Title: Nova

Author: Angel

Feedback: Please!

Archive: Please!

Rating: NC-17, very mild but to be safe!

Summery: The inevitable happens. Mulder has planned ahead and now does everything in his power to keep Scully safe. You MUST read all parts to understand! Available at Ephemeral and my home page.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Characters are property of Fox, 1013, ect. No money is being made. No infringement is intended. Don’t sue me; I don’t have much, just a computer and a horse, not even a good car, believe me!

Homepage: (to find missing parts and sooner or later the completed version, also posted at Ephemeral)

A special thanks to Eve and Evie (hehe) for all their help editing and giving me ideas and hints, which involved listening to all my psychotic questions! And of course who would I discuss Mulder’s yumminess with without Eve? =) Thanks!!

NOTE: There may be some changes on the beginning versions! I’ll make a note at my page if they are important and repost if I feel necessary.

"Baby don’t look up, the sky is falling." Tori Amos

A late spring morning like any other…

Day 1

Mulder braced himself against the wall as another quake caused the building to quiver; a picture rattled off the wall. It’s crash went unnoticed as Mulder shoved all his spare clips for his gun into his hiking bag. Hauling the already heavy pack over his shoulder he made his way into the kitchen, stumbling as the building shook again. Emergency sirens blared through the broken windows as he packed what canned and dried food he had, matches, batteries, and the few bottles of water from the refrigerator whose door was left swung open letting chilled but unlit air into the brown hazed room. Mulder made his way to the door, full pack over his shoulders. He cursed himself and went back into his bedroom and rummaged through the closet until he came upon a fireproof safe. Quickly entering the combination he pulled out the items contained; now useless cash, a folded piece of paper and two silver chains. Shoving the contents into his front jean pocket he left his apartment without a second glance, without shutting the door.

Stepping outside the sirens wailed loudly as Mulder made his way to his car. The street was flooded with panicked drivers, heading no where and anywhere. He guided his car, as best he could, out onto the side streets and floored the gas pedal ignoring the earth as it shook, ignoring the sky that had turned dull and thick, but most of all ignoring his thoughts.

"Scully!" Mulder called as he pounded on the door. After no answer he pulled out his keys letting himself in. He stepped into the apartment and looked around. "Scully?" He made his way to her bedroom stepping over broken lamps, nick-knacks, and other debris. Walking into her room he saw her, laying on her bed, which had collapsed, a small trickle of blood fell from her forehead that was resting against the leg of her night table. "Scully?" He kneeled beside her and touched her cheek.

She gasped as her eyes flew open.

"It’s ok. It’s me."

Scully cringed and pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead.

"You ok?" Mulder asked as he helped her sit up.

"Yeah I think so." She looked around in awe. All she remembered was waking up to a loud bang then the ground seeming to fall from under her. "What happened?"

Mulder was silent for a moment. "The inevitable."

Scully’s jaw went slack as she took in the sirens, the shaking ground, the haze in the air, and the indescribable expression on Mulder’s face. She slowly shook her head. "No." It came out more of a sob then a word. "No. I’m dreaming. This isn’t happening."

Mulder took her face in his hands and met her eyes. "It’s happening. I need you to listen to me, Scully. Ok?" She nodded quickly not knowing what else to do. "Ok you need to get dressed, we have to leave now. Where’s your hiking bag?" Her jaw worked for a moment as she tried to speak. "Scully, focus, where is it?"

She cleared her throat. "Hall closet."

He nodded and helped her stand. "You need to get dressed." He left without another word. After pulling the bag from the closet he tore open her cabinets dropping in anything useful. More cans of food, bags of rice and pasta, bread mixes, bottled water, any food he could find that wouldn’t spoil quickly, a small pot, some utensils.

He turned to Scully as she walked out, still in a daze. He took her arm and brought her back into the bedroom dropping the bag onto the slanted bed and picking up her gun to pack. "Clothes, Scully." She nodded and walked to her closet handing him pairs of jeans, shirts, an extra pair of shoes; dependable multi use clothes like the ones they both wore and Mulder had packed for himself.

"I have some blankets." She mumbled pulling a few fleece blankets from the shelf in her closet. Just as Mulder shoved them into the overflowing bag the room shook. They braced themselves in the doorway. "The siren stopped." Scully whispered after a moment.

Mulder nodded and pulled her out of the room. "Flashlights? Batteries?" He was about to go on but Scully held up a hand for him to stop and pulled open a drawer. She dropped the items in question along with a lighter and a small army knife. She walked into the bathroom with some medicine bottles, soap and a few other things. She pulled the bag on as they walked towards the door.

Scully turned before she stepped out of the door. "Wait, Mulder." She called as he was leaving. She ran to her desk and pulled a photo from a drawer and placed that in the bag also before they left the apartment.

"Is your gas tank full?"

"Yeah." They made their way to the car oblivious to the screaming people in the streets.

"Ok let’s drain it and we’ll take my car." Scully nodded and unlocked the trunk for Mulder. He pulled out the gas can and sieved the gas into it as Scully opened her glove compartment. She pulled out another flashlight and her first aid kit. "Scully?" Mulder called as he capped the can.

"I’m ready." She called back and pulled the pack back on. Mulder lead her around to the back of the building to where he had left his car, thankfully no one had broken into it. Stowing the gathered items into the back seat they climbed in. Mulder made his way back out onto the road, which was cluttered with cars. "We aren’t getting anywhere too soon." Scully whispered. She reached forward and flipped on the radio. Nothing came back but dead air. "Towers must be down." She mumbled as she continued to scan through the stations. All the way at the end of the dial a soft beep, beep-beep, bee-eep, beep came through. "Morse code." Scully flipped off the radio and sat back in her seat.

Mulder glanced her way before turning onto a side street in an attempt to get away from the traffic. After some time they were on the highway. It was littered with cars, but they were able to do the speed limit.

Finally taking a moment to look around they did. The sky looked foggy and dirty, like it was covered in damp dust. No clouds were visible. In the distance there were several red glowing areas from fires and explosions. Buildings were crumbling for the constant shaking of the ground. The pavement had even started to crack in some places. Everything was dark, no lights from the windows. The power went out hours ago. The sun had vanished behind the thick haze. Cars were pulled off the road. Hoards of people walked the roads. Once tall old trees lay on their sides. There was no wind. The air was heavy and still. Waiting.

Scully couldn’t look anymore. She turned onto her side and curled herself up in the seat facing Mulder. She took in his expression. His jaw was clenched, his eyes alert, hands strong on the wheel. Determined. She closed her eyes and thought. For the first time since Mulder woke her she thought. Her mother, she was in San Diego visiting Charlie. She would worry. Bill… Where was he at sea right now? She couldn’t think about that anymore. Her heart couldn’t take it. She looked back at Mulder. "Where are we going?" She asked the dead silence of the car.

