...all MSR all the time..
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Chapter 3
Without even realizing that I had begun to move, I found myself stumbling toward the large wigwam. As I crouched to go inside, I heard a woman sobbing. A faint light was shining from the small fire that was burning in the center of the large shelter. The first thing I saw when my eyes adjusted to the light was the woman who was sobbing, her face in her hands. Then I saw an older woman cradling a newborn in her arms. I realized quickly what was wrong. The infant was not moving or making the slightest noise.
"What happened?" I asked, forgetting that they couldn't understand me.
The older women must have understood from my tone what I was asking. Using her hand, she showed me that the umbilical cord had been wrapped around the baby's neck. I moved to her side, knowing that if I acted quickly the infant might still have a chance.
When I took the tiny boy's lifeless body into my hands, I was relieved to feel that he was still warm. Although his lips, hands and feet were dark, the rest of his body was still fairly pink, so he hadn't been deprived of oxygen for too long. I began by rubbing the soles of his feet, but I got no response. Running my knuckles over his sternum, I waited briefly but saw no reaction.
When I placed his head in the palm of my hand, his little bottom didn't even reach the crook of my arm. Lifting him up, I gave him one small puff, using only the air from my cheeks. I didn't want to risk overfilling his lungs. Then, using only two fingers, I began compression at the rate of five per breath. After 20 cycles I stopped to reassess him. Checking his upper arm, my own heart skipped a beat when I felt a pulse. After drawing a shaky breath, the baby began to squall.
Both women looked up in shock; eyes wide, mouths open. Handing the boy to his mother, I encouraged her to nurse him. As soon as he latched on, he began to eat voraciously. His mother kept looking down at him and then back up at me, her face full of wonder.
As the infant boy continued to nurse, the midwife cut and tied his cord. Next I indicated to the mother that I wanted to touch her abdomen. She nodded her consent. Knowing that the baby's suckling would induce uterine contractions, I began to massage her belly to help her along. I wanted to make sure that the placenta was delivered whole, since I had no means of fighting infection.
Soon she delivered a whole, healthy-looking afterbirth. Once I'd inspected it, the midwife took it and wrapped it in a piece of deerskin and left the shelter. Her actions didn't surprise me. I knew it was common practice for Native Americans to bury the placenta.
She had no sooner left when Wanik, Migisi and three other women, whose names I didn't know, began to file into the wigwam. When Wanik spoke to the nursing mother she answered in a soft voice, occasionally nodding towards me. All of the women turned to stare at me. It hadn't occurred to me how fantastic my actions might seem to them. I had reacted instinctively. Now I was wondering if I may have scared them.
The women were still whispering, staring first at the baby and then at me, when the midwife reappeared. She shooed us out of the wigwam. Assuming that she wanted mother and child to rest, I left quickly. As I was standing up outside, I was surprised to feel a hand on my arm. I turned to find the midwife smiling at me. She picked up my hands and pressed her lips to my fingers. After gently placing my hands by my sides, she turned and went back inside.
I was slowly hobbling back to the wigwam when Mulder appeared out of the darkness and scooped me up.
"What happened?" he asked breathlessly.
As he carried me back and set me on the bed, I told him the whole story.
"I don't think they'll be afraid of you," he assured me when I told him my concerns. "But I bet you garnered even more respect than you already had. Now they probably think that you're some kind of goddess."
"I don't know about that," I snorted. "Just as long as they aren't scared of me," I added through a huge yawn.
"Hey, don't fall asleep before I get my good-night kiss, Scully. I've never been kissed by a goddess."
"I kissed you last night," I pointed out.
"Yeah, but I didn't know that you were a goddess then, so it doesn't count," he argued.
"I see," I chuckled. "So where are your lips? It's too dark to see in here."
"Right here." His low voice was very close to me and in the next instant his lips were on mine.
This kiss was longer than the one we'd shared the previous night. Instead of just pressing his lips against mine, he seemed to be caressing my lips with his. My pulse quickened and I felt a rush of heat between my legs. Catching my tongue just before it darted out to taste more of him, I had to press it against the roof of my mouth to keep it under control. It seemed like a heavenly eternity before he finally pulled back.
