TITLE: Falling Snow, Chapter 10/10
AUTHOR: Snark
E-MAIL: snark_911@yahoo.com
CLASSIFICATION: SA (Story, Angst) plus some UST
KEYWORDS: NONE
RATING: PG-13 
SPOILERS: This story is set before the Two Fathers/
One Son episodes. While there are no true pre-requisites 
for this story, allusions are made to at least the 
following episodes: Sleepless, Red Museum, Detour, 
Triangle, Shapes, Alpha, Bad Blood, Clyde Bruckman's 
Final Repose, and Tithonus. 
DISTRIBUTION: OK to forward to ATXC newsgroup and to
Gossamer. Please ask permission before archiving anywhere
else, please. Or at least let me know that you have 
archived it, so that I can keep track of where it's listed.
DISCLAIMER: The characters of The X-Files universe belong
to Chris Carter, the FOX network and 1013 Productions.
No infringement is intended and no money is being made by
the existence of this story. (Unfortunately.) However, 
the characters of Khi Shaolin and Mobaje are my own creation. 
These characters are not for use by any other fanfic author 
without my express, written consent.
FEEDBACK: Mail comments to snark_911@yahoo.com.
AUTHOR HOMEPAGE: http://www.smartania.com/snark/index.html
SUMMARY: Mulder, Scully and a mysterious woman from Mulder's
past crash in the snowy landscape of the Colorado winter. 









-------------
Chapter 10
-------------


Two days later, Mulder was released from the hospital. His leg 
wounds were healing nicely, with no signs of infection from 
either the original wound or the burning Scully had performed. 
The surgery earlier had cleaned out the few small fragments of 
wood that remained and his blood loss had been restored. Since 
he showed no other signs of injury, they saw no reason to keep 
him in the hospital.

The doctors warned him against trying to do too much too soon, 
though. They knew he had been walking here and there around 
his room and such, and they cautioned him against overstressing 
the leg. As Scully signed the final release paperwork and such, 
she watched the doctors hand him a pair of crutches and advise 
that he use them for a week. Scully hid her smile as she heard 
Mulder politely thank them as he took the crutches--those 
crutches would soon be taking up permanent residence in the 
trunk of the car, if she knew Mulder.

Arriving at the Westin Hotel, Scully pulled into the valet parking 
drive. Mulder was already clambering out of the passenger side 
before she could get around to assist him. He waved her off, 
saying that his leg actually felt better when he was using it. She 
knew it was a lie, that he just wanted to do it by himself, but she 
let it slide with a small smile. 

While Mulder took a seat in the comfortable hotel lobby, Scully 
went to check in at the front desk. Finding nothing registered 
under either Scully or Mulder, she had the woman check under 
Shaolin. 

"Yes, here we have it. Your names are listed under the single 
booking, since the suites have already been paid for," the woman 
said as she indicated the places Scully should sign the 
registration card.

"Suites?" she asked.

"Yes, you've both been booked into our penthouse suites, floor 
42. Master bedroom, sitting room, living room, balcony hot tub, 
private bar, master bath with Jacuzzi, unlimited room service..." 
the woman reeled off the amenities one by one, finally catching 
the surprised look in Scully's eye. "Is that not acceptable, 
ma'am?"

"Um, ah... no, that sounds fine. Perfect, in fact," she finally 
stammered out. Geez, when Khi books a room, Scully thought, 
she really books a *room.*

"Here are your keycards, then. Suites 4202 and 4203, with the 
party registrar being in Suite 4201. Between the three of you, you 
have the entire floor to yourselves. Enjoy your stay at the Westin, 
ma'am," the woman said, handing Scully the keycards with a 
smile.

"Thanks," Scully said, returning the smile as she turned away 
from the desk.

Signaling to Mulder to join her, she pressed the call button for 
the elevator, pleasantly surprised when one arrived almost 
immediately--slow hotel elevators were one her pet peeves. As 
they ascended, Scully mentioned that they'd have to do a little 
shopping later. When Mulder asked why, she said she had called 
the Regal Springs Hotel back in Colorado Springs.

"I had hoped to be able to get our luggage brought over here, or 
at least go get it ourselves, but they already boxed everything up 
and shipped it to our homes," she explained. "So as of this 
moment, our possessions include the clothes on our backs, our 
IDs and the complimentary soap bars in the bathrooms."

