Scully refused to let herself be taken. Not yet. Mulder was on his way. He was close now. She could feel it. It was so unexplainable, so absurd, and yet so natural. Why had she never felt this before?
    Noises were outside. Something was definitely going on. She tried to take smaller breaths so she could try to hear it all better. Gunfire. Maybe they’ve found me. Someone was shouting now. Was it Mulder? Yes! It was! I knew it! she thought happily. She worked her mouth to get the tape off of it. Her upper lip came free. She tried to speak but her mouth was so dry. She gathered saliva to wet her mouth, took a deep breath, and tried again. “Mulder.” It was no louder than a person speaking in normal tones. She tried again. “Mulder!” It was louder that time. She continued. Oh God, please let him hear me… I don’t have much time…

    Mulder’s heart beat faster and faster. It had only been a few moments, but it felt like forever. Where is she? She has to be here. She has to be. He went through the house, knocking on walls and floors to see if they were hollow. His stomach was tossing and turning. Where is she?! “Scully? Scully, can you hear me? Scully?” he called out, almost in desperation. Keep calm. She has to be here. He continued his search.
    “Agent Mulder?”
    Mulder jumped slightly and turned around. Detective Jenkins stood behind him. “Yeah?”
    “Sir, someone’s calling your name from within the shed out back. The others are trying to get in there right now.”
    “Scully…” Mulder whispered and ran outside.
    There was a large shed at the edge of the yard. A number of officers were standing around it. One had a crowbar and was using it to pry a lock off the door. Mulder ran over. “Scully?” he called. A muffled “Mulder?” came from within. He let out a breath of relief, then turned to the officers. “Come on, guys. Use your guns.” He took out his own, retrieved earlier from the kitchen floor, and motioned for them to stand back. “Scully? You away from the door?”
    “As away as I can get.”
    He fired at the lock and most of it fell away. He took off the remnants and opened the doors. Mulder looked in. There was nothing but rusty tools. “Scully? Where are you?”
    “Down here… below you,” she answered. Her voice was weak and her breathing labored.
He looked down. Wooden boards. He peeked through a hole in between two of the boards. Her eyes looked back up at him from a ways down. He got up. “Give me that crowbar.” He took it and wedged it in the boards. He pushed against it as hard as he could and the board came loose with a loud snap. “We’re almost there, Scully. You’re almost free.”
    “Mulder, hurry. There… there isn’t much time.”
    He quickly worked on freeing another board. “Scully? What do you mean? You’re safe now.”
    She didn’t answer.
    “Talk to me, Scully.” He pried off a third.
    “I’m here, Mulder. As I have been.”
    One of the officers got into the hole carefully. He held up her bound and bloody body. “Oh, God…” Mulder whispered as he took her into his arms. “Call an ambulance!”
    “They’ll never get here in time, sir,” someone said from behind him.
    “Call one anyway! …Please…”
    “Mulder…” Scully whispered. “I…”
    “Shh… Save your strength. Help’s on the way.”
    “Mulder. Li- …listen to me. I’m dying.”
    “No, don’t say that…” He gently took the tape from her mouth and brushed away dirty strands of hair from her face. “You’ll be alright. You’ll be with me, chasing aliens, in no time.” He cut off her bonds with a pair of garden shears.
    She tried to shake her head. “No… no, I’m not alright. I’ll… I’ll be dead within the hour.” Her newly freed hand was clutching her stomach. She pulled her hand away and revealed a large gash across her stomach. She looked into his eyes. “If… if it had been treated immediately… I-… I might… it might have been okay, but-… I lost too much blood. I’ve had it for… for I think a day, but I’m not sure…”
    “No…” he murmured.
    “It… it’s fatal, Mulder. It’s fatal.”
    “No… Oh, God… no, Scully… Dana, please. Please hang on. Help will be here… Oh, God. You’ve held on this long… Less than an hour… Please… they’ll be here within the hour.” His vision blurred. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand.
    Tears streaked down her face. She smiled with blue-tinged lips. “I… I can’t… I’m just so tired, Mulder. I… I just want to sleep. I can’t stay awake any longer… I, well, just wanted… to see your face again. Before I died.” Her eyes took on a slightly far away look. “You face,” she murmured softly. “And nothing else.”
    “Dana…” He cried freely now. This can’t be happening. Oh God, no… please, no. Don’t take her from me. “You can’t. You can’t leave me now. After all we’ve been through. Please, Dana. Please…” Mulder pleaded. Oh, God, she’s so pale…
    “Fox… no… no, you prefer Mulder… Mulder, please do me a favor… As my dying wish?”
    “Don’t say that…”
    “Find your sister… Find-…” She coughed for a bit. Mulder noticed a drop of blood on her mouth where there was none before. “Find… the truth.” Her breathing became more labored. “He… The truth is… he barely touched me. He didn’t carry me… He moved me across rooms, the house, everywhere without touching me… It’s crazy, I know… But that’s what I saw… experienced… I may have been hallucinating, …but I don’t think … I don’t think that was the case…” Her eyelids drooped. She fought to keep them over. “That’s the truth. I…”
    “Dana, hang on. Oh, God, please don’t leave me!”
    “I… have to tell you… tell you something… before I die.”
    “Don’t say that, Dana. Just an hour. Less than that… Please…”
    “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long… I… but I… I couldn’t… not without making… making things awkward…” She whispered now, as if anything above that was beyond her strength.
    “Dana…”
    “Listen… listen to me… I want to say…” She took as deep a breath as she could.
    Mulder was near sobbing now. He hung his head in defeat. “I’m listening, Dana. I’m listening.”
    “I… I love you.”
    His head shot up, his eyes meeting hers. Nothing but utter sincerity was in them.