SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully follow a case, which leads them to Colorado. When there plane crashes, they are left stranded and hurt on a mountain in the middle of a blizzard. A young girl who supposedly survived the crash is found seemingly unharmed. Toughing it out with the agents, it's now a fight for their lives. But there's something about this young girl the agents are unaware of...

DISCLAIMER: There not mine. Never have been, never will be. Mulder and Scully belong to Chris Carter and Co. Anyone other than Mulder and Scully belong to me and are the sole property of my imagination.

FEEDBACK: Is DEEPLY appreciated. I really want to know what you think of this one!

SPECIAL THANKS: Thanks to my editor's Melinda and Melissa. Melinda this story was made possible because of you! Thanks to Vickie Moseley and one of my best friends Sarah for beta-reading for me. I would also like to thank my good friends Kat, Randi, Jimmy Brooks and Devan Adams.

Author's notes follow at the end.

FBI HEADQUATERS BASEMENT OFFICE
JANUARY 188:32 A.M.

Taking off her reading glasses, Dana Scully sighed as she closed her laptop.

She looked up to notice Mulder still engrossed in the same file he had been reading almost an hour ago.

"Mulder, we really need to get going," she said, rising from her chair, "we're going to miss our flight."

"Yeah, I'm coming Scully." Closing the file, Mulder stood, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair.

"Explain to me again why we are going on this wild goose chase?" Scully inclined, her arms crossed in mock Scully fashion.

"I already told you, Scully--"

"Yes, Mulder, you *told* me, but you didn't explain anything."

Mulder leaned back against the edge of his desk, "Two teenage girls disappear from their homes over the course of a week, no phone calls, no ransom note and they're found dead days later just miles from

their home."

"Mulder, tragic as it is, I still fail to see the X-File in it."

"No ransom note Scully. I believe the killings may be connected--"

"How?" Scully questioned, cutting him off, "how are the killings connected? Mulder this is a locals case."

"I didn't say they were connected, I said they *may* be. Big difference there."

Scully let out an exasperated sigh, sometimes this man was just impossible to work with.

"Fine Mulder, how may the killings be connected? Please note I said 'may' 'ol wise one."

Ignoring her smart-ass comment, he jumped into his conclusions, "the girls went to the same high school. Neighbors reports describe the same man being seen last with the two girls just prior to their death. Now I believe that he could have doings with a local occult group, which would explain the ritual-like symbols burned into the skin of the girls' backs."

"See, right...here," Mulder said, opening the file, presenting her with gruesome photographs of naked flesh burned with an object in the shape of a star with-in a circle. "It's as if he's branding them, labeling them."

'Back to square one, here we go,' she thought to herself.

"Mulder, I still say this is a locals case. I see no indication of our aid being needed in this case."

"It is Scully. There is something here that the locals won't see. A connection of some sort. I'm telling you Scully, I've seen this type of thing before. They're going to find the killer at the expense of a lot of lives that CAN be spared."

Sighing, Scully resigned on trying to argue any further. It was no use, once he was set into a mode he never backed down. 'Head like a rock,' she thought ruefully.

"Fine, but we really need to go. Our flight is at 10:30, and to be honest I don't feel like being late for it. Also I have to stop by my place to pick up a few things and I'm sure you need something from your apartment as well."

"Actually I already have everything. We're set to go as soon as you're done."

Grabbing her coat and belongings, Scully headed towards the door, Mulder right behind her, his hand unconsciously taking its place on the small of her back.

DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
GATE 2 AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 1007 TO DENVER COLORADO 9:42 A.M.

Making good time to the airport, Scully now sat in the waiting area, being thankful for the ample time to review the case before they were to board.

Mulder sat beside her in one of the rock hard chairs munching silently on a pack of sunflower seeds. He had insisted they stop in the gift shop and buy a bag before they left.

As Scully sat waiting, her eyes wondered around the terminal building. People were everywhere, it was quite a crowded evening. Most were sitting at the same gate they were, waiting for their flight.

Two children, who Scully assumed were brother and sister, ran up and down the floors ignoring their mother's protest to sit down and behave.

Scully smiled slightly to herself as she watched them play, giggling and laughing happily.

She wondered if she were to have had a chance to bare children what kind of mother she would've been. 'Loving,' she thought, 'and very over-protective.'

Her thoughts were cut short as the attendant over the loudspeaker announced their flight was boarding.

After baggage check they made their way up the ramp and onto the plane, finding their seats fairly easy.

Shocking enough the seats were in first class, 'must've done something right.' Mulder thought, setting their carry-on bags in the over-head compartment.

Once settled, Scully reclined back into her seat, being thankful for the extra leg room. Even being short like she was, some of the seats still weren't all that roomy.

She looked over, catching a glance at her partner looking out the window.

"See anything interesting, Mulder?"

"Yeah. I never noticed how beautiful some of these landscapes are."

"It's not until you've seen them from 40,000 feet in the air, that you've seen beauty," Scully quipped.

"I never really cared to look though," she inclined, leaning her head back against the rest, "not that I have a fear of heights or anything," she added.

"Oh, of course not." Mulder replied, a devilish grin crossing his features.

"Mulder I do NOT have a fear of heights!"

"Oh, I'm not saying you do Scully. I'm just agreeing with you," Mulder said playfully, throwing his hands up in the air in mock surrender.

"Then get that smirk off your face." Scully spat out, trying to act mad, 'but when you're around this man it's nearly impossible,' she thought, as the corners of her mouth curved into a gentle smile.

