Victim of the Game by CKing Part V "LET ME OUT!!!!" Alex's scream disappeared into the infinite blackness of the inner mental space that the alien, Alexei, had trapped him in. Krycek began clawing at the unyielding dark around him. He fought blindly against the lack of sensation until the blackness became strangely tangible. He felt pressure similar to diving deep into the depths of the ocean, a warm, silky nothingness pushing in on him from all sides, threatening to crush him. He threw himself forward in an attempt to reach a wall, any wall, he knew they had to be there. He knew his prison was entirely mental, but right now he was entirely mental. He had no connection with his body, no outside sensations, and he couldn't stand it. He lashed out savagely, a wounded animal trying to get free, even if he tore his own flesh away in the process. The blackness gave with him, denying him even the feeling of striking a hard surface. It surrounded him gently, smothering him without touching him. He thrashed... wanting to feel something, anything, that would let him know that he was still alive... that somehow, somewhere, he still existed. "LET ME OUT!" The scream resounded through the dark impotently."Alexei! God dammit! When I get out of here I am going to kill you! I swear I will. I'll find a way. There has to be something that will hurt you. I don't care if it makes me sicker than hell, I'll get you for this!" The surrounding darkness reminded him of a night dive he'd gone on years ago. He and his dive buddy had shut off their dive lights for a few minutes and the darkness had been like this. An impenetrable black thickness that had caused a deep primal fear in him made worse by the swarms of sharks his imagination placed in the darkness, circling ever closer as he and his friend hung helpless, weightless in the foreign environment. Now, Alex thrashed forward through a darkness manifestly thicker than that night. He spun frantically as something moved at the corner of his "vision". The darkness wasn't quite still. Alex could sense shapes drifting through the darkness, heavy, malevolent forms that were drifting slowly closer, waiting for him to let his guard down. Oh, God. I'm starting to hallucinate. Isn't that what happens to people in sensory deprivation tanks just before they go insane? No, no way! "ALEXEI!! YOU SHIT! LET ME OUT." Alex froze as the blackness in front of him seemed to solidify gradually, vague images of iridescent dark color moving through the space, almost like... oil. No. I will not go there. It's not here. It's my imagination. The oilien is NOT here. He tried to close his eyes, willed it, though he had no control of his physical body. It made no difference in the darkness which was all mental to begin with. "Nooo." the low, desolate moan had no more effect than his screams had on the oblivion around him. "Alexei! Let me free. We can work this out. ALEXEI!" He forced himself backward, away from the oil slick, drifting into nothingness. "Alexei..."soft this time. "please." Krycek's eyes opened as Alexei looked around, frowning at the last echoes of his host's cries against being locked away. He regretted having to do that. Lord knew he'd hear about it later and it was not the way to convince Alex that they could have a working relationship. His only excuse was the burning need he felt for the nutrient fluid. The longer he went without it the weaker he felt. He needed to work on finding a new source before he started getting sick. He couldn't count on Alex doing it. Alexei had locked his host away as firmly as he could. Alex was still stronger than him in most ways. Maybe always would be. Alexei had to put everything he had into making sure Alex couldn't escape and take over again. Remembering the shouts, he grimaced. Maybe he'd gone a little overboard locking his host away from all input. He knew what that would do to Alex. He knew that Alex had problems with enclosed dark spaces, but it was necessary. Alex's fear of the dark was part of what locked him in. Alexei was counting on the fear keeping Alex from figuring out how to escape before Alexei had found what he needed. Alexei shifted slightly under the covers. He brushed back against a warm, solid body and smiled. The curious alien considered several different techniques for waking Mulder up. Alex had succeeded in breaching Mulder's reservations in the trailer, maybe Alexei could finally see what it would be like to actually feel sex. Turning around, the alien saw Mulder lying next to him on his back, sound asleep. Alexei ran a hand carefully over the agent's smooth skin in pleasure. Mulder sighed, but didn't move. Alexei slid his hand over the silken texture with increasing excitement, marveling that the sense of touch could convey such intricacies of shape and texture as his hands moved over the lean muscles and through downy chest hair, as he felt the tight nipples raise to his touch. The alien found it hard to believe that the act of touching another could give rise to such exciting longings in his own body. He ran his other hand over his own chest as he stroked Mulder, fascinated at the differences. As his fingers threaded through Mulder's dark chest hair Alexei glanced down at his own nearly hairless chest with its light dusting of soft golden hair. The alien grinned with the joy of exploration. He let his hands slowly drift down both their bodies happily. Alexei gasped as a sudden bolt of intense pain shot through his head. It felt as if someone had rammed a red hot poker through the base of his skull. The pain was so intense it momentarily blinded him. He laid still, his eyes tightly shut, and tried to calm his breathing. The pain gradually resolved into a dull headache. Seducing Mulder would have to wait till a later time. The headache stressed to Alexei that he needed to work on finding a source for the nutrient fluid. He needed to get more, soon. Alex's body could sustain him for the most part, but there were enzymes and chemicals in that fluid he absolutely needed. Much as he wanted to experience Mulder, he couldn't spend the time right now. Mulder grumbled slightly in his sleep and turned toward Alex's body, missing the tantalizing touch. Alexei held still as Mulder's hand rested on him. The alien waited until he felt the older man settle and heard his breathing deepen before he slid off the side of the bed silently. He stretched stiff muscles, arms over his head as his jaw split with a huge yawn. His body was going to crash soon if he didn't let it get more than short naps. He would let Alex worry about that later. Alexei had no intentions of wasting the time he had before Alex got free again. He opened one of the bags Jaak had brought and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt. After a glance at the sleeping bundle on the bed, he laid clean clothes on the dresser for Mulder as well. Regretting the need for speed, Alexei took a fast shower. He toweled himself briskly and struggled his moist legs into the skin tight blue jeans Jaak had purchased. Staring into the mirror, Alexei used the acoustics and privacy of the bathroom to work his voice, trying to capture the tones and nuances of a certain Fox Mulder. He was only a partial shape shifter, but he thought that if he strained hard enough, he could just barely change his vocal chords enough. He kept working at it as he shaved, cursing as he nicked himself with the razor twice due to not paying attention. A thought, and the tiny cuts closed. When his throat starting complaining of the abuse, he finally gave it up, threw on a shirt and left the steamy room. Alexei padded down the loft stairs, plans starting to take shape in his mind. He went straight to Mulder's lap top computer on the dining room table. He had watched as Alex checked it out earlier and knew it didn't have what he wanted, but it just might lead him where he needed to go. He had gone through everything he could find in Alex's memory about computers, accessing things Alex had forgotten he ever knew. Alexei was confident he could find more than his host, even if his host were willing to help him. They had different agendas, but Alexei held the fond hope that would change. If only he could convince Alex that he wasn't a threat, that he could be an asset, it would make things more comfortable for both of them. He winced as the thought occurred. Locking Alex away had certainly been counter-productive to that goal. Maybe, just maybe Alex will forgive me when I voluntarily give him control back. Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? I know better than anyone how hard he can hold a grudge. ::sigh:: Well, no help for it. Alexei's fingers danced over the key board, characters flashed past the screen at a dizzying rate. Alexei's existence was mostly a mental one; he absorbed what he saw automatically, filing it away to read and comprehend later when he was locked away again with little other input. He winced as he again remembered Alex's cry of fear as he was shut away, trapped with only his own thoughts. I won't keep him in the dark long. He's strong, he'll be fine. Krycek's face frowned as the alien tried to convince himself of the lie. His eyes continued to scan through screen after screen rapidly. Alexei paused as he went through another directory. Hmm. Interesting. I recognize the name of that scientist. Blaine Saru. Alex worked with him once. Alex remembers that Dr. Saru wanted more of a relationship than Alex would give him. I might be able to use that. It seems the good doctor Saru is head researcher at Dine laboratories. Alex doesn't know of any connection between Dine and the Consortium. Dine is a private lab, it should be less regulated, maybe a little more flexible. Especially with the right motivation for Dr. Saru. I think I may have found what I need. A few minutes on the phone got him an appointment in the afternoon with Dr. Saru. He'd take the motorcycle to the mall, get a suit for the meeting and then drive to the airport. He'd have to take a round about way both coming and going, a few changes of airlines and airports each way to keep from being trailed back here. He'd also need a rental car waiting in Portland. Alex was not going to be happy when he found out how much Alexei was spending. One problem down, now to check on another. The alien pulled the phone number for the FBI labs from Alex's long forgotten memories. Sometimes Alexei was certain it was much better to be in his situation than to be a human. Humans had such limited conscious memory. As the distant phone rang Alexei made adjustments to his vocal chords. The phone was picked up by a sleepy voiced technician. Alexei gave a false start then cleared his throat. "Sorry," he informed the annoyed tech. "This is Special Agent Fox Mulder. My partner, Agent Scully brought in some blood samples to be analyzed." "Just a minute Agent Mulder." The bored voice disappeared, left him hanging for over a minute before returning. "Yes, sir. We have the samples here." "What have you found out?" "Agent Scully has already been given preliminary findings, Agent Mulder. You could ask her." "I'm asking you. I need the results now." "Just a minute, Agent Mulder." He could hear the disgruntlement on the other end as the tech looked up the results. At this point, Alexei could care less about the tech's feelings. Alexei listened with interest to the description of the retro-virus and theories on it. But he tensed anxiously as the technician read off the results of testing of drugs against the virus. They had one anti-viral agent that was looking promising, it was still too early in the testing to be certain, but it looked like a cure was a possibility. Alexei numbly thanked the technician for his help, barely keeping his voice the correct tone before hanging up. This was not good. Alexei was suddenly very glad he had locked Alex away from hearing what the alien was doing. This news was going to require attention. Alexei leaned back against the kitchen counter, one arm folded across his chest, the other fist up to his mouth as he lightly chewed the edge in thought. The testing couldn't be allowed to continue. The samples would have to disappear. But how? Alex Krycek couldn't get within a hundred yards of the FBI. Alexei raised his head slightly as a snort came from the living room. He looked over to where Jaak Danko slept. There was a possible answer. Bailey had people who could get in and out with the samples. It would cost a huge chunk of Alex's remaining money, but he could hire her to have it done. He just had to keep Alex from finding out before Alexei could arrange it. He shifted back from the counter and stretched the stiff muscles of his shoulders and back before walking back to the dining area to the computer. A brief search located a pair of floppy