From: Snark 911 <snark_911@hotmail.com>
Date: 13 Jun 1999 14:57:17 -0700
Subject: xfc REPOST: Falling Snow, 13/19

TITLE: Falling Snow, Section 13/19
AUTHOR: Snark
E-MAIL: snark_911@yahoo.com

------------
Chapter 7
------------

For the first 15 minutes or so, Scully couldn't stop shivering.
Mulder was unbelievably cold--she felt as though she were
holding an enormous ice cube against her body. The only signs
of life, of warmth, were the whisper of his exhaled breath across
her breast and the quiet beating of his heart against her own.

But as the minutes wore on, she could feel the warmth returning
to his body. Her body heat, combined with the heat from the fire,
were slowly having the desired effect. He was still cold against
her, but she slowly stopped shaking--she had no doubt that he
would soon be warmed to normal temperature.

"How you doing in there, Scully?" Khi asked after a while.
Scully had heard her rummaging about the shelter, though she
had been unable to determine what she was doing.

"All right, I think. He seems to be warming up slightly," she
answered.

"Do you feel comfortable being here by yourself, if I leave?" Khi
said.

"Why, what are you doing?" Scully said, feeling a little panic rise
in her throat at the thought of being left immobilized.

"We're going to need more wood before it's daylight--what's here
won't last more than another hour or so," Khi responded. "It
might be easiest to just do it now, before Mulder wakes up."

"How long will you be gone? And what happens if you get lost?"
Scully knew she could never get out of the chute wrap without
assistance.

"Trust me, I won't get lost," Khi said with a cryptic chuckle. "I'd
be gone maybe a half hour, probably less. I won't go if you don't
want me to. We can just wait until you're unwrapped and free."

Scully thought about it for a bit, gave herself time to analyze the
situation rather than just react out of her fear. If Khi said they
needed wood, then they needed it--she could assume that without
a doubt. But if Khi got lost or killed, Scully would never get out
of the chute alone. Of course, without Khi, I'll have little chance
of survival whether I'm wrapped with Mulder or dancing the
hornpipe, she thought pragmatically.

"Yeah, go ahead. I guess I'd rather try to make sure you're here
when Mulder wakes up, just in case he goes into a frenzy again,"
Scully said.

"OK. I'm taking the knife with me, not that you'll be in a position
to miss it anyway. I'll probably do as I did before--stack wood
outside in repeated trips, then bring it all in at once. So don't get
panicky if you hear anything outside," Khi warned.

"Got it," Scully said. She felt a brush of very cold air gust
through the chute opening and knew that Khi had removed the
door of the shelter. "Be careful, don't get killed or something--if
I'm going to die, I don't want it to be while I'm wrapped up like a
sardine with Mulder."

"No, I'm sure you don't," Khi said softly as she went through the
door, quickly sealing it up behind her.

Now what the hell did that mean, Scully thought, anger rising
quickly in her mind. Does she think I *want* to die out here in
the middle of a storm? That I want my last breath to be filled
with smoke and the smell of nylon? My final sight to be that of a
red and white parachute?

But just as she prepared to launch into a mental rant and rave
session, Scully realized what Khi had meant. She realized that
Khi had already perceived what Scully was just beginning to
accept.

That if Scully were going to die, she *did* want it to be with
Mulder. If her eyes were going to close for the last time, she
wanted her last vision to be of him. As the feeling left her hands,
her arms, her body, she wanted to know that he would be there
next to her.

Her anger slowly wound down as she concentrated on Mulder's
breathing, on his heartbeat, on the feel of his head resting on her
arm. With the deliberateness of an experiment, she stopped
thinking and started feeling. She felt how his breath danced
across her skin, light as a spring rain. How his hair tickled
against her collarbone, feathery and soft. How it felt good to be
so close to him, to touch him, to hold him.

But even as the physical sensations themselves were enjoyable,
she knew it was more than that. She knew that this physical
closeness they shared now was simply a reflection of the union
that already existed between them. That their souls were already
entwined together as one. They shared a bond stronger than any
she'd ever known--a bond cast in steel, forged with pain,
tempered by faith.

A bond she knew had already survived her own death.

The memory of her abduction, of the tests, of the hospital swept
through her as a wave crashes against the cliffs. Each one roared
inside her mind, presenting itself as strongly as the actual event it
represented--her body reacted as though it were under attack, her
breath coming in gasps, her muscles locking into spasms. Several
moments passed before she felt better, before her body began to
return to normal. Mulder, even in unconsciousness, provided the
anchor she needed to gain control.

She had never told anyone, not her mother, not her doctors, not
even Mulder. She had not wanted to upset them, especially when
she herself had not yet believed what she had experienced. They
had all been so happy to see her alive and well, she couldn't tell
them the truth.

She couldn't tell them she had died in that Georgetown hospital
bed. Not 'nearly,' not 'almost'--she had died. Utterly and
completely, she had left her body behind and began the journey
to what lay beyond. Although she had not believed it at first, her
latest encounter with her own mortality had proved it to her. As
she had felt Death come for her again, in a room filled with
cameras and film, she had known for certain it had happened
before.

This most recent time, Death had been turned away before
reaching her, before closing his hand around her to lead her
away. Someone had stepped between them, offering himself to
Death with an eagerness usually reserved for Life. She had
watched as he had stepped through the gateway, his face bearing
the most beatific smile she had ever seen. She had thanked him
as he disappeared--for intervening, for dying in her place, for
giving her back the life she was not ready to lose.

But the first time had been different. As Death had touched her,
as his cloak had fallen around her as they began to walk, she had
somehow known there would be no intervention. She had known
she should be afraid, but she hadn't been. Perhaps it had been her
natural curiosity for the unknown, perhaps it had been a desire to
escape the pain and torture of the last months, but she had not
been afraid. Calm and peaceful, she had followed Death like a
dutiful daughter.

As she had prepared to step across the threshold, though, she had
hesitated. For the first time since Death had appeared to her, she
had paused to look back. A flame had burned behind her, steady
and strong against the darkness. She had been very far from it,
but she felt its heat and was drawn to it. Mesmerized as it danced
before her, she had felt its passion, its desire, its willingness to
guide her path. As she had reached out to it, she had seen it
reaching for her as well. They had touched, the flame encircling
her hand as a glove. Instead of the searing sensation of being
burned, she had felt only a comforting warmth, a sense of
coming home.

But Death had not given up so easily. He, too, had reached for
her, the icy cold of his hand a shock against the heat of the flame.
Death had pulled her towards the gateway even as the flame had
pulled her back the way she had come. A struggle had ensued, a
battle of wills unlike any other she had ever witnessed. She had
found herself paralyzed by the strength of the opponents as they
fought.

In the war between the Light and the Dark, in the war for her
very soul, she had been but a spectator.


     *    *    *    *    *    *
On and on, the battle had raged around her, over her, through her.
She had found herself being pulled towards the gateway by
Death, only to be brought back by the flame. The gentle warmth
and light of the flame had warded off the shocking cold of
Death's cloak over and over, until she could no longer keep track
of the times.

She hadn't known how long the rivals had fought. Perhaps it had
been a few seconds, a few minutes, a mere day. Or perhaps the
earth had lived out its existence, plunged into the burning sun
and been reborn anew. She simply had not known.

She only knew she had slowly become aware of a silence. A
hushed void had surrounded her senses where the wrath of the
battle had been before. She had looked around her, slowly,
silently. The flame was beside her, flickering weakly in the
darkness as though nearly spent. Death had remained at her other
side, his head dipped towards the floor as he pulled his cloak
more tightly around his body. He had been shivering slightly.

"You must choose."

Two voices speaking as one, giving life to the single thought that
flowed between them. She had heard the weariness in both the
booming voice of Death and the resonating murmur of the flame.
They had fought with every ounce of their strength, testing
themselves to the extreme in the battle. But it had been an
exercise in futility--neither had possessed the strength to defeat
the other completely.

So the choice had become hers. She would control her future at
this moment as few ever had. The weight of the choice had lain
heavy on her shoulders--she hadn't known what to do, hadn't
known how to decide. She had implored the combatants to help
her.

Acquiescing with a sweep of his arm, Death had shown her what
lay beyond. Like leaves before a gentle wind, images of health
and happiness had swirled around her. She had seen her father
and smiled--she knew he would be waiting for her with open
arms. Death had showed her that she had nothing to fear on the
other side.

It had not occurred to her to distrust Death, to question the truth
of what he presented. She had realized earlier he was only the
emissary, a guide between the worlds of the living and the
destinations of the dead. He served neither God nor the Devil--he
simply existed, in this time and in this place, without motive or
desire.

She had found herself tempted by the image Death presented,
tempted to step through the gateway into the arms of her father.
His passing had torn out a part of her heart, leaving behind a
feeling of emptiness she could not have fathomed possible. It
was a place that was empty still, and even though he had told her
it was not yet time, she longed to be with him again.

Before she could step towards gateway, though, the flame had
begun to grow beside her, slowly at first but then ever
quickening. It had moved up her arm, flowing across her chest
and around her body as a second skin, its touch gentle and
calming. It had offered no clear picture of the future, no images
of what lay ahead for her should she return with it--beyond the
light of the flame, she had seen nothing.

But she had felt everything. Love, hope, strength--they had flown
through her like a river, washing away the doubt and indecision.
Where confusion had reigned earlier, she felt only peace. She had
known the flame was offering itself to her completely, promising
her a way home, a way back to life.

Promising her they would be together as one until such day as
Death took them both.

"I choose Life."

She had not remembered actually speaking the words, but they
had resonated around her as though she had screamed them. The
flame unwrapped itself from her, freeing her body and clearing
her vision without completely letting go of her. Though she had
no recollection of movement, she had found herself following the
flame back the way she had come.

"So it shall be this time," Death had said, accepting her choice
without malice, his voice resounding across the ever-increasing
gap between them. "You shall be returned to Life as few ever
have."

As he had spoken, she had felt herself flow back into her body as
though she were being poured--she had become aware of the
blood coursing through her veins, racing through her heart,
tingling in her fingertips. She had felt the stiff hospital bed
beneath her, the large pillow cradling her neck, the cool air
tickling her bare feet. And she had felt Mulder's head as it lay
across her abdomen, holding her hand in his as he sobbed.

She had turned at the last second, casting one last look over the
threshold. She had seen Death as if from far below, a small speck
against the blackness above her as she looked through the void.

"You live again. But do not yet become fearless, my child,"
Death had warned, his voice reaching across the emptiness. He
had stretched a hand towards her as the darkness consumed him
completely.

"For I shall ever be waiting."

     *    *    *    *    *    *

Scully shivered, knowing it had nothing to do with holding
Mulder's freezing body against her own. Death's words echoed in
her head, his image imprinted before her as she held her eyes
tightly shut. For years, that image had come to her every night in
dreams--she would awaken each morning whispering his words
on her lips.

The dreams had come less frequently in the last several months,
though, and Scully had begun to hope they would disappear
altogether. Her latest brush with death, though, had brought them
screaming back to her. But they had changed somehow, become
something more than what they were. Instead of seeing and
feeling what had happened four years ago, she was now aware of
a closeness in the present--she could actually feel Death himself
at times now. She could feel the weight of his stare as she went
about her life.

She could feel him right now, hovering at the edge of reality.
Waiting for her time to come.

Well, that time isn't now, she thought firmly. Not for me, and not
for Mulder. You hear me? You'll just have to wait a bit longer.

Scully opened her eyes, forced herself to look around as much as
she could, listening to the night. The red and white stripes of the
chute, the soft crackling of the fire, the smell of woodsmoke
surrounding her--all served to bring her back to the present, to
ground her in reality once again.

She pulled her arm back slightly, feeling up underneath Mulder's
chin for his pulse. She found it more quickly this time, noticing it
was much stronger than it had been earlier. His breathing had
become more regular as well, his chest rising and falling softly
against her own. And he was not quite so deathly cold anymore,
she smiled to herself. Still chilled, yes, but no longer icy. She
knew that he was above the danger point now, knew that he was
safe again--that knowledge warmed her more than any fire ever
could.

