TITLE: Lucky in Love AUTHOR: Jenna (jennasxffic@lycos.com) FEEDBACK: Worshipped, adored and cuddled! SPOILERS: Detour CATEGORY: MSR, MT RATING: PG DISCLAIMER: Fox/Carter/1013...lucky bums. ARCHIVE: Anywhere...let me know first. SUMMARY: Sleeping bags, luck and love. AUTHOR'S THANKS: Thanks to Obfusc8er for "prodding" me to get this done on time. Oh! Also for the beta. AUTHOR'S NOTES: The leg injury in this fic is dedicated to the ever wonderful Sally at Mulder's Refuge! This one's for you! ;) WEBSITE: http://jennasxffic.tripod.com/ ***************************************************** October 23, 1997 Leon County, Florida Route 43 He's done it again. I can't believe he is getting us out of the seminar. We've managed to avoid every conference we've ever been scheduled to attend. Our names are legend. I think we've set a new Bureau record for missed meetings. It's a record that will never be broken, by any partnership. Well, unless it's us again. Of course, the A.D. is going to have our hides and of course it will be up to me once more to soothe his ruffled feathers. As I make my way to Mulder's room with the cheese and wine, I gather my thoughts and practice what I'll say when call Skinner. I'm going to need a good excuse to explain our way out of this latest round of hooky. I wonder if we'll be reprimanded for this. Well, if my butt will be in a sling...at least Mulder's will be in the same one. I reach his door and knock tentatively. "It's open." Carrying in the tray, I want to laugh at his response. "Who cut the cheese?" "Since we won't be making it to the conference..." "Partaaayyy!" Feeling flirtatious, I test the waters and go for broke. "However, I must remind you this goes against the Bureau's policy of male and female agents consorting in the same motel room while on assignment." "Try any of that tail hook crap on me, Scully, I'll kick your ass. Pop quiz. What animal will attack the strongest, leaving the weakest to escape? The answer is none. Not one of the over 4,000 species native to North America will attack the strongest, when the weak is vulnerable." "Well, what does that have to do with anything?" "It makes me think that what we're dealing with here is no ordinary predator." Surprised that he thinks this might be an X-File, I call him on it. "I thought this was just a ploy to get out of the conference." "I think what we stumbled upon here is something more that what local authorities realize. The scenario described by that boy sound to me like a primitive culling technique." "Mulder, we're in Western Florida. The closest thing to primitive down here is living in a beachfront retirement condo." "Those woods are as old as anything in the south and there's 800 square miles of them. There's no telling what's alive out there." "Where are you going?" "I got to check something out." "You know, Mulder, sometimes I think some work on your communication skills wouldn't be such a bad idea." "I'll be back soon, and we can build a tower of furniture. 'Kay?" My lackadaisical attitude toward his tower of furniture comment causes me to quirk that brow I always give him so well. That brow has frightened off many a strong men...Mulder included. I shake my head in wonderment at his last statement. Could he finally want to act on his feelings for me? What, you ask? Yes, I know that Mulder has feelings for me and has for many years. That smile tells me all I need to know and I plan on being one 'extremely' lucky G-woman soon after this case is wrapped up. ***************************************************** October 23, 1997 Leon County, Florida Apalachicola National Forest "How many shots did you fire?" "Six, maybe seven." "Is that your only clip?" "Yep." "Don't fire again unless you're sure you're gonna hit it. It may be trying to spend our advantage." "What the hell is it, Mulder?" "I don't know. But what ever it is, it's smarter than us - at least out here." Suddenly, I feel something pull me forcefully to the ground, but I see nothing around me. Panic laces her voice as I hear her run in the direction I was located. "Mulder? Mulder!!" I scramble towards the last place I saw him standing. Hoping to garner her attention, I scream out in pain. "Scully! Scully!" "Mulder!!" "Scully!" I try to fight off whatever has attacked me, but to no avail. I am acutely aware of the pain radiating in my left shoulder and feel the blood ooze slowly down my arm. "You okay?" I nod weakly to let her know I will be okay. ***************************************************** October 23, 1997 Leon County, Florida Apalachicola National Forest Sticking close together is our only hope. We lean against a log out in the clearing, our guns close by for protection. Whatever this thing might be, it has proven it is more intelligent than we could have ever imagined. I try to start a fire with rocks knowing he is quickly going into shock from the attack. The loss of blood has been relatively little, but still enough to cause problems. He must stay warm and I intend to do everything in my power to make sure he does. I keep the conversation flowing to keep him awake and my own fears at bay. "You were an Indian Guide. Help me out here." "Indian Guide says maybe you should run to the store and get some matches." "I would, but I left my wallet in the car." I pick up my gun and place it on safety. "What are you doing?" "Trying to open my gun." The clip ejects with a loud pop. "If I can separate the shell from the casing maybe I can get the powder to ignite." "Oh. And maybe it'll start raining weenies and marshmallows." "Do I detect a hint of negativity?" "No. Yes ... actually. Yeah." "Mulder, you need to keep warm. Your body's still in shock." "I was told once that the best way to regenerate body heat was to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with some body else who's already naked." I decide to tempt fate and bite back with an innuendo of my own. "Well, maybe if it rains sleeping bags, you'll get lucky." 