Lying her head back, Scully closed her eyes hoping for once that maybe she'd be able to catch a few moments rest. Plane rides had not always been the high point in her life, but taking as many as she had in the past seven years she'd learned to get used to them.

If she was lucky, she was usually able to sleep through most of them comfortably. Mulder always seemed to have a knack for sleeping in the oddest positions and strangest places, 'must've caught on,' she thought ruefully.

Mulder sat quietly pouring over the file, flipping pages as he went and mentally taking in details.

An occasional cracking of a sunflower seed was the only sound that emanated from him.

A girl was reported missing on December 31st and it took the local PD almost three weeks to finally admit they needed the help of the FBI.

The mother of the girl explained that her daughter had gone out that evening to meet some friends at a gathering and was supposed to call when she arrived. When she failed to call, the mother contacted one of her daughter's friends whom claimed that she had never shown up.

A search was immediately put underway, neighbors getting involved, searching the local areas, but coming up empty handed.

The second incident came three days later. Jessica Wilson was on her way home from school, her mother claimed after her daughter failed to show up she contacted the police.

The police booked it as a run-away case for the first week or so. Due to the mothers desperate pleading that their daughters were not the kind that would run away and lack of evidence there of, they labeled it as a simple missing

persons case. At first they suspected one or both of the mothers and then foul play, but lack of evidence again made is almost impossible to point to them. The local PD questioned friends and classmates of the girls as well as the family of the friends and some of the relatives of the missing girls.

A vague description was given of the apparent suspect who was last seen with the two girls. All claim that not much could be seen. Having on a black hooded over jacket, faded black jeans and a pair of white jogging shoes. Height was around 6'2" and medium build.

After doing a quick once over of the file, Mulder closed it, reaching his arms in the air in vain attempt to stretch. He glanced over and down the aisle of the plane, noticing four rows back a young girl with golden blond hair and delicate features. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, coming down just past shoulder length. She was only around the age of 14 or so, Mulder noted.

She had soft brown eyes and soft skin. Her face was almost like that of a porcelain doll. She was clothed in dark black jeans and a white pullover. She wore a thin gold cross, a lot like that of Scully's.

The young girl looked up, smiling sweetly when she noticed Mulder looking her way. Mulder waved, throwing a gentle smile her way. Memories of his sister floated into his mind. Doing a comparison, noticing that his sister would look a lot like the young girl at that age, except for the blond hair. Her teddy bear brown eyes were just like Samantha's, he remembered.

Averting his attention back out the window, his gaze dropped onto his sleeping partner.

Moving his hand gently across her face, he brushed away an errant strand of hair hanging haphazardly across her face. Trying his best not to wake her he quickly removed his hand before she woke, but it was too late. Her eyes were open and staring up at him.

"Evenin' sleepy head," Mulder replied smiling.

"Mmm," she mumbled, "what time is it Mulder?"

Mulder looked down at his watch, reporting it was a bit past 12:40. "We're only a little over two hours into the flight," he replied.

"Going back to sleep?" He asked, staring down at her.

"Doubtful," she replied, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the backs of her hands.

A sudden jerk of the plane snapped her to full alertness. Jerking to one side and then to the other, the plane continued jostling a few times, before finally turning back on track.

Big bumps and bad turbulence hit the plane hard as the cries of children and the panicked voices of passengers floated through the air.

The over-head intercom click and induced static for a few moments before the voice of one of the flight attendants filtered through loud and clear, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we're sorry for the inconvenience, we've run into some slight turbulence. We ask that you stay calm and please remain in your seats. The seat belt sign has been illuminated and will remain that way until the turbulence has passed."

Mulder and Scully exchanged glances.

Scully leaned over and whispered into Mulder's ear, "SLIGHT turbulence?" Gripping the arm rest on the side, she clenched her eyes shut and waited for the frenzy to subside.

Mulder grinned, "I'd hate to see what real turbulence is."

Rocking back and forth a few more times for good measure, the plane finally settled back down as the attendant came through on the speaker again.

"Sorry about the turbulence, you may unbuckle your seat belts and resume your activities."

Scully looked towards Mulder, her knuckles sheet white and still gripping the armrest.

"Mulder, remind me next time we're on a case to drive!" She hissed.

"Awwww Scully," Mulder said, imitating his best puppy dog face, "it's not that bad."

Scully just looked away laughing slightly. Her eyes wondered to the young girl Mulder had noticed a while ago. Memories of Emily surfaced. Her delicate blond hair and sweet face.

She took in girls' elegant looks and threw a sweet smile her way. The young girl returned the smile waving Scully's way.

The young girl was sitting beside another woman, whom Scully assumed was her mother. 'Splitting image, like mother like daughter,' Scully mused.

Suddenly an involuntary shiver ran through her body and down her spine.

She pulled her jacket tighter around her arms, in effort to warm herself.

"Cold?" Mulder asked.

"Just a little bit." Scully inclined.

The plane began rocking, slightly at first. Causing some of the passengers to become uneasy. More turbulence followed as it jerked harshly to the left and then to the right. Lights in the cabin began to flicker, off and then back on.

Static once again flowed through the intercom, as the voice of a different attendant filtered through.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, once again we have run into some turbulence. Please remain in your seats and we'll get through this as quick as we can."

Scully looked over towards Mulder, exchanging glances.

Speaking with their eyes, having no use for words, conversation silently flowed between them.

'Mulder, I don't like this.'

'It's nothing Scully, just some turbulence.'

'Some?' Scully intoned with her eyebrows, arching them high almost into her hairline.