discs in a pocket of the computer travel case. Alexei scanned the disc directories, decided he didn't need what was on them, and formatted them before accessing Mulder's copies of the Sarcus files on the computer. Compressing the Sarcus files and putting them on one of the discs took only a few minutes more. While the files downloaded, Alexei opened the files from the Russian records about Krycek's time in their labs. The Russians had given Alex the nutrient fluid routinely to help the infant alien survive within him. The chemical makeup was included in the tapes. Alexei downloaded this information onto the other tape. Now he just had to get the precious fluid made for him. Some of the ingredients were pretty exotic, not something he could throw together in a kitchen. After shutting off Mulder's laptop and unplugging it, Alexei pocketed the computer discs. He used a kitchen knife to slice open the lining of his ruined leather jacket and retrieve the un-set diamonds hidden inside. Discs and money secured, he moved across the room and kneeled next to Danko. The young alien reached out carefully and shook the big Russian's shoulder. He grinned as Danko woke with a snort. His grin turned to a wince as the man's hand closed over his wrist painfully. "Jaak, easy, it's me." Alexei kept his tone soft and non-threatening. Danko released his wrist as he peered groggily at Krycek's face. "Alex," the big man's wary rumble was so soft Alexei strained to make it out. "Is something wrong?" Alexei shook his head. "I need to leave for awhile. I need your help again, my friend." Danko sat up gingerly, stretching stiff muscles. "It's yours." "I need you to tell Mulder I haven't skipped on him. I'll be gone several hours, but I will be back. Make sure he knows that." Danko squinted at him. "Why don't you wake him and tell him? You are partners in this, nyet?" Alexei grimaced. "I'm not sure the FBI would approve of what I need to do, Jaak. It's better if he doesn't know till later." He kept his eyes down, looking up through thick lashes. "He won't be happy, my friend, watch for his right cross." A sneer spread over the rugged features. "I have little fear of Agent Mulder." The corner of Krycek's mouth went up in a small grin but his eyes held warning as he raised them. "If you damage that pretty face of his I will kick your ass from here back to Mother Russia. Panimaye?" Danko smiled and held his hands up placatingly. "Da. No danger, my friend, I would not hurt your FBI agent." Alexei nodded. He'd hoped that was the response Alex would have given. He didn't need Danko getting suspicious. "I also need to hire a job done." Danko's face smoothed into business mode. "What do you need?" "I need some evidence to disappear from the FBI labs." Danko whistled softly between his teeth. "You don't ask for much, do you, Alex?" "I know Bailey has competent people. I can pay her rates." He pulled out the two unset diamonds. "It's very important, Jaak." Danko looked at Krycek kneeling in front of him, and his own face tightened. "It is done, my friend. Just give me the details." "It's not too much. Samples of my blood, some samples of a virus that they're working with, all the files related to both. Nothing high priority, nothing that should be well guarded. I don't know whose name the blood is under, but it is filed for Agents Scully and Mulder." Alexei had turned his face toward the patio doors as he talked, but he turned back guardedly at the soft sound of exasperation from the big Russian. Danko looked displeased at Krycek's deception of his supposed allies, but said nothing. Alexei stood smoothly and put his hand briefly on Danko's shoulder. "You're a life saver Jaak, I owe you." Danko nodded and accepted the small diamonds. "I hope you know what you are doing Alex." Alexei strode to the door, casting a cocky grin over his shoulder at him. "Don't I always?" He was out the door before Danko could reply. Pale sunlight tripped through the branches of a big oak, shined through the hexagonal window over the head of the bed. Mulder woke slowly, knowing instinctively that he would be better off unconscious. All the clues were there as his mind reached cautiously up out of the depths of sleep; an ache here, the beginnings of a pain there. Still, his eyes came halfway open. Through the narrow openings, he studied one brilliantly polished pine wall. The highly lacquered pine glimmered with a liquid amber luminescence that made the wood seem as deep as the sea. His groggy gaze fell on a rich, golden oak dresser against the wall. He frowned and turned his head, trying to place his location. In a rush, it all came back to him. He was in a cabin belonging to one of Krycek's friends. Listening, he could vaguely hear the sounds of someone moving around downstairs. He struggled with the covers that were tangled around him, and pushed himself up in the bed so he could lean back against the headboard. The smell of fresh coffee drifted up, penetrating his awareness like wisps of fog off the lake. Mulder groaned and stretched stiff muscles as he slid out of bed. Mulder dressed in his clothes from the previous night, deciding a shower and clean clothes could wait till after he found out what Krycek was up to. He padded down the loft stairs quietly. Jaak Danko was sitting at the dining room table, a plate full of pancakes in front of him. A cup of coffee sat beside him, warm humidity rising enticingly from its surface. "Where's Krycek?" Danko stopped chewing and his hand froze halfway to his mouth with another forkful of blueberry pancake as Mulder spoke. He put down his fork and stared at his plate as if he could glean answers and explanations from the crumb patterns and smears. His voice was a deep rumble as he answered. "He said he had to run some errands. He will be back in a few hours." Mulder felt his temper rising, tried to control it as he took in the big Russian's massive shoulders and thickly muscled arms. "Where did he go? When?" Danko sighed and pushed his chair back from the table. "He did not tell me where he was going, only that it was important and that I should assure you that he will be back this evening. He does not want you to think he is running out on you." Mulder slammed his fist on the nearest wall. "Damn it! He asks me for help then he keeps disappearing. I have half a mind to just pack it up and leave him to it." Danko leaned back over the table toward Mulder. His rough face was calm, but a thread of concern had woven itself into the deep voice. "Agent Mulder, please. I don't know what exactly is going on, but I know Alex needs you." He studied Mulder's face. "There is something very wrong with him, Agent Mulder. He's changed somehow. I can't put my finger on it, perhaps he is sick? Something. Maybe it has to do with the lab we rescued him from. I don't know. It doesn't matter. I will help him anyway I can. But I think it is you that he really needs, Agent Mulder." Mulder mulled this over briefly then looked back at the Russian challengingly. "Who are you, Danko?" The Russian looked surprised, then he grinned. The tight, almost menacing lines on either side of his mouth softened. "Alex's friend, and a damn good bartender." Mulder sneered. "A bartender who casually drives through an electric fence and single handedly takes out half a dozen armed guards." Danko's grin got bigger. "I'm a very talented bartender." Then his face sobered. "I told you what I was, Agent Mulder. It's what I am trained for, it's what I do." "Attack American facilities, kill people?" The tautness of the big Russian's jaw was nearly as forbidding as the blue shards of his eyes as he stared at Mulder. "I haven't done that for a great many years, Agent Mulder. I no longer work for any government. I am a business man." He relaxed his stance with a visible effort. "I learned a long time ago that force ultimately defeats itself. It is better to address a problem logically. But, the leopard can not change his spots. Fundamentally, I find it difficult to embrace a philosophy of non-action." He grinned ferally. "Thus, occasionally, I need to kick some ass." He sobered again. "I would never allow Alex to remain in that facility. I would do it all again." Mulder let out a deep breath and reined his temper in with an effort. "You may have made yourself a target. The men who had Alex are not going to take your interference well." Danko straightened and moved forward. "Agent Mulder, even if they know who I am, they would be fools to come after me. It would cost far more than I'm worth to them. Trust me on this. The people I work with don't tolerate interference with their members either." He stretched, then pulled a card from his pocket. "I will help you and Alex if I can." He handed Mulder the business card. "Business, home, and cell phone numbers. You have only to call. For now though, I need to go home. Are you planning to return to Washington?" Mulder debated a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I should check in. Maybe pick up some things from my apartment." "Good. If you don't mind, I'll ride home with you." Danko walked past Mulder and upstairs. Mulder took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen. It was going to be a long drive back to DC; breakfast, at least coffee, first would be a good idea. Arlington, Virginia Assistant Director Skinner stalked down the dark hallway with a combination of annoyance and concern. It wasn't unknown for Mulder to disappear without a word, but yesterday one of the SACs had approached Skinner demanding to know where Mulder was. The SAC claimed he had received reports of Mulder being seen in the apartment of a known felon, a felon who had escaped custody after a raid attempt. If Mulder didn't show in the office he was threatening to make an official inquiry. The fact that he hadn't already done so told Skinner that he didn't have enough to prove it, but that the man exposed himself to Skinner like that told him how seriously the smoker and his people were taking Mulder's disappearance. Skinner called Scully in and advised her of the threat, but she insisted she didn't know where her partner was, and Skinner believed her. He knew of Mulder's tendency to ditch her and follow one of his leads without telling Scully anything. Mulder's cell phone was apparently out of service and the agent hadn't called in. With no word from the agent, Skinner decided to check Mulder's apartment today before going into work. He assumed the smoker's people had already been there, but he was hoping that he could find a lead to Mulder's whereabouts they had missed. At the least, maybe he could get an idea of what Mulder had gotten himself into this time. Mulder had installed a new, stronger lock to his apartment door and it was secure. It actually took Skinner a few minutes to jimmy the lock. The apartment was dark and musty with lack of habitation. Skinner gave the room a quick visual sweep, detecting nothing out of place. If the smoker's men had been here they'd been careful. As Skinner was moving into the inner room he heard a faint noise from the closet. Pulling his weapon, Skinner carefully moved to ease the door open. A woman leapt out, short, stocky, muscular and very quick. She swung a fistful of wire shirt hangers into the startled director's face as her other hand slashed into his wrist. The blow made his hand go momentarily numb, the gun flew from his suddenly slack fingers as Skinner tried to pull his face from the bristling cluster of hooked ends. The sharp wires could have blinded him, and he cried out, barely moving his face in time. The wires stung one cheek and pulled his glasses eschew. Taking advantage of the AD's surprise, the intruder tried to push past Skinner to the door. Skinner reached out and snagged the running woman's dark sweater and pulled her around. Off balance, the two fell to the floor, the intruder on top. Skinner took two fast blows to his ribs and one to his jaw. From his position he couldn't strike back, but he heaved hard enough to toss his attacker away from him. The woman rolled up against the computer desk, then sprang to her feet. Dazed, Skinner scrambled across the floor for his dropped weapon. The intruder took a step forward and snapped a kick out, catching Skinner's elbow. Sharp pain crackled the length of the FBI man's arm and brought a stinging flood of tears to his eyes. His attacker hurried toward the front door, still silent. Blinking back the involuntary tears that blurred his vision, Skinner got up to pursue. Seeing he couldn't catch the woman before she got out the door, he snatched up a coffee mug from the table beside him and threw it with anger and accuracy. The heavy ceramic exploded against the burglar's skull. She instantly dropped to her knees. Skinner ran forward and kicked the intruder in her