He glanced over at her and swallowed roughly. "Some where safe." He turned away from her.

Scully didn’t ask anymore questions. She didn’t want to. She wanted to wake up in her bed, this being all a bad dream. The worse dream possible.

Mulder unconsciously slowly the car as he starred out the top of the windshield. Scully sat straight up and looked up as a large ship passed silently and slowly over them. Mulder clenched his jaw and pressed down hard on the gas petal.

***

Scully woke as the car slowed to a stop. She sat up and looked around them. Mulder had pulled into a rest station on the highway. The soda machine had already been forced open but there was no one is sight.

"I’m going to put the rest of the gas in the tank. Take a minute to walk around but be careful." He warned as he tucked his gun into the front of his jeans and stepped out of the car.

Scully nodded even though he couldn’t see her and stood on stiff legs. The air was cold from the lack of direct sun all day. She looked across at the rest station and spotted the area map. Pennsylvania, they were somewhere is Pennsylvania. Probably not very far on less then one tank of gas. Mulder touched her shoulder lightly as he walked by her and into the men’s room, gun drawn. With a sigh Scully pulled her own gun out and walked into the bathroom. The room was almost pitch black save for the slight grayish light from the one window. Glancing around and under doors she put her gun away knowing she was alone. Emptying her bladder she almost laughed bitterly after noticing someone had taken all the toilet paper. She walked to the sink and stared at her dim reflection in the mirror. She looked tired, alone and scared. She was all of those things and more. Reaching down she flipped on the faucet already knowing nothing would come out. She caught the few drops that fell.

"Scully?" His voice was full of concern.

"I’ll be right out, Mulder." She called back. Pointlessly turning the faucet off she walked back out into the night. Mulder was leaning up against the car scanning the surrounding area when she walked out. "It’s quiet." She stated as she got back into the car.

Mulder nodded and looked around. "Too quiet." He started the car and pulled back onto the road only slightly dotted with other cars.

"What do you think They are doing?"

He glanced at her and let out a breath before facing the road again. "Taking who they need and killing who they don’t."

Scully didn’t ask for details. They both had their own ideas about who They would want, and why. And whom They didn’t want and what they were doing to them. Realizing for the first time that she was hungry Scully reached for her bag. After passing Mulder a bottle of water and getting her own she pulled out a jar of peanut butter and bread, squished from being in the bag, but bread nonetheless. She made Mulder a sandwich and passed it over to him.

"You never told me you were a gourmet cook." Mulder commented with mock surprise.

Scully laughed softly appreciating his efforts to lighten the situation. When they had finished eating Scully looked over at Mulder. He was just as tired as she. "You want me to drive for a while?"

"No I’m ok."

"Maybe we should stop for the night and get some sleep." She tried again.

"No I want to get as close as we can as soon as possible."

"Where are we going, Mulder?" She asked in a tone that meant she wanted the full answer. He shot her a quick glance and reached into his pocket. He handed her two silver charms each on their own lengthy chain. She held the chains up so that the charms dangled in the low light of the car. Two identical small stars swung in front of her eyes. "I don’t understand… what are these?"

"Our passports to the Nova Project. Put one on."

Still not understanding she pulled the long chain over her head, the charm hung low under her shirt, the cool metal tickling the sensitive skin between her breasts. He took the other from her hand and pulled it over his head and tucking it under his tee shirt. "Nova Project?"

He nodded and passes her the folded paper from his pocket. "About four years ago the gunmen found out about it, I don’t know how. But they brought it to my attention. The project has been set up for years, preparing for when They came. While there were people working to help Them, there were people working to help us. I had to buy my way in of course. It’s set up in Canada; They don’t like the cool weather apparently. A system of tunnels have been built underground. Rooms are built, a water source, and a system of gardens and barns for farm animals on the surface. The growing season isn’t long… but it’s all planned out. Last I heard over a thousand people were expected when this happens, but who knows how long it will take for everyone to get there."

Scully stared at him in shock. "Mulder… how do you know that isn’t all a load of crap?"

He looked at her soberly. "I don’t. But it’s better then nothing."

Scully didn’t say anything for a moment. "How do I work into this?" She asked softly.

Clearing his throat he looked at her for a long moment. "Scully… I wouldn’t go with out you, I don’t want to go without you."

She was silent for sometime. "Why didn’t you tell me about all this?"

Mulder let out a laugh. "Scully you would have told me I was crazy. You probably still think that. But it doesn’t matter, this is better then sitting in our ruined apartments waiting for Them to come and kill us isn’t it?"

She nodded quickly then leaned back in her seat pulling the charm out examining it. "It’s actually very pretty."

He smiled over at her. "Well it’s a good thing because you can’t take that off. If anyone sees you with it, if they are also a member of Nova they have to help you, and vise versa."

She stared at it another moment before placing it back under her shirt.

Day 2

Mulder pressed his lips together with an annoyed smile as Scully bit her lip waiting.

"Come on Bessie, just a little more!" Mulder cheered to the car as it slowly rolled down the road.

"You’ve named your car Bessie?" Scully asked with astonishment.

He nodded. "Yeah about four seconds ago." The car finally stopped. Mulder sighed. "Well that was over four hundred miles we don’t have to walk." He looked around the deserted street. "Slide over here Scully, I’m going to push us down into the trees some. We’ll stay here and get some sleep. I think we should be ok." He stepped out of the car and into the cool hazy air.

Scully slid over and steered the car until is was covered in brush.

Mulder struggled to get back in, cursing at a branch. Once he sat down Scully passed him a blanket as she reclined her chair and settled on her side facing him. He copied her actions and reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You doing ok?"

She let out a humorless laugh. "Oh yeah wonderful."

He smiled sadly and pulled his hand away. "Get some sleep."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "You too."

"Mmm Hmm." He mumbled already half way there.

Mulder woke quickly to a tapping sound on his window. He opened his eyes quickly and glanced at Scully, she was sleeping soundly. He jumped when he looked towards his window. "Sir." He said surprised to see Skinner standing in the brush beside the car. "How did you find us?" Skinner didn’t answer. Mulder jumped again when a tapping came at Scully’s window. He turned to see Maggie Scully looking down at him. He turned to the front to see the Lone Gunmen standing at the hood of the car. "Scully." He said softly trying to wake her. Glancing in the rearview mirror he saw four of the guys he played basketball with on Saturdays. They all began tapping on the windows.

Mulder jerked upright. His hard breathing the only sound other then the wind pushing the brush surrounding the car with soft taps.

"Shh. Mulder it’s ok. Just a dream." Scully soothed placing a hand on the back of his neck.

Mulder let out a long breath and leaned forward placing his face in his hands.

"What was it about?" She passed him a bottle of water.

After taking a long drink he looked up at her with pained eyes. "Everyone we left behind." He leaned back against the door and shook his head. "I’m so sorry Scully… I didn’t even ask if you wanted to come with me."