Another jerk, hard. Throwing passengers who were not buckled in, slamming onto the floor of the plane. More flickering lights, off and on, flashing harshly. Static from the intercom floated through, but no voices came on explaining that everything would be fine. That it was just a little turbulence.

The lights in the cabin flickering out, shouts from passengers emitted into the air, screams of scared children, frantic voices and people fearing for their lives exploded everywhere.

A sudden pull from the front of the plane sent passengers jerking forward in their seats. The plane careened towards the mountain terrain below. Snow covered hillsides dotted the ground below. A loud explosion from the rear end of the plane burst in the air. All went silent before a second explosion, bigger and closer erupted. The plane was crashing Mulder and Scully realized just before all went black.

CRASH SITE GRAY WOLF MOUTAIN OUTSIDE DENVER, COLORADO
ELEVATION 8,000 FEET
47 MINUTES AFTER CRASH

A fog was blocking her brain from thinking straight. Her eyelids felt droopy and heavy as she tried to open them. On third try, she finally succeeded.

Sitting up slowly the last moments came floating back to her like a bad dream. Looking around she took in her surroundings. The plane had crashed near the top of a mountain. Debris and parts of the plane were scattered everywhere. She noticed she was laying, in what used to be the aisle of the plane. Looking up, she noticed that the roof of the plane had been totally pull off and was now missing.

Windows were blown out and glass now lay shattered everywhere. She looked around frantically searching for Mulder. He was no longer in the seat beside her.

She slowly lifted herself off the floor, a sharp paining in her wrist making her yelp. Cuts covered her hands and legs. A trail of blood ran down the side of her head. Reaching up to feel the damage, a medium size gash covered the side of her forehead.

People were scattered everywhere. Laying up and down the aisles, in seats. Some had even been thrown outside of the plane and now lay on the dirt covered terrain.

Surveying the area, still searching for Mulder, she made her way towards the back of the plane. She gruesomely noted that the plane had crashed head first. It had made a beeline straight for the mountains.

Nearing the end of the plane she spotted a prone form lying on their side. Stepping closer she noticed with horror that it was Mulder.

Quickly kneeling down, she turned him over on his back. He had a bad cut of the side of head, which was bleeding pretty badly. His pulse was a bit rapid, but was other wise ok. His left arm was badly swollen and she was almost certain it was broken.

As she inspected the rest of him, he started to stir and mumble.

"Mulder?" she asked, leaning down to close to his head in order for him to hear her.

His eyelids slowly started to rise. First the left, then the other.

"Mulder, wake up." She said, gently rubbing the left side of his face, careful of his injuries.

Moaning once more, he started to raise his head. Scully positioned herself behind him, sliding an arm behind his back, she slowly helped him into a sitting position.

"Mulder, are you hurt anywhere?" she question, weaving her hands gently through his hair, looking for any bumps or signs of trauma.

"Yeah, my arm is killing me."

"Yeah," she said, gently grazing his left arm with her fingertips, "I think it's broken. There's no way of telling for sure, but I'm pretty certain it is."

Mulder just nodded, directing his gaze to the floor, upon which he was sitting.

"Mulder, I'll be right back. Just stay here, I'm going to take a look around. See if there are any other survivor's."

She walked her way to the pilot section of the plane. Captain and co-pilots were both dead.

Seats were trashed. Cargo, luggage and baggage, strewn up and down, what once was the isle of the craft. Checking bodies, she made her way to the front part of the plane.

An older man sitting more towards the middle of the plane was barely alive, hanging on to the last thread of life he had left.

A young woman lying on the floor, her body curled up in a fetal position laid breathing heavily, drawing in some of her last breaths. Her clothes were covered in life-giving blood. Pumping it through her body only to be coursing out onto the floor of her final resting place.

A solemn tear trickled down her face, leaving a dampened trail in its wake.

This is a bad dream. She kept repeating the phrase to herself, thinking that she was going to just wake up any moment now and this would all be over with.

It wasn't. As much as she wished and hoped for it to be, this was reality. Without help or any medical supplies, she was to no use to the people, she realized sadly. Resigning she made her way back to where she had left Mulder.

"Is everyone...?" He didn't have to finish the question.

"Yeah, I believe so Mulder. We need to get out of here. Go someplace up higher in case someone comes looking for us." Mulder nodded in agreement, there was no sense in staying there. The crash site had done turned into a graveyard for the passengers of the flight.

Wrapping an arm around his waist, she gently guided him to his feet. Keeping her arm draped around him, they walked their way to the middle section of the plane.

An opening, where the side of the plane had been ripped off and discarded, made an escape out of the plane. Stepping over the sharp shards of glass, they stopped just inside of the opening. Daylight streaming in through all the broken windows and shining brightly through the opening. Scully put her hand of to her eyes, shielding them from the bright sun.

She untangled her arm from Mulder's waist and replaced it back on the side of his arm, still giving him some support. He rested his good arm against the side panel of the plane, leaning heavily on it.

Scully stepped outside of the plane, Mulder right behind her. Glass and debris covered ground. Looking around, they took in the sight before them. A mountain range. They had crashed on a damn mountain. The mountain ascended steeply upward. They were already elevated at least 7000 feet, Mulder noted. Trees as far as they could see, and freshly fallen snow occupied the ground.

It was freezing, at least 30 degrees, and they didn't have any jackets on. Scully had a coat on over her business suit. Mulder sported a dress suit as well, only a suit coat protecting him from the fierce cold invading them.