"I'm very proud of what you did tonight," he whispered.
Proud? He was proud of me? If that was the way he kissed when he was proud, he'd turn me into a quivering mass of goo if he ever kissed me because he was in love with me. Even though I was exhausted, the relentless throbbing that Mulder had created between my thighs kept me awake for what seemed like hours.
When I woke the following morning, I was surprised to find myself draped over a soundly sleeping Mulder, so I gently eased myself off of him and sat up. Breakfast had again been brought to our wigwam. Picking up one of the bowls, I discovered that it was cold. Mulder and I must have been dead to the world--we were both usually light sleepers.
I was so hungry that I ate the gruel anyway. Even cold it had a rich, nutty flavor. I was almost half done when Mulder opened his eyes.
"Morning," I smiled.
As he stretched and yawned he smiled back at me. "I don't know what it is, but I can't remember the last time I slept so well."
"It's the fresh air," I told him, handing him his breakfast.
"Must be," he agreed with a grin.
When we'd finished, I crawled outside and prepared to hobble into the woods. Before I'd gone two steps Mulder swept me into his arms.
"Oh, no you don't," he laughed.
"I can't wait until my feet have healed," I sighed.
Mulder just chuckled and headed into the forest. When I was done I had him take me to the stream. On the way he pointed out a blood stain on my already dingy white blouse.
"Maybe Wanik could help me rinse my things out in the stream," I wondered aloud.
"I could do it," Mulder offered.
"You'd want to rinse out my underwear?" I asked in disbelief. "Don't answer that!" I stopped him when I spotted the devilish gleam in his eyes. "Just get Wanik, please."
"You're no fun," he muttered as he set me down by the stream.
He was back with Wanik in no time. When he disappeared again I showed her what I wanted to do. She cheerfully helped me rinse out everything but my skirt, which I was afraid would shrink.
While the rest of my things were drying on a rock, she helped me have a quasi-sponge bath. It was difficult with my feet swaddled the way they were, but we did the best we could.
As I was testing my panties to see if they were dry yet, Wanik's eyes suddenly lit up. After saying something, she dashed off, leaving me sitting on a rock--naked. I was petrified that someone was going to come along and find me, but she was back quickly, carrying a deerskin dress over her arm. I couldn't believe how incredibly soft it was. I looked up at her, needing to be sure that she really wanted me to have it. She must have read the question on my face because she nodded vigorously.
So I slipped the dress over my head and, since I was sitting down, Wanik helped me pull it over my hips. She then disappeared again after saying something else, and Mulder appeared a short time later. He grinned broadly when he saw me.
"I always knew that you'd look good in leather," he chuckled.
"Shut up, Mulder," I tried to hide my smile.
"Omiga's been looking for you again," he informed me after we'd gathered up my clothes and were heading back to camp.
Nodding, I wondered how much longer the old healer wanted to keep my feet wrapped like this. I thought it was about time that they got some fresh air.
After Mulder set me down, he took my clothes back to the wigwam. Omiga quickly unwrapped my feet, but instead of wrapping them back up again it seemed like he wanted to talk about something else. Smiling as he spoke, he made a cradling motion with his arms, making it clear to me that he wanted to talk about the baby. As he continued to speak, I heard him say the chief's name. In the midst of our discussion Mulder returned and sat down beside me.
"It was Namid's baby?" I asked, making the same cradling motion.
Omiga shook his head quickly and then pursed his lips. Suddenly he grabbed a twig and began to draw in the hard-packed earth that surrounded the fire. First he scratched out a stick figure, then pointing at it said "Namid,". I nodded in understanding. Next to the picture of Namid he drew another, slightly smaller, stick figure and called it Apram. Pointing at Apram he cradled his arms and then pointed at Namid.
"Oh," I said quickly. "Apram is Namid's baby." I used the cradling motion again. "But he is a grown man," I said raising my hand. Mulder was nodding as I spoke.
Omiga gave me a semi-toothless grin, drew a tiny figure and then pointed at Apram's picture.
"It was Apram's baby," I finally understood.
Omiga smiled at his success.
"Wow, Scully, you saved the chief's grandson."
