Date sent:        Sun, 03 May 1998 21:53:40 -0400
From:             Meagan or Carol Blee <cblee@erols.com>
Subject:          story

Title: Grey Eyes (1/1)
Author: Meagan Blee
E-mail: meagan3@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Category:  SR
Spoilers: Does Chris Carter write Scully and Mulder romance -- I WISH!
Therefore, no spoilers. All we can do is hope for the movie!
Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance
Summary: Mulder and Scully go off to Vail, Colorado to investigate a
mysterious case. Scully gets in trouble, and in the end things turn out
a little differently from the norm. The case is a big part of the
story.  Wanna know the rest? Then let me make a suggestion: read the
story.


***DISCLAIMER***
The Dynamic Duo, Scully and Mulder, shall never, will never, be mine.
*sigh*  They are property of Fox,1013 Productions, and that genius,
Chris Carter, who I could praise for all eternity for creating them. And
Skinner, who is mentioned once, has the same owners. Copyright
infringements are sincerely not intended. Sue all ya' like, you'll get
the twenty dollars in my pocket, and maybe, if you're lucky, my desk and
mattress. I'm a high school student!!   Personally, I really don't think
it's worth the effort. I would like to point out that this is my story,
my plot, I just merely borrow a few characters. However, Sheriff Parker,
and all the minor characters are mine. Enjoy!

***RATING***
PG-There's some of the language, and some kissing and cuddling. Nothing
else.  This story is purely for 'shippers. (let that be a warning to
all) I am a 'shipper. Ask any of my friends. I have a pretty bad case of
it. If you don't like that type of stuff, then why the hell are you
reading this?

***ANOTHER DISCLAIMER***
I use the song, "How Do I Get There" by Deana Carter. And yes, that's
copyrighted by her. And yes, I'm using it without permission, but I
don't mean to infringe. Deana, if you read this, read the above about
the suing and stuff.  It is your song! It just happens to be the perfect
story between S&M. Thanks a bunch for writing it!

***THANKS ***
Well, first off, I have to thank my great friend Meghan, or "Scully"
(she gets it) who got me hooked on The X-Files to begin with. If it
weren't for her, this story wouldn't even be a possibility. Thanks,
Chris Carter, you are pure genius!! Thanks, Gillian Anderson and David
Duchovny for playing your characters so well. Thanks also to Deana
Carter, for writing the perfect song about S&M. And, lastly, thank you,
Paula Graves, my favorite fan-fic author in the world, for giving me
inspiration. And if there's anyone I forgot---sorry!

***ARCHIVIST***
Archive wherever you think it fits best, as long as my name and e-mail
are attached.

***ALL READERS***
Send All Comments (preferably good)  to: meagan3@hotmail.com --  I am
very open to suggestions and comments, just don't make them all that
bad. Oh, and you can drop by my X-Files homepage if ya like:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/9733

Enough with this crap!! On to the story.

**********

Scully and Mulder were off to investigate what was said to be a wild
goose chase by the local authorities. Up in the slopes of Vail,
Colorado, three skiers had mysteriously disappeared.  No trace of them,
no evidence, no leads.

**********

The flight to Colorado from Washington National Airport was by no means
a short flight.  Not that Scully wasn't used to the long flights, there
was just an annoying feeling that she couldn't decipher.  She casually
flipped through the current case files, trying to get her mind focused
on something else.

"This doesn't make any sense, Mulder," Scully said as she analyzed the
data.
"Does it ever?" Mulder playfully smirked.
Scully raised her eyebrow, not very amused with her partner. Though on
any other day it would have been something to smile over.