Scully attempted to shift her weight a bit, trying to flex the
muscles of her legs and arms without disturbing Mulder too
much. Her limbs were falling asleep from the sustained pressure
and lack of motion. Even her tiny movements were bringing
alive the pins-and-needles sensation she hated so much. She
knew that it would only get worse, though, if she didn't work
through it now. The tightly-wrapped chute restricted all but the
barest of movement--but after several minutes of tensing and
flexing her major muscle groups, she was able to restore normal
feeling.

As Mulder continued to warm up, Scully felt herself getting more
and more tired as the minutes wore on. Without Khi to talk to,
and without the freedom to get up and move around, the
temptation to simply fall asleep was becoming unbearable. But
she didn't want to doze off until Khi returned--some survivalist
node of her brain reminded her that someone should always be
awake and on guard.

She tried a few mental puzzles, a few brain teasers that she could
work through in her mind. She tried to remember some poetry
and verse she had once known by heart. But thinking wasn't
enough--she needed to *do* something to stay awake. The words
"Jeremiah was a bullfrog" came screaming through her head so
quickly she was surprised she hadn't felt a breeze.

She knew she could simply talk to Mulder until Khi returned,
that she didn't need to subject him (not to mention herself) to her
rather dubious singing abilities. But Scully knew if she started
talking, she'd never stop--she'd pour out every ounce of her
feelings, leaving nothing to the imagination. She realized that
when she said those things to Mulder, she wanted to say them
when he was wide awake, not lying in a pain-filled haze of
confusion--she knew she wanted those hazel eyes looking right at
her.

"Well, Mulder, you had me do this once before, so here we go
again," she murmured, dipping her head down to press a quick
kiss to his head. "You survived it before, so I hope you can stand
it again."

Slowly, Scully hummed the tune a little before beginning to sing
outright. She smiled a bit as she sang the first verse a few times.
She couldn't stop picturing a tiny lineup of woodland creatures
outside the door, pressing their little ears against the shelter as
the wondered what in the world was going on. She knew that
every creature within 10 miles had burrowed itself to safety, but
she couldn't shake the image.

"Hey, Scully."

The words were soft, feathery, barely audible even within the
confines of the chute. But she heard them as if they had been
spoken over a loudspeaker in a thundering auditorium--they were
the sweetest words she'd ever heard. Her breath caught in her
throat as she closed her eyes.

"Yeah, Mulder?" she asked. Simple words, but she knew that
Mulder heard the emotion behind them loud and clear. A tear
rolled down her cheek as she tightened her arms around him--she
didn't care whether she was being transparent or not. She only
cared that he had returned to her.

"Sing the second verse this time," he whispered.

The second verse? Scully had to think about it for a few
moments--what the hell is the second verse to that song, she
wondered? All she could think of was the first line, over and
over. Jeremiah was a bullfrog... She hummed the tune again,
hoping it would prompt her memory.

It came to her suddenly, the words forming in her mind as she
ran through the first verse. A real, full-throated laugh came
rolling up from within her, spilling out across the shelter as she
squeezed him close. Composing herself a bit, she just nodded her
head, cleared her throat, and then launched into the second verse.

"If I were king of the world... tell you what I'd do... I'd throw
away the cars and the bars..."

The third time through the song, Mulder said the words along
with her, a smile quirking his face against her chest--a smile she
knew was echoed on her own face. Raspy and weak, his voice
was reduced to a halting whisper, a far cry from the usual
sardonic inflection she was used to.

But it didn't matter--to her, it was the voice of an angel.


      *** 30 *********  Section End  *********** 30 ***

TITLE: Falling Snow, Section 14/19
AUTHOR: Snark

     *    *    *    *    *    *

Ten minutes later, Scully heard the doorway being opened, a cold
shot of air whistling through the shelter's interior. She heard
sounds of dragging, punctuated by the occasional sotto voce
curse, and knew Khi had returned. Scully felt another pine bough
slide past her, and she hoped it was as piled with wood as the
first one had been.

"You all right in there, Scully?" Khi asked as she wove the
doorway shut again, knowing they needed to retain the fire's heat
as much as possible.

"Actually, yes," Scully answered, wondering if Khi could hear
the smile planted firmly on her face. "Mulder's awake."

"Whoo hoo! That's fabulous," Khi yelled. "That true, Zippy? You
alive in there?"

"Yeah, I'm alive," Mulder said, his voice rising a little to be
heard. "No thanks to you, though. 'Let's go parachuting... It'll be
fun... Girl Scouts could do it!'" Scully and Khi both laughed--
even with his weakened voice, his impersonation of her
'recruiting' speech was perfect.

"Yeah, whatever, shut up," Khi said, eliciting a muffled laugh
from Mulder this time. "Is it my fault that we got hit by a
hailstorm in the middle of the winter?"

"Yes!" Mulder and Scully chorused together, sending all three
chuckling again.

"Whine, whine, whine..." Khi mumbled as she stepped over to
kneel down next to them. "Seriously, now. How are you feeling,
Mulder? Warm, cold, dizzy, light-headed, nauseous, rib pain,
trouble breathing, any and all of the above?"

"Weak, mostly," Mulder said. Scully could feel him trying to
shift his weight a little bit, realizing he must be even more
cramped than she was. "And thirsty."

"You feeling warm enough to get out of there? I mean, I know it
must be uncomfortable for you to be wrapped up with Scully like
that," Khi said, not quite hiding the humor from her voice.

"Oh yeah, utter hell," Mulder said in perfect seriousness,
exasperated sighs and all. "I mean, I'm all smashed in here with
her, she's got her arms wrapped around me, she's breathing all
over me... I just may have to sue you for extreme abuse, Khi."
Scully felt his hand move against her, the gentle play of his
fingers against her hip offsetting the mock harshness of his
words. She smiled as she quickly ran her hand through his hair.

"Let's hope you get the chance, my friend," Khi said after a short
chuckle, bringing her hand down to rest briefly on Mulder's back.
They were all quiet for a moment, a prayer formed between
them, unspoken but audible nonetheless. "OK, enough of that
crap, let's get you guys out of there."

The process was easier said than done this time around. Mulder
being conscious added a new twist to everything--each
movement, no matter how slight, sent sharp pain shooting
through him. After just a few moments, Mulder told Khi to just
do it. "Rip the bandage off in one swipe," he said, breathless
from the pain he'd endured so far. "At worst, I'll just pass out
again."

"OK, then," Khi said. "Scully, we're going to do this exactly in
reverse, then. You remember the sequence?" Khi had succeeded
so far only in untying the straps and beginning to unwrap the
chute from around their bodies--she couldn't yet see Scully or
Mulder themselves yet.

"Chute off, tip up, clothes and suits unwrapped, sweater off,
separate off of Mulder, clothes back on," Scully recited
succinctly.

"You got it. Now let me get you guys situated a little better, since
we're paused anyway," Khi said. Scully felt the chute being
dragged away from the fire a little bit more, allowing Khi better
access to them and more room in which to work.

"Set?" she asked, tapping Scully's shoulder. Scully queried
Mulder if he was ready, his reply a simple nodding of his head.
She actually felt his jaw tense as he clenched his teeth against the
coming pain.

"We're set," Scully replied, giving Mulder a quick squeeze in
support. "Do it."

To his credit, Mulder screamed outright only once during the
next sixty seconds, right after the chute fell away from them--as
Khi tipped them up from the ground, Scully's foot smacked into
his injured leg as she tried to resume the sitting position in which
they had started. Scully cursed herself for being so clumsy,
resolving to concentrate even harder as Khi continued to work.
She felt the remainder of the tie straps fall away, watching as Khi
quickly separated out Scully's clothing from Mulder's as she
unwrapped each layer.

"Arms up now, Scully," Khi said. "I'm bracing Mulder from the
other side here."

As she reached her arms towards the roof, Scully felt the green
sweater being lifted from her body. She felt the goosebumps
crawl over her again as her skin was exposed, but it was nowhere
near the shock it had been the first time--the fire had been
burning long enough to actually heat the interior somewhat.

Her arms finally free of the sweater, Scully wasted no time
pushing back from Mulder and scooting free of him. She didn't
want to risk jostling him as she dressed herself. A quick glance
confirmed the pain he must have been feeling--his eyes were
pressed shut as his breath came in gasps, his fists clenched as Khi
threaded his arms back through his clothing and suit.

"Done," Khi announced a few moments later, zipping the front of
Mulder's suit as best she could. The lower portion of the suit
torso had been mostly sliced away earlier, but she was able to
rehook the zipper somehow and zip it up.

"Well, that sucked," Mulder moaned after a few seconds, eyes
still shut. Khi helped him lie back down, rolling an edge of the
chute under his head as a mock pillow. She handed him his
gloves, knowing he would need every source of warmth possible.

"Scully, we'll need to do the same trick for him that we used for
you," Khi said, motioning her over as she saw Scully zipping her
own jump suit. "Find that cylinder and help Mulder drink some
of the heated water. Even conscious, he's not going to be able to
move as much as you or me, so he's going to need to generate
heat from other sources."

Finally finding the cylinder against the far wall, Scully dipped it
into the bowl, rinsing it out a bit before scooping up a full
complement of water. She paused to add more snow to the bowl,
wanting to keep a steady source of hot water available at all
times. She knew they would have to change Mulder's bandages
every few hours, needing to cleanse the wound each time.

Wanting to reach the bowl without getting up, Scully
repositioned the chute a bit, dragging Mulder a few feet further
'down' the shelter as gently as she could. She then prompted him
to sit up a bit, slipping her leg underneath his shoulders and
pulling him up onto her lap slightly. He reached for the cylinder,
but she gently pushed his hands away, murmuring for him to just
lie still. She brought the cylinder to his lips, slowly tipping it up
as he drank, making sure she wasn't rushing him too much.
Mulder indicated he wanted more, so she stretched to refill the
cylinder again. This time, she somehow spilled a little of the
water as she brought it up, trickling the water down his chin. She
wiped it away with a gentle finger--if she stroked his face a few
more times than was necessary, he didn't seem to mind.

After the third refill, Mulder motioned that he was through for
now. Scully set the cylinder down by the fire, not wanting to lose
track of it this time. After a few minutes, she could tell he was
getting sleepy, his breathing slowing and his bodying becoming
still. She started to slip out from underneath him, figuring it was
an uncomfortable position for him.

"Stay." Mulder crossed his hand over his body and laid it on hers.
His eyes opened for the first time since they'd gotten out of the
chute. "Stay with me for a little bit, Scully," he whispered,
looking up at her.

"Only for a little while?" she teased him, shifting her body just a
little to reposition him more comfortably.

"For as long as you like, my lady," Mulder said quietly, his eyes
fluttering closed as a small smile crossed his face. He was soon
fast asleep, his hand still covering hers.

Scully watched him sleep for a long time. She brushed his hair
off his forehead, smiling each time as it fell right back across his
eyes. Leaning over him, she laid a gentle kiss on his forehead. I
hope you meant that, Mulder, she said to herself.

Because I'm going to stay forever.

     *    *    *    *    *    *

As the night wore on and became day, Scully and Khi took turns
remaining awake, each catching an hour or so of sleep while the
other tended the fire and kept watch. Khi cautioned Scully to
make sure Mulder was awakened at least once every hour or so.

"He's still weak and dehydrated," Khi explained. "He needs that
water not only to help stay warm but to get his system back in
balance. Plus, I want to make sure that he *can* be woken up
every few hours, that he doesn't fall into a coma or hypothermic
trance state."

Scully checked his bandages several times, doing a complete
change in the wee hours of the morning. The lack of really good
light made a detailed inspection impossible, but she couldn't see
any signs of infection--whatever initial bleeding there may have
been had stopped. She had Khi make another birch bowl, using it
to heat more water and wash out the bandages as best she could.
She kept the other bowl for drinking purposes only, not wanting
to risk any contamination.