"I had no idea--not that it mattered," I added quickly.
When I turned back to Omiga, he had a quizzical look on his face. He looked from me to Mulder and then back again. He made the cradling motion again and then looked at us questioningly.
Shaking my head quickly, I looked at the ground. How could I explain to him that even if Mulder and I were a couple, all of my ova had been stolen and I was barren? I was surprised to feel a finger under my chin, lifting it up. Omiga was smiling at me sympathetically as I fought to blink back my tears. He looked pensive for a minute, then pointed at my belly and said something. Glancing quickly at Mulder, I found that his eyes were shining as well. It broke my heart that Mulder felt responsible for what has happened.
No matter how many times I tried to convince him that he was not culpable for anything that had happened to me while we'd been partnered, I could never manage to change his mind. Trying to put on a brave face, I gave his hand a squeeze.
"God, Scully," he breathed, his voice cracking as he spoke. Then in one rapid movement he pulled me onto his lap and buried his head in my shoulder.
"Shh," I tried to soothe him. "It's okay. I'm all right, really."
"It's not okay, Scully, and you aren't all right. I can never forget that." His voice was clouded with emotion.
"I'll never forget either, Mulder. But I have to move on. I can't wallow in self-pity," I told him, stroking his hair as I spoke.
"I know, I know, but when it comes up fresh like this it makes me so angry," he sighed. "And so sad," he added quietly.
Biting my lip to keep from blurting out how much I loved him, I held him tightly. As I took long, shaky breaths, I quietly reveled in how securely Mulder was holding me.
When I opened my eyes I was surprised to find that Omiga had gone. Scanning the village, I spied him halfway across the encampment.
"Omiga," I called to him. "What about my feet?" I asked, pointing at them.
Shaking his head, he made a wavy, fluttering motion with his hands.
"What the hell does that mean?" Mulder laughed.
"If I'm not mistaken, I think he wants my feet to get some air," I told him with a smile.
Since the men had left before Mulder and I were even awake, the village was fairly quiet. After the second meal of the day Wanik indicated that she wanted me to come with her. Once I'd made sure that Mulder knew where I was going, I headed off with her and three other women.
In my bare feet I walked with them through the woods to the exact berry patch that I'd stumbled upon two days earlier. It took a few good hours of picking, but we managed to fill all of the baskets we'd brought.
When we got back to camp, Mulder was nowhere to be seen. Asking around, Wanik found out that he'd gone somewhere with Omiga. Dusk was beginning to settle when they finally got back. But I hadn't been worried--I knew that if he was with Omiga, he was safe.
"Where'd you go?" I asked when he trudged over to me.
"We must have done a good ten miles tramping out there. He had me picking berries, digging up roots, scraping bark. He even had me scale a tree, because apparently the leaves near the ground weren't good enough," he explained, shaking his head. "I must reek, Scully. I'm going to take a quick dip."
"See you in a few then," I laughed and settled myself by the fire to wait.
Mulder had no sooner disappeared from view when Wanik showed up with two bowls. Stopping short, she looked around like she'd lost something. I had to chuckle at the look on her face.
"He went to take a bath," I nodded towards the stream, making a washing motion on my arm.
Sighing, she set the bowls down beside me.
"He won't be long," I told her, hoping she would glean something from my tone.
As I was looking up at her, some idea seemed to strike her and she hurried away. A few minutes later she reappeared, grinning from ear to ear.
"What?" I tried to ask the question with my face too.
She took both of her hands and held them just above her thighs and gasped.
"What!?" I repeated.
"Mulder," she laughed and shook her head.
She must have gone to the stream to get Mulder for supper and was obviously very amused by modesty. I was prepared to ask him when he got back, but when he strode back into camp, any questions that had been in my mind simply vanished.
My breath caught in my throat and I had to remind myself to inhale. He was wearing a pair of deerskin breeches. Since he was a couple of inches taller than anyone here, they were a bit short, but I hardly noticed. I couldn't stop looking at where they ended on his belly--right below his navel. The effect only accentuated his abdominal muscles. I think my mouth might have been hanging open.