Mulder laughed then, the sound echoing through the elevator car 
and washing over Scully. It was the first real laugh since she'd 
heard since Mulder had woken up in the hospital, and she was 
very, very glad to hear it. 

"Well, at least we'll be clean," he quipped, holding the elevator 
doors for her as they arrived at their destination. As they stepped 
out of the elevator, Scully was impressed—the *hallway* here is 
nicer than most of the *rooms* I've had, she thought with a 
laugh.

"Let's see now, you're in 4203, Mulder," Scully said, flipping to 
the correct keycard. "Let's get you in and settled first."

"Okay, mom," Mulder said, heaving an exaggerated sigh. He 
laughed again as he saw her restrain herself from slapping him 
upside the head. "Ah, the joys of being an injured man." Scully 
swung open the suite door and they stepped inside. Whatever 
sarcastic reply had been forming on her lips was soon forgotten 
as they drew to a stop after a couple steps. 

Magnificent, floor-to-ceiling windows covered the entire far wall 
of the suite, giving an unrestricted view across the city and to the 
mountains beyond. A sunken hot tub could be seen out on the 
large balcony--an image of a luxurious midnight soak sprang into 
Scully's mind. Wandering slowly through the suite, they saw that 
the rooms were luxurious, yet not overdone--it appeared that 
comfort, not merely stylishness, had been the deciding design 
factor. 

Scully was glancing through the private bar when Mulder called 
to her from the bedroom. "Scully, c'mere! You won't believe 
this," he said, breaking into a laugh as she stepped through the 
doorway and stood next to him. I *don't* believe it, she 
thought...

The closet doors were open, revealing hanger upon hanger of 
clothes. From blue jeans to a charcoal suit, from cotton T-shirts 
to silk dress shirts, Mulder's closet had been filled with 
everything he could have possibly needed. The dresser drawers 
were opened slightly, socks and other personal belongs peeking 
their way out as Scully and Mulder stared around the room. 

But it was the item hanging by the bedroom entrance to the 
balcony that was most amazing. An absolutely stunning black 
tuxedo, complete with tails, hung by the window. Drawing 
closer, Scully could see that the cummerbund and tie were a 
sparkling, deep green. White gloves sat beside a cane on the 
small table, a small card propped up against them.

While she fingered the shimmering, silken shirt, Mulder picked 
up and read the card...

"My friends,

        Dine with us tonight at Les deux Ames, 
             8:00 tonight. A limo will pick you
                  up downstairs at 7:30.

                          I promise, no parachuting..."


Scully smiled as Mulder read the note, prompting him to ask her 
what she was smiling at. "Oh nothing. The name reminded me of 
something Khi was saying," Scully said.

"Why, what does it mean?" Mulder asked. He looked back down 
at the note, but he could only decipher the 'deux' part of it. 

"You'll find out later," she said. "Meanwhile, I have to check out 
my room and see what she left for me. At least, I assume she 
didn't get you that tux and intend to leave me in these sweats."

"OK. I plan on partaking of that bar and perhaps going for a dip 
in the Jacuzzi--I think my leg will thank me," Mulder said, 
heading out of the room and zeroing in on the bar. 

Crossing through the main room, Scully opened the door and 
turned back to look at Mulder. "Swing over and get me just 
before 7:30, then," she said, glancing at him for confirmation.

"I'll do that," he said with a wink.

For the first time in all the years they'd worked together, Scully 
winked back. She laughed as she exited the suite, the sound of a 
wine glass falling to the floor clearly audible behind her.

Entering her own room, just down the hallway from Mulder's, 
Scully found she had the same breathtaking view from her main 
room as well. While the orientation of her suite was 'opposite' 
that of Mulder's, the rooms had the same floor-to-ceiling 
windows spanning the same wall. After taking a moment to 
enjoy the scenery once again, she turned and headed into the 
bedroom.

The same scene, tailored for Scully's needs, presented itself as 
she walked in. The closets and drawers were filled with clothing, 
several personal effects lined up on the counter in the master 
bath. 

Of course this time, instead of a tuxedo, a formal evening gown 
hung by the window. Scully had never seen such a dress in all 
her life--its lines were exquisite even as it hung on the simple 
hanger. The dress fell away from the right shoulder, flowing 
across the body as it dipped low in the back. The hemline would 
fall just below the knees, except where it was slit up the side 
several inches.

