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M&S go back to Kansas. Mayhem ensues.

Title:  Return To Oz
                                    Summary:  Mulder and Scully return to Kansas to visit 
                                    the friends they made when Mulder was injured by a 
                                    tornado.  Will Mother Nature cooperate this time 
                                    around?
                                    Spoilers:  None
                                    Rating:  PG
                                    Category:  MT, MSR
                                    Disclaimer:  Just for fun.  Not for profit.
                                    Archives: Probably, but please ask.
                                    Feedback:  Of course.  Waddles52@wmconnect.com
                                    Note:  This is a sequel to To Oz and Beyond.  It can 
                                    be read as a stand alone, but it might be helpful to 
                                    read To Oz and Beyond to meet the characters.  I am 
                                    posting it in several parts, but it is finished and 
                                    awaiting final revisions.
                                    Thanks:  Special thanks to super-beta, Lisa.  The 
                                    power has gone to her head and she has turned into a 
                                    slave driver!  Seriously, she worked me hard in order 
                                    to make this a much better finished product.
                                    
                                    
                                    "Anything interesting in the mail?" Scully asked as 
                                    she sat a cup of coffee on Mulder's desk, then took a 
                                    sip of her own.  "Mmm, I needed that."
                                    
                                    "Yeah, we got a card from Robbie," Mulder grinned.
                                    
                                    "Oh, your little hospital roommate from Kansas.  He 
                                    is so cute.  What does he have to say?"
                                    
                                    "He asks how you are, and whether we'll be coming 
                                    back to Kansas anytime soon."
                                    
                                    "How's the weather?" Scully asked warily.
                                    
                                    "Well, it's winter so I doubt we'd be bothered by any 
                                    tornadoes."  Mulder got up from his desk.  "He sent 
                                    me a great drawing.  I'm going to put it on the 
                                    bulletin board."
                                    
                                    "Oh, let me see."
                                    
                                    Mulder handed her the drawing.
                                    
                                    "Isn't that nice?  That must be you and Robbie.  
                                    You're the one standing in front of the tornado with 
                                    a badge that says hero.  How cute.  He really thinks 
                                    a lot of you."
                                    
                                    Mulder took the drawing from her and tacked it next 
                                    to his I Want To Believe poster.
                                    
                                    "I'd really like to see the little guy again, and he 
                                    wants us to meet his mom and baby sister."
                                    
                                    Mulder sat back down at his desk and took a sip of 
                                    his coffee.
                                    
                                    "Didn't I see something come across your desk from 
                                    Nebraska?" Scully inquired.
                                    
                                    "Yes, but I don't think there's much to it.  Why?"
                                    
                                    "Kansas is the next state south of Nebraska.  Maybe 
                                    we could take a detour on the way back."
                                    
                                    "I don't think Skinner will sign off on it."
                                    
                                    "Mulder, you've gotten him to sign off on wild goose 
                                    chases with less to go on than this.  I'm sure you 
                                    could persuade him."
                                    
                                    "You think?"
                                    
                                    "I think.  Write it up and we'll give Robbie a call 
                                    and let him know we'll be there soon," Scully 
                                    encouraged.
                                    
                                    "Guess it's worth a try."
                                    
                                    Five days later Mulder and Scully were once again 
                                    driving across Kansas.
                                    
                                    "Looks the same," Mulder commented.
                                    
                                    "You're right.  The sky is just as dreary and the 
                                    scenery is the same."
                                    
                                    "Flat," they both said at the same time.
                                    
                                    "Let's stop at the next place we see and give the 
                                    Stewart's a call.  We can give them an ETA and get 
                                    detailed directions to their place," Scully 
                                    suggested.
                                    
                                    "Good idea," Mulder agreed.  "That sign we just 
                                    passed said there's a rest stop in two miles.  We can 
                                    check in with Skinner too and let him know that we've 
                                    come to a dead end with our investigation."
                                    
                                    "Okay.  Why don't you let me try and sweet talk him 
                                    into an extra day to wind down?" Scully proposed.
                                    
                                    "Hey, the big guy is all yours," Mulder laughed.  
                                    "Just don't get too sweet with him."
                                    
                                    "Why, Mulder, if I didn't know better Id say you were 
                                    jealous."
                                    
