Title: Conundrum
Author: Chad Moore
E-Mail: Chad_Skywalker@webtv.net
Feedback: Always welcome!
Archive: Yes, please
Series/Sequel: This story is a sequel to "Dangerous
Undercurrents."
Date: July 15th, 2001
Status: WIP
Rating: PG
Category: M/O
Fandom: The X-Files
Spoiler: Set after the TV story, "Existence."
Disclaimers: All familiar characters belong to CC and
1013; any others were conceived in my warped
imagination. Azathoth and the Great Old Ones are
creations of HP Lovecraft and are now the property of
Arkham House. No infringment intended.
Author's Note: Many thanks to my amazing beta Bertina
for her encouragement.

Chapter Six: Twice Upon A Time

'Just keep breathing,' Mulder reminded himself. All of
the incredible things he'd experienced in his life
never prepared him for this. For a moment, he thought
he might fall backwards, but somehow he steadied
himself and remembered to stand up straight. His
devilishly handsome face broke out into a wide grin of
joy. He hurried forward, unable to control his
movements any longer.

Jamie stood only a few feet ahead, his eyes wide. His
face remained expressionless for several moments as
Mulder approached.

In seconds, Mulder wrapped his arms around him in a
long, slow, molten embrace. Years worth of pent up
emotions flowed freely. Carefully he smoothed Jamie's
hair and whispered words of comfort into his ear.

"Mulder?" Jamie gasped. He pulled back and held his
face in his hands. The bright green eyes that had
first captivated Mulder searched his face
questioningly.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Mulder told him,
his voice breaking.

"How did you know where to find me?" asked Jamie in
amazed disbelief. Mulder looked back over his shoulder
for an instant and Jamie knew. "Alex?"

Mulder nodded yes. "It's incredible." Someone I've
hated him for so many years, he thought, I can't
believe he actually brought you back to me.

Jamie's smile still took Mulder's breath away. He
could have been frozen in time, looking almost exactly
the same as he had back in 1983; all except for the
unhealthy pale skin tone. Mulder held off questioning
Jamie about why he looked as if he hadn't aged, too
caught up in just the closeness of his lost love.

"He took care of me," Jamie explained. "Even before I
knew... before I could 
remember who I really am."

"You're here now and that's all that matters." Mulder
gripped his neck, and held a hand flat against his
chest. He had to be sure this was all real. He felt a
reassuring heart beat coming through. Mulder looked
into his face, and grinned brightly.

Farther up the bank, Alex Krycek tore his eyes from
the reunion to stare at Walter Skinner. Alex elbowed
him in the ribs. "Come on, I think they deserve some
time alone, don't you?"

Walter nodded, and glanced back at Mulder holding onto
Jamie with a great deal of interest. He was genuinely
overjoyed for Mulder. The touching look beaming from
Mulder's face caused a tug at his heart -- mainly
because he sensed a storm about to erupt. There was a
deeper reason Walter was on edge about this reunion.
He knew he was being overprotective, and there wasn't
anything he could quite put his finger on that
explained his feeling. Jamie's initial lack of emotion
was odd, not to mention the air of mystery that Walter
found unsettling. Pushing the nagging doubts to the
back of his mind, he trailed after Krycek. Perhaps he
could get more answers from him inside.

As the two men headed inside the shaded cabin, Mulder
held onto Jamie tightly. "Let's sit down," he
suggested. Taking him by the arm, Mulder helped Jamie
to sit on a tree stump beside the water.

Stroking his soft blonde hair, Mulder murmured, "If I
had only known."

"How could you?" Jamie asked, shaking his head sadly.

Fresh tears flowed down Mulder's face. "I still can't
believe it. I thought I'd lost you forever."

"You almost did," he replied quietly.

Mulder realized that he'd have to tread very
carefully. "Jamie, what happened?"

Jamie squinted, remembering back. "It was horrible. I
was bleeding and rocks were falling all around me.
Then there was just darkness. I couldn't move. I just
laid there."

"You were in shock," Mulder told him gently. "How did
you get out? The authorities called off the search,
and I thought... I thought..." he choked on the words.

"You thought I was dead. What else could you think? I
still don't know how I survived. I just blacked out
and I woke up in a hospital."

"A hospital in Oxford?" Mulder questioned, stunned by
his revelation. "They didn't try to find anyone who
might know you?"

"I didn't even know who I was or where I had been. How
could they even guess? They sent word out, but no one
ever came."

Mulder shook his head, anger and guilt building up in
his heart. "Jamie, I'm so sorry," he whispered,
holding his hand tightly. It felt so cold.

Focusing on the sky above, Jamie went on. "I wandered
for such a long time, searching for something... I
knew there was something important missing from my
life." His voice took on a distant tone. "And then I
met Alex."