Scully squeezed his knee lightly. "Mulder of course I would have come with you. I had no place else to go." She finished in a sad whisper. Mulder placed his hand over hers and leaned back with his eyes closed. "You want to get moving?"

Opening his eyes he sat up and nodded. "Yeah, we’ve got a hell of a lot of walking to do. Rest of Pennsylvania, all of New York and some of Canada."

They both got out of the car and pulled on their bags. "How long do you think it will take?"

"Maybe two months, depending." He said as they walked up to the road. "Come on, it’ll be easier on the pavement."

Scully was silent lost in her thoughts for some time. "Is it safe up here?"

He looked around. "I think so. Let’s just keep our eyes out. We need to stay with the roads so I can use the map."

They walked for hours, side by side, in the dark haze, in the silence, listening for anything until Mulder stopped and steered Scully to the side of the road. "Let’s take a break, I’m staving."

Scully fell gratefully to the ground. Running three miles four times a week for the past two years did not have her prepared for this. She stretched her legs out into front of her and lay back against her pack. Mulder sat beside her and pulled open his pack, tossing an orange at her. She peeled away the skin and rolled on her side to look at Mulder. He was watching down the road suspiciously. Scully followed his line of vision and saw a family of four walking up the road towards them. Scully looked back down at her orange. Whenever they would come across other people they would never make eye contact. After glancing for a Nova pendent they would act like they weren’t there. Scully bit into a piece of orange and fiddled with her necklace. Just a few days ago she would be fingering her gold cross, but that now that lay against her collarbone all but forgotten. They both finished eating before the family walked by. Scully struggled to look away from the small boy holding his father’s hand. She kept her eyes down cast until they were just little dots on the horizon.

Mulder cleared his throat and held a hand for her after standing. Giving him a weak smile she let him pull her to her feet. "Better get moving."

***

Mulder and Scully sat back staring at the fire of their makeshift camp after a dinner of bread and a can of green beans. Scully tucked the bread back into her bag and looked up at Mulder. "We aren’t going to have enough food."

"I know."

Scully watched him for a moment before sighing and pulling the pot of warm water out of the fire. "I’m going to clean up." He nodded absentmindedly. She turned, but stayed close to the fire and started to strip off her clothes, only leaving the bare minimum on. Dipping a small towel into the warmed water she washed away the sweat of walking all day carrying a heavy bag with the knowledge of Mulder’s eyes on her back. She slowly dressed in clean clothes and turned back to Mulder who adverted his eyes. "There’s still half left." She held back a smile as she passed him the pot and towel.

"Thanks." He mumbled. Not bothering to turn away he stripped down to his boxers. Scully tried not to watch as he washed himself but she was fascinated by the way the fire played off of his skin. Mulder looked up at her and refrained from smirking as she quickly looked away. Silently cursing herself Scully laid down two of the blankets as a cushion and pulled out the other three. Mulder redressed and added more wood to the fire.

Scully looked up at him sheepishly. "We should share, it’ll be warmer."

He grinned. "Finally! It’s rained sleeping bags." With a sigh he settled down next to her and bunched up two shirts for them to use as pillows.

Scully smiled and shook her head as she lay back between the fire and Mulder’s body. Immediately she was warmed and felt sleep beckoning. Everything was quiet; the only sounds were their breathing, the crackling fire and the calls of small animals. Scully drifted close to sleep when an explosion and a burst of light lit the sky. They both sat upright. "What are They doing?" Scully asked softly.

Mulder shook his head and looked around the sky. "I don’t know… Doesn’t sound too close though." He reached over and placed a hand on Scully’s stomach pushing her back down against the blankets, he left his hand there and rolled onto his side. Two more explosions followed quickly, sounding further away. After a few long moments of silence Mulder gently rubbed Scully’s stomach. "Get some sleep." They lay awake for a few hours more in silence before finally drifting off.

Day 3

Mulder woke feeling the sun on his face. Opening his eyes he could actually see the blue sky instead on a brown haze for the first time in days. He rolled on his side to tell Scully. He couldn’t help but smile. She was curled up on her side, blankets wrapped around her and looking utterly innocent. Deciding not to wake her yet he climbed out of ‘bed’ and looked around for a fairly flat rock. Cleaning one side with water he dropped into in the hot embers from last night’s fire to let it heat. He then dug through their bags and pulled out the four left over pieces of bread and a can of pineapple chunks which he opened with his army knife.

Sensing movement Scully woke up. "Mulder?" She called softly as she rolled over to look towards the fire.

"I’m here. Just making breakfast." He placed the bread on the hot rock. "The sky cleared." He nodded upward.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah it did." She started to fold up the blankets and passed Mulder a bottle of water. "We’re almost out."

He nodded and flipped the bread over with a fork as he passed her the can of fruit. "According to the map we should intersect with a stream late today, it’s set up so we walk along water most of the time." He passed her two hot pieces of bread. "Toast my lady."

She smiled around a piece of pineapple. "Now look who is the gourmet chef."

***

Scully poked at the fire with a long stick when Mulder draped a blanket over her shoulders and sat beside her. "It’s cold by the water." He said absentmindedly. Looking over at her he rubbed her back lightly. "You ok Scully?"

She looked at him with a small smile. "Yeah." She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them, still looking at him.

Mulder tipped his head to the side, copying her stature, and tucked her hair behind her ear. Scully’s eyes closed at the contact. Placing his palm around her jaw he stroked her cheekbone with his thumb. She leaned into his touch. After a moment Mulder laid back against the already spread blankets pulling Scully with him. He tucked her securely against his chest with her back to the fire. Pulling the other blankets over both of them he stroked her back lightly. With a contented sigh Scully fell asleep wrapped in his arms. Sensing she had fallen asleep Mulder rolled her away from him slightly so he could see her face. With the back of his fingers he stroked her cheek. Then traced her lips with the tip if his finger. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes sleepily. Mulder leaned down and kissed her forehead for a long heartbeat then tucked her head under his chin before she could see the thoughts in his eyes. The fear. The fear that maybe the Nova Project was in fact a hoax. Then what? Where would they go? How would he make it up to her? Dragging her a thousand miles through dangerous land. Who knew what would happen? Who knew where They were waiting? Maybe They wouldn’t even bother them. Maybe They didn’t need them, didn’t care about them. But even if They didn’t bother them there were people out there, desperate people who would do anything to find food for their loved ones. Would do anything to ensure their safety, their future. Mulder knew. He was one of those desperate people.

Day 5

Scully rubbed her face with her hands as she sat down and watched Mulder gather things to make a fire before it became too dark. Usually she would help, but today they stopped walking early and went slow the whole day. Scully silently cursed herself. She had gotten her period. It didn’t surprise her; it was actually a few days late. She felt woozy and heavy limbed. Her body couldn’t handle the constant walking, the decrease in food and blood loss. It wasn’t even bad this month, but too many factors were against her. All she wanted to do was curl up next to the fire and sleep for a few days.