                                    "Hmph."
                                    
                                    "You are jealous!" Scully exclaimed.
                                    
                                    "Am not!" he fired back.
                                    
                                    "Are too!  Don't worry, Mulder.  You have absolutely 
                                    nothing to be jealous about."
                                    
                                    "Hmph."
                                    
                                    Scully sat back and smiled as Mulder pulled into the 
                                    rest stop.
                                    
                                    Fifteen minutes later they were back on the road.
                                    
                                    "I got us two extra days, Mulder," Scully reported 
                                    triumphantly, as he pulled back onto the highway.
                                    
                                    "I'm not sure I want to ask how."
                                    
                                    "I just explained that we were dead tired, were 
                                    having trouble making plane connections, and that we 
                                    wanted to visit Robbie and family.  Make some good 
                                    publicity for the F.B.I."
                                    
                                    "So, in general you told him the truth?"
                                    
                                    "That's generally the best policy."
                                    
                                    "If I had tried that with Skinner, he'd probably 
                                    still be trying to rip me a new one," Mulder 
                                    complained.
                                    
                                    "That's because in the past he's had reason to be 
                                    suspicious.  You need to work on your people skills, 
                                    Mulder."
                                    
                                    "I'm not going to get into that now," Mulder sighed.
                                    
                                    "Did you talk to Robbie's dad?"
                                    
                                    "Yes, I did.  We're about fifty miles away.  They 
                                    live a little ways off the main highway, so he gave 
                                    me pretty detailed directions."
                                    
                                    "Good.  Is that snow I see?" Scully asked.
                                    
                                    "Looks like a few flurries.  We can handle a little 
                                    snow, Scully," Mulder chided.
                                    
                                    "Beats a tornado any day."
                                    
                                    Allen Stewart's directions were right on the money 
                                    and Mulder and Scully were soon getting reacquainted 
                                    with Robbie after meeting his mom and baby sister.
                                    
                                    "Do you like pizza, Robbie?" Mulder asked.
                                    
                                    "Yeah!  There's this place that has games and 
                                    everything!"  Robbie answered enthusiastically.
                                    
                                    "Which do you like best, the pizza or the games?" 
                                    Scully inquired.
                                    
                                    "Um, I think I like them both the same."
                                    
                                    "Good, because I asked your mom and dad if we could 
                                    take you out for pizza when I called earlier.  What 
                                    do you think they said?" Mulder questioned Robbie, 
                                    who was getting more excited by the minute.
                                    
                                    "I'll bet they said yes!  Right, Mommy and Daddy?"  
                                    Robbie gushed, as he began to dance a little jig.
                                    
                                    "Of course, we said yes.  Now, you have to calm down 
                                    and be a good boy for Agent Mulder and Agent Scully," 
                                    Allen Stewart said firmly.
                                    
                                    "Okay, Daddy.  I will," Robbie agreed solemnly.
                                    
                                    "All right, then.  Why don't you go with Mommy and 
                                    get ready?"
                                    
                                    "Okay."  Robbie took his mother's hand and began to 
                                    walk away.  "Can Dana come too?" he asked.
                                    
                                    "Of course.  She might want to play with Lindsey Anne 
                                    though, while I get you ready."
                                    
                                    "I'd love to," Scully said following them back.
                                    
                                    "Lindsey Anne can't eat pizza 'cause she only gots 
                                    two teeth," Robbie explained as they disappeared 
                                    around a corner.
                                    
                                    "He hasn't changed a bit," Mulder chuckled.
                                    
                                    "I'm so glad you could come, Agent Mulder.  We didn't 
                                    really get a chance to thank you properly, since you 
                                    were transferred to Dodge City so quickly after you 
                                    were stabilized."
                                    
                                    "No thanks necessary, Allen.  Besides, I'd say we're 
                                    pretty even.  If you hadn't been with me when I fell 
                                    I probably would have bled to death."
                                    
                                    "That was nothing, but taking care of Robbie in that 
                                    twister was really something.  You were hurt pretty 
                                    bad already, and then jumping out of bed and taking 
                                    care of Robbie like you did . . .well, we just can't 
                                    thank you enough."
                                    