Mulder's eyes glistened with fresh tears thinking of
the terrible existence Jamie must've led. "What did he
tell you?" He managed to ask.

Jamie shrugged a little and brushed a golden strand
from his eyes. "He seemed to know me, and he offered
to help me rediscover my past. We lived in Oxford for
about a year. Then all of a sudden Alex said that it
was important that we return to the States," Jamie
replied.

"Did he say why?"

"No, but I've never had any reason to doubt him. He's
been very good to me." 
Mulder found himself speechless. Alex Krycek had done
something even he 
couldn't; he'd found Jamie and kept him safe. "It
sounds as if you've been a good influence on him. He
said that you were ill."

Jamie turned away. "Yes, I've been having dizzy spells
and trouble breathing for a long time. I just feel so
lost."

"Not anymore." Mulder reached for his shoulders and
turned Jamie back to face him. "We're going to get
through this together."

With a gasp, Jamie reached out and gripped Mulder's
hand. "Mulder, help me!" he pleaded, his voice
desperately weak.

"Jamie, what is it?" Mulder asked, full of concern.

Jamie closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When
next he looked up, his statement was calm, his voice
controlled. "Um, could you help me back inside? It's
beginning to get dark."

"Okay," Mulder replied, not entirely convinced. Taking
Jamie by the arm, he helped him up. Shakily, he fell
against Mulder, who caught him before he could
collapse.

"Whew, that was the worst one yet," he said.

"Are you all right?" he asked, holding onto him for
all the world.

"Yeah, if it's not this, it's the nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

"Yes, they started some time ago. Around the time I
began to remember you."

Mulder's eyes widened in surprise. "A year ago?" Jamie
nodded. "Jamie, I've been having nightmares too!"
Mulder told him, excitedly. "Have you ever heard of
astral projection? I think that we were trying to
communicate with each other through our dreams. To
find each other again."

Jamie laughed lightly. "Oh, Mulder, I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. If you only knew how much."
Tenderly, Mulder ran a finger down his nose and said,
"I promise, everything will be all right."

~oo0oo~

Oil lamps cast a warm orange glow across the cabin's
living room. From beside the double doors, Walter
continued to watch the reunion with a protective
scowl. Darkness had started to fall and he could just
make out the two figures beside the lake. Nearby, Alex
sat in a powder blue recliner with one leg slung over
the side. Walter still felt an electric shock seeing
Krycek alive.

"How has he been?" Walter asked, out of the blue.

"Just fine until recently."

"With all he's been through..."

Alex gave him a dark look. "What are you so worried
about?"

"Worried? Yes, I suppose I am."

"About Mulder?" he teased. "I'm the one who ought to
be worried about Jamie. I'm beginning to think it was
a bad idea to bring them back together."

Walter turned and regarded him suspiciously. Ever
since Krycek swept 
back into their lives, there was an odd proprietory
concern about Jamie everytime he was mentioned. Never
one to hold back, Walter decided to voice his
thoughts.

"What I'm worried about is why you didn't turn Jamie
over to Avatar when you found him?" he questioned the
younger man, scanning his face for a reaction.

Alex sat back and pondered Walter's question. There
was still a huge part of his story he'd deliberately
left out. The silence spoke volumes and Skinner's
voice cracked like a shotgun of insinuations.

"Maybe it was the same reason Mulder fell in love with
him? Is that it, Krycek? Are you trying to keep Jamie
for yourself?"

Taken aback, Alex stood and walked over to Walter. "I
just can't win, can I? I thought I'd made it perfectly
clear where my feelings lie," he paused, then took a
breath. "It would have been easy to turn Jamie over. I
just didn't expect to care for him."

Walter was about to speak, but Alex beat him to the
punch. "No, and it's not what you're thinking. Yes, I
was curious to learn what kind of hold he had over
Mulder. I just never expected to care for him. Jamie's
the first friend I've had in..." his voice broke off.
"Look, I'm risking my life keeping him hidden from
Avatar. I should have kept him hidden from Mulder,
too. He certainly was in no hurry to find him."

"That's because he couldn't remember what happened,
Krycek!" Walter blasted. He prepared himself for a
verbal onslaught, but Alex's attitude took him
completely offguard.

Alex jumped from the chair and stood before Walter. "I
just don't want Jamie to get hurt," he said. "Or
anyone else."

Their faces drew in close. Walter tried to steady his
breathing. The sound of car doors slamming interrupted
the moment. Alex jerked his head up and raced to the
large bay window facing out onto the front lawn.
Hiding behind a silk drapery, he peered out
cautiously. Through the growing darkness, he could see
that a black Lexus had driven through the camoflauged
path. Vines clung to the windshield wipers. Two men
dressed in the style of door-to-door salesmen were
investigating Mulder's parked car. Alex swore in
Russian under his breath.