side. With a grunt, the woman rolled away from the door and came back up onto her knees. Both of them were breathing as if they'd run a marathon. Shaking her head, the intruder staggered to her feet as Skinner stood blocking the door. Wiping sweat from her eyes, she glared at the AD and motioned for him to move away from the door. Skinner shook his head. "Don't be a fool," she said in heavily accented English. "What are you doing here?" Skinner cursed the way it came out more a gasp than the threat he intended. "Get out of my way before I hurt you." "You're under arrest." The intruder advanced a step forward. "Move." She pulled a switchblade from a jacket pocket. She touched a button on the knife and a four inch blade flashed out faster than the eye could follow. Skinner licked dry lips. "You're going to stop me with four inches?" "Oh, you'll feel me, Mudack." Her voice was a low purr. Skinner's eyes darted between the point of the blade and the woman's dilated purple eyes. "It's not going to be that easy." The intruder's smile didn't touch her eyes. "I can break you." "I don't think so." His growl came out more confident than he felt. The woman moved incredibly fast. As she advanced, Skinner grabbed the strong wrist holding the knife. With the skill of a magician, the woman tossed the knife to her other hand-and struck. The razor edge sliced smoothly along the underside of Skinner's right arm, which still tingled from the kick earlier. The woman moved back as abruptly as she attacked. "That was just a scratch, Mudack. Won't need stitches. Next time... no promise." The blade had cut two long shallow cuts along Skinner's arm, each over three inches long. The sleeve of his crisp white shirt reddened. Skinner was badly shaken by the speed of the attack. It had happened so fast that he still didn't feel any pain. "What are you here for?" He panted. "I was looking for a man. He's not here. I'm leaving." Skinner tried without success to place her accent. "You're under arrest." The woman shook her head. "Don't be stupid. You can't take me." "What do you want with Agent Mulder?" His voice came out a low growl this time. The woman arched an eyebrow. "He means nothing to me," her body language said she spoke the truth. "I want the merchandise he has with him." "What merchandise?" Skinner was wary, watching the knife dancing in her hand. "I don't play twenty questions Mudack. You can't stop me. You gain nothing by getting hurt. Step aside." Skinner considered his alternatives-none appealing-and admitted that the intruder was right. He couldn't bring this woman down without getting seriously injured, and if he did bring her in, he doubted he'd get anything from her. He found it difficult to admit defeat, but he was no fool. He stepped off to the side. The woman smiled benevolently and edged through the door, keeping a careful watch on the AD. Skinner dashed for the bedroom as soon as the door shut. Snatching up his weapon, he ran into the hallway and downstairs. The woman was nowhere in sight. The exertion had caused the bleeding in his arm to intensify, the blood dripped off his sleeve now, and sweat in the cuts made them burn and throb. Hugging himself with the injured arm to slow the bleeding, Skinner went back to Mulder's apartment. He walked into the bathroom and started a cold water bath. As the tub filled, he searched for and found Mulder's well stocked medical supplies. The entire front and side of his shirt was now crimson. Perspiration seeped into the corner of his eyes making him blink. He wiped his face with a washcloth then gingerly removed his shirt. The wounds weren't serious enough for a doctor, but the burning-stinging had grown worse. He plunged his arm into the cold water that poured from the faucet. Relief was instantaneous, and he sat for a few minutes, thinking. As his arm got numb, he withdrew his arm from the water and shut off the faucet. The blood flow had slowed, he could put an adequate temporary dressing on, but the blood would soak through eventually. He cursed as it occurred to him that the people trying to find Mulder could search at Scully's apartment. He had to warn her. Skinner held his arm tightly against his body to keep pressure on the wounds as the sleepy voice of Dana Scully finally answered the phone. After he gave her a quick and dirty version of what happened, Scully agreed to meet him in a diner not far from Bureau headquarters. Washington, D.C Dana Scully frowned across the diner table at the rugged AD as he told her the details of his run in with the knife wielding intruder. "You'd better let me look at your arm Sir," she said gently. Skinner shook his head. "There's no need. I'm fine. But I want to know what that woman was after Scully. Where is Mulder? What are these people after? She mentioned she was looking for a man, and "merchandise". Do you know what she meant?" "I haven't seen Agent Mulder for over 3 days now." Scully kept her face expressionless, giving nothing away. Skinner's jaw tightened as he ran into her stubbornness again. There were times she was much worse than Mulder. "Agent Scully..." A tall man in dark clothes slipped into one of the two vacant chairs at their table. He was wearing a charcoal suit, dark gray shirt, and a gray silk tie. His charcoal hair was long, and brushed back on the sides. His eyes were the color of dirty ice and held as much warmth. A small emerald in his right ear was the only color on the man. If Skinner had been a dog, the hair would have risen along his backbone. "I have something to tell you," the gray man said. His voice was soft and hoarse as if there were something wrong with his vocal chords. But it carried and they could hear him clearly. Dana took him in suspiciously. "What is it you have to tell us?" The gray man kept his eyes on Skinner even as he answered Scully. "Your partner has disappeared with merchandise from a lab. There are people willing to kill to get it back." "Danger has never really been a deterrent to Agent Mulder." Dana kept her tone flat, surreptitiously opening her purse to make her gun easier to reach. "Agent Mulder has been protected before," there was a kind of purr to the man's voice now, like the low sound of a diesel engine. "The locals have been told not to kill him." The corner of his mouth twitched in what he probably assumed was a smile. "I'm not a local. Neither are several others interested in this merchandise." He turned his head slightly and regarded Scully. "And we know that danger to himself does not influence Agent Mulder." Skinner bristled and leaned forward on the table. "Are you threatening us?" He started to stand, but the gray man's hand flashed out and trapped Skinner's wrist to the table in a crushing grip. Skinner grunted in pain and tried to pull back. The other man held him with no apparent effort. Skinner glared hatred at him. The gray man looked at him the way he would survey a project he might undertake someday. The sallow face had no animation in it, but a low throb of deadliness seemed somehow alive between the two men. Skinner saw a blur of movement out of the corner of his eye. The gray man released his grip while his other hand flashed out to catch the glass of iced tea that Scully had shoved toward him in an attempt to soak his lap. He caught the glass, saving his expensive suit, and turned toward Scully. Skinner saw a shudder run through the petite woman, but she met the deadly eyes with a steady gaze. She sucked in a sharp breath as a swirling green cloud filled the gray eyes for a moment. The green was gone in an eye blink, leaving dull gray-fully human-eyes behind. "Who are you?" Scully made the effort to keep her tone professional. "You met my kind before, Agent Scully. One held you on a bridge, traded you to Agent Mulder for his sister. At least, Agent Mulder thought she was his sister when he made the trade." He cocked his head. "He would surrender even her for you." "What do you want?" Skinner was tense, ready to defend his agent if the other man made a false move. The gray man turned back to the AD. Skinner got the impression that the man worried about the FBI agents like he worried about interstellar dust. Again, the gray man addressed Scully as he held Skinner's gaze. "My people only want Krycek, Agent Scully. We have no desire to hurt you or your partner." "As far as I'm concerned, you're welcome to Krycek." Skinner growled. "But if you try to hurt one of my agents..." "We only want Krycek, and the entity within him. It would be better for him to come with me than the others, Agent Scully." The gray man stood abruptly and stepped back from the table. Before either Skinner or Scully could say anything, the tall man turned and walked away, not slow, not fast, just walking as if he had someplace to go and had decided to go there. Scully shivered as she watched the deadly man leave. Skinner was motionless, reining in a burning anger with an effort. The muscles in his back were tight, and he realized he was flexing his hands on the table top. He turned back to Scully. "Are you all right?" She let out a breath. "Yes. I'm not sure what that was all about though." "A warning, trying to feel us out, see what we know." Skinner forced himself to relax, looked at her fondly. "What were you doing with that iced tea?" A small smile curled the corner of Scully's mouth. "It was too dangerous to pull my gun with people in the diner-" She took a napkin and grasped the bottom of the glass of iced tea well below where the gray man's fingers had held it. She placed the glass in front of Skinner. "And now we have his fingerprints." Skinner stared at her incredulously. A smile spread over his face to match Scully's. "Yes, we do." He leaned toward her and his face hardened into a scowl. He suddenly had the 'don't give me any shit' look she had seen him direct at Mulder a thousand times. "Now, I want to know why a man like that is after Mulder. How is Krycek involved? And what in the hell has he tricked Mulder into this time?" Scully bit her bottom lip, debating. She took a deep breath, then began trying to give her Assistant Director a carefully censored explanation of Mulder's latest quest. Portland, Oregon Dr. Blaine Saru leaned over the railing of the second floor balcony to examine the lobby below. He had been taken completely off guard by the phone call he received this morning. He hadn't seen Alex Krycek in three years, he had never thought he'd see him again. When security at the front gate notified him that Alex had arrived Blaine had left the lab to meet him. Looking down now at the spotless tile lobby of Dine Laboratories, he watched the receptionist point Krycek toward the staircase. Alex Krycek carried himself well, with that air of confidence that gave him an edge. Looking tall and lean in his dark suit, he moved like a panther. He went up the curved staircase easily, slowing down only for the last few steps. Krycek wore a pair of Oakley sun glasses with Cerulean blue reflective lenses. He removed them as he reached Blaine. "Dr. Saru," He gave Blaine a slow, easy smile. