The Rockies(2/2)

Thu Apr 17 1997
The Rockies 2/2

--------
The Rockies
Chapter Six

By Westshore
Westshor1@aol.com

Disclaimer in Chapter One.

He would have like to have answered his partner's call. He heard
her shout his name. He was even dimly aware of her worried look
and frantic efforts to move him. But he felt odd. Removed. In a
different place.

Past the steadily dimming visage of Dana Scully, he could see her...
the mystery woman. A thin, peculiarly beautiful vision. But the
vision seemed more real than his partner's touch right now. The
woman was talking to him.

<Danger! You must move on! You must not stop!>

<No... No, I can't. No more...> he answered back in his head, and
felt the black sleep overtake him.

***************************************************

Scully began to curse the luck they were having as she struggled to
pull her lanky partner's unconscious body into the protection of the
rocks. The bothersome drizzle was quickly becoming a sleet
storm. Bone-weary, she settled her partner into a corner protected
from the intrusion of wind and rain.

She moved quickly to wrap their blankets and sleeping bags around
Mulder, cocooning him for the time he would have to be here alone
while she sought out The Group with the help of his maps.

She looked out into the worsening storm worriedly, wondering if
she should take the chance now or wait. It was dark now, but she
knew Mulder didn't have the luxury of waiting for daylight.
She felt certain she could make it to the encampment and the Obi
Wans, if they were, in fact, where the maps placed them. She
shuddered, not even wanting to explore that possibility.

A quick glance at Mulder made her decision. He was not doing well;
flushed with fever, exhausted and dangerously injured. He needed
help, or at the very least, proper shelter as soon as possible. The
Group was their only hope.

Scully compulsively reached over and touched her partner's face
gently. "Please, Mulder. Stay asleep until I get back. No more
adventures for you." She smiled sadly and began preparing to set
out into the night and storm.

***************************************************

He felt absolutely naked as she touched him. But there was no
shame. There was no fear. He felt her touch sweeping over him and
welcomed it, yearned for it.

The rush of warmth flooded into every part of him. He felt freer,
unbound from his mortal heaviness and pain. He could take deep
breaths of sweet air. He could think clearly. He felt like dancing,
shouting... It was like a religious experience, he smiled to himself.

A silvery laugh startled him into opening his eyes.

Confused, he studied his surroundings. Gray and black shadows
cast over a cairn of fallen rocks and boulders. He was huddled into
an envelope of blankets and sleeping bags that he recognized as
Scully's handiwork.

Why had she done that? He felt fine. And where was she anyway?
He began to squirm free of the gentle restraints.

Mulder stopped and looked wildly around. That voice again.

"Where are you?" he whispered aloud.

No answer. He swallowed and searched the shadows of the tiny
cairn again. Nothing.

Mulder was beginning to get angry. He fought to throw the blankets
off and rose to his feet. "Where are you? *Who* are you?!" he
demanded to the empty space around him.

Mulder turned. There on the bundle of blankets he had just cast off
sat the woman in white. He blinked. She looked so real! How
could this be? Despite the cold temperature of the air in this cave and
the woman's thin frail body, she wore only a sheath of white cloth.

Mulder blinked again. The vision did not go away.

It was only then, as his mind scrambled trying to make sense of
what he was seeing that he realized he was no longer crippled with
pain and injuries. He moved his shoulder experimentally and rubbed
curiously at the spot where his ribs had been bruised. They felt fine!

He felt for the bump on his head, and found a mild swelling that
ached, but did not feel anything like the injury he *thought* he had
just a few hours ago. He looked over at the woman -- Elise -- as he
slowly unwrapped his bandaged hand. She smiled enigmatically.

Mulder was astonished. The deep jagged cut was still visible, but
looked remarkably well-healed. He gingerly felt for the small broken
bones and clenched and unclenched his fist experimentally. There
were some twinges, an ache or two, but the hand seemed to be repaired
and functional.

"What happened to me?" he asked her in an awe-struck whisper.

She cocked her head at him quizzically, not understanding his
confusion. <You were injured. Badly. Do you not understand
this?>

Mulder slowly shook his head, eyes wide with bewilderment.
She spoke. He heard her, but her lips did not seem to move. And
her eyes had an unnatural way of moving as she watched him.

He suddenly felt weak-kneed. How could this apparition be
possible? How could he have been healed so suddenly?

The silvery laugh again. The woman who called herself "Elise" was
standing now, just a foot in front of him. He backed away. He had
not seen her move!

How did she do that? Why was she here? Where was Scully? Was he de...?

<Dead? No, you are not dead. What an odd thought! You are such
an odd creature!>

"ME?!?!" Mulder squawked aloud. "Who's calling whom 'odd'?
And... and... are you reading my thoughts?" He was becoming
more curious and less distrustful of this little apparition of his.

<Yes... if 'thought-reading' is what you call it.> She seemed to nod
her head as she stepped closer and reached out to lay her hands
against his chest.

Mulder was stunned by the force of feelings that flooded through
him at her touch. Visions swirled by, noises assailed him, memories
from his overcrowded mind, smells, voices, remembered touches -
both loving and severe. He felt himself drowning, not able to
breathe and the black sleep threatened to pull him away again.

<I'm sorry. Very sorry. I did not mean to hurt you...>

Elise's words were penetrating the fog in his brain. He turned
toward her voice, mentally, like following a beacon of a lighthouse.

"Wha... what happened?"

The young woman was bent over him, her hands hovering but not
touching the sides of his face. He was on the ground? He must have
passed out.

Elise looked penitent. Her words flew
into his head in a hurried rush, and she began low sweeping moves
of her long thin hands over his body.

He felt the warmth again. He felt naked again. Strong and getting
stronger. His breathing evened out and he felt relaxed. He sighed
and regarded his "guest" as she finished her little ritual movements
over him.

"Was it you I heard at the crash site?" he asked quietly.

She nodded.

"What is the danger you keep speaking of?"

Her face changed, suddenly perplexed. <Many dangers. Much is
happening. I have seen them moving towards us..."

"Who are 'them'?" he pressed.

Mulder was confused, but suddenly his mind was flooded with
images of seven men and five women. The Obi-Wans! He
recognized some of them from old file photos. And then a vision of
an elderly woman accompanied by warm feelings of love and
security. Mama Estille. He understood.

But the next vision given to him by the little woman shocked the
breath out of him: a squadron of camouflaged soldiers, armed,
creeping over a hillock -- and in the distance he could see his partner
steadfastly making her way through the sleet storm, unaware of the
danger following her.

Mulder bolted to his feet. "Scully! Scully... God no... Scully.
Where's my goddamned gun?!" He was breathless with terror. He
tore through the packs, flinging supplies and clothes searching for a
weapon, any weapon.

<What will you do?! > Elise was asking. She seemed frightened by
his behavior.

"Scully! My partner... I've got to get to her!" He snatched up the
gun that fell from his pack and two clips of ammunition. He turned
back to the "vision" Elise. "Help me! Please show me where to find
her! Please..."

Elise hesitated. She could sense the rush of emotions coursing
through this man right now. He was scared -- but not for himself.
He was upset, full of rage and hate... but there was something else.
In the whirlpool of his thoughts, Elise could see how closely he held
the emotions he had swirling around his visions of the one he called
"Scully".

Mulder shook his head angrily and bolted out into the storm, not
waiting to argue with the 'figment of his imagination'. If Scully had
set off for the Obi-Wans encampment, he had a pretty good idea of
which way she was headed. Thank God for his eidetic memory and
thank God for the element of surprise. He would need it against this
new threat: a squadron of Black Ops tailing his partner.

***************************************************

He moved as swiftly as the storm and the need to be unseen would
allow him. He had little time to marvel at the gift of healing he had
been given, renewed strength, renewed stamina. He moved deer-
like over the forest floor, leaping obstacles, dodging limbs.

He had to be getting close. He had to be!

He stopped, gun drawn and ready, scanning the clearing just ahead.
No sign of soldiers. No sign of Scully. The sky was dimming
quickly. Light would be lost soon.

<<HELP ME!!>> He screamed in his mind, not even sure if he
really believed all that had happened in the last hour. <<ELISE!
PLEASE! WHERE IS SHE?>>

The wind sang through the tall pines and leafless aspen trees. The
temperatures were dropping--definitely a snowstorm, early even
by Colorado standards. Mulder pushed a feeling of despair away
and prepared to move into the clearing.

<No! She is on the ridge to your right! Move quickly. The evil ones
are near! >

Mulder felt a mental nudge and darted off to his right, careful to
stay within the cover of aspenwood. It wasn't long before he
caught a glimpse of his partner's bright red hair, just above him
at the top of a hill. He sprinted upward at a pace that amazed
even him.

He saw Scully turn and watch him with shocked surprise as he
crested the hill noisily. But he also saw the glint of metal just
behind her. A gun!

"Mulder? How did you...?" Scully's question was lost in the
thundering report of a volley of gunshots. Mulder threw himself at
his partner, knocking her out of the way.

Scully tumbled helplessly down the steep bank of the hill and
disappeared from sight.

Mulder pressed himself tightly to the cold wet ground covering his
head as bullets sprayed dirt and tree bark over him. And as quickly
as it had begun, the shooting ceased.

He lay still, just listening to his own labored breathing and panicked
heartbeat. He could hear the steady approach of several pairs of
booted feet.

<<Oh, well..>> he thought glumly. <<Might as well go out
blazing...>> He flung himself on his back, his gun pointed into the
face of a ...? Soldier? Woman? Woman soldier? He hesitated, and
that was all the darkly beautiful bitch needed to kick the gun from
his hands.

She had a deep laugh. "Fox. You are so full of surprises."

"Do we know each other?" he rasped, trying to catch his breath.

"Well, suffice to say we have met, but you don't remember me."
She smiled malevolently, showing bright even teeth. She nodded to
two of her soldiers. They moved forward and pulled the federal
agent roughly to his feet.

***********

End of chapter six.

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From xangst@frii.com Fri Apr 18 19:45:15 1997
Subject: NF> Rockies 7/10 NC-17
From: Myth Patrol <xangst@frii.com>
--------
I don't think this one breaks any rules, so I'm posting it to everyone--Dean

********

The Rockies
Chapter Seven - NC17

By Esther Walker
cenergy@earthlink.net

Disclaimer in Chapter One.

(author's note: Not terribly NC17 compared to some of the stuff
out there, but as NC17 as I'll ever get! <g>)

"McQuire? What about shortcake?" the tall commander shouted
in the direction Scully had fallen. "She still alive?"

"Barely," McQuire replied, coming up the hill. He had Mulder's
map in one hand, his gun in the other. "Shortcake's out," he said
with a smirk. "She hit her head on a boulder when she fell. I got
her map though. You recommend I finish her off?"

"She's not worth the bullet," Kat spat out. "She'll die soon enough
out here."

It took the length of their conversation for Mulder to catch his breath,
gather his strength and fight back like a hunted animal. He was wild
with anger and fear for Scully. The intensity of his own actions
surprised even him.

The soldier holding him was caught off guard and was sent sprawling
with the unexpected force. In a blind fury, Mulder dove for his
gun, a move that ultimately saved his life.

Ledo had noticed the commotion from his position several yards
away. Instinctively, he aimed his rifle at the agent's head, but
Mulder's dive forced him to make a rapid adjustment. An
instant later, Mulder was down, blood pouring from a bullet in
his thigh.

"Jesus, Ledo, what the hell?" The young soldier flinched and
prepared himself for the onslaught from his commanding officer.
To his surprise, it never came, and when he dared to look at her,
he could have sworn she was smiling.

Mulder landed hard, unaware he had been shot until the pain
moved to his chest and he found himself struggling to breathe.
<Damn!>

<Elise!> "No!" Mulder shouted. "Help Scully!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Agent Mulder." Kat Bischoff gruffly
rolled him onto his back and leaned in close, a mere inches from
his face. "Your little partner is of no concern to us."

"You bitch!" Mulder tried to push her away, to get up, to run,
but discovered he could barely move, his chest tightening with every
breath.

"Nooooo....Scully...Go..." Mulder coughed hard. The soldier,
the woman that knew him, was coming in and out of focus. She
was saying something, her lips were moving. Her teeth were
showing. Was she laughing? Another soldier, a big one, was
pulling on his arm. His lips were moving too. What was he
saying? Scully, he had to get to Scully. <Elise, oh God, if
you're real, if this isn't a dream, please help Scully. Don't
let her die.>

Nothing else mattered, and he welcomed the blackness he
could no longer resist.

***************************************************

Monday
10:15 P.M.

Scully was in the ocean, swimming against the current. She loved
the ocean. A love her father had instilled in her from an early age.
But she was tired and cold. She wanted to head back but she
couldn't see the shore. Where was she? And why was she so cold?

<Scully?>

Someone was trying to pull her out of the water. She felt a warmth
come over her. Surround her. But then it was gone, just as suddenly.

<Scully? You must help!>

So cold. So tired. That warmth. There it was again. <No, don't
take it away.> She fought to keep the warmth.

That voice. Where is it coming from?

Scully struggled to open her eyes. Her head. Why did her head
hurt so much? The darkness startled her. But there was a light off
to her side. Ice chips were falling from the sky. No wonder she
was so cold.

In a flash it all came back to her. Mulder...the plane...the climbing...
he was hurt...she was running...he was behind her...how did he?...
gunfire...she fell...down the hill...

Scully bolted up, the sudden movement causing her head to pound
and her vision to blur. "Mulder!" she shouted, pressing her hands
against the damp ground to stop the dizziness.