"This plane ride is taking forever," Scully thought to herself as she
sighed aloud. (Not that she minded being next to Mulder for several
hours.) She really couldn't figure out what she was feeling. Without
knowing it, she sighed again. Mulder knew Scully too well, and knew when
something wasn't right.
"All right Scully, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" But he knew
the usual response was heading his way.
"I'm fine Mulder," Scully said uneasily, not wanting to face him with
her own problems.
"What's wrong?" he asked again in his more pleading, gentle voice. He
never could quite figure out why Scully never told him the first time
around, but he'd grown so used to it, it never bothered him. Scully,
after all, was a Scully woman. "Very stubborn," Mulder jokingly thought
to himself. "And smart, rational, patient, and very sexy," he thought
again with a small grin crossing his lips.  He couldn't see himself ever
working with another partner. He couldn't see himself without Dana
Scully.
"I don't know Mulder," Scully said slowly shaking her head, staring down
at the case files. "I honestly don't know."
"Not even a rational idea?" Mulder teased with a small curve forming
across his lips, hoping to lift his partner's spirits. Though the grin
quickly unfolded,  she didn't even look up at him. A bit more concerned
he asked, "Is it the case?"
"No Mulder, it's not the case." Scully rolled her eyes. "What am I so
afraid of?" she thought. "That Mulder could help me figure out what's
wrong?" With that she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, and
her mind filled with thoughts. "What is it Dana, what is it?"
"Hey, you gonna dose off, or do you wanna play Connect Four? I have the
travel edition," Mulder childishly bargained. Scully began to question
her friend's unusually playful state.
"Maybe he's already getting too much mountain air," she joked to
herself.  She finally looked up and answered him. "One game."

Mulder shrugged as a sign of acceptance to the compromise. He didn't
seem to be consumed with her problem, so Scully relaxed and set aside
her case files. She studied Mulder as they prepared to play. His face
portrayed a childlike expression, but his grey eyes were focused and
concentrated.

Mulder made his first move, and a black checker fell to the bottom row
of the grid. Scully, however, didn't seem to notice. She had become
entranced with Mulder's eyes. There was just something about him,
something different.

After about a minute, Fox mumbled under his breath, "Scully, your move."
Scully didn't hear him. Her eyes were still fixed on the grey eyes of
her partner, amazed how beautifully tranquil they were.

"Scully!" Mulder said more loudly as he looked up to see what was the
matter. Scully jumped, quickly picked up a red checker, and dropped it
in. Mulder had noticed she was staring at him, and gave her one of
those, "Well?" looks. Scully's face turned a rosy pink.  She rarely was
embarrassed around him. It was usually the other way around. "Sorry,
Mulder, I'm really tired," was the excuse she quickly and casually
sighed. Before Mulder could respond, the "Fasten Your Seat Belt" sign
flashed, and they began their descent to Colorado. The two gathered up
their things and exchanged a quick glance, but nothing more.

**********

As Mulder pulled the Jeep up to the terminal, he couldn't help but smile
at Scully as she stood there shivering in the cold, watching their
luggage. He unlocked the back and helped Scully with their stuff.
"Why a jeep?" Scully asked, hoping that making a quick conversation
would distract Mulder from what had happened on the plane. "Great idea,
Dana. 'Why a jeep?' That is the lamest question in the world. I probably
just gave Mulder an invitation to ask about what happened in the plane,"
Scully thought.
"Do you know of a town car with 4-wheel drive? Check out the snow,
Scully," Mulder replied pointing out the white horizon. "Vail has over
three feet, and more is supposed to be coming in soon, so let's get
going. You still want a town car?" Scully finally smiled, as she shook
her head. They piled into the jeep and drove off.

**********

They were silent for a good part of the first half of the trip.
"What was she staring at?" Mulder thought impatiently. He quickly
glanced in the rear-view mirror. There was nothing wrong with his face.
It pissed Mulder off when Scully was hiding something from him, and she
damn well knew it. Scully sighed, knowing Mulder didn't forget things
that easily. She purposefully avoided his stare for a good while, gazing
out the window at the endless blanket of snow. Mulder finally decided
that whatever it was Scully was up to, it shouldn't be approached now.
So, almost by doing her a favor, he started up a conversation. The
silence was too uneasy for either of them to bear.

