Chapter 4

Baschelli ran with all he had in him. His feet pounding in front of him like bricks in the snow. A branch hit him in the face, slashing his cheek. Still, he ran. The night cried out to him, edging him on. He couldn't believe what he'd done. It was something he thought he'd sorted out. His temper had once been the source of much trouble for him, but that was all over now. He'd left Venice. He was a new man. The thought of the captivating agent Scully angered him. He'd seen the faces of fear, he had sworn never to invite them again. Anger had opened the door, he was weak and he cursed himself for it. He paused as he reached a safe distance from the camp. His breath was sharp and tore through his chest. It made a rasping sound. He walked on, trudging forward nearer and nearer to the dig site. He would hide there until morning. In the air something stirred, like a whisper of warning. He heard a rustle in the bushes. Nothing moved. He turned as the sound came from behind him. He could feel the piercing of eyes on his back. He ran, fearing what it was that hung back. He ran on through the bushes and into a hollow cave, it was dark. He found a corner and hid from his pursuer. There was no way it was agent Mulder, he couldn't have followed him all this time. He turned his head to see if the guilty party had entered. He could see the entrance to the hollow. The moon shone in. A shadow appeared. It was tall and hunched over. Its fingers were lone and bony, talons stretching out of the tips. He could hear it snarl. He held his breath, stepping back out of view. He stood on some gravel with a crunch. The creature turned at the sound. Baschelli froze. Its eyes were fiery, red with a sinister glint. They peered at him through the bitter darkness. He hoped he hadn't been seen. It moved carefully toward him. He turned to run, knowing he had been spotted. Another creature blocked his path. He stopped in his tracks as more surrounded him. Their upper bodies were human, their faces had an ebony shine. Their teeth protruded from their mouths, sharp, menacing. Their malevolent breathing accentuating their intent. The legs of a leopard kept the things hunched over, although they added lethal strength. Baschelli muttered his Catholic prayers, hoping to be saved. One of the creatures lunged forward; Baschelli's screams went unheard…

Scully stared into the distance, a mug of coffee in her hand. She watched the steam dance on the freezing air. Her blue eyes were glazed over in thought. Mulder stood back against the canvass of the main tent. He looked at her, wondering what she was thinking. She placed the mug on the table and put her head in her hands. What was it?

Scully couldn't believe she'd let herself down in such a way. Her weakness at such a frightfully important juncture in her life had frightened her. She hated that she had ignored her instinct and allowed herself to be manipulated. Once again, she had Mulder to thank for her well being. She owed him everything and had no way of repaying the debt. She felt like a failed student, Trust no one…Was that not the lesson Mulder had taught her a hundred times? As if in answer to her inward question, she felt his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him. He said nothing. Instead, he sat down on the bench next to her. The compassion in his eyes comforted her. She looked away, almost out of shame. He turned her face towards him. She felt his hand on her cheek, the same gesture Baschelli had made, but with different undertones. She felt reassured. She looked into his eyes and realized they had their own message. "I cant' believe I was so stupid," she began.

"I don't believe the word stupid fits into your vocabulary Dr Scully," Mulder tried to cheer her up, turning to his own coffee. She laughed a little, politeness more than actual amusement.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really in a laughing mood," she stated simply.

"Understandable, it hasn't been the greatest of nights," he smiled at her, a warming, comforting smile. The silence that followed was not the awkward pause that would usually pass between co-workers, but a pause full of unspoken messages; some of understanding, some of affection even some of forgiveness for the mistrust that had led to the unfortunate incident earlier in the evening. It was a sweet moment, one of many that accompanied the close connection they shared. It was a cherished ritual, a release from a world where paranoia and suspicion poisoned relationships acquired. The moment was completely shattered by the entrance of Anna.

"I have to say that this whole business baffles me completely." Scully turned to look at her friend, thanking her and cursing her at the same time. "I mean, what was he thinking?"

"I think Baschelli got angry," Mulder said. Scully was shocked. She had expected a more violent accusation.

"Angry? About what?" Anna asked, turning to Scully. She said nothing. Mulder spoke in her place,

"I think we all need to get some rest, we can discuss this in the morning."

"I agree," said Scully, finding her confidence once again. They both rose from the table and moved towards the door. Anna remained behind, apparently deep in thought. Mulder wondered what had happened to Greenwood, a concern that soon faded to be replaced by his concern for his partner.

"I don't know what they know!" Greenwood said into his communication device, "I think I've put them off track. I'm trying to put the emphasis on something else, I just hope they don't realise I'm not as stupid as I'm trying to be." He paused while his superior spoke. He'd been placed on this unfortunate assignment because he'd pissed someone off in the chain of command. He knew he was on a reconciliation mission. He was being punished. Being in this God forsaken place for Christmas was bad enough, but the arrival of the two agents was a real nightmare. He'd hoped that by setting them on the diamond mine trail he'd be able to salvage this already hopeless situation. "Yes sir, I understand."

