles of water, some trail mix and an MRE within easy reach. She found a bottle of ibuprofen in the small first-aid kit. She shook a couple into her hand and grabbed a bottle of water. "Mulder, I want you to take these. They might help a little." "Okay. You'll need to help me raise up." She did and he swallowed them down. "I'm going to put them beside you. You can take some more in about six hours. Try to eat something then. Okay?" "I'll try," he promised. "Now, while I'm gone, rest and try to move as little as possible. Do you understand? No unnecessary movement!" Scully emphasized her last words. "I understand. Believe me, I'm going to stay as quiet as possible. I don't enjoy pain, and remember, I want to walk into Kersh's office and tell him to shove this 'shit patrol' up his ass sideways. I'll be good," Mulder assured her. "Okay. I'm going to leave. I probably won't be back until after dark. I'll move as quickly as possible, but I will be careful. Do you need anything else before I leave?" "No, I think you have taken care of everything I could possibly need." "Good." Scully leaned over and kissed his forehead. "See you in a few hours." It seemed like Scully had been gone for hours but it had only been about forty-five minutes. Thunder began to rumble in the distance. "That's just great," Mulder griped. "Scully's going to get soaked. Could anything else possibly go wrong?" At about that time he thought he smelled smoke but discounted that thought when he didn't smell it again. Soon he was asleep. Scully had been walking for about an hour when she began to notice the faint scent of smoke. She stopped and tried to determine its source. She slowly turned in a circle, then stopped when she saw smoke in the distance. It was in the direction that she had just come. Lightning flashed on the horizon, accompanied by a rumble of thunder. It was then that Scully realized that the lightning had started another fire and it was headed for Mulder! She started running back to him. Mulder was awakened when he began to cough. He thought at first that Scully had returned and started a campfire. He soon realized that there was too much smoke for a small fire. It dawned on him that he was in danger from an approaching fire. He would have to move, and fast! He made a slight motion to sit up, and the now familiar pain exploded in his back. If a small movement caused that much pain, then a bigger movement couldn't cause much more, he reasoned. He took a deep breath and rolled to his left side, then quickly pushed himself into a sitting position. The ensuing pain nearly caused him to black out as his vision dimmed and the blood began to roar in his head. He quickly shook it off. He could pass out later. Now he needed to get to his feet and follow Scully. He began to gather the supplies that Scully had emptied from her pack. Mulder knew he would need water and food. The rest would have to be left behind. He filled his backpack and painfully positioned it on his back. In one swift movement, he shifted his weight to his right knee, holding his injured ankle off the ground. He pushed up with his left leg and was soon standing on it, crouched over in the tent. He hopped through the opening and looked around for something he could use to support himself. There wasn't anything in the immediate vicinity but a few bushes. He would have to head downhill toward the trees they passed earlier. Mulder tested his injured ankle by slowly putting his weight on it. He felt as if it was literally being torn apart. He would have to hop. He hopped a few feet and lost his balance. He fell to the ground and began to shiver despite the warm temperature. The nausea that had been present since he was injured intensified, forcing him to turn to his side and vomit. When the spasms in his stomach stopped, Mulder made an attempt to move away from the mess he had made. He scooted to the side a bit and could go no further. An overwhelming dizziness forced him to close his eyes. He began to spiral downward as the dizziness and pain claimed his consciousness. He heard another rumble of thunder and then was aware of nothing. Scully stumbled into the clearing where she had left Mulder and was surprised to find him lying outside the tent. A few steps brought her to his side where she collapsed, trying to catch her breath. She pushed herself to her knees and began shaking his shoulders. After a few nudges he began to rouse. "Mulder! Mulder, wake up!" Scully screamed in his ear. Mulder opened his eyes slowly, not yet aware of his surroundings. "Come on, Mulder! You can do it! Concentrate!" "Scully?" he slurred. "Yes, Mulder it's me. I'm back and we have to move. Now!" She pulled at him, trying to get him up. "Can't move, Scully," Mulder moaned. "Yes, you can!" Mulder just looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "Mulder, if you don't move we will both be crispy critters! Now get up!" As if to emphasize the urgency of their situation, a gust of wind blew a heavy cloud of smoke over them. Mulder then remembered the approaching fire and realized that their situation was becoming desperate. "Scully, help me up!" Scully pulled him to a sitting position and he got his good leg under him and pushed up. Soon he was standing, leaning heavily on Scully. "Don't know how far I can go," Mulder gasped, trying to push the pain away. "Just lean on me partner and we'll go as far as we have to." With that they started their journey away from the fire. After a few hours of stop