"Wha...?" A woman's voice. Not the drone of her partner's she was
hoping to hear. Was the voice in her head? Scully moved slowly to
her left, to face the light she could see out of the corner of her eye.
She gasped, raising her hand to cover her mouth.

A beautiful woman, young and strong, was sitting about a foot away
from her. The white sheath that surrounded her hung loosely around
her shoulders.

<Isn't she cold?> was all Scully could think of as she gazed into
the woman's eyes. Her own hands were trembling, a combination
of cold and fear ravaging her body.

"Who are you? Where's Mulder?"

Scully nodded, blinking hard. She didn't know what to make of
this specter. She could hear her speaking, but her lips weren't
moving. And why wasn't she cold?

"What? Where is he?" Scully was frantic, a myriad of emotions
welling up inside her. She stood abruptly and regretted the action
instantly. She reached out, to Elise, to anything that would stop
the swaying inside her head. There was nothing to hold onto,
instead, she felt that warmth again, holding her steady, easing
the throbbing in her head ever so slightly, relieving the nausea.
After a few seconds she could stand on her own and was able
to survey her surroundings.

Elise was apologetic.

"What?" Realization struck Scully slowly. "Did you do that?"

The young woman nodded. <Your friend was very badly
injured when I reached him. It took almost all my strength
to heal him.> Elise looked to the ground before finishing.
<That is why I cannot help you more. It will be a while before
I have all my strength back.>

"But..." Scully was dubious. But then she remembered Mulder
in the cairn, unconscious, feverish, in shock. Then she saw
him running up to her, shoving her out of the way with the force
of the powerful and protective Mulder she was used to. She
looked at Elise again. She actually did feel a little better.

"Who are you?"

Elise told Scully everything she knew, with surprisingly few
details. Most of her information came from Mama Estille,
who had told her of the Obi-Wans and her mother only recently,
when her health began to deteriorate beyond repair. But Mama
Estille knew nothing of the group Elise had seen arrive before
the two agents. Even so, the young woman had known immediately
that they too were looking for her. It wasn't until she had seen
Mulder and Scully that she had felt her sense of dread lifting, if
only slightly.

Elise gave Scully the same mental pictures she had given Mulder
in the hopes they would elicit the same sudden awareness. She
stopped short of showing Scully the men that had taken her friend
away.

Scully recognized the Obi-Wans instantly and from the information
Elise had given her was quickly able to formulate the scenario before
her.

"Elise, you said 'they' took Mulder away. Who is they? Surely not
the Obi-Wans?" Scully marveled at her ability to stand in the middle
of a mountain, freezing rain pelting her face, while she had a casual
conversation with what was definitely a figment of her imagination.

<No. Not them. They don't mean anyone any harm.> Elise closed
her eyes. <*They* took him.>

Elise gave Scully a mental image of what appeared to be hikers,
all men, sitting around a small fire, each one with a gun on or near
him. Behind the men was a tent.

"What's in the tent?"

Elise looked at Scully thoughtfully, unsure of her next step. When
Mulder had sensed Scully was in danger his emotions and subsequent
actions had frightened her. How would Scully react if she was to see
what she could see?

"Elise, what is it? What's in the tent?" Scully's voice was rising,
the fear in her throat evident.

Elise shut her eyes tightly and surrounded Scully with every ounce
of warmth she had left before sending her the image inside the tent.

All the warmth in the world could not have prepared Scully for
what she saw.

***************************************************

Commander Kat Bischoff's patience was wearing thin. It had
occurred to her during the two mile trek to their makeshift camp
that dragging Mulder with them was not only slowing them down,
but a futile attempt at gaining any additional information.

After her first encounter with Agent Mulder she became fascinated
with the enigmatic man that had defied logic and reasoning only to
wind up in the middle of Ellen's Air Field at a most inopportune time.
Everything she had read about him, from both open and sealed,
confidential documents, painted a picture of a man of few words
and very powerful convictions.

Fox Mulder would die before giving her any information on the
mysterious child the Obi Wans were searching for. She was
certain of that. She was less certain of the fact that he had any
information to begin with. Agent Mulder was a brilliant man,
but from what she had gathered, he was prone to wild goose
chases in search of answers only he knew the questions to.

Nonetheless, she convinced herself, and quite easily her men,
that taking Mulder with them was the right thing to do. Reddick
had wondered aloud what to do if they ran into any hikers, but
that concern was dismissed with one look to the skies. What few
hikers were in the Rockies this time of year would not be out in a
sleet storm. Much less one that was sure to turn into the season's
first snowfall. As it was, they had only run into a couple of hikers
the day before, when they had first arrived, looking like hikers
themselves.

Once they had secured the map from his pathetically short partner,
it should have been obvious to anyone they didn't need him.
Fortunately her squad was well trained; they may silently question
an order but they knew better than to voice their lack of confidence
aloud.

Mulder groaned softly and her impatience started to ebb. It had
been almost an hour since Ledo had thrown him in the tent and
she was beginning to think he would never wake up.

They were in a small tent, large enough for two people and one
that Kat usually had to herself. She had even gone to the trouble
of putting a pillow under the agent's head, but was now regretting
her decision to let him stay atop her sleeping bag. His leg was still
bleeding from the gunshot wound and a fairly large patch of blood
was beginning to form. She would have to stop the bleeding soon
if he was going to be coherent enough to answer any of her questions
and the thought of administering her own brand of outback doctoring
to the handsome agent made her twinge in anticipation.

"Agent Mulder, I'm glad to see you're awake."

Mulder opened his eyes slowly, allowing his mind a chance to
recall the woman's deep voice and why it sent chills down his spine.

He took in his surroundings without moving a muscle. Without
looking at the woman that sat beside him. It was all coming back
to him. The throbbing in his leg a painful reminder of the evening's
events.

Scully! He tried in vain to control his breathing.

"Agent Mulder?"

Scully had fallen. Hit her head. Was she alive?

Mulder's only consolation was the fact that he felt like hell. Maybe
Elise had listened to him and stayed with Scully. Maybe Scully
was okay. Maybe...maybe what? Maybe Elise wasn't real. No.
He wouldn't, couldn't, consider that option. It was the only thread
of hope he had to hang onto.

"Agent Mulder, I'm afraid I don't have a lot of time here. We need
to talk and we need to talk now!"

It was an order. No doubt about it. This woman was used to being
in command and Mulder found himself turning to face her.

Kat Bischoff had taken off her coat and was wearing a black turtleneck
and black jeans. Her dark hair was cut short, framing perfectly her
oval face and finely chiseled features. If Mulder didn't know better
he would have sworn he'd seen her in last month's issue of Adult
Video News.

"Wh...Who are you?" Speaking was painful and he cursed himself
for the way he sounded. <Won't be intimidating her anytime soon,>
he mused silently.

"Commander Kat Bischoff," she answered, realizing that giving him
her name meant nothing. Agent Mulder would be leaving Colorado in
a body bag.

"How...do you...know me?" Damn. If he could only raise his voice
above a whisper.

"Let's just say I had the distinct pleasure of being present, a few years
ago, when you were working on a case that went, how shall I say...
awry." Kat Bischoff smiled broadly. A smile that made Mulder recoil
further
into the ground.

"How's your leg?" Kat asked, placing her hand tightly above
Mulder's knee where the bullet had entered.

The sudden pressure sent Mulder into a respiratory frenzy as he
tried to steel himself against the unexpected waves of pain and
nausea. He was clenching his fists, slamming them against the
ground by his side when he noticed Kat leaning forward, a hand
raised above his head. The fear left him slowly, when he realized
she was only interested in pushing his head down and feeling his
forehead.

"Agent Mulder, you really should try and relax," Kat said, in her
best impersonation of an irritated nurse. "You're burning up. I
think infection might be setting in. I didn't notice an exit wound
when we brought you in here, so it's safe to assume Ledo's bullet
is still in you."

Mulder tried to move his leg and gasped with the effort.

"Hey," Kat said with too much enthusiasm for Mulder's comfort.
"I still have my Girl Scout pocket knife. You want me to take the
bullet out? I could find you a stick to bite down on!"

"After that...will you take out...my appendix...just to be...safe?"

"Ah, the famous Mulder sense of humor," Kat answered,
simultaneously intrigued and befuddled by her unexpected
guest. She had seen men in far better condition than Agent
Mulder cower in her presence. It was an ability that had propelled
her to the top of her chosen field in record time. It was an ability
she was proud of, if not downright immersed in.

>From the beginning, practically out of boot camp, Kat Bischoff
realized she was different than the others. Her capacity to detach
herself from all personal relationships, like the felines she was
nicknamed after, had earned her a reputation unparalleled in her
chosen profession. Personal emotions or concerns had never gotten
in the way of doing her job. Whether it be for the men and women
who were assigned to her squad or for the poor souls she was
assigned to track down. Losing a squad member, or two, while
in the pursuit of an assignment had never deterred her ambitions.
If anything, it had only strengthened her own conviction that she
was invincible.

A conviction she relished while admiring Fox Mulder, feverish and
disoriented, inches from her bare hands.

She looked Mulder in the eyes with a gaze that earned the respect,
if not fear, of everyone around her on a daily basis. Fox Mulder
didn't flinch, didn't move a muscle. Only his low, ragged breathing
told her something was physically wrong with him.

Kat felt a rush through her body that momentarily disoriented her,
causing her to break off eye contact. It was a mere seconds before
she regained control, but she was off balance and she didn't like
the way it felt.

"Agent Mulder, I have to ask you some questions. I hope you can
stay alive long enough to answer them." Mulder noticed the change
in her tone instantly. It was a change he didn't appreciate. Something
had clicked inside this woman and he didn't think the shift was in his
favor.

"Me...too..." Mulder deadpanned. It was becoming increasingly
difficult to keep Kat Bischoff in focus and he caught himself blinking
often in a futile attempt to sharpen his vision.

There it was again. Was he mocking her? Kat Bischoff was used to
instilling fear in her captives, not making them crack jokes. Never mind.
The bastard would pay in the end.

"Agent Mulder, why are you and your partner here? What were you
looking for?"

"Gold...panning for...gold."

Bischoff refused to be derailed again.

"Cut the crap, Mulder. We have your map and it's mysteriously similar
to our own," she lied, if only for a reaction.

"No way...you...had...a...map." What the hell was he doing,
attempting to have a conversation while his leg was on fire,
threatening to spontaneously combust at any moment. He tried to
move his hand down to his leg, to the area that was throbbing
mercilessly in an effort to quell the shaking he could feel coming
on, but found he couldn't reach.

Bischoff missed none of this. "How's your leg?"

Mulder glared in response.

"Very well then," Kat continued evenly.

Uh oh. Another shift in tone.

"I think you've lost a lot of blood, Agent Mulder. And I feel it's
my duty, as someone on the same payroll as yourself, to try and
stop the bleeding."

Mulder looked at her with contempt.

"Now, now. No need for the evil eye. I find that I work better if
my hands are busy. I'll work on your leg and you'll answer my
questions. Win-win for everyone." Kat Bischoff smiled and put
her hand on Mulder's belt.

In a flash of fury Mulder grabbed her hand, inwardly cursing the
pain the sudden movement brought.

Just as quickly Bischoff pulled her gun and pointed it at the agent's
head.

"Let go of my hand, Agent Mulder, or your splattered brains will
force me to buy a new sleeping bag."

Mulder released her hand slowly, never moving his eyes from hers.

"That's better," Kat said, still holding the gun to his head. "Now, let
me tell you the rules of the game. I will take your pants off, I will
administer some basic first aid to the bullet wound and then I will
apply a pressure bandage to the area. While I am doing this I will
ask you some questions. You, Agent Mulder, will answer them.
I am very good with my basic first aid Agent Mulder, but sometimes,
when I am frustrated, I make mistakes. Or I'm not as gentle as I should
be." Kat paused for effect, amazed that Mulder was still looking her
right in the eye. "Do you understand the rules?"

Mulder nodded, too weak to open his mouth. <With any luck I'll die
before she gets very far.>

Kat put her gun down, careful to keep it out of Mulder's reach
and easily within hers. She reached for his belt again and smiled
when he didn't try to stop her.

"That's better," she said, as she undid the belt and started on the
buttons of his Levi's. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes. Your
presence in the Rockies. Let's just cut to the chase on this one
and get to the point. Shall we?"

Mulder just stared at her, through glassy eyes that kept threatening
to close. Kat already had his pants down to his thighs and he
marveled at her speed. How long had it been since he had first seen her?

Kat continued, undeterred. "I'm just about to pull the pants down
over the wound, Agent Mulder. Why did you say you and your
partner were here?"

Mulder didn't answer her, immediately feeling the repercussions
of his actions. Kat pulled the pants down gruffly, making sure
the denim caught in the wound before mercifully bringing them
down to his ankles.

Mulder slammed his fists on the ground and sucked in large gasps
of air, but said nothing.

"So sorry about that, Agent Mulder." Was she smiling? She was a
blur and he couldn't be sure. Kat reached over into her backpack
and pulled out a small first aid kit. "These regulation kits are a pain
in the ass to carry around, but then," she added malevolently,
"you never know when you're going to need to help a fellow
bureaucrat."

Mulder just kept staring. Fearful that if he opened his mouth he'd
lose what little control he still had. <Good one, Mulder> he thought,
in a half state of delirium. <Like you're in control of *anything*
right now.>

Kat was talking to him, holding up a small plastic bottle, so he tried
to listen. "This is a disinfectant of sorts," she mused. "I'll try and be
gentle while we talk." Kat began to open the bottle while she spoke.
"Mulder, your map is pretty specific. How do you know for sure
the person you're searching for is right where you think she is?"

