I haven't come to the ownership of The X-Files, Scully and Mulder, they are still Chris Carter's

Chapter twelve

Don't Give Up

Crowsnest Highway

April, 22 2008

16. 33 P.M

Outside the building they thanked Joe Taylor for his hospitality and help, giving her one of his rare direct stares, Joe Taylor told her that they were always welcome again and welcome to bring their son. She felt touched when she shook his hand, knowing he had trusted them enough to share his sacred ceremony, and grateful that he had been able to bypass her doubts. His few words directed at her had held a deeper meaning, giving her an insight she had sought. In the sweat lodge, she had been able to give thanks for the return of her son, give thanks that William hadn't been damaged from all the things, which had happened to him in his short life. It had felt right to give thanks in there and not somewhere else.

When they had been driving for a while in silence, she broke it "Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened in there?" He couldn't fool her.

Taking his eyes of the road, he locked them with her and smiled, "maybe it's time we pick out china together, Scully, you know me too well." Not awaiting her answer, he moved his sight back to the road. "I kept returning to the fact that my parents chose Samantha instead of me, the pain was unbearable, I felt it hundred times in there. Until I finally understood; I'm not to be blamed. I didn't make the choice and I win nothing by blaming myself. I may never know who made the decision, but I can't change the fact that she died and I didn't. I deserve to be happy even though, I couldn't save her." He didn't sound convinced.

"Of course you do, Mulder. It wasn't your fault." Taking his hand in hers she caressed it.

"Scully, what about you, what happened to you in there?"

Exhaling, she studied his hand, "I understood how angry I've been for loosing William and how much I fear loosing him again. I can't go through that again." Pausing briefly, she sighed, "I came to understand I've to let go of that fear, I need to have faith in, that this time we will all be okay."

"That's a lot for one day, I think we were meant to be here today, that…"

He was interrupted by his cell phone. "We will be here" he said into the phone.

"Who was that?" She inquired; they were only five minutes from their hotel.

"Joe Taylor. They just found Jim Casey dead. He doesn't seem harmed in any way."

"What?" Less than an hour ago Jim Casey and been alive.

Turning the car he followed the road back to the reserve. Scully reached for the case file, the feeling of having overlooked something hadn't left her, yet. Turning the first page the list of the deceased names stared at her. One name caught her attention.

"Father Levison, age 72. It must be the same Levison who worked with Father Johnson at Jim Casey's boarding-school, Mulder"

"What?"

"One of the deceased is a Father Levison, he was head of the wing at the Rectory. He was found dead together with the young men. He has to be the connection to Jim Casey, Mulder."

"I think you're right." He agreed.

The body of Jim Casey lay on the back underneath a tree not far from Joe Taylor's place. There was nothing which indicated a crime had been committed. It appeared as the man had slumbered peacefully into his death.

Lightly touching the corpse of Jim Casey, Scully felt the heat radiating from inside the body, the skin was supposed to be cooling down by now, but it couldn't due to the heat inside. The complicity puzzled Scully, the body lay outside with no heating power anywhere near the death scene. There was no evidence that the body had been moved, everything appeared normal, except that the body was burning up from inside.

"Mulder" she called, he was talking to Joe Taylor a few feet away from her.

Obediently, he finished his conversation and came to her side. "Feel this" she touched Jim Casey again.

"Ouch, guess he wasn't a cool man." Stepping closer to her, he asked; "Scully, what do you think?"

"I think he died from the same thing the victims in the Rectory died from. I can only assume it a virus raising the temperature rapidly, stressing the body into death. Or that he somehow had the ability to spontaneous self-ignition but failed halfway."

"I think we are on to something here, but I don't thing it's about self-ignition. I think he could start a sweat lodge inside other people, a process where he controlled the temperature." Mulder directed his next question to Joe Taylor, "besides the sweat lodge how did Jim Casey help his people?"

"Jim was known for his healing powers, he worked hard to help people out of their addictions. His heart was bleeding for those who were lost in their hearts, the ones who had lost their identities."

Listening to the dialogue Scully asked the next question, "how did he heal people?"

Reflecting over her question, Joe Taylor was quiet for a few minutes; "Your logical sense and your sixth sense often fight, you are more in tune with your spiritually than you pretend to be. You already know the answer. Your husband has already explained it. He sees the connections though he hasn't got your faith." Reaching one hand out, he handed her a package, "Here, this is for your son. Don't give up, agent Scully!""

Having spoken the last word Joe Taylor turned around and walked to his car, without looking back he entered the car and drove away. Scully looked at the large package in her hand, she couldn't see or imagine what was inside of it.

She watched the car drive away. The words which code she hadn't broken yet, had been spoken to her again. They affected her the same way, this time, bewildered, confused and unable to understand, she felt lost and alone. Why did these three words hunt her? What was it she had yet to understand?

"Scully, what was that about?"

"I think Joe Taylor supports your theory. Jim Casey had the gift of healing people, but nothing is entirely good or entirely bad, it's how we choose to use it. Jim Casey used his ability well for many years, until the thought of revenge swallowed him, and he chose to use it to harm people. "

"Eventually, he was caught by his own actions. Scully, you do believe this has something to do with faith and miracles?" He was unconvinced.

"Healing is not unknown to the Church; there are a lot of examples where prayers have had a healing effect. I saw healing save Daniel's life. I've seen prayers getting answered. But I don't know what to believe in this case, Mulder"

"I think you need to do an autopsy on Jim Casey."

The local reserve police had been called and they agreed to send the body to Quantico. There was nothing left for Scully or Mulder to do at the reserve. They would return home. By luck, they could be home the same evening.