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice." Maddening, Blaine mused, that he was the only one left breathless by Alex's climb. Time had aged Alex, painted a hard edge to his features that Blaine didn't remember. Krycek had been boy-next-door handsome, with eyes the color of a calm sea and a smile that never failed to turn heads. He doubted whether women or men so openly watched him now. It wasn't that he wasn't still very handsome, or that he had lost any of his charisma, they'd still be drawn to him. It was that hard edge he'd picked up, no one would mistake this dark, dangerous stranger for an easy man. Unbidden, the line came to him: It's not the years, honey—it's the mileage. Alex Krycek had racked up a lot of miles in a few years. Blaine didn't pretend to understand the life Alex seemed to live, but he had to admit it intrigued him. Everything always secret, always that hint of danger, so foreign to Blaine's quiet world of study. At the last moment he remembered the alias Krycek was using when he called this morning. "My pleasure, Mr. Foxworthy." Small lines appeared in the corners of the scientist's eyes as he offered a tentative smile. Krycek's eyes glinted at the alias. Alex would hate that name, but Alexei found it appealed to his sense of humor. The smile he flashed took years off Krycek's appearance and did nothing for Blaine's sense of security. "Will you come into my office please?" Not waiting for Alex's reply, Blaine turned and led Krycek to the comfortable corner office he called his own. Blaine Saru opened the door and moved to his desk. He turned and leaned against the desk as Krycek entered the room and closed the door. Alexei studied the scientist, he looked much the same as Alex's memories had shown. Blaine was still handsome, lean and graceful, with skin the shade of lightly tarnished copper. Gentle eyes the color of cafe' noir, slightly exotic in shape, studied Krycek from behind round wire-frame glasses. Alexei found him attractive. The alien wasn't sure why Alex had always refused the older man's subtle invitations. Blaine smiled at him tentatively. "Alex, it's good to see you." "It's been too long, Blaine. I wasn't sure you'd see me, I know you're busy." Blaine studied him silently for a long moment. "I wasn't sure I wanted to see you Alex." Alexei dropped his head in an outward show of contrition, then sighed, looked up at him as if chagrined. "It wouldn't have worked Blaine. My job wouldn't let me stay around. A relationship would have been a mistake." Blaine's jaw tightened. He nodded. "What can I do for you Alex?" Alexei pulled out the vial from his jacket pocket and held it up for the scientist to see. He stepped forward until he was standing right before the older man, invading his personal space. "I need you to make me a supply of this fluid." Blaine cocked his head to the side as he looked at the oily green substance. "Where did you get this?" His voice betrayed his curiosity as he studied the liquid more closely " Do you have any idea what it is used for?" "I got it in a Russian lab. Be careful, I only have a small amount. That's why I need you to make me more." The scientist's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What is this fluid, Alex? Before I consider making any I would need to know what it's used for. Is this for a military use?" "No," Krycek's hand came up and wrapped around the older man's free wrist gently. "Relax, Blaine. It's not dangerous, it's not illegal, and it's not going to be used in any way for a weapon." A slow, skeptical smile crept across the scientist's lips. "You're not going to tell me why you want it, are you?" Alexei gave up any attempt at evading the issue and decided to try the truth. "It's a medicine, a special type. Essential nutrients. Someone I know has to have it to stay alive." Alexei ran his thumb over the veins in Blaine's wrist in a manner calculated to make it hard for the older man to concentrate. He fought to keep himself from grinning as he saw the flush come over the other man's face and knew that it was working. "Unnh. One answer as bad as the next. You still tell me nothing." Despite the words, Blaine's voice gave away the weakening of his will to argue. Alex's hand slid slowly up Blaine's arm to his shoulder and then cupped his chin, turning him face toward him again. "Blaine, it really is a matter of life or death. You're the only one I could trust to do this." The scientist turned away from him toward his desk. He pulled his schedule book open and started scanning it. "I don't know when we could get to this, Alex. We'd have to analyze it, get ingredients, and set aside the equipment for producing it." He could feel Alex move up behind him. Krycek leaned forward until his lips were a whisper from his ear. Blaine couldn't move his head, Alex was that close. He sucked in a sharp breath as he felt Krycek's hard body pressed against him. "You don't have to analyze it. I can give you the list of ingredients. Blaine..." a silky whisper fanned the scientist's ear. "I only need a little. Please, it's important." Blaine knew Alex could actually feel the rapid beat of his heart, he had to—the way it was pounding, the way Alex was leaning into him. Krycek's mouth at Blaine's ear began to nibble on the soft lobe and the scientist felt heat go through his groin. He swallowed hard, acknowledging the familiar loss of control he always experienced when Alex Krycek was near him. He turned around to face the rogue agent, placing his hands on the broad chest to force Krycek back a step. "Who do you think I am, Alex? Some sort of mad scientist out of a sci-fi movie who can set a few test tubes bubbling and produce some more of this in the time it takes to finish a tub of popcorn?" He felt better then; it was time that Alex should learn that he wouldn't always get his own way. But Alex only giggled, a lethal giggle that traveled all the way down from Blaine's ear to his cock. "I knew if anyone could help me, you would." Damn him, always so sure of himself. "You're not listening to me! What did I just say?" Blaine moved away with an angry gesture. "You said something about popcorn and bubbling test tubes. Sounded good to me." Alex stood smiling at him, maddeningly—and unfairly—composed. Alexei stared across the room to where Blaine was pretending to be far too busy to talk any longer, looking through some papers. Alexei could sense that the man was only indulging in a severe form of displacement activity. It was fun, this sensing, this knowing that someone was desperate for sex with you, even though they appeared to be exactly the opposite. He could play like this for hours, if only he had the time. But now he had to give Blaine what he so urgently desired. He moved up to the older man, dropped his voice to a seductive purr. "Blaine..." The scientist looked up as Alex unfurled the smile that had knocked more than a few ladies, and men, off their feet. He felt as if Alex had just turned a thousand watts of pure electricity on him. He swallowed heavily. "Trying to seduce me into helping won't work, Alex. I wanted you before, but this... I can't approve using lab time and tying up lab equipment for this. We're fighting to keep this lab profitable as it is, we don't have the spare resources." "I know, I thought of that." Alexei pulled out his copy of the Sarcus data tape. "Do you think if you had access to the secrets of one of your biggest competitors you could save the lab?" "Alex, I don't even want to know how you got that." "Good. I wouldn't want to bore you. There's other things we could be doing." "Seriously, Alex. Corporate espionage? Is that what you're doing nowadays?" Krycek shrugged. "Well, my last job didn't fulfill it's potential." "If they found out we have this..." He moved into Blaine rapidly, his voice a dark whisper. "You're a smart man. Don't let them find out." "It's so risky..." Alex's hand cupped Blaine's chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. Alexei watched in fascination as Blaine Saru's brown eyes melted to a liquid mocha. Blaine felt the warmth of Alex's gaze as it seared his eyes and cheeks before sliding to his lips in a vibrant caress. Blaine could sense the kiss coming, yet he was helpless to avoid Alex's lips. They touched his lightly, experimentally, then more firmly. Krycek's lips were warm and inviting, pleading for an acceptance Blaine didn't have the strength to deny. The scientist trembled all over when he was finally released and Krycek leaned back slightly. Alex's eyes were a deep, cool green that Blaine wanted to sink into to cool the fire rushing through his veins. Alex flashed him a devastating smile and walked to the door. Alexei turned the key in the lock. As luck would have it, Blaine's office had no internal windows, so they now had complete privacy. Alexei took off his suit jacket, flinging it over a chair with the carelessness of someone who is more at home in leather. Keeping his hungry eyes continually on Blaine, Alexei removed his tie and shoes. "Alex..." Blaine's protest died away, his body reacting immediately to the sight of the young man in front of him. Alex was pulling off his shirt, leaving it to the same fate as his jacket. He was more beautiful even than Blaine had imagined, his skin smooth and perfect, a gentle flush settling over it. Oh God. Alex was undoing his belt. Blaine groaned. "Alex. Not here." Alex undid the top button and left it, invitingly. "But this is perfect. Don't you read Edmund White?" "Edmund White?" Blaine swallowed drily. "Most men have a recurring fantasy, one they may never get to play out. Having sex in their office." Christ. Typical Alex. Right below the belt. "As far as I'm concerned, Alex, it will stay a fantasy," Blaine protested through gritted teeth, doggedly remaining where he was. "It's impossible to do—that—here." "Oh," said Alexei, "so you admit it's a fantasy of yours." Gotcha! This was even more fun than pushing Mulder's guilt buttons. "Alex, the data disc will be quite sufficient." Blaine's voice trembled on the last word, ruining the stance he was trying to maintain. He moved over to a filing cabinet, searching through it diligently, anything rather than be tempted to look at the delicious body being offered up to him. "For pity's sake, get dressed." Alex gave a soft moan. "But it's been a long time, Blaine." He circled slowly round the desk, running his fingers suggestively along its polished edge until he stood facing it, with his back to the chair. He was growing impatient. The throbbing in his erection was voluptuous and exciting, he wanted more. He peeled the zip of his pants undone and let them fall to his ankles, revealing the smooth length of his erection. There was a soft gasp from the direction of the filing cabinet. Alexei bent slowly over the desk, tidying a space for himself as he went, easing himself along the polished leather top. It felt sexy as hell, laying there, exposed and sinfully vulnerable. He moaned. Loudly. "Blaine," he stared over at him, his cheek resting on the desk, his eyes wide and black with promise, "why don't you come over and relax in your office chair. The view may be interesting." It was Blaine's turn to loosen his tie. He found himself sweating. He'd never considered himself a saint and if there was a God, surely He was putting far more temptation before him than any ordinary mortal could bear. "You rampant little slut," he groaned. "I know what I want, Blaine." Alex's smile smoldered. Blanking his mind against the consequences, Blaine moved over to the desk, drinking in the sight of the beautiful body exposed for the taking. So utterly inappropriate in the stern office setting, it was outrageous and pornographic, fulfilling every one of his mastabatory fantasies. He reached out, running his hand over a firm round cheek, delighting in the way Alex shivered under the touch. Blaine bent over to plant a series of biting kisses over both cheeks, sinking back into the chair behind him. Alex was right, the view was excellent from there. Blaine concentrated on getting as much of the delicious flesh as he could into his mouth, relishing the taste and smell of the man he'd wanted, bombarded by images of office fantasies. Alex writhed and moaned encouragingly. So responsive. Blaine longed to plunge into him and make him scream with pleasure. As if he could read his mind, which under the circumstances wasn't very difficult, Alexei whispered, "I took the liberty of lubricating myself before I got here. I like to plan ahead." And I had to be careful because this is my first time, though you're not to know that. Something in Blaine snapped. His vision telescoped dramatically until all he could see was the inviting crack between those cheeks. He unzipped himself, freed his twitching erection, and guided Alex down onto it, holding the base while his slut-lover eased himself slowly around it, flinging back his head, eating up the length with a satisfied groan. Surrounded by sweet gripping heat, there was nothing Blaine could do but thrust into it. Alexei grabbed Blaine's thighs underneath him and held on. The young alien was busy absorbing all the myriad sensations Blaine was giving him—the friction of Blaine's cock as it thrust up inside him, the tensing muscles in his thighs and stomach, the feel of Blaine's clothing against his naked skin, the smell of sweat and musk, the building crescendo of excitement each time Blaine's erection thrust over his prostate. Combined, these sensations amounted to almost unbearable pleasure. So this is why some people go to such extraordinary lengths for good sex... No wonder... Suddenly, Blaine grabbed hold of Alexei's penis and milked him to a mind blowing orgasm, making him writhe and squirm over his cock, shooting trails of sperm over the desk. The alien hungrily absorbed all the pleasure that he could. Blaine had the presence of mind to place a hand over Alex's mouth to muffle his screams before being driven to climax himself by the young man's violent inner contractions, the sensations heightened by being experienced in such a wicked situation. Blaine fueled his thrusting body with forbidden images—what if my secretary was watching, taking notes in her shorthand book?