When dawn arrived, Khi ventured outside again to search for
more wood--their supply had dwindled to just a few branches.
When she returned, Scully was somewhat nervous to see a much
smaller pile of wood on her sled bough than previous trips.

"It's getting harder to find wood," Khi said simply. "It's still
snowing heavily out there, although the wind has died down
considerably. That's a good sign, if nothing else--the worst of the
actual storm is most likely over."

"But the wood... what do we do about that?" Scully asked, trying
to keep the anxiousness from showing in her voice. Khi didn't
answer for a minute, poking the fire up a bit, adding a few more
pieces to it.

"There's not much we can do. The snow is blanketing new inches
every hour, covering up absolutely everything. We can either
find the wood or we can't. If we can, we'll be fine for quite a
while. If we can't..." she trailed off. She knew there was no need
to state the obvious.

"What about food, is there any possibility of finding anything to
eat?" Scully asked. She looked over at Mulder, who still
appeared to be sleeping peacefully. "More than either of us, he
should really have something to eat soon. His blood needs energy
to combat the volume loss."

"He's not going to get any food for a while," Khi said. She's
nothing if not direct, Scully thought with a sigh. "I can make
snare traps, but they're not going to do any good--forest creatures
aren't going to stir until the snow stops. There's no streams
nearby to fish in and my pack doesn't have any food supplies in
it, only survival equipment."

"So what do we do?" Scully asked after a moment.

"We survive," Khi said simply. Glancing at Scully's side, she
motioned for Scully to toss her the knife. "We can survive as
long as we have heat. Water alone will sustain us for at least a
week, probably two, and someone would find us by then."

Khi began cutting a few strips from the edge of the chute. She
made sure to leave enough for Mulder to use as a blanket, but
soon had a sizable pile of thick strips of the red and white
material by her side.

"The problem will be if the fire dies. Without the heat, we'll
survive for a few hours, a half-day at most," Khi said, gathering
together the strips and putting them in the pack. "There's a
clearing not too far from here. I'm going to weave these into a
couple branches and post them in that clearing--when the snow
quits, it will provide a visual signal to anyone searching by air."

Khi caught sight of Scully's rather dubious expression, giving a
short, mirthless laugh as she zipped up the pack. "I know it's not
a great solution, but we don't have many options. The snow's too
deep for even a healthy person to try to track through, much less
someone with an injury. The travois wouldn't work nearly as well
now either--the angle would be wrong because of the extra
snow."

"Plus, we don't have any idea which way to go," Mulder said
quietly. Scully and Khi both turned to look at him, surprised to
find him awake. He waved off their attempts to help him sit up,
propping himself up under his own power while mumbling
something about not being a child. He did have to ask for the
cylinder of water though, since he was unable to reach the fire
himself. Khi, seeing that Scully was taking care of Mulder's
request, headed for the doorway, strapping the pack to her back.
She unsealed the pine bough to open up the exit and leaned down
to begin crawling through the opening.

"Where's that... um, what was the word?" Mulder said to Scully
as Khi worked her way outside. He had to pause for a second,
replaying their conversation with Mobaje... had it only been
yesterday? So much had happened since then, it seemed like
years had passed. "Where's an ut'aari when you need one? We
could use a hawk about now."

Khi closed up the entryway again, making sure the edges were
woven securely into the shelter. She paused to look up at the sky,
searching.

"He's coming," she said, closing her eyes against the falling
snow. After a moment, she turned and headed for the clearing.


      *** 30 *********  Section End  *********** 30 ***

TITLE: Falling Snow, Section 15/19
AUTHOR: Snark

------------
Chapter 8
------------


The hours blended together, mindlessly, endlessly, each melding
with the next to form a perpetual state of monotony. The second
day become the second night became the third day until Scully
no longer bothered to keep track. They had tried to keep a
conversation going when more than one person was awake, but
that had stopped somewhere during the second night. There just
wasn't anything to say. Conversation become limited, brief
status-report statements clipped short by the weariness that
pervaded the shelter.

Khi foraged for wood every few hours, managing to find a few
branches every time, thereby keeping a lid on her companions'
rising fears that she would return empty handed. But she couldn't
keep a lid on her own--she knew, all too well, that each time she
went out that door, it was one trip closer to that inevitable
outcome. The snow continued to fall, making each successive
trip harder to cover even the same distance, not to mention
needing to get further out to find new sources of wood. She was
pushing herself to the limit of her reserves of strength and
endurance, forging ahead on sheer determination.

That alone, though, wouldn't be enough--determination would
not create a flame to keep them alive, no matter how hard she
might try. As she wrestled a dead birch branch out of a drift, she
reminded herself to deal with what *was,* not what *could be.*
The future wasn't written until it became the past, and she was
going to make sure there continued to *be* a future--for her, for
Mulder, for Scully. The intensity of her resolve helped to keep
her warm while she was away from the fire.

Somewhere near the end of the third day, Mulder began sleeping
more deeply, becoming harder and harder to rouse--Scully knew
he was weakening from lack of food and the extreme blood loss
he'd suffered. When conscious, he tried to reassure her he was
fine, but she could tell that even he knew the true state of his
condition. It wouldn't be long until he would slip into a coma-
like state, with death most likely following closely behind. His
injured body simply could not recuperate under the extreme
conditions.

"I'll be fine, Scully, I'll be fine," Mulder whispered to her late
that night, his hands wrapped around hers as he lay in her lap.
She had rarely left his side for the last day or so, holding him
close and gently massaging his arms and chest to keep the blood
flowing.

"I know, Mulder," Scully said, smiling down at him as his eyes
opened briefly. "They'll find us any time now. They'll find us and
get us to a hospital, you'll recover splendidly, and we'll be back
filing background checks and giving speeches before you know
it."

"Oh, joy," Mulder said, rolling his eyes. "On second thought..."

"What, you mean you don't relish the thought of investigating the
private, darkened life of Mr. Heinrich Q. Podenyacker, city clerk
for the past 27 years for the fine town of Ironhead, South Dakota,
population a staggering 312, who now wants to be employed as a
federal officer?" Scully laughed.

"Not so much," Mulder replied softly, a short laugh escaping him
as she reeled off the all-too-real depiction of their days now.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" she asked, reaching out to
ruffle his hair as she teased him.

"I think it got hung up in that tree back there," he said, a smile
making fun of the seriousness of his situation. "We'll have to go
back and find it at some point."

"We'll just buy you a new one, Mulder," Scully said as though
they were talking about a pair of jeans. "One that specifically
states 'No Parachuting' in the usage instructions."

"You're on, flygirl," he whispered, his eyes slowly closing. She
noticed that the vision was taking shape again, the two of them
together in the snow as Mulder lay motionless. Some far corner
of her brain noted there was no blood soaking the white snow
this time.

As she watched his breathing slow, as she watched his
movements become less and less, Scully knew this might be the
last time that Mulder was awake. That she might never have the
chance to tell him everything she wanted to say. She willed her
mouth to open, her throat to form the words she so desperately
wanted, needed to say.

But here, on the edge of forever, she found herself completely
lost. She tried to speak, but her body would not cooperate. She
could do nothing but stare down at him, at his face, his body, his
hands wrapped around hers.

"Hey, Scully," he whispered, struggling to stay awake for a few
more seconds.

"Yeah, Mulder," she said, struggling to fight off the wave of fear
overtaking her.

"I know."

This time, the snow became soaked with tears.

     *    *    *    *    *    *

The wood ran out shortly before dawn on the fourth day. Not that
there was any sort of dawn they could see. The storm was still
howling outside, the snow filling the air completely--they had
marked time only through Khi's watch.

Khi had made an extended search the last trip out, pushing
herself beyond exhaustion, beyond fear. But she had found
nothing. So now Scully and Khi both watched as the last scrap
burned down, the flames growing smaller and smaller as the
seconds passed.

With a silent whisper, the last flame flickered into nothingness.
Complete darkness fell inside the shelter for the first time in
days. Scully had gotten used to the flickering firelight, finding
herself somewhat disoriented by the total blackness that
surrounded her now. She wasn't normally claustrophobic, but the
darkness felt alive somehow, silently closing around her with an
ever-tightening pressure. She closed her eyes, then quickly re-
opened them when she realized that closing them only increased
the sensation. She shifted nervously, breathing deeply as she
tried to think rationally.

"You all right over there?"

Hearing Khi's voice was a shock, startling Scully so much she
actually felt her heart jump. But she immediately felt a flush of
relief as well, Khi's words providing a solid anchor against the
crushing weight of the darkness.

"Um, yeah, pretty much," Scully managed to say, her voice
choking a bit as she spoke. She coughed to clear her throat, one
hand pounding lightly on her chest.

"Don't let it get to you," Khi said. "Instead of concentrating on
your lack of sight, concentrate on building your other senses.
Listen to the darkness, don't just watch it."

Scully followed the advice, trying to focus on what she could
hear instead of what she couldn't see. As the minutes passed, she
slowly became aware that the darkness was anything but silent--
she could hear both Khi and Mulder breathing, she could hear the
wind, she could hear the shelter rustling.

"Thanks, that's helping a bit," Scully said, giving herself a small
shake to restore her control.

"No problem. The darkness can be a weird thing, sending the
mind down paths you couldn't imagine while in the light," Khi
said. "Just didn't want to see you go freaking out on me, not that
you would ever do such a thing."

"No, of course not, never," Scully said, smiling slightly. While
she hadn't been too close to losing control, she knew it hadn't
been as far off as she'd like to think.

"Anyway, the temperature is already dropping in here. We need
to do what we can to retain as much heat as possible," Khi said.
"Do you already have the chute wrapped around Mulder?"

"Yeah, I covered him quite a while ago, when you started using
the wood more sparingly," Scully replied. Even as she spoke, she
tucked the chute in around Mulder just a bit tighter, a bit closer.

"Good. Take pine boughs from the edges and cover him with
those as well," Khi instructed. "They'll trap at least a little heat.
Do the same for yourself--you'll want to cover yourself as best
you can as well."

The next several minutes were spent gathering and arranging the
boughs, their efforts hampered by the dark. They each had to
move a bit slower, feeling around them as they moved to avoid
cracking into the shelter walls or each other. Scully found that
she was more efficient with her eyes closed, picturing the interior
of the shelter in her mind, keeping track of Mulder, Khi and the
center fire pit mentally.

Finally, Scully scooted down next to Mulder, curling up against
his side and pulling the remaining boughs over herself. The
needles draped down across her like a blanket--while she wasn't
assured yet of their heat retention properties, they did make her
feel a little more secure.

The temperature dropped as the minutes wore on, becoming
hours. As time wore on, Scully could feel her body shutting
down, a little bit at a time. She managed to keep one hand warm
by holding it inside her suit against her chest--she wanted to be
able to feel for Mulder's pulse every so often. But the rest of her
was slowly slipping away into oblivion.

She fought it at first, trying to keep her limbs moving, her
muscles flexing, her mind active. Soon, though, it became too
difficult, too hard to remain focused. She knew she should stay
awake, but the cold was becoming increasingly hard to dismiss--
she found herself drifting towards sleep, the mind wanting to
follow the body.

"Hey, Scully, you still with me over there?" Khi asked, breaking
into Scully's thoughts and waking her up a bit.

"Yeah, still here," Scully said, her throat a little hoarse from the
cold. As she tried to turn her mind away from the thoughts of
slumber invading it, she realized Khi had done it again--she had
somehow known exactly what was going on, taking the action
necessary to fix the problem. Scully decided to figure out
something once and for all.

"Khi, considering the situation we're in and the extreme
possibility we're ever going to get out of it, can I ask you
something you might normally take offense to?" Scully asked.
Khi laughed a bit, as if relieved to hear Scully revived enough to
be forming complex sentences.

"Sure, you can ask," she said. "I make no promises as to the
possibility of an answer, but you can ask anything you want."

Scully paused for a second, trying to think of the best way to ask
her question, finally opting for the completely simple and
straightforward approach.

"Khi Shaolin, who the hell *are* you?"