Luckily they had brought extra coats in preperation for the cold weather, but now it would do them no good as their bags were somewhere in the rummage of the crash.

Mulder looked over in Scully's direction, noticing for the first time the extent of her injuries.

"You're hurt," he pointed out, almost as if a question.

"I'll live, it's really not that bad," she explained, a ghost of a smile pursing her lips.

Mulder gave an imperceptible nod, leaving it at that.

They started the journey up the hill, watching rocks and tree stumps as they went. The cold weather, making the tedious task that much more difficult.

Looking up towards the sky, impending gray clouds loomed overhead. The weather situation turning from winter storm to near blizzard conditions. The harsh wind blowing hard against their bodies, having no windbreaker protection on them.

Tree branches swayed roughly above, threatening to break any moment under the weight of the blowing wind.

Looking up ahead, shrubs and trees lined the ascending hilltop. Walking against the wind, gusts prevented them from keeping a good pace.

Working their way towards the top, snow began to fall harder, making the scenery look like that of a winter wonderland.

Finally finding a place with a good surrounding of trees, they stopped and decided to reside there for the time being. Scully gently let go of Mulder's arm, which she was holding to help guide him up the steep.

Mulder slowly knelt and turned around, leaning his back up against the side of a large tree.

He ached. His body ached everywhere and he had a major headache to add to the list of problems.

Once Mulder was settled for the moment, Scully stood, looking around at the horizon of imagery. Shaking from the cold she quickly knelt back down beside Mulder, occupying the spot just to the right of him.

Scanning him over with her eyes, she noticed he was shaking violently from the cold as well. She could almost inaudibly hear his teeth chattering, but god bless him he wasn't saying a word of complaint.

"Mulder, I have to set your arm. If I don't do it soon it can lead to damage. Also the longer it stays without being set the harder it'll be to fix," she stated.

He looked up, meeting her eyes and just nodded.

"Mulder," she said, breaking the frosty silence, "will you be alright if I leave you here for a few minutes? I'm going to go back down the plane and see if I can find any blankets that weren't damaged. Maybe I can find some of our luggage as well. I need some string to use to set your arm."

Off his silent nod, she rose. The freezing gusts' of wind hitting her like a hard blow the stomach, making her wrap her arms tight around herself. She chanced a quick glance at Mulder and noticed that he was already exhibiting the early signs of shock. He was shaking almost uncontrollably.

She walked down the hill, slipping on rocks and tree roots. Dress shoes were just not made for these conditions, she mused. The plane was in clear sight, even from where they were sitting. Trying to remember the one section of the plane where the luggage was stored. No easy task, since no particular section of the plane was tangible.

Remembering that the cargo area was usually near the back, she looked for the smaller sets of wings that were attached to the plane in that section. Making her way closer the plane, being extra careful as to the shards of glass on the ground, she made her way to what she assumed was that area.

She climbed in the plane through an opening. It was more of a small square shaped hole in the middle of the side of the plane. Lifting one leg and putting it through the hole, she grabbed the wall of the hole in the front of her, leveling herself. Once steadied, she lifted her other leg, turning around and quickly jumped onto the floor.

A flashlight would've been helpful at the moment, but the absence of one left her with having to adjust to seeing in the dark. Only faint shimmers of light made their way into the interior of the plane. Once her eyes were focused she looked through the plane, trying to spot any blankets that were in useful condition, or any blankets at all for that matter.

Outside she could hear the wind howling in a threatening manner. The storm was drawing closer.

She directed her attention back into her search, feeling around in the dark with her hands. Something soft came in contact with her hand. A blanket. A faint sense of hope washed over her.

Grabbing the blanket the wrapped it around her arms, trying to protect whatever body heat she had left.

Walking further back into the plane, another blanket came into view, lying on the floor amongst a pile of intangible trash.

She knelt down attempting to pick it up and dust off some of the debris. Their luggage. If she could only find some of their luggage. In vain attempt she began looking around. The suitcases and both of their bags were black in color. 'Perfect,' she thought, 'just perfect.'

She caught a small, silver gleam out the corner of her eye. About six feet away, something metal and shiny. Her bag! The small metal name tag, shining its way through the dark.

Grabbing the strap, she slung the bag on her shoulder and tried to keep balance of the two blankets. The cold air was more than she could take. Turning around, she began her journey to what she thought was the front of the plane. Dark, black clouds made nightfall rise and impend on them at an early hour. Because of this she could no longer see anything. Even her hand in front her face was no longer visible.

Her mind reeled. The fear of leaving Mulder up there alone with no warmth provider and being stuck in this plane almost brought her to her knees.

Looking up, something white peered its way through the dark. Fabric. White fabric... kind of like a shirt. A piece of cloth. Thinking it was someone's clothes, Scully drew closer. That was until the fabric moved. Stopping dead in her tracks, Scully began to step backwards.

"Hello?" A young voice called out into the quiet space, echoing off the walls.

It was a person. A child by the sounds of it, Scully noted.

"Hi," Scully called back, "where are you?"

"Right here in front of you. It's too dark to see anything."

"Ok," Scully replied, "I want you to reach out you hand and I'll reach out mine and we'll grab hands."

"Ok," came the young girls' reply.

Scully reached out left hand, waving it around slightly in the air. A another hand came into contact with hers. The small hand was quite warm to the touch.

"Ok, I got you. Do you know any openings where we can get out of the plane?"

"Yeah, I think I think I saw over this way," the girl replied, tugging on Scully's hand in silent order to follow.

