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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. Scully was startled from her sleep by the loud shrieking of two children as they cannonballed into the pool and the shrill sound of the lifeguard's admonishing whistle. She jerked awake and looked around blearily. "How long have I been asleep?" She sat up slowly and stretched her arms over her head. Mulder tipped down his sunglasses to look at her. "About an hour," he replied. He tucked one finger into the book to mark his page and glanced over at her pinkened shoulders. "Do you think you need more sunscreen?" He reached toward the table next to his chair for the tube of cream. "I'd be happy to rub it on for you..." "No thanks." A tiny smile quirked her lips upward. "I think I'm okay." "Damn," he sighed mournfully. "I will take a sip of your water though." He handed her the plastic bottle and she smiled her thanks. She unscrewed the cap and took several long sips of the water. "What are you reading?" She replaced the cap and rolled the cold plastic against her neck. "Oh, just that book I showed you in the store yesterday." She settled back against her chair. "The one about the haunted mysteries of Colorado?" "Yep." "Anything interesting?" Mulder looked at her closely, trying to determine whether she was really interested or merely humoring him. Her sunglasses hid her eyes, but she seemed relaxed and the familiar tilt of her head told him that she was truly curious to know. He shrugged. "A lot of the stories are your standard haunted house stories," he admitted. "But some of it's really interesting." "For instance?" He pushed his sunglasses up onto his head and rolled onto his side. "Reports of strange, hovering lights in the skies over the mountains," he said as he squinted against the sun's rays. "Mulder, is there a reason why aliens are only interested in buzzing the most remote areas of the earth?" she asked dryly. He laughed. "Don't use your Agent Scully voice with me," he warned. She grinned. "Anything other than hauntings and aliens?" "Well... there's a story about a ghost town not far from here." "I don't get the fascination with ghost towns," Scully admitted. "I mean, a ghost town is just a place that was abandoned by its residents more than likely for economical reasons." "Usually," Mulder agreed. "But according to this book, the residents of Millersburg didn't voluntarily move away..." His voice trailed off mysteriously. "What happened to them?" she asked casually. Mulder sat up and reached out to take the water bottle away from her. "I don't want to spoil it for you." He took a sip of water to hide his smile. He knew she was more interested than she cared to admit. "You can read the book when I'm finished with it," he offered generously. He pulled his sunglasses back down and settled himself more comfortably in his chair. He could feel her staring at him as he opened the book and began reading again. She stood. "Maybe," she said, feigning complete disinterest. "If I'm finished with my own book." She glanced at her watch. "I think I'm going to run up to the room for a quick shower before we go to lunch." She collected her towel and tote bag. As she rounded his chair, he reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist. "Why don't you stay..." he tugged her down onto the chair next to him, "...and I'll tell you about the town of Millersburg." Scully heaved a long-suffering sigh. "If it'll make you happy," she offered magnanimously. She stretched out on the lounge chair beside him and rested her cheek against the sun-warmed skin of his chest. He set the book aside and tunneled his fingers into her hair. "It was a dark and stormy night..." he intoned in a solemn voice. "Mulder." She raised her head and glared at him warningly. "Alright." He urged her to lie back down. When she was settled comfortably against him, he began again. "Well, the book says that Millersburg was founded in the early 1850's. The town sprang up around a gold mine. Men came out to work the mine. Some brought their families with them. Eventually, other businesses cropped up to support the families and soon enough Millersburg was a small, but growing town. They had a general store, a church, and a number of other small businesses. The mine was profitable and more and more people flocked to the area." "If the mine was so profitable, and the town booming economically, why did everyone leave?" Scully traced her fingers over Mulder's ribs. "That's what's so interesting," Mulder agreed. "The townspeople had every reason to stay." "So, what happened to them?" "No one knows. One day it was a vibrant place to live and then..." She stacked her hands on his chest and propped her chin on them. "And then, what?" she demanded. He stroked his fingers through the hair over her ear. "Then, they just..." he lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper, "...disappeared. One by one, until there was no one left." "And no one knows what happened to them?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "No one knows why they all left?" "I didn't say they left," he contradicted. "I said they disappeared." "Poof? They just disappeared?" He nodded. "Uh huh." "Just like that?" She snapped her fingers. He nodded again. "Yep. Just like that." She pursed her lips. "Maybe there was some kind of disease and they all died," she speculated. Mulder fingered the silver and turquoise earring dangling from her ear. "There were no recent graves," he countered. "But if a disease wiped out the whole town in close succession, they might not have had time to bury everyone..." Again, he shook his head. "According to the story, there was a peddler who would come to the town regularly," he told her. "When the peddler returned to Millersburg - about a month after his last visit - he said that there wasn't a living soul to be found. No dogs. No horses or other animals. No people... and no bodies." He stroked his hand over her back. "The stores were still stocked with merchandise and all of their belongings were still in their homes. Tables were still set with dinner dishes. Clotheslines were heavy with laundry..." He felt a shiver run through Scully's body. "Today, the only things left in the town are the remnants of the buildings and houses, the abandoned mine and the tiny graveyard by the church." "Doesn't the book give any clues as to what happened?" He shook his head. "No, but did you happen to see the man who sold me the book?" Scully searched her memory. "An older gentlemen? He looked to be Native American." Mulder nodded eagerly. "Yeah, that's him. He told me that his people have passed down a legend about the disappearance of the townsfolk of Millersburg." She noted the sparkle in his eyes. "Uh, oh. I know that look!" She debated for a moment whether she wanted to hear the rest of the story, but in the end, as always, her curiosity won out over her trepidation. "Okay," she sighed. "What did he tell you?" He grinned triumphantly. "Well, according to the legend, there were still small bands of Native Americans in the area around Millersburg. For several weeks in the year 1860, they noticed strange lights dancing in the skies over the town. When the last light had flickered away... so had all of the people." "Aliens?" she scoffed. "Well, not necessarily," he allowed. "According to the legend, the Indians believed the lights were the angry spirits of the earth taking their revenge on the people of Millersburg." "Revenge for what?" she wondered. "For the way the whites treated the earth. For stealing tribal land from the Indians. For blasting holes into the mountain and stealing her gold. For tearing down trees and polluting the water. For wasting the earth's bounty - killing more fish and animals than they could eat." Scully sat up. "It's a pretty good story," she allowed with a smile. Mulder rested his hand on her bare thigh. "You know," he said as he stroked his fingers over her leg, "going out there would really be more like a history lesson than anything else," he noted. "A history lesson?" she said dryly. "Really?" vv "Don't you wanna see how the pioneers really lived?" he asked. "First-hand instead of in some stuffy, old history book?" "I'd rather see Rocky Mountain National Park," she waved a hand toward the nearby mountains. "You know... one of the reasons we came here in the first place?" "According to the book, Millersburg is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains." He sat up and ran the backs of his knuckles along the scooped neckline of her bathing suit. "For whatever reason, the area is pretty remote and undeveloped," he explained. "There are meadows filled with wildflowers, a creek that's fed by the snowmelt, small caves dot the hills. You can see hawks and eagles..." He continued his campaign to wear down what he knew to be her token resistance. "We could take a picnic lunch, maybe a bottle of wine so that it's not too dull and boring a lesson." He dipped his head and pressed a warm kiss against her throat. "God forbid we should be bored," she groaned. "Fifty miles," he repeated. "We can check the place out today and still be back in time for a nice, romantic dinner this evening." He climbed to his feet. "What do you say?" He held out a hand. She slipped her fingers into his hand and let him pull her up. "Okay. But I get to drive." Go to part 2/2 |
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