                                    "Well, I was pretty busy saving my own ass too," 
                                    Mulder protested.
                                    
                                    "I'm ready!" Robbie announced, hopping into the room.
                                    
                                    "Then, let's go," Mulder said, picking him up.
                                    
                                    "You guys have fun, but be careful.  Looks like we 
                                    have a little snow on the way," Allen warned.
                                    
                                    "We will be very careful," Scully assured him as they 
                                    went outside.  A dusting of snow already covered the 
                                    ground.
                                    
                                    "We should be back before it gets too heavy.  We'll 
                                    keep an eye on it," Mulder promised.  "Come on, big 
                                    guy.  I can almost smell that pizza from here.  You 
                                    like pepperoni?"
                                    
                                    Scully shook her head and hurried after them.
                                    
                                    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
                                    
                                    The pizza was consumed in a hurry because Robbie and 
                                    Mulder were anxious to get to the game room.  Scully 
                                    watched them for quite a while, but when Mulder began 
                                    to give Robbie instructions for shooting the 
                                    basketball at the free throw game, she decided to 
                                    walk out front and check on the weather.  To her 
                                    amazement almost a foot of snow had fallen in the 
                                    amount of time they had been inside.  Although she 
                                    hated to break up the fun, she knew that driving was 
                                    going to be difficult, so she headed back to the game 
                                    room.
                                    
                                    Mulder and Robbie met her by the restrooms.  "Ah, 
                                    Scully, glad you're back.  Robbie needs to make a pit 
                                    stop."
                                    
                                    "Why can't you take him?"
                                    
                                    "Um, he could probably use a woman's touch," Mulder 
                                    explained, placing Robbie's hand in hers.
                                    
                                    "Mulder, you're something else.  Just for that you 
                                    can go outside and dig the car out.  We'll be waiting 
                                    up front when you pull the car to the door."
                                    
                                    "Did you say dig the car out?"
                                    
                                    "Yep, you heard me right, Agent Mulder.  See you up 
                                    front," Scully pronounced as she noted the look of 
                                    urgency in Robbie's eyes.
                                    
                                    Mulder worked feverishly for a few moments to clear 
                                    the snow off the car.  How could it snow so much in 
                                    just a little over an hour?  Robbie's folks would 
                                    probably be getting frantic with worry.  He knocked 
                                    the last of the snow off the roof, climbed in, and 
                                    started the car.
                                    
                                    When he pulled up to the front entrance, Robbie and 
                                    Scully were waiting just inside the door.  As he got 
                                    out to open the doors for them his feet slipped and 
                                    he landed hard on his bottom, yelping in surprise and 
                                    biting down on a curse.
                                    
                                    Robbie began to giggle and Scully soon followed suit.  
                                    She stopped abruptly when she saw that Mulder was 
                                    struggling to get up.  She put Robbie down and waded 
                                    out to where Mulder had fallen.  "Are you okay?"
                                    
                                    "I'm fine.  I just can't seem to get up.  Could you 
                                    give me a hand?"
                                    
                                    "I'm not going to fall for that.  Quit goofing 
                                    around, Mulder," she fussed.
                                    
                                    "I am not goofing around!  I could use a little help 
                                    here."
                                    
                                    Robbie jumped through the snow and appeared at 
                                    Mulder's side with his arms out, ready to help.
                                    
                                    "Thanks buddy, but I think I'm going to need some 
                                    grown-up help," Mulder blushed.
                                    
                                    "You aren't kidding are you?" Scully finally realized 
                                    as she moved over to give him a hand.  She pulled and 
                                    Robbie pushed until they finally had Mulder on his 
                                    feet.
                                    
                                    "Sorry, I don't know what happened.  I just couldn't 
                                    get my body to respond," he apologized as he dusted 
                                    the snow off his coat.
                                    
                                    Robbie helped him dust the snow off with little, 
                                    mittened hands.
                                    
                                    "Are you in any pain?" Scully inquired.
                                    
                                    "No, I'm fine.  That's what's so weird.  I wasn't 
                                    hurt.  I just couldn't move."
                                    
                                    "All right, then.  If you're okay, why don't you get 
                                    Robbie into the car seat and I'll drive.  All right?"
                                    