Scully followed quietly behind her, hoping the young girls' predictions were correct.

A cold draft of air suddenly hit them hard and with full force. "Here it is," she girl pointed out happily.

They walk together, hand in hand as they made their way out of the plane and into the blizzard like conditions.

"Here!" Scully called out against the shrieking sounds of the wind. Out stretching her hand, she offered the young girl the other blanket to wrap around herself.

The girl reached out taking the offered blanket, wrapping it tightly around her shoulders.

They began their journey up the hill, fighting against the wind and rapidly falling snow.

Not much light illuminated in the outside world, making it nearly impossible to see much. Scully remembered she had brought a flashlight and had it packed in her bag. She wanted to keep from using as long as possible for fear it would be needed later on.

Being careful as to not trip over tree stumps, they had to walk extra slow. Every pain staking second that passed making Scully more anxious than ever to get back to Mulder.

Finally the small clearing where she had settled Mulder came into view.

"How ya doing Mulder?" Scully asked, setting her findings down.

"Hanging in there. Hi," Mulder replied, extending his hand out to the young girl.

"Hi," the young girl replied, shaking Mulder's offered hand.

"I didn't even catch your name," Scully said.

"Oh my name is Sarah Blake," the young girl replied, smiling sweetly.

"Sarah, that's a pretty name. My name is Fox Mulder."

"That's a funny first name," the young girl giggled. "What's your name?" Sarah asked, turning to Scully.

"Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Dana Scully. Mr. Mulder and I are FBI Agents."

"Wow! Really?? Neat!" Sarah squealed, "I've never met an FBI agent before!" Scully couldn't help but smile at the young girls' excited tone.

"Mulder," Scully started, directing her attention back to him, "I found two blankets and my duffel bag. These trees should provide some shelter from the wind, but we're going to have to make do with these two blankets and hope they can keep us warm until rescue gets here."

Mulder nodded, leaning his head back up against the tree.

"Headache?" Scully intoned.

"Major," slowly closing his eyes, he lifted his hand up to his head, messaging his aching temples with the tips of his fingers.

He looked up, his eyes opening only to meet Scully's worried gaze and unvoiced concern.

"It's ok," he stated, "I'll live. Really."

"You better," she joked, running her fingers gently through his hair.

"I have an extra tee-shirt in my bag and once I set your arm, I'm going to tie the shirt around it."

Scully got up and walked a few feet, picking up a stick that would have to make do as a temporary- splint.

She reached down pulling from her bag the white tee-shirt and ripped it in half.

"Ok Mulder, I'm going to do this as quick a possible."

She gently grabbed his arm, holding it lightly.

She raised her head, looking him straight into his eyes, "ready?" He nodded wordlessly.

She silently counted to three in her head.

One.

Two.

Three.

In one swift movement she quickly pulled his arm quickly into a straight forward position, hearing a gut-wrenching pop as it went back into alignment.

She looked up just in time to see the color in Mulder's face drain and a pasty white take its place.

"Mulder! Whoa, hey it's ok. Put your head down."

Gently she placed her hands to the back of his neck guiding his head into a downward position.

After a few moments his ragged breathing began to turn back to normal, his color changing back into a healthier shade.

She removed her hands from his neck, letting him bring his head upright. She never lost contact with his body, keeping her hand on his back and rubbing gently in a circular motion.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. Damn Scully that hurt!"

For a brief moment she lowered her head and he knew instantly those were the wrong choice of words.

"Scully I--,"

With a slight wave her hand, she cut off his apology, "No, it's ok Mulder. I'm so sorry I had to do that but it had to be done or else permanent damage could have resulted in that arm."

Off his nod, she began to apply the stick to his injured arm, being tender in her ministrations as to not cause him anymore pain. First she wrapped one part of the torn shirt around his arm, tying it tightly.

Next she took the other part of the shirt and wrapped it around his arm, about five inches above the first strip of cloth. She tied the knot tight like the other, but not as tight to where it would cut off any flow of blood.

"Ok done," she stated, patting his good arm. "Try not to move it too much. That splint will have to make do until I can get you to a hospital."

Checking his arm over once more, Scully rose and went to unfold both of the blankets. When done, she went over and sat close to Mulder. "Sarah I'm going to settle you right here between me and Agent Mulder."

Sarah nodded and crawled her way over there, snuggling tightly in-between the two agents.

Scully pulled on one of the blankets, trying to fit it over all three of them. Grabbing the other blanket, she pulled it over the first one and snuggled down under the pile.

She hoped that the combination of the surrounding trees, their few layers of protective clothing and the two blankets were enough to keep them warm until help arrived.

"Everyone comfortable?" She asked, turning first towards Sarah and then to Mulder. Both gave answering nods. All fell into a momentary silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

The rustling of fallen leaves filled chilly night air. The sound having an almost soothing effect on their minds.

Breaking the quiet, Scully decided to try and strike up conversation.

"Were your parents on the plane Sarah?" Mentally kicking herself, she regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. 'Nice conversation starter Dana.'

"My mom was," Sarah began to explain, "but my Dad had to stay home for business reasons."

"We were going to spend the weekend at my aunt's house," Sarah continued on, "we were going to go shopping and out to eat. I turn 15 tomorrow and it was going to be my birthday present."

Tears suddenly sprung to the young girls' eyes, as realization hit her. "My mom's dead isn't she?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Scully nodded, suddenly at a loss for words. Mulder obviously wasn't as he began to speak.

"What's your parents names?"

"My Dad's name is James and my Mom's was Claire," she replied.