He broke contact and returned once more to the tent where the others were. On his way he noticed the two agents leaving. He didn't move, ducking momentarily and hoping that they hadn't spotted him. He returned once more to the tent he shared with agent Mulder. Quite an experience for him since agent Mulder was somewhat a legend to Greenwood. It was a rare luxury for a man like him to come face to face with the enemy.

As the morning sun came streaming in, Scully lay quietly; staring at a note Mulder had left her. She'd been awake for a while, just tracing his handwriting with her eyes. The beautiful way his touch formed the letters of her name made her feel special. He'd left his jacket on the chair by her desk and the note accompanied it. The paper flapped slightly in the breeze, allowing a glimpse of the message inside. Scully sighed and stretched a little, preparing herself to get out of bed. She changed her mind, however, as she had done many times that morning. Turning over and lying on her back, she thought about the strange disappearance of the baffling Dr. Baschelli. Where could he possibly have gone? It had been dark when he'd fled. He wouldn't have dared venture out of the camp, not after the untimely deaths of his companions. The attempted focus dissipated when Scully thought, once more, of Mulder's rescue mission. She blushed slightly when she thought of his fussing over her after they'd left Anna, a rare thing for her. She'd begged him to stay with her until she fell asleep. He'd obliged not too unwillingly she thought. They'd chatted a little while and then, she couldn't remember. She'd probably fallen asleep. Anyway, all she knew was that there was a note with her name on it and if she didn't read it now, she would die of anticipation. She rose and gently picked up the piece of paper. Her heart skipped a beat. The note read:

Dear Scully,

Last night was amazing… You were incredible.

Fox.

P.S. Look in my coat.

She immediately began searching through Mulder's coat, hoping to find out more about the event he was referring to. His right pocket contained another note:

Ha ha, just kidding! Had you going there for a moment. You were on your best behaviour: THAT I can guarantee. Hope you slept well, see you in the morning.

Me.

Trying to still her beating heart, Scully uttered a sigh of relief. She shook her head, rubbed her eyes gently, and readied herself to emerge form the tent.

Mulder thought quietly to himself about the notes he'd left Scully. He smiled and tried to imagine her reaction. He didn't feel like moving from his comfortable spot on his bunk, so he didn't. His mind wandered back to the night before. Scully had asked him to stay until she fell asleep. He'd gladly obliged, happy to spend any time with her. They'd chatted a while, like the night in Oregon on that first case. It was all very nostalgic and Mulder was almost sorry when she'd drifted off to sleep. He sat for a while, just existing in her presence. He looked up at her. A strand of hair moved back and forth as she breathed. He wanted to take her in his arms and just hold her close. He wanted to protect her from that evil, big, wide world. The anger that had taken over him when he'd seen Baschelli standing over her still shocked him. He'd felt strength come form his weary self and a blind, mad rage had driven him on. He had come to realise that it was for only one reason that he had behaved the way he had. The reason that one finds so difficult to express. The reason that would haunt him until he could find the courage to tell her that he was, in fact, violently and undeniably in love with her. From the moment she'd walked into his pitiful little existence in that dark basement office. He'd lifted his head, determined to be difficult. When he'd seen those eager eyes, hidden under her glasses, he'd almost stopped breathing. He was forever indebted to those glasses. For, if they had not been present, he surely would never have been able to keep up his façade of cool and uninhibited contempt. Her sweet smile, trying to make a good impression. It held an elegance and refinement that blew him away. He could see that, despite the sweetness of her appearance, she had a tenacity and spirit radiating from her. He could hear her soft breathing in his mind. As he'd prepared to leave, after writing the notes, he'd gently pressed a kiss on her forehead. Dizzied by his longing for her, he quickly stood back. He steadied himself and quickly left, cursing himself for getting too close. That moment would remain his forever, he would keep it close to himself as if it were the person herself. At that very moment, the person entered, leaning gently against the canvass. She smiled a scolding smile at him, shaking her head gently. He smiled an elfish smile back.

"I got your note," she began. He smiled once again. "Where's your friend?" she asked, pointing over to the other bunk.

"Not sure," Mulder answered, standing up, "he was gone when I got here." There was a pause. Scully looked around the room. Mulder looked straight at her. She felt him looking at her and blushed slightly,

"I want to thank you for staying with me last night," she said finally.

"No Problem!" said Mulder getting up from his bunk, "We had better go, they'll be looking for us." Scully nodded and followed him out.

Anna had been pacing her room all morning. She worried about Baschelli, where had he disappeared? She was anxious to look for him. The death of a professor was all she needed to get the publicity she didn't need. Especially if she wanted that promotion. She would have gone to look for him earlier, but she didn't want to risk going out alone.