"What do you think about the case?" Mulder asked. Scully felt a huge
burden lift off her shoulders, thankful that Mulder was figuring things
out on his own, as he always seemed to do.
"Well, it looks like we don't have anything more than a normal case with
no hard evidence," she said in her professional tone.
"What do you mean? Three people, one being a 13 year-old boy, have
disappeared. You don't think that's a little weird?"
"All I'm saying, Mulder, is that I think we were called in a bit too
soon. We should give the search and rescue teams more time. The last
victim disappeared just a little over a day ago. It's all probably mere
coincidence. This one victim, Ronald Yulstad, is a 33 year-old male.
He's an only child, whose only living relative is his mother. He was
last seen three days ago, leaving his friend's hotel room to go night
skiing, alone for that matter. He is also a schizophrenic. He probably
didn't want to come back."
"Are you suggesting suicide?"
"No, I'm suggesting that none of these victims were abducted by aliens,
which is why I believe we're out here," Scully said more seriously.
Mulder hesitated a bit then argued, "Well what about Blake Barrows? He
disappeared two days ago. He's a 27 year-old male, engaged, has two
brothers, and one sister. Not to mention, that he's a very successful
electrical engineer. His fianc‚ says, according to these reports, he
disappeared at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. That's peak hours during peak
season, Scully. He wasn't skiing either, he was in the middle of a
crowd. The two got separated, and his fianc‚ never found him, and he
never came back to their hotel. Now tell me that isn't normal."
"Okay, Mulder, I'll give that to you. That isn't normal. But Andrew
McDavis, that thirteen year-old, was probably kidnapped, not abducted or
anything strange."
Then Mulder said, "He never came down the bunny slope, where his mom was
waiting for him. And no one on the slope ever saw him. No witnesses, no
evidence. That's strange."
"Fine, Mulder Whatever you want!" Scully snapped. Then she took a deep
breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Neither of us should jump to
any conclusions. We haven't even seen the place."
"Fine," Mulder said calmly. He wondered why she was so touchy about the
case, but relieved the conversation, or argument, was over.

Scully was also relieved the argument was over. "So much for a slightly
relaxing weekend," she thought. It was two weeks before Christmas, a
little vacation time was right around the corner. Scully secretly hoped
the case might bring them a little closer together. Scully then realized
what had been bothering her this whole time. It was so obvious she
almost smacked herself for not realizing it right away. She wanted
Mulder.

**********

Scully dared to glance upon her partner's eyes again. This time, they
were more than grey and concentrated. They were just plain sexy. She
quickly turned away as Mulder looked at her.
"Geez," she thought. "I can't even stare at him for three seconds
without him sensing it." There was that special mental bond the two of
them had. Though it usually was helpful between them, Scully was finding
it a tad bit annoying. "At least he didn't see it this time." But she
was wrong.
"Again, damn it. Why is she looking at me like that?"  Mulder thought.
He knew it was a stupid question. Scully was coming on to him. He didn't
think she consciencely knew it, but it didn't matter to him. Dana Scully
had some strong feelings for Fox Mulder. That's what mattered.

***********

There were 15 minutes left before their expected arrival at Vail.
Flurries drifted from the sky, and within a minute, they changed into a
heavy fall. Scully smiled. The snow was so pretty, and she couldn't
remember the last time she'd seen remotely this much of it.

Mulder glanced over to see his partner smiling. God, he loved when she
smiled. It was so rare, so beautiful.
"I always thought you were one for hotter weather," Mulder joked.
Scully's smile widened. "Yes, Mulder, I do prefer hotter climates. I
just forgot how wonderful snow was."
"Snow? Wonderful? As far as I'm concerned it's nothing but a bunch of
white stuff that is making this last leg of the trip a pain in the ass."

Almost immediately, the snow fell even harder, and a huge gust of wind
picked up that made the seeing conditions terrible. "Damn it," Mulder
muttered under his breath as he pulled the car to the side of the road.
"That's what you get for insulting the snow," Scully joked.
"Sounded like one of my lines," Mulder said.
"What now?"
"We wait. When the wind dies down, we'll get going."
"Mulder, what if we get trapped in here?" Scully said a but panicked,
realizing the nature of the situation. "What if the car battery freezes?
What if. . ."
"Shsssh!" Mulder cut her off. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." In act of
reassurance, Mulder took her hand and his. He squeezed it lightly and
said, "As long as we're together, we're always fine."

Scully melted right then and there. Of course, she didn't show it, but
the temptation to kiss him was almost impossible to resist.
"Thanks, Mulder," she said, still holding on to his hand. It was too
warm and comforting to let go.