"Are y'all out here on a case?" Sarah questioned, clearly wanting to steer away from current subject.

"Yes," Scully started, "we were on a case, headed to a place near Denver." Scully silently kept out the mentioning of details about the case and hoped Sarah would not press for information.

Luckily she didn't, and dropped the issue. She snuggled up deeper into the blankets as a harsh gust of wind whipped through the small space.

Hours passed, small talk ensued momentarily every so often, only to die off into the distance and silence once again take its place.

The storm had arrived and was now in full, mind-numbing effect. The cold making temperatures plummet even further, if that was at all possible.

Snow falling continuously, blanketing the ground in feet of powdered snow. The winds' howling long ago turning into a deafening roar.

Mulder, Scully and Sarah now lay huddled, under two blankets that long ago lost its heated touch. Drawing body heat from each other was the only thing still keeping them from drifting into the sure bliss of hypothermic death.

Their skin like ice, the cold nearly burning into them, tingling all the way to the bone. The shivering becoming so intense their bodies shook with violent force.

Looking out straight ahead, a sheet of gray painted itself across the sky, making it the only image for the eye to see.

At one point Mulder had managed to fall into a light slumber, sleeping silently. Every so often Scully would reach over, probing his neck with her fingertips. Just to assure herself that he was still alright. That his pulse was still strong. Still there.

Turning her gaze over to Sarah, the young girl looked up and locked eyes Scully, smiling serenely, peacefulness in her features. Scully, shaking from the cold, couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be their final resting place.

"You cold Sarah?" Scully asked. Dumb question, she thought, but too late to go back now.

"No, not really." Hmmm...not exactly the answer she was expecting.

"Hold on," Sarah started, "let me squeeze in a little closer, maybe I can provide a little more warmth." She began to shift more towards Scully, pushing even tighter against her.

A sudden burst of warmth surged through Scully, almost as if a heater inside her body had been turned on. Scully reached over, tapping Mulder lightly on the shoulder in effort to wake him.

He mumbled incoherently for a few moments, before dragging his eyelids open slowly. "Mmmm..what?"

"Mulder, see if you can slide over more against Sarah. I want to try and keep as warm as possible."

As much as his aching body permitted, Mulder slowly but surely slid up more against Sarah. The same burst of warmth surging through him, warming him immensely.

His throat, dry and parched, screamed out for the sweet sensation of water. Not having any for almost 12 hours was beginning to make his body protest.

A light bulb suddenly went off in his head. A burst of excitement shot through him as he remembered Scully had brought a bottle of water and had it stored in her duffel bag. Now if she still only had some left...

"Hey Scully," 'god was that my voice, I sound so weak,' "do you still have any of that bottled water left? I'm so thirsty."

Scully seemed almost shocked for a second, as if she had actually forgotten herself that it was in there.

"Oh my gosh, Mulder! I totally forgot about that! Yeah I still have it, hang on let me get it."

Scully began to sift through her bag, pulling out the flashlight and flicking it on. She flashed the beam of light into her bag, pushing items aside until finally discovering the bottle of water. A smile graced her lips as her shaking hands uncapped the 20oz bottle of heavenly liquid. She took a sip, passing it to Sarah whom politely turned it down and passed it on to Mulder.

Setting the round top to his parched lips, he tilted the bottle, the blessed liquid filling his mouth and coating his throat with the sweet substance. After a few large gulps, he re-capped the bottle and sighed, leaning his head back up against the tree. He silently passed the bottle back to Sarah without a word. From there she handed the bottle back to Scully who set it back into her bag.

"Wouldn't happened to have any aspirin in that bag would you Scully?" He asked, a hopeful looking crossing his features.

Scully shook her head solemnly, "no Mulder, I'm sorry. I wish I did."

Sarah leaned forward, pulling a small black bag from behind her. The bag looked like the kind young girls wore on that backs, like a backpack. She unzipped it, pulling out two sandwiches stuffed in a plastic bag.

"I made these before I had left home. They're still fresh, I brought them with me on the flight. Here, take them," Sarah offered, handing one sandwich to Scully and one to Mulder.

"Sarah," Scully began, half in shock and half in pure joy, "are you sure..?"

Sarah didn't answer, just smiled and nodded her head.

They dug into the sandwiches, enjoying the sweet taste of food after the absence of it for so long. Even if it was just sandwiches, it was food and they were grateful.

Finishing off the last bite, Scully wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Suddenly since they were now crushed together neither Scully nor Mulder felt much of the chill of the frosty a air. Scully noted that Sarah was acting almost like a human heater, providing a little of much needed warmth.

The sun had long ago set and darkness take its place. Scully idly wondered if a sunrise would soon be upon them. She had long ago lost all track of time.

She couldn't help but wonder as well if the dominating dark clouds would soon part and let way to the shining rays of a new dawn sun.

She turned her attention to the two sleeping forms beside her. They had fallen asleep moments before and Scully had taken up in silent agreement that it would be she who would stay awake in case rescue were to come.

Taking an educated guess she concluded it was probably somewhere around 5 a.m. and hoped the sun would be up soon. Rescue would not begin to search until the storm let up and sun shine through.

The conditions right now were too rough for any aircraft to fly through safely. No rescue choppers would even contemplate searching at the moment under these conditions.

"Scully?" Mulder's sleep filled voice snapped her from her silent thoughts..

"Yes Mulder?"

"I-I have something to tell you."

"What is it Mulder?" Scully now had every ounce of her attention focused on Mulder.