and go travel, it became apparent that the fire was gaining on them. Mulder had once again stopped, trying to catch his breath between the dry heaves wracking his stomach. Scully was holding him up, breathing heavily, trying to reach into her reserves for a bit more strength. "Scully, can't go. Leave me," Mulder groaned as his knees began to buckle. Scully jerked him back up. "No way. We're partners. We go together or not at all." Mulder shook his head no. "Yes, Mulder. Just take a minute to catch your breath, then we'll start again." Her words were accented by a loud crash of thunder, followed closely by a powerful flash of lightning. "Storm's about to break," Mulder panted. Scully surveyed the heavy storm clouds. "Let's hope those clouds are full of rain." It seemed like they were suddenly at ground zero as the sound of thunder, then a great flash of lightning rocked their world. Then the heavens opened. Scully and Mulder looked up, the torrents of rain taking their breath away. "Let's go partner. Let's hope the rain lasts for a while." Scully began to move again, practically dragging Mulder with her. The rain continued to fall. Several times they stumbled, and finally fell to the ground and rolled down a muddy incline. They both lay at the bottom of the small hill, panting. Scully turned over to face Mulder. "Are you okay?" she asked, pushing herself to a sitting position. "Fine and dandy. No new injuries, though," Mulder answered, making no effort to move. "What about you? Are you all right?" Scully gave her stock answer. "I'm fine." She looked behind them. Though it was difficult to see through the driving rain, Scully was pretty sure that the fire was no longer a threat. She turned back to Mulder. "I think we're pretty close to the ranger station. It's getting dark so we need to get there and radio for help and try to dry off." Scully got up and offered Mulder her hand. "You go. Get help. I'll be okay," Mulder said weakly and closed his eyes. "Mulder, stay with me!" Scully ordered. "Open your eyes!" His eyes opened and Scully again offered her hand. Mulder reached for it and soon they were on their way again. Less than an hour later they broke through the trees and saw the ranger station, its porch light beckoning. Scully tried to speed up as Mulder struggled to keep up. Ten feet from the front door Mulder slid to the ground unconscious. Scully bent over, took his arms and began to drag him to the station. Mulder felt something squeezing his right arm. He tried to move away from it, but a strong wave of pain jolted through his back, making him gasp. He opened his eyes to find Scully at his side, taking his blood pressure. "Welcome back, partner. You had me pretty worried." Mulder looked around. He was lying on a cot. They must have made it to the ranger station, although he didn't remember it. He moved his left arm and discovered that he was hooked to an IV. He looked back to Scully with questioning eyes. "You were in shock, causing your blood pressure to drop. It's still a bit low, but the IV seems to be helping." "Did you radio for help?" "Yes." "When are we getting out of here?" He laid his right arm across his eyes, shielding them from the bright overhead light. "Not as soon as I would like," she answered. "The forest fire has pulled just about everyone from their usual locations. All of the available choppers are there, along with most of the rescue team. To top that off, there is a storm front moving through. Hopefully, they'll be able to send some people in by late this afternoon. They'll call for a chopper when they arrive, and we should have you in a hospital sometime tonight." "Sounds like a plan." He brought his arm down from his eyes and looked closely at Scully. "Scully, why are my clothes dry while you're still soaking wet?" He could hear the rain beating heavily on the roof. "I wanted to be sure you were okay before I changed. It seems like our clothes were left behind, so I looked around and found some clothes, probably one of the rangers. They may not fit perfectly but they appeared to be clean and most importantly they were dry." "I'm okay, Scully. Go ahead and change before you catch a cold or something." "All right, Mulder." "I think I'll just close my eyes for a bit. Let me know when you're finished." "Sure, Mulder." Scully smiled. Mulder had seen her unclothed on several occasions and she really wasn't that shy around him. She was quite touched that he would be that considerate. She quickly shed her wet clothes and donned the ranger's rather large jeans and flannel shirt. "You can open your eyes now." "You look a little more comfortable," Mulder observed. "How many times did you have to roll those pant legs?" "About the same amount as the shirt sleeves. I lost count." She checked the IV. "While you were unconscious I re-splinted your ankle and cleaned up as many of your scrapes as I could. How is the pain?" "As long as I don't move it's pretty much bearable, but it does throb," Mulder answered. "I think your blood pressure is stable enough to give you a small dose of Demerol. Would you like for me to do that?" "I really don't want to be out of it, Scully. I don't like to feel like that. Maybe a few more ibuprofen tablets?" "No ibuprofen, Mulder. Your stomach has been upset anyway and they could make it worse. I'll give you a very small dose of Demerol. It should make you feel more comfortable, but you won't be totally out of it," Scully explained. "Just a pleasant, little buzz, huh?" "Something