But it was the material itself that was the most striking. 
Decidedly metallic, but not sparkly or snakeskin-like, it 
shimmered in the late afternoon sun with a life all its own. And 
she knew without question the color was an exact match for the 
green of Mulder's tuxedo. A wrap of the same material was 
draped across the nightstand, again with a small card next to it. 

   "Hey Scully,

         Take another leap tonight.

               He'll be waiting on the other side..."

Scully smiled as she put the card back on the table. Of all the 
things she knew in her life, that was the only one of which she 
was absolutely certain.

Mulder would be there for her, no matter where they ended up. 

     *    *    *    *    *    *

After a couple hours of relaxing, lounging around the suite 
watching an old movie on the large screen TV, Scully figured 
she'd better start getting ready for the evening. A long, luxurious 
shower was first on the list. She found that Khi had supplied her 
with a seemingly endless array of bath oils and scented soaps--by 
now, Scully didn't even bat an eye at Khi knowing exactly what 
she was thinking. After wavering between a shower and a bath, 
Scully finally decided on a shower, deciding to try the soap 
labeled "Moonlight Orchid."

The shower was wonderful, the hot water coursing over her body 
and melting away the last of the tension from the previous days. 
Even at the hospital, the quick shower she'd taken had been filled 
with anxiety, as she had wanted to get back out into the hospital 
and check on Mulder. Now, though, she was free to just stand 
and let the water do its work. 

After stepping out of the shower, she dried off and wrapped 
herself in one of the soft hotel robes. As she started to sort 
through the hair care products on the counter, she realized she 
hadn't decided how to do her hair yet. She took another long look 
at the dress, taking it down from the window to view it equally 
from all sides. She decided on a simple upswept French braid, 
knowing it would set off the lines of the dress more so than a 
'down' style. 

Taking her time over the next hour, Scully slowly got herself 
ready for the evening. Hair, makeup, nails--nothing was left 
undone. She became more and more amazed as the minutes 
passed. Khi had literally thought of everything. 

By 7:00, there was just the gown itself left to be put on. Scully 
took a deep breath as she slid the fabric up her body, cringing 
against the very thought that it wouldn't fit. It'll be perfect, she 
told herself firmly--after all this, there's no way it can't be 
perfect.

As she slid her arm through the one loop of fabric and settled the 
dress across her body, she realized there was another problem to 
be solved first. There was no one to zip the dress for her. Even 
though the back was cut quite low, she had never been an expert 
at zipping herself into a gown--she had always been afraid of 
tearing the material as she twisted.

While Mulder was the obvious, quickest solution to the problem, 
Scully didn't want him to see her in anything less than her final 
form. She wanted to open that door, watching him in that tux as 
he watched her in this dress--she didn't want to say "Oh, here, zip 
me up quick, then come back and get me later."

She tapped her foot lightly as she ran through the options. 
Glancing around the room, she realized the answer was staring 
her right in the face. You're in a penthouse suite, my darling, she 
said to herself--what's a concierge for except to help with 
situations like this? Laughing as she glanced through the leather-
bound hotel services directory, Scully quickly dialed the number 
for the hotel concierge.

"Yes, Ms. Scully, how may I help you?" a deep, cultured voice 
said. Wow, Scully thought, they must have their phone line tied 
directly in the registry. At least for those of us in the 
penthouses...

"Yes, I have something of a dilemma and I'm hoping you can 
find a way to assist me," she said. "I'm dressing for a formal 
evening tonight, and have just now realized there are certain 
drawbacks to having a room to myself." 

She hoped the man would understand her request without her 
actually having to say "Zip me up, buttercup."

"Yes, of course, Ms. Scully. I understand completely, it is a 
rather common request. I will send..." he paused for a second, 
obviously searching through something. "I will send Kathryn up 
to assist you right away."

"Thank you so much," Scully said with a sigh of relief.

"My pleasure, Ms. Scully. Have a pleasant evening," the man 
said as he hung up the phone. 

Three minutes later, there was a gentle knock at her door. 
Checking quickly to ensure that it wasn't Mulder arriving early, 
Scully opened the door to allow the woman into the room. Girl, 
really, she corrected herself--Kathryn couldn't have been more 
than twenty years old, if even that. 

