Chapter Text
The snow fell heavily onto the rural Colorado highway, making it harder to drive by the minute while the destination of the 1996 Ford Taurus, Denver, Colorado, was still some 60 miles ahead.
Although it was only 3.30 pm, it was already getting dark and the rental had to slow down to 15 mph, to not end up in a snow bank.
It wasn’t the only car travelling on the street, though. In both directions, there were a few other vehicles trying to get home or to their respective destinations before dark or before the snow would make their journeys impossible to continue.
Which happened right now.
As if it had just been playing with those humans in their metallic shells, the wind and snowfall increased, leaving the drivers with zero visibility and overburdening the windshield wipers.
The traffic came to a halt.
++++
“I hope this doesn’t last long. I don’t want to get snowed in and we don’t have much time before our flight departs from DEN,” Special Agent Dana Scully exclaimed obviously annoyed.
She looked outside the window. They were surrounded by wilderness and before the storm had taken their sight completely, she could see the mountains. To the left, guard railings protected cars and their drivers from falling into the abyss that found itself right where the pavement ended. To the right, rocks and trees lined the side.
Rocks and trees for endless miles.
They hadn’t seen a single building recently, although there was a ski-resort they had passed a couple of hours ago. The skiing season hadn’t begun yet and this blizzard was more like a first announcement of the forthcoming winter. It was heavier though than the forecast had anticipated, surprising authorities and local businesses alike.
“Scully, I hate to break this to you but there’s a slight chance you’ll be stuck with me for just another night,” her partner, Special Agent Fox Mulder replied, slightly amused.
“Don’t say that, Mulder!” Scully warned “You know that I need to be back home by tomorrow as I have an appointment.”
“Having a date, huh?” Mulder leered at her curiously.
“Hmm, yes I do actually.”
“Who’s the lucky bastard?”
Was there a hint of jealousy in his voice, Scully mused.
“Just somebody from back in the day, you know?”
“Old friend from school then?”
“No, more recently. Quantico, actually.” Scully was beginning to enjoy this; Her partner was chewing his bottom lip already. Definitely a sign of jealousy.
“I see.”
“We were romantically involved for a short period of time,” Scully continued. “It didn’t work out, though. I was about to be transferred to Washington and he didn’t want to commute. Neither did I. So, we split up. Like I said, we only had been together shortly, so it didn’t result in heartbreak or anything.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah, and a couple of days ago, he called me and told me he was in town for a lecture on forensic science and asked me out for coffee and I said yes, because I still like him. That’s tomorrow.”
“Good for you,” Mulder said in a casual voice but his grip on the wheel and his white knuckles showed that he wasn’t actually that casual about it.
Scully decided to end his torture.
“I’m just kidding, Mulder. I’m having coffee with my mom tomorrow. I’ve been so busy the past few weeks that we didn’t have time to meet and chat.”
She secretly added that he was the reason she didn’t actually have the time or nerve to go on real dates.
If he was relieved, it only showed by his grip loosening.
“Scully, I’m sorry you haven’t been able to see your mom in a while. I know how strong your bond is, especially after your… (cancer)… after you’ve been released from the hospital and I know that I am the reason you haven’t been able to see her as often as you would have liked. I know that and I’m sorry. Really sorry, Scully, and I can’t thank you enough for continuing on with me. For believing in what we do is right, even when I had lost my faith.”
When had this conversation taken such a dramatic turn?
“Mulder. I chose to take this path with you. I chose to make your quest our quest. Even if we’re not agreeing and even when your theories sometimes sound just batcrap crazy to me. I chose the X Files as I chose you. There is no need to blame yourself for anything,” she breathed and the inside of the car fell silent.
++++
By 4.45 pm it was clear that they wouldn’t make their flight. The storm had abated and they were able to continue their journey but the snow was too much and they were merely creeping along.
“Scully, I’m sorry,” Mulder said again. He felt miserable.
“I guess we have to find a place to stay the night,” Scully simply stated. “If there’s a landline, I’ll try to call my mom. My cellphone doesn’t have reception in these parts. Maybe we can still get a flight out early tomorrow.”
“A couple of miles back, I saw a sign saying that Mountain Pine Lodge wasn’t far. I’ll stop there, maybe they’re open. If not, we’ll break in,” Mulder exclaimed.
“I hope they’re open and I hope they have room-service and a room with a bathtub. I’m starving and in need of some relaxation.”
If stranded, Scully wanted classy.
“We’ll know soon. Look, right there!” Mulder said, pointing at a sign that marked the turnoff and the lodge’s location 1.5 miles ahead.