     *    *    *    *    *    *

For the first time in days, the shelter shook with the sound of
raucous laughter. Although she couldn't see her, Scully knew that
Khi was rolling from side to side as she howled--Scully could
hear the boughs rustling as Khi moved. At first, Scully tried to
resist, but was soon laughing just as hard.

"C'mon, Scully... don't be... shy or anything," Khi managed to
choke out between laughs. "Ask me... what's really... on your
mind." They both continued to laugh for a while, finally gaining
control only after several failed efforts.

"Well, I mean it," Scully said as they calmed down. "Who in the
hell are you? Let's me count this off... you show up out of
nowhere, you get Mulder drunk on Kamikazes but not hungover,
you convince him to go parachuting, you build a shelter out of
nothing, you show medical training, you're stronger than most
men, I'd swear you're telepathic... I mean, hell! You build a wood
bowl that doesn't burn!"

They laughed a bit more at that one, Khi tossing off a comment
about parting the waters if necessary. "Seriously," Scully said
after gaining control again. "I'm genuinely curious. Tell me only
what you want, if necessary, but knowing *anything* about you
would be more than I know now."

Even though Khi made no sound, Scully could picture her
turning over the various options in her mind, deciding what to
tell and what to leave hidden. Scully didn't think for a moment
that Khi would outright lie to her, but she had no doubt there
were certain facts about Khi Shaolin the world would never
know.

"Do you remember that day in the hotel, when you and Mulder
stopped at my table while I was eating breakfast?" Khi asked at
last. "Do you remember what he asked me and what I told him?"

"Um, he asked you what your regular life was," Scully said
slowly, playing the conversation through her mind. "You told
him that you could tell him, but then you'd have to kill him."

"Well, that comment was pretty much true," Khi said. Scully
started to laugh, assuming Khi was joking again, but she realized
that Khi was perfectly serious. "If I tell you, or anyone, about
myself or my life, I risk serious consequences, including death.
The knowledge of who I am puts the recipient at risk too. It's a
risk I don't take. Ever."

"Who am I going to tell?" Scully asked, gesturing around her
even though she knew Khi couldn't see her. "As much as I am
avoiding thinking about it, this is probably going to be my last
day upon this earth--whatever you tell me isn't going anywhere."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, in an extremely morbid and
depressing way," Khi said. She remained quiet for a bit longer--
Scully became even more curious as the seconds passed.

"You asked me who the hell I was, right?" she said finally.
"Well, there's really only one true answer to that question--I'm
nobody."

"What do you mean, you're nobody? You're sitting right in front
of me. Well, at least, I think you are," Scully amended, glancing
around the darkness.

"I'm alive, yes. I'm real, people can see and hear me, they can
shake my hand. But as far as the world can prove, Khi Shaolin
does not exist," Khi said.

"I don't understand," Scully admitted. "Are you on the run, are
you eluding the law somehow?"

"No, actually. I enforce the law in a lot of ways. The laws of
survival guide me and shape both my path and those that follow
me," Khi said.

"Which means... what, exactly?" Scully asked, still not
understanding.

"I exist in no recorded fashion and am beyond rank in the US
Marine Corps," she said, pausing to take a breath. "And I am the
survivalist trainer for an elite ground-strike force called the Black
Angels."

     *    *    *    *    *    *

Whatever Scully was expecting, it wasn't that. Not even close.
She had suspected a connection to the military, but would not
have guessed in a million years that Khi was beyond rank. Scully
knew that an extremely limited number of individuals, probably
no more than 5 at any given time, existed at that level of rank.
They were, in essence, accountable to no one.

"OK... you're going to have to tell me more than that," Scully
said.

"What, you mean that's not enough to satisfy you? Pushy, pushy,
pushy..." Khi said, the smile perfectly audible. "Nearly all of
what I could tell you is highly classified. I'll give you the rather
shortened version, but I still need your assurance that what you're
about hear goes no further than your ears, assuming we were to
get out of this. Tell no one, Scully--not even Mulder."

"Start at the beginning," Scully said, knowing Khi would take her
words as the affirmation they were. "Go."

Khi took a moment to gather her thoughts, deciding where to
start and how much to say. Soon, she launched into her story
with gusto, Scully listening as closely to her as she had to
Mobaje previously. Khi's story was fascinating, and Scully didn't
want to miss any of it.

"Well, to start at the beginning, I grew up as a normal kid, 4
brothers, no sisters. We lived on a 15,000-acre cattle ranch in
Wyoming, so there was always work to be done outdoors. I
suppose that's where I first got hooked on nature, so to speak. I
was always riding the land, driving stock out of the highlands
and so on. Lots of stuff could happen to a person out there--your
horse could take a fall or throw you if it got spooked, you could
get caught in storms, you could get gored by an angry steer.

"So I learned to take care of myself and survive, no matter what
happened. When I decided to leave the ranch to join the Marine
Corps, that knowledge served me very, very well. At the end of
my first year, I was recruited to join the Black Angels. I was the
youngest person to ever be accepted, and believe me, I took a lot
of crap for it. Not a day went by when someone didn't test me,
challenge me, try to beat me down. But I thrived on it--it served
only to make me stronger, smarter, faster than everyone else.

"The training program for the Angels is beyond intense. For a
solid year, you do nothing but survive in every extreme condition
known to mankind. No contact with family or friends, sometimes
not even other Angels. The jungle, the desert, the arctic, the
mountains, the swamps--I can survive in them all, be it with
every supply possible or nothing at all, not even clothing. Not
everyone fares so well. The voluntary fall-out rate is something
above 80%, with a death rate so large only a handful of people
even know it.

"After the year of physical training, there was a year of intense
mental conditioning and knowledge acquisition. This was the
year that I hooked up with Mulder--the Angels used the Quantico
facility, though no one knew their true purpose. We blended with
the rest of the students at the facility, but maintained our own
course and training regimen. Since I had already proved to be the
most valuable Angel they'd seen in years, I was given more
leeway in my personal life. I had slightly more free time and I
was allowed to live where I wanted.

"I met Mulder late one night, on an outdoor basketball court. We
were each just shooting hoops, running a few light layups and so
on, mostly just wasting time. After sticking to our own ends of
the court for a half-hour or so, Mulder challenged me to a game
of one-on-one."

Scully chuckled at that thought, picturing Mulder sidling up to
his new 'friend' and casually offering to play a game. She knew
Mulder prided himself on his basketball abilities, a ball never far
from his hands whether he was at home or at the office.

"So what happened? Who won?" Scully asked.

"I whipped his ass, 21 to 4, in less than ten minutes," Khi said,
breaking out into laughter as she remembered. "You should have
seen his expression after the first three minutes--he had
absolutely no idea what was happening to him. When I sunk that
last shot, he just turned to me and said, 'I know I only just met
you, and that I really know nothing about you, but I feel I must
say two things to you--one, I hate you. And two, could you teach
me how to do that?'

"I knew right then I'd found a new friend--anyone that could be
so straightforward was all right by me. We spent the next three
hours on that court, leaving only when a thunderstorm drove us
out. We went for breakfast at some sleazy 24-hour diner a couple
miles away, and by the end of the meal, Mulder was inviting me
to move in with him.

"We did everything together for that next year, separated only by
the demands of classes and studies. Mulder had absolutely no
idea who I was, what I was becoming--he soon gave up asking
me what I did at the base, since I never told him anything."

Scully broke in, wanting to know exactly what that was. "What
*were* you becoming? What do the Black Angels actually do?"
she asked, trying to picture what would exist at that level of
secrecy.

"Official description would be something like 'Elite first-wave
ground strike unit, specially trained to survive under extreme
conditions to assist the completion of their objectives,'" Khi said.
"A true definition would be 'Specially-trained soldiers who do
whatever they're told, wherever they're told to do it, when no one
else is capable of doing it.'

"No two missions are exactly the same. One might be a rescue
operation, the next an assassination, the next a kidnapping. The
objective, the terrain and the conditions change each time, but
one thing does remain constant--we succeed. In the ten years I've
been associated with the Black Angels, they have had a failure
rate of less than one percent."

Scully was impressed. She and Mulder had a resolution rate of
nearly 80% on the X-Files, but that was considered
extraordinary. She couldn't imagine tacking on another 20% to
that figure, plus doing it under the extreme conditions Khi was
describing.

"Anyway, whatever. I tagged up with Mulder for that year and
I'll never forget it. I'm not a person that usually warms up to
people very quickly, but within a month, we were well beyond
friendship. I'm not sure what it was, but there was a connection
between us that I've never felt before or since with anyone else.

"And when the time came for me to ship out for operations, I
didn't know what to do. I knew that Mulder deserved a good-bye,
that he deserved to at least know I was leaving, but I couldn't do
it. I've faced death a thousand times--insane killers threatening to
tear my heart from my chest with their teeth... bombs, gunfire
and chemical warfare... I've faced them all.

"But I couldn't face that look I knew Mulder would give me
when I told him I was leaving. I didn't want to see that jaw
clench, those eyes close--I didn't want to see him flex every
muscle he had to restrain himself from throwing a fist through a
wall."

Scully nodded in silent agreement, though she knew Khi couldn't
see it. She had seen that happen once before as well, and knew
she never wanted to see it again. Without thought, she wrapped
her arm around Mulder a bit tighter.

"So... I just left," Khi continued with a sigh. "It was one of the
hardest things I've ever had to do, but I packed up my bags and I
left. I soon had little time to feel regret, but it did manage to
creep in every now and again.

"I spent nearly all of the next five years as commander for the
Angels while still climbing the chain of command in the Corps,
leading every mission we undertook with a 100% success rate.
But as those years passed, I came to realize that I could better
serve my country not as an active Angel, but as the survivalist
trainer. Throughout my active career, I had often taught the
commanders or trainers tricks or techniques that they hadn't
known--so why not *be* the trainer?

"One thing led to another, and over the years I was promoted to
the status of beyond rank and erased from the public record. As
the world political situation has evolved over the past 5 years, so
has the training necessary to contain that situation. I needed to
have complete and utter control over everyone and everything in
my command--I couldn't afford, and thereby the country couldn't
afford, to have my actions restricted by a hierarchy of
command."

"But, there must be someone or some entity that has control over
you, even if it's never exercised," Scully said. "They wouldn't
just let you run rampant if you turned psychotic or something...
would they?"

"That's why I told you that I risk serious consequences by telling
you any of this. While limitless by most people's standards, there
are boundaries to my status," Khi explained. "If I ever willfully
and maliciously endangered my command, if I ever get out of
control, I could face outright execution.

"Everything has its price... and that's the one I pay."


      *** 30 *********  Section End  *********** 30 ***

TITLE: Falling Snow, Section 16/19
AUTHOR: Snark

     *    *    *    *    *    *

"So that's it. That's everything. That's my life story condensed
into a single 30-minute monologue," Khi said, laughing a bit.
"Was it everything you'd dreamt of?"

"I'm not sure *anyone* could have dreamt that one, not even
Mulder," Scully said, chuckling a bit.

"Don't tell me you find it unusual that the government could
harbor a secret special forces unit for decades without letting the
public know about it," Khi chided jokingly.

"Oh, never," Scully said. "They'd never do something like that.
They're completely honest and forthright in every regard." Khi
just snorted, sending them both laughing again. They both settled
into their own thoughts then, a silence descending across the
shelter.

"So I know you want to ask me, so why don't you just get it over
with?" Khi said after a while.

"What do you mean?" Scully said, trying to coax her voice into
its best innocent tones.

"You know what I mean, Scully. You've been dying to find out
since you first saw me sitting on Mulder's couch that night," Khi
answered. Scully didn't need any light to see the quirked eyebrow
and teasing smile she knew was present on Khi's face.

"So...?" Scully finally said.

"Oh, you're not even going to ask it, you're just going to leave it
up to me to answer it?" Khi said, chuckling. "Wimp. Fine, I'll just
tell you.

"No, Mulder and I were never romantically involved. We slept
together every night, but that was the literal truth--we *slept*
together, like bear cubs in a den. Our relationship never was, is
not, and never will be physical," Khi said succinctly.