"If I die today, I'm glad it's beside you."

'Oh god,' her mind reeled.

"Mulder. Listen to me," she cupped both of her hands on his face, craning it until his eyes met hers.

"You are NOT going to die Mulder. You hear me? You're going to be fine. We all are."

Mulder just nodded as he began to drift back to sleep.

They would get out of here, she promised herself. They would get out and they would do it alive. With that thought fresh in her mind, she let herself slip into the waiting arms of sleep.

Hours passed as the three slept silently, huddled under the blankets. Mulder was the first to awaken to the bright shining sun and was happy to note that the dark black clouds of the storm had passed and now bright shining rays of sunlight filled its place.

He allowed his eyes to sweep over Sarah who had fallen asleep sometime during the night. He turned his gaze onto his sleeping partner, a small smile gracing his lips as he allowed himself the rare luxury of watching her sleep.

He watched her for a few moments more until the call of nature began to scream, loud and clear. He untangled himself from the blankets and slowly stood up on his aching knees. He leaned against a near-by tree, using it for support to stand.

Somewhere during the night his legs had fallen asleep and were now completely numb. Slowly, still using the tree for support, he began to shake his left leg trying to wake it up. After a minute or so he did the same with the right.

When he was sure his legs were stable enough to walk on he began to make his way into the wood area behind them. He looked over his shoulder just to make sure Scully and Sarah were still in his view.

After relieving himself he tried to use his good hand to zip up his pants, no easy task. Going through the act of congress he finally got them zipped up and began to make his way back to Scully.

His arm ached and he felt every throb of the pain, as it coursed to the top of his upper arm and into his shoulder.

Arriving back to the area he noticed Scully and Sarah had already awakened and were in the middle of some small talk. They stopped talking when they noticed Mulder had returned and was standing behind them behind them.

"Hey girls, finally up?"

"Yeah. Where did you go?" Scully questioned, as she began to stand, stretching her legs. Mulder lightly grabbed her arm to help steady her. After a moment she gave a nod and he reluctantly let go of her arm.

"I went to answer nature's call," he answered.

"Ah, well I'll be right back, I have to go do that myself."

Mulder nodded as he watched Scully walk the same path he had just taken. Averting his attention, he looked down at Sarah who was still wiping sleep from her eyes.

"Sleep well?" He asked, settling down beside her.

"Surprisingly, yeah I did. A hard dirt ground doesn't make the best bed but it wasn't that bad," Sarah answered, "how's your arm?"

"My arm is fine. A little sore but I think it'll go back to being as good as new in no time."

Sarah nodded and swept her eyes out over the mountains. Mulder did the same, both staying silent as they observed.

When Scully returned minutes later, Sarah took her turn and made her way into the woods.

"Sweet girl," Scully stated.

"Yeah, she really is. I noticed she had the same big brown eyes Samantha did."

"Blond hair," Scully said, "she had blond hair just like Emily."

Mulder noted the flash of sorrow that swept across Scully's eyes at the mention of Emily's name. As soon as it came though, it was gone as her sky blue eyes sparkled in the sun.

"Did you know," she added, "that blond hair and brown eyes is a rare combination? You don't see it very much."

Their conversation ended as the crunching of leaves signaled the return of Sarah.

When Sarah suddenly stopped Mulder and Scully turned around, throwing her a questioning look.

"Listen," Sarah stated, "do you hear it?"

"Yea...It sounds like...it is! It's a helicopter!"

Turning around to Sarah, Scully noticed that the young girl was no longer present.

"Mulder, where did Sarah go?"

Mulder turned around to look, stating that he hadn't seen her walk off.

The sound of the chopper became intense as it hovered over the area, making Mulder and Scully shield their eyes against the flying dirt and debris.

The chopper lowered itself about 30 feet from them, in a clearing barely wide enough to make the landing.

Once the engine was shut down, a rescue crew of six began to exit and one by one began walk their way down to the crash site.

Another fleet of rescue choppers could be heard in the distance, the sound becoming louder at they drew closer to the area.

Mulder and Scully began trudging in their direction.

"We're Agents Mulder and Scully with the FBI." Scully stated, pulling out her badge and flashing it to one of the crew members.

"FBI?" The man started, clearly confused, "I don't remember anyone calling out the FBI for this."

"You didn't," Mulder stated, "we were actually on this flight. We've been stranded out here since the crash."

"You're the only survivors?" The crewman asked, waving down another member of the rescue team.

"No, actually we aren't," Scully began, "there was a little girl who survived as well, but right before you got here she disappeared. She must've walked off into the woods, but I have no idea as to why."

"Ok, well my name is Jeff and this is Daniel," he introduced the other young man, who had walked up moments before. "Explain to him the description of the girl and we'll see if we can locate her."

As Jeff walked off Daniel turned and looked in bewilderment at the two agents.

"You both slept out here last night?" Mulder nodded.

"You two," he started, "my god...it was 6 degrees last night with near blizzard conditions. I'm trying to figure out how you two are even standing here talking to me right now."

"Well the fact remains that we are." Mulder stated.

"It's a miracle," Daniel muttered. "Ok," he started, getting back to the original topic, "tell me everything you can about the girl. Name, age, description. Anything you can remember."

Scully stated Sarah's name and age and explained that today was the girl's birthday. She went on to describe Sarah explaining that she had medium length blond hair and brown eyes.

Mulder also mentioned that she stood about 5'4" and was wearing a white shirt and jeans.

"Ok we're going to set a search for her through the evening and we'll see if we can locate her. In the meantime the rest of the crew is going to search here."