Mulder got the fire going well and added some large pieces of wood before sitting behind Scully slightly. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently massaged away the tension of carrying the heavy pack all day.

"You gonna tell me what’s going on?"

Scully leaned back into his hands. "It’s nothing really."

"Nothing has you pale and tired?" He pressed gently.

She let out a long breath. "Woman problems."

"Ahh… I understand now." He continued to relax her muscles.

"I’m sorry I’m slowing us down." She mumbled after a few moments.

Mulder’s hands stopped and he took her chin in one hand and turned her to look at him. "You are not slowing us down." He turned her whole body around so her back was against the fire. "We’ll take it easy for another few days and then make up that time. Summer is almost here so the days will be longer; we’ll walk more then. Ok?"

She nodded and tucked herself against his chest.

"Oh, Scully." He whispered in a heartbroken tone as he wrapped himself around her small body. He pressed his lips to her temple and ran his hand through her hair as she relaxed into his safe embrace. The fact that she let him hold her like this said a lot about the situation. They were both tired, aching, and most of all scared.

"Mulder?" She mumbled against his neck.

"Mmm?" He nuzzled the hair at her temple just wanting to bury himself in her warmth and comfort.

"You think They will come for me? They can track me with the chip."

He pulled her head from his neck, cradling her face with his hands. "No. They wont. They already took everything They want from you, it won’t happen again."

She gave him a strained smile. "We don’t know anything for sure." She dropped her weight back into his arms and closed her eyes.

Day 7

"You know what I want?" Scully asked conversationally as they walked the road, sun beating down strongly.

"A half pound cheese burger, fries, potato salad and a beer." He supplied quickly, his mind obviously on the same track.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Actually I wanted some sea food Alfredo and a glass of white wine, but I could settle for that instead."

Mulder stopped walking and squinted into the horizon. "Hey Scully, is that a gas station."

"Well… maybe once." She said when she saw a small building all but collapsed.

Mulder reached over and tugged her arm. "Let’s go check it out, maybe it hasn’t been completely cleaned out yet."

Scully quickly nodded, glad for a change of plan. "Watch out for the glass Mulder." She called once they came to the building. But Mulder was already occupied with searching the remains for anything useful. She couldn’t help but smile at him. He looked like a little boy on an Easter egg hunt. Looking down she toed through the crumbled wall and shelving debris that covered a small area of land, only one wall was still standing.

"I found some canned food." Mulder called over as he shoved three cans of tuna and a can of beans into his bag. "There’s still some stuff here, it’s just buried."

Scully nodded and picked up a crushed box of crackers, a large box of raisins and a few other items. They poked around for at least an hour collecting odds and ends. Including two cartoons of cigarettes Mulder said they could probably trade something for at some point.

"Man its hot today…" Mulder looked up at the sky; it was just turning mid afternoon. "I think we should call it quits early."

Scully shrugged. "If you want. We can take advantage of the warm weather and wash some clothes, that way they’ll be dry before we pack up in the morning."

He nodded and they walked away from the station in case anyone else walked by and went looking through. They stopped at a lightly treed area in front of a wide shallow part of a stream. Scully kneeled by the edge with the pile of dirty clothes next to her and a bar of soap in one hand as Mulder leaned a few long branches up against a tree. As Scully washed each article of clothing he hung it up in the sun to dry, everything very close by incase anyone came by and decided to try to go shopping at their makeshift clothesline. After a moment’s thought Scully stripped down to her black panties and dark gray tank so wore as a bra -she quickly realized that anything with a wire was not comfortable in this new lifestyle- and washed the clothing she wore that day. Mulder stripped to his boxers and as she finished washing the clothes he walked out into the water, barely reaching his waist and fell straight back into the cool water. Scully laughed at him when he reemerged and tossed him the bar of soap as she hung the wet clothes up. Cringing she stepped into water.

"Oh it’s not that bad." Mulder teased and handed her the soap as he stepped out clean and freshly shaven.

"It’s freezing!" She whined.

He laughed at her and sat back on a blanket after changing out of his wet boxers and into dry ones, which were the only thing that wasn’t wet.

Scully focused on washing herself, trying to erase the image of Mulder’s bare backside that was now burned into her mind. She worked slowly enjoying the opportunity to really get clean. She sat down and dipped her head in, lathering her hair and washing it for the first time in days. After rinsing off she sat back for a moment and relaxed, pretending she was in her bath with scented bubbles and a glass of wine in her hand. After her third shiver and stood and walked over to where Mulder was sitting next to the small fire. He tossed one of his tee shirts at her. "I left that for you to change into."

"Thanks." She said walking over to hang up the clothes she pulled off. She could practically feel Mulder’s eyes on her skin as she shed her wet tank and panties. She pulled his shirt over her head and almost laughed when it fell to her knees. Walking back over to the fire she placed a few cleaned flat rocks in the fire and then a few on the sides, building small walls. She found a large rock to fit over the top then dug through her bag for a box of corn bread mix. She stirred a small amount with water then dropped two globs on to the warmed rocks and placed the large one on top creating a makeshift oven.

Mulder clapped his hands together. "A job worthy of Indian guide status."

Scully smiled proudly and laid back on the blanket next to Mulder letting the sun warm her cooled skin. Mulder looked down at her from where he sat and reached over tugging the shirt down her thighs slightly. "Showing some skin there, Scully."

She looked over at him with raised brows. Reaching over she took his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers. With a small tug she pulled him over so he lay on his side, holding himself up on either side of her on his elbows. He looked down at her with a confused/intrigued expression. With a small sigh Scully reached up and flicked the Nova charm and watched it swing. One moment with would shine in the sunlight, the next it would go dark from Mulder’s shadow. It looked like a real star twinkling in the sky.

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. How I wonder what you are." She murmured still watching the necklace. "First star of the night."

Mulder smiled down at her and pulled her own necklace out from under her shirt. "Go ahead and wish." He whispered.

She bit her lower lip in thought for a moment before meeting his eyes. "Can I take a rain check?"

He gave her half a smile and nodded. "Of course."

"What about you? Any wishes?" She asked swinging the charm once again.

Nodding slowly he said, "A few."

"Care to share?"

He gave a shy smile. "Not just yet." They were quiet for a moment, Scully swinging his charm, him stroking the front of her neck with his thumb. "A star is the perfect charm for you." He said out of the blue. She tipped her head quizzically. "That’s what you are. A star, beautiful, bright, strong and out of reach."

"I’m not out of reach Mulder." She whispered. They locked eyes for a moment, just watching each other. Scully wrapped her hand around the chain of his necklace and pulled gently bringing his lips down to hers. The touch was soft, warm, gentle. Mulder pulled back slightly and changed angles, pressing again in the same way. After a long moment he pulled away ever so slightly, his lips still resting against hers but without pressure. Together they met for another kiss, this one open, tongues taking soft tastes of each other. The kiss lasted a moment before Mulder pulled away and pressed his face into her neck, Scully’s hand still clutching the chain.

