Title: Blessed Union of Souls II: Deep Water 12/17
Author: Somogyi
Email: somogyi02@yahoo.com
Category: SRA
Rating: R for language, adult situations
Spoilers: Through Season Six
Keywords: M/S UST, S/Other Romance
Summary: Sequel to "Not the Doctor." Their partnership on shaky ground, Mulder
and Scully are called in to investigate the mysterious death of two teenagers in
a Hawaiian cave. While exploring the crime scene and its vicinity, they are
trapped by a cave-in. Will they be able to find their way out--without killing
each other first?
Disclaimer: The X-Files, Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, and all other characters
associated with the series are the property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen
Productions, and the Fox Network. Characters are used without permission and no
profit is being made.
*****
Blessed Union of Souls II: Deep Water
by Somogyi
somogyi02@yahoo.com
Chapter 12
Feeling the ground fall out from beneath her feet, Scully reached out, clawing
madly at the wall to slow her descent. It was having no effect, and she felt
herself slipping ever downward. This time, however, there was no strong, steady
arm reaching out to catch her and safely deposit her on solid ground. There was
no longer any solid ground to speak of. And beside her, Riskey, too, was falling
and fighting for purchase.
Scully cried out in terror, certain that these were going to be the last moments
of her life. Blindly, she reached out in one last desperate attempt to stop her
fall.
This time, she was able to find a handhold. When she realized that she was no
longer falling, she tightened her grip, and held on for dear life as the
rumbling continued to rage full-force.
It was many long minutes until the quaking stopped, and the roaring finally
quelled. By now, there was only the occasional pebble or shower of gravel
falling down beside her.
Coughing and sputtering, Scully looked around her. She was suspended in midair,
definitely swinging free with nothing below her feet but darkness, but at least
she was not heading downward toward certain death. It was only then that she
realized it was not rock that she held. Scully found herself hanging on to
Riskey's boot. As she continued her glimpse upwards, she realized that he was
facing the wall, just as she was. It looked as though he was holding onto a
ledge below the one they had been walking along a few moments earlier.
"Ho, Commander!" she called up to him.
"Ho, Scully. How's it shaking?"
If she were not so goddammed terrified at that moment, she might have laughed.
Unfortunately, right now, she did not find any aspect of their predicament
amusing.
"Hanging in there," she replied.
He groaned.
"What? Are you okay?"
"Oh no, sorry. I just realized that we both need to work on our sense of humor."
"Tell me about it. How's your grip?"
"Pretty solid."
"Well, feel free to pull us up whenever you're ready."
She felt a tremor run through him, realized after a moment that it was a
chuckle. "I, uh, don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon, Scully.
I'm okay with supporting your weight like this, but this rock is slippery. If I
try to pull us up, I don't think I'll be able to find solid handholds. My
fingers will slip. And the rock itself might crumble more with the added
stress."
Scully felt her heart sink. "Then what do you propose we do, just dangle here?"
"Don't give up just yet. I think I've got an idea. It's a little crazy, but I
think it just might work."
"Well, right now, I don't think I can afford to be picky. What is it?"
"You remember that launcher Socks used earlier when I rappelled down to get
Robbins?"
"The one that shot the hook into the wall and had a rope attached?"
"Yeah, that's it. Well, I should have a similar mini-one in one of my pockets.
It's got a smaller diameter rope attached, but it should do the trick."
"So we just fire it at the wall, and then you pull us up?"
"Not quite. We don't have a good shot of solid rock from here."
"Then how is it going to help us?"
"Well, it won't help *you* per se. . . ."
"You're not planning on kicking me off into the abyss are you?"
"Hardly. We're going to have to work together to pull this off. I need you to
reach the gun, climb up me to the ledge, and fire it into the wall so that I can
use the rope to pull myself up."
"Oh, is that all? Would you like me to carry you up while I'm at it?"
"Have you got a better idea?"
He was greeted by silence.
"That's what I thought. The gun should be in my right thigh pocket."
*Great!* Scully was holding onto his left boot.
"Use the top of my boot and the various pockets and pouches for handholds. Just
take it slow, Scully, and you should be fine."