<Person. She said person. Does she know about Elise? And all this
time I thought she was here for the Obi-Wans. Oh God, if she knows
about Elise, they'll be after her. What if Elise is with Scully?>

Mulder didn't have time to panic. The flesh around his leg was
burning like nothing he had ever felt before and he couldn't help
the cry that escaped him. Kat was patting the area around the
wound, her hand soaked with the disinfectant.

"Mulder, are you always this slow to answer questions?" She
kept rubbing her hand around his leg and Mulder felt the room
beginning to spin.

"Oh no you don't!" Kat slapped him hard across the face and he
could taste blood dripping down the corner of his mouth.

"That's better," she said, pulling out a roll of gauze from her first aid
kit. "Agent Mulder, I don't think I need to tell you that I am getting
frustrated. This whole experience could be a lot more pleasant for
you if you would simply answer my questions."

Mulder continued to stare.

"Very well then. I will just finish off here. If you feel like talking
while I work, go right ahead. My apologies in advance for any
discomfort you might feel."

Mulder braced himself, as best he could, for what was to follow.
It was obvious to him now that Kat Bischoff was a master at
what she did. Mulder had encountered few people who
possessed her uncanny ability to instill fear with a mere gaze.
He had met many people who could cause untold pain and
torture and suffer no remorse, but something about Kat Bischoff
was different. She definitely enjoyed what she did, which was
no stretch for many of the sadistic killers he had profiled in his
early years with the bureau. But he was sure he had thrown her
off her game earlier and it was then he had noticed a transformation
of sorts.

It occurred to Mulder that perhaps no one had ever given Kat
Bischoff a run for her money. So good was she at what she
did that she had never had to question what she got out of it.
Maybe the shift occurred when she realized what that was.
Whatever it was, it had only fueled her amoral intentions and
caused the sparkle in her eyes to intensify.

It was a frightening thought.

Kat applied pressure to the wound and Mulder instinctively pushed
her hand away. He had felt the bullet moving inside his leg and
was suffering spasms that he hadn't felt before.

"Agent Mulder, you really need to relax. I'm only trying to help."
Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and Mulder could only
glare in response.

"You feel like talking?"

No answer.

Kat swiftly pulled Mulder's leg up at the knee and began
wrapping the gauze around the damaged area. Mulder arched
his neck and threw his head back, grateful for the sudden
weightlessness he was feeling. For a few seconds he felt
removed from the scene, as if he was looking down at himself.
Unfortunately, the feeling was temporary and he was abruptly
brought back to Earth when Kat shoved his leg back down.

He was gasping for air, striving to give his lungs more oxygen,
to clear his vision, when he realized Kat had stopped her
ministrations and was staring at him once again. He couldn't
read her and couldn't begin to imagine what she was thinking.

Kat moved the back of her hand up to his cheek and stroked it gently.
Almost compassionately. But there was no compassion in her eyes.

"Agent Mulder, you are so hot." Kat moved her hand slowly down
to his neck and chest and Mulder discovered someone had already
taken his coat off.

"I'm sorry I had to hurt you, Agent Mulder." Kat's voice was
getting softer, almost mesmerizing. "But you've been so naughty."

Kat continued moving her hand down his body, making circular
patterns with her fingers until she reached the elastic of his underwear.

Mulder felt a lump in his throat and sucked in a deep breath,
never taking his eyes off of hers. He was sure it was the eye
contact, his refusal to back off quietly, that had startled her
earlier and he was hoping it would work again.

Kat's long fingers expertly worked their way through the elastic
until they were touching his bare skin. Mulder was breathing
heavily and the pounding of his burning flesh against her fingers
made her insides vibrate with untold ecstasy. She continued to
move her hand further until she could feel the limp muscle
between his legs. Expertly, she proceeded to rub his cock
with one hand while placing the other one on his chest. Her
prisoner was breathing in short gasps and the sensation of
his chest rising in a feverish pitch only added to her physical
enjoyment. It was a mere seconds before Mulder's penis
disobeyed his owner and became hard and rigid in Katarina's
practiced hand. The smile that crept up on her face was
unavoidable as she felt her entire body flush with anticipation.
Kat moved her hand from his chest to his face and stroked it
again. No words were spoken. None were needed. Mulder
tried to move, to get out of the way, not willing to accept what
was to follow. Kat instinctively clutched his penis harder, herself
not willing to let him get away. She bent down and kissed him,
forcing her tongue inside his mouth and savoring the sensation
of flesh against burning flesh. Mulder was paralyzed with a
mixture of despair and rhapsody, only the fear in him keeping
him balanced. Kat slowly moved her tongue out of his mouth,
making sure it remained on his damp, fiery skin. Mulder's panting
was becoming wild and Kat synchronized its frantic pace with the
movement of her hand around his cock, with an unbridled passion
very few were capable of. Mulder was fighting his body's natural
response, pressing his fists tightly against the ground, when Kat
fiercely pulled back his matted hair and shoved her tongue sharply
into his already open mouth. The sensation of pain and ecstasy
that followed rivaled everything Mulder had ever felt and ultimately
left him fighting for his life.

Kat moved her hands off Mulder's body and let the elastic snap
against his feverish skin.

She patted his bandaged leg eagerly and watched him for a reaction.
To her disappointment, she didn't get one. Mulder was unconscious.

"You don't disappoint, Agent Mulder," she said as she backed
away and grabbed her coat. "It's too bad we had to meet this way."

***************************************************

Tuesday 3:00 A.M.

It took Scully the better part of an hour to convince Elise the two
of them could rescue Mulder. The young woman wasn't used to
losing so much of her special strength in one evening and was
frightened at her lack of resources. She knew Mulder was
injured and the thought of not being able to help him was
almost more than she could handle. Ultimately, the thought
of not helping him at all was unthinkable.

For her part, Scully realized she needed Elise, if only to guide
her to Mulder. She still wasn't sure who or what Elise was,
but had seen enough to understand that Elise was special and
that she needed her.

The sleet storm had turned into a snowstorm and had made the
trek to Mulder arduous and long. Scully was freezing, her head
still pounding lightly and her teeth chattering when she felt a
warmth surround her. She glanced at Elise and saw the young
woman smile.

"Elise, don't. I mean, thank you, but save your strength for Mulder."

"There is very little left, Miss Scully, and if you are too cold you
will not be able to help your friend."

Scully nodded. Still not sure if Elise was real but appreciating the
company. It had occurred to her sometime during the last four
hours that maybe she had died and was in some kind of self-imposed
purgatory. In a snowstorm in the Rockies, searching vainly for her
partner, mirroring the search he had mounted for his sister so many
years before.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a muffled cry from Elise.

Scully looked up to see the shiny barrel of a gun pointing in her
direction, only a few feet away. The man on the other end was
young, but Scully recognized him as one of the men Elise had
shown her sitting around the fire.

"I think we're close." Elise said.

"No shit." Scully would have laughed if she hadn't felt like crying.
If only she hadn't been so tired, so cold, she might have seen this
man coming, heard him approaching them.

"Nice job of tracking, Agent Scully." The man smiled evenly
and Scully sensed a cockiness that comes with a lack of experience.

"I would have thought you'd be buried in snow by now."

"Who are you?"

Ledo smiled again. "I, Agent Scully, happen to be a very lucky guy.
You see, I was just out, taking a leak, thinking about my girlfriend
back home, when lo and behold, a pretty woman is practically thrown
in my arms."

Scully felt an involuntary shudder and looked to Elise, but she was
gone. <Fine time to get all my senses back> she thought dryly,
immediately chalking Elise up to her weary imagination. But she
couldn't have made her up. She had seen too much, felt too much,
to write her off that easily.

"Elise?"

"No, Ledo."

"What?" He hadn't seen Elise. How could that be?

Scully felt Ledo pulling on her arm.

"Come with me, Agent Scully. And please come quietly. I'm really
not in the mood to share tonight."

Scully looked around her in a panic. Elise was nowhere in sight.
All she saw was Ledo's garish grin and the gun pointed at her chest.

***********

End of chapter seven.

From xangst@frii.com Sat Apr 19 13:20:17 1997
Subject: NF> Rockies 8/10
From: Myth Patrol <xangst@frii.com>
--------
The Rockies
Chapter Eight

By LuvMulder
(LuvMulder@aol.com)

Disclaimer in chapter one

The old woman's faded blue eyes lit up as Elise smiled at her. She reached
out a withered hand and Elise grasped it with her own. The contrast with her
smooth, young skin had never been more obvious. How had she missed the
passage of time? Mama seemed to have grown old and frail overnight.

"Darling...are you all right?" the woman asked. Elise nodded. Estille
relaxed, sighing deeply and closing her eyes. Elise bit her lip, reached a
hand over Estille's forehead. Estille grabbed her hand with surprising
strength.

"No, child. This...is not right."

"But Mama, you'll die!" Elise said. Estille smiled warmly.

"It's my time to go. And your time, Elise."

Elise bit her lip again and looked away. With an effort, Estille sat up.

"Elise, child, your powers are weakening. You know that. You can't ignore
fate."

Elise looked at Estille once more, a perfect tear forming at the corner of
her eye.

"What am I going to do , Mama?" she asked quietly, voice full of emotions she
didn't understand. "The two people would be dead without me. One of them
may be dead anyway...because I was too weak to help him."

"From what I understand, he was lucky you were watching him, Elise," Estille
said rather severely. She didn't like the idea of Elise interfering in the
business of others, especially at what was a crucial time in her life.

"Darling, have you thought about the idea that perhaps your powers are waning
because you don't need them anymore? That you can and will and MUST be
strong without them?"

Elise shook her head, unwilling to believe.

"Elise, you must keep yourself safe -"

"But the transmutation -"

"Can't be used as an excuse anymore," Estille finished, her voice firm.
"It's dangerous and you know it. Look at you. You're weak. You've done
too much today. Let the outsiders solve their own problems. You are very
important, Elise. Much more important than any of the people seeking to
capture you."

"But they don't -" Elise stopped. Mama wouldn't understand. To her, all of
the outside was bad. The world was filthy and degrading, not worth a second
glance. Mama was a good person, full of compassion, but she had been hurt by
the outside and aimed to protect Elise from it. Elise looked at Mama and
thought. Her chin went up, the defiant look that had been missing for months
finally back in her eyes. And Mama hid her smile.

***************************************************

McQuire hitched his rifle over his shoulder, positioning the weapon so the
trigger was within easy reach. Expertly, he began to pick his way through
the night, angling toward intermittent sounds he couldn't quite identify.
The wind whipped at a steady rate, sending snow mixed with knifelike sleet
into his eyes.

He'd had a bad feeling about this mission from day one. Ledo. Added at the
last minute. A replacement necessary after Deek broke three ribs during hand
to hand drill. Ledo was a kid--trained, highly recommended--but green.

And Kat.

What the HELL was wrong with Kat?

McQuire had never seen her lose her cool in the five years he'd served with
her. This Mulder character had turned Miss Hard Ass into a walking
hormone--black widow variety. It was obvious that while the Boss wanted
Mulder in the 'biblical sense," she wouldn't mind if he died in the act.
This was not the by-the-book commander he had come to respect as one of the
best in the business.

The sound. There it was again. A few yards to the right. A woman?
Struggling? Aw, no...couldn't be. Out here? In this storm? Three fifteen
in the goddamn morning? Jesus.

McQuire paused for a few seconds, listening.

Yep.

Definitely the fury of a very angry woman, one trying to fight off a man.
There was no sound quite like it. Didn't matter the country or nationality
of the participants. He even had a fair idea of who the players might be.

McQuire cursed, switching to a run.

***************************************************

Ledo was pumped, eagerly eyeing the red headed wild cat struggling under him.
"Goddamn you! You're gonna like this you little bitch!"

"No!" Scully protested, again, trying to get her leg in position for a well
placed kick. She was pushing, clawing, wishing she hadn't filed her
fingernails down to prevent rubber glove snags.

"It's cold as hell, I'm just gonna warm you up." Scully continued to resist,
but it was obvious she was tiring. Ledo laughed inwardly-- high altitude
training was finally paying off. He wasn't the least bit winded in spite of
the exertion. Ah, this was going to be sweet, he'd have her pants off in....

"Doing perimeter watch with your dick, Ledo?" inquired a voice far colder
than the swirling storm.

Ledo's head jerked up, startled.

McQuire had appeared out of nowhere. He crossed the few feet between himself
and his comrade, yanking the younger man roughly to his feet. "You sorry
little prick. I've got enough to worry about without you forgetting where
your brains aren't!"

"Agent Scully, you're supposed to be dead." McQuire added, offhandedly. He
shoved Ledo aside--violently--causing the younger man to lose his footing on
the sleet covered rocks. "Get your assets covered before they freeze off,
little man."

Scully scrambled to gather her clothing protectively around her body. Her
hands were shaking so hard she could barely manage the zipper on her
parka--the result of adrenaline or the cold, she really didn't know which.

"Who are you?" she whispered when she felt steady enough to speak. She
thought she recognized the flannel clad man from the vision Elise had shown
her, but darkness made it hard to be sure.

"Nobody you need to remember."

Scully strained through the swirling snow to look at his eyes, confused by
the coldness in his manner after having spared her a woman's greatest
nightmare. "I just want to say thank...."

"Don't confuse my not being an animal with any particular concern regarding
whether you live or die. We need to move out." he ordered, emphasizing his
words with a nod of the head. "Take it slow, your first misstep may be your
last."

The two men began making their way--in silence--back to the camp with Scully
sandwiched, uneasily, between.