"But you said that you were 'beyond friendship' with him nearly
right away, that you shared a bond unlike any other," Scully said.

"Isn't that what you have with him, right here, right now?" Khi
said quietly. "Aren't you bonded to him in ways you don't even
comprehend, feeling a connection to him no matter how far apart
you might be?"

Scully didn't respond, but she didn't have to--Khi had seen the
two of them together and knew the truth. "I love Mulder with all
my heart, Scully. I would give my life for him without hesitation.
I felt that way 10 years ago and I still feel that way today. And I
know that Mulder used to feel the same way about me.

"But a person only has room in their heart for one person like
that. Someone to whom they are devoted as family, someone for
whom they would sacrifice themselves without regret. For
Mulder, that person used to be me, but not anymore. His soul is
bound with yours now, entwined so completely that the two have
become indistinguishable from each other.

"You are one."

Lying next to Mulder in the shelter, no longer able to feel
anything but the gentle pressure of Mulder's chest rising and
falling against her cheek, Scully closed her eyes. Over the course
of the last several days, she had finally understood how much she
loved Mulder, how much he was a part of her life, a part of her.
But the realization had come slowly, building gradually, piece by
piece over the years.

But hearing the same the same words, the same thoughts from
someone who had only known her for a few days--it shook her a
bit. If it was that obvious to Khi, whom she'd never met until a
week ago, Scully wondered how she had missed it all these
years. Why did I never let myself see it, she asked herself. Why
did I wait until we were about to die to tell him I love him? As
she questioned why she'd never told him how she felt, she
opened her eyes to stare out into the darkness...

...and realized she could see the shelter wall across from her.

     *    *    *    *    *    *

With a start, Scully jerked her head up from Mulder's chest. She
propped herself up on one elbow, rubbing her eyes with her other
hand to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Just as she started to
call out to Khi, she heard Khi calling out to her.

"Hey, Scully, am I seeing what I'm thinking I'm seeing?" Khi
asked. She scrambled out from beneath her boughs, standing to
stare across the fire pit at Scully doing the same.

"It doesn't even matter what you think you're seeing, as long as
you're seeing something," Scully said, the jubilation clear in her
voice. "What's happening, what's going on?"

"It's just after dawn, and if we can see it, then the storm must be
over. The clouds are breaking and letting the sun through," Khi
said as she scrambled to her knees and began opening the
doorway. "Now I should tell you not to get too excited. This
doesn't necessarily mean we're any better off than we were 10
minutes ago."

"Yes, I know... but it sure feels better, doesn't it?" Scully asked
with a laugh. Khi paused for a second, appearing to think about
the question for a bit.

"Damn straight, sister," she called out as she removed the door
completely and crawled outside. Scully dropped down and
followed her into the open air for the first time in half a day.

The open sky greeted her as she stood up outside the shelter,
stepping out of the way so Khi could prop the door back in place.
A light breeze was blowing, a welcome change from the gale
forces that had swept over the mountain for the last five days.
The snow had stopped completely, replaced by a spectacular
vista of colors as the sun crept into the sky--the tops of the trees
were silhouetted against vivid oranges, yellows and reds. Scully
had never seen a more beautiful sight in her entire life.

"I'm going to track over to the clearing, to check the signal strips
and make sure they are still clear," Khi said, waving an arm
towards the rising sun. "With the clear conditions now, they
might actually be a realistic avenue of rescue. Wood is still our
biggest concern--even though it is slightly warmer now, we won't
survive for very long without a fire."

Khi ducked back inside the shelter to retrieve the knife, tucking it
into a suit pocket as she came back out. "You should try to keep
moving now, take this opportunity to use your adrenaline to
restore some body heat."

"Should I try to search for wood?" Scully asked, glancing around
at the nearby woods. It's funny, she thought--the trees don't look
nearly as forbidding as they did before.

"As long as you stay within sight of the shelter, you should be
OK. Don't over-exert yourself, though, no matter how excited
you feel right now," Khi warned as she set off. "We are both
extremely fatigued, and there's little to be gained by driving
ourselves to unconsciousness. I'll be back within the hour."
Scully watched her go, tracking her progress through the tree
trunks until she finally disappeared into the forest.

Glancing around her, Scully deciding to go out to the furthest
point where she could still easily see the shelter, then start a slow
circle around it. Her progress was extremely slow, considering
that several of the drifts were nearly as tall as she was. Even
though she wasn't finding any dead wood, it felt good to be
moving again, to be doing something.

As she circled around to the back of the shelter, perhaps 75 yards
from it, she came upon the edge of a drop-off. The hillside fell
away from her, sloping down to another level perhaps a hundred
feet below her, a small clearing surrounded by the thick forest.
Just as she was about to turn away to continue her circle,
something caught her attention.

A fresh set of tracks wound across the clearing beneath her.

      *    *    *    *     *    *     *    *

She knew she should wait for Khi's return and investigate the
tracks together, but Scully just couldn't restrain herself--she had
to know what had made those tracks. Half sliding, half rolling,
she made her way down the hillside and then crossed over to
where the tracks were. Drawing close, she saw the tracks had
been made by an animal, something the size of a wolf or a
cougar, not a human. Despite knowing that there was virtually no
chance that a person had made it this far into the mountains on
foot, she felt disappointed anyway.

Turning, she surveyed the hill she'd have to scale up to get back
to her starting position--she swore the hill hadn't seemed that
large five minutes ago as she had looked down. Now, though, as
she looked up, it was its own tiny mountain. Son of a bitch...

She looked around her, searching for another way up the hillside.
Glancing to her right and peering through the tree trunks, she saw
that it did look like the slope was a little gentler a bit further
down. Figuring a longer distance in exchange for a lesser slope
was a good trade, Scully started walking, noticing that the tracks
went the same way. After ten minutes or so, she reached another,
slightly larger clearing. At the edge, the hill began sloping
upwards at a decidedly more leisurely angle--she would be able
to ascend back to the shelter far more easily.

She didn't notice it until she was already past it and nearly to the
hill's beginning. Something 'clicked' in her brain, though, and
made her turn back. Her eyes roved across the small clearing,
searching. She finally saw it, a small exhale of surprise escaping
her.

The tracks ended in the center of the clearing. They didn't fade
out of sight, they weren't covered by snow--they simply ended,
as if whatever creature made them had blinked out of existence
between one step and the next.

What the hell, Scully thought as she retraced her path and veered
towards the end of the tracks. Leaning over to inspect them more
closely, she confirmed that they simply stopped. There were no
trees close enough for a cougar to have leapt to, if the tracks had
even been made by a cougar. Whatever it was, the animal was
much too large for an eagle to have carried off and there was no
sign of it having buried itself into the snow. So where in the
world did it go, she wondered as she glanced around the clearing.

Whatever answers the forest might have held, they didn't reveal
themselves. Scully knew she should get back to the shelter, both
to check Mulder and to make sure she was there when Khi
returned. She turned and headed back for the hillside, slowly
making her way back up to the top. Once there, she wasn't
surprised to see that she could no longer make out the location of
the shelter.

But she knew she would eventually intercept her original tracks
if she simply headed in that general direction, so she once again
set off through the snow. When she finally did reach her original
path, she acknowledged she was nearing exhaustion--the detour
to inspect the tracks had taken its toll. She decided to simply cut
straight to the shelter, which could see through the tree trunks
now, and leave the wood gathering to Khi.

She reached the shelter just as her strength was giving out--she
wasn't sure she could have made it even another 20 yards. She
rested for a minute, leaning up against a tree to take a breather.
The sun was now fully in the sky, streaming through the
branches and turning the snow into a sparkling wonder.

A hawk's cry split through the air, startling Scully with its
intensity. She had always found the sound haunting, in a way,
and the closeness of this one made it seem even more so.
Glancing up at the sky, she thought she caught a brief glimpse of
it as it arced over her, and then it was gone. She watched the
forest a while longer, enjoying the brightness of the morning
after so many days inside the shelter--the hawk, and the tracks,
had been the first signs of life since the storm began, and she
hoped to see a few others. Nothing showed itself, though, and she
soon turned to go back inside the shelter.

Crossing over the fire pit, Scully knelt down beside Mulder to
check on him. Having worked up a considerable amount of body
heat while struggling through the snow, the icy cold of Mulder's
face came as a shock against her fingertips. Her breath caught in
her throat for an instant as she felt for a pulse, but she soon found
it, extremely weak but there. Knowing Khi wouldn't mind, she
gathered up the boughs Khi had been using and brought them to
Mulder's side to insulate another layer over him.

As Scully rearranged the boughs over Mulder, she slowly
became aware of a growing sound outside the shelter. She wasn't
able to place it at first, but as it drew nearer, she recognized it as
Khi's voice. She couldn't make out the words, but she realized
Khi was yelling at the top of her lungs.

Scully raced outside the shelter, turning in a circle as she
searched for Khi. She finally saw her approaching, a small figure
coming in from the north--Khi must have started a search for
wood after leaving the signal clearing, then decided to cut to the
shelter. Although her words strung together almost as a single
phrase, Scully was finally able to make out what Khi was saying.

"We're saved he found us we're going to be all right Scully did
you hear me whoo hoo we're going to be OK we're saved..."

While Scully didn't understand specifically what Khi meant by
'he found us,' she had no trouble whatsoever understanding the
rest of it. Scully closed her eyes, tears of relief beginning to track
their way across her face as she realized Mulder would be all
right now.

She soon added her own cries to Khi's, their voices tumbling
together into a single stream of jubilation.


      *** 30 *********  Section End  *********** 30 ***
TITLE: Falling Snow, Section 17/19
AUTHOR: Snark

------------
Chapter 9
------------

Within an hour, a chopper was hovering above them as an
orange-suited figure was lowered to the ground. As soon as she
had heard the blade chop, Khi had dived inside the shelter and
pulled Mulder to the entryway. Now, she watched the man hit the
snow, unclipping from the line to run over to the shelter.

"Another larger chopper's right behind us. We can take one of
you right now, but the other two will have to wait," the man said
quickly. Scully wasted no time directing him to Mulder's side.

"Take him first, he needs immediate attention. He has a puncture
wound through the upper right thigh leading to massive blood
loss. No other known injuries. Core temperature falling for
several hours. No food in almost five days, unconscious for last
12 hours," she summarized quickly. The man nodded, activating
his suit communication unit and yelling for a rescue sled--a
second man was soon descending from the helicopter, a cradle-
like sled dangling beneath him.

The first man pulled a thermal blanket from his backpack, the
distinctively metallic fabric glistening in the sun. Deftly, he had
Mulder wrapped within it just as the second man came running
with the sled. Together, they loaded Mulder into the sled and
moved him beneath the chopper. The second man clipped
himself to the cable and was drawn skywards.

A few moments later, the cable descended again. The first man
hooked the sled corners to the cable and gave the signal for it to
be lifted. Scully and Khi both watched anxiously as Mulder was
hauled up to the chopper. The rescue guy pulled the sled inside
the passenger compartment of the chopper. Seconds later, the
craft banked and sped off.

Before the sound of the chopper blades had even died, Scully
heard another set approaching. As it came into view, Scully
could see this craft was much larger, more similar to a personnel
carrier than the other. When the rescue guy on the ground
signaled that the remaining two individuals were mobile and
unhurt, two standard harnesses were lowered from the chopper.

Stepping into the harness, Scully was soon clipped to the line
and ascending to the chopper. Strong hands pulled her into the
passenger area, moving her to the center of the floor. She was
unclipped from the cable line, then clipped to a short piece of
cable mounted into the ceiling--she saw that the three rescue
personnel were similarly attached. She realized it was a
precaution against tumbling through the open cargo doors as the
rescue was in progress.

One of the rescue personnel began talking to her, asking her how
she was doing as he wrapped a thermal blanket around her.
Scully told him she was fine, sitting still as he checked her hands
and then her feet for signs of frostbite. He ran her through a
standard battery of coordination and recognition test, checking
for signs of head concussion. Satisfied she was relatively
uninjured, he at last allowed her to move forward to a bench seat
at the front of the compartment. She barely glanced at the back of
the pilot as she turned to sit down.