"Says the soldier who could probably bench press two times my body weight. I've
got news for you, Riskey--not everyone has the upper body strength of a Navy
SEAL."
"Hey, I saw your arms. Don't tell me you don't work out. Hell, you could
probably take Mulder in an arm wrestling match."
"That'd be the day."
"Go on, Scully. Right thigh pocket."
Taking a deep breath, Scully began to hoist herself up. She reached first for
the top of his boot, then pulled herself up the side of his body, hand-over-
hand, like a rock climber. Her movements were slow and deliberate as she
carefully grabbed fist-fulls of fabric for purchase. When she reached for his
back pocket, Riskey twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Getting me back for earlier, eh?" he asked her.
Scully was too busy concentrating to reply. Finally, she managed to grab onto
his belt and slide her hands along it to the right, inch by inch, until she came
to the center of his back. She hoped that by better balancing herself, she would
not put any extra stress on his left arm.
"If you pull my pants down, there will be hell to pay later."
"Why? You forget to put on clean underwear this morning?"
"Can you reach my right pocket?"
"I think so." Tightening her grip on his belt with her left hand, Scully slowly
snaked her right hand across his backside, onto his right hip and down the side
of his thigh.
"The zipper's in the front," he informed her.
"Now you tell me." Nestling in closer to his bottom, she reached for the front
of his thigh.
And grossly miscalculated her aim. Rather than grasp his thigh, her hand had
strayed too far toward his midline. She realized in alarm that she was groping
his groin.
She heard his sharp intake of breath. She had caught him off-guard with this
maneuver. So, it *was* possible to surprise the unflappable Commander Riskey.
"Uh, sorry about that," she muttered, flushing hotly as she moved her hand back
onto the side of his thigh.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," he said, his voice sounding unusually guttural, "but
isn't anatomy one of the fundamental classes taught in medical school?"
Scully cleared her throat. "I cannot see where I'm reaching, Commander. Your ass
is in my way."
"Oh, so that was my ass's fault?"
"Or perhaps I meant to misaim." *Lord, Dana, now is _not_ the time nor the place
for this. Talk about flirting with disaster. . . .*
For his part, the commander seemed fully in control of himself. "Can you reach
the pocket, Scully?"
From where she held onto the side of his leg, Scully wrapped her fingers around
the front edge of his thigh and then slid her hand forward around to the front
of his leg. It took another moment or two to locate the cargo flap, lift it, and
open the zipper it covered. "Got it!"
"Good. Now, careful with the launcher."
"Is there a safety?"
"Yep. It works just like an automatic."
Scully grabbed the mini-launcher, which was shaped similarly to a flare gun,
being sure not to disturb the safety. Removing it from his pocket, she moved her
arm to the small of her back, and tucked it into her pants beside her own
weapon. "Okay. Got it secured."
"Now you just have to climb the rest of the way up to the ledge."
"I'm so glad you don't expect a lot out of your soldiers."
"I'll have you know, this is like a walk in the park compared to the hell I put
my men through."
"Oh, so you're going easy on me, is that it?"
"Well, considering I'm gonna need your help to get outta this, I don't wanna
piss you off."
"I see."
"I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, Scully, but my fingers are starting to
cramp."
"Oh. Sorry. Well, here goes nothin'."
Scully began to once again pull herself up the length of the commander's body.
She grasped a fistful of sweat-soaked undershirt to lift herself up past his
waist. Grunting as she reached for his shoulders, she silently appreciated the
hard, well-sculpted muscles of his back, shoulders, and upper arms.
When she had both hands planted on his shoulders, she wrapped her legs around
his hips to take some of the weight off of her arms and give them a rest for a
moment.
"Uhm, Commander . . . now what?"
"Try to get some leverage so you can get your knees onto my shoulder. Grab onto
my arms, or even my head if you have to."
"I'll try." Holding tightly to his shoulders, she attempted to lift her legs up.
On her first try, she ended up kicking him in the ribs.
The unintentional blow sent the air rushing out of his lungs, and for a moment
Scully thought he was going to lose his grip. But he quickly recovered himself.
"Sorry 'bout that," she apologized, already giving it another go. This time it
worked, and she was soon pulling her knees up onto his shoulders. Now came the
tricky part: she had to find a way to balance herself as she tried to reach up
between his hands and hoist herself onto the ledge.