Sooner than she'd expected, the campfire was in sight. McQuire pushed Scully
ahead and dropped back to speak to Ledo. "You make another mistake like that
one while we're on a mission and I'll make sure you're out. A dishonorable.
Got me?" McQuire's tone left no question he'd make good on his threat.

The younger man gulped and nodded, heading for the warmth of his tent.
"Dream on, buster," McQuire added, "Get your ass up to the North
perimeter. Tell Reddick I'll switch the South watch with him in two hours."

Ledo began to open his mouth in protest before he realized he'd better get
out of McQuire's face. He positioned his rifle higher on his shoulder and
headed into the darkness.

McQuire motioned for Dana to stay put and walked over to the second tent,
"Kat?"

"Well, if it isn't shortcake." A sultry voice cooed from beyond the light of
the campfire.

"Enjoying the weather, boss?" McQuire asked lightly, as he turned toward her
voice.

"I grew up in this, Mac. Hardly worth a mention in polite conversation where
I'm from." Kat approached Scully, appraising her with the subtle hatred that
only another woman would recognize. "Doesn't die very well does she?"

Scully made no response. Instead she quietly assessed her surroundings,
trying to make sense of this newest wrinkle in what had become a disastrous
"hike" in the Rockies. How was she going to get out of this? No gun. No
sign of Mulder. No equipment. A storm. Outnumbered.

<Elise?>

<Elise, can you hear me?>

Nothing. Not even a murmur. What the hell was she thinking, believing in
her own psychosis?

Things couldn't get much worse.

A low, extended moan filled the night air.

They just did.

She knew that sound as well as his speaking voice. "Mulder! Where is he?"
she demanded.

"In my bed," Kat said with a haughty laugh. "Resting."

Scully let the inference pass. "What have you done to him?"

"Played doctor. You know...you show me yours, I'll show you mine."

Another moan.

"Damn you," Scully replied, edging toward the sound. She took it slow,
making it clear she was not going to ignore her partner--hoping she could
move toward him without attracting a bullet to the head. "I'm going to help
him. I can do more than *play* doctor."

McQuire could almost see the tension in the air. This was nuts. A collision
in the making that had nothing to do with why they were here.

"Kat, what are your plans? Either he's fit to travel or we dispose of them
here. We've got the map. They'll only slow us down. Right?"

McQuire watched the expression in his commander's eyes. The uncharacteristic
arrogance was fading back into the cold professional he respected.

"McQuire, McQuire," Kat said shaking her head gently, a smile softening her
features, "Sometimes I get the impression you're after my job."

"Just protecting retirement, boss."

Kat sighed loudly and made her way back toward the fire. "Practice your
trade, doctor. My field kit is next to the sleeping bag."

Dana increased her pace toward the tent. It took all of her self control not
to break into a run.

"Oh," Kat added, "You might want to do a really good job. If Mulder can't
travel in a little while, you're both history."

Moments later Dana was on her knees, grunting aloud in rage--the outer zipper
on the small tent was sticking just as the moans from inside were increasing
in frequency. Listening was tearing her apart. She tugged again, harder
this time. Neither McQuire nor Kat made a move to assist.

Slow down girl...take a deep breath, relax. Concentrate on anything but the
suffering in Mulder's voice.

Okay. First things first. Get inside. Get a handle on Mulder's condition.
Worry about how to get out of this mess later.

<Elise, if you're out there we need you!>

She'd done it again. Talking to an apparition. Thinking the impossible
might be real. The girl had been nothing but a hallucination. She and
Mulder were alone in this nightmare.

FUCK hiking in the Rockies.

Colorado was highly overrated.

If they lived through this, she never wanted to see another gaiter in her
life. Shimmering, ethereal visions meant one thing...proof the altitude
*had* gotten to her after all.

She could still hear Mulder--a healthier Mulder--gently probing her for
answers after Luther Boggs had been executed. 'With all you've seen, why do
you refuse to believe?'

Because I'm still afraid, she realized as she struggled to realign the teeth
on the zipper. As much as I was that night in your hospital room.

But, dammit, the visions were not my imagination. I *saw* these men,
this campsite. Making me warm was no dream. Elise *must* have been real.
Please let her have been real, Scully begged silently as the zipper finally
began to slide open.

She tossed the flap aside. There he was. Mulder. His earlier healing,
however miraculous, had been regrettably brief.

Even in the subdued lantern light, she could see he was in trouble. He
tossed restlessly, his breath coming in shallow gasps punctuated by staccato
moans. Mulder was muttering something Scully couldn't make out. She
crouched down, shoving the medical kit and lantern aside so she get closer to
his body. The interior of the tent was warmer than she'd expected, heated,
she realized, by the ebbing life force of her partner. He moaned again, and
again, the litany of a man in unbearable pain.

He condition--this acute so fast? The "why" was anything but obvious and
she wasn't about to invite that bitch to assist. Gently, she began probing
Mulder's body.

The moment she touched him his eyes jerked open."No....no...stop...."
he pleaded, attempting to push her away.

"Mulder...Mulder...it's me. Scully," she soothed, continuing to work past
the layers of material and clothing so she could examine him. "Shh...I'm
trying to help you." She began at his head, working her way down.

"Scully...." he breathed in relief.

"Right the first time," she replied, checking his upper torso. Amazing,
nothing remained of the hand and shoulder injuries he'd sustained when the
plane had dipped so unexpectedly. Injuries like those didn't just disappear.
Elise was real! She could feel the excitement rising in spite of her
recent failures in contacting the girl.

"No...go," he insisted. He was struggling to form words. Each syllable was
forced through teeth gritted tightly against agony whose source she had yet
to identify. "Woman...un...unstable."

"Save your strength."

"Run."

"Not without you," she answered firmly, continuing her exam. He was fading
in and out. She'd been trying to keep him partially covered as she worked,
but he was so feverish she dismissed other concerns, leaned over and threw
all covering aside.

That's when she saw it....

His right thigh.

Mulder had bled profusely, soaking through an ineptly applied field dressing,
creating a wide burgundy puddle on the sleeping bag.

She vaguely remembered hearing a single round fired before tumbling into her
own nightmare of skewed memories. Damn. Mulder always seemed to be in the
wrong place at the wrong time. She had a fairly good idea of what lurked
beneath the bandage.

Make him travel worthy? Yeah, right.

Scully rummaged through Kat's medical kit. Dismal. Only two pressure
bandages left, a small bottle of disinfectant--two-thirds empty, oversized
tweezers, adhesive tape, scissors. Basic supplies you'd find in a cheap
Wal-Mart first aid kit. Worst of all, nothing for pain.

Shit.

What she'd give for some morphine.

Scully began to carefully unwrap the dressing on Mulder's thigh. It was
slippery, wet with bright red blood.

Her fears were confirmed...a bullet wound. With active bleeding hours after
the initial injury.

Double damn.

How many liters of Mulder's blood were decorating the sleeping bag? She
didn't want to think about it.

He began to stir again.

"Hey, easy partner. Still me."

"Hate...hikes."

"We'll incinerate our boots when we get back to D.C." Scully talked as she
worked, hoping her voice would give him something else to focus on besides
the pain. She loathed gunshot wounds. Never simple unless you were very,
very lucky. The entrance wound didn't look too bad. Unfortunately they
rarely did.

"Mulder, I'm going to probe a bit before I roll you on your side to check for
an exit wound." She tried to be gentle, but intention wasn't enough. Mulder
cried out, his face contorted in a mask of torment the likes of which Scully
had never seen him display with past injuries. He went rigid only to begin
uncontrollable shaking an instant later. Tears were running silently down
both cheeks. He was fighting to catch his breath, arching his back as wave
after wave of fire spread through his body.

"Oh God, Mulder." The level of pain he was experiencing was frightening. It
could mean several things, none of them good. She waited for the worst to
pass. "I know that was bad, but I've got to turn you on your side."

"No...please."

<Pass out, Mulder. Just pass out and make this easier on all of us.> She
knew if he wasn't so concerned about her, he probably *would* ride the pain
into blessed unconsciousness. "Mulder, you know I've got to see what I'm
dealing with."

"A minute...rest," he managed to reply in a breathy voice.

Scully was amazed. Most men would need to be held down by a squad of
linebackers. His willingness to allow her to continue, knowing the torture
it would bring, was a testament to the faith he had in her abilities. She
only hoped she could merit his confidence. "Minute's up...here we go."

Scully turned him as gently as possible, doing her best to wear her clinical
personae. There was her answer. At least part of it.

No exit wound.

"Looks like you finally snagged a bullet for your collection. No through and
through this time." Obviously the femoral artery hadn't been nicked or he'd
be dead by now. Had the damn bullet broken a bone? Fragmented? Deflected
and done damage she had no way of seeing? Or worse...lodged against a nerve?
That would certainly account for the horrible pain.

"How you doing in there, Doctor?" Kat inquired from outside the tent.

Scully covered Mulder quickly, giving his hand a squeeze as she ducked out to
talk to the woman. "He needs a hospital."

Kat didn't react.

"Now!" Scully insisted.

"You're both resilient. Inventive. You've pulled miracles on his behalf
before. Do it again."

Scully's look of confusion brought a wide smile to Kat's face.

"Don't you know both your reputations precede you? You'll think of
something. Or suffer the consequences."

"Why should I bother if you're just going to kill us anyway?" <Could she
know about Elise? Are we bait?>

"Because it's not your style to go out with a whimper. Is it?"

Scully actually took a step toward Kat before she stopped herself, realizing
she'd almost fallen into the bitch's trap. Only then did she notice the
glint of firelight on metal. Scully cursed how close she had come to being
duped. Kat held a pistol at her side, half hidden by the bulkiness of her
parka, just waiting, hoping for her captor to make a mistake. What *was* it
with this woman?

"Unstable." Whatever Mulder had based that assessment upon, it seemed sadly
accurate. But the female must be able to exert self-control most of the time
or she'd never have risen to a position of leadership. Something about the
dynamics of the last few hours had triggered the behavior she was seeing. To
hell with the slut. Abruptly, Scully turned and headed back to her partner,
more determined than ever to get them both out of this alive.

Scully situated herself at Mulder's side for the second time. He was finally
out, his body giving him the gift of oblivion she was powerless to offer.
Whatever she was going to do, she needed to decide and move on it--fast.

<Elise? If you can hear me NOW would be a really good time to respond.>

Emptiness. Still no hint of her presence.

So, Scully surmised, the question becomes leave the bullet in or take it out?

In: infection increases until Mulder goes into septic shock and dies. Out:
potentially the same.

In: the potential for nerve damage and/or permanent impairment. Out:
potentially the same.

In...he could die.

Out...he could die.

Shit.

But if the interior cavitation of the wound gave her room to work, if she
could get to the bullet without having to make many new cuts or alter its
position, if *he* was lucky (Mulder lucky?). If *she* was lucky, he might
be better off than he was now. Worth a try. She could always stop if she
got into trouble.

Scully made her decision--that goddammed bullet was coming out.

She had been more than a little surprised when McQuire was ordered to offer
assistance while she worked. His job was simple, if Mulder roused he would
be expected to hold him down. McQuire also volunteered his razor. Per
Scully's request, he sterilized its blade along with the tweezers in the
fire,. She was beginning to wonder if this man had opinions regarding this
mission that seriously contradicted those of his superiors. She knew better
than to ask, but instinct was telling her to at least be open to the
possibility.

Scully had things organized and ready in no time. She packed the area
surrounding Mulder's leg with snow, positioning his thigh in such as way as
to slow the flow of blood. She hoped the cold would numb the area as well.
Futile perhaps, but better than nothing. His left leg had been secured, by
rope, to a tent stake. The final step had been to immobilize Mulder's upper
extremities so he would be unable to easily push against her should he become
fully conscious during her search for the bullet. They placed Mulder's
shirt, followed by his parka on backwards, tying each set of sleeves into
knots behind his back. "If he starts to buck, do whatever you can to steady
the injured leg. I know we can barely move in here but sit on him if you
have to."

"I've been in the service since I was eighteen. Three tours in Nam. Do it."
McQuire aimed his flashlight directly over the wound.

Dana found herself staring at Mulder. Scenes detailing all that could go
wrong were playing through her mind. She hesitated just as the razor touched
his flesh, noting that panic was making her hands shake. What if he could
never work again because of what she was about to do? What if he died, right
here and now, in this tent? With all the trauma he'd survived in the past,
all the impossible odds he'd beaten, to die because of her ineptness?

"What kinda doctor are you?" McQuire asked harshly. "You waiting for him to
wake up?"

Scully closed her eyes and wiped away the tears that had been starting to
form.

"Look, I've had a bullet in me. It sucked. Either go after the damn thing
or slap a pressure bandage on the leg. We move out in ninety minutes."

Scully opened her eyes, repositioned the blade, and bore down into her
partner's flesh. She made her initial incision over the original entry wound,
forming an 'X' that, when separated, would afford her the best view with
minimal disturbance of surface tissue. What seemed like years later, she
breathed.

The fates were kind...Mulder never budged.

Bleeding was far less than expected. She tried to push the secondary
problems minimal blood flow indicated aside. No way to keep things as
sanitary as she knew they needed to be. Lack of equipment. Primitive
conditions.

Dammit. Stop worrying and focus on the task at hand.

Mulder's leg was a mess. Bits of cloth from his jeans had been pulled into
the wound. His muscle tissue looked like someone had regurgitated a meal.
She made a second cut over the first 'X,' deeper this time. On the third
try, she hit space....the cavitation pocket caused by the impact of the
bullet. Now the issue would be the diameter of the cavity and where the
bullet had finally stopped. Her field of view was so jumbled it was hard to
tell one tissue type from another. Retractors would be a godsend.