Khi was soon hauled inside the chopper as well. Obviously
familiar with the drill, she unclipped herself from the main line
and tossed it back outside, where it was quickly on its way down
to the remaining rescue guy on the ground. She clipped herself to
another cable, getting out of the way as the others began hauling
up their partner. He was on board within another minute or so,
the others quickly shutting the door and giving the pilot the go-
ahead to leave.

Khi took a seat next to Scully, leaning backwards to rest her head
on the low wall that separated the main compartment from the
pilot. She closed her eyes for a bit, catching her breath and
relaxing a bit. "It's about damn time, my friend. It's about damn
time," she suddenly called out, rapping her knuckles on the wall
behind her. Looking at the rescue personnel, who were suddenly
grinning as they worked, Scully wondered what was going on.

"You fall from the sky, I find you--we have often challenged the
gods in this game, zhajeen," another voice said, a voice low and
lustrous, yet easily heard over the noise of the blades. "M'alvahe
simply played harder this time."

Scully glanced back, staring in wonder at the person sitting in the
pilot's seat as the chopper banked and headed down the
mountainside. She wondered how she had possibly missed it
before--the massive body was somewhat hidden by the low wall,
and the flowing silver locks were neatly pulled back by a thin
strip of leather now, but it could only be Mobaje sitting there.
She turned back to stare at Khi, a slow smile spreading across her
face as Khi opened her eyes to look at her.

"Told you he'd find us," Khi said with a grin of her own.

     *    *    *    *    *    *

The helicopter landed at a downtown Denver hospital a short
while later. Following proper hospital procedure, Khi and Scully
were both loaded onto stretchers and taken from the rooftop
landing site down to the emergency room. As soon they were
inside, Scully began asking where Mulder had been taken,
questioning every nurse and doctor in sight. None seemed to
have the answer, instead telling her she needed to remain calm so
they could do their job.

"Look, until I found out where my partner is, I'm going to be
everything but calm. So if you want me to be calm anytime soon,
you damn well better tell me where he is!" she said, her voice
rising steadily throughout until she was nearly shouting at the
end. They wheeled her into an emergency area, physically
restraining her from jumping up and taking off on her own
search.

"Dr. Newinski, Dr. Newinski," a nurse called breathlessly,
running up to the doctor beside Scully's stretcher. "Are these the
other two rescued from the mountain?"

"Yes, why?" the doctor said, relieved to see that the distraction
had taken Scully's attention for a moment. He lifted his hands
from her shoulders to face the nurse.

"Which of you is Dana Scully?" the woman asked, looking
across to both Scully and Khi.

"I'm Dana Scully, where's my partner?" Scully asked,
immediately seizing the opportunity to find out where Mulder
was.

"He's in the OR right now, but he's doing pretty well, don't
worry," she said, hearing the underlying question underneath
Scully's query. "When we stripped him for surgery, we found his
ID and realized who he was. Considering his unconscious state, I
was sent to find you."

"Why, what's going on? How did you know to look for me?"
Scully asked, confused.

"All area hospitals have been alerted to watch for the two of you.
Apparently, when you went missing five days ago, your superior
began an immediate search for you," the woman explained,
holding up an FBI fax sheet. "But, finding nothing and fearing
the worst because of the weather, he began alerting all hospitals
and police stations to keep an eye out for you."

"Kersh?" Scully wondered aloud, incredulous. She couldn't
imaging Kersh lifting a finger to do anything but tighten their
leashes--the thought of him conducting a massive search for
them didn't make any sense.

"No, that wasn't the name, I don't think," the woman said, rifling
through to the last page of the fax. "Walter Skinner's his name,
Assistant Director for the FBI."

Now *that* made sense.

     *    *    *    *    *    *

Scully watched as Khi was taken to surgery herself--apparently,
her shoulder was a mass of torn muscles and ligaments from the
dislocation. As the doctors walked past her, discussing it
amongst themselves, Scully heard the phrases "How can she
even *move*?" and "Never seen anything like it!" tossed back
and forth. Scully just smiled.

Ten minutes later, Scully was released from the emergency
room. Cornering a nervous-looking intern at the desk, she was
soon armed with directions to the OR in which Mulder was being
worked on. No one impeded her progress through the hospital--
whether it was her ID or the look of determination on her face,
she didn't know.

Soon, she was outside the door to the surgical bay, standing by
the large glass panels as she looked in. Normally, she would have
swept into the room and demanded an update, but she could that
the surgical team was working easily, calmly. They were not
rushing about in a fervor, as they would be in a crisis situation,
so she contented herself with remaining outside. All the monitor
screens she could see showed normal readings, including the one
she was most interested in--body temperature, currently 96.7 and
rising.

Remembering the fax she had folded into her pocket, Scully
stepped over to the nurses' station across the hall. She flashed her
ID again, commandeering the phone and asking to be connected
to an outside line. Soon, the phone was ringing on the other end.

"Skinner," a voice answered.

"Sir..." Scully started to say, but got no further.

"Scully! My god, where the hell are you? Are you all right?"
Skinner asked in a rush, the concern clearly evident across the
phone line.

"Yes, sir, I'm fine. We're in Denver, at..." Scully realized she
didn't even know where they were. She glanced at some charts
lying on the counter top. "At Regions Memorial Hospital. Agent
Mulder is seriously injured, but is in surgery and doing well."

"What the hell happened to him, to the two of you? You just
disappeared off the face of the earth--no one had any idea what
had happened to you," Skinner said.

"We... well, we..." Scully realized she didn't even know where to
begin. What am I going to say, she asked herself with a mental
laugh. We jumped out a plane on a dare, basically, and almost
died? While essentially accurate, she knew that Skinner wouldn't
appreciate that explanation. "Suffice it to say, sir, that we
afforded ourselves of some local adventure on our off day and
ended up needing to be rescued from the mountains. I'll file a
complete report when I've had time to assure myself of Agent
Mulder's condition."

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end--Scully
knew Skinner was trying to decide whether to accept her offer or
insist on a complete report, right here, right now. She was
relieved when he decided on the former.

"You do that, Agent. I will expect that report to be on my desk
by noon tomorrow. Overnight it, fax it, send it by carrier pigeon,
I don't care. You just make sure it's here," he said, his original
demeanor of concern taking its place behind the demands of
being an Assistant Director.

"Should I contact AD Kersh as well, sir?" Scully asked, dreading
the thought of *that* conversation. Kersh already despised the
both of them--she didn't want to imagine what had happened
when he had heard they'd gone missing.

"No, Agent, I'll contact him myself," Skinner said. "You just get
me that report."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Scully said, her sigh of relief clearly
audible to Skinner.

"Go check on Mulder, Scully," Skinner said, his concern making
a final curtain call. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." The dial tone
returned as she heard Skinner hang up. Scully replaced the
handset and returned the phone to its original position on the
desk.

"Where will that man be taken when his surgery is complete?"
she asked, motioning across to Mulder's bay. The woman rifled
through several charts, finally finding the correct one.

"He'll be taken to the critical care ward, wing B, room 1205. You
can always ask at the ward station for final room placement," the
woman said.

"Thank you," Scully said, committing the information to memory
as she started back across the hall to the bay. She paused, though,
laughing quietly as she turned back to the nurse. Gesturing down
at her torn clothing and general state of disrepair, Scully asked
for the one thing she'd been dreaming of for days.

"Is there somewhere where I might be able to take a shower?"

      *** 30 *********  Section End  *********** 30 ***
TITLE: Falling Snow, Section 18/19
AUTHOR: Snark

     *    *    *    *    *    *

Clean and refreshed at last, dressed in a set of nondescript
jogging sweats she'd managed to finagle from the OR nurse,
Scully finally began to feel relaxed. Making her way to the
critical care ward, she found Mulder exactly where the woman
had said she would. She quickly checked his condition, insisting
this time on seeing him personally. Finally allowed access, she
checked his chart and monitors, feeling his pulse and lack of
fever for herself. His skin was warm against her fingers, its
pinkish hue a welcome change from the icy whiteness of the last
day.

Scully stepped outside the room to talk to the ward nurse. "I'll
need a chair in there right away, plus a small meal for myself,"
she said.

"Ma'am, you can't stay in a critical care room overnight, it's
against hosp-" the woman started to say. Scully cut her off with a
flash of her ID.

"That man is a federal agent. I have orders to keep him under
strict guard--I'm not going anywhere until he is walking out of
that room right beside me," Scully said, figuring the small lie
probably wasn't far from the truth. Kersh would want her to
make sure Mulder made it back to D.C. safe and sound so he
could kill him personally.

"Yes, ma'am. Right away," the nurse said. She signaled for a
nearby orderly, who soon scurried away down the hall.

A few minutes later, Scully was equipped with a small tray of
hospital food and a comfortably plush chair. She positioned the
chair next to Mulder's bed where she could easily see both him
and the monitors. Glancing down at her meal tray, she realized
that the ward nurse must have recognized Scully as part of the
group rescued off the mountain. Knowing Scully hadn't had food
for five days, the nurse had made sure the meal was very small
and very bland. A small bowl of simple broth, a helping of plain
white rice and a tiny dish of the ever-present hospital Jell-O
adorned her plate along with a glass of water. As she relished
every single bite, Scully was convinced she had never tasted
anything so good.

Finishing off the last bite, Scully set the tray on the small counter
at the far edge of the room. She washed her hands in the small
bathroom and then settled back into her chair to wait. How many
times have I sat like this, she wondered, reaching out to take
Mulder's hand. Different chairs, different beds, different rooms,
but still the same somehow. The same nervousness, the same
anticipation, the same prayers.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound of someone entering
the room. Scully turned to see Khi behind her, watching Mulder
with a small smile. Khi's arm was in a sling and there was a
bandage on her forehead, but she otherwise looked well. Scully
started to speak, but then broke off into a chuckle.

"I was going to say I was surprised to see you up and about, but I
realized it's not really true," Scully said, laughing a bit as Khi
looked at her quizzically. "Knowing you, I'd be surprised if they
*did* manage to keep you lying down in a hospital bed."

Khi laughed, lifting her slinged arm a bit as she spoke. "Well,
they did want to keep me overnight since I had some surgery on
the arm here, but I told them I didn't need it. Plus, I don't ever
stay in public hospitals, for reasons you don't know," she said,
putting enough emphasis on 'don't to make Scully laugh.

"I don't know anything, anything at all," she said. "So, what are
you doing now, are you leaving?" Mulder had originally said
something about Khi leaving for California anyway, which was
why she had agreed to come to Colorado with them.

"Actually, no. My engagement there was rescheduled due to my
absence, so I'm actually free for the next week," Khi said,
walking around to the other side of Mulder's bed. "I thought I'd
hang around for a while, make sure Mulder heals up OK."

Khi stared down at Mulder, gently placing her hand on his
chest--it seemed as though she wanted to feel his heart beating
just to reassure herself he was alive. She stood there for several
minutes, finally leaning down to give him a quick kiss before
stepping back around the bed.

"Well, Mobaje and a couple of my... friends," she said with a
wink, "are taking me out for some food, wanting to hear the
whole tale, of course. I'm sure I'll be taking crap for this one for a
long, long time. Oh hey, I almost forgot to tell you, I booked us
rooms at the Westin here in Denver--when Mulder gets released,
you'll have a place to stay for the rest of the week."

"Well, thanks, but we'll have to fly back to D.C. as soon as
possible," Scully said with a sigh.

"No, you won't," Khi said with an air of conspiracy. "As of an
hour ago, you're both on medical leave for an undetermined
amount of time."

Scully just stared, unable to believe what Khi was saying. "H-...
how... how did you manage that?" she asked, realizing she really
didn't care so long as it was true.

"Let's just say the absence of rank has its privileges," Khi
laughed. Scully joined in, basking in the relief that she wouldn't
have to deal with anything or anyone from the FBI except
Mulder for the near future.

