From: char@chaffin.com   
      
   ROCKY MOUNTAIN INTERLUDE, Chapter Ten   
   By Char Chaffin and Tess   
   MSR, Casefile, AU   
   Rating:  Strong R   
   Spoilers:  FTF, Most of Season Seven   
   Feedback:  to Tnv099@aol.com; char@chaffin.com   
      
   Headers and summary, see Part 1   
      
      
   Chapter Ten   
   Millersburg, CO   
      
      
   It was a beautiful Monday afternoon that found Scully walking along   
   the road toward town.  Although they had fallen asleep early on   
   Saturday evening, the combination of their discovery at the Franklin   
   homestead and their lovemaking had left them exhausted and they had   
   slept almost fourteen hours.  They had awakened on Sunday morning   
   hungry and they prepared a quick breakfast.  As they ate, they once   
   again discussed the events of the previous day.  Deciding to take   
   advantage of the fact that the mine would be closed, they had set off   
   for the cave armed with their flashlight, two oil lamps and a coil of   
   rope.  Before they had left the cabin, Scully had dug through the   
   closet for her leather carryall.   
      
   "I don't want to leave it behind if we get lucky and figure a way   
   out of here," she had said in response to his questioning look.   
      
   Upon arriving at the cave, Mulder had secured one end of the rope to   
   a tree near the entrance and coiled the other end around his hand.   
   "I'm tired of worrying about taking the wrong turn in there," he had   
   explained.  He had taken Scully's hand in his own and started into   
   the cave, turning in surprise when she balked and refused to step   
   inside.   
      
   "What's wrong?"   
      
   "If you're right... if whatever killed the Franklins is in the   
   mine... what's to stop it from being in the cave as well?" Her   
   question hung in the air as they contemplated the new danger that the   
   cave now represented.   
      
   "You make a good point," Mulder acknowledged, stunned that they   
   hadn't thought of that before now.  They'd stared at each other for   
   several long moments, feeling helpless and undecided.  Finally, he   
   shrugged and turned to look back into the cave.   
      
   "We've been in and out of this cave several times now," he pointed   
   out reasonably.  "Nothing's happened to us."   
      
   "Yet."   
      
   He nodded in silent acknowledgment of her words.  "I don't see that   
   we have any other choice, though."   
      
   "I guess not," she sighed.  "Let's just go."   
      
   Using the flashlight and one of the lamps, they had set off into the   
   inky interior of the cave, moving cautiously at first, jumping at   
   every shadow.  They had spent hours exploring the cave, once again   
   pressing their hands to the walls, searching fruitlessly for a way   
   back home.   
      
   "I don't know," he had complained.  "We've tried everything that we   
   can think of."   
      
   "Maybe we have to be here at a certain time or on a certain day..."   
      
   He had shrugged and after taking a cautious glance around, sat down   
   heavily on the hard ground.  "Maybe."  He scraped a hand through his   
   hair.  "I just don't know."   
      
   "Do you think the drawings on the wall are a clue?"   
      
   He had shrugged tiredly but looked up at the wall with renewed   
   interest.  "Could be."   
      
   Scully had plopped down onto the ground beside him and balanced her   
   backpack on her lap.  As she had rummaged through the bag, he   
   looked down at her curiously.   
      
   "What are you doing?"   
      
   "I think I've got a pen and some... ah!"  She had pulled out a small   
   notepad.  "Would you stand up and hold the light closer to the wall?"   
   He had lit the second lamp and set it down on the ground next to her,   
   then stood and held the other lamp over his head to illuminate the   
   drawings while Scully carefully copied them into the notepad.  When   
   she had finished, they packed up their things and followed the rope   
   guide back to the mouth of the cave.   
      
   "Well, that was a waste of time," she had commented as they stepped   
   out of the cave.   
      
   Mulder had shielded his eyes against the sudden, bright light of the   
   late afternoon sun.  "It's getting late," he commented.  "Let's go   
   home."   
      
   As they walked away, Scully glanced over her shoulder toward the   
   gloomy interior of the cave.  Home, she had thought.  If only it were   
   that easy.   
      
   They'd spent the evening going over the copies of the drawings until   
   their eyes were heavy-lidded with exhaustion, before giving up.  The   
   images and symbols seemed random, the same as most cipher-type codes.   
   Viewed separately they made no more sense than when viewed as a whole   
   message.  The longer Mulder stared at them the more frustrated he'd   
   become, until he just threw up his hands.   
      
   He rubbed at his tired eyes.  "I've got to get up early tomorrow for   
   work."  Mulder closed the notepad and stood.  "Let's go to bed."   
   Scully nodded and forced herself to her feet, stretching her stiff   
   muscles.   
      
   In the gloom of a single lamp, they had undressed and poured   
   themselves into the soft mattress, for once so tired that even   
   washing up was too much of a chore.  Beneath a single blanket they   
   snuggled, wrapped around each other, holding fast.  With a few   
   murmured words of love, they had fallen asleep within minutes.   
      
   After seeing him off the next morning, Scully had gone about the   
   routine chores of feeding the chickens and gathering eggs.  This time   
   not only had she found a few large brown eggs in one of the nests,   
   but the hen responsible had actually let her remove them without much   
   fuss, squawking or beak-pecking.  Scully took that as a good sign.   
      
   She had cleaned the kitchen and gathered all of the soiled laundry   
   and bed linens.  She hauled bucket after bucket of water from the   
   pump to the cabin until her arms and shoulders ached.  After heating   
   the water, Scully lugged it back outside and poured it over the dirty   
   laundry sorted by color in two galvanized tin tubs to soak overnight.   
   She dreaded the thought of doing the laundry tomorrow.  Putting the   
   overwhelming thought out of her head, she went inside for a bite to   
   eat only to realize that she still had to go shopping.   
      
   The work had kept her busy - busy enough that she'd been able to put   
   aside her worries about what was seemingly happening around them and   
   the growing depression that pressed down on her.  However, alone on   
   the walk to town, there was nothing to occupy her mind.  Eager for   
   the distractions an afternoon of grocery shopping could offer,   
   Scully quickened her pace.   
      
   She arrived in Millersburg a short while later and was heading   
   toward Silas Cranston's general store when the sound of metal   
   clanging against metal caught her attention.  Scully turned away   
   from the store and walked toward the livery, suddenly impatient to   
   see Mulder. She ducked under the overhang and found him hard at   
   work.   
      
   His back was to her and he was striking a hammer against a metal   
   pole that he was holding in place with a long-handled pair of tongs.   
   He was shirtless and she watched the muscles of his back and arms   
   bunch and loosen with every strike of the hammer.  A rivulet of sweat   
   ran down the column of his spine to join the others that had already   
   soaked into the waistband of his pants.   
      
   He was all the distraction she could ask for and she was reluctant   
   to break the spell, but she wanted to talk with him... see his face.   
      
   "Mul... Will!"   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)