—this is a Board meeting, all the shareholders gaping in horror... They moved crazily together, the office chair—not manufactured for such purposes—creaking unnervingly underneath them. But it held out, until finally their bodies quieted, and the two men were left holding each other, surprised by their reactions to one another. "Beautiful Blaine," Alexei murmured, "that was wonderful." Blaine was planting kisses along the young man's spine. "Alex, let's go to my house, I want more of you, much more." Reluctantly, Alexei got to his feet and looked down at Blaine sadly. "I'm sorry, I can't, I have to get back." He retrieved the pants that had pooled around his ankles. "A friend of mind will be waiting for me, he's in as much trouble as I am." Watching Alex dress, Blaine was amazed as always by the speed with which he achieved it. "Just how much trouble are you in?" "Enough. Nothing I can't handle." He ran his hands briefly through his cropped hair. "With your help... you will help me, won't you?" There was a short silence. Then Blaine smiled ruefully. "Of course, what do you think." Alex broke into a brilliant smile. He moved over to Blaine, cupped his head in his hands and kissed him fervently. "Thank you. How long do you think it will take?" "Let me see the list." Alexei pulled the second computer disc from his jacket pocket and handed it over. Blaine quickly slipped it into his desk computer. He frowned as he read over the file. "There are some very rare chemicals in this Alex. They will have to be special ordered." His eyes ran down the list again and he sucked in his bottom lip in thought. "Going to be hard to get some of them." He looked up into Alexei's worried face. "Don't worry. I can get them." Blaine assured him. "It will just take a few days." He shrugged slightly. "Add on a day to produce the fluid." He looked back from the screen to look into Krycek's intense gaze. "Say five days." Blaine's face took on a stern edge as he saw Krycek's frown. "That's fast, Alex. I'm giving you a rush job." Alexei forced the smile back on his face. He leaned forward and kissed the other man gently. "I know, Blaine. Thank you. It's just that it's really important." Blaine sighed. "I'll do my best, Alex." Alexei ran his hand down Blaine's face affectionately. "I know, Blaine." He brushed a quick kiss over the older man's mouth then turned toward the door. "I'll see you again in five days, then." He left without looking back. Doctor Blaine Saru picked up the computer tape in one hand and the green vial of fluid in the other. He closed his eyes a moment, then heaved a great sigh. Alex Krycek back in his life. Well, he'd been bemoaning the lack of interesting developments in his life recently. Certainly things wouldn't be boring in the near future. Before returning to the airport Alexei made a short side trip to retrieve the stash of cash and fake ID Alex had hidden in Portland while stationed here years ago. It wasn't a lot, but it would support him until he could make another score. Then it was to the airport to make a roundabout trip back to Philadelphia via three different airports with an airline change at each. If the young alien had entertained any doubts about the paranoia he had picked up from his host, all he had to do was think about the experiments that would be performed on him and his host if they were caught. Paranoia seemed a healthy attitude to cultivate. Back in Pennsylvania, Alexei went straight from his airplane arrival gate to the locker holding his clothes. He changed in the restroom, stuffing the suit and dress shoes into his bag. He took a deep breath, unable and unwilling to delay any longer. Alex wouldn't be able to trace where he had been. No excuse not to do it. This is not going to be pleasant. Cautiously, ready to deflect an attack, Alexei eased the blocks he had put around Alex's consciousness. He envisioned himself walking down a softly lit hallway to a locked metal door. Taking a deep breath, Alexei opened the heavy door and looked into the room beyond. The pale silver light from the hall drifted into the small room in an arch over his shoulder. Alex Krycek lay shivering in a small, miserable ball on the floor of the featureless grey room, his left arm handcuffed to a floor-to-ceiling metal pipe. The alien felt shame and sorrow burn through him as he sensed the fear and misery in the huddled human. As the light hit him, Alex's head flew up, his eyes wild with relief. Alexei almost lost his control as Alex jumped to his feet and rushed him. The force of his host's personality nearly overwhelmed the alien as the emotions hit him. He was the master of the mental domain, but his own personality had difficulty standing against the primal force Alex contained. "YOU FUCKER! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Alexei swallowed, unable to completely stop his involuntary step back, as the metaphysical handcuffs jerked Alex to an abrupt halt just out of reach. "Easy, Alex. Take it easy." Alexei soothed. "Fuck you! Let me out!" Alexei sent chemical signals to Alex's brain that tightened the restraints slightly, reinforcing the mental handcuffs holding Alex back. "Alex, I can't let you out yet, but if you can be calm I will let you have sight and sound back." "Unchain me. Let me out, NOW!" Alex's eyes were feral, burning into him, his teeth bared, voice hoarse with suppressed emotion. "You fucking bastard! You know how I feel about being locked in like that! You know about..." "I'm sorry, Alex. I thought it was the only way." Alex's face was tight as he fought for control, his fists clenching and unclenching. The alien's voice sounded very young and insecure, he had to remember how young the creature was. If he frightened Alexei there was no telling what he might do. Alex took a deep breath. "Why? Why did you do this to me? What are you after?" "I told you. I had to secure a new source of nutrients. It's a matter of survival, Alex. I didn't want to do it, but I don't want to die either, Alex." His expression begged for understanding. "Fine." Alex ground out. "It's not your fault. All's forgiven. Now get me out of here!" He forced himself to look down, reminded himself not to frighten his captor. He wrapped his free arm around himself and tried to stop his shivering. "Please." Alexei grimaced in sorrow. "Alex, you need to adjust to having senses back. If I just let you out now you'd collapse with overload and we'd be vulnerable. I'm going to take us back to the cabin while you adjust. Once we're there I will give control back to you. I promise. For now, I'm going to cut off our communication, but I'll leave you sight and sound." Alex's head snapped up. Terror contorted his face. "What? No! Wait!" Alexei stepped backward through the door and shut it quickly, flinching at the curses and pleas Alex shouted at him. Hoping that he had come up with a fair compromise, the alien let his awareness return to his physical surroundings. He would keep his word, when they got back to the cabin he would give Alex control-for five more days. Washington, D.C. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" Mulder asked, closing the door behind him. Skinner recognized the look on Mulder's face, the look he always wore at times like these, the look of a child who believes he has done his best, but fully expects to be punished by the incomprehensible adults. Damn it, Mulder, don't you dare pull that now. You know what you've done. "Sit down, Agent Mulder." He deliberately used the low growl that set most of his agents quaking. It never seemed to have much effect on Mulder, but he could hope. "Scully's filled me in on what you've been doing." Mulder settled smoothly into a chair, holding a thick stack of papers in his lap. "What did she tell you?" "That you've been sheltering and assisting a known felon, among other things." "Sir, Krycek is providing me with valuable information " Mulder was sticking to his professional, reasonable tone. He could tell you the sky was green in that voice, or the aliens had landed, and Skinner would be tempted to check. "If he has information we need, he should be brought in for formal questioning." "We both know he wouldn't last a minute in custody." Mulder sounded almost personally concerned with the little rat's welfare. Skinner refused to believe that was possible. They both hated Krycek, both had indulged in some highly unprofessional vengeance that could have gotten them dismissed for abuse of a prisoner. "Damn it, Mulder, how many times have I put my life or career on the line to protect you. I didn't do it because I like you, Mulder, or because you're my friend. I did it because you're doing what you think is right, and most of the time I believe you. But this time, nothing you say can convince me that helping this traitor is right." Mulder threw the stack of papers on Skinner's desk. "Those are copies of some of the files Krycek has already given me. It's only part of what he can provide. I included copies of files that he released to the Internet as a warning to the Consortium to back off." Skinner gave the pile a cursory look. "If he has information then we need to bring him in. We can set him up in a safe house until we decide how we want to handle this." Mulder shook his head. "No." Skinner frowned in annoyance. "Excuse me?" Mulder grimaced, shifted in his chair. "I can't bring him in. We can't risk a safe house. If the Consortium gets their hands on him they'll torture him to death in one of their labs." Mulder looked down at the carpet, gathering his thoughts before raising imploring eyes to Skinner. "Sir, he needs my help. He's running scared. The alien inside him is getting stronger, it's trying to take over, erase him; he has to be able to come and go freely as we work on a solution." Mulder never made an emotional appeal. Never. What the hell is going on? "Agent Mulder, I can't believe you're trying to justify your actions with misguided sympathies for a known killer. Anything he gets, he deserves." "No one deserves what's happening to him. And he's not what he was, or what we thought he was. He risked his own life to save mine. When I talked to the alien, it told me some things that made me reassess what I believe about Krycek." Skinner cleared his throat faintly. "Mulder, Scully told me of Krycek's claim of having an alien inside him. She also said that there's no evidence to support that claim." Mulder leaned forward. "She took blood samples that prove-" "Those blood samples, and all paperwork on them, are missing from the lab." Mulder's mouth tightened in annoyance. "She saw it heal him. It regrew his arm!" "She agrees that he has a viral infection with unusual characteristics, but there's nothing to suggest an alien intelligence." Skinner took off his glasses. "Mulder, Krycek knows you, he knows what buttons to push. He knew you wouldn't be able to resist the idea of an alien inside him." Mulder's jaw set stubbornly. "You think I didn't think of that? But I've seen this alien, I've talked to it, I felt its presence as it healed me. I was shot, dying, and Krycek surrendered control to the alien so it could heal me. He risked losing control to it forever, being erased, to save me." Skinner's eyes narrowed. "And why would he do that?" "I don't know. It's something that he and I need to work out." "And what if I order you to bring him in?" "You'll be playing right into the Consortium's hands. He'll disappear into some lab, or they'll kill him. Either way, they'll bury the truth forever." "What if I order you to bring him in?" Mulder met his eyes steadily. "I would have to disobey you." To Skinner's own surprise, he felt hurt as well as anger at his agent's defiance. After all he had done for Mulder, he expected more loyalty. What is it about Krycek that does this to you? Why do you want to believe in him so badly? "All right, Agent Mulder. I'll give you enough rope to hang yourself. But remember, one day you may need my help, and I may not be inclined to give it." "I understand. Thank you, sir." "I want copies of everything he gives you, and you need to keep me informed on what is happening at all times. Is that clear?" "Yes, sir." Skinner looked down and started on the stack of papers Mulder had given him. Recognizing his dismissal, Mulder got up to leave. He paused at the door as he heard Skinner speak softly. "Mulder, be careful." Mulder nodded and shut the door quietly behind him as he left. Pennsylvania Mulder drove back to the cabin in a dark mood. He felt as much a traitor as Krycek, for sheltering the man against Skinner's wishes. Though Mulder seldom let the A.D. see his gratitude, he did realize how far out a limb Skinner had gone for him, how very much he owed the man. And he was throwing away the trust they had built painstakingly over the years for what? A duplicitous traitor who just happened to be beautiful? And sexy as hell. Who made him burn just by talking in that low, husky voice? Who made him feel... It's not too late. I could bring him in, assuming I can find him, and heal the rift with Skinner. Images of Alex's green eyes, looking at him with pleading and with