She did as he suggested, and held onto his head for balance as she slowly,
shakily raised her torso. She then slowly slid her hands onto the wall, guided
them methodically up the rockface, all the while straightening her back.
Finally, she felt her fingers reach the top, and extend over the edge of the
ledge. She slipped them back even further, trying to find a good handhold. It
took her several long moments of groping, but eventually she found what she
hoped would be a solid grip. Luckily, this ledge was at least twice as wide as
the one they had been navigating before their fall.
She began to lift herself, and soon her upper arms had cleared the ledge.
Leaning heavily on her arms, she was able to pull her upper body against the
ledge. A moment later, she had her chest over the edge. A few wiggles later, and
she was drawing her legs up behind her.
Scully lay on the cool ground, panting heavily. She did it! Somehow, she had
managed to climb up and onto the ledge!
She allowed herself only a moment's reprieve before proceeding to the next part
of the plan. "Any special place I should shoot this thing?" she called down to
Riskey.
"Look for . . . someplace . . . solid." She could tell from his strained voice
that his strength was fading fast.
"Hold on, Commander." Sitting up, Scully gazed upwards, searching for the
appropriate substrate. Several yards above her was a small outcropping of rock
jutting out from the wall. It looked solid enough. *Only one way to find out.*
Drawing the mini-launcher, she released the safety, raised it with both hands,
and took aim. Offering a silent prayer, she pulled the trigger. The recoil
tossed her backwards, and she quickly redirected her weight sideways to avoid
the edge of the ledge.
With a small *whoosh!* the hook shot out of the muzzle and flew straight up and
into the rock. It embedded itself, a rope now trailing down behind it. Scully
tucked the gun back into her jeans before testing the rope. She gave it first a
gentle tug, then a much firmer one. So far, so good. Then she pulled it with all
her strength, and found that it could support her entire weight. Whether it
could hold twice that remained to be seen.
"Look out below!" she called to Riskey, dropping the rope toward him. "What else
can I do?"
"Cross your fingers." Gritting his teeth, RB reached for the rope with his left
hand. Grasping it, he quickly wound it around his hand, wrist, and arm. A moment
later, when he released his hold on the ledge with his right hand, that was all
that kept him from falling down the ravine.
Scully held her breath as he slipped down half a foot before the loops of rope
stopped his descent. She saw him grimace then, probably from the jolt as well as
the burn of the rope into the flesh of his arm. Luckily, the rope seemed to be
holding his weight.
He swayed back and forth a couple times before swinging his feet forward and
onto the rock face. With a grunt, he reached his right arm up to grasp the rope.
He managed to extricate his left hand and arm and bring it up above the other
one. How he had the strength to even move after supporting both his weight and
hers for so long Scully could not fathom.
He continued the movements, all the while walking up the side of the wall. After
several more pulls, his hands, and then his head were above the level of the
ledge.
Scully reached to help him, but he shouted for her to stand back. Grunting, he
pulled his body ever-upwards. Soon, his feet reached the top of the ledge. Only
then did Scully grab onto the rope and help pull him towards the wall. Letting
go, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
"You did it!" Scully cried, throwing her arms around his neck.
Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. They started
laughing in relief and exhaustion.
Finally, he pulled back from her, leaning his back against the wall. "Don't tell
me you were worried?" he asked nonchalantly as he pulled out his canteen.
She sat back next to him. "Me? I was absolutely terrified! First, that I would
slip, then that you would. I didn't think we were going to make it onto this
ledge."
He took several large swallows and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth
before offering her the canteen. "You did great, Scully. You missed your calling
as a SEAL."
She grinned as she took the canteen from him. "I think I'll stick to my day job,
thank you very much." Now that things had calmed down a bit, she looked around
her, particularly toward the left in the direction they had initially been
headed. "Well, I'll be damned!"
"What's wrong?"
"It looks like this ledge connects to a greater path. One that's much wider than
the previous one."
He followed her gaze to the left. "Hot damn! I think you're right. From the
looks of it, this should take us back to the main trail."
"And hopefully an exit."
"We'll soon find out. Just let me catch my breath, and we can get moving again."