McQuire continued to surprise her, expertly moving the flashlight exactly
where she needed it without her ever making a request for him to do so.

"You were a medic weren't you."

McQuire glanced up briefly only to return his attention to Mulder. Scully
gripped Mulder's thigh beyond the incision with her left hand; with her right
she positioned the tweezers and carefully began to explore the interior of
his leg. She took it slow, quite deliberately, trying not to cause any
further damage. She was already terrified he'd end up with a limp that would
end his field career.

The first four probes proved useless. She couldn't cut any deeper with the
razor. She needed a scalpel. Scully decided to make two more attempts and
then, if they proved futile, abandon the procedure before she ended up doing
more harm than good.

McQuire realized the patient was coming to a millisecond before Dana caught
Mulder's cues. "Oh shit!"

What had begun as fairly minor muscles twitches rapidly progressed to a slow
motion dance. The cries of protest came next.

"Sit on him, McQuire!"

"Here, use this. In his mouth!" He tossed what appeared to be a triple
folded wash rag into Scully's waiting hands. "We used this with casualties.
Before medivac showed. It helps."

Dana shoved the wash rag into Mulder's mouth. "Bite down on it!" she
ordered. He was struggling against every immobilizer they had devised.
"Dammit Mulder, listen to me! I know you're hurting. I'm sorry as hell,
but I'm trying to get the bullet out of your leg. You've *got* to be still!"

He continued to struggle, moaning even louder. This wasn't working. Scully
thought a second--it wasn't like anything was really sterile anyway. She set
the tweezers out of the way and reached over, cradling Mulder's face between
her hands.

"Listen to me!" she shouted. That did it. She'd gotten through to him. He
was already becoming less combative. "I think the reason you're having so
much pain is because the bullet is lodged against a nerve."

Mulder never opened his eyes, but she could tell his was listening.

"I'm worried about permanent impairment. I'm going to make two more
attempts. That's all. Can you stand it?"

A quiet nod of acceptance. "Sorry," he managed to gasp.

"For what it's worth, you've done better than anyone I've ever seen under
similar conditions," McQuire offered, tightening his grip on Mulder.

Scully hunkered down and gave the hunt another go. She was trying a slightly
different angle when the tweezers hit something hard. "That's it!!"

Mulder's breaths were coming hard and fast through his nostrils. He was
clamping down so furiously on the wash rag she expected he'd leave permanent
holes in the material. It was obvious he was making a superhuman effort to
stay as still as possible.

Scully translated the tactile information from her hand into a visual picture
of how the bullet was likely to be positioned. Her knowledge of anatomy had
never been more useful. "Last try, Mulder."

She could see him tense for another onslaught. Scully said a silent prayer
and began again. Gently, she began working her way to the spot where she'd
felt the bullet. Bingo. She'd found it fast. Validation her mental picture
was accurate. Carefully she manipulated the tweezers and prepared to
withdraw the metal.

Mulder's efforts to cooperate were waning as suffering sent self-control
beyond his grasp. "McQuire...it's now or never. Hold that leg!"

Scully said a fast prayer, positioned the tweezers, squeezed and withdrew.

"Got the bastard!" she shouted triumphantly. Misshapen and bloody, it didn't
look like a bullet anymore. "It's out, Mulder!" Scully looked over at her
partner's face.

Another minor miracle, he was unconscious.

Good. Stay that way for a while.

Scully cleaned the wound with the little disinfectant that remained and
expertly dressed Mulder's thigh.

McQuire gave her an approving nod. "You did it. That wasn't easy. Took
guts."

"I couldn't have done it alone. You really expect me to believe you'll kill
us after helping me save his life?"

"First, you only bought him hours. Complications are probably around the
corner and you know it. Second, Kat's a fine officer. Something about your
being here has hit her in ways I don't understand. I'd like to learn more,
but it's still her call if and when you die." Without another word, McQuire
exited the tent.

After she'd cleaned her hands and made sure he was situated, Scully laid down
beside Mulder. It always amazed her the countless hours she'd spent in the
last three years, gratefully watching his chest rise and fall. Simple
pleasures.

She glanced at her watch. Dark, but first light would approach within the
hour. Mulder was still unconscious, certainly not up to travel unless
conveyed by litter. They probably didn't have much time left. She had to
think of something.

< Elise, how I wish you could have made a difference.>

Suddenly, a heavy hum filled the air. Scully heard yelling and commotion
from beyond the tent walls. Rifle volleys. More shouting and confusion.
The crack of a hand gun. The hum grew louder. She gave Mulder a quick once
over and headed outside.

That's when she saw them.

Lights.

High in the sky.

Lights that were transforming the Colorado darkness into the full light of
day.

***********

End of chapter eight.

From xangst@frii.com Sun Apr 20 18:21:15 1997
Subject: NF> Rockies 9/10
From: Myth Patrol <xangst@frii.com>
--------
The Rockies
Chapter Nine

By Kay Reindl
Ruefrex@aol.com

Disclaimer in chapter one

Kat stood at the edge of the camp, staring up into the sky. The lights
shivered and danced, beating a silent yet rhythmic tattoo on the sky
above. She turned as McQuire and Reddick skidded to a halt behind
her.

"What the fuck is that?" Reddick yelled. Kat shivered. She couldn't
answer him. She couldn't tell him. She knew, somehow, that
Mulder was involved. Christ, why had she been so stupid, so
sloppy, to have given up her surveillance of Mulder's work? She
thought he'd become nothing, that he'd fade back into the wood
work just like all the others who seek the truth. But he hadn't.
He was here, she had him, and above, the lights danced.

***************************************************

As quickly as she could, Scully gathered up Mulder's things. She
shoved his limp arms into his coat and obsessively checked the
wound. Not bleeding. Good. Scully tried to live in the moment.
She knew that the wound would bleed freely once the leg was no
longer elevated, but that death would be a lot slower and less painful
than whatever Kat had in mind. Scully hesitated, then rewrapped
the wound, binding it tighter and using an extra layer of gauze.
She dashed out of the tent and watched as Kat and Reddick watched
the lights. Where was Ledo? Right. The perimeter. Would he
come back here when he saw the lights? Where was the perimeter,
anyway? Was this the stupidest idea Scully had ever had? No, that
nasty little voice told her, the stupidest idea you ever had was making
Mulder belay down that cliff in the first place. After this was over,
Scully was really going to have to sit down and have a heart-to-heart
with that voice about its attitude.

Scully sat down next to Mulder, clamped her jaw shut, and shook
his shoulder.

"Mulder? Mulder, wake up. We're getting out of here. Come on,
Mulder, dammit..."

"No cursing..."

Relief flooded through Scully as Mulder opened an eye and looked
at her. Once again, he looked like shit. Scully helped him sit up.

"What's going on?" he asked hoarsely. Oh damn. Should she tell
him? Christ, this WAS a bad idea. He'd probably freeze at the
sight of the light-show too. Mulder slung an arm around Scully's
shoulder and she staggered to her feet, half-lifting him.

"UFOs. We can make a break for it," Scully said in a rush, hoping
he wouldn't hear that. But even the pain that Mulder was experiencing
couldn't mask hearing his favorite acronym.

"Huh?" was as intelligent a response as he could muster. He looked
down at his leg, just to make sure that it wasn't actually on fire. It
wasn't.

"Mulder, please. They are going to kill us. We have about a minute
before the lights, or whatever they are, zoom off to terrify some kids
in the Oregon forest. Please don't argue with me," Scully pleaded.
Mulder looked down at her and swallowed. Beads of sweat appeared
on his forehead.

"My gun's in here somewhere," he murmured. Gun. Right. Scully
propped Mulder up against a pole and managed to find his gun. He
held it clumsily and made the crucial mistake of taking a step forward.
Scully caught him as he pitched forward. He was moaning again.
Scully hauled him up by his coat and looked him in the eye.

"Mulder...we're going. Do not do that again. Lean on me. Got it?"

Mulder tried to control his breathing and wondered idly what the
buzzing in his ears meant. Oh yeah. I'm going to pass out. But
Scully was yelling at him, her face contorted with anger and fear.
Mulder shook his head in an attempt to clear it. That seemed to
work, so he shook it again. Scully swam back into focus.

"Okay," he muttered. Scully slung Mulder's arm around her
shoulders again and hauled him out of the tent.

The wind was howling furiously and snow whipped around them,
stinging their eyes as they stood at the open flap of the tent. In the
distance, three figures were vaguely visible, still staring upwards.
At the lights. Mulder gasped and Scully turned sharply, worried
that the cold was aggravating the injury. But he was staring at the
lights, too, gazing at them in wonder. Christ, we've seen lights
before, they're nothing new, Scully thought desperately. Without
so much as a by-your-leave, Scully hauled Mulder around towards
the back of the tent, away from the hypnotized Black Ops unit.

The cold was numbing and for once, it worked to Mulder's advantage.
His leg was killing him but the coldness took the edge off. He could
feel a sticky wetness through his jeans and knew he was bleeding
again. Fortunately, it was too dark for Scully to notice. They kept
grimly at their escape, moving slowly because of Mulder and because
of the weather. The dark patch ahead of them signified security of sorts.
A clump of trees might offer them the sanctuary they desperately needed.
Kat and her group would know where they'd gone but if Kat was aware
of the fact that Mulder had his gun, they would tread carefully. And
then there was Ledo. Where was he?

***************************************************

The lights vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Kat blinked,
then looked at her two officers. McQuire seemed perplexed, but
Reddick was just plain scared. Badly scared. He looked at Kat,
met her gaze.

"What the fuck was that, Kat?" he asked, voice quavering. Kat
slid a glance towards McQuire.

"Go check on them," she ordered. McQuire nodded once and
turned back to the tent. Kat looked at Reddick.

"Northern lights, Reddick. Never seen 'em before?"

"Yeah, but in the North," he answered. Kat sighed.

"Northern lights, Reddick," she said firmly, glancing at her watch.
"Go relieve Ledo."

Reddick hesitated, then nodded and jogged off towards Ledo's
position. Kat turned and stared thoughtfully at the sky, wondering
if the appearance of the lights had anything to do with the child she
sought.

***************************************************

McQuire stared blankly around the empty tent. He was a dead man.
He turned to give the unhappy news to Kat but she was already behind
him. McQuire consciously kept himself from flinching. Oh, was
Kat going to be mad. And McQuire had no question about who
would pay the price. He met her gaze and his blood turned to ice.
Her eyes were completely calm as she looked at him.

"Did he find his gun?" she asked quietly. McQuire trusted himself
only to nod. Kat took a look around the tent, then reached for her
Kalashnikov.

"They'll head for that copse of trees and try to fend us off. Go get
Reddick and Ledo, head around from the ridge-line."

"What are you going to do?" McQuire asked, knowing that Kat
would break a cardinal rule and go in by herself. Kat shouldered
the rifle.

"I'm going to kill both those fuckers," she said grimly. Kat
turned on her heel and strode out of the tent. McQuire shuddered.

***************************************************

Mulder's leg was completely useless. He wondered if he should
tell Scully that he couldn't feel anything from the knee down.
He decided she didn't need to know that right now. Mulder felt
completely helpless as Scully hauled him through the trees. He
could feel her exhaustion but she grimly kept at it, batting branches
aside and keeping Mulder on his one good leg. Mulder found his
mind drifting off and he thought about the appearance of the lights
and the disappearance of Elise, who certainly would have helped
him if she'd been able. She'd helped him before, and then she'd
helped Scully...she'd helped both of them...

Mulder had it. Scully's injury hadn't been nearly as serious as his,
but Scully had told him that Elise seemed weak. Jesus, we used
her up, Mulder thought. Elise...the lights...the Group...the
mysterious pregnancies...the dead woman...the missing baby...
Elise. But why had she been non-corporeal? Was she dead?

So caught up was he in his revelation that Mulder almost didn't
see the dark figure that moved in surprise at the edge of the clearing.
Scully, busy trying to fend off exhaustion and keep moving as quickly
as possible, completely missed it.

Ledo, rifle slung behind his back, froze for a millisecond, long
enough for Mulder to bring his gun up, over the top of Scully's
bent head, and fire awkwardly. Ledo spun as the bullet caught
his upper arm. Mulder pulled free of Scully and let his momentum
bring him down. He slithered towards the trees, snaking out a hand
to grab Scully and drag her after him. Scully, panting, stared at him
as he flexed his frozen fingers and checked the clip.

"Ledo...?" she whispered. Mulder nodded. The howling wind
couldn't mask the groaning from the injured man. Scully pulled
out her Sig and sat up. Mulder caught her arm.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Going to finish him off," Scully muttered grimly. Mulder stared
at Scully. Her eyes were cold as she checked her weapon. She
started to get to her feet but Mulder wouldn't let go of her. She
glared at him.

"Let go," she said. Mulder shook his head and used her arm to
pull himself up.

"We both go."

Scully shook her head. Mulder stared at her.

"Mulder -"

"Scully -"

Another stalemate. Scully glanced at Ledo. He was face-down,
the rifle flung a few feet from his outstretched hands.

"Mulder..."

His expression didn't change. Scully sighed and hauled Mulder to
his feet once again. He was actually able to limp somewhat on his
injured leg and Scully tried to ignore the panicked flush in his eyes
every time he took a step forward. Scully was able to take point,
though, just by walking faster. She could feel Mulder's displeasure.
Sig pointed unerringly at Ledo's head, Scully kicked the rifle away
and looked down. Mulder's bullet had gone through Ledo's shoulder.
Mulder looked over Scully's shoulder.