like that." Scully filled the syringe to the appropriate mark and injected it into his IV. "There, that should work pretty fast." "You wouldn't take advantage of me in my drugged state would you?" he teased. "Never, Mulder." "Damn! What would it take?" he continued to tease. "A strong uninjured Mulder and a nice, comfortable place to stay." Scully played the familiar game along with him. "That could probably be arranged, sooner or later." "When you get it arranged, let me know." She turned to look through the medical supplies again. "You'll be the first to know," he replied softly. Scully turned back to him. "I think those supplies will be more than sufficient until we can get you to a hospital." "Scully, why is it that every time we get sent on one of these domestic terrorism assignments, things never go as planned?" "I'm not sure, Mulder. The last time you were bored and got involved in another investigation, then wound up having to drive all the way to the coast," she remembered. "This time you were completely innocent. Just a victim of bad luck." "Yeah, that does seem to follow me around doesn't it? He yawned. "Scully, are you sure you gave me a small dose?" "Yes, Mulder, I'm sure. Why?" "I'm really feeling sleepy." "It might have something to do with the fact that it's two in the morning, D. C. time, and the fact that you are still weak from shock. I think you need to pay attention to what your body is telling you. You need to rest." Even as Scully was telling him this, he was fast asleep. She pulled the blanket up under his chin and laid down beside him on the floor. By 5 o'clock, Scully had given up on getting any kind of restful sleep. It seemed like Mulder was awake every 15 minutes or so. He was very uncomfortable and kept shifting slightly to find a better position. Every movement was accompanied by a moan or a groan, and sometimes a muffled cry of pain. She was about ready to give him a double dose of Demerol and hope for the best. She finally sat up. She stood and began to look around the station, hoping to spot a coffee pot. She couldn't locate one, and resigned herself to a morning without coffee. She peeked outside and noted that the rain had stopped. At least there was that. She briefly considered trying to get Mulder to the car and driving out, then decided that the road was too bumpy to torture him with. She heard Mulder groan and turned back to him. "Scully, what are you doing up?" "I couldn't sleep so I decided to get up and see if the storm was over." "Is it?" "It appears to be. Why are you awake?" "I think I finally decided to give up on sleep too. I've decided that there is no such thing as a comfortable position." "Maybe I could help you move a little. Perhaps we could find a way to make you more comfortable." "It's worth a try." With some careful maneuvering they found a position that was fairly comfortable for Mulder. "Do you think you'll be able to stay that way for a while?" Scully asked as she began to look through the medical supplies. "It's the best I've felt in the past few hours. Thanks." He smiled up at her. "Good. I'm going to give you some more Demerol. Maybe that will relax you enough so that you can rest without waking up every 15 minutes." "Only if you'll lie back down beside me. You've got to be tired after hauling my ass around yesterday." Scully injected the Demerol into Mulder's IV. "That sounds like a good idea Mulder. I am pretty tired." She laid down facing him. "Comfy?" Mulder asked. "Yes, I am. I think I'm too tired to even care that I'm lying on a hard wood floor. How about you? Is the Demerol starting to work?" "Yes, Dr. Scully. I'm feeling more comfortable by the second." Mulder smiled as Scully closed her eyes and began to snore softly. He closed his eyes and soon followed her to sleep. Several hours later, Scully was awakened when she heard voices outside. "Special Agent Dana Scully?" called one of the voices. Scully stuck her head out of the door and was greeted by two men. "Agent Scully?" one of the men asked. "Yes." "You radioed that you needed some help?" "Yes. My partner has a broken ankle and a back injury. He's in here. You're here a lot earlier than I thought you would be." She moved aside as the lead rescuer went inside. "Yes, ma'am. The rains last night just about put out the fire so we were able to start out earlier," the other rescuer explained. Scully groaned inwardly as he called her ma'am. Either rescue workers were getting younger or she was getting older. She really didn't want to consider the latter. The first rescue worker came back outside. "Sean, you can radio the chopper now. Be sure they bring a backboard," he directed. "Sure thing, Smitty." Sean stepped back and began to contact their base. "How are you going to get him to the chopper? There really isn't any place to land around here." Scully stated. "That's not a problem, ma'am. The chopper will come in close and lower a basket and a backboard. We'll put your partner on the backboard, carry him to the basket, put him in and up and away he goes to the hospital." "Will there be room for me?" "No ma'am. You'll have to drive out. Sorry." Smitty apologized. "That's okay. How long until the chopper gets here?" Before Smitty could answer, Sean returned. "Chopper should be here in about 30 minutes," he announced. "I guess that answers my question. If you don't mind, I need to get our things packed up and tell my partner what is going on." "Yes ma'am. Let us know if you need any help." Sean