As Khi passed her to leave the room, Scully reached out and
stopped her. "Khi, something's been on my mind since we got
here to the hospital," she said quietly. "When you first returned
to the shelter up there, yelling that we'd been rescued, you were
saying that 'he found us.' Who did you mean?"

"Mobaje, of course. He flew over me in that clearing, signaling
that he'd seen me," Khi answered.

"But I never heard any helicopter before the rescue craft arrived--
how could he have flown over and seen us without being heard?"
Scully asked.

"He wasn't flying the helicopter when he first found," Khi
explained, smiling slightly at Scully's look of confusion. "He'd
been searching on foot, or perhaps 'feet' would be a better term,
but then switched when the forest thinned a bit."

"Switched? Switched how, what? What are you saying?" Scully
asked. She felt that the answer was right there in front of her, but
it somehow kept eluding her.

"You haven't figured it out yet, have you? You've got all the
pieces of the puzzle right there before you, you're a trained FBI
agent but you can't see it--my regard for the investigative skills
of our nation's top crime segment is rapidly deteriorating, I must
say," Khi said teasingly, shaking her head as she headed for the
door. "You won't find the answer in your head, you'll only find it
in your heart. You have to take a leap of faith, Scully. You have
to believe."

As Khi reached the doorway, she turned back to the room. She
watched Scully for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to
reveal the secret.

"Mobaje is an ut'aari," Khi finally said, grinning as she saw
Scully's expression change from outright disbelief to dawning
realization to awed wonder as the seconds passed. Khi pushed
the door open then, spinning on her heel as she turned towards it.

"One leap, taken and accounted for," Khi said with an air of
satisfaction, stepping through the doorway as the door swung
shut behind her.

Hours passed as Scully sat beside Mulder, reflecting on her
newly acquired knowledge. The scientist part of her brain reared
its head several times, cautioning her that such a thing could not
possibly exist, that a man could not transform himself into
another creature by merely willing it.

This time, though, Scully refused to listen. This time, she took
the leap she had avoided for so many years. In one strong, sure
motion, she stepped across the chasm that lay between science
and faith, discovering at last what lay on the other side.

Peace.

     *    *    *    *    *    *

Sleep finally claimed Scully in the late afternoon. She had
scrunched down in the chair a little, sliding her feet out in front
of her so she could rest her head on the back of the chair. Her
hand remained by Mulder's side, her fingers covering his gently.

Even in sleep, though, Scully remained aware of the comings and
goings in the room. She knew that the nurses continued to check
Mulder every so often, knew that one of them had eased a pillow
underneath her head somewhere along the way. Had she sensed
anything out of the ordinary, she would have woken up
immediately--but everything remained under control, so she
simply continued to sleep.

Only after several hours did something tickle at her unconscious
mind. Slowly, as a diver resurfacing, she worked her way back to
consciousness, trying to find what was invading her dreams.
Opening her eyes, she glanced around the room. The monitors all
showed normal readings, Mulder appeared to be resting
peacefully and she couldn't see that anyone had entered the room.

Not until she went to stand up did she realize what it was. Her
hand, originally covering Mulder's on the bedside, was now
covered by his. Slowly, she twisted her hand beneath his, turning
it upwards so that she could grasp his hand. As she took hold of
his hand, she felt a slight movement--his fingers just barely
stroked her palm.

Glancing up at his face, she saw him slowly open his eyes,
focusing right on hers immediately. She saw that his eyes were
clouded and weary, the hazel muted to a nearly monochrome
gray as we watched her. But it didn't matter. As they looked at
each other for the first time in over a day, Scully felt a tear slide
down her face even as she smiled. She didn't say anything,
reaching up to lay her other hand on his chest as she watched
him.

Mulder glanced around the room a bit, as if wondering how the
pine bough shelter had transformed itself into a clean hospital
room. After a few moments, he motioned to his throat and Scully
realized he must be extremely thirsty. She got up and drew a
small glass of water from the bathroom, sitting down next to his
head as she helped him take a few swallows.

"Surprised to find yourself here in the hospital?" she asked
quietly. "Did you expect to wake up at the pearl-covered gates to
the great beyond?"

"More like the great beneath--hot, fiery locations are more my
style, I'm thinking," he whispered. He took a few more sips at the
water, slowly working his way through the entire glass. Scully
asked if wanted more, but he just shook his head. They sat for
several minutes, the silence between them comfortable and
relaxed.

"Didn't really matter where I thought I'd wake up, though, I
suppose," Mulder said after a while.

"Oh, why not?" Scully asked, wondering what he meant.

"Because I knew you'd be there, wherever it was," he said
quietly.

"How did you know that?" she said. It was true, of course--she
had never once let Mulder wake up in a hospital by himself. But
she had a feeling he meant something different this time.

"You told me you'd stay forever, so I knew wherever I was
headed, you'd be there when I woke up," he said. She smiled
down at him, squeezing his hand gently as she brushed a lock of
hair from his eyes. It only dawned on her a bit later.

"Wait a minute. I never told you that, I never actually said it,"
she said, quirking an eyebrow at him as she spoke. He smiled as
he tucked his head up against her leg, eyes closing as he gave in
to sleep one again.

"Just because you didn't say it doesn't mean I didn't hear it."



      *** 30 *********  Section End  *********** 30 ***

TITLE: Falling Snow, Section 19/19
AUTHOR: Snark


-------------
Chapter 10
-------------


Two days later, Mulder was released from the hospital. His leg
wounds were healing nicely, with no signs of infection from
either the original wound or the burning Scully had performed.
The surgery earlier had cleaned out the few small fragments of
wood that remained and his blood loss had been restored. Since
he showed no other signs of injury, they saw no reason to keep
him in the hospital.

The doctors warned him against trying to do too much too soon,
though. They knew he had been walking here and there around
his room and such, and they cautioned him against overstressing
the leg. As Scully signed the final release paperwork and such,
she watched the doctors hand him a pair of crutches and advise
that he use them for a week. Scully hid her smile as she heard
Mulder politely thank them as he took the crutches--those
crutches would soon be taking up permanent residence in the
trunk of the car, if she knew Mulder.

Arriving at the Westin Hotel, Scully pulled into the valet parking
drive. Mulder was already clambering out of the passenger side
before she could get around to assist him. He waved her off,
saying that his leg actually felt better when he was using it. She
knew it was a lie, that he just wanted to do it by himself, but she
let it slide with a small smile.

While Mulder took a seat in the comfortable hotel lobby, Scully
went to check in at the front desk. Finding nothing registered
under either Scully or Mulder, she had the woman check under
Shaolin.

"Yes, here we have it. Your names are listed under the single
booking, since the suites have already been paid for," the woman
said as she indicated the places Scully should sign the
registration card.

"Suites?" she asked.

"Yes, you've both been booked into our penthouse suites, floor
42. Master bedroom, sitting room, living room, balcony hot tub,
private bar, master bath with Jacuzzi, unlimited room service..."
the woman reeled off the amenities one by one, finally catching
the surprised look in Scully's eye. "Is that not acceptable,
ma'am?"

"Um, ah... no, that sounds fine. Perfect, in fact," she finally
stammered out. Geez, when Khi books a room, Scully thought,
she really books a *room.*

"Here are your keycards, then. Suites 4202 and 4203, with the
party registrar being in Suite 4201. Between the three of you, you
have the entire floor to yourselves. Enjoy your stay at the Westin,
ma'am," the woman said, handing Scully the keycards with a
smile.

"Thanks," Scully said, returning the smile as she turned away
from the desk.

Signaling to Mulder to join her, she pressed the call button for
the elevator, pleasantly surprised when one arrived almost
immediately--slow hotel elevators were one her pet peeves. As
they ascended, Scully mentioned that they'd have to do a little
shopping later. When Mulder asked why, she said she had called
the Regal Springs Hotel back in Colorado Springs.

"I had hoped to be able to get our luggage brought over here, or
at least go get it ourselves, but they already boxed everything up
and shipped it to our homes," she explained. "So as of this
moment, our possessions include the clothes on our backs, our
IDs and the complimentary soap bars in the bathrooms."

Mulder laughed then, the sound echoing through the elevator car
and washing over Scully. It was the first real laugh since she'd
heard since Mulder had woken up in the hospital, and she was
very, very glad to hear it.

"Well, at least we'll be clean," he quipped, holding the elevator
doors for her as they arrived at their destination. As they stepped
out of the elevator, Scully was impressed-the *hallway* here is
nicer than most of the *rooms* I've had, she thought with a
laugh.

"Let's see now, you're in 4203, Mulder," Scully said, flipping to
the correct keycard. "Let's get you in and settled first."

"Okay, mom," Mulder said, heaving an exaggerated sigh. He
laughed again as he saw her restrain herself from slapping him
upside the head. "Ah, the joys of being an injured man." Scully
swung open the suite door and they stepped inside. Whatever
sarcastic reply had been forming on her lips was soon forgotten
as they drew to a stop after a couple steps.

Magnificent, floor-to-ceiling windows covered the entire far wall
of the suite, giving an unrestricted view across the city and to the
mountains beyond. A sunken hot tub could be seen out on the
large balcony--an image of a luxurious midnight soak sprang into
Scully's mind. Wandering slowly through the suite, they saw that
the rooms were luxurious, yet not overdone--it appeared that
comfort, not merely stylishness, had been the deciding design
factor.

Scully was glancing through the private bar when Mulder called
to her from the bedroom. "Scully, c'mere! You won't believe
this," he said, breaking into a laugh as she stepped through the
doorway and stood next to him. I *don't* believe it, she
thought...

The closet doors were open, revealing hanger upon hanger of
clothes. From blue jeans to a charcoal suit, from cotton T-shirts
to silk dress shirts, Mulder's closet had been filled with
everything he could have possibly needed. The dresser drawers
were opened slightly, socks and other personal belongs peeking
their way out as Scully and Mulder stared around the room.

But it was the item hanging by the bedroom entrance to the
balcony that was most amazing. An absolutely stunning black
tuxedo, complete with tails, hung by the window. Drawing
closer, Scully could see that the cummerbund and tie were a
sparkling, deep green. White gloves sat beside a cane on the
small table, a small card propped up against them.

While she fingered the shimmering, silken shirt, Mulder picked
up and read the card...

"My friends,

        Dine with us tonight at Les deux Ames,
             8:00 tonight. A limo will pick you
                  up downstairs at 7:30.

                          I promise, no parachuting..."


Scully smiled as Mulder read the note, prompting him to ask her
what she was smiling at. "Oh nothing. The name reminded me of
something Khi was saying," Scully said.

"Why, what does it mean?" Mulder asked. He looked back down
at the note, but he could only decipher the 'deux' part of it.

"You'll find out later," she said. "Meanwhile, I have to check out
my room and see what she left for me. At least, I assume she
didn't get you that tux and intend to leave me in these sweats."

"OK. I plan on partaking of that bar and perhaps going for a dip
in the Jacuzzi--I think my leg will thank me," Mulder said,
heading out of the room and zeroing in on the bar.

Crossing through the main room, Scully opened the door and
turned back to look at Mulder. "Swing over and get me just
before 7:30, then," she said, glancing at him for confirmation.

"I'll do that," he said with a wink.

For the first time in all the years they'd worked together, Scully
winked back. She laughed as she exited the suite, the sound of a
wine glass falling to the floor clearly audible behind her.

Entering her own room, just down the hallway from Mulder's,
Scully found she had the same breathtaking view from her main
room as well. While the orientation of her suite was 'opposite'
that of Mulder's, the rooms had the same floor-to-ceiling
windows spanning the same wall. After taking a moment to
enjoy the scenery once again, she turned and headed into the
bedroom.

The same scene, tailored for Scully's needs, presented itself as
she walked in. The closets and drawers were filled with clothing,
several personal effects lined up on the counter in the master
bath.

Of course this time, instead of a tuxedo, a formal evening gown
hung by the window. Scully had never seen such a dress in all
her life--its lines were exquisite even as it hung on the simple
hanger. The dress fell away from the right shoulder, flowing
across the body as it dipped low in the back. The hemline would
fall just below the knees, except where it was slit up the side
several inches.