Day 10

Mulder paused where they were on the road and pulled out the map. "We have to take this next exit coming up. We’ll be off the water for at least a day and a half so we better go fill up our water bottles."

Scully yawned and stretched as she nodded and followed him down to the water.

"You want to camp here for the night?" He asked over his shoulder after her yawn.

"No, we’ve cut too many days short. Might as well keeping going."

Mulder shrugged noncommittally and flipped his bag off his shoulders to pull out the empty water bottles. Scully sighed and sat at the edge of the water, tucking her legs under herself. Mulder passed her the bottles. A slight cracking sound, nothing more then a twig breaking in the trees behind them, and Mulder spun with his gun drawn. Scully turned, still crouched on the ground, pulling her gun from her side. "Drop it." Mulder said calmly to the middle aged man standing partly behind a tree with a knife. It was nothing more then the kind used to cut vegetables, and it was nothing compared to two guns. The man just starred at both of them. Mulder scanned the thin trees for anyone else but he appeared to be alone. "I said drop it. Now." With a glare the stranger dropped his knife. "Now kick it over to me." Mulder bent to pick up the knife without breaking eye contact with the man and tossed it into the stream. "Now get the fuck out of here before I shoot you." The man turned, the sound of branches breaking echoed back. Mulder holstered his gun and turned to Scully, placing a hand on the back of her sunburned neck. "Almost ready?"

She nodded and splashed some cool water on her face. She was getting worried, this wasn’t the first run in they had with someone trying to rob them. So far their guns had gotten them out of it, and keeping a fire burning all night kept people away. It had worked, so far.

Day 13

Scully arched her neck to the side as Mulder nibbled the corner of her jaw, his hands running up and down her sides slowly. This had become a nightly ritual; they would kiss softly by the fire, lips always staying above their collars, hands caressing gently over clothes. Mulder pressed his palm over her breast. Scully tilted her head to the side to meet him for a kiss as he rubbed his thumb over her nipple. She murmured slightly against his lips. Mulder moved his mouth to her ear and suckled her lobe. With great courage he slipped his hand under her shirt and caressed her bare belly. After a few moments his hand traveled upward and stroked the smooth underside of her breast. Scully’s breathing hitched. Mulder pulled his face away from her neck and looked at her face, her eyes were closed and lips parted invitingly. After pressing a long kiss to her he slipped his hand over her breast, his fingers brushing her pebbled nipple and kneaded softly. Scully caught a moan in her throat.

"Don’t hold back, Scully." Mulder whispered as he kneaded harder. "Let me know what you like."

She bit her lower lip but let out another moan. Satisfied with her response Mulder suckled her neck softly as he ran his thumb over her nipple. After another moment Scully began to tense.

"Mulder." She whispered signaling she was uncomfortable just by the tone.

Mulder shifted and nuzzled her temple as he slid his hand away from her. He pulled the blankets over them and let her get comfortable before his placed his hand under her shirt again, only against her stomach.

"Thank you." She whispered against his neck.

"For what?"

"For not rushing anything."

Mulder smiled against her hair. "I’ve loved you for seven years, I can wait for this as long as necessary."

She nuzzled his neck. "I love you too."

Day 14

Scully kicked at a stone as they walked. Mulder was a step behind her and watched as she walked side to side on the street to fallow the stone. She was acting like a little girl who’s mother dragged her to the museum, finding anything else to hold her attention.

"Scully… you keep that up you’ll be tired before noon." He called with a smile to where Scully had stopped at the corner of the road.

"Hey Mulder… Is that a baby?" She asked pointing to a small object sitting on the edge of the grass thirty feet away.

They walked slowly up to the bundle.

"Oh my God!" Scully took a step to pick up the sleeping baby when Mulder grabbed her arm to stop her. She took a step away from him expecting him to let her arm go. "Mulder, let me go."

He shook his head as he scanned the surrounding tree line. "No. Come on, Scully." He tugged firmly to bring her back onto the road.

"Mulder. We can’t just leave the baby here." She tugged her arm.

Mulder tugged back, only harder, sending Scully to step closer to his chest. "Scully, leave it. Walk away."

She looked up at him with angry tears swimming in her eyes. "What the fuck is wrong with you? It’s a BABY Mulder."

He let his hand slide down until it circled her wrist, still tightly. "Scully… Please. Just come with me." He whispered softly as his eyes screamed for her to trust him.

Scully gave the baby a long look as Mulder tugged her away. They walked in a tense silence for some time before the baby began to cry. Scully turned quickly. "Mulder… I can’t…" Scully trailed off as she saw a man and woman come out from behind the trees to retrieve the ‘bait’ they left out. Scully swallowed roughly as the mother picked the child up and cooed softly. Letting out a long breath she placed her hand over her eyes. "I’m so stupid." She whispered.

Mulder pulled her back in the direction they were headed before speaking. "You aren’t stupid." He wrapped his arm over her shoulders. "You are a naturally caring and giving person. I would have done the same thing, but I saw something move in the trees and put two and two together." He paused for a moment trying to organize his thoughts. He stopped and turned her toward him. "I wouldn’t leave a baby, Scully."

"I know." She said quickly. Scully didn’t say anything else, just hung her head slightly as she silently cursed herself. Excepting that the world had changed so much was close to impossible. Not being able to even think about trusting anyone but Mulder was hard. Not speaking to anyone other then Mulder was starting to make her feel alienated. She could feel herself fighting a bought of depression.

Day 16

Scully lay on her back, head turned as she looked unseeing into the flames. With a sigh Mulder lay on his side beside her and pulled the blankets over them to keep out the damp chill of night. Running the back of his fingers down her cheek he asked her; "What’s wrong?"

She gave a little shrug, honestly not knowing.

Wrapping an arm around her waist he tugged her closer to him and burrowed his face into her neck as he stroked her side softly. Pulling herself from her thoughts Scully turned her head and kissed Mulder deeply, cupping his cheek with her palm. She pulled away after a moment and ran her thumb over his bottom lip. Her eyes closed in contentment as Mulder pushed his hand under her sweatshirt, then slowly under the band of her sweat pants. He paused, just gently combing his fingers through her course hair. She began to swallow convulsively as his fingers moved to brush lower. Mulder lowered his head and suckled the curve of her throat for a moment before whispering in her ear. "I want to touch you." She let out a breathy gasp and licked her dry lips. "Can I touch you Scully?" He asked licking at her ear lobe.