For five minutes, the two of them just sat there holding hands. Despite
what they showed, both were quite content that the only radio station
they could pick up was soft rock.
"Coincidence, or fate?" Mulder pondered in the silence. After a while,
he saw Scully shiver. The heater was giving out. With that, he put his
arm around her and told her, "You seem a bit cold." It was half sarcasm,
half seriousness.
"Don't worry, Mulder." Scully said. But she was going crazy inside. "His
arm is around me," she thought. Scully humored herself for acting like
such a teenager. She leaned her head on his shoulder and softly sighed.
"Hey Scully, I'd feel better if you got some rest. You've been looking
like a zombie all day."
"Thanks, so that's how you view me."
"Just for the past few hours."
Scully smiled a grateful smile at Mulder, took a deep breath, and closed
her eyes. She could hear Mulder's steady breaths, and the beat of his
heart. Slowly but surely, Scully drifted off to sleep.

Mulder knew the snow wasn't supposed to be bad, only about 5 inches to
the maximum.  It kept falling for 25 minutes. Mulder never took his eyes
off Scully's face during that time. As he gently stroked her radiant red
hair, he noticed how she was sleeping with a smile on her face. It was
something he had never seen before. It was a satisfying feeling knowing
she was sleeping peacefully, her head clear of nightmares.

When the blizzard stopped, Mulder surveyed the damage. Luckily, there
was only three inches of snow on the road. With a little luck, they
could to get to Vail in a half an hour if the damage wasn't worse
further up the road. He sighed, peering down at Scully, not wanting to
wake her up. But, the car was running out of gas, so they need to get
going. He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.
"Time to get up, sleepy-head," he whispered.

Scully reluctantly sat back up in her seat, feeling cold with the
absence of Mulder's arm securely around her. Then it hit her that Mulder
had kissed her.
"Why did he kiss me? Why do I care?"  Scully thought to herself. Then
she looked at Mulder. "Thanks."
"For the kiss, or for the sleep?" Mulder playfully responded. Then, more
seriously, he said, "You're welcome, Scully."
"Maybe I should get Skinner to transfer us to the Denver office. I think
I'm starting to like this mountaion air," Scully thought to herself.
They drove off into the white nothingness, finally arriving at Vail.

**********

They pulled up to the hotel at 6:03pm, over an hour late. They were
supposed to receive a briefing from the sheriff, starting at 5:45pm.
They opened their doors to be met by the freezing temperature of ten
below zero. Scully shivered under her trench coat as they ran inside to
check-in. When they were inside, the sheriff was waiting for them.
"Agent Mulder? Agent Scully?" he asked.
The duo flashed their badges, synchronizing their movements. The sheriff
couldn't help but chuckle at their identical actions.

"I'm Sheriff Parker, the one who has been heading the investigation. A
lot of things have changed since we last contacted you. It ends up that
Andrew McDavis's mom is divorced. There was a huge custody battle, and
Mrs. Jillian McDavis won full custody because of her husband's
alcoholism. Her husband's new best friend just happens to be Ronald
Yulstad, who just attempted to kidnap Andrew. They were caught ten
minutes from the northern state border. Apparently they were heading for
Canada, where Andrew's father is waiting. The kid is back safely. That
is no longer my case, no longer our worries."

"Thank you, Sheriff, and sorry for our tardiness," Scully said.
"And what about Blake Barrows?" Mulder asked. "Any new developments?"
"He seems to be the mystery man of the group. There's still no sign of
him. The search is going to continue tomorrow due to the weather. Meet
me here at 7:45am, unless that's too early."
"We'll be there," Scully said in her professional tone.

As soon as the Sheriff left, Scully told Mulder, "Well, so far I would
call this case a pain in the ass. We get here ASAP, drive through a
blizzard, were worried about being late, and this guy doesn't appear to
be even slightly worried about Mr. Barrows.  Then he calls the search
off for the rest of the night. It's only 6:15! We're wasting valuable
time to finding Blake Barrows alive. And this type of weather is normal
for these parts. We should. . ."
"Shssh!" Mulder hushed. "We'll discuss it up in our rooms. We aren't
exactly the only ones in the lobby, Scully."
"Sorry, I kinda went off there. Let's check-in."
"That's not to say I don't disagree with you," Mulder whispered with a
smile.

**********

Scully and Mulder's adjoining rooms weren't anything extravagant. Each
had a single bed, desk, clock-radio, TV, phone and couch. Pictures of
skiers and the resort were hung around it. Scully promptly set up her
laptop, and recorded the account the sheriff had just given them. As for
Mulder, he immediately settled down on his couch, and found a Hitchcock
marathon on TV.