offered. Scully went back inside. "Well ma'am," Mulder teased, emphasizing the ma'am. "It looks like we're on our way out of here." "Mulder if you keep that up, I may be forced to break your other ankle," Scully threatened. "Sorry. I didn't realize you were so touchy about that." "I'm not touchy. I just wonder when I became a ma'am." "Instead of?" Mulder questioned. "Oh, never mind!" Scully fumed, shoving things back into their backpacks. "The chopper should be here within half an hour." "Okay. Where is it going to land?" he wondered. "It isn't." "You're kidding." "Nope. Afraid of heights?" "Not particularly." "Then you should be just fine." Scully finished packing and sat down beside Mulder to wait 48 hours later Scully opened the door to Mulder's hospital room and was surprised to see him sitting in a chair beside his bed. "Mulder, I'm impressed!" "What a difference a few hours makes, huh Scully?" he beamed. "I got my back brace and now I can move." He pointed to the walker sitting beside his chair. "I have to use this until I get used to this cast. A few days of physical therapy and I get to go home." "Good. I see your IV is gone and it looks like you've showered and shaved too. Maybe I should leave more often." Scully sat on the bed. "Speaking of leaving, where have you been?" Mulder asked as he pulled the walker around in front of him. Scully crossed her arms and began. "I talked the chopper pilot into flying over the area we were supposed to investigate." "And?" Mulder stood and faced her. "Hills, rocks and more hills. I don't know where Kersh got his information, but he needs to get a new source." Scully stood and moved so Mulder could get back in bed. He sat on the side of the bed and Scully moved the walker out of the way. "I guess the report on this one will be short and sweet. Scully, could you help me move my legs up and over? I still have trouble with that." Scully complied and Mulder winced as the task was completed. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah. The pain passes pretty quickly now." Scully pulled the sheet and blanket over him. "Mulder, that report may be short, but it certainly won't be sweet. And I intend to deliver it in person!" Scully dropped into the chair and blew an errant strand of hair from her eyes. "Go Scully!" he laughed. "I wish you could wait until I get back. I'd love to witness that." "I think this is one time you'll be lucky to be on sick leave." Six weeks later. Mulder left Kersh's office, limping slightly. Scully was waiting for him. "You got your cast off I see." "Yep, and the back brace is gone too. Two weeks of light duty, then I'll be ready for the field again." He walked beside Scully as they headed for the elevator. Scully pushed the button. "Did you see Kersh?" "No. He had to leave in a big hurry. That wouldn't have anything to do with that report you turned in would it?" "I wouldn't know anything about that," she answered innocently. The door to the elevator opened and Mulder pulled Scully away from it. "Scully, I need to talk to you for a minute." "So, talk." "Are you familiar with the Great Smoky Mountains?" "I've heard of them. Why?" "You have some personal time left, right?" "Mulder," she intoned suspiciously. "Just hear me out before you shoot me down, okay?" "Make it fast." Scully crossed her arms. "All right. I don't go back to work until Monday. I know you have at least two days of personal leave, probably more, so. . ." "Mulder." Scully began tapping her foot. "Okay. The Lone Gunmen put me on to this." Scully rolled her eyes. "There have been reports of strange lights and the bears in the park have been acting funny and. . ." "Mulder, where are you headed with this?" Scully demanded. "Kersh is not going to okay this and you're not released for field duty anyway." "I propose that we go down there, on my dime," he added hastily, "And check it out. Look, I've already rented us a nice little cabin. . ." "Cabin, Mulder?" Scully interrupted. "Yes. A two bedroom, two bath cabin with a Jacuzzi on the deck and a whirlpool tub in the master bath. We can cook there, or if you'd rather, it's close enough to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge to drive in for a good meal. I'd like to pay you back for taking care of me in Idaho. Please say yes, Scully." He gave her his best puppy-dog look. "And the bears?" she queried. "Just a quick side-trip. Two hours at the most." "All right. But you're doing the cooking," she stated. "Of course," he agreed. "Something besides canned spaghetti or TV dinners?" "Just let me know what you want and we'll get supplies on the way from the airport," Mulder promised, a big grin on his face. "Good. I'll make the arrangements for my personal days and you can call me with all of the details." Scully went back to the elevator and pushed the button. As the door opened she put her hand on the side to keep it from closing. She turned around to face him. "Oh, and Mulder?" "Yes?" he answered. "You'd better be prepared because I plan to take advantage of you any way I can." With that she walked into the elevator and pushed the button for her floor. The door closed and several passing agents stared at Mulder as he pumped his fist and shouted, "Yes!" Mulder was sure he had died and gone to heaven. "Forget the bears," he thought. If he had any luck at all, Scully would take advantage of him in such a way that they would never leave the cabin. This was one long weekend he hoped to remember for a long time. The End