"Yes." She whispered. Mulder smiled against her neck and slipped his hand lower cupping her sex possessively. Scully let her eyes close and focused on enjoying Mulder’s touch. His fingers gently found her bundle of nerves and massaged with a gentle pressure, that for some reason didn’t surprise Scully, was perfect. "Just like that." She encouraged softly. "Don’t change." Mulder kissed her neck to show he understood and that’s when Scully began to imagine. Pretending that they weren’t in the middle of no where Pennsylvania. That it wasn’t a chilly forty degrees. But that they were lying in her warm bed with soft cotton sheets. That Mulder was touching her in the most intimate way after a romantic candle lit dinner at a fine restaurant, not after a dinner of plain rice. That she was dressed in her light blue silk camisole, and Mulder in a pair of black silk boxers, not dirty sweats to keep the chill out. Stuck in her fantasy Scully felt a steady release building in her body. With as much focus as she could muster she shoved her hand into Mulder’s sweatpants and grasped his erection. His guttural cry didn’t disturb her imaginary world as she continued to stroke him firmly, edging on painfully. The orgasm that flooded Scully’s senses did not distract her from her search for Mulder’s release. In the moments following her, Mulder moaned as his body released. Both fighting for a good breath they lay close together, Scully still lost in her own world. Where she and Mulder were going to fall asleep warm and safe in her apartment and wake in the morning to a satisfying breakfast and a life that, even with it’s difficulties, she desperately wished she could return to.

Day 17

Mulder turned to Scully with his arms wide open, displaying the land surrounding the road, a proud grin on his face. "Welcome to New York, Scully." He called exuberantly.

Scully shook her head with a smile and walked towards him, plucking the map from his fingers. Unfolding it Mulder placed a hand on her back to guide her while she frowned at the wearing paper. "We sill have a hell of a way to go."

Unfazed, Mulder paid little attention to her.

Still frowning Scully glanced behind her. "Have you noticed that everyone we have passed the last few days as been going in the opposite direction of us?"

"Yeah… They are probably moving to a milder climate for when winter comes."

Scully was silent for a moment. "What are we going to do if Nova is a fake?"

Not meeting her eyes, "We’ll turn around."

Although the idea was having to back track was unappealing Scully wasn’t going to pass up the chance to see Nova. She knew if she told Mulder she didn’t want to continue, if she said she thought they should turn around and settle someplace else he would. But that would mean crushing all the hopes he had for them. A life when life was meant to be destroyed. A way to live when everything was meant to die.

Day 19

Slack jawed Scully looked at the land in front of them. As far as they could see the land looked turned inside out. Debris of buildings, trees, cars, even people lay mixed with the earth. The road they needed to follow was lost amongst the chaos. "Mulder…"

Cursing under his breath Mulder turned away and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Mulder?" She asked softly and took a step toward him. She could almost feel the tension and anger radiate from him. "Hey." Reaching out she placed a hand on his arm trying to bring him back to her.

"Fuck!" Mulder hissed and spun around. Scully jumped away from him on reflex. He looked at her heartbroken that she pulled away. "I’m sorry Scully." He took two steps toward her and lightly took her hand in his. "I didn’t mean to startle you."

"It’s ok." She closed the space between them and leaned her forehead against his shoulder for a moment. "Now what?" She asked lifting her head to find him scanning the horizon.

Pulling the hand he still held in his grasp. "We go around."

"Go around? Mulder we don’t know how far off we are going to have to go."

He turned to her with a frown. "What do you suggest we do Scully?" He held his arm out toward the disaster they were walking by. "We certainly can’t walk through this." The anger was evident in his voice. "You want to turn around? Go someplace else? So that one night we’ll be sitting by the fire and then poof! You’ll be gone or dead and then what? Huh? What do I do then?!" He dropped her hand a turned away from her once again, breathing heavily and choking on tears.

Scully placed her hand on his shoulder. "I’m not leaving you Mulder."

"You said it yourself Scully; we don’t know anything for sure." He still would not look at her.

Letting out a long breath she leaned forward and nuzzled his upper arm. "I know, for sure, that I want to do anything possible to ensure that I won’t be leaving you. And if that means we have to walk around this, whether it’s a mile or five hundred miles, I will do it." Picking her head up from him she turned him toward her and held his face in her hands so that he looked at her. "I don’t want to fight with you. We are both getting frustrated and we’re tired. Let’s just keep going. As much as I hate to admit it we don’t have a choice."

Looking both ways around their obstacle Mulder asked; "Which way?"

She shrugged. "Right?"

He nodded. "Sounds good." Taking her hand once again he pulled her to the right.

Day 21

Scully idly watched Mulder’s back as they walked along the rough ground. The bright sun reflected off his skin making it a challenge to continue. With aching eyes she turned to the disaster they paralleled. She paused her walking and studied the land.

Not hearing her footsteps Mulder stopped and turned. "Scully? You taking a break or just like the view?" He gestured toward the turned up earth and the remnants of houses.

Squinting, she pointed to the horizon. "Can you see where the ground is normal? Or I am hallucinating?"

Mulder stepped behind her and crouched to her eye line. "I think you are right. Wanna try to cross here?"

Stretching her arms over her head she nodded. "Might as well give it a try."

They walked in a silent concentration. Carefully testing even ground and steering away from debris as well as possible. Although they had more time to think then either thought possible they barely did. It was odd how quickly they forgot everything about the past. They would see things that should have reminded them of the past but it wouldn’t even cross their minds. It was useless, that was a different time, a different life, and a different world. Nothing existed but the present.

"Oh gross." Mulder said with disgust after walking for at least fifteen minutes.

Scully looked up from the ground for a spilt second to glance at him at her side. "Problem?"

"No. I just stepped in something."

"What?"

"I don’t know and I have no desire to."

Scully laughed softly before they stopped at a drop off seven feet. "Well… this is unfortunate." She said grimly.

Chuckling, Mulder carefully hopped down, wavering on the landing. After graining his balance he held his arms up to Scully. "Come on jump, I’ll catch you."

She snorted. "Yeah right." Reaching down she took his hands in hers and slide down.

Mulder steadied her with his hands on her waist. "Told you." Smiling smugly he turned and walked on.

"That was barely a jump, Mulder."

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "I’m sorry I couldn’t hear what you said." Before she had a chance to repeat what she knew he heard he began to whistle.

With a smile she shook her head and took a few large steps to be at his side. "Why I put up with you I’ll never know."

Throwing his arm over her shoulders he spoke matter of factly. "Because you love me." Beaming he leaned over and kissed her cheek then continued to pull her along.

Day 24

Mulder frowned down at the map, looked up at the road they had met with, back down at the map, again at the road, and for good measure back at the map once again.

Rolling her eyes Scully plucked the map from his hand. "There’s no way to tell if this is the right road is there?"

"Well we should follow it about five miles and if we come to a stream we have the right road. If we don’t… well we don’t."

Scully passed the map back to him with distaste. "Sounds fun."

"That’s the spirit!" Mulder exclaimed throwing an arm over her shoulders to pull her down the road with him.

