Thanks to Kes and to the reviewers.
Well, we're getting near the end. Just one more chapter after this.
Morning in California
Grissom woke in the morning to an empty bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. He looked around the room, but he saw no sign of Sara. He got out of bed and walked into the living room, finding it empty also. He noticed the other bedroom door was open, so he walked over and peeked inside. No one in there, either. Did they run off and leave me? He went into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. He heard metal clanging and voices talking, so he peered out the window and saw Sara and Mulder looking over the old pickup. He finished up in the bathroom and made his way outside, around the back of the cabin to where Sara, Mulder and Scully were.
The hood was open on the old Chevy and Sara was leaning over the passenger side fender looking at the engine. Mulder was standing on the driver's side, his forearms resting on the fender; he was watching Sara's every move. Scully was sitting on an upside down bucket watching the pair check out the truck. Grissom walked over and pulled up a bucket next to Scully. He sat down and said, "Good morning, everyone."
Scully smiled at him and asked, "What's so good about it?"
"We're alive," Sara replied, without looking up from her task.
"Good point, Sara," Scully said.
"Okay, Sidle, what's the prognosis here? Do you think you can get this rust bucket running?" Mulder asked.
She thought for a moment and responded, "Well, I'll have to check the plugs, carburetor, the battery's dead, but it's a stick shift…so we can push start it. It's full of gas and oil and the radiator looks good…I'm fairly confident we'll be driving this thing out of here."
"You sure know your stuff, Sidle. I suddenly feel like less of a man," Mulder joked.
"I'm sure Sara could put most men to shame," Grissom commented.
"I'm not gonna argue with you on that," Mulder replied.
"So, where did you learn how to work on cars, Sara?" Scully questioned.
"My first car was a piece of junk. A 1970 Dodge Dart, it broke down all the time. My dad and brother knew a little about cars, but they got tired of working on mine. So one day my dad told me it was time to learn how to do it myself. He taught me all the basics…it's really not that difficult once you understand it."
"If you could cook, I'd ask you to marry me," Mulder joked.
Sara smirked at him. "You couldn't handle me, Mulder."
"Ooh! You're probably right."
"Quit your yapping and hand me that wrench," Sara said.
Mulder handed her the wrench and the three of them watched in fascination as Sara worked on the truck. She pulled out each spark plug, checked it and cleaned it up a little before putting it back in. She checked the plug wires and the distributor. She took the carburetor off and took it half apart, cleaning it up before putting it back together and back on the manifold. She thoroughly checked over the whole engine and made sure everything was there and in hopefully working order. Then she got in the cab and reached under the dash. She messed around with the wiring and made it to where to truck would start without a key. She got out of the cab and walked around to the front. She closed the hood and said, "All right, who's ready to push?"
Grissom and Scully stood and followed Mulder around to the back of the truck. Sara got in the driver's seat. She pushed in the clutch and put the truck in gear. She pumped the gas pedal several times to get the gas to the carburetor. "Okay, let's go," she called out the window.
Grissom, Mulder and Scully rocked the pickup back and forth a few times before they got it to move forward. They got it rolling and used all the strength they had to pick up momentum. Sara waited until the truck was moving good enough before she popped the clutch. The old Chevy sputtered a little and then roared to life. She heard her companions cheering and couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. She stopped the truck, took it out of gear and put the emergency brake on. She hopped out of the cab just as the other three were walking up.
"Damn, you're good, Sidle," Mulder declared.
"Did you ever doubt me?"
"I did, but I'll never doubt your abilities again."
"Good. Now, are we gonna stand here and chat all day, or are we gonna get the hell out of here?"
"We'll be out of here in a minute. I just have to run back inside and get my jacket," Mulder said, as he walked off.
"Would you mind grabbing my bag for me?" Grissom asked him.
"Sure, no problem." Mulder and Scully both walked to the cabin.
Grissom turned to Sara and smiled at her. She returned his smile and he reached one hand up and ran his fingers over her cheek. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged. "Grease…from working on the truck."
"I don't buy that."
"Yeah, well…I didn't buy that chalk thing." He brought his hand back to his side and she playfully swatted his arm.
Mulder and Scully quickly returned. Mulder tossed Grissom's bag in the back of the truck and asked, "Who's driving and who's gonna ride in the back?"
Three sets of eyes looked at him. "I guess I'm riding in the back." He climbed in the bed and sat on one of the fenders.
"I'll drive," Grissom said.
Sara hopped back in the cab and scooted over to the middle of the seat, while Scully walked around and got in the passenger side. Grissom got behind the wheel and drove them out of there.
xx
The old truck got them back through the mountains and around the lake. It died just about a mile before reaching their turn at Turtle Rock. Without saying a word, they all got out and started walking. They were all amazed that the pickup had gotten them that far. Soon they were at the little store and Grissom placed a call to his old friend Sheriff Anderson. He told him what had happened and the sheriff said he would be right there. The four of them sat in the shade and waited for the sheriff to arrive.
Sheriff Anderson and Deputy Coe arrived at the same time, but from different directions. They quickly got out of their cars and approached the group. Mulder and Grissom informed them about everything that had occurred. Sara told them about her being abducted by Krycek and him holding her captive. The sheriff made notes about their encounter and stood quiet for a moment processing the information. "I hate to ask this, but would one of you mind riding up there with me, showing me where it is? I don't know that area too well and to be honest it's not in my jurisdiction…that's Lake County. But I can have a look and secure the scene before the local authorities arrive."
Mulder looked at Scully and she shook her head. It was no use to protest. Mulder was going back up there with or without her. "Agent Mulder and I would be glad to show you the place." Mulder smiled at her and nodded a silent thank you.
Sheriff Anderson turned to Grissom and Sara. "What about you two?"
Sara quickly spoke up. "I just want to get back to Las Vegas."
Anderson nodded. "Deputy Coe will make arrangements for you to get home." He turned to the deputy. "Do you think you can handle that Billy?"
"Yes, sir."
"Call Jim Davis and tell him I need him to fly my two friends back to Vegas. Tell him it's a personal favor for me…and that maybe next time Little Jimmy does something stupid, I'll let him off a little easier."
"Yes, sir"
The sheriff walked over to his car and called the station. He asked them to inform the Lake County authorities what had happened and that they would be there waiting for them. He walked back over to the others. "Okay, you ready to get going?"
"Yeah," Mulder replied.
Grissom reached out and shook the sheriff's hand. "Thank you, Charlie."
He shrugged. "What are old friends for?" He looked over at the deputy. "Billy, you take good care of these two."
"I will, sir."
Sheriff Anderson winked at Sara before he walked over and got in his car. She smiled and looked at Grissom who was looking back and forth between her and the sheriff. Grissom was about to ask her if she cast a spell on every guy she came into contact with, but decided against it.
"I guess this is where we go our separate ways," Mulder said, as he reached his hand out to shake Grissom's.
"I guess so," Grissom replied, while he shook Scully's hand.
"Well, it's been…interesting," Scully said, unable to come up with a fitting description.
"That it has," Sara agreed, shaking Scully's hand.
Sara reached out for Mulder's hand, but he surprised her by pulling her into a quick hug. "He's got it bad for you," he whispered into her ear. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he released her. Grissom shot Mulder a dirty look to which he just grinned.
"Come on, Mulder. The sheriff is waiting for us."
Mulder and Scully got in the car and the sheriff drove off. The three left standing there watched the car disappear around the turn. Deputy Coe turned to Grissom and Sara and said, "Let's get you folks back to Vegas." They got in the car and headed down the road.