Daniel looked down at Mulder's arm, noting for the first time that he was sporting an injury.

"And it looks like you'll need some medical assistance as well." He said, nodding down at Mulder's broken arm.

"Another search and rescue chopper should be here soon and they'll transport you to the local hospital."

After getting the information, a search was indeed put out for Sarah. By evening time they had three different sets of search and rescue teams covering the woods and surrounding area.

Other crew were given the task of pulling the dead from the crash, one by one and lining them up along side the plane.

Body bags were brought in and eventually all passengers of flight 1007 were temporally laid to rest in them. From there they were carried off to their final destination.

Daniel had given the description of Sarah to the search and rescue members, explaining that he would stay behind at the site.

Now, two hours later, Daniel stood in the interior of the plane, watching as bodies were gathered. He wondered how something could go so wrong in such an instant, taking the lives of so many unsuspecting innocent people.

"We having a matching description!" Daniel spun around, making his way to the front of the plane.

"Matching description to who?" Daniel asked, staring intently at the young crew member who stood before him.

"The young missing girl. We found her this way."

As Daniel followed, the young man began explaining.

"White sweat shirt and jeans. She has long blond hair and approximately around the age of 15. We found her dead, still strapped in to her seat. She must've died on impact of the crash."

Daniel dead stopped in his tracks, the young man must've sense it as he turned around, facing Daniel.

"No," Daniel started, "that can't be right. The girl we're looking for was alive just hours ago. She has supposedly run off into the woods. We're looking for a missing child not a dead body!"

"Sir, the girl matches the description. Maybe it was a mistake. Come look for yourself."

Daniel followed the man to a seating area on the left side of the aisle, about halfway up the plane. Stopping, the man nodded his head to the seat near the window. A young girl laid dead, still strapped in the seat belt of the plane.

Daniel began to make his way out of the plane, completely dumb-founded. Once outside he looked around, trying to locate Mulder and Scully. He questioned another crew member who reported they had walked around towards the rear of the plane to look around. Daniel slowly made his way over, wondering if the deceased body in the plane was the missing girl they were searching so boldly for.

Sure enough, as he made his around to the rear of the plane, there were Mulder and Scully, standing side by side discussing something. They stopped talking and turned around upon sensing another's presence behind them.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel began to explain that he believed they had discovered the young girl but there was only one catch. "She's dead and it appears she died upon impact of the crash."

"That's impossible!" Scully stated.

"Look, I don't think it's her either, but you two are the only ones here who can correctly identify if it is her. So I'll lead you to the body and let you see for yourself."

The three made there way back to the plane and walked down the aisle until they reached the section where the young girl was located.

In that that given moment time turned fluid and Scully could've sworn the earth stopped turning on its axis along with the beating of her heart.

"Oh my god...this is not possible," Scully stared wide-eyed at Sarah's dead body.

"So it is her," Daniel asked, being more of a statement than a question.

Scully nodded mutely, craning her head to look at Mulder. He stood frozen to the spot, his eyes fixed unbelieving on Sarah.

It appeared that she was sitting in the exact same seat she was before the plane crashed. Before her life unexpectedly halted to an end.

Without another word the agents exited the plane, to leaving the shocked rescue member standing among the ruins.

Once out of hearing distance from the others, Scully started in her tirade.

"Mulder that young girl in there is someone else. There's is no logical way that the person in that plane can be Sarah."

Mulder nodded, casting his eyes to the ground, "Scully, I can't explain it either. But the person in there is Sarah's age, wearing the exact same clothes and sitting in the exact same seat she was before the plane crash."

"Mulder she was alive just this morning! She stayed with us last night and from what I could tell she was alive and healthy as they come. There's no way she could've died upon impact on the crash."

"There is one possible explanation," Mulder stated.

Upon Scully's questioning look, he went on to explain. "Scully think back to what Daniel said. He explained that it was 6 degree's last night with damn near blizzard conditions. We were stuck out here with two blankets and hardly any protective covering."

"Where are you getting at Mulder?"

"I'm saying that it was pure luck that we came across Sarah. And unharmed after a plane crash at that. What if Sarah was an angel or some kind of protective spirit of the girl that's now laying dead in that plane."

"So you're saying that Sarah was dead all along and that her sprit was out here last night with us, protecting us?"

Mulder nodded, "It's the only explanation I can think of and the more you think about it the more it makes sense."

Scully began to think back to the night before.

*Sarah's hands, which had managed to stay warm, even in the winter night air*

*Turning down the drink of water Scully offered her*

*Somehow coming up with two sandwiches and refused the offer to share them with her*

*The burst of warmth that surged through her when Sarah leaned up against her*

A sudden chill ran down her spine. The beliefs in her faith could not help the feeling of shock that exploded within her.

Looking up to the sky, Scully sent up a silent thank you to the guardian angel that would forever hold a place in her heart.

The End.

Author's Notes: The young girl Sarah is named after my best friend. This story took 5 loooonnggg months to finally finish and don't ask where the idea came from. The plane number 1007 comes from where one of my other best friends work. Tiger Country 100.7. Radio station...Get it now? Good. As far as the moutain range where they crashed. Yup it really exsist and is actually quite beautiful and no I've never been on a plane before. And lastly, the title "Acima Das Estrelas" translates in Portuguese to "Above The Stars". Oh and SEND ME FEEDBACK!!! Puuuuhhlease!! It'll really make my day!

Visit my website for my other stories. www.angelfire.com/scifi/spookyjr