Mulder tossed a few large pieces of wood into the fire and sat down by Scully. She turned to him with a thoughtful expression and ran her fingertips over his four-day beard. "Will you shave for me?" She asked softly.

Mulder couldn’t keep the smile from crossing his lips. Nodding he grabbed his bag and pulled out the soap and a razor as Scully brought over the pot of water.

"Can I do it?" She asked after a moment’s hesitation. He grinned fully this time and handed over the items then sat back on his hands with his legs out in front of him. Scully sat down on his thighs. "I’ll be careful." She said as she worked up a thick lather in her hands.

"I’m not worried." He said truthfully.

She gave him a small smile and spread the lather over his face. He turned and angled his head helpfully as she moved about his face. Wiping her hands on a towel she picked up the razor and bit her lip in thought. Tipping his chin with her thumb her first shaved his neck. He lowered his head after she finished. Scully smiled at him. "This is fun." He laughed as she turned his face to one side. "Hold still."

"Sorry." He mumbled as he started to caress her thigh with one of her hands, the other still supporting him. "But this is fun."

Once done Scully wiped his face with a damp towel. "Viola." She sat back proudly.

Mulder rubbed a hand over his face, testing the closeness of the shave. "Good job Scully. You can shave me anytime."

Smiling, Scully leaned forward and kissed him softly. He leaned back on both his hands as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Want to go to bed?" He shrugged as best he could in his position. "Tired?" Glancing at her mouth he shook his head.

He smiled smugly. "You can stop playing stupid Scully. I know why you wanted me to shave."

She silently thanked the night so Mulder couldn’t see the extent of her blushing. Looking down she mumbled; "You don’t have to."

He laughed then shook his head with a smile. Sitting upright he took her face in his hands. "Oh, Scully…" He kissed her deeply for a moment before shifting, bringing them both down onto the spread blankets with her beneath him. His fingers quickly found the hem of her shirt and pushed under. He teased her ribs for a moment before caressing the undersides of her breasts. Becoming impatient Scully wiggled and pulled her shirt over her head then tugged Mulder’s off, quickly pulling his lips back to hers. Mulder chuckled against her mouth as he pulled at the waistband of her pants. "Anxious, Scully?" He pulled away enough to fully pull off her pants. When she didn’t answer he lay back against her and turned her face so she looked at him. "Don’t be shy… I told you I want to know what you like."

She smiled weakly and nodded.

He kissed her gently in reassurance once then moved slowly down her body. Spending long moments on each breast, tasting every inch of her body he could reach. When he came to her belly button he darted his tongue in and out massaging her thighs with his hands, slowly lifting them apart. Mustering her courage Scully buried her fingers in his hair. Encouraged, Mulder placed openmouthed kisses on the inside of her thighs feeling a slight quiver run through her body. Slowly and gently he worked his way to her center. With gentle kisses and strokes then with the help of his fingers she came moaning his name. He made his way back up her body and stroked back her hair as she reclaimed her breathing. Before she even opened her eyes Scully pushed down at Mulder’s pants.

"Scully...?"

Finally opening her eyes and smiled and pushed him onto his back. Mulder let out a laugh until she took him into her mouth. Working him with a strange familiarity it didn’t take long before he moaned out her name. They both lay silent until the chill of the night caused them to shiver. Scully pulled on all her clothes while Mulder only mustered enough strength to pull up his sweat pants. Cuddling up against his chest Scully tucked the blankets around them to lock out the cold reality of the world around them.

Day 28

Scully rolled away from Mulder after he gave her a little push. She quickly wrapped the blanket around herself to fight the chill as Mulder slowly eased off of the blankets and into the dark. Thinking nothing of it-he often woke to add more wood to the fire-Scully settled herself to sleep again when she heard scuffling, grunts and a few cries of pain. She sat upright and looked out in the night with eyes struggling to focus with the dim orange light of the fire and the pale gray haze of the half moon. She picked Mulder out amongst the trees struggling with a man slightly larger then himself. Shoving the blankets aside Scully grabbed her gun and flicked off the safety. She looked up just in time to see another man barreling towards her. Without a second thought she raised her gun and shot him in the chest. The man fell with a dull thud.

"Scully!" Mulder called while he struggled.

Lifting her eyes from the body a few feet in front of her she aimed her gun at the attacker. Crouching on her knees she followed the two trying to get a clear shot. Knowing this, Mulder ducked down and grabbed the man by the waist, trying to push him away from Scully. Focusing on the blonde haired man the best she could in the dark. The second gunfire echoed in the night and both men fell to the ground in a tangled heap. Scully jumped up from her spot on the ground. "Mulder?!"

He groaned and pushed at the body laying over him.

"Are you ok?" She fell to her knees beside him.

"No." He said softly. "He stabbed me."

"Oh God… Let me see." She leaned over to check him but he shifted away as he pressed his palm to his upper left arm.

"Wait. Get rid of the bodies before animals catch the scent." He leaned his back against a tree trunk feeling woozy.

Frowning, Scully nodded and dragged both the bodies over to the stream. The water level was still high from spring and the current slowly but surely dragged the men down stream after she dragged them as close to the center as she was able. Ignoring the cold coming through her soaked sweatpants she knelt by Mulder again. He was leaning silently against a tree with his eyes closed and his hand still clamped to his arm. "Mulder? I need to you come over to the fire so I can look at you."

He opened his eyes slowly and Scully helped him stand on weak legs and sit again.

"Is this blood all from you?" She asked quickly wiping away as much as she could with a towel from his bare chest.

"I don’t think so."

Scully pulled out her first aid kit. "I need to clean the cut." She motioned for him to move his hand. She quickly clamped hers over to replace it as the blood flowed out. "Damn it. Mulder, that’s deep." He just nodded and leaned back against a hiking bag to support his weight. One handed Scully pulled out a strip of rubber truncate, tying it with the help of her teeth. The bitter metallic taste of blood on her tongue brought another wave of adrenaline. She keep her hand pressed against him until she felt the hot thick flow diminish. "You with me?" She asked softly as she shinned a flashlight on the wound to get a better look.

"Always." He whispered.

She glanced up at him. "Do you think the knife hit the bone?"

"No."

"Good." She looked back down at his arm tight lipped. "I’m going to have to stitch that up… It’s going to hurt more, I don’t have anything to give you other then some aspirin." Fumbling to open the bottle with bloody fingers she placed three in his mouth and held a water bottle to his lips. "Drink it all." After half the bottle Mulder tried to turn away but she caught his face and forced the rest down his throat. Squeezing his hand in reassurance, Scully left to fill the pot with water. She placed it on the fire to boil so she was sure it was pure. "This is going to hurt." She warned as she readied herself to clean out the wound.

"It already does." Mulder informed quietly.

