From: char@chaffin.com   
      
   ROCKY MOUNTAIN INTERLUDE, Chapter One   
   By Char Chaffin and Tess   
   MSR, Casefile, AU   
   Rating:  Strong R   
   Spoilers:  FTF, Most of Season Seven   
      
   Disclaimers:  Clones on Loan   
      
   Thanks:  To Sallie, Carol and Teresa for beta above and beyond the   
   call of duty; to Robin, Donna, AlyC and Shelba for preview and   
   advice!  Ladies, you're the tops!   
      
   Summary:  While vacationing in Colorado Mulder and Scully uncover   
   disturbing evidence that reflects the history of the alien virus -   
      
      
      
   Chapter One   
   Estes Park, Colorado   
   July, 2000   
      
   Mulder stepped out of the shower and briskly ran a towel over his   
   arms and chest.  He secured the towel around his waist and opened the   
   bathroom door. He glanced around the hotel room and caught sight of   
   Scully through the glass doors that led to the private balcony of   
   their suite.  Padding across the room, he slid open the doors and   
   joined her.   
      
   "Breakfast should be here soon," she murmured as he slid his arms   
   around her. She leaned her head against his chest and sighed   
   contentedly.  It was promising to be a spectacular day.  The snow-   
   capped peaks of the Rockies stood out in stark contrast against the   
   brilliantly blue sky.  Their balcony overlooked a clear, mountain   
   lake and Rocky Mountain National Park.   
      
   "You glad we came?" He pressed a kiss against her cheek and she   
   smiled softly.  Eyes closed, she tilted her face upward, enjoying the   
   warmth of the sun on her cheeks, the feel of Mulder's arms around her   
   and the peacefulness of their surroundings.  There had been so much   
   upheaval in their lives in the last few months, beginning with the   
   one-two punch of the death of Mulder's mother along with his   
   acceptance of the permanent loss of Samantha from his life and   
   culminating in their fruitless efforts to create a child.   
      
   When the last attempt at invitro fertilization had failed, she had   
   been broken, beaten; he had picked her up and carried her through yet   
   another crisis.  And something between them... changed.  Where once   
   they had exclusively spent their evenings eating take-out and going   
   over the latest case or writing up a report, they began instead to   
   find time to relax and just enjoy one another's company without the   
   excuse of work.  A few tentative, almost shy kisses; eating popcorn   
   and watching a few video rentals together - they learned to   
   intersperse those moments into their lives.  The intrusion of her   
   past into their present leading her to the realization that all roads   
   led directly to him... in the six weeks since, they had made the   
   transition from friends to lovers with astounding ease.   
      
   They had cashed in two weeks of vacation time and had settled   
   happily in the Colorado Rockies to relax and get to know each other   
   away from all things familiar.   
      
   Scully opened her eyes and glanced back at him.  "I'm very glad   
   we're here," she smiled.  "I've wanted to go away and spend work-   
   free, alien-free, monster-free time with you for a very long time   
   now," she admitted.  She turned her attention back to the panoramic   
   view before them.  "What do you want to do today?"   
      
   "Weellll..." he drawled as his fingers played with the drawstring of   
   her lightweight, cotton pajama bottoms.  "I was thinking that we   
   could..." Sneaky fingers dipped beneath the now-loosened material to   
   trace a teasing pattern over the soft skin of her stomach.   
      
   She squirmed in a half-hearted protest.  "Mulder, we've been here   
   two days and we haven't left the hotel."   
      
   His teeth grazed her jaw in a nipping bite.  "And that's a problem   
   because...?"  His hand slipped lower, encouraging her to his way of   
   thinking.   
      
   "Breakfast will be here soon," she reminded him weakly.   
      
   He turned her in his arms.  "That's good," he whispered.  "You need   
   to eat to keep up your strength."   
      
   Scully laughed and threw her arms around his neck.  "Okay," she   
   agreed.  "But after breakfast, we're going out."   
      
   He drew her back into their room and eased her down onto the rumpled   
   bed. "After lunch," he countered as he stretched out over her.   
      
   "We'll argue about it later," she murmured against his lips.   
      
   ***********   
      
   In the end, they compromised on a late breakfast and a stroll around   
   town.  Scully had been content to window shop but one store had drawn   
   her attention and Mulder had followed her inside.  The shop was   
   filled with handcrafted leather goods and jewelry.  Scully trailed   
   her fingers over a beautifully stitched leather coat and then   
   gravitated toward a glass case filled with Native American jewelry.   
   As she poured over a display of silver and turquoise earrings, Mulder   
   wandered around the shop.  One small corner of the store was crammed   
   with a clutter of postcards, maps and books dedicated to the area.   
   He flipped through several travel guides and glanced with some   
   interest at a map book of suggested scenic drives.  He looked over   
   his shoulder and saw that Scully was still raptly looking at the   
   jewelry.  He shoved the map book back onto the shelf and let his gaze   
   wander over the rest of the books.   
      
   His eyes lit up at the title of one book and he drew it off the   
   shelf. "Mysteries of Colorado:  Hauntings, Ghost Towns and Other   
   Strange Phenomena." He leaned against a wall and flipped to the table   
   of contents.   
      
   "Hey Scully, listen to this."  Book in hand he strolled across the   
   room to her side.  She smiled up at him as he leaned against the   
   display case.  "According to this book, there are a number of ghost   
   towns in Colorado," he said as he skimmed through the book.   
      
   Scully immediately started to shake her head.  Rising up on her   
   toes, she brushed her mouth against his ear.  "Work-free, alien-free,   
   monster-free time," she reminded him in a whisper.   
      
   Mulder opened his mouth to protest, but then he remembered the   
   'nothing that goes bump in the night' pledge he had made to her when   
   they were making their vacation plans.  He stifled a regretful sigh   
   and nodded in agreement.   
      
   "What do you think of these?"  Scully tilted her head to show him   
   the earrings she had chosen.   
      
   He tapped a finger against the jewelry.  "Pretty," he agreed.  He   
   stroked his fingers over the curve of her cheek and turned away.  As   
   he wandered back to the other side of the store, he continued to flip   
   through the book.  On impulse, he veered away from the bookcase and   
   carried the book to the counter.   
      
   "I'm going to take this," he told the old man working the cash   
   register.   
      
   "There's a ghost town 'bout fifty miles from here," the man said as   
   he tucked the book into a plastic bag.   
      
   "Yeah?" Mulder asked as he handed his money to the other man.  "What   
   can you tell me about it?"   
      
      
   ***********   
      
   The next day dawned as bright and beautiful as the previous day.   
   After another late breakfast, Mulder and Scully decided to while away   
   the rest of the morning hours relaxing by the hotel's pool.  After   
   slathering herself with sunscreen, Scully abandoned the idea of   
   reading the book in her tote bag in favor of dozing in the warmth of   
   the sun.  While she slept, Mulder pulled out the book he had   
   purchased and was soon engrossed in its stories.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)