**********

Around 8:30pm, Scully knocked on Mulder's adjoining door. He opened it
to see Scully already in her flannel pj's, holding two mugs of coffee.
"I didn't order room service, but c'mon in," Mulder teased.
"Coffee?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No."
"Of course I'll have some. You have a coffee pot?"
"Yes, and so do you," Scully said, pointing at his, which was in a
corner on a built in shelf. Mulder nodded, feeling a little stupid.
"So, did you figure out what was bothering you?" Mulder asked.
"Pretty sure."
"Wanna talk about it? You really weren't ok on that plane, and were
really quiet in the jeep."
"I'm fine, Mulder."
"Scully. . ."
"I'm, ummm, still piecing it together. Maybe later. I came here to ask
you what you think about our 'mystery man,' Blake Barrows."
Mulder was getting really impatient with his partner. But, with a sigh,
he gave into her conversation.
"For starters, are we sure he had no connections to the other two, even
though they're technically not related to this case?" Mulder asked.
"Yep."
"And that he has no mental disorders or had any reason to leave his
family?"
"He had a wonderful life, Mulder, and no history of mental problems."
"And how do we know he disappeared at 2 o'clock ?"
"His fianc‚ stated so on the record."
"And it was in the middle of a crowd."
"Correct."
"Then something funky's going on, Scully, and we're gonna get to the
bottom of it...tomorrow. We've memorized all the files. The new data,
let alone the old, won't be a help to us until tomorrow. So let's just
drop it until then."
"Am I going a bit overboard?"
"I'd say so. That's your job, don't worry. Now, why are you ready for
bed so early?"
"Well, figuring we aren't going anywhere since there's no one searching,
I decided to get comfy early. What are you up to?"
"Watching some 'dumb Hitchcock marathon', or at least that's what it
would be in your opinion," Mulder joked.
"Mind if I join you?" Scully casually asked.
"You feeling ok, Scully? Last I checked, anything close to horror movies
were, in your opinion, 'a waste of time'."
"Is that a 'no'?" Scully sarcastically asked.
"No."
"Good. I just happened to be bored out of my mind, and felt like
watching TV with my partner."
"Works for me," Mulder said. So the two of them curled up on the couch.
Scully really did hate Hitchcock, but that was besides the point to her.
Mulder was the focus of her attention. After two episodes, for the third
time, Scully dared to look into her partner's eyes. And, for the third
time, Mulder caught her in the act. Scully, noticing she was caught,
changed her attention to the TV. She wasn't ready to tell him anything.
"Scully?"
"What?" Scully asked innocently.
"Three strikes and you're out. Is there something wrong with my face?"
"How could there be?" Scully though. Then said, "Yeah, there's a huge
wart on your nose. You should work on your personal hygiene." It was so
casual yet serious that any other man would have ran to the bathroom to
check. But Mulder was unmoved.
"You are hiding something from me, Scully. Care to share?"
"Not yet, Mulder."
"Damn it, Scully. You aren't telling me anything."
"You don't call me the 'Enigmatic Dr. Scully' for nothing," she said
with a grin. With that, she picked herself up, and headed back to her
room. "If you need anything, just knock."
"It's only 10:30. Are you already going to bed?"
"No, just getting an iced tea from the machine down the hall. Want
anything?" Mulder immediately thought of Tooms, but didn't get his hopes
too high.
"Nah, I'm fine."
"Okay," Scully said as she closed the door, hoping Mulder realized what
'iced tea' she really wanted.

**********

Scully rummaged through her purse for a few coins. As she walked down
the hall, it was unusually silent. Scully could only hear her footsteps,
but it didn't bother her. As she was about to drop a quarter into the
machine, the silence was abruptly broken.
"Agent Scully?"
"Who's there?" she asked a bit panicked, realizing she didn't have her
weapon.
"Calm down, it's Sheriff Parker," he said emerging from behind the
corner.
"Oh, Sheriff, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. Do you have
free minute?"
"Yeah, why?" Scully asked curiously.
"I need to show you something."
"Relating to the case?"
"Yeah."
"Hold on, lemme change and get Mulder," Scully said.
"Neither will be necessary."
Scully gave the Sheriff a puzzled, but aggressive look.
"Then what is it?" With that, Sheriff Parker pulled his gun from his
holster and pointed it at Scully.
"Nothing, let's go," he said seriously.
Panic shot through Scully's body. She tried to remain as calm as
possible.
"Killing me won't help you, and whatever you're trying to hide. Mulder
will find out, and then he'll kill you," she whispered.
"Your partner likes you that much? Aren't partners not supposed to
romantically involved?" Parker meanly teased.  "Oh, and you're wrong.You
being missing will totally side-track Agent Mulder, and give me more
time."
"To do what?" Scully asked harshly. If his gun weren't pointed at her,
Parker wouldn't be in one piece.
"It doesn't matter. You'll never know." And, with a forceful grip on her
wrist, led Scully to the elevators.

