From: mksr79@aol.com (MKSR79) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: Two of Hearts Date: 13 Feb 1996 17:40:46 -0500 I'm posting this for a friend so DON'T SEND MAIL TO ME!!!!!! SEND ALL RESPONSES TO AJEDI2@@AOL.COM. Previously posted to Extreme Possibilities ************** 1-%9t From: A jedi 2@aol.com (Barbara Nice-Miller) Subject: Two of Hearts - New Short Story Date: February 2, 1996 All Characters copyright of Ten Thirteen Productions, Chris Carter and Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement intended on my part...just having a little fun. OK, this is my very first attempt at an XF story. So, please, try not to flame me too bad. :-) But please do send your comments or complaints to A jedi 2@aol.com I'd love to get some feedback. Thanks for reading! **WARNING** Third season spoilers in here. You've been warned. Keep in mind this was written days after "Syzygy" aired. Category: MSR Summary: Mulder and Scully are involved in a plane crash in the mountains. Hurt and stranded, they must depend on each other and come to terms with their feelings for one another. Two of Hearts by Barbara Nice-Miller February 14, 1996 1:00 pm Somewhere over the Laurel Highlands mountain range Pennsylvania "Mayday! Mayday! This is Flight Twenty-four Thirty! We are going down! Desending from fifteen thousand feet! Location is Laurel Highlands, latatude -- Aaahhhh!" February 14, 1996 1:20 pm Laurel Highlands "Scully? Scully, can you hear me?" Battling her way back from unconsiousness with a moan, Dana slowly opened her eyes at the sound of Fox's voice. "Oohh, my head," she complained, reaching up to carefully touch the offending spot. Focusing her gaze on the face in front of her, she was greeted by the sight of a very pale Fox Mulder, forehead creased with worry and the right side of his face covered in blood. "Scully? Can you move?" "Yes, I think so. Help me up." Fox stood up from his kneeling positon beside his partner on the floor of the plane and reached down with both hands to gently pull her up. Wobbling slightly, Dana leaned heavily against Fox until the world stopped spinning. Straightening up she asked, "What happened? The last thing I remember is putting my deck of cards back in my duffle bag." "Engine blew. We dropped like a rock." "The pilot?" Fox sighed and closed his eyes. "Dead. The cockpit is totally crushed." Now it was Dana's turn to sigh. "Do you think he had time to radio our location?" Opening his eyes again, Fox said solemnly, "I hope so." For the first time Dana realized just how much she hurt and how bad Fox looked. "Come on. Let's go outside and see how bad off we are." Luckily, the fuselage was on the ground. Carefully lowering himself down the few feet from the door to the ground, Fox tried to ignore the pounding in his head and the ache in his leg. Reaching his arms up, he grasped Dana around her waist and lowered her down beside him. This time he tried to ignore the feel of her in his arms. Unsuccessfully. Stepping back, they surveyed their surroundings. Only half of each wing remained attached to the plane. The cockpit was completely crushed against the tree which had finally stopped the crazy descent of the aircraft. It was a miracle the plane hadn't burst into flames on impact. Limping over to a fallen log, Fox sat down with a groan. "And I thought this trip couldn't get any worse." ************************************************************************ It had all started last week. The agents had been dispatched to Charleston, West Virginia to assist FBI Agent John Miller in locating a supposedly kidnapped teenage girl. Her friends swore it was a UFO abduction. Bright lights, the whole thing. Hence, Fox and Dana were sent packing to West Virginia curtosey of A.D. Skinner. Skinner knew something was wrong between his two agents. He could sense it everytime he was around them. If something didn't change soon, their work would soon be affected, not to mention their friendship. So when this case popped up he thought it a perfect opportunity to get them out of D.C. and to spend some time together to work out their problems. Much as he'd hate to admit it, they were a great team. After intense questioning of the girl's friends by Fox and Dana, they had broken down and told the truth: she had run away to Pennsylvania to be with her boyfriend her parents didn't approve of. She didn't want them looking for her, so she had coerced her friends into making up the UFO story. Frustrated, the agents hopped on the doomed commuter flight headed toward Johnstown, Pennsylvania to pick up the girl that had been located there. >From there, they would head back to Washington. But a strange twist of fate had stranded them in the wilderness. Sitting down next to Fox, Dana opened the first aid kit she had brought with her from the plane. Putting her hand on Fox's chin, she attemped to turn his face toward hers so she could clean up the cut at his temple. Pulling his chin from her grasp he said, "I can do it myself, you know." Her eyes blazing, she retorted, "Sure. Fine. Whatever." Grabbing some first aid supplies for herself, she jumped up from the log, intending to find her own log. But her movements were too quick and a wave of dizziness engulfed her, causing her to sway on her feet. Fox was immediately on his feet and at his partner's side, steading her. But before he could say anything, Dana angrily pushed him away. "I'm fine Mulder. Leave me alone." Shaking his head, Fox returned to his log to watch Dana slowly make her way to another. Their relationship had been like this for a little over a week now, constantly snapping at each other. The tension between them was almost visable and Dana was tired of it. < I am so tired of him and his "manly manliness". Acting like he's the only one with a correct explanation for everything. And he can mess around with as many women as he wants, but he doesn't need to throw it in my face.