She glanced at his face only to see his eyes tightly closed and featured twisted in pain. Holding back her growing fears she flushed the wound. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry." She whispered as Mulder pointlessly fidgeted to get away from the pain. He made a strangled pained sound as response. After cleaning the best she was able to, Scully threaded the special needle with stitch thread and sat beside him. "Ok I’m going to sew it up now."

"Just do it." He mumbled bracing himself.

Nodding, even though his eyes were still closed, Scully inserted the needle in his swollen flesh. Mulder hissed out curses and tried to hold still as she quickly sewed the gash. Wordlessly she cleaned the surface with alcohol and wrapped a thick layer of gaze over it. Finished she scooted up to his head and took the hiking bag away, pulling his head down to her lap. "All done." She whispered as she stroked his hair.

Mulder nodded, breathing heavy from pain.

Scully began to rock his body gently, stroking his bare chest, hair, neck, anywhere she could reach. "Talk to me, Mulder." She whispered wanting him to stay awake for a while longer.

"About what?"

"I don’t know, anything…. Tell me about Nova."

He smiled softly. "Again? Scully I’ve told you all I know more times then I can count."

"I don’t care. I want to hear it again."

He nodded, needing a distraction from the pain. "Ok… It’s set up underground. A network of tunnels almost. We’ll have our own room. I don’t really know what it will look like. But each room has a small fireplace, a bed, a few hurricane lamps, and a drainage system. There’s center area where a larger fire is built. It’s set up so the smoke filters up and out, but not all in one big chimney. It separates and diminishes out into the open. In this center area there is a food room, every morning we have to get our rations, everyone gets the same amount. There is a running water system also. As much fresh water as we need, the drainage system empties out down stream from where the water comes in. There’s also a medical room where you will probably be spending most of your time. Like I said everyone has to work everyday. Whether it’s out in the gardens, hunting, keeping watch, in the food room, canning and drying food, collecting wood, I could go on and on, it all changes." Mulder stopped and moved his face into Scully’s touch where she rubbed his jaw with her palm. "It’s all a system." His voice slowly trailed off to a whisper. "I can't stay awake anymore, Scully."

Scully ran her hand over his damp forehead. "Go ahead and rest."

He gave a weak nod and turned his face into her thigh and swiftly fell into a needed sleep.

Scully sat with him for a long time. Just rocking and stroking him like a mother would with a sick child. Her adrenaline wore off soon enough. With careful movements she lay behind Mulder, curled protectively around his head. With him nestled against her abdomen, she fell into an anxious sleep.

Day 29

Scully woke after the sun had risen fully. She wiggled away from Mulder after gaining her bearings. Before even laying a hand on Mulder she knew he had a fever. His skin was flushed and damp to the touch. Carefully she unwrapped his arm and cleaned it. He murmured uncomfortably in his sleep. After bandaging him again she went through her bag looking for the bottle of vitamins she knew were there. She had planed on saving them until their food was extremely low but Mulder needed them now. "Mulder?" She gently stroked his cheek trying to rouse him. "Mulder, wake up."

"Mmm?" He went to turn towards her but stopped short and cringed. With a pained expression he opened his eyes and struggled to focus on her.

"Hey." She said softly. Moving to his head she carefully lifted him onto her thighs. "I need you to take some medicine." She placed the pills into his mouth and held water to his lips. "Slow down." She eased the bottle away slightly. Slowly he finished the water. "Want more?"

"No." He said in a dry voice. "Lay with me." He requested softly, letting his eyes slide shut.

Wordlessly, Scully lay on her side and pulled his head to rest on her arm, curling herself around him copying his protective stature in the way he often held her at night. He let out a long breath as she nuzzled the sweaty hair at his temple.

Scully watched him sleep throughout the day. His fever breaking and coming back many times causing him to stir uncomfortably. She changed the bandage often and only woke him for a moment to drink water.

Soon enough night caught up with Scully, bringing with it her exhaustion and mounting frustrations.

Day 31

Mulder woke to a thick tickle in the back of his throat. He held back the painful cough as long as he could. But eventually he body racked with harsh coughs leading to dry heaves. His body wouldn’t give up contracting his stomach until he rid himself of the bitter and thick bile. After many minutes he lay breathless and gasping and first became aware of Scully’s hand smoothing his back. He shivered violently as she placed a damp cloth on his forehead and rolled him onto his back, cradling his head. Wordlessly she pressed a water bottle to his lips. He sipped carefully, his throat dry and his mouth full of cotton, but dreadfully afraid of another heaving session. Finally catching his breath, Mulder opened his eyes.

The sky was dim, hazy, dead. Knowing his voice wouldn’t cooperate he glanced questionably at Scully.

"You’ve been out for a couple days now, if you were trying to scare the shit out of me it worked." He gave her a short apologetic smile. "There were more bombings last night." She whispered following his gaze to the sky. "Pretty close." She added in a softer tone. Mulder wanted to speak. Wanted to tell her things. But his voice box ignored his brain. "I know what you are going to tell me." She said without looking at him but with a slightly humorous smile. "You are going to say for me to take the map and go ahead without you. I bet you had the map memorized four seconds after you got it. You’re gonna say that you will be ok. You’ll rest for a few more days then slowly make your way to Nova. But I should go ahead without you. After all they must need a doctor and that’s what I am. You will be along. You promise. You love me and you are doing this for me." Finally she looked down at him, still with a smile. "Well save it pal. It ain’t gonna happen."

With a soft dry chuckle, Mulder nodded. That’s what he was going to say.

Scully leaned down a placed a light kiss on his lips. "Can you talk?"

"No." He said with a shit-eating grin in a very hoarse voice.

"Good." She copied his smile as she rubbed his arms with her palms. "You talk too much anyway."

Mulder pouted out his lower lip. "I haven’t said anything for two days." He pointed out, his voice cracking dryly every few syllables.

Scully cringed and placed her hand over his mouth as she cleared her throat because it wouldn’t help him. "As much as I did miss your company you need to stop talking now before I go hoarse from listening to you."

He placed a kiss on the palm over his mouth.

With a smile she gently lifted his head off of her and placed it on a rolled up blanket. "I want you to eat." Mulder interrupted her with a groan. "I know you must feel terrible but you need to. I want to give you some pills to but I don’t think they will stay down on a empty stomach." She routed through the bags for a moment looking for soft bland foods. Furrowing her brow she examined the inner plastic bags of foods, the outer cardboard disposed off long ago to save space. "How about some Bisquick?" She asked brightly. Mulder groaned again. "I knew you would like it!" She prepared the dough then sat by Mulder’s side as it baked and slowly unwrapped his arm.

"How am I, doc?" He whispered.

She set to cleaning the wound. "Um… You have an infection, not too bad. I… I did what I could but you came down with a fever. That’s why you were asleep for a few days. I think you will be ok but we need to stay here for a few more days so don’t try to jump up tomorrow and get going." She glared sternly at him while he just smiled innocently.