But it was the material itself that was the most striking.
Decidedly metallic, but not sparkly or snakeskin-like, it
shimmered in the late afternoon sun with a life all its own. And
she knew without question the color was an exact match for the
green of Mulder's tuxedo. A wrap of the same material was
draped across the nightstand, again with a small card next to it.

   "Hey Scully,

         Take another leap tonight.

               He'll be waiting on the other side..."

Scully smiled as she put the card back on the table. Of all the
things she knew in her life, that was the only one of which she
was absolutely certain.

Mulder would be there for her, no matter where they ended up.

     *    *    *    *    *    *

After a couple hours of relaxing, lounging around the suite
watching an old movie on the large screen TV, Scully figured
she'd better start getting ready for the evening. A long, luxurious
shower was first on the list. She found that Khi had supplied her
with a seemingly endless array of bath oils and scented soaps--by
now, Scully didn't even bat an eye at Khi knowing exactly what
she was thinking. After wavering between a shower and a bath,
Scully finally decided on a shower, deciding to try the soap
labeled "Moonlight Orchid."

The shower was wonderful, the hot water coursing over her body
and melting away the last of the tension from the previous days.
Even at the hospital, the quick shower she'd taken had been filled
with anxiety, as she had wanted to get back out into the hospital
and check on Mulder. Now, though, she was free to just stand
and let the water do its work.

After stepping out of the shower, she dried off and wrapped
herself in one of the soft hotel robes. As she started to sort
through the hair care products on the counter, she realized she
hadn't decided how to do her hair yet. She took another long look
at the dress, taking it down from the window to view it equally
from all sides. She decided on a simple upswept French braid,
knowing it would set off the lines of the dress more so than a
'down' style.

Taking her time over the next hour, Scully slowly got herself
ready for the evening. Hair, makeup, nails--nothing was left
undone. She became more and more amazed as the minutes
passed. Khi had literally thought of everything.

By 7:00, there was just the gown itself left to be put on. Scully
took a deep breath as she slid the fabric up her body, cringing
against the very thought that it wouldn't fit. It'll be perfect, she
told herself firmly--after all this, there's no way it can't be
perfect.

As she slid her arm through the one loop of fabric and settled the
dress across her body, she realized there was another problem to
be solved first. There was no one to zip the dress for her. Even
though the back was cut quite low, she had never been an expert
at zipping herself into a gown--she had always been afraid of
tearing the material as she twisted.

While Mulder was the obvious, quickest solution to the problem,
Scully didn't want him to see her in anything less than her final
form. She wanted to open that door, watching him in that tux as
he watched her in this dress--she didn't want to say "Oh, here, zip
me up quick, then come back and get me later."

She tapped her foot lightly as she ran through the options.
Glancing around the room, she realized the answer was staring
her right in the face. You're in a penthouse suite, my darling, she
said to herself--what's a concierge for except to help with
situations like this? Laughing as she glanced through the leather-
bound hotel services directory, Scully quickly dialed the number
for the hotel concierge.

"Yes, Ms. Scully, how may I help you?" a deep, cultured voice
said. Wow, Scully thought, they must have their phone line tied
directly in the registry. At least for those of us in the
penthouses...

"Yes, I have something of a dilemma and I'm hoping you can
find a way to assist me," she said. "I'm dressing for a formal
evening tonight, and have just now realized there are certain
drawbacks to having a room to myself."

She hoped the man would understand her request without her
actually having to say "Zip me up, buttercup."

"Yes, of course, Ms. Scully. I understand completely, it is a
rather common request. I will send..." he paused for a second,
obviously searching through something. "I will send Kathryn up
to assist you right away."

"Thank you so much," Scully said with a sigh of relief.

"My pleasure, Ms. Scully. Have a pleasant evening," the man
said as he hung up the phone.

Three minutes later, there was a gentle knock at her door.
Checking quickly to ensure that it wasn't Mulder arriving early,
Scully opened the door to allow the woman into the room. Girl,
really, she corrected herself--Kathryn couldn't have been more
than twenty years old, if even that.

"How may I assist you, Ms. Scully?" the girl asked politely, even
though it was obvious what the problem was.

"Yes, could you zip me up, please? I can never seem to do it by
myself," Scully said, turning so that Kathryn could help her.

"Of course, of course," Kathryn said, quickly finding the hidden
zipper and closing up the dress easily. With a studied ease, she
performed a few quick pulls on the fabric, smoothing it here and
shifting it there. Coming around to the front, she straightened the
shoulder where it had gotten twisted. Finally, she stepped away,
directing Scully's attention across to the full-length mirror near
the door.

Any doubts Scully had about the dress not fitting were forgotten.
It was, quite simply, the most beautiful creation Scully had ever
had the pleasure of wearing. The gown conformed to her body as
if it had been fitted specifically to her. There wasn't a wrinkle or
gap to be found, not a single place where the gown didn't flow
smoothly across her skin.

"Is there a wrap with this gown?" Kathryn asked, glancing
around the room.

"Yes, it's in the bedroom, how did you know?" Scully replied as
Kathryn went to get it.

"My father is a clothing designer--this type of dress *always* has
a wrap or a shawl," Kathryn called out from the bedroom. She
soon returned to the main room, the wrap laid across one arm. A
delicate matching purse and a tiny box were in her hand.

"These were concealed beneath the wrap, Ms. Scully," she said,
handing the box to Scully as she began to smooth out the wrap.
Scully's breath caught in her throat as she opened it.

A diamond pendant on a platinum chain rested inside the box, a
set of matched earrings completing the set. Even in the relatively
dim lighting of the room, they sparkled as if being displayed in
the sun. Scully slipped the earrings in quickly, asking Kathryn to
fasten the chain about her neck. Smoothing the chain against her
neck, Scully couldn't help but smile at the reflection looking back
at her. She stepped into the shoes Khi had provided, the heels the
perfect length for both comfort and style.

Kathryn draped the wrap around Scully's back and arms,
showing her exactly where and how to hold the material in
combination with the purse. Scully was glad for her help, since
she had rarely worn a gown which included a wrap. Kathryn
stepped back, inspecting the dress from a few feet away before
finally smiling in approval.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Scully whispered, unable to take her eyes
off the reflection. She could hardly believe she was seeing
herself standing there.

"It is perfect, Ms. Scully. Truly, you look like a queen," Kathryn
said. "If you need nothing else, I will leave you to your evening."

"You've been a great help, thank you," Scully said, starting to
cross to the stand where she had laid her supply of cash.

"No, please, it was my pleasure," Kathryn said, opening the door
to exit into the hallway. "Enjoy your evening, Ms. Scully."
Coming back to take a final look at herself, Scully smiled once
more.

Yes, I believe I will...

     *    *    *    *    *    *

At five minutes to 7:30, there was a knock at her door. As Scully
crossed in from the other room to answer it, she realized she
hadn't been this excited since... well, she couldn't remember a
time when she'd been this excited. Even her high school prom,
while exciting, had really been just a fancy night out with a guy
she'd already been dating for a while. But this... this had the
heady feeling of something new, something wonderful.

Scully drank it in like wine, savoring every giddy sensation,
every skip her heart took as she approached the door. Pausing for
just a second as her hand rested on the latch, she took a deep
breath. Finally, she opened the door.

Mulder had been turned slightly, looking off through the hallway
window as he waited for her to answer the door. As he heard the
door swing open, he turned back, his mouth dropping open
slightly as he caught sight of her. Which was fine by her, since
she was doing the same thing as she looked at him.

She had always been aware that Mulder was a good-looking
man. It was hard to work side-by-side with someone for years
and not become familiar with every detail of their physical
appearance. But as he stood before her now, she was quite
certain she must have been blind before this night.

The jacket hung straight across his shoulders, tapering perfectly
to his narrow waist as the tails continued down the length of his
legs. The pants were the slightly wider, 'mobster' style, the pleats
falling straight and crisp. The gloves and the cane, accessories
she usually didn't go for, simply accentuated the flawless look.

But it was the green of the cummerbund and tie that clinched it.
Swirling and shimmering, they were the perfect match for his
eyes--it was as though someone had specifically created the color
directly from his irises.

"Scully, you look..."

"Mulder, wow, you..."

They broke into laughter then, each a little nervous as they stood
on their respective sides of the doorway. They simply looked at
each other a bit longer. Finally, Mulder tipped his cane up to his
right arm, stepping to face the door squarely as he held his left
hand out to her.

"My lady," he said simply, bowing slightly from the waist as she
stepped forward to take his hand. He reached behind her to draw
the door shut, then took her hand and threaded it to his forearm,
his hand gently covering hers as they began to walk to the
elevator.

They rode in silence, each stealing glances at the other as they
descended. The doors opened on the first floor and they made
their way out into the lobby. As they worked their way across to
the main entrance, people smiled and nodded to them, one
woman even calling out "You two look beautiful!" as she saw
them. Mulder and Scully could do little but smile themselves,
embarrassed but enjoying it fully.

Reaching the main entrance, Mulder inquired at the valet desk as
to whether Khi's limo had arrived yet or not. The attendant told
him the limo had just called in, the driver reporting that an
accident had blocked traffic for a few minutes but he expected to
be arriving within five minutes.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," the attendant said sincerely,
as if it were he himself who had caused the delay. "You may
have a complimentary drink in the lounge while you wait, if you
like, sir, ma'am."

Mulder glanced at Scully, checking to see what she wanted to do.
She glanced at the lounge, but realized she didn't want to bother
threading her way to a table only to leave a few minutes later.

"We'll just wait, but thank you," she said to the man. He again
apologized, but she told him not to worry about it.

As they stood waiting for the limo, Scully began to feel a little
warm. Whether it was from the excitement of the evening or just
the slightly too-warm interior of the hotel, she wasn't sure. But
she was definitely feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Mulder, let's step outside and wait, at least for a minute. I'm
getting a little warm in here," she said, stepping towards the door
a bit as she spoke.

"Are you all right?" he asked, instantly concerned. "You're not
feeling sick or anything, are you?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Just a little overheated," she answered.

"Well, you are with me, you know. I have that effect on women
all the time," he teased as he followed her through the revolving
door into the outside air. Compared to the near-zero temperatures
they'd endured for days, the balmy 31 degrees which blinked on
the sign across the street felt practically tropical.

"Yeah, whatever, shut up, Mulder," she said, laughing as she
breathed deeply. Yes, this was definitely much better, she
thought. Her eyes roamed across the city, enjoying the play of
the lights against the buildings.

"Hey, Scully," Mulder said after a minute.

"Hmm?" she said, turning to glance up at him. He just looked at
her for a while, his eyes playing across every inch of her face as
she watched him.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he said, his voice a bit husky
as he spoke.

As he looked at her, his eyes seemed to reach out and touch her
soul. They sparkled with a light all their own, a light she knew
was mirrored in her own. She realized she was right where she'd
been before, wavering on the brink of a bottomless abyss,
looking down a path only the gods knew the end of.

She threw herself over the edge with all her heart, and smiled as
she saw Mulder falling right beside her.

His hand reached up, a single finger tracing its way across her
jaw and under her chin. He tipped her face up, bending his own
down to meet her lips with his. A quick kiss, lasting barely a
second, but Scully felt it rock through her body like a lightning
strike. As he broke away from her, she saw it had affected him
the same way. They both shivered, for reasons that had nothing
to do with the brisk night air.

Mulder reached out and folded his arms around her, drawing her
close to his chest as he rested his chin on her head. "I'll be here
forever, too," he said, closing his eyes as he spoke, a single tear
escaping from his eye. Scully tightened her arms around him as
she smiled, knowing she hadn't made the leap alone. This time,
they had taken the leap together, meeting in the middle as one.

She watched as a light snow began falling, sparkling in the city
lights as it swirled around them.


      *** 30 *********  Story End  *********** 30 ***

      *** 30 *********  Story End  *********** 30 ***



Comments? Feedback? Questions?

Please contact me at snark_911@yahoo.com to discuss this story.

Thanks for reading!

~Snark