"What should I do with this stuff?" He held out a ball of damp clothes. "I rinsed them out in the stream."
"Spread them out in the wigwam--they might dry by morning," I suggested and then turned and watched as he walked away. My eyes were drawn to the way the leather highlighted every muscle in his ass.
"Nice pants," I smiled when he got back.
"Wanik gave them to me," he explained, joining me on the ground. "I know. She thinks it's pretty funny that you're so modest," I laughed.
Mulder just grumped and began to eat his supper. Wanik appeared out of nowhere as soon as we'd finished and beckoned us to follow her. She led us to the largest wigwam in the village and motioned for us to go inside.
A fire was burning inside and circled around it were many of the older men of the tribe. I was disappointed that Omiga wasn't among them. Most of the men seemed to be dressed up, wearing ornate necklaces and clothes which were more heavily decorated than the plain attire they wore hunting. The most shocking sight was Namid, who had the pelt of a fox, head and all, draped over *his* head. The chief motioned for Mulder and me to sit down in the open space opposite him.
"I hope that's not symbolic," Mulder nodded towards the chief's headdress.
Namid looked at us in surprise when I chuckled.
"It's the fox," I said quickly, pointing at the fur, hoping I hadn't offended him.
"Mesquakie," he rumbled.
"Fox Mulder," Mulder pointed to himself. "Mesquakie--Fox," he said, pointing at the chief's head and at himself.
A buzz started around the circle.
"Mesquakie," the chief repeated, motioning to everyone present.
"These are the Fox Indians," Mulder almost whispered.
"You've heard of them before?" I was surprised.
"I learned about them in school, along with the Sauk. They all but disappeared in the French and Indian Wars. As a kid, I thought it was cool to have the same name as an Indian tribe."
"The French and Indian Wars?" I said in shock. "That was the early 1700's, Mulder."
"I know," he said solemnly.
When we finished whispering, Namid began to speak as if he was telling a story, but I wasn't paying attention. I couldn't stop thinking about what Mulder had said. At least now I knew what he thought had happened. He thought that Dr. Mettler had been working on a time machine. I knew it was theoretically possible, but surely there had to be a more plausible explanation.
I was drawn back to Namid's story when I heard my name and Apram's. I began to realize that he was recounting the events of the previous night. After he had spoken for a long time, he made a circling motion with his arms and said the name of the tribe. Several of the men straightened up in shock and one even spoke up. Namid answered him calmly. Then another man spoke and another, and soon the room was buzzing again. Finally Namid slapped his hand on his thigh and bellowed. The questioning men shrank back and fell silent. I stole a worried look at Mulder.
"I think he just said, 'That was my grandson, God damn it, and what I say goes.'," Mulder leaned over to whisper.
"But what is he saying?" I whispered back.
"I'm not sure, but I think that we have been adopted by the tribe," he told me, and then chuckled at what must have been a shocked look on my face.
While we'd been speaking with low voices, a bowl had started to make its way around the circle, each person taking a sip before they passed it on. When it was Mulder's turn and he took a sip, his eyes grew wide.
"Smooth," he choked when he was done.
All of the men looked at me expectantly as Mulder passed the bowl to me. Lifting the bowl slowly to my lips, I prepared myself for something horrible. At first the warm liquid seemed to have no taste, but as it slid down my throat it began to burn. I breathed in deeply through my nose to keep from sputtering. My eyes had begun to tear up, but I said nothing as I passed the bowl on.
Mulder was looking at me sideways, grinning. I wanted to tell him to shut up, but I was afraid that I would start coughing if I opened my mouth. When the bowl reached Namid, he drank what was left and then began to speak again. It seemed like a long time before he finished and the men began to leave the wigwam.
"Thank you, Namid," I smiled at him as I got up to leave.
He nodded his head once, solemnly. Once we were outside and heading back to our wigwam, Mulder leaned over to whisper in my ear again. "He reminded me a lot of Skinner, but with hair."
"Me, too." I couldn't help giggling.
"Day-na!" I stopped short when I heard my name.