**********

During this time, Mulder decided he did want an iced tea. Since he was
short on change, he knocked on the adjoining door. With no answered, he
opened it.
"Scully?!" Mulder called. He quickly looked through the room to not find
her. So he went out into the hall. "Scully!" he called.
The elevator doors were closing, but Scully yelled back,
"Mulder, help!" which was followed by a scream. And the doors closed.
Mulder ran after the cry, to find nothing. He quickly ran to the end of
the hall to the stairs, and reached the lobby, drawing his weapon. Then
he saw Parker carrying Scully over his shoulder. He struck her for
calling Mulder for help. Her left temple was bleeding, and she was
unconscious, maybe even dead. Mulder couldn't tell from where he was.
"Freeze, Parker," Mulder said very sternly as he pointed his gun at the
sheriff. If he had his own way, the son of a bitch would be dying on the
floor, gasping for air. But it wasn't the case. The sheriff pointed his
gun at Scully.
"Put the gun down, or you won't have a partner."
Mulder obeyed, as he helplessly watched his partner get swept off into
the cold of the night.But it was a reassurance she was alive. As soon as
the main doors closed behind them, Mulder grabbed his weapon, and ran
after them. He got out to the parking lot just in time to see the police
car drive off into the darkness.

**********

It was a little past two in the morning. Mulder paced back in forth in
his hotel room. He had just been to Parker's house with a SWAT
team.Parker, for lack of better words, had snapped. They found Blake
Barrows tied up in the attic. His refrigerator was filled with beer, and
a half a pound of cocaine was under his bed. Parker had just divorced.
He believed Barrows was having an affair with his wife, which wasn't
true. So Parker faked report papers, and took advantage of the fact that
two people had already disappeared at Vail. Blake told Mulder he was
attacked by the Sheriff around 9 at night in a crowd. (Not two.) He was
pushed into a security room, and he woke up in the guy's attic.

It wasn't that Mulder was an inhumane person, but he didn't give a damn
about Mr. Barrows, or if he was ok.  There was no sign of Parker, or,
most importantly, Scully. That was what Mulder was concerned with.

"That double crossing piece of shit!" Mulder yelled as he threw his shoe
across the hotel room. Scully was gone again, out of his reach, in the
hands of someone who had already brought her harm. He couldn't be there
to hold her, comfort her, and tell her she'd be all-right. The second he
saw that car drive off, he suddenly felt all alone in the world, so
powerless.

At 1:30am, the local authorities had told Mulder to go back to his hotel
to get some rest. Mulder had left Skinner a voice mail. The radio and TV
were on, and Mulder couldn't calm down.
"Just sit tight," an officer had told him earlier.
"Whatever," Mulder thought. He wasn't just going to sit there and sulk;
Scully needed him. With that, he grabbed his shoe, and headed off to
Parker's office.

**********

Mulder searched and searched through files, and tore apart Parker's
desk. He was coming up empty handed.
"C'mon, c'mon," he thought. "Just one fucking clue."
And then, his wish was granted. He found what he needed. Crumpled in the
trash was a statement from an airline confirming the take-off time of
Parker's flight to Cancun, Mexico, at 1:16am, 12\12\97. "Today!" Mulder
thought aloud. He immediately pulled out his cell phone and made a few
calls. He confirmed that Mr. Samuel Parker was on the plane to Mexico,
traveling alone. He then contacted the authorities, and told them to
search the airport parking lots for Parker's car, and when they found
it, to check the trunk, explaining the kidnapping. He hung up, grabbed
the flight statement, and headed off to the airport, forty-five minutes
away.