"How may I assist you, Ms. Scully?" the girl asked politely, even 
though it was obvious what the problem was. 

"Yes, could you zip me up, please? I can never seem to do it by 
myself," Scully said, turning so that Kathryn could help her.

"Of course, of course," Kathryn said, quickly finding the hidden 
zipper and closing up the dress easily. With a studied ease, she 
performed a few quick pulls on the fabric, smoothing it here and 
shifting it there. Coming around to the front, she straightened the 
shoulder where it had gotten twisted. Finally, she stepped away, 
directing Scully's attention across to the full-length mirror near 
the door. 

Any doubts Scully had about the dress not fitting were forgotten. 
It was, quite simply, the most beautiful creation Scully had ever 
had the pleasure of wearing. The gown conformed to her body as 
if it had been fitted specifically to her. There wasn't a wrinkle or 
gap to be found, not a single place where the gown didn't flow 
smoothly across her skin.

"Is there a wrap with this gown?" Kathryn asked, glancing 
around the room.

"Yes, it's in the bedroom, how did you know?" Scully replied as 
Kathryn went to get it. 

"My father is a clothing designer--this type of dress *always* has 
a wrap or a shawl," Kathryn called out from the bedroom. She 
soon returned to the main room, the wrap laid across one arm. A 
delicate matching purse and a tiny box were in her hand.

"These were concealed beneath the wrap, Ms. Scully," she said, 
handing the box to Scully as she began to smooth out the wrap. 
Scully's breath caught in her throat as she opened it. 

A diamond pendant on a platinum chain rested inside the box, a 
set of matched earrings completing the set. Even in the relatively 
dim lighting of the room, they sparkled as if being displayed in 
the sun. Scully slipped the earrings in quickly, asking Kathryn to 
fasten the chain about her neck. Smoothing the chain against her 
neck, Scully couldn't help but smile at the reflection looking back 
at her. She stepped into the shoes Khi had provided, the heels the 
perfect length for both comfort and style.

Kathryn draped the wrap around Scully's back and arms, 
showing her exactly where and how to hold the material in 
combination with the purse. Scully was glad for her help, since 
she had rarely worn a gown which included a wrap. Kathryn 
stepped back, inspecting the dress from a few feet away before 
finally smiling in approval.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Scully whispered, unable to take her eyes 
off the reflection. She could hardly believe she was seeing 
herself standing there.

"It is perfect, Ms. Scully. Truly, you look like a queen," Kathryn 
said. "If you need nothing else, I will leave you to your evening."

"You've been a great help, thank you," Scully said, starting to 
cross to the stand where she had laid her supply of cash. 

"No, please, it was my pleasure," Kathryn said, opening the door 
to exit into the hallway. "Enjoy your evening, Ms. Scully." 
Coming back to take a final look at herself, Scully smiled once 
more.

Yes, I believe I will...

     *    *    *    *    *    *

At five minutes to 7:30, there was a knock at her door. As Scully 
crossed in from the other room to answer it, she realized she 
hadn't been this excited since... well, she couldn't remember a 
time when she'd been this excited. Even her high school prom, 
while exciting, had really been just a fancy night out with a guy 
she'd already been dating for a while. But this... this had the 
heady feeling of something new, something wonderful. 

Scully drank it in like wine, savoring every giddy sensation, 
every skip her heart took as she approached the door. Pausing for 
just a second as her hand rested on the latch, she took a deep 
breath. Finally, she opened the door.

Mulder had been turned slightly, looking off through the hallway 
window as he waited for her to answer the door. As he heard the 
door swing open, he turned back, his mouth dropping open 
slightly as he caught sight of her. Which was fine by her, since 
she was doing the same thing as she looked at him.

She had always been aware that Mulder was a good-looking 
man. It was hard to work side-by-side with someone for years 
and not become familiar with every detail of their physical 
appearance. But as he stood before her now, she was quite 
certain she must have been blind before this night.

The jacket hung straight across his shoulders, tapering perfectly 
to his narrow waist as the tails continued down the length of his 
legs. The pants were the slightly wider, 'mobster' style, the pleats 
falling straight and crisp. The gloves and the cane, accessories 
she usually didn't go for, simply accentuated the flawless look.

But it was the green of the cummerbund and tie that clinched it. 
Swirling and shimmering, they were the perfect match for his 
eyes--it was as though someone had specifically created the color 
directly from his irises. 

