Chapter 16: Lukey

“Y’know, Walt, someday I’d like to come up here just for the hell of it, and not because one of us is having a crisis,” Mulder groused good naturedly as he and Skinner climbed the well used steps up to Bow Falls.

“And,” he added, “These stairs are killing me. When are they going to put in an elevator?” He was a step or two behind Skinner and sped up just a little so that they reached the top at the same time.

They both paused, breathing deeply, but not nearly as winded as Mulder had implied. Skinner turned to Mulder with a grin.

“Elevator? I think you could use a few more steps—“ he poked his lover in the belly, startling a squeak out of him, “You’re getting soft.”

“Soft?” Mulder scoffed, taking Skinner in his arms and deliberately grinding his hips into the other man’s, “I’ll show you who’s getting soft, buddy.”

Skinner chuckled at Mulder’s antics and kissed him softly on the mouth. Then, disengaging himself from the embrace, he walked towards the sound of rushing water, and the large flat rock there that he had developed a certain possessive fondness for. Mulder followed along silently, content for one brief moment to enjoy the view of Walter Skinner’s backside. A crooked smile creased his lips, and he made a silent vow to whatever higher power might be watching over him, that he would do whatever it took to see that no harm came to this man who was such a vital part of his life.

By unspoken agreement, they stopped together on the near side of the rock, both of them glancing down the face of it, over names painted on or carved into the granite. Declarations of love, graduation or just simple existence jumbled over each other, dug deep into the stone, or painted colorfully on its surface. Twin smiles bloomed on their faces as they both caught sight of the initials they had carved there together. The letters got a sunny dose of grin, and then they turned their smiles on each other.

“Sap,” Mulder teased.

“I think that’s the pot calling the kettle romantic, Puppy,” Skinner shot back. Then he stepped past the side of the rock and found an even place to climb up onto the flat shelf-like top of the thing and easily hoisted himself up onto it. He took up his preferred position at the tip of the rock, letting his legs dangle over the spray and fog coming up from the waterfall that could be clearly seen splashing and eroding its way down the side of the mountain. A few moments later, Mulder joined him.

“Well, the good news is I feel slightly less crappy than the last time I was here,” Mulder said brightly, brushing a hand over Skinner’s thigh. “But again I ask the question; can we please come up here some time when I don’t have to take one on the chin the night before?”

“This is where I want to be,” Skinner replied.

“What?”

Skinner put his hand over Mulder’s, found it cool to the touch and only then realized how late in the day it was getting to be.

“No columbarium. No cat box. No mixing me in with the fish food.” He squeezed Mulder’s hand tightly. “This place has seen me at my best and at my worst. I’ve come here at the lowest points in my life, and the highest, with a few of the drunkest in-between, I think.”

That earned him a warm Mulder-smile and a quick kiss on the ear.

“Most important, though, is that this is my place with you.” He turned from looking out at the view to face his lover. “And it always will be.” He looked down at their clasped hands, raised them to his mouth, and brushed his lips over Mulder’s knuckles.

When he looked up from their hands, he caught Mulder swiping at his eyes.

“Hey, none of that, Puppy,” he admonished gently. “This is just in case, you know?” He waiting until Mulder nodded, then continued, “Chances are I’ll be able to make my way up those stairs under my own steam the next time we come up here. And the time after that, and so on.”

“Plan on it,” Mulder replied. He shivered as a strong breeze gusted up from the falls. A quick look around had him realizing that the dappled sunlight pushing through the trees around them was growing dimmer. He knew it was getting late in the day, but surely not so late—

“Storm’s coming, I think,” said Skinner as more cool wind ruffled his clothes, Mulder’s hair. “Let’s get back.” He got to his feet, and then held a hand out to Mulder. “We should be able to beat John and Dana back if we hurry.”

“Sounds like a plan. And then we can work out our next move.” Mulder held Skinner’s hand a second longer, and they both listened to far away thunder rumbling ominously.

“I’m thinking we should bring the Gunmen back into this,” Mulder suddenly switched topics as they worked their way back down the side of the boulder to the ground, “If Marita’s here, she didn’t just teleport –this is Canada, not the USS Enterprise. Maybe the guys can track her movements, find out where she might have crossed the border, or where she might have set up base.”

“Good idea,” Skinner agreed.

“Really?” Mulder gave him a skeptical look, which earned him a grin as Skinner kissed the cynical frown away.

“I know you think I don’t like them, but I do. They’ve helped us—you—out more times than I care to count, and I—Ow!”

Skinner’s eyes widened and his hand came up to paw at the back of his neck like he was swatting a bug.

“What is it?” Mulder asked. “Bee sting? ‘Cos you gotta know, I have a bad history with those.”

Skinner staggered and opened his mouth but no sound came out.

“Walter?” More worried now, Mulder spun the larger man around and discovered a small red dart sticking out of the back of his neck. He quickly brushed Skinner’s own hand away and plucked the thing out of him; blood spurted from the hole it left and then Skinner’s knees buckled.

“What the hell--?” Mulder crouched down and slipped an arm around Skinner to support him, even as his other hand scrabbled at his pant cuff for a moment and came up full of gun.

“Fox…?” Skinner groaned out the word, and then his eyes glazed over and he was suddenly much heavier as his body went lax and he threatened to slither right out of Mulder’s grip.

“Walter? Walter!” Mulder put his head to Skinner’s chest, heard a slow but strong heartbeat, which didn’t soothe him half as much as it should have, and then he lowered him gently to the ground, barely holding rein on his panic. He stood up and some sound, growling and feral like his namesake, slipped from him.

“Where are you?” he demanded, standing protectively over his lover’s prone form. He waved the gun frantically at the trees and rocks and cried out again.

“Where the fuck are you!?” His anguished scream echoed back at him, along with the rustling of startled birds and the sound of something chipmunkish scuttling through fallen leaves in the underbrush.

“This isn’t over, you bitch! I’m going to find you!”

When no answer was immediately forthcoming, Mulder gave up his threats and turned to aid his fallen lover instead. Again he held panic back by sheer force of will, and ignored the twinge of something pulling badly in his back as he put all his weight under Skinner and tried to lift him to his feet. Muttering didn’t seem to give him any added strength, but he did it anyway.

“Come on, Walt, come on, big guy, we’ve got to get out of here. Little help here, hon, okay? Let’s go, now, just to the car, and we’ll get you home; you’re going to be okay, we’re going to get you home now—“

--until the twin of the tranquilizer dart that had taken down Walter Skinner caught him high on his shoulder. His grip on Skinner faltered and they fell to the ground together, Mulder crying out in pain, Skinner oblivious. He grabbed frantically at the dart and only succeeded in breaking it in half, and then his gun was tumbling from a grip suddenly gone numb, and he saw Skinner’s glasses fall to the ground at the same time. Somewhere behind him he heard more rustling forest noises, but the storm that had been threatening seemed to be building faster now, the darkness of clouds and thunder rushing into his vision and blurring it until all that was left was the sight of Skinner lying next to him, dark black veins rising in his forehead. He screamed again and the darkness swallowed him up.

end 16/19