Note of the author:

Many thanks to the readers that have reached me and encouraged me. I guess I've now overpassed my crisis of self-doubt. Let's just continue the story and see what happens.

When Scully opened her eyes just before dawn, Mulder, flashlight in his mouth, was already prepping their backpacks. She immediately felt the tension emanating from his body despite the carefulness of his gestures to not wake her up; seven years by his side and she could tell when his mind had been set off.

"Good morning, restless G-man," she said to his back. "Anything new I should know?"

Mulder turned around, a tender and soft smile on his face but flickers of eagerness in his eyes.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty. Yes, you should know I've found a way to Deep Valley."

XXXXX

Scully's face displayed her usual skepticism as Mulder was pointing at the supposed 'way'. All she could see was bushes, stems, leaves and flowers; and overall those dense lower greens, a roof of high trees.

"Where, exactly?" she asked cheerfully, not wanting to be the rational buzzkill.

Mulder lowered his index finger.

"I know it sounds crazy, Scully. But there's a path. Look, there's a scat just here, a fox scat. We have to follow the fox's track," Mulder said, in the most matter-of-factly tone and avoiding Scully's eyes. He knew he was standing on thin ice above the unstable grounds of unreasonableness.

"Fox?" Scully could only ask after a beat.

"Yes?"

"A fox?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Whatever. I guess it's worth a try."

XXXXX

Crawling on her belly or on fours, a heavy backpack on her back and her nose on Mulder's butt, Scully wondered how and why she got there.

Well, she knew: she was just following two foxes. Though, she wasn't sure about the first one that was supposed to lead them; was it a real animal or was it just Mulder's hunch? She suspected she would never know and it didn't really matter right now.

After all, she was her military dad's daughter and she didn't mind rucking in the woods. She was in a pretty good mood and exercising her muscles was leveling up the dopamine rate in her blood. The weather was warm and fine, and, surprisingly, the tunnel of bushes they were going through was free of thorns, spikes or hard stems.

"I see the end of the tunnel, Scully," Mulder suddenly said after what seemed to be hours of workout.

XXXXX

Seated on a tender patch of grass, Scully was stretching her legs and arms. She had been glad to take a break, drink and relieve her back.

"Mulder, why don't you rest? You're exhausting me just watching your back and forths," she said.

"Scats, Scully. Or footprints, or whatever. They are not easy to be found," Mulder replied from a few yards away, his nose on the grass. "Won't you help me?"

"Oh, I let you live your love story with the enigmatic fox. I don't want to intrude."

"Make fun of me, I don't care."

Scully smiled and scanned their surroundings.

They had reached a large clearing and she could see a comforting patch of blue sky above her head. On her right, a dozen steps away, she could still outline the exit of the passage they came from, but she doubted this ability would last, especially with the change of light. She then looked at the two orange cross marks Mulder had painted on trunks flanking the exit, appreciating he had been clever enough to bring a spray paint can.

"Hey, Scully, have you been around here?" Mulder asked from a very different place than the one of their last exchange.

"Mulder, I'm just stuck on the ground."

"So, those red hairs aren't yours."

"Certainly not."

"Come on then," Mulder said, while painting a new cross. "We're going this way."

XXXXX

They walked a couple of hours hand in hand, on a difficult but still practicable ground, leaving regular orange crosses on trunks —they would be able to easily come back to the camp anytime, if they wished or were blocked.

Then, lighthearted, they reached a stunning tree.

It was the largest one they'd seen so far, the most majestic, in full blossom. So attractive they couldn't make their way without taking in all its beauty.

Their hands side by side on the soft bark of the tree, inhaling the heavy fragrance of the myriad of small pale pink flowers coloring branches, Mulder and Scully let the charm of the tree infuse in their bodies.

"I know it can't be, but I almost feel a heartbeat," Scully said after an extended minute. "That's fascinating."

"Yeah, it's like the tree's speaking to us."

Mulder softly grabbed Scully's right hand from the trunk, put it over his left side of the chest, and faced Scully.

"Speaking of the heart, Scully… Feel mine. I hope you know how much you sustain its beats," Mulder whispered.

"I know, Mulder, I know. I can feel it too… Always."

"Sometimes, I feel so blessed that I can't hide it to the world, Scully… And, I… Wait a sec."

Mulder bent down and picked up the spray can from his backpack down his feet.

"Let's heart mark this trunk as a proof of our love, Scully," he said, stretching his arm, ready to push the button of the can.

Scully quickly grabbed his wrist and stopped his gesture. "Mulder, are you out of your mind? You wouldn't want to spoil this wondrous tree. You don't have to prove anything to whoever. Just kiss me."

Mulder dropped the can, put his hand on Scully's neck and leaned forward, putting his lips on her lips. They kissed for a long time, slowly but deeply, unveiling the essence of their bond to the giant mute witness.

When they broke their kiss and moved apart, their hearts fulfilled, Scully's sight was caught by a cluster of flowers close to her left cheek. On the delicate petals a bee was turning around, displaying a frantic dance as to be seen and recognized.

"Oh, Mulder, that bee over here," Scully said in a surprised tone.

"Yeah?"

"It's the one…"

The bee stopped on Scully's first words, took off from the flowers and, after hovering a couple of seconds in front of Scully's eyes, flew away in a straight line.

"Mulder, this bee. Let's follow it," Scully ordered, excitement in her voice.

"But?"

"Come on!" she launched as she grabbed Mulder's hand and pulled him over.

Mulder just had the time to pick up his backpack as they went off, in long strides.

On the ground, down the majestic tree, lay the abandoned spray paint can.