**********

About twenty minutes until Mulder would get to the airport, his phone
rang.
"They found Scully," he thought. He wasn't sure whether to panic or
rejoice, and with a shakey hand picked up the phone. "Mulder."
"Agent Mulder, we've found Agent Scully."
"Is she. . ."
"She's very much alive. Needed a few stitches, has a sprained wrist, and
is pretty shaken up, not that I'd blame her. But that's the worst of it.
Should we arrange to take her back to the hotel, or are you coming
here?"
"I'm twenty minutes away. Tell her I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Will do, Agent Mulder," the officer said.
"Thanks, I'll be there soon." He hung up. "Thank God!" Mulder thought.
"Scully is ok." He took a deep breath and relaxed, speeding off towards
the airport.

**********

Mulder pulled up to the flashing lights in the long-term parking lot of
the airport. His eyes quickly scanned the crowd for Scully as he stepped
out of the jeep into the brisk night. He saw her sitting in a police
car, with a blanket wrapped around her. He ran as fast as he could over
to the car, and knocked on the door. Scully's weary blue eyes lightened
up like the sunrise when she saw him. She opened the door, and fell into
Mulder's embrace. As he held her tightly, he noticed the six stitches
across her temple. His hand lightly caressed her face.
"You ok?"
"I'm fine Mulder. You're here now," Scully said, tightening her embrace.

"It's going to be fine, Scully." Mulder said. He kissed her forehead and
saw a single tear run down her face. "Let's get outta here." He put his
arm around her, and escorted her to the jeep.

**********

During the ride back, no words were spoken, but Mulder let Scully hold
his hand the whole time. When they got back to the hotel, they went into
Mulder's room. It was just as Mulder had left it. He turned off the TV,
but left the radio softly playing in the background. They curled up on
the couch. Mulder held Scully, and gently stroked her hair. A few times,
he felt her tremble. And when she did, he told her,
"It's ok, Scully, I'm here. No one is going to hurt you." Then she'd
calm down. Finally, Mulder asked her, "Maybe I'm a jerk for asking this,
but did he do anything else to you besides hit you on the head and throw
you in the trunk of his car?"
"Mulder, you could never be a jerk."
"Are you going to answer me or not?"
"No, he didn't do anything else."
"Then why are you so shaken up? I mean, all these other times, like with
Duane Barry, setting the coma aside, you were fine."
Scully paused for a second, trying to find the right words, then just
said it.
"I was scared I'd never see you again. It scared the shit out of me,
Mulder. I love you. More than a partner or good friend, as if I haven't
made it obvious enough lately."
And then, as if fate was knocking on their door, Deana Carter's song,
"How Do I Get There," started to play on the radio.

**********

We've always been the best of friends, no secrets and no demands
But suddenly from somewhere out of the blue, I see a different light
around you
One thing I haven't told you, I just want to hold you, and never let go.

I need to know.

Chorus- How do I get there from here? How do I make you see? How do I
tell you what my heart's been tellin' me? Lost in your lovin' arms,
that's where I wanna be. You know I love you. How do I get there?

You probably think I've lost my mind, taking this chance, crossin' that
line
But I promise to be truer than true, dreaming every night with these
arms around you
I can't wait any longer, this feeling's getting stronger.
Help me find a way.

(Chorus)

I know the shortest distance between two hearts is a straight line, but
I'll climb any mountain that you want me to climb.
The perfect combination is your heart and mind, darlin' won't you give
me a sign?

(Chorus)

**********

"I love you." The words floated through Mulder's head as the song
played, and they both listened. Scully positioned herself so she could
look at Mulder. He stared into her eyes, and she stared into his, those
sexy grey eyes. Something major had just happened. Scully, with three
blunt words, broke what could've been called the world's strongest
barrier. As the song ended, Mulder took Scully's hand and kissed it.
"I love you too." Then he lightly kissed her lips, but Scully pulled him
back. So, like naughty teenagers, they made-out on the couch for close
to a half an hour. Finally, Scully pulled away, and glanced at her
watch. It was ten 'til six in the morning. Then she told him,
"Tonsil hockey's been fun, but can we call it a night? I'm exhausted."
Mulder chuckled with a nod of understanding, and extended his arms. He
gave her a big bear hug, and Scully fell asleep in the arms of the only
one she had ever truly loved.

*********

THE END
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