'Take that and run with it buster!' He turns to me and stares intently, unsure of what to say. I sigh inwardly hoping he would 'catch my drift,' but of course he doesn't say anything. I resume the conversation with a promise to myself to fulfill my earlier wish...to let him know that I've known his "secret" about me for a long time. I intend to tell him that I am happy about it and that I feel the same way. Does he know? I wonder as I sit here in the darkness of the forest and croon 'Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog' to him to allay his fears of the predators' possible return. ***************************************************** October 24, 1997 Leon County, Florida Apalachicola National Forest It is now morning and Scully is no longer beside me. I groan at the pain extending into my arm and around my chest. I touch my forehead which feels warm to the touch. I must have a fever and I begin to worry as Scully isn't within viewing distance any longer. I make my way slowly to the area which I last witnessed her. Worry clouds my voice as I yell her name. "Scully? Scully?!" "I'm down here." "Where?" "I fell down a hole. Mulder, I'm not alone...and I don't have my gun." "Hold on, I'm going to drop my gun down." As soon as the gun lands with a thud on the dirt, I hear the leaves rustle behind me. Divided and conquered. They have succeeded where others have failed to drive us apart. In a split second, I know our only chance to come out of this alive is to drop down the hole with her and hope someone eventually realizes we're missing. I land against my injured arm and writhe on the ground in pain. "Jeez, Mulder, are you okay?" "Don't mind me." I rise quickly and see the advancing predator coming at a run. "Scully!" She fires the gun with precision aim, hitting her intended target. We begin to build that earlier said tower of furniture with the dead bodies found in the cave. It wasn't quite what I was hoping for...stacking bodies 6 to 8 deep like a ladder to get out of here, but at least we're working together to get out of this situation. Suddenly, I hear voices above us calling our names. We let them know where we are, and suddenly we are out of the hole and surrounded by many people. ***************************************************** October 24, 1997 Leon County, Florida Route 43 As I stand by the base of the huge tree talking with Agents Kinsley and Stonecypher, I notice Scully is not anywhere around. "Where's Agent Scully?" "Oh, she got a lift back to the motel to pack up both your things. "She did? Excuse me." I run to Agent Kinsley's car, not caring that he has no means of leaving the scene. Right now my only concern is getting to Scully to make sure she is safe. I reach the motel room and begin banging on the door. "Scully!? Scully!!!??" "Mulder, what's going on?" "Let's get out of here." "Kay." "You pack everything?" "Yeah." I stare around the room before closing the door. I feel a strange, but quick breeze pass my body. I softly click the door closed and she begins to load our luggage into the car. We drive to the motel office to sign and pay the bill. As I stand at the desk, I begin to feel even weaker than before. The bandage has been saturated with my blood in a short amount of time. The motel clerk eyes me curiously, but doesn't ask questions as I mumble my apologies and tell Scully I'll wait for her in the car. Making my way back to the car, I remember something we need from the trunk before the long trip home. I raise the trunk lid up and am completely shocked when a brutal force attacks me directly. I know that the predator has left the forest and taken refuge in our trunk. "Ungh." I am pushed hard to the ground, knocking the wind out of me. Blood begins to ooze from my head and my leg contorts and twists in an odd direcion causing it to snap like a twig. My last thought before passing out into darkness is Scully, who is nowhere to be seen. ***************************************************** October 24, 1997 Leon County, Florida Tallahassee Community Hospital "Mulder? Can you hear me? Mulder?" I feel a light flutter of fingers on my cheek, coaxing me into a wakeful state. "Scully," I ask in a quiet, raspy voice. "Yeah, Mulder, it's me." My eyes bulge out of my sockets when I fully come to and take in where she has placed herself. "Scully, what are you doing laying so close beside me?" "Mulder, I've been worried about you. Do you remember at all what happened?" "Yeah, a little," I croak, feeling her stroke my cheek. I gasp as she leans in closer and wraps her arm around my waist and lays her head in the cradle of my good arm. "Scully? Did I die and go to Heaven or am I d dreaming? If I'm dreaming, please don't wake me up." She giggles...an honest to goodness Scully giggle and maneuvers her legs between my thighs, taking care not to re-injure my obviously casted leg. I hear a zipper ease up beside us as she closes us in the warm, tight cocoon of a sleeping bag. I gulp as I feel her warmth seep into my body and marvel at how close she has cuddled up to me. "Scully, how did you sneak this sleeping bag into my room?" "Do remember how I told you that you might get lucky if it was raining sleeping bags?" "Yeah," I answer hesitantly. She crosses the short distance between our lips and rubs hers gently over my own before speaking. "Well, it finally rained sleeping bags, partner. I concealed it in your overnight bag." "You mean I finally got lucky?" "No, Mulder, we both got lucky." "How do you figure we both got lucky, Scully?" "Lucky in love, Mulder...lucky in love." -The End-