Title: Slip Sliding Away

Disclaimer: Look at the bottom of your shoe. That is my net worth. Do I look like I own anything to you? I mean, hey, if I owned anything related to the X-Files do you think I'd be here? (Yes, but that's beside the point.)

Summary: Set in season six after Milagro: Scully needs a vacation from the X-Files so she goes somewhere she thinks even Mulder won't find her. When an X-File threatens to ruin her getaway and Mulder turns up, what will she do?

Author's Note: I am done with my tests. I never ever hope to see the results. The Regent's aren't that important anyway; right? . I'm so screwed. But at least I have the rest of the week off. So, here you are.

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Later Day 18
Piper Maru (Ballroom)

I really need to stop taking vacations. Something bad always happens when I do. At the moment, I'm hunched over a passenger trying to stop him from bleeding to death. Mulder, Matt, and Diana all have their guns drawn, but they're no match for the machine gun these guys are pointing at them.
Dr. Lit steps forward and points his gun at them.
"Please place your weapons on the floor and kick them into the corner." They don't respond and Mulder defiantly aims his gun for a clearer shot. Dr. Lit is infuriated by this act and points his fully loaded gun at my head. "Don't make me ask you again."
Matt places his weapon on the floor and kicks it into the corner. Mulder does the same after another minute. Diana follows their lead.
"How very good of you all to cooperate." He turns to me. I have just finished dressing the wound. He looks down at me and smiles wickedly. I am knocked to the floor as he hits the side of my head with the butt of his gun. In the back I hear Mulder being restrained. I can taste the blood inside my mouth. I must have bit the inside of my cheek. Slowly I push myself up and stand to meet his gaze.
"What do you want?" My head is throbbing and I'm a bit dizzy. I probably have a concussion.
"I want you to take me to the safe."
Most passengers and crew don't know where the safe is, but I do. When I came aboard I put some important documents in the safe.
"I don't know where it is." I lie and he slaps me.
At this point Ms. Starr comes forward. She places her hand on Dr. Lit's shoulder and stopped him from hitting me again.
"Don't damage her to much. I kind of like her. Not to mention we could use her as collateral."
I hear Mulder shouting furious curses at the couple in front of me. Dr. Lit takes his eyes off me for a moment to passionately kiss Ms. Starr. I am so tempted to childishly gag at this point, but restrain myself. I need to stay calm and colleted. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Matt, whom no one is guarding, slip out of the ballroom. He nods his head answering my silent plea: please get help.
Dr. Lit turn back to me and point the gun straight into my temple.
"Please, Dr. Scully, take us to the safe."
I look around the room, trying to assess the situation. We are weaponless against three heavily armed men and their two ring leaders. I still have my weapon tucked away in the secret pocket in my dress. Thank God I learned long ago that Rule #1 of being in the FBI was always having your gun available.
There was no way I'd be able to take out five armed people. It would be suicide. I could stall though, until Matt could get help.
"Fine, I'll take you, but on one condition."
Ms. Starr smiles.
"I like a woman who can still make a deal with a gun to her head. What do you want?"
"I want half of whatever you steal. I mean, that's what this is right. A simple robbery."
"Hey! This is no simple robbery. We've been planning this for a very long time. Why should we give you anything?"
"Well, killing me would make you number one on the most wanted list very quickly and I have connection that can make us all disappear and never be seen again. Think of it. You and your lover sipping ice cold drinks on some undisclosed tropical beach. You'd live the high life and never see me or any law enforcement officer again. The CIA wouldn't even be able to find you."
"Why should we trust you?"
"You've got a gun to my head. What reason would I have to lie now?"
The two conspirators whispered silently for a moment to each other. Then they turned to answer me.
"You get twenty-five percent of the cash and maybe a nice necklace or two. You get us out of here and then we never see you again."
"That's very generous of you. I'll show you the safe now."
"Where is it?"
"You're standing on it."

Same Time
Same Place

I watch as Scully motions for them to move back. Then she knocks on some of the tiles on the dance floor. She finds the one she is looking for and pulls it up. Dr. Lit and Ms. Starr stare down into a black hole. There is a ladder leading down into the darkness.
"After you." Dr. Lit points Scully down into the hole and then he and Ms. Starr follow after her.
I take this moment to look around and study the remaining captors. They've relaxed and become complacent. I look at Diana and the Drunk Girl catches my eye. She drains the last of a vodka bottle and nods.
In a second, she leaps off the stage on top of a gunner. She hits him over the head with the bottle, knocking his weapon away and screaming at him.
"I stayed sober for this performance and you ruined it!!!! Die!!!!"
That girl's got issues.
At the same time, Diana and I attack our would-be attackers and disarm them.
I know we can go down into the safe and help Scully. She was on her own.
Suddenly I heard a volley of shots from several guns ring out down in the safe.
"Scully!?" I call down into the hole.
There is no answer and I'm very worried. Scully comes out of the safe. I approach her, but she shakes her head. Right behind her Dr. Lit comes up. His gun is aimed at her. I realize I still haven't retrieved my own gun.
"Don't do anything stupid, Agent Mulder. Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head."
Scully drops to her knees and I follow.
"If you hurt her, I swear-"
"Shut up!! Your little girlfriend here just unknowingly did me a favor. She shot Ms. Starr. Now I don't have to do it. So, to repay her, I'm going to make both your deaths as painless as possible."
He pauses for a moment to reload his gun and I look over at Scully.
"So much for a vacation." She whispers.
"This is completely deja-voo. Remember when I told you about being on that ghost ship with you?"
"Is this the part where the crew breaks in and we escape while everyone fights off the Nazis?"
"Yes."
"I hate to break it to you Mulder, but this guy is a first class nut, not a Nazi. I hold no delusions that we will escape as Jamaican crew members start a riot."
"What's taking him so long?"
"He doesn't know how to replace the clip."
"So his gun is empty?"
"No, he's still got one shot left, so don't do anything stupid."
I'm silent as Dr. Lit curse at the machinery.
"Pst. I have a confession to make."
"Now's not a great time Mulder."
"Well, it seems like the only time. I left out part of the story. I didn't tell you that I kissed the 'you in the past'. I meant what I said in the hospital. I know you thought it was the drugs talking, but it wasn't."
"I have a confession too. I never thought it was the drugs."
She smiles at me and we both reach out to hold hands. Behind us, Dr. Lit has reloaded his weapon. We close our eyes and I hear a shot ring out. I flinch and close my eyes tighter. Oh my God he shot Scully. I wait for the sound of her body hitting the floor, but it never comes. I open my eyes just as she's opening hers. We look at each other for a second and turn to look behind us as Dr. Lit crumples to the floor.
Standing in the door way is Matt. When did he get away? Suddenly the coast guard and the FBI are rushing in. I help Scully stand and we look around the room at the frightened passengers, broken glass, bullet casings, and injured/dead bodies.
Scully stumbles a little and I catch her as she falls. She looks exhausted and mumbles something about a concussion as she passes out in my arms.
Matt walks over to me as I pick her up.
"You should take her to her room to lie down. We can get her testimony later. A doctor should check her out too."
I nod and walk towards the door. Just as I leave, I hear him say to himself.
"What a mess."

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Author's Note: So, what do you think. Just one more chapter now.