trust, forced their way into his mind. His throat tightened painfully. He knew there was no way he could turn Alex over to be tortured and killed. Damn it, Alex. Mulder could only hope Skinner would forgive him. Again. Mulder climbed out of his car and stretched, breathed deeply of the clean air. There was a soft sheen to the night and the cabin seemed a beautiful, mysterious place. The lamp he had left on in the living room cast a welcoming golden rectangle of light onto the lawn. The moon rode low on the horizon, a hazy white sphere; stars were sprinkled thickly over the midnight blue sky, lighting the path. The air was clean, the only sound that of small animals in the night swaddled woods around the lone building. He frowned when he didn't see Alex's motorcycle anywhere near the cabin. With an odd mix of anger, disappointment, and concern, Mulder carried his luggage into the cabin. He flipped on lights in the living room and took his bags up to the loft, feeling his irritation grow. Damn it. If Krycek had skipped on him... then he felt a thread of fear run through him. Images of Krycek captured by the smoker, screaming in pain, caused him to swallow heavily. Mulder shook his head, banishing the thought. He rubbed his temples tiredly. No, Krycek was just out doing whatever it was he did out there on his own. Mulder had to believe that. Mulder set his laptop computer on the dining table and plugged it in. He wanted to see if the Lone Gunmen had found anything yet. He had been angry, but not terribly surprised, to find that Krycek's blood samples and the retro-virus cultures had disappeared from the lab. Luckily, he had taken his fluid sample to a private lab and no-one had interfered with the results. He knew what the fluid was, he'd read about it in the Russian files. Alexei's alien metabolism needed the fluid. That meant that other aliens would need it too. He had immediately set the Lone Gunmen to work tracking any of the ingredients they could. Some of the chemicals were exotic, with only a few places supplying them, and those chemicals could be tracked. It was a long shot, but maybe the chemicals would lead him to the aliens. When he'd found the rebel clones of his sister years ago they'd had vats of the green fluid. Those quantities should be traceable. Of course, it wouldn't be easy. If it was too obvious they would have been found by the government a long time ago. Right now though, it was the best lead he had. Two hours later, he was still running into dead ends, and growing progressively angrier with Krycek. The rogue agent still hadn't shown or made any attempt to contact him. Mulder stood from his chair, stretching backward to ease his back. He walked around the cozy living room, his hands rubbing small circles across his lower back. Goddamned Krycek. When he finally showed his traitorous face, Mulder was going to make sure he understood exactly what the rules of this temporary partnership were. Number one was that the rat was not going off on his own any more. Even if Mulder had to keep him in cuffs. He lifted the curtains over the living room window for the third time and looked glumly out over the trees moving gently in the wind. He tensed as he heard the vibrant rumble of a motorcycle getting closer. A headlight threw winter-white light on the trees, making them look unseasonably frosted. Mulder dropped the curtain and moved over by the door. Krycek had better be unhurt. Mulder fully intended to beat him senseless. Lights were on in the cabin when Alexei came up the drive, the gold light warm and welcoming after his long trip. He was coming home, to Mulder. It was a cozy thought. Alexei parked the bike, and shook his head to clear it of his reverie. This was not home, only a temporary hiding place, and besides, Alex was the one coming home to Mulder. Alexei had promised him freedom once they reached the cabin. Maybe he could wait just a little longer. Alexei really liked Mulder, and suspected Mulder liked him as well. With that thought, he opened the cabin door and stepped in. Rough hands grabbed him by the collar, and the room spun as Mulder yanked him in a half-circle and slammed him against the wall. Mulder's face was contorted in rage. "Damn you, you little bastard, where the hell were you?" Mulder held Krycek's arms and pressed him against the wall as he breathed fury into his face. Oh shit, he's more pissed than he was back at the hotel. "I had to... go meet someone." Mulder punched him hard in the gut. Alexei yelped in pain and surprise. Sure, he had Alex's memories of Mulder beating him up, but memory wasn't the same as feeling it. And Alex hadn't been an angel. Mulder had some provocation then, but Alex had built up a rapport with Mulder since. They both had, or so Alexei thought. Mulder hit him in the jaw, whipping his head to the side. "Meeting who, Krycek? What game are you playing? You tell me you have to have my help, then you keep disappearing." His eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you up to? Are you setting me up for a patsy again?" Mulder didn't know Alex at all if he thought he would betray him ever again. Alexei began to panic. Without the nutrient, Alexei would face difficulty healing Krycek's body. He could overpower Mulder, but not without risking harm to him. He didn't want to hurt Mulder, for his own sake as well as Alex's. He kept his face turned down, hoping a submissive attitude would placate the angry agent. "Look at me, damn you!" Mulder screamed. Alexei glanced up reflexively. In his confusion, he failed to mask the darker green clouds passing over his host's eyes. Mulder stepped back. "Alexei," he whispered. Alexei smiled. Maybe this would work out after all. Mulder seemed happier to see him than Alex. Maybe it wouldn't be too wrong to keep Alex locked away just a little bit longer, say for the night. Then Mulder unsnapped his holster and drew his gun. "It was you all the time, wasn't it? You took over, and then you took him away. You can't tell me he voluntarily gave over control a second time." Mulder grabbed him by the throat, cutting off his breath. He jammed the barrel of his gun under Alex's jaw. "Is Alex still in there somewhere, or can I just blow you away now?" Alexei panicked. This Mulder was not only violent, he was murderous. Alex, help me out here! Deal with it yourself, you fucking parasite. Mulder clicked the safety off. "At this angle I should get the base of the skull. That's the right spot, isn't it Alexei?" Alex! He's going to kill us! No response. In desperation, the alien released control to Alex, trusting his host's innate self-preservation instincts. Mulder panted with the adrenaline rush prompted by a whirlwind of emotions: fear for Alex, relief at seeing him, or at least his physical self, anger at Alexei for taking over and taking him away, guilt for accusing Alex unjustly, and anger at Alex just on general principle. He couldn't begin to sort his feelings out. It was easier and more gratifying to take it out on Alex/Alexei. He hit him in the gut, again and again. "God damn it, Mulder, quit. It's me!" The harsh, angry, familiar tones stopped Mulder mid-swing. "Alex?" Mulder stepped back, holstering his gun. Alex slid to the ground, arms folded over his abdomen, hissing in pain. "One day, Mulder, you should see someone about your obsessive need to communicate through violence." "Alex," Mulder repeated. "You're back. Alexei..." "You started hitting before you figured out that Alexei had taken over. You know, Mulder, the first time the parasite took over, I let him. To save your life. Maybe you could find it in you to trust me, just a little." The sarcasm in his voice could not hide the hurt. It cut Mulder to the core. He stared into the green eyes, trying to find some way to defend his actions. Alex glared up at him. "Alexei tricked me, used a dream image of you to lure me, and then shut me in the dark, away from all input. And you just let him leave. He stole my body and did God knows what with it." Alex shifted, and winced. "Well, I can guess at least one thing. Hope he can prevent disease as well as he heals injury, because I'm sure the little shit doesn't know enough to use protection." Mulder felt sick. The alien had used Alex's body to... it amounted to rape. "I'm sorry," Mulder said. "You were... he was gone when I woke. I went crazy when I woke up and you weren't there. I didn't know where you had gone, why you had left me behind. And when you didn't come back for so long, I didn't know whether you were alive or dead. Do you realize what that did to me?" "Yeah. Must've been really tough not knowing whether or not to order balloons for the party." "Alex, it's not like that anymore." "Yeah. Alexei gave me back sight and hearing before we reached the cabin. It sure seemed 'like that' to me. Good old 'trust-no-one, pound-Alex' Mulder." Mulder watched as Alex levered himself back to his feet and walked out the sliding doors to the deck out back. Mulder gave him a couple of minutes to regain control and followed him. He found the rogue agent standing with his hands braced on the deck railing, his face turned up toward the clear sky. Alex didn't react as Mulder moved behind him and off to one side. Mulder casually slung one hip against the fence railing. It was a beautiful night. Mulder looked from the deck past low- growing shrubs and a small flower bed. A crushed shell path led down a gentle decline to the small dock. A warm breeze sent moon-silvered ripples across the ink-dark water. A heron rose from the reeds beside the lake, eerily silent, its long, spindly legs stretched out behind it as it sailed over the water to the other side. Mulder let out a breath and looked over at Alex. Alex watched the heron, then returned his gaze to the thousands of stars twinkling down from a midnight blue sky. The area's primeval magic seemed to have imparted its calm on the rogue agent. Mulder studied Alex as the younger man stared up to the heavens. Moonlight lit Alex's face with a pearly glow, highlighting the chiseled features, throwing his eyes into deep shadow as he contemplated eternity. "Beautiful aren't they?" Alex said softly as the silence stretched on, his eyes still looking to the stars. Mulder glanced up briefly before returning his stare to the man in front of him. Alex remained largely a cipher to Mulder, a walking mystery. Mulder understood little of what was in Alex's heart, a heart that pumped more secrets and shadows than blood. He had never wanted anyone more in his life. Alex, looking up into the sky, seemed oblivious to Mulder's scrutiny. "I haven't liked the stars for years. I've learned to see nothing but danger in them." His voice was husky, breathless with an emotion Mulder couldn't place. "But they are beautiful." His eyes slid sideways to look at Mulder. "I bet you know all the constellations by heart." Mulder nodded and looked up again. Without electric lights from the city to obscure them, the stars were painfully sharp, luminously clear. He began pointing them out. "That's Perseus, in perpetual pursuit of Andromeda. That one is Orion, the hunter. He chases the Great Bear through time. And those are the Pleiades, the ones that seem to be dancing behind a blue veil." Alex's eyes followed as Mulder pointed them out. "All the gods from the skies. They have controlled mankind in one way or another for centuries." The soft voice was calm, cool, emotionless. Mulder turned back to him. The moon's platinum light cast Alex's features in stark relief- beautiful, elegant features, and skin that seemed as pale and cool as marble. Mulder studied the smooth face and spoke before thinking, before he could stop the words from coming out his mouth. "You look like a god standing there. A god made of stone, who needs the touch of a mortal to bring him to life." Alex turned his face away from the untouchable skies and looked over at Mulder, his eyes glittering in the eerie silvery light. Mulder was caught in the beam of that intense, dark gaze, held captive by it, mesmerized. "Will you touch me?" Alex's voice was nothing more than a hoarse, smoky whisper, and the need in it resonated through Mulder. Mulder came forward and raised his hand to Alex's face. His fingers curved around the curve of Alex's ear, his thumb brushing over a cheekbone, savoring the softness of skin while his eyes traced over the features he had indelibly etched into his memory. But it was Alex's eyes that fascinated him, for they seemed to hold a hint of all that was in Alex. Beyond sadness and loneliness, there was a potential for happiness, and Mulder wanted to find it. Alex pressed the side of his face into Mulder's palm keeping his gaze on Mulder's face. He seemed unable to look away. Only when Mulder leaned in to kiss him did Alex's eyes flicker shut, and then