Skinner hurried up beside him. "What's going on?"

"I think our friends from Avatar followed us here.
Fuck! I knew I should have come back alone!" With one
swift, trained movement Alex reached inside a cabinet
and held a nasty looking glock in his hand.

Walter, the stronger of the two, wrenched it from his
hands and held it aloft. "Just what do you think
you're doing?" he demanded.

"Do you have any idea what danger we'll be in if they
find Jamie?"

"No, why don't you enlighten me?" he asked, sternly.
Walter knew the sneaky rat had been keeping something
from them.

At that moment, Mulder escorted Jamie in through the
back door. "Walter, there's someone very important I'd
like for you to meet." His smile dropped at the sight
of Skinner holding a gun out of Krycek's reach. "What
the hell is going on in here?"

Alex ignored both of them, he hurried across to
Jamie's side. "Come on, quick!" He attempted to pull
him away from Mulder, but Mulder kept a firm grip on
his shoulders.

"Why, what's all the fuss?" questioned Mulder.

Alex sighed impatiently. He was really in no mood for
Mulder's overprotective ballsy attitude. "Our friends
from Avatar have tracked us down."

"Avatar? Did you tell them where we were?" he snapped.

"Would you two stop squabbling?" Walter scolded from
his position by the window. "Those two men are just
standing out there. Like there waiting on something."

~oo0oo~

Outside, a thick rolling mist appeared out of nowhere,
hovering just above the ground. Leaves rustled in the
unnatural air. Two figures cut their way through the
chill. Augustus Thascales examined the stationary
vehicle while his partner, Richard Frazer, kept an eye
on the cabin.

Everything was going as planned. They'd been watching
Fox Mulder's apartment 
building like a couple of vultures; waiting to swoop
at the first sign of action. It hadn't taken long for
it to arrive in abundance. Using the surveillance
photographs supplied by Avatar, they'd been able to
quickly single out each of the three men who entered
the complex. Skillfully they followed them from the
District to this isolated area in the country.

Richard's keen eyes spotted a curtain falling back
into place. He nodded and made to head up the winding
stone path. Augustus stopped him with a restraining
hand.

"No, we must wait and watch for them to make the next
move," he told him sternly.

The impatient zeal in Richard voice made his reply
come out as a whine. "But, the Deliverer is near. I
can feel it in my bones."

"Yes, so can I. The High Priest will be most pleased."
Augustus cocked his head to the side. "There's
something else in the air. Don't you sense it?"

Richard lifted his head as if sniffing the air. His
skin tingled at the sound of something large dragging
itself along the ground. He glanced back toward
Augustus in amazement. The older man nodded with a 
smirk. Together, they reached inside their collars to
reveal silver pentagrams. As one, they pressed the
ancient symbol to their foreheads.

~oo0oo~

Mulder and Krycek were at loggerheads, staring daggers
at one another from across the room. Jamie stood
between the two hot blooded men. He seemed to be torn
between them. Walter froze, the hair on his arms
prickling. Suddenly, the weapon felt very heavy in his
hand. "Shh!" he whispered, trying to gain their
attention. "Listen!"

"What? I can't hear anything," Alex replied.

Walter nodded with his head. "There's something
outside, moving this way."

The room became stone silent.

A harsh slithering, whispering scream sounded from all
around. Mulder swallowed hard, his restored memories
making him realize all too well what it was.

"We've got to get out of here, now!" he hissed. Beside
him, Jamie turned and stared around, wide-eyed with
nervous anticipation.

An icy chill spread through the room, and the lamps
flickered in response. A hissing shadow passed behind
the back doors. Everyone turned to it, Walter
brandishing the glock for a target.

An eerie silence followed for a moment.

With a tremendous force of energy, the thick oak door
smashed inwards. The cabin literally rocked under
pressure. An enormous, hideous shape filled the
doorway. Alex scrambled backwards from the glistening,
sluglike body of the Leviathan. Its five pointed head
reared up like a cobra. A mouth full of spitting
tentacles roared triumphantly.

Jamie took a few steps forward. In an instant, Mulder
gripped his shoulders and pulled him back. Mulder had
been braced for this encounter. But this was larger,
stronger and more vicious than the shoggoth he'd seen
so many years ago. "Close your eyes!" he shouted
urgently.

The horror of the Leviathan seemed to hypnotize
Skinner. He simply could not tear his eyes away from
the frightening sight.

"Use the gun!" Alex exclaimed, wishing that it was
still in his hands.

"I...I can't." Walter stood paralyzed under the
monster's enormous power.

"That won't work!" Mulder told them, frantically
trying to remember how to deal with such a legendary
creature. Roaring until the windows shook, the
Leviathan glided slowly nearer.

Mulder screwed his eyes tight and smacked himself in