"Serves the fucker right," he said viciously. Scully glanced at him.

"Is this the guy who shot you?"

Mulder nodded.

"He certainly gets around," she observed. Mulder noticed Ledo's
hand twitch a moment too late. He shoved Scully out of the way,
much to her dismay, brought his gun around and was instantly
tackled by an angry, injured Ledo. Mulder toppled over backwards,
his gun flying out of his hand as Ledo reached a hand towards
Mulder's throat. Mulder's slippery hands grasped at Ledo's
strong wrist as Ledo began grimly choking the life out of him.
Scully lunged forward, grabbing the back of Ledo's jacket and
attempting to heave him off her partner. But Ledo was strong
and his hand was wrapped firmly around Mulder's throat.
Scully finally let go of Ledo, got to her feet, and kicked him
in the face. He started to slide but it wasn't enough. Scully
kicked him again and then in an absolute fury, raised her
weapon and fired. The bullet went through Ledo's neck,
showering Mulder with Ledo's blood. Ledo toppled silently
onto the snow and his blood continued out in a stream, decorating
the whiteness of the snow around him.

***************************************************

A worried Reddick jogged towards the copse of trees. Ledo
should be back by now. He'd heard something when Reddick
had come to relieve him and said that he'd check it out and come
back before heading to camp.

Only he hadn't returned. Reddick paused at the edge of the trees
and fingered his rifle. Was it possible that the two federal agents
had gotten away? What the hell was he thinking? Nobody could
get away from Kat. Reddick nearly jumped out of his skin as a
figure swooped down on him. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"McQuire...what the hell?"

"Where's Ledo?" McQuire asked abruptly.

"Went to check something out in there. I was going to see if...shit.
They got him, didn't they?"

McQuire nodded, casting a worried glance back at the trees.

"I think so. Look, Kat's taking the front. I'm going to loop back
around the other side. You take this entrance."

Reddick looked at Ledo for a long while.

"That leaves the South side unprotected," he said quietly.

"I know, Reddick, and I'm not happy about it either. We are well
and truly fucked if they get away."

Reddick took a long look around. This copse of trees was pretty
good sized, but if Mulder and Scully were able to slip away, all
they had to do was crest the ridge-line and enter the forest proper.
They'd never find them then.

***************************************************

Ledo had left angry purple marks around Mulder's throat.
Scully wrapped Ledo's coat around Mulder, wondering how
long she'd have to wait for him to be able to breathe properly
again. She prayed to the medical gods in the hopes that Mulder's
windpipe hadn't been damaged. His breathing was horribly
raspy and took every ounce of strength. He couldn't even tell
Scully to not look at his leg. When Scully saw the state of his
wound, all the blood drained from her face. Jesus Christ.
He must have been bleeding ever since we started out, she
thought. The bandage she'd applied before their escape had
been practically useless. You knew he was going to bleed,
that voice chided severely. You took the risk. Scully looked
down at Mulder. His skin was ice cold. He was bleeding to
death. How on Earth were they going to get out of here?

Scully's head jerked up. Elise?

Scully stood and looked down at Mulder. His eyes were closed
and he didn't appear to have heard Elise. Scully took a few steps
away from him.

"Elise," she said quietly, "Please, you have to help Mulder.
He's in serious danger." Elise's form appeared suddenly and
Scully jumped. Her heart sank. Elise was nearly transparent
and looked ill. Elise looked down sadly at Mulder. She reached
out a hand...then withdrew it.

<I am sorry. I don't have much to give him. I think I can stop
the bleeding. But the pain, the pain is too much. I can't help him..."
Elise's voice trailed off as she took in Mulder's still form. "But
you must follow me, please. I will lead you to safety."

Scully hesitated, then slowly nodded. What other choice did she
have? Elise smiled and hovered over Mulder. His eyes opened
slowly and he smiled dreamily at Elise. He started to speak and
blanched. Scully put a hand on his shoulder.

"No talking, bub. Look, we've got to get going. Ilsa, She-Wolf
of the SS is on our trail."

Mulder would have laughed if he could have. Scully got him to
his feet once more and he motioned for his gun. Scully sighed.
Well, it had saved their lives earlier but Mulder was not in any
shape to be carrying it. He was now completely covered in blood,
both his and Ledo's. The bruises around his throat were beginning
to deepen. Scully tried not to look at them as she slung his arm
around her now-sore shoulders. They staggered off through the
woods, following the silvery wraith ahead of them.

***************************************************

An emotionless Kat stared at Ledo's body. They had taken his
coat, hopefully because Mulder was in worse shape. Kat knew
where Reddick and McQuire were. Mulder and Scully would
not slip through there. Kat paused and hesitated for a moment.
That Scully was no idiot. She'd head for the ridge-line, for safety.
Ledo couldn't have been dead more than ten minutes and Shortcake
had a nearly-comatose (she hoped) partner to deal with. Kat
shouldered her Kalashnikov and began a quick jog in what she
hoped would be Mulder and Scully's direction. Kat was right.

***************************************************

"Elise!" Scully managed to gasp. "Elise, please, we have to stop.
Elise!" The floating figure turned and looked at Scully with concern.
They had just crested the ridge-line. It would be a very few minutes
before they were safely hidden from view. Besides, Elise was tired.
She could feel herself fading rapidly and it made her angry.
Couldn't she even be allowed to do this much for these people,
she raged against those she considered to be Her Gods. Her Gods
had given her this ability and she supposed that it was their prerogative
to be able to take it away again, but why did it have to be at the cost of
these two selfless people?

Scully gently propped Mulder against a tree. His face was sheet-white
and his breathing was no better. More pneumonia I'll wager, Scully
thought grimly. She did a quick check of his vitals. Pulse thready,
breathing - we've already discussed that, skin terribly cold and clammy...
he's lost too much blood. Mulder reached out and touched her arm.
He smiled weakly at her.

"Worse than it looks," he rasped. The simple act of forming words
took too much out of him and he groaned soundlessly. Scully
wrapped the dead man's coat around him once more and looked
at Elise.

"How much further?" she asked quietly. Elise pointed a silvery
hand.

"We are very close, Scully. Can he...will he be...?"

Scully helped Mulder up once again and for a moment he stood on
his own, swaying. She looked at Elise.

"Let's go," she said, her resolve to keep Mulder alive renewed.

***************************************************

Elise vanished as soon as the tiny cabin was in view. If Scully
hadn't known there was a cabin there she would have missed it.
The cabin was well-camouflaged in the little clearing. With total
disregard for whoever was living here, Scully kicked the door in
and hauled her half-unconscious partner in after her. She closed
the door and turned. An elderly woman with fear in her eyes
watched her. Scully tried a smile. That probably scared the
woman to death, she thought.

"I'm sorry...Elise..."

The woman's gaze softened and she made an effort to sit up.

"Elise led you here?" she asked. Scully nodded and Mulder began
slipping from her grasp. The woman was out of her bed in an instant.
Scully started to protest but the old woman shushed her.

"Your friend needs it more than I. My name is Estille. I care for Elise,"
she said. Scully deposited Mulder on the bed and began removing the layers
of bloody clothing.

"Where is Elise?" Scully asked. She turned when Estille didn't
answer her. The old woman looked troubled, Scully thought.
Oh God, had something happened to Elise? Estille hobbled forward.

"You care for your friend. I will find Elise."

Estille turned and disappeared into a small room that looked like it
had been built onto the cabin. Scully busied herself with Mulder,
who seemed to be in a world of his own. She managed to clean a
good deal of the blood off of him and took another look at his leg.
At least the wound wasn't bleeding. Thanks to Elise. Thank God
for small miracles, Scully mused. Or was it small favors?
Scully jumped at the feathery touch on her shoulder. She turned.
Estille stood there, her arms full of bandages.

"Elise will be here momentarily. Can I do anything?"

Scully accepted the bandages with a smile of thanks.

"I need to get something hot into him. Do you have anything for
fever?"

Estille nodded.

"I have a wonderful herb tea that will serve both purposes.
You take care of him, I will bring you both a cup."

"Thank you," Scully said softly. Mulder stirred. Scully bent
over him, pulled the blanket up to his chin. Mulder's eyes
fluttered and then he looked at her.

"Hey," Scully said softly. "How do you feel?"

Mulder reached a hand up and felt his throat. He winced.
Estille returned, handed Scully a mug of hot tea. Scully
frowned at Mulder.

"I want you to try and drink this. If it's agony, just stop,
but you really need to get some fluids into your system.
Okay?"

Mulder nodded. Scully helped him sit up and he wrapped his
hands around the mug. Scully sighed at the sight of his reddened
hands. Great. Frostbite. Was there anything Mulder was immune
to? Yeah, that caustic voice told her, dying.

Drinking the tea was agony. Mulder took a tiny sip and felt every
molecule of the hot liquid assault his esophagus. It took almost
forever for the pain, a combination of his bruised trachea and the
hot liquid coursing through his frozen innards, to pass. He
dutifully sipped at the tea again and was thrilled when he didn't
pass out. He glanced at Scully, scared to see her gaze focused
on his hands. She caught him looking at her and sipped her own
tea.

"Elise..." Mulder rasped. Scully turned and looked at Estille.
The old woman looked caught. Scully was on her feet instantly.

"Where is she?" Scully demanded. Estille's shoulders slumped
and she turned towards the back room. Scully followed.

Elise lay in bed, unmoving. Her chest rose and fell and she
appeared to be in a deep coma. Scully quickly examined her
and turned to Estille.

"What happened to her? She was leading us..." Scully's voice
trailed off and she shook her head, unwilling to believe what
had to be true. Estille's voice cut into her thoughts.

"It was never her real self who helped you. Elise is...special.
I've always known it, and now those men have come to take her
away."

Scully stared at Estille, who looked back sadly.

"My baby girl," she whispered, smoothing a lock of hair off of
Elise's forehead. "I knew I could never keep her. She's got a
higher calling now, she's got to go home."

Scully found her voice.

"Where is...home?" she asked. Estille looked at her.

"In the stars, child. In the stars."

***************************************************

The wind shrieked around the cabin in a fury. Mulder huddled
underneath the blankets as the windows rattled. He'd finished
the tea and now he felt positively ill. The pain had returned to
his leg and was making him sweat. It pounded ceaselessly,
jarring him with each beat of his heart. He remembered being
shot during the Boggs case but what he remembered most
about it was the drugged bliss he was allowed to sink into.
This was not bliss. This was hell. And it wasn't over yet.
Somehow Mulder knew what Elise was, knew why the
government wanted her and surely knew why she was so
important to them. Elise was the perfect alien/human hybrid
and her people wanted her back. Estille was obviously very
sick and the lights had returned, clearly searching for their lost
child.

Scully and Estille returned from the back room and tried to mask
their troubled faces. Mulder smiled at Scully. She frowned at him
when he attempted to speak again.

"She's not dead," he said as quietly as possible, ignoring the spike
of pain that shot through his temple. "The lights, Scully, they're
coming for her."

Scully's eyes widened and Mulder was stunned. Scully believed!
She sat next to him and put a cool hand to his forehead. She glanced
at Estille.

"I have to get him out of here," she said softly. Mulder snatched
at Scully's wrist. She looked at him sadly. He was wrong.
She was so close to believing...so close that she blinded herself
to the possibilities.

"Scully -"

Scully's eyes flashed.

"We are not going to talk about this now, Mulder. We are not.
Elise can't help you. We have no phone. We are in the middle
of a blizzard. Your leg is already infected, you've lost tons of
blood and you're hypothermic. Shall I go on?"

Mulder shook his head. He hated when she trotted out his
symptoms like that. Estille moved forward.

"There is another cabin about a mile from here -" was all she got
out before the front door crashed open. Scully grabbed hastily
for her gun and Mulder shot up out of bed, groping blindly for
his own gun. Estille froze. Scully relaxed somewhat when she
saw the light-colored coat of a bulky man who was not Reddick
nor McQuire, and most assuredly not Kat. The man held up a hand.

"Please," he said urgently, his voice muffled by his scarf, "we
need some help. The storm is getting bad and the women..."

Mulder, who had leaned against the wall of the cabin after his
leap out of bed, moved forward. Scully had to steady him.

"The women? Are they pregnant?" he asked hoarsely. Scully
sighed. The man's eyes lit up.

"You are the one!" he exclaimed. Mulder started to shake his
head and Scully took this opportunity to help him back to bed.
Scully practically had to lay on Mulder's chest to keep him from
getting back up again.

"The one?" he asked, his voice as dry as sandpaper. Scully
frowned severely at him. Suddenly fed up with this entire
excursion, Scully turned on the man in a fury.

"Look, either get everyone in here or leave, because the last
thing my partner needs right now is the arctic wind blowing
snow in here."

The man was taken aback, but he carefully stepped aside and
ushered in the others. For the first time, Mulder had a good
look at the Obi Wans. They definitely looked the worse for
wear and the sight of the scared, pregnant women even made
Mulder forget about the throbbing in his leg which had started
anew. Scully sat down on the edge of Mulder's bed and gave
him the eye, then unwrapped another bandage and began removing
the old one.

"Nine months pregnant, probably," she murmured, steeling
herself for Mulder's glee. She didn't have long to wait.

"The lights, Scully. They're coming for them. They're coming
for them!" he rasped. The man locked eyes with Mulder and nodded.

"You are not the one...she is younger..." his gaze fell on Scully.
Scully raised her hands defensively.

"Hey, not me," she said. Mulder had to practically shove Scully
onto the floor in order to sit up.