                                    "Fine with me," Mulder answered, still looking 
                                    perplexed.
                                    
                                    Full of pizza and tired from the game room, Robbie 
                                    went to sleep as soon as the car started rolling.  
                                    Mulder soon followed him into dreamland while Scully 
                                    found herself trying to navigate and see through the 
                                    swirling snow at the same time.  Nothing looked 
                                    familiar to her so she pulled off to the side to try 
                                    and get her bearings.
                                    
                                    The lack of movement woke Mulder up.  He looked at 
                                    his watch and was surprised to find that he'd been 
                                    sleeping for over an hour.
                                    
                                    "Scully, what's wrong?"
                                    
                                    "I must have taken a wrong turn.  Nothing looks 
                                    familiar."
                                    
                                    "How can you tell in all this snow?  Do you think you 
                                    can backtrack?"
                                    
                                    "I guess that would be the best thing to do."  She 
                                    took her cell phone out only to find that she 
                                    couldn't get a signal.  "We need to try and find a 
                                    phone to call Robbie's parents," she decided, trying 
                                    to keep the worry out of her voice.
                                    
                                    Scully slid the car in gear and tried to make a u-
                                    turn but there wasn't enough room.  After putting the 
                                    car in reverse, she began to back up so she could 
                                    straighten the car out.  She felt the right, rear 
                                    tire slip off the pavement.  When she put the car 
                                    into drive she found that they were stuck.
                                    
                                    "Damn it!" she muttered in frustration, pounding the 
                                    steering wheel.
                                    
                                    Mulder reached for her right hand.  "Calm down.  
                                    Little ears, remember?" Mulder smiled, remembering 
                                    when she'd said the same thing to him over six months 
                                    earlier.
                                    
                                    "Oh, sorry," Scully said quietly, looking back at 
                                    Robbie who was still sleeping soundly.
                                    
                                    "Look, I'll just get out and see if I can push the 
                                    car free.  Don't do anything until I tell you," 
                                    Mulder directed, getting out of the car.
                                    
                                    Scully rolled her window down so she could hear 
                                    Mulder's directions.
                                    
                                    When he had finally positioned himself behind the 
                                    car, Mulder told Scully to put it in drive and give 
                                    it some gas.  He pushed for all he was worth, but try 
                                    as he might, the right, rear tire refused to gain any 
                                    traction.
                                    
                                    Scully shoved the car back in park and waited for 
                                    further instructions from Mulder.  He straightened up 
                                    his aching back and began to ponder the situation.  
                                    He moved back and glanced at the car.  As he made his 
                                    way over to inspect the tire more closely his feet  
                                    suddenly slipped out from under him, landing him on 
                                    his bottom, just as he had done in the parking lot 
                                    earlier.   Only, this time he was overcome with 
                                    excruciating pain up his spine and sparking down his 
                                    legs.
                                    
                                    "Oh, shit!" he moaned.  He couldn't move.  In fact it 
                                    was all he could do to keep catching his breath 
                                    through the extreme pain that was assaulting him. 
                                    "Scully!" he croaked, struggling to get up and 
                                    getting chilled to the bone as he lay there.
                                    
                                    Scully was waiting patiently for more directions from 
                                    Mulder when she heard him curse.   She immediately 
                                    threw open the door to investigate and heard the 
                                    pain-filled manner in which he choked out her name, 
                                    kicking her into full alert.
                                    
                                    "Mulder?"
                                    
                                    "Over here!  Need Help!"
                                    
                                    "What happened?" she asked as she high-stepped over 
                                    the deep snow and made her way over to him.
                                    
                                    Mulder was halfway between a sitting and reclining 
                                    position.  His pain was obvious.  "I fell again.  
                                    Can't get up.  Hurt my back," he grunted.
                                    
                                    "You can't move at all?" she questioned as she knelt 
                                    beside him in the snow.
                                    
                                    "A little, but it hurts like hell.  Don't wanna try 
                                    to get up."
                                    
                                    "What part of your back is hurting?"
                                    
                                    "Lower," he answered.  Another fiery spasm lanced 
                                    through him, causing him to scream.  "Scully!  Oh, 
                                    damn!  What is it?  What's causing this?"
                                    