it was to more fully concentrate on the healing warmth of Mulder's lips. Mulder's lips barely touched his at first, but ghosted lightly as he savored the fact that Alex was here. He had more than half expected the younger man to have disappeared. Seeing him in the moonlight, looking pale and lost, he had seemed almost unreal, an illusion. Mulder drew back to find Alex's eyes closed. Alex seemed to be in a trance, his expression dreamlike. Mulder traced Alex's lips with the tip of his tongue. Alex growled deep in his chest, a sound of impatience, and his mouth sealed over Mulder's in a deep, hungry kiss that grew hotter and wilder and more demanding. Their mouths dueled, their kisses reflected the duality of their desire, swinging from gentle to demanding and back, vacillating between the needs of the body and those of the soul. Finally, Alex grabbed Mulder in a tight grip and slammed the older man back against the deck railing. His lips became hard and searching, almost brutal as he forced his tongue into Mulder with a fierceness that alarmed the other man. "Alex, wait..." Mulder gasped. But Alex was beyond waiting. He was beyond anything but an urgent need to affirm that he was alive, that he could smell and taste and touch and feel. He pressed himself against Mulder's firm body from knees to chest. Alex was mindless now, acting solely on instinct; primitive instinct intent on affirming his body's life force as Mulder fought for some semblance of control. Alex's hands burrowed beneath Mulder's tee shirt to find the heat of his skin, pushing the shirt up and over Mulder's head so that Mulder's movements were hampered by the cloth that stretched from elbow to elbow behind him. Alex's open mouth ran along Mulder's neck, down through the downy soft hair on his chest, over his hard stomach to the waistband of his jeans. Dropping to his knees, Alex nuzzled his face lower, pressing his mouth against Mulder's crotch, biting at the swelling bulge he could feel straining against the stiff blue denim. Alex's hands were urgent, tugging at the snap on Mulder's jeans, working down the zipper so that Mulder's stiff organ sprang out, escaping from the flap of the loose boxers, huge and hot, pulsing and alive into the cool night air. Alex cupped the heavy testicles beneath with hands that shook, rubbing and stroking the soft sacs while his lips, teeth and tongue staked their claim to Mulder's cock, making the older man cry out. Mulder was leaning heavily against the deck railing, fighting to stay upright. Alex knelt in front of him, driving him insane with pleasure. Unable to fend Alex off with the shirt tethering his arms, Mulder tried to pull to the side. Alex's teeth closed on him just hard enough to hold him still, making him yelp and sink back. Alex gripped Mulder's hips like iron, a feral creature with his need to affirm life, to keep the darkness of fear away for just a short time. Alex tugged Mulder's open jeans down onto his thighs. Mulder sprawled backward, unable to prevent it without the use of his hands. Not really wanting to. "Oh... god... Alex." Through the haze of lust burning through him, Alex could feel the tension pounding through Mulder and sensed he was fighting for control. Alex didn't want him to be in control, he wanted Mulder to join him in the wild, wonderful world of sensual oblivion. His fingers closed around Mulder's testicles possessively. Mulder was his and he was claiming him. He bit and sucked; kissed and caressed until Mulder was groaning and squirming. Mulder ceded his last ounce of self-control and mindlessly gave in to Alex's need. Mulder's face was a taut mask of desire as he loomed over Alex in the cool night air. "Ah, please, Alex..." The hoarse plea was accompanied by urgent movements of Mulder's pelvis and harsh gasps. Alex ran his tongue up Mulder's length one more time, then sat back on his heels to survey his victim. With his shirt binding his arms and his jeans down trapping his thighs, Mulder was naked and vulnerable. The older man's cock jutted arrogantly upright from its nest of dark curls, thick and heavy and wet from Alex's mouth. Alex bent his head to suck gently on the tip. Mulder jerked sideways, pulling himself away from the warm mouth. "Do it, Alex." His voice was raspy now. Alex stared at the pulsing shaft, it was as wet as he could get it. He stood and wrapped his arms around Mulder before easing him down onto the cool wooden deck. Alex stretched himself out over his captive, and his lips were on Mulder's and something burst between them both. Alex couldn't kiss him hard enough or deep enough; Mulder couldn't take enough of him or give enough of himself. That he was bound at the arms and knees, unable to escape this potent brand of sexual torture made it all the sweeter, made it nearly unbearable. As Mulder watched with feverish eyes, Alex sat up and quickly removed his own clothes, throwing them carelessly away from him. Naked, Alex straddled Mulder. He held Mulder's cock firmly while he positioned himself. Slowly, so slowly, Alex lowered himself onto the quivering shaft. He gasped as the head passed the tight ring of muscle, his eyes closed, his neck arched, jaw clenched as he forced the muscle to relax. Mulder was so big, so hot, so alive. Mulder surged into him abruptly, thrusting hard until he was lodged deeply inside Alex. Alex dug his nails into Mulder's shoulders and howled his approval. Mulder held himself still, his body taut with the effort it took. Alex was so tight and hot. Mulder was dazed with pleasure and wanted to lose himself in it, in Alex. Alex was panting, his skin covered with a fine sheen of perspiration, gleaming in the moonlight. "Are you all right?" Mulder asked hoarsely. Alex looked down at him, his eyes lit with animal hunger, his eyelids at half-mast. He began to move on the shaft impaling him. With a soul deep groan, Mulder moved with him, surging violently, his urgency matching Alex's. He needed him, needed him, needed him. Mulder couldn't be gentle, Alex's writhing body demanded force, and he wasn't sure if he could have taken him any other way. He needed to put his mark on him, to weld Alex to him, to make up for the loneliness of their time apart and clear every thought from his mind but the fury of his need. If he was also punishing Alex, so be it. He was out of control, mastered by his own rampant desire. Alex took it all with unabashed greed. He was braced on one hand, stroking his own erection firmly with the other as he rode Mulder. Alex's body welcomed Mulder's, tightened around him to keep him, rebelled each time Mulder withdrew by capturing him all the more deeply at the next thrust. The air was rent with harsh moans and growls. Mulder drove into him with deeper and longer and harder strokes, and Alex moved with him and for him, exerting demands of his own. Suddenly, abruptly, a tidal wave of savage pleasure struck them both, slamming them into spasms of ecstasy. Alex's back arched like a bow, his head thrown back as he howled his release and challenge to the stars and eternity beyond. Mulder followed him as the convulsions ripped through them, going on and on, until Alex collapsed onto him. They both lay, spent and sated, moaning at the sweet pain each bore. Gradually, as the last of the violent paroxysms faded, Alex slid his slick body to the side, easing the pressure on Mulder's trapped arms. Alex left a limp arm draped over Mulder's waist, a long leg lying lethargically between Mulder's. He pressed his lips to Mulder's bare shoulder and left them there as though he had neither the strength nor the wish to move away. The numbness in his arms finally forced Mulder to squirm. "Uh, Alex?" Alex looked up into his face, his eyes drowsy. "Hmm?" Mulder made an abortive move to try and free his arms again. "Could you give me a hand here?" Alex sat up and pulled the older man into a sitting position. "Sorry about that." He reached around and pulled the shirt completely off Mulder. As Mulder rubbed circulation back into his numb arms, Alex pulled the rest of Mulder's clothes off. When Alex began draping himself back over him, Mulder nudged him. "We can't stay out here." "Why not?" Alex looked up at the cloudless sky. Mulder pushed a little firmer. "C'mon, Alex. Let's go inside." Alex grudgingly got up, then offered a hand up to his lover. They gathered their clothing without a word. The two men dropped their clothes just inside the patio doors, and Alex locked it behind them. As Alex turned back, Mulder wrapped his arms around him and pressed in for a long kiss. Arms around each other, the two slowly made their way up the stairs to the loft. Mulder sighed in contentment as Alex snuggled in against him. They had obtained a temporary state of grace that would probably burn away with the coming of dawn, but it was even sweeter for being so tenuous and brief. There was a lot they needed to work out. But it could wait. Mulder didn't have the energy to figure it all out before sleep over took him. Although he fought it, Alex Krycek found himself losing the battle to fall asleep, and it scared him. Sleep had ceased to be a sanctuary. It was, instead, a source of danger, a highway to hell, along which he could lose everything he was. He couldn't be sure that he would wake up in control of his own body, or trapped in the dark again. Alex clenched his jaw in anger. Everyone needed and deserved the refuge of sleep. Lack of sleep would lead to mistakes and mistakes would get him killed. Alex knew he couldn't stay awake long if he stayed in this warm, safe cocoon with a man he loved. He tried to move, but gravity played a cruel trick, pulling him down with five times the usual force. He fought, but his body had been running short on sleep too long on top of physical exertion, his senses full of Mulder, Alex fell asleep. Mulder snapped awake with a gasp. It took him a moment to sort reality from the nightmare, to realize where he was. For one excruciating second he had a clear picture in his mind of Alex tied down, his face twisted in pain, a scream tearing from his throat as isolation suited men slit him open without anesthetic. Mulder's vision blurred and he pressed the heels of his hands to his temples and forced back the image and the terrible rush of fear that accompanied it. A cold sweat filmed his skin. His hair was damp as he ran his fingers through it, slicking it back from his face. Alex? He reached across the bed and found cold, empty space. He looked around anxiously. Alex wasn't in the loft. A burst of anger quickly followed the fear. Damn it. If Alexei ran off with him again... Mulder pulled on his jeans and padded to the staircase. With the dawn a storm had blown in. A fierce gust of wind drove a barrage of cold, wet rain against the glass of patio doors. He could see Alex standing by the patio doors, also dressed only in jeans. Alex was motionless as opalescent light spilled through the glass doors and washed over his shoulders and back. He stood with his head bowed, forehead and left hand resting against the glass. His broad shoulders were slumped, as if the spirit had slowly leaked out of his body, and his back rose and fell as he struggled for breath. Mulder followed the line of Alex's right arm down and saw a pistol gripped in his hand. Alarm struck a low, vibrating note in Mulder's gut at the sight. Something told him the gun was not for him. He hadn't seen this gun before, but he wasn't really surprised that Alex had acquired one somewhere. He knew Alex had to feel vulnerable unarmed. Most likely the rogue had gotten it from some hiding place in the cabin, since he hadn't carried one in when he first returned. Mulder silently made his way down the stairs. Alex waited, still and taut as a clenched fist, as Mulder crossed the room. The agent moved forward slowly, carefully, and pressed up against his lover's back. He wrapped his arm around Alex's waist and ran his other hand down Alex's right arm to wrap his fingers around the other man's. "What's wrong, Alex?" Mulder kept his voice a soothing whisper. Alex sobbed silently for a moment, releasing a small measure of his inner tension, then swallowed it back. He gagged on the need to cry even as he ruthlessly denied himself the privilege. "Nichyevo," He said at length, then shook his head as he realized he hadn't answered in English. "Nothing." Mulder tightened his grip on Alex's right hand and the gun it held. "Alex..." "Nothing!" Alex roared, turning on him. It was a tactical error. Mulder didn't back down. Instead, he stared into Alex's face carefully. He read the younger man as plainly as he would a grade school primer. "If you want to talk about it, I might be able to help." Alex scoffed. "You can't even help yourself," he growled. Mulder ignored the verbal strike, seeing the pain behind