> a little voice in her head answered. Stopping suddenly from bandaging her head, Dana realized she knew the answer. ********************************************************************** February 14, 1996 4:30 pm Laurel Highlands It had been 3 hours since the crash and the two agents had a firm grasp on their situation. It didn't look good. With the help of Fox's photographic memory, they were able to determine that they had crashed in the Laurel Highlands mountain range. They also knew that it was the middle of February and it was cold and getting colder. Fox's leg was worse than he thought. He had a deep four inch gash on his right shin and his right knee was swollen like a grapefruit. So he had stayed at the plane to set up their makeshift camp while Dana went out to gather firewood and search for water. She came back with an armload of wood and two zip-lock bags full of water, thanks to Fox's ever-present sunflower seed supply. While Dana was gone, Fox had pulled together everything he could find in the plane: two emergency blankets, matches, their flashlights, flares and a flare gun, four life jackets, Dana's trail mix and candy bars and their own luggage. He had also tried using their cell phones to no avail. They were either damaged or the mountains were blocking the signal. After placing the wood in the firepit Fox had made, they extracted the pilot from the wreckage and buried him as best they could with rocks. It was hard work and both were exhausted. Dana's head and Fox's leg were throbbing at the same tempo. Grabbing a match and arranging the firewood, Fox expertly lit the fire on the first try and turned to give Dana a triumphant smile. "Not bad, eh Scully?" But she didn't answer. She had fallen asleep sitting against the tree nearest the fire. Not making a sound, Fox simply sat and stared at her. Fox was mesmerized by the firelight playing across Dana's features. Her auburn hair was a fiery halo framing her face, which was half in shadow, giving her an angelic quality. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful, that Fox hated to wake her. But her head injury worried him. She had a slight concussion, her was sure of it. But she was so damn stubborn she had refused to tell him the full extent of her injuries. Besides, they needed to eat. Fox moved to wake Dana, but his foot came down on a dry twig, causing it to break with a loud SNAP! and causing Dana to awaken. She caught him staring at her and smiled. His heart lept in his chest. There. There was the Dana Scully he knew. With the spark, the light in her eyes. Not the angry, withdrawn person she had become since Comity, New Hampshire. "Hungry?" Fox asked. "Starved." "Then let Chef Mulder whip up a gormet feast. Let's see...we've got sunflower seeds, trail mix and candy bars. And I'll bet I can even find some berries and bugs-" Fox immediately knew that was the wrong word to say. Dana's smile fled, to be replaced with a facial expression Fox couldn't decipher. But it was accompanied by Dana pushing past him to climb in the plane. THAT didn't need deciphering. Once inside the plane, Dana rummaged throught the pile of things Fox had collected. Extracting a blanket, a candy bar, her duffle bag and one of the powerful flashlights, she retreated to the rear of the plane. Turning the flashlight on, she pointed it at the ceiling, using the reflection to light up the rear of the plane. Pulling the blanket around her, she sat down on the floor, resting her back against the wall of the plane. Tearing part of the wrapper off the candy bar, she bit into the chocolate and searched through her duffle bag, looking for her deck of cards. Taking the cards out of the box, she automatically dealed out the cards for a game of solitare. It helped her to think, to relax. She remembered opening her eyes to see Fox sitting by the fire. He looked so handsome and boyish she couldn't help but smile at him. The firelight had made his hair look blue-black and so soft she had wanted to run her fingers through it. And for a few moments they had been back to normal. There was that annoying little voice again. That voice just wouldn't quit. Placing the cards on the floor, realization hit Dana like a cold shower. ********************************************************** February 14, 1996 5:45 pm Laurel Highlands She had been in the plane for quite a while now. The wind had picked up considerably and Fox was cold. And hungry. And he was not going to sit out there any longer. Poking his head in the plane, he saw Dana sitting in the rear of the plane staring down at the cards in front of her, but not moving. "Scully?" Fox asked quietly. Starting slightly, Dana turned at the sound of his voice. "Penny for your thoughts?" She laughed and said, "Aren't they worth at least a dollar?" Smiling, Fox replied, "You're worth much more than that." Gazing into his eyes, she said softly, "Get in here Mulder. We need to talk." After he was seated next to her, Fox tried to speak. "Scully, I-" Cutting him off, Dana spoke. "No. Me first. Our relationship can't continue they way it's been going. We need to find a solution." Jumping in, Fox said, "I know. It's my fault." This was it. If he had misinterpreted her emotions he could be throwing away everything. But he couldn't wait any longer. His own emotions were running away with him. Putting his hands on her shoulders and his face within inches of hers, he looked directly into her blue eyes and spoke softly. "Dana Kathrine Scully, you are the most scientific, logical person I've ever known. You can come up with an explanation for anything in a matter of seconds. But when the solution is staring at you in the face, you can't see it." He was too close to her. She couldn't think straight. Only one thought formed in her hazy mind: she wanted to kiss him. Fox was speaking again. "Things have gone too far. It's my fault we're acting like this. But I had to be sure. I had to. I couldn't let my heart be trampled on again. Phoebe..." his voice trailed off for a moment as he took a deep breath. "I tried to make you jealous. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have. But I was afraid to express my true feelings to you if you didn't feel the same towards me. If the other women didn't bother you I wasn't about to sacrifice our friendship. But..." he paused to smile at her "I think I'm safe saying this to you now." Releasing his grip on her shoulders, he shifted his weight so that he was now crouched in front of her on one knee. Taking one of her hands in his he spoke again. "Dana...I love you. Will you be my valentine?" For once in her life Dana was totally speechless. She should be totally furious with him, she knew. But she couldn't be. Because, who knows, if he had never pulled this stunt she may never have realized how deep her feelings were for him. Her thoughts snapped back to the present. He was still crouched there, holding her hand, waiting expectantly for her answer. Words escaped her at that moment, so she decided actions spoke louder than words anyway. Pulling him close, she closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips to his. That was all the answer he needed. As they wrapped their arms around each other, not breaking the kiss, the same thought was running through their minds: this would be a Valentine's Day they would never forget. As Fox lowered Dana to the ground, her foot brushed the deck of cards still on the floor. The top card fell off the stack to land face up on the blanket. The two of hearts. And both agents were vaguely aware of the sounds of the rescue choppers in the distance. ************************************************* END