End Chapter 12
*****
Author: Somogyi
Email: somogyi02@yahoo.com
Category: SRA
Rating: R for language, adult situations
Spoilers: Through Season Six
Keywords: M/S UST, S/Other Romance
Summary: Sequel to "Not the Doctor." Their partnership on shaky ground, Mulder
and Scully are called in to investigate the mysterious death of two teenagers in
a Hawaiian cave. While exploring the crime scene and its vicinity, they are
trapped by a cave-in. Will they be able to find their way out--without killing
each other first?
Disclaimer: The X-Files, Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, and all other characters
associated with the series are the property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen
Productions, and the Fox Network. Characters are used without permission and no
profit is being made.
*****
Blessed Union of Souls II: Deep Water
by Somogyi
somogyi02@yahoo.com
Chapter 12
Feeling the ground fall out from beneath her feet, Scully reached out, clawing
madly at the wall to slow her descent. It was having no effect, and she felt
herself slipping ever downward. This time, however, there was no strong, steady
arm reaching out to catch her and safely deposit her on solid ground. There was
no longer any solid ground to speak of. And beside her, Riskey, too, was falling
and fighting for purchase.
Scully cried out in terror, certain that these were going to be the last moments
of her life. Blindly, she reached out in one last desperate attempt to stop her
fall.
This time, she was able to find a handhold. When she realized that she was no
longer falling, she tightened her grip, and held on for dear life as the
rumbling continued to rage full-force.
It was many long minutes until the quaking stopped, and the roaring finally
quelled. By now, there was only the occasional pebble or shower of gravel
falling down beside her.
Coughing and sputtering, Scully looked around her. She was suspended in midair,
definitely swinging free with nothing below her feet but darkness, but at least
she was not heading downward toward certain death. It was only then that she
realized it was not rock that she held. Scully found herself hanging on to
Riskey's boot. As she continued her glimpse upwards, she realized that he was
facing the wall, just as she was. It looked as though he was holding onto a
ledge below the one they had been walking along a few moments earlier.
"Ho, Commander!" she called up to him.
"Ho, Scully. How's it shaking?"
If she were not so goddammed terrified at that moment, she might have laughed.
Unfortunately, right now, she did not find any aspect of their predicament
amusing.
"Hanging in there," she replied.
He groaned.
"What? Are you okay?"
"Oh no, sorry. I just realized that we both need to work on our sense of humor."
"Tell me about it. How's your grip?"
"Pretty solid."
"Well, feel free to pull us up whenever you're ready."
She felt a tremor run through him, realized after a moment that it was a
chuckle. "I, uh, don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon, Scully.
I'm okay with supporting your weight like this, but this rock is slippery. If I
try to pull us up, I don't think I'll be able to find solid handholds. My
fingers will slip. And the rock itself might crumble more with the added
stress."
Scully felt her heart sink. "Then what do you propose we do, just dangle here?"
"Don't give up just yet. I think I've got an idea. It's a little crazy, but I
think it just might work."
"Well, right now, I don't think I can afford to be picky. What is it?"
"You remember that launcher Socks used earlier when I rappelled down to get
Robbins?"
"The one that shot the hook into the wall and had a rope attached?"
"Yeah, that's it. Well, I should have a similar mini-one in one of my pockets.
It's got a smaller diameter rope attached, but it should do the trick."
"So we just fire it at the wall, and then you pull us up?"
"Not quite. We don't have a good shot of solid rock from here."
"Then how is it going to help us?"
"Well, it won't help *you* per se. . . ."
"You're not planning on kicking me off into the abyss are you?"
"Hardly. We're going to have to work together to pull this off. I need you to
reach the gun, climb up me to the ledge, and fire it into the wall so that I can
use the rope to pull myself up."
"Oh, is that all? Would you like me to carry you up while I'm at it?"
"Have you got a better idea?"
He was greeted by silence.
"That's what I thought. The gun should be in my right thigh pocket."
*Great!* Scully was holding onto his left boot.
"Use the top of my boot and the various pockets and pouches for handholds. Just
take it slow, Scully, and you should be fine."
"Says the soldier who could probably bench press two times my body weight. I've
got news for you, Riskey--not everyone has the upper body strength of a Navy
SEAL."
