The streetlight shone in through the large window beside the two twin beds
and cast a faint glow across the two figures in the hotel room. It was a
simple room, all the other rooms were booked due to the holiday rush, but
it had a mini refrigerator and sink as well and a bathroom with a shower.
The beds were separated by a nightstand with a phone and a clock radio
sitting on top, blazing its red digital numbers brightly. Two lamps were
bolted to the walls above it and cast eerie shadows on the wall. An old
couch that had seen better days sat against the wall opposite the bed
between the sink/refrigerator counter and the bathroom door.
Mulder lay in bed on his side, underneath the covers despite still wearing his sweatshirt and jeans. His back was to the window and his eyes were open, silently watching the motionless figure in the other bed. He knew she was awake, just as she knew he was too. Mulder rolled over onto his back and tried not to think about how much like old times this was, sharing a hotel room because there was only one room available. There was a movement in the other bed and he turned his head, waiting to see what she was doing, but she merely drew the covers closer around her. Mulder returned to his staring contest with the ceiling.
The shrill sound of a cell phone ripped through the air. Mulder jumped and reached to the floor to dig though his coat pockets for the source of the noise. He grabbed his phone and walked to the bathroom, closing the door almost all the way in case Scully actually was sleeping.
"Mulder."
"Mulder, thank God. We thought you were dead."
"Byers? What are you talking about?" Mulder plugged the ear that didn't have the phone against it so he could hear the faint signal better.
"When our call was cut off yesterday we tried to call your house and were cut off in mid ring. We couldn't get over you your place until just now. There are police, ambulances, and a couple fire trucks at your apartment. It turns out that a couple trees near your apartment were knocked over in the storm and crashed into your building. The worst damage was on your side of the building. You, uh, you don't have a living room or kitchen anymore. But you have a new panoramic view from where your couch used to be. We've been trying to reach you all night and the signal just got through." Byers said apologetically. Mulder stood there in shock.
"You could die if you stay." The haunting words floated back to him.
"Mulder, where are you?"
Byers' words snapped Mulder back into reality. He looked through the crack in the door and saw that Scully had rolled over and was staring out the window listlessly. He leaned against the sink and talked a little softer. "I'm in South Carolina, in a hotel with Scully."
"Where're Josh and Ethan?"
"Josh is...Josh is dead. There was a fire in their house a couple hours ago. The ceiling caved in on him and I had to practically drag Scully out of the house. I honestly think she would have stayed in there with him."
"She will die if you stay," whispered the voice.
"Oh my gosh."
"Ethan is in the hospital. They think he may have pneumonia or possibly meningitis." Mulder closed his eyes and rolled his head between his shoulders, trying to work some of the kinks out.
"Do you need us to come down there?"
"No," he said, glancing back into the room at Scully. "No, I think she can only take so many things at once. More people will complicate things."
"All right. Is there anything we can do from here?" Byers asked.
"Yeah, contact Scully and Josh's family and let them know what happened, but tell them not to come down for a day or two. I guess I'll just stay here for now, seeing as I no longer have an apartment."
"Ok. Tell Scully our prayers are with her and Ethan."
"I will. Thanks Byers."
"Anytime Mulder." The line went dead and Mulder sighed and dropped his phone onto the counter. He looked in the mirror into his dark rimmed eyes, begging for sleep that wouldn't come and a day's growth of beard. Turning on the cold water, he splashed himself in the face before returning to the main room and plopping down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling again.
In the other bed Dana looked at him lying there and said, "You don't have to stay here Mulder. You can go home."
Mulder kept staring at the ceiling. "Well, I can't exactly do that. And even if I could I wouldn't, not until I knew you and Ethan were ok."
She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him with her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "What?"
"My apartment is currently inhabited by a couple trees." He turned his head and saw her staring at him. "There was a winter storm up in D.C. and I, or rather my apartment had the unfortunate pleasure of being one of the victims of it."
Before Dana could say anything the phone on the nightstand rang. She jumped and picked it up swiftly.
"Hello? Yes this is she. What's wrong with him?" Her hands were griping it so hard her knuckles turned white. "Oh my gosh," she breathed.