it. "It's easier to solve other people's problems." "Yeah, well, forget it." Mulder was silent, his face set in lines of concern and apprehension. The barest flicker of emotion lit his eyes, but it vanished almost before Alex recognized it. Alex felt the anger drain out of him. He slumped into a nearby chair. Mulder stood and studied the younger man silently. He could feel the exhaustion-and something else, something much heavier-weighing on the young man. He slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of Alex. He gently took the gun from Alex's unresisting hand and sat it on the floor beside him. Edging Alex's knees apart, he slid between them and stared up into anguished green eyes. He searched Alex's face a moment, then leaned forward to press his lips against his bare chest. Alex's breath escaped in a thin stream from between his parted lips. Alex moved his hands to Mulder's head, submerging his fingers in the thick hair. Mulder sighed and turned to rest his cheek against him, letting Alex's dark scent fill his senses. Idly, Alex stroked his lover's scalp, sending shivers of pleasure through Mulder. He could have stayed like that forever but sensed that for once this wasn't about him. Now, tonight, Alex needed him. Lifting his head, he looked up at the sharply defined face above him. Alex's eyes were closed and his head rested against the chair back. Mulder felt his fear mushroom as he took in Alex's face. He looked tired. Deathly tired. Like the game was played out, and he knew he had lost. "What is it, Alex?" For several long moments Alex didn't answer, while outside the wind and rain continued their battle. His voice was almost too soft to hear when he did speak. "I'm running out of time, Mulder, and I don't know what to do. I'm no closer to getting rid of this parasite, and all the time it's getting stronger." He gave a quiet bark of laughter that had nothing to do with humor. "Hell, I can't even sleep without knowing that it could take over at any time. I can't even trust my dreams." He opened his eyes and looked at Mulder. Torment shimmered in the dark green eyes. "What am I supposed to do Mulder, go without sleep from now on like Cole and those others?" Mulder closed his eyes briefly and let his cheek rest against Alex's chest. "You'll find a way," he said, believing it. "I know it." Alex pressed his face into Mulder's hair, breathing in his scent. His voice was shaky. "How can you be so sure?" A long silence followed. Mulder leaned back and looked up. He felt something catch in his chest as he saw something strange in Alex's expression; a look he'd never have thought the man capable of: helplessness. "You are one of the most resourceful men I've ever known, Alex. We can overcome this." Mulder wrapped Alex's hand in his, intertwining their fingers. "I think I have some leads, Alex. You just have to hang on a little longer." Alex laughed, and Mulder couldn't remember ever hearing a sadder sound. "Right," Alex sighed. "I just have to wait a little longer." "I won't let Alexei take over, Alex. I won't lose you again." Mulder squeezed Alex's fingers with his. Alex pulled back and looked at his ex-partner then, really looked at him. Mulder met his eyes and felt the impact of the connection like a physical blow. Emotion linked them. Alex's distress became his own. His muscles tensed against the onslaught. A mixture of pain and anger churned in his gut. "Why are you helping me, Mulder?" Mulder could hear the desperate uncertainty in Alex's voice. "After all I've done..." "Enough." Mulder pressed his fingers to Alex's lips. "I want to." He sighed as he sought for the words. "I can't describe what I feel for you Alex, because I don't have the words. There might not even be words for it. Crazier still, I can't tell you why I feel this way about you. It's just there. Inside me. As if it has always been there. As if you'd always been there, or as if I'd spent my whole life waiting for you to be there." Before the younger man could say anything, Mulder kissed Alex's chest, letting his lips linger this time against the skin. Alex gasped. "Mulder..." "Shh." Mulder brushed his lips over the smooth chest, smiling as a shiver ran through the skin under his mouth. He heard Alex's sharp intake of breath as he found one taut rose nipple. Mulder teased it first with his mouth, sucking and licking, and then gently grazed it with his teeth. Alex moaned and gripped Mulder's upper arms, as if to pull him up. "No," Mulder whispered, pulling away and sliding his hands to unfasten the snap of Alex's jeans. "Not yet." Mulder lazily but purposefully traced the shape of Alex's nipples, circling each over and over until Alex cried out his name, arching into him. Mulder responded eagerly to the unspoken plea. He drew one rosy, distended nipple into his mouth. His tongue laved and played with it, before his lips closed tightly on it and he sucked deep and strong. He held Alex forcefully in the chair while he repeated his actions on the other nipple. Pinned in the chair, Alex could only gasp and strain against the incredible sensations. He could only sigh his pleasure when Mulder nibbled his way down his chest and stomach. Mulder's hands released him as he moved lower, and still Alex couldn't move, held now by the branding tongue that seared over him. Mulder's mouth traced down the soft dark hair arrowing down beneath the denim of Alex's jeans and then running his tongue over the hard ridges of Alex's stomach. He could feel Alex's erection, hard and ready beneath him, and the answering ache in his own groin. But he wasn't done with him yet. Not nearly. Alex had seen so much evil, his days and nights waltzing with death. Tonight, Mulder would give him a taste of life. Drawing away, he moved his hands to Alex's legs, working the muscles, both legs, from knees to groin, always stopping just short of touching the hard bulge in his jeans. "Ah, Mulder..." "Good?" Mulder whispered, his voice breathy as he tried to control his own needs. "Oh, God, yes." "I'm just getting started." Mulder pressed his face against Alex's arousal, feeling the hard throb of his desire through the heavy denim. "Before I get done with you, you'll be begging for mercy." "I'm already begging." Alex's breathing was hoarse with arousal. Laughing softly, Mulder shifted back on his heels. He used his hands to rub Alex through the denim until the younger man groaned. Alex's hands gripped the arms of the chair so hard his knuckles whitened. When he thought Alex could take no more, Mulder moved to Alex's zipper, easing it down over his arousal. Alex raised his hips and Mulder pulled the jeans down and off his legs. The agent moved his hands back to Alex's thighs, feeling solid muscles quiver under soft, smooth skin. Slowly, he inched upward, teasing and taunting Alex, until finally Mulder wrapped his hand around Alex's rigid shaft. Suddenly, he felt Alex's hands on his wrists, pulling him up to stretch across him, his mouth taking Mulder's. Alex kissed like a blind man sensing light, like a man who needed to make a connection with another soul and wasn't quite sure how. It took both their breath away-the demanding pressure of their lips and the need spiraling within both of them. Mulder had come to him. Alex had felt hopelessness overwhelm him, had thought to end it before the alien in him was strong enough to take over permanently, before it could lock him away forever. Like a storm-borne angel, Mulder shattered Alex's demons and chased all thoughts of death fleeing with the touch of his lips and the sound of his voice. Alex had never known Mulder could be so giving, not just of his body, but of himself. Alex's hands slid down Mulder's chest, worshiping him with touch, reveling in the feel of the firm muscle. His questing fingers opened Mulder's jeans, tugging the zipper down. Mulder's mouth burned the skin of Alex's neck, his arm around Alex went rigid and Alex got the impression that he ceased to breathe. Then his fingers closed over Mulder's cock and Mulder groaned deep in his chest. Mulder locked his arms around Alex's body and suddenly he was rolling with Alex, pulling him from the chair, flipping him onto his back on the floor. It happened with such urgency that Alex lost his bearings and had to cling to the older man as the only solid thing in a shifting world. Mulder rolled on top of him, pressing his groin firmly into Alex's. His mouth claimed Alex's, absorbing the younger man's cry of pleasure. Alex could do nothing but groan as Mulder began moving over him. His hands had a grip on Mulder's shoulders that would surely leave marks in the morning. As Mulder carefully kissed him, Alex felt himself going under, losing himself. His heart pounded, his mind swirled with the question of whether Mulder was the stone that would sink him or the branch that would save him from drowning. He closed his eyes in pleasure, arching into Mulder's touch, blocking out everything except the feel of Mulder's hands and mouth and body. He urged Mulder on, seeking to ease his burning ache. But there was only fire, and it raged hotter. When Mulder's mouth closed over the pulse point of his neck Alex cried out, then sobbed softly as Mulder began licking and biting. Alex's hips began to move, undulating in instinctive response to Mulder's increasingly forceful thrusts. They found their height together, a rising, wild whirlwind, an imminent eruption. And then there was nothing but a glorious ecstasy, a suspension that lingered for what seemed an eternity before gently shimmering its way back to reality. When he finally rolled to the side, Mulder gathered Alex to him in an embrace every bit as fierce as their lovemaking had been. He ran his hand gently down Alex's back. "I have you, Alex." Alex turned his lips in toward Mulder's sweat dampened cheek and, with a gradual steadying of his breath, kissed him. "I'm glad." Alex fought against the post-coital drowsiness, but subtle chemical changes took place inside his body, making his battle to stay awake futile. He tried to find the energy to stand up, move away from Mulder's warm, welcome body. It was no use. He struggled to find alarm, to remind himself of the threat Alexei posed, but the fear wouldn't come. His mind was filled with a pleasant hazy numbness as if he had been drinking. His body was sated and worn out, the room was warm, the carpet soft, and Mulder was holding him. It was enough. Mulder sighed with relief as he felt Alex stop fighting and relax in his arms. He stroked the sweat damp face, kissing him gently. Rolling up on his haunches, Mulder stretched to grab the corner of the blanket from off the couch and pulled it over them. He sighed with a sense of fatalism and murmured, "This is crazy, Alex. Even after you resolve this, we can't stay together." He gently kissed the soft skin under Alex's ear. "But can I have you until it's all over?" Alex murmured unintelligibly in his sleep, threw an arm around Mulder's waist and pulled himself more firmly against his body. Alex's face was against Mulder's chest as Mulder settled back next to him. Mulder smiled with a touch of sadness and kissed the top of Alex's head as he wrapped his arm around the younger man. Part Six cking828@aol.com

cking828@aol.com Rating: NC-17 Classification: XA M/K slash Spoilers: Takes place after Terma. Disclaimer: Mulder, Krycek, and Scully belong to Chris Carter and Company. I'm just borrowing them. I can't help it, Krycek fascinates me. The aliens all belong to Carter and I have no idea what his grand scheme is for them. Call it creative license on my part. Absolutely no money to be made from this. No harm is meant to Mr. Carter or anyone else. I am an eclectic and ravenous reader. I read a little of everything, from Sci-fi to Tom Clancy, fantasy, to medical thrillers. I have not copied any one to my knowledge and any similarity to anyone else's work is absolutely accidental. Summary: Krycek enlists Mulder's help in dealing with an alien. As always, I dedicate this to the wonderful Katy Deery. Without her, I would never have written anything, and her encouragement is what keeps me going. I also have to thank her and Shawna for their tireless Beta efforts and patience in making this legible. I had help with this chapter. One of the reasons it's taken so long is I could not write a sex scene. I whined of this to Jane Symons and, kind and generous soul that she is, she handed me the sex scene between Alexei and Blaine, and showed me how to write a scene. I owe her big hugs. I also had help from Nightwolf, who helped me with several scenes when I wrote myself into corners. I can't express my gratitude to these ladies well enough. And Woodinat, I'll get you for that Moppet scene. It won't get out of my head. back to top

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