                                    "Mulder, it could be anything from a strained muscle 
                                    to a ruptured disk.  Have you ever hurt your back 
                                    like this before?"
                                    
                                    "Sure, a little twinge here or there, but nothing 
                                    like this," he groaned, then cried wordlessly as 
                                    another ferocious spasm clenched his muscles tight.  
                                    "Make it stop!"
                                    
                                    "Mulder, calm down.  The first thing we have to do is 
                                    get you on your feet.  Lying in the freezing snow 
                                    won't help your injury very much."
                                    
                                    "Can't, Scully.  Just let me lie here.  I'd rather be 
                                    a frozen Popsicle than make any move right now," he 
                                    moaned breathlessly.
                                    
                                    "No!  Now, listen to me.  I don't think moving from 
                                    the ground is going to hurt any worse than the slight 
                                    movements you've already attempted.  If you can grab 
                                    onto the car's bumper and push up slowly, I think 
                                    you'll be able to get on your feet.  It will be much 
                                    easier if you do it yourself, instead of me pulling 
                                    and possibly hurting you more."
                                    
                                    "Easy for you to say."  Mulder grunted as he followed 
                                    Scully's instructions, climbing gingerly and getting 
                                    to his feet.  "Now what?" he gasped.
                                    
                                    "Don't worry about straightening up right now.  Just 
                                    see of you can walk over to the passenger door.  I'll 
                                    hold on to you."
                                    
                                    "Straightening up is not on my agenda.  In fact, I 
                                    may never straighten up again," Mulder complained as 
                                    he began to walk, although it more closely resembled 
                                    a shuffle.  White clouds of frozen breath poured from 
                                    his lips, a testament to his struggle against the 
                                    pain.
                                    
                                    He finally made it and managed to lower himself down 
                                    onto the edge of the seat.  That's where he ran into 
                                    more trouble.  "Oh, shit, Scully!  I can't lift my 
                                    legs!  Son of a bitch, that hurts!"
                                    
                                    "Shhh!  Robbie's asleep.  Let me lift your feet for 
                                    you.  Here."
                                    
                                    Mulder was not prepared for the onslaught of pain 
                                    that accompanied that movement.  He bellowed his 
                                    discomfort, forgetting all about the sleeping Robbie, 
                                    Scully, or anything else.  The pain was all consuming 
                                    and he fought for every ragged breath, sweat beading 
                                    his upper lip as he gasped.  Gradually the pain 
                                    lessened and he came back to himself, although he 
                                    still felt aftershocks of pain travel through his 
                                    nerve endings.  
                                    
                                    Scully was trying to comfort a startled Robbie while 
                                    keeping a concerned eye on Mulder.  "Mulder?" she 
                                    questioned, "You still with us?"
                                    
                                    "I'm okay, I think.  Don't think I've ever been in 
                                    that much pain.  What the hell landed on my back and 
                                    broke it?" he groaned.
                                    
                                    "Is it easing off?"
                                    
                                    "Yeah, it's a little more bearable.  Sorry I woke you 
                                    up, Robbie."
                                    
                                    "Mulder has another boo-boo," Scully explained.
                                    
                                    "Another one?  We can take him to the hospital.  
                                    They'll make it better."
                                    
                                    "We'll get there in a little while, but right now 
                                    we're going to have an adventure.  The car won't go, 
                                    so we'll have to camp out inside here for a little 
                                    bit."
                                    
                                    "Ooh, that sounds like fun.  Can we build a fire?"
                                    
                                    "No, I don't think that would be a very good idea," 
                                    Scully grinned.  "We'll start the car every so often 
                                    so we won't get too cold.  Then, we'll wait for your 
                                    Dad and his friends to find us.  I'll bet they're 
                                    already looking."
                                    
                                    "Yeah, my daddy will find us and take Mulder to the 
                                    hospital."
                                    
                                    "This is one time when I will gladly go to the 
                                    hospital.  I need drugs.  Lot's of strong drugs," 
                                    Mulder moaned pitifully.
                                    
                                    "Just hang in there, Mulder," Scully voiced, rubbing 
                                    his right shoulder, their icy predicament secretly 
                                    worrying her more than she was willing to admit.
                                    
                                    Mulder managed a shaky grin followed by a grimace.
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    End Part One