"Scully, you look..."

"Mulder, wow, you..."

They broke into laughter then, each a little nervous as they stood 
on their respective sides of the doorway. They simply looked at 
each other a bit longer. Finally, Mulder tipped his cane up to his 
right arm, stepping to face the door squarely as he held his left 
hand out to her. 

"My lady," he said simply, bowing slightly from the waist as she 
stepped forward to take his hand. He reached behind her to draw 
the door shut, then took her hand and threaded it to his forearm, 
his hand gently covering hers as they began to walk to the 
elevator.

They rode in silence, each stealing glances at the other as they 
descended. The doors opened on the first floor and they made 
their way out into the lobby. As they worked their way across to 
the main entrance, people smiled and nodded to them, one 
woman even calling out "You two look beautiful!" as she saw 
them. Mulder and Scully could do little but smile themselves, 
embarrassed but enjoying it fully. 

Reaching the main entrance, Mulder inquired at the valet desk as 
to whether Khi's limo had arrived yet or not. The attendant told 
him the limo had just called in, the driver reporting that an 
accident had blocked traffic for a few minutes but he expected to 
be arriving within five minutes. 

"I apologize for the inconvenience," the attendant said sincerely, 
as if it were he himself who had caused the delay. "You may 
have a complimentary drink in the lounge while you wait, if you 
like, sir, ma'am."

Mulder glanced at Scully, checking to see what she wanted to do. 
She glanced at the lounge, but realized she didn't want to bother 
threading her way to a table only to leave a few minutes later.

"We'll just wait, but thank you," she said to the man. He again 
apologized, but she told him not to worry about it. 

As they stood waiting for the limo, Scully began to feel a little 
warm. Whether it was from the excitement of the evening or just 
the slightly too-warm interior of the hotel, she wasn't sure. But 
she was definitely feeling slightly uncomfortable. 

"Mulder, let's step outside and wait, at least for a minute. I'm 
getting a little warm in here," she said, stepping towards the door 
a bit as she spoke. 

"Are you all right?" he asked, instantly concerned. "You're not 
feeling sick or anything, are you?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Just a little overheated," she answered.

"Well, you are with me, you know. I have that effect on women 
all the time," he teased as he followed her through the revolving 
door into the outside air. Compared to the near-zero temperatures 
they'd endured for days, the balmy 31 degrees which blinked on 
the sign across the street felt practically tropical. 

"Yeah, whatever, shut up, Mulder," she said, laughing as she 
breathed deeply. Yes, this was definitely much better, she 
thought. Her eyes roamed across the city, enjoying the play of 
the lights against the buildings. 

"Hey, Scully," Mulder said after a minute.

"Hmm?" she said, turning to glance up at him. He just looked at 
her for a while, his eyes playing across every inch of her face as 
she watched him.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he said, his voice a bit husky 
as he spoke. 

As he looked at her, his eyes seemed to reach out and touch her 
soul. They sparkled with a light all their own, a light she knew 
was mirrored in her own. She realized she was right where she'd 
been before, wavering on the brink of a bottomless abyss, 
looking down a path only the gods knew the end of. 

She threw herself over the edge with all her heart, and smiled as 
she saw Mulder falling right beside her. 

His hand reached up, a single finger tracing its way across her 
jaw and under her chin. He tipped her face up, bending his own 
down to meet her lips with his. A quick kiss, lasting barely a 
second, but Scully felt it rock through her body like a lightning 
strike. As he broke away from her, she saw it had affected him 
the same way. They both shivered, for reasons that had nothing 
to do with the brisk night air.

Mulder reached out and folded his arms around her, drawing her 
close to his chest as he rested his chin on her head. "I'll be here 
forever, too," he said, closing his eyes as he spoke, a single tear 
escaping from his eye. Scully tightened her arms around him as 
she smiled, knowing she hadn't made the leap alone. This time, 
they had taken the leap together, meeting in the middle as one.

She watched as a light snow began falling, sparkling in the city 
lights as it swirled around them.


      *** 30 *********  Story End  *********** 30 ***
      *** 30 *********  Story End  *********** 30 ***
      *** 30 *********  Story End  *********** 30 ***

 

Comments? Feedback? Questions?

Please contact me at snark_911@yahoo.com to discuss this story.

Thanks for reading!

~Snark