"We know now why we were chosen," the man said softly.
A slight, dark-haired woman moved forward.

"And we know who chose us," she added.

"The lights -" Scully gave Mulder The Look. He sounded like
a broken record. The man looked at Mulder curiously.

"You have the fire in you!" he exclaimed. Scully crossed her arms.
Mulder needed to rest. They needed to get the hell out of Dodge.
Mulder did NOT need this.

"It's only fever," Scully said. "Look, he's badly hurt and we
need to get him to a hospital -"

"Dammit, Scully, can you give that a rest for a moment?" Mulder
practically shouted, then paid the price with five minutes of horrific
coughing. Scully saw the glazed look in his eyes and ignored his
irritability. The man moved forward, concerned, and looked at Estille.

"Is the child here?" he asked. Estille could only nod. The man
looked back at Mulder.

"She has healing powers?"

Again, Estille nodded. Scully frowned.

"How did you know that?" she asked. The man shrugged.

"The same way we knew to come here. We were to protect the
child until they could return. You are elderly, guardian, and this
is a crucial time for the child. She is very important to them and
is also important as belonging to us."

"And you'll let them take her?" Mulder whispered. The man nodded.

"She is more them. She will be happier there," he said simply.
Mulder bowed his head and Scully felt a pang for her partner.
Once he knew Elise existed, what had he been hoping for?
Scully watched Mulder's jaw work. He looked up, back at the man.

"What if she doesn't want to go?"

In that question, Scully heard Mulder's entire life. She bit her lip
and tried to concentrate on the bandage. Mulder didn't even seem
to notice. His entire being apparently hinged on the man's answer.
But he got no relief there.

"She will. It is part of her."

"Is this existence part of her, too? How about your children? Are
they part of this or do they just exist to gestate in the wombs of
your women so THEY can come take them away?"

Scully had rarely heard such fury in Mulder's voice and his damaged
throat made him sound even angrier. The man showed only sorrow.
He smiled sadly at Mulder.

"I am sorry for what has been taken from you, but you must
understand. We are being used for a higher purpose. We accept
that."

"Of course you accept it," Mulder said bitterly. "What choice do
you have? And why do you refer to a higher purpose when all that
means is that you revel in your helplessness because it's much
easier than fighting against it?"

The only sound in the tiny cabin was the whistling of the wind.

"You've rationalized all of this, haven't you?" Mulder asked
quietly. "You've talked yourself and the others into the idea
that this Grand Plan is to your benefit. What do you gain from
it? How do you utilize it? You wait for them to violate you and
then you let them take a part of you. This isn't a religious
experience. You're lab rats, nothing more."

Mulder cocked his head and looked at the man.

"You have come so far from your original intentions of what this
group was supposed to be," Mulder said. The man flinched.
Scully looked down at Mulder. His eyes were glazing over and
his breathing sounded pained in the silence. Scully checked his
pulse. It was racing. Dammit. She looked at Estille. Someone
had to take charge here and the philosophical discussion had
weakened Mulder.

"The other cabin. Does it have a phone?" Scully asked. Estille
nodded. Mulder's head drooped. Scully had a decision to make.

"If I go, can you keep an eye on him?"

Estille nodded again. The man stepped forward.

"They will come for the child," he said firmly. Scully fixed him
with a steel gaze that made him back up a few feet.

"Like I care," she said. She turned back to Mulder and covered
him up. He was almost completely out of it.

"Mulder?" she said softly. He stirred, opened an eye. Scully
felt his forehead. Raging hot.

"I'm going for help. Estille will stay with you."

"Bischoff..." he barely mumbled. Scully held up her Sig,
absurdly happy at the tremulous reaction it received from
behind her.

"The other cabin's behind this one. If they approach, it will
be from the direction we came from. I'll take this, I'll be fine.
You will lay here and breathe and try not to bleed and stay alive."

"No matter what occurs," Mulder said quietly. Scully grinned
at him. As long as he could quote movie lines, he would be
okay. Scully turned to Estille.

"Okay, I'm going over there, I'll make the call, I'll come back.
A mile as the crow flies?"

Estille nodded.

"If you head for the two tall trees -" was all she got out before the
window exploded and Estille sank to the floor, a red pool of
blood spreading out from her still form.

***********

End of chapter nine.

From xangst@frii.com Mon Apr 21 13:22:31 1997
Subject: NF> Rockies 10/10
From: Myth Patrol <xangst@frii.com>
--------
The Rockies
Chapter Ten

By Kay Reindl
Ruefrex@aol.com

Disclaimer in chapter one

The women screamed. Scully instantly hit the floor, Sig pointed
at the blown-out window. She fired off two rounds and paused,
listening. She couldn't hear anything except for the wind. The Obi
Wans were frozen in fear. Scully looked at them.

"Get down on the floor," she hissed, "and be quiet."

Fortunately they complied, albeit rather awkwardly. Scully tried
not to look at Estille, tried so hard that her gaze was drawn towards
the woman's limp form. Estille was dead. Scully felt a hand on
her shoulder and turned to see Mulder on the floor next to her.

"Mulder..."

Mulder held up his gun and the partners had a silent argument,
which Mulder won. Scully could see the pain distorting his
features. His slide from the bed to the floor had cost him and
now he was shivering.

"Have to know how many," he rasped. Scully nodded, then
jumped as another round burst through the open window.
Scully twisted around, glancing towards Elise's room.

"Another way out?" she whispered. Mulder nodded and began
a slow crawl, letting his forearms drag him forward. She
watched him for a long moment, relieved when he turned
his head and nodded. Scully motioned him back and looked
at the Obi Wans.

"Whatever happens, stay down," she whispered. They nodded
as one, scared. Scully looked at Mulder, checked the clip in her
gun.

"I'm going out the back and don't you dare argue with me or
I'll kill you myself," she said. Mulder sighed.

"Scully --"

"Don't, Mulder. You can't even walk. Even if it's only Bischoff --"

Another round. The bullets ricocheted crazily around the cabin,
pinging as they hit the old-fashioned stove and digging up
chunks of wood in the floor.

"Stay," Scully ordered Mulder. She turned and crawled quickly
towards Elise's room. The sound of the howling wind was muted
in there and it was much warmer. For a moment, Scully debated
dragging Mulder into this room but she knew he wouldn't leave
the Obi Wans and, the truth be told, somebody needed to protect
them. Scully was as furious as Mulder was at these helpless people.
They accepted everything that happened to them with an infinite
patience that no longer seemed to be a positive trait. They were
blind. And what about you, Dana, that insidious little voice said.
How blind are you that you can't even accept what you've seen?
No wonder Mulder's disappointed in you. Scully paused and
glanced at Elise. She looked so peaceful, so ethereal, so...
unearthly. What other explanation could there be?

Scully bit her lip and shoved the philosophical ruminations away.
She got to her feet and peered out the small window, dismayed to
see a moving shadow set against the stark whiteness of the snow.
Ledo was dead. That left McQuire and Reddick. Was it them, or
was it all three of them? How was Scully supposed to know how
many there were? The figure moved and Scully ducked as she
heard the click of a rifle chamber. She threw herself on the floor
as the round tore through the door. Scully covered her head with
her arms and tried to make herself small. She could feel the bullets
whizzing over her and she screwed her eyes tight and prayed.
Just as quickly, it was over. The wind whistled through the
shattered window.

"I see you, Scully!" Kat Bischoff shouted. "I'm going to fucking
kill you, really fast, after I torture your partner, really slow."

She was alone. That was all Scully could focus on. Kat was
working the cabin, trying to make them think she had McQuire
and Reddick with her, but the black rage which was directed at
Mulder and Scully made her sloppy. She should have stayed
quiet. Kat didn't know how many people were in here and her
shot at Estille had been lucky. Scully raised herself to her knees,
took a firm grip on her Sig, and stood, firing point-blank through
the open window. She spun around and hit the deck again when
Kat returned fire. What kind of a goddam gun did she have,
anyway? Rifle. Kalashnikov. Shit. Scully was seriously outgunned.
Fortunately for Elise, her bed was on the other wall, out of range
of Kat's gun. Scully checked the clip, her mind working. She
couldn't leave Elise, not with Kat right outside her window, but
she needed to consult with Mulder on this one. They were going
to have to lure Kat somehow, pin her down, trap her. And they
were going to need both Mulder and Scully to do so, only Mulder
couldn't walk.

Mulder read her mind. She started as he touched her shoulder.
She turned and her heart sank as she caught sight of him. He
was on his way to deep shock. He'd discarded his coat and his
sweater and his T-shirt was soaked with sweat. While it was
getting easier for him to breathe through his damaged trachea,
his breathing was incredibly rapid and shallow and his pupils
were so dilated it was a miracle he could see at all. It must have
taken every effort for him to drag himself in here. Scully noticed
the death grip he had on his weapon.

"She say something?" he asked. Scully nodded. Mulder looked
grimly out the shattered window.

"She's it," he murmured. Scully nodded again. "We have to flush
her out."

"Mulder --"

"We have to, Scully," he insisted. "God knows how much firepower
she has. The only way we can beat her is to get inside her mind.
She's already one taco short of a combo. We need to push her over
that edge, make her make a mistake. We can't beat her unless she
screws up."

In her heart, Scully knew he was right.

"Well what about them, Mulder? What about the Obi Wans?
You are in no shape --"

"You don't have to tell me that. Trust me. I know how serious this is.
But we have no other options --"

"This isn't fair, Mulder. There are five perfectly healthy men out there --"

"Men we are sworn to protect," he said quietly. Scully looked away.

"I know what you're thinking and you're right. Their philosophy
makes me sick. But we are federal agents, Dana," he said softly.
Scully couldn't look at him.

"You don't need to die for these people."

Mulder looked at the quiet form of Elise.

"It wouldn't be them I would be dying for."

Scully followed his gaze and they sat for a moment, watching
Elise. Then Scully looked at him.

"How much ammunition do you have left?"

Mulder checked his clip.

"Enough."

Scully glared sternly at him and he returned her gaze evenly,
without blinking.

"Okay, fine. I don't want you in a vulnerable position, Mulder.
You do the talking, I take all the risks."

"Scully --"

"Got me?" Scully asked in her steel-kitten voice. Reluctantly,
Mulder nodded. Scully smiled at him.

"You can play the big macho man another time," she said.

The two agents crawled back into the living room, where the
Obi Wans still cowered.

"We believe there is only one gun...er...person outside,"
Mulder said softly, "and we intend to keep her busy enough
so that you can get Elise to the other cabin."

The Obi Wans gazed at him with fearful eyes. Mulder looked
at Scully.

"She's stable enough for now and I've wrapped her in blankets
to keep her warm. You may only have a minute or so to get clear,
so head for the two tall trees and keep going. Make sure you're
under cover as soon as possible."

The Obi Wans nodded.

"What about the women?" the leader asked.

"They'll have to go with you. It's not safe here," Mulder replied.
They didn't seem pleased with that, but they agreed. Mulder
stationed himself at the front door while Scully helped the Obi
Wans into the back room. Mulder looked out the broken window
and waited.

*****

Kat Bischoff was in a rage. She strode around the small cabin,
Kalashnikoff in hand, pissed at Mulder and Scully and pissed
at herself for betraying her position by reacting to Scully. God,
she wanted to kill the little bitch! And if Mulder thought he was
in pain now, just wait. Kat would make sure he died of pain.
Whoever she'd killed, it hadn't been one of the two luckiest
federal agents on the planet. How many lives did they have,
for God's sake? Kat had to make a decision. Should she kick
the door in? Should she go around to the other door? Or should
she just fire indiscriminately until she hit something? What she
should do, what her training told her to do, is fall back and wait
for reinforcements. But she didn't even know if those idiots
McQuire and Reddick would find this place and she certainly
wasn't going to leave it unguarded while she went in search
of those two morons. Kat's mission had completely gone by
the wayside now. There was no thought of the child she was
supposed to find, or those granola eaters who were supposed
to be involved, or even the lights. Kat would worry about all
of that later. Right now, she needed to exterminate the two
who enraged her.

Kat immediately assumed a defensive posture as the front door
creaked open, then she dove for cover as someone squeezed off
a shot. She returned fire and waited, then dove again as another
bullet sailed over her head. It had to be Mulder. He was reputed
to be a pretty good shot.

"I know you're alone, Bischoff!" he yelled, his voice hoarse.
He sounded like shit. Kat smiled.

"I'm going to tear you to shreds, Mulder!" she called back,
scooting to her left. She howled in fury as a bullet nicked the
rock in front of her. Did the asshole have super powers or
something? But then Kat remembered -- in a sense, they
were both federal employees. She stifled her laughter.
They were using the same training.

"McQuire's dead," Mulder shouted. Kat froze.

"Bullshit!"

"I killed him when he ambushed us," he said. Kat's eyes shifted.
McQuire, dead? Killed by Spooky Mulder? Not possible. But a
part of her, that part of her that only saw red where these two were
concerned, wondered if it might not be true.

"I know we're not going to get out of here without killing you,
Bischoff, and I also know that we won't be held accountable for
your deaths, because you don't exist," Mulder yelled. Kat flinched.

"Fuck you!"

"Is that the best you can do?"

A long pause.

"We'll save Reddick, though. He'll exist just to blacken your name.
Be proud of yourself while you can be, Bischoff, because this time,
you really fucked up. Is letting your personal feelings get in the way
of your professional obligations in the Black Ops handbook?"