******** I LIVE! School has been a real #*%&$ and I haven't had much time to write. :( So I leave you with this, partially because I'm having a slight case of writer's block. ::gasp, shudder:: Don't worry I'll finish it. Promise. :)
Mulder lay in bed on his side, underneath the covers despite still wearing his sweatshirt and jeans. His back was to the window and his eyes were open, silently watching the motionless figure in the other bed. He knew she was awake, just as she knew he was too. Mulder rolled over onto his back and tried not to think about how much like old times this was, sharing a hotel room because there was only one room available. There was a movement in the other bed and he turned his head, waiting to see what she was doing, but she merely drew the covers closer around her. Mulder returned to his staring contest with the ceiling.
The shrill sound of a cell phone ripped through the air. Mulder jumped and reached to the floor to dig though his coat pockets for the source of the noise. He grabbed his phone and walked to the bathroom, closing the door almost all the way in case Scully actually was sleeping.
"Mulder."
"Mulder, thank God. We thought you were dead."
"Byers? What are you talking about?" Mulder plugged the ear that didn't have the phone against it so he could hear the faint signal better.
"When our call was cut off yesterday we tried to call your house and were cut off in mid ring. We couldn't get over you your place until just now. There are police, ambulances, and a couple fire trucks at your apartment. It turns out that a couple trees near your apartment were knocked over in the storm and crashed into your building. The worst damage was on your side of the building. You, uh, you don't have a living room or kitchen anymore. But you have a new panoramic view from where your couch used to be. We've been trying to reach you all night and the signal just got through." Byers said apologetically. Mulder stood there in shock.
"You could die if you stay." The haunting words floated back to him.
"Mulder, where are you?"
Byers' words snapped Mulder back into reality. He looked through the crack in the door and saw that Scully had rolled over and was staring out the window listlessly. He leaned against the sink and talked a little softer. "I'm in South Carolina, in a hotel with Scully."
"Where're Josh and Ethan?"
"Josh is...Josh is dead. There was a fire in their house a couple hours ago. The ceiling caved in on him and I had to practically drag Scully out of the house. I honestly think she would have stayed in there with him."
"She will die if you stay," whispered the voice.
"Oh my gosh."
"Ethan is in the hospital. They think he may have pneumonia or possibly meningitis." Mulder closed his eyes and rolled his head between his shoulders, trying to work some of the kinks out.
"Do you need us to come down there?"
"No," he said, glancing back into the room at Scully. "No, I think she can only take so many things at once. More people will complicate things."
"All right. Is there anything we can do from here?" Byers asked.
"Yeah, contact Scully and Josh's family and let them know what happened, but tell them not to come down for a day or two. I guess I'll just stay here for now, seeing as I no longer have an apartment."
"Ok. Tell Scully our prayers are with her and Ethan."
"I will. Thanks Byers."
"Anytime Mulder." The line went dead and Mulder sighed and dropped his phone onto the counter. He looked in the mirror into his dark rimmed eyes, begging for sleep that wouldn't come and a day's growth of beard. Turning on the cold water, he splashed himself in the face before returning to the main room and plopping down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling again.
In the other bed Dana looked at him lying there and said, "You don't have to stay here Mulder. You can go home."
Mulder kept staring at the ceiling. "Well, I can't exactly do that. And even if I could I wouldn't, not until I knew you and Ethan were ok."
She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him with her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "What?"
"My apartment is currently inhabited by a couple trees." He turned his head and saw her staring at him. "There was a winter storm up in D.C. and I, or rather my apartment had the unfortunate pleasure of being one of the victims of it."
Before Dana could say anything the phone on the nightstand rang. She jumped and picked it up swiftly.
"Hello? Yes this is she. What's wrong with him?" Her hands were griping it so hard her knuckles turned white. "Oh my gosh," she breathed.
******** I LIVE! School has been a real #*%&$ and I haven't had much time to write. :( So I leave you with this, partially because I'm having a slight case of writer's block. ::gasp, shudder:: Don't worry I'll finish it. Promise. :)