Scully cradled an injured Mulder in her arms.  She couldn’t stop the tears from
welling in her eyes as she watched her partner slowing slipping into the realm of death.
The gunshot wound on his chest was pumping blood from his circulatory system out onto
the ground, despite the Scully’s effort in desperately trying to stop the awful bleeding for
the last few minutes.
     They were trapped in a cave located in northern Alaska, with no supplies,
communications cut off, and Mulder near the brink of death.  There was a blizzard
outside, and no rescue team could reach them until the next day.  A couple feet away
from them, Alex Krycek’s body lay motionless on the ground.  His lifeless eyes stared
blankly at the ceiling of the cave.  A bullet hole had pierced through his head from the
front, leaving an ugly red hole on his forehead.  He had tried to assassinate Mulder and
Scully by tricking them to northern Alaska witha false lead.  When they finally realized
that the whole thing was a trap, it was already too late.  Krycek had fired two shots at the
duo, but Mulder had reacted quickly by pushing Scully out of danger’s way, catching the
bullet in the chest in the move.  He had managed to return fire at Krycek, ending the
rat-boy’s life in one perfect good aim at his forehead.
     “Scully?”
     “Mulder, don’t speak.  You’re in shock.  Just close your eyes and relax, okay?
Help would be here soon.”  Scully said soothingly as she stroked her partner’s dark
brown hair like a mother would do to her sleeping child.  Although she wasn’t sure if it
was Mulder or herself she was trying to convince.
     “By the time help arrives, I’m already a goner.”  Mulder replied weakly.  The
threat of death didn’t take away his sense of humor, however terrible it was.  For all
Scully knew, Fox Mulder had always laughed in the face of death.
     “Can’t you just stop arguing with me for one second?”  Scully muttered between
sobs.  She struggled to keep her hands from trembling as she tried to stop the bleeding on
Mulder’s chest.  Now her hands were covered with Mulder’s blood.
     “Are you going to deny me the right of speech even now?”  Mulder managed a
weak smile.
     “Just shut up, Mulder.”
     “I thought you should’ve learned after all these years that it would be impossible
to shut me up.”  Mulder coughed up a painful laugh.  He inhaled and winced.  Even the
most basic procedure of life -- breathing, hurt so much now.  Then, he said thoughtfully.
“You know, Scully?  All these years I’ve been searching for The Truth, never hesitating
to stop and think for a second:  is The Truth really worth it?  So many lives were lost
because of my quest.  My father, your sister, Deep Throat, X, and many, many others.
Now, inevitably, mine.  Yet what have I gained from this endless, fruitless quest of mine?
Nothing.”  Mulder laughed bitterly.  “Nothing.”  He paused for another second.
“Nothing, except for you, Scully.”
     “Mulder......”
     “You know, before you found me, before that bastard Krycek shot me, Cancer
Man offered me the one chance to get what I have been craving for all these years.  He
offered to give me The Truth.  Yet I refused.  Do you know why?”
     Scully shook her head.  She removed the piece of blood-soaked cloth she had
been using to stop the bleeding from Mulder’s chest.  Then she tore out another piece
from her shirt sleeve and replaced it.  She watched the spotless white satin changed color
rapidly once it made contact with Mulder’s wound.  All the knowledge as a medical
doctor couldn’t help her now as she helplessly watched Mulder slowly dying from
massive loss of blood.  There was nothing she could do to stop the bleeding.  Not without
proper equipment and other necessary tools to repair a serious gunshot wound.  Not while
she and Mulder were trapped in a cave somewhere in the Arctic.
     Mulder was lost in thought for a second.  He recalled the brief encounter with the
Cancer Man right before he took the flight to Alaska.  It was all clear to him now.
Mulder wondered why he didn’t see it before.  The Cancer Man had given him two
options.  Resist or serve.  Resist and die, or live to serve.
     “The price is too high, Scully.”  Mulder looked directly into her beautiful blue-green eyes
that were now filled with tears.  “It’s a price I just can’t afford......”  Mulder coughed a few
times, gasping for air.  Then, he looked back up at Scully again, his eyes beginning to
lose focus.  Scully noticed that his voice was growing softer and softer.  “You.  Scully.
He wanted your life in exchange.”  Mulder had to gather all his strength just to continue
talking.  “It was at that moment when I finally realized that there is something in this
world that worth a lot more than The Truth.  You.  Scully.”
     “Mulder......”  Tears flowed down Scully’s cheeks and dripped onto Mulder’s now
ghostly-pale face.
     “I have never realized how important you are to me until that moment.  Without
you, even The Truth doesn’t seem important anymore.  Well, he said he was disappointed
in me.  But I wouldn’t disappoint him by not disappointing him, right?”
     “Mulder......”  Scully was at a loss of words.
    In response, Mulder lifted his hand to wipe the tears off Scully’s eyes gently.  It almost used
up all his remaining strength for that one simple task.
     “I love you, Scully.”
     “I love you, too.”  Scully whispered.  “But I thought you knew that already.”
     “Sometimes you just really want to hear the words.”  Mulder smiled weakly.
“Especially when that’s your last wish of your life.”
     “Don’t you dare die on me, Mulder!”  Scully snapped.  “I won’t allow it!  Now
stop talking like that!”
     “I guess my appointment with eternity is due.  I’m sorry, Scully.”  Mulder’s voice
was fading.  His hand was stroking Scully’s cheek gently, lovingly, as if he wanted to
imprint that sensation into his mind.  His hazel eyes radiated with only one message as
their gazes met:  his love to her.
     “You’re NOT gonna die!  Do you hear me?”  Scully screamed tearfully.  “You’re
gonna make it!  We’re gonna go back to Washington together.  You hear me?  Together!
I’m not going to go back alone!”
     “No, you won’t.  I’ll always be there with you.  Always.  Even though I’m gone,
I’ll still be there for you......”  Mulder whispered.  His voice was so faint Scully could
barely hear it.  “Don’t give up, Dana.  You still have a long way ahead of you.”  He
paused for a second, then added.  “And, no matter you believe in an afterlife or not, I’ll
still be watching you from above......”  With that, he closed his eyes for one last time.
     “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!”  Scully cried on top of her lungs.  The sound
of her heartbroken cry echoed throughout the cave.  She buried her head in Mulder’s
shoulder.  She could still feel the warmth of Mulder’s body, now lifeless and motionless.
A moment ago he was still talking to her, confessing his heart’s feelings to her, and now
he was gone forever.  Mulder had died.  Of all the times this tall, lanky FBI agent had
cheated death, he had finally lost his final battle with the Angel of Death.
     But the story hadn’t ended yet.  Scully told herself as she straightened up after
what seemed like an eternity and stroked her dead partner’s dark brown hair once again.
Because she was still alive.  She would carry on where Mulder and left off.  She would
never give up, just as Mulder and told her not to.  And she would always have him in her
memory to remind her that, The Truth is still out there.

So what do you think? Please email me if you have any questions, comments, or even complaints! I welcome all messages!

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