Kat's mind was spinning. Ignore him. He's just trying to bait you.
You know that. Hell, you did it to him. But it didn't work. Baiting
Mulder was impossible. That was one of the things she'd admired
in him; the mental toughness he'd exhibited was exhilarating.
But now it had been turned against her. Somehow, Spooky
Mulder had gotten the upper hand and Kat hadn't even seen it
coming. Oh, sure you did, her conscience told her, as soon as
Shortcake led him out of your tent, as soon as you were literally
blinded by the lights. Every breath Mulder took, every opportunity
you had to kill him and didn't, all of that added up to Kat being on
the receiving end of this barrage. And Kat could probably intellectualize
it, given time, but she was first and foremost a soldier, and the soldier
in her called for blood. She was now convinced that Mulder had killed
McQuire, and she knew he'd killed Ledo. He'd kill Reddick, too,
given a chance.

Kat watched the crack in the door and crawled forward, eyes dark
with anger. She inched through the snow, her unwavering gaze on
that door and her mind on making Mulder beg for mercy.

"Drop it, Bischoff," a deadly voice said from behind her. Shortcake.
Kat froze, automatically set her finger on the trigger of the Kalashnikov.
She heard the click of the hammer.

"I will not hesitate to blow your fucking head off," Scully said,
voice still low. With one last searching glance at the cabin, Kat
lowered her elbow and then suddenly drove it backwards, directly
into Scully's ribcage. Kat heard the whoosh of breath go out of
Scully and she whirled, rifle pointed. Scully, on the ground,
managed to get off a shot and Kat whirled as the bullet tore
through her upper arm. Her finger jerked spasmodically and
the rifle fired, one of the bullets catching Scully a glancing
blow and making her drop her weapon. Kat dropped hers
as well, since her arm was quickly going dead. She kicked
out furiously, battering Scully with her boot and then she
was suddenly thrown forward as a heavy weight hit her from
behind. Fucking Mulder.

Kat twisted, clawing, but Mulder had the advantage. He simply
punched her in the face, hard. Kat saw stars and the next thing
she knew, Mulder had Scully's gun shoved into her face. She
almost laughed. He'd hit her because he had been out of ammo.
Brave move, you fucker. Mulder pressed the barrel of the gun
tightly into her forehead and Kat's face drained of color as she
saw the expression on his face. Or rather, the lack of expression.
Mulder's eyes were completely blank as he cocked the hammer.
She saw his knuckles whiten as part of him fought to keep from
killing her but the other part, the faraway part, was slowly taking
over.

"Mulder, no!" Scully yelled from Kat's left side. Mulder didn't
appear to hear her. His jaw clenched and he pressed the gun to
her temple even more firmly, so much so that it began to hurt.
Kat saw Scully then, blood seeping through a wound on her
forearm. She clutched Mulder's gun hand, trying to pull him off.

"Mulder --"

"There won't be any justice, Scully," Mulder said in that harsh
voice. "This bitch doesn't exist in regular channels."

Scully shouldered Kat's rifle and pointed it at her.

"I've got her, Mulder," she said firmly. "Lower your weapon
and move away."

"Dammit, Scully, don't do this!" Mulder was on the verge of tears.
Kat stared at him in amazement. He wanted to kill her as much as
she wanted to kill him. Maybe more.

"Mulder, think about where you are," Scully pleaded. Mulder's
eyes were dark, glassy pools and even over the howling of the
wind, Kat could hear his harsh breathing. His hand began to
shake and Kat knew he was going to blow her brains out. She
shut her eyes, waiting for death, and hoping that Mulder felt
enough remorse after killing her to turn the gun on himself.

And then the lights came.

Mulder almost dropped the gun as he looked up and Kat took
her advantage. She heaved hard, shoving Mulder off of her and
onto his back, then she kicked out at Scully, throwing her off-balance,
and lit out for the woods. Scully leaped to her feet, squinting at the
brightness of the lights as she searched for Kat.

"Scully!"

Scully turned. Mulder was up on his elbows, staring at the cabin.
Scully gasped. The myriad of lights hovered over the cabin and
one by one, the Obi Wans appeared from behind the cabin.

"They can't even follow simple directions," Scully moaned. The
lights settled, then dimmed, and the dark shape of a ship could be
seen. Mulder started to pull himself up, his eyes locked on the ship
and his mind trying to shut out the pain. Scully, her grip on the rifle
still firm, knelt beside him and tried to make him lie still. She could
see his blood darkening the snow and for the first time, she noticed
with dismay that Mulder was out in sub-zero temperatures in only his
T-shirt and jeans. Scully set the rifle down and quickly removed her
jacket, which she placed around his shoulders. He didn't even notice.

"Mulder," she began, but she was instantly cut off by the appearance
of...something...from the ship. Scully didn't know what it was; it
bore a vague humanoid shape and Scully told herself that it WAS
human and was just distorted by the weird lights. And would you
like to explain the weird lights, Dana, her little voice asked, or the
ship? When all of this was over, that voice was really going to get
an earful.

The figure disappeared into the cabin and Scully noticed that Mulder
was trying to get up. With a practiced motion, she slung his arm
around her shoulder, wincing at the pain in her arm. They staggered
towards the cabin.

Mulder could hardly breathe. He concentrated on taking short,
shallow breaths and telling himself that he could breathe, really,
and there was nothing to get upset over. He and Scully had barely
reached the cabin before he had to sit down. Now. He slumped to
the floor, exhausted, his gaze riveted to the glow in the back room.
He glanced at Scully and noticed the blood darkening her sweater.

"Scully? You okay?" he asked, concerned. Scully was also
watching the back room. Startled, she nodded, and then she
looked at him. How'd he get on the floor?

"Scully --"

She knew what he wanted.

"No, Mulder," she said firmly. Mulder sighed and tried to rise,
contenting himself with crawling on all fours (well, all threes)
towards the back room. Scully watched him in amazement.
Here he was, severely hypothermic, blood leaking out of him
with dizzying speed, barely able to breathe, and the most
important thing in his life was seeing whatever was happening
in the next room. Scully was pretty sure she could saw off one
of his limbs and he wouldn't even take time to bind the stump.
She remembered with terrible acuity the backhoe comment she'd
made to him on that goddammed Piper Maru case. Mulder would
find the truth, no matter what. Scully only hoped it was what he
needed to find. He risked his life for a concept that may not even
exist. That scared the shit out of Scully. She shook herself and
started after him, stopping at the door and staring in shock. Mulder
pulled himself to his feet and she helped steady him.

Elise's still form lay on the bed and the figure from the ship bent
over her, murmuring softly to her, moving its long thin hands
over Elise's body.

"What is it doing?" Scully asked in a hushed voice. Mulder
shook his head, gazing in wonder at the creature. Mulder
took a rocky step forward and the creature turned its head
towards him, large eyes blinking. Mulder raised his arms.

"I mean you no harm," he said quietly. "I just need to know...
is she all right?"

The figure hesitated, then turned fluidly and moved towards
Mulder. He flinched but held his ground. The slender hand
hovered in front of Mulder and he closed his eyes, feeling a
warmth wash over him. Suddenly, he understood. The
knowledge moved through him, infecting him, dizzying
him with its completeness. When the figure withdrew its
hand Mulder toppled backwards and Scully managed to
catch him before he hit the floor.

"Mulder, my God..."

He had finally completely passed out.

*****

Softness. That was the first thing Mulder identified. Everything
around him felt soft, as if he were lying on silk. He slowly opened
his eyes, blinking at the harsh glare of the lights. Scully's face
floated into view. She looked worried. That was NOT a good
sign. And she appeared to be talking to him. As his mind cleared
he realized that he was in Elise's bed. His heart sank. They'd
taken her. He didn't realize that he'd said anything until Scully's
expression changed. She had a hand on either side of his face
and she obviously wanted him to pay attention. He made an
effort and finally, things started to make sense.

"...do you understand me? Mulder, it's Scully. Can you hear me?"

"...hear you, Scully..." he managed. He watched the terrified
concern melt away as she smiled at him.

"Where is she?" he asked, struggling to sit up. Scully easily
pushed him back down and drew the down comforter
underneath his chin.

"Stay down. I do not want to have to do CPR on you again,"
she said. Again? Shit.

"Elise..."

"Goddammit, Mulder, you almost died! Forget Elise for a minute.
It's not important."

She was glaring at him.

"Is she dead?" he asked quietly. Scully sighed, giving in like he
knew she would.

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "They took her...and I just
don't know. The Obi Wans are fine; they went to the other cabin to
make a phone call. The women...are no longer pregnant. The
helicopter should be arriving any minute."

"So they did serve a purpose," Mulder said. Scully nodded
thoughtfully, held a mug of tea to his lips.

"Drink something," she ordered. Mulder did. He winced as the
heat coursed down his throat but it tasted so good and he was so
thirsty...his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

*****

FBI
Washington DC
Three weeks later

Mulder stared at the pile of folders on his desk with loathing.
He'd gotten so behind it wasn't even funny. And he had all those
clippings to look through, and Byers was sending Mulder the one
chupacabra story he thought was valid, and the ISU wanted his
input on that vampire cult...Mulder sighed. The door opened and
he looked up at Scully. He pointed an accusing finger at the files.

"This is why an extended recuperation is a bad thing," he said.
Scully set her briefcase down on the chair and looked at him.

"You're the one who has to climb every mountain, Mulder. Blame
yourself if you need to blame someone. You had two relapses as it is."

Mulder opened his mouth to argue, but he knew she was right.
Scully reached into her briefcase and tossed a folder on his desk.
He looked up questioningly.

"I thought you might get a kick out of it," she said by way of
explanation. Mulder flipped it open. Kat Bischoff's steely gaze
stared at him, making his hands tremble.

"They found her body in a crevasse. The theory is that she'd
been weakened by her gunshot wound and had slipped and
fallen, then had died of exposure."

Mulder looked up at her.

"But you don't believe it."

Scully shrugged.

"It doesn't matter, Mulder."

"What does matter is that justice has been served," Mulder said in
satisfaction. Scully didn't say anything and Mulder glanced at her
again. She looked troubled.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Scully busied herself making a cup of
coffee, then she settled down and looked at him with that direct gaze
that made him uncomfortable.

"Mulder...I'm worried about you," she said frankly. Mulder leaned
back in his chair, puzzled.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Scully shook her head in frustration.

"You don't even see it..."

Scully paused, reluctant to go on.

"You were so...I couldn't get through to you, Mulder, not at all.
You were so intent upon dispensing your own brand of justice
that you didn't even consider the fact that it wasn't justice you
were interested in, but revenge."

Mulder instantly looked away. Scully leaned forward.

"Mulder, I wanted to kill her, too, but I'm an agent of the FBI and
above that, a human being. No matter what, killing isn't my job
and it's not yours either. I know how personal all of this is..."

"And it's not personal for you, Scully?" Mulder bit back bitterly.
"What about all that you've --"

"Don't do that, Mulder. Don't deflect like that. I'm not talking
about me. Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to run your life
but I am your partner and your friend, and I want you to be aware
of this. It's a dangerous trait and it has no place in this job and I'd
hope it would have no place in your life."

Mulder still wouldn't look at her. Scully had felt his desire to kill
Kat Bischoff and she knew that he would have killed her if they
hadn't been interrupted by the lights. But Mulder didn't know that.
He refused to look at it. Finally, he sighed.

"She tortured me," he said flatly. "She enjoyed it. The pain...
I can't even tell you..."

"I know," Scully said softly. "I'm not blaming you, Mulder,
far from it. But you know how dangerous a game you're playing
and you have to be ready for anything that comes down the pike.
You have to be ready for personal agendas to overtake professional
ones and you cannot let your personal agenda cloud your professional
judgment because you are above that. Far above it. You are so...
I've never known anyone like you before. You're so intent upon
your search that it scares me, scares others. And I know you say
you don't care when they laugh at you behind your back but I'd
rather you admit that it does bother you than compartmentalize it,
treat it like it doesn't exist. You've always been so emotionally
honest and with what's happened recently...it's a miracle you
still persevere. But you have to admit when you're hurting,
Mulder. I'm afraid for you."

Mulder looked up at her then and his eyes were filled with pain.
Scully smiled sympathetically at him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know how hard it is to keep
getting so close only to miss but you didn't do anything wrong,
Mulder, and you saved Elise, saved the Obi Wans. Kat and her
group would have killed them, without consideration. Even
though you didn't respect their ideals you still put your life on
the line for them, no matter how you rationalize it."

"It was for Elise," Mulder replied.

"It was for the truth."

Mulder lowered his eyes. What had the being said to him? It
had been so overwhelming and he'd tried to remember these
past three weeks, but the feeling and the experience was fading.
He just remembered...goodness. Compassion. And love. And
for the first time, Mulder felt like he was really the alien. They
had intimate knowledge of human emotions and they were so
foreign...but Mulder had to be reminded of that which he took
for granted. Maybe he took it for granted because he refused
to allow it to exist in his life. He smiled twistedly and glanced
at Scully.

"Wouldn't a simple 'buck up, little camper' have done the trick?"

Scully smiled with relief and the partners connected in that deep
way that neither of them understood but that both of them desperately
needed. And Mulder knew that Elise had survived and moreover,
that he and Scully had won this battle. Elise was back with her people,
not shut off in a quonsett hut somewhere hooked up to a million
machines, slowly wasting away as the faceless military ran test
after test on her. Maybe getting Elise home was the only way to
ensure the continued success of Mulder's work. Maybe the truth
WOULD set him free, just as it had set Elise free. He grinned at
Scully then, suddenly thrilled and exhilarated at the work he'd
been allowed to do. It WAS important work, this search for truth,
and he felt honored that he had been chosen to protect it.

***********

The end.