Omiga was hurrying towards us with a small bowl in his hands. He held it out for me and when I took it, he pushed it up towards my mouth. I was dreading that it was going to be more of that burning liquid from the ceremony, but when it got close to my nose I could tell that it was different--worse, in fact. I pulled back, wrinkling my nose.
"Day-na!" Omiga chuckled, and pushed the bowl back towards me.
The old man had done so much for Mulder and me that I couldn't say no to him. So, taking a deep breath, I swallowed the liquid in the bowl. It was dreadfully bitter, but I managed to get it down without gagging. Omiga took his bowl back, looking pleased with himself.
"Mulder," he said pointing to himself. "Day-na," he said, pointing towards the wigwam.
"I think I've been excused," I shrugged.
"Guess so," Mulder seemed equally perplexed.
As I walked towards the wigwam, I could hear Omiga begin to speak to Mulder, but as soon as I went inside, I could hear them no longer. I decided that my dress would be too warm to sleep in, so I swiftly slipped it off and put my bra and panties back on. I hurried to get under the covers so that Mulder wouldn't catch me, but I had no reason to worry. By the time he joined me I was almost asleep.
"Sorry it took so long," he apologized immediately. "It took me a while to figure out what Omiga was trying to say."
"And...?" I asked drowsily.
"If you don't mind, there's something else that I'd like to talk about first," he asked quietly.
"That's okay," I told him, assuming that he wanted to talk about his time travel theory.
"Could I have my good-night kiss first?" he whispered hoarsely.
"Why?" I asked in confusion.
"Just in case you don't want to kiss me when I'm done," he explained.
"Why wouldn't I want to kiss you?" I was bewildered.
"Please, Scully," he almost begged.
"Okay, but I still don't understand," I consented.
The kiss he gave me was almost identical to our kiss the night before, except that I felt his hand slide into my hair. Again I had to consciously keep my tongue pressed against the roof of my mouth. When he finally pulled back, I was surprised to find my hands in his hair. After I'd pulled them back, Mulder slipped under the covers with me. He was lying so close to me that I could feel the heat radiating off of his body.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked quietly.
"Well, it's something that I've tried to talk to you about before, unsuccessfully," he explained.
"Go on," I prompted, having no clue about what he was getting at.
I was startled to see a shadow pass across my face, and shocked to feel his hand stroking my hair. This action had caused him to lean a little closer to me and I was sure that I could feel his erect cock grazing my thigh.
"The problem is that you never seem to believe me when I tell you things, Scully," he began. "Since you always want proof, would it be okay if I showed you?"
"Okay," I agreed hesitantly, still not sure what he was talking about.
"May I kiss you again?" His voice was unsure.
"Yes," I whispered.
This time, as his lips were caressing mine, I felt his tongue run softly along my upper lip. Groaning at the sensation, I opened my mouth to him. Heat flooded through me, my arms and legs feeling like they were alight. At the first sign of my approval, he deepened the kiss, crushing my mouth with his. My tongue was in his mouth, dancing over his tongue, sliding along his teeth.
I groaned again when his hand closed over my breast. We parted, panting, meeting again after we'd gasped for breath. My hands were skimming over his back. My mind swirled as my hands came to rest on the soft leather covering his ass. I chuckled into his mouth as I squeezed and caressed his muscles and was thrilled to feel his arousal grow even harder.
When I felt Mulder's hand easing under my back, I arched up to give him more room. With one flick, he'd unfastened the two hooks holding my bra closed. When he slipped it off, I delighted at the skin to skin contact.
When his hot hand covered my breast, and my nipple hardened in response, Mulder groaned. Parting my legs, I tugged at him to let him know that I wanted him to move. He was between my thighs in an instant; his hardness pressing against where I wanted it most. As our hands roamed, we continued to kiss deeply, our tongues exploring as our hands were.
Mulder gently rotated his hips against me and I lifted my hips to meet him.
"God, Scully, I love you," Mulder whispered, finally breaking our kiss.
"And I love you, Mulder. I'm sorry I didn't believe you before," I breathed, pulling him back into a kiss.
"Scully," Mulder said breathlessly, pulling out of our kiss again. "We need to talk about what Omiga said."
"Now?" I whimpered.
"Sorry," he said softly, "But I think we should."
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