"Hey, I saw your arms. Don't tell me you don't work out. Hell, you could
probably take Mulder in an arm wrestling match."
"That'd be the day."
"Go on, Scully. Right thigh pocket."
Taking a deep breath, Scully began to hoist herself up. She reached first for
the top of his boot, then pulled herself up the side of his body, hand-over-
hand, like a rock climber. Her movements were slow and deliberate as she
carefully grabbed fist-fulls of fabric for purchase. When she reached for his
back pocket, Riskey twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Getting me back for earlier, eh?" he asked her.
Scully was too busy concentrating to reply. Finally, she managed to grab onto
his belt and slide her hands along it to the right, inch by inch, until she came
to the center of his back. She hoped that by better balancing herself, she would
not put any extra stress on his left arm.
"If you pull my pants down, there will be hell to pay later."
"Why? You forget to put on clean underwear this morning?"
"Can you reach my right pocket?"
"I think so." Tightening her grip on his belt with her left hand, Scully slowly
snaked her right hand across his backside, onto his right hip and down the side
of his thigh.
"The zipper's in the front," he informed her.
"Now you tell me." Nestling in closer to his bottom, she reached for the front
of his thigh.
And grossly miscalculated her aim. Rather than grasp his thigh, her hand had
strayed too far toward his midline. She realized in alarm that she was groping
his groin.
She heard his sharp intake of breath. She had caught him off-guard with this
maneuver. So, it *was* possible to surprise the unflappable Commander Riskey.
"Uh, sorry about that," she muttered, flushing hotly as she moved her hand back
onto the side of his thigh.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," he said, his voice sounding unusually guttural, "but
isn't anatomy one of the fundamental classes taught in medical school?"
Scully cleared her throat. "I cannot see where I'm reaching, Commander. Your ass
is in my way."
"Oh, so that was my ass's fault?"
"Or perhaps I meant to misaim." *Lord, Dana, now is _not_ the time nor the place
for this. Talk about flirting with disaster. . . .*
For his part, the commander seemed fully in control of himself. "Can you reach
the pocket, Scully?"
From where she held onto the side of his leg, Scully wrapped her fingers around
the front edge of his thigh and then slid her hand forward around to the front
of his leg. It took another moment or two to locate the cargo flap, lift it, and
open the zipper it covered. "Got it!"
"Good. Now, careful with the launcher."
"Is there a safety?"
"Yep. It works just like an automatic."
Scully grabbed the mini-launcher, which was shaped similarly to a flare gun,
being sure not to disturb the safety. Removing it from his pocket, she moved her
arm to the small of her back, and tucked it into her pants beside her own
weapon. "Okay. Got it secured."
"Now you just have to climb the rest of the way up to the ledge."
"I'm so glad you don't expect a lot out of your soldiers."
"I'll have you know, this is like a walk in the park compared to the hell I put
my men through."
"Oh, so you're going easy on me, is that it?"
"Well, considering I'm gonna need your help to get outta this, I don't wanna
piss you off."
"I see."
"I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, Scully, but my fingers are starting to
cramp."
"Oh. Sorry. Well, here goes nothin'."
Scully began to once again pull herself up the length of the commander's body.
She grasped a fistful of sweat-soaked undershirt to lift herself up past his
waist. Grunting as she reached for his shoulders, she silently appreciated the
hard, well-sculpted muscles of his back, shoulders, and upper arms.
When she had both hands planted on his shoulders, she wrapped her legs around
his hips to take some of the weight off of her arms and give them a rest for a
moment.
"Uhm, Commander . . . now what?"
"Try to get some leverage so you can get your knees onto my shoulder. Grab onto
my arms, or even my head if you have to."
"I'll try." Holding tightly to his shoulders, she attempted to lift her legs up.
On her first try, she ended up kicking him in the ribs.
The unintentional blow sent the air rushing out of his lungs, and for a moment
Scully thought he was going to lose his grip. But he quickly recovered himself.
"Sorry 'bout that," she apologized, already giving it another go. This time it
worked, and she was soon pulling her knees up onto his shoulders. Now came the
tricky part: she had to find a way to balance herself as she tried to reach up
between his hands and hoist herself onto the ledge.
She did as he suggested, and held onto his head for balance as she slowly,
shakily raised her torso. She then slowly slid her hands onto the wall, guided
them methodically up the rockface, all the while straightening her back.
Finally, she felt her fingers reach the top, and extend over the edge of the
ledge. She slipped them back even further, trying to find a good handhold. It
took her several long moments of groping, but eventually she found what she
hoped would be a solid grip. Luckily, this ledge was at least twice as wide as
the one they had been navigating before their fall.
She began to lift herself, and soon her upper arms had cleared the ledge.
Leaning heavily on her arms, she was able to pull her upper body against the
ledge. A moment later, she had her chest over the edge. A few wiggles later, and
she was drawing her legs up behind her.
Scully lay on the cool ground, panting heavily. She did it! Somehow, she had
managed to climb up and onto the ledge!
She allowed herself only a moment's reprieve before proceeding to the next part
of the plan. "Any special place I should shoot this thing?" she called down to
Riskey.
"Look for . . . someplace . . . solid." She could tell from his strained voice
that his strength was fading fast.
"Hold on, Commander." Sitting up, Scully gazed upwards, searching for the
appropriate substrate. Several yards above her was a small outcropping of rock
jutting out from the wall. It looked solid enough. *Only one way to find out.*
Drawing the mini-launcher, she released the safety, raised it with both hands,
and took aim. Offering a silent prayer, she pulled the trigger. The recoil
tossed her backwards, and she quickly redirected her weight sideways to avoid
the edge of the ledge.
With a small *whoosh!* the hook shot out of the muzzle and flew straight up and
into the rock. It embedded itself, a rope now trailing down behind it. Scully
tucked the gun back into her jeans before testing the rope. She gave it first a
gentle tug, then a much firmer one. So far, so good. Then she pulled it with all
her strength, and found that it could support her entire weight. Whether it
could hold twice that remained to be seen.
"Look out below!" she called to Riskey, dropping the rope toward him. "What else
can I do?"
"Cross your fingers." Gritting his teeth, RB reached for the rope with his left
hand. Grasping it, he quickly wound it around his hand, wrist, and arm. A moment
later, when he released his hold on the ledge with his right hand, that was all
that kept him from falling down the ravine.
Scully held her breath as he slipped down half a foot before the loops of rope
stopped his descent. She saw him grimace then, probably from the jolt as well as
the burn of the rope into the flesh of his arm. Luckily, the rope seemed to be
holding his weight.
He swayed back and forth a couple times before swinging his feet forward and
onto the rock face. With a grunt, he reached his right arm up to grasp the rope.
He managed to extricate his left hand and arm and bring it up above the other
one. How he had the strength to even move after supporting both his weight and
hers for so long Scully could not fathom.
He continued the movements, all the while walking up the side of the wall. After
several more pulls, his hands, and then his head were above the level of the
ledge.
Scully reached to help him, but he shouted for her to stand back. Grunting, he
pulled his body ever-upwards. Soon, his feet reached the top of the ledge. Only
then did Scully grab onto the rope and help pull him towards the wall. Letting
go, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
"You did it!" Scully cried, throwing her arms around his neck.
Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. They started
laughing in relief and exhaustion.
Finally, he pulled back from her, leaning his back against the wall. "Don't tell
me you were worried?" he asked nonchalantly as he pulled out his canteen.
She sat back next to him. "Me? I was absolutely terrified! First, that I would
slip, then that you would. I didn't think we were going to make it onto this
ledge."
He took several large swallows and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth
before offering her the canteen. "You did great, Scully. You missed your calling
as a SEAL."
She grinned as she took the canteen from him. "I think I'll stick to my day job,
thank you very much." Now that things had calmed down a bit, she looked around
her, particularly toward the left in the direction they had initially been
headed. "Well, I'll be damned!"
"What's wrong?"
"It looks like this ledge connects to a greater path. One that's much wider than
the previous one."
He followed her gaze to the left. "Hot damn! I think you're right. From the
looks of it, this should take us back to the main trail."
"And hopefully an exit."
"We'll soon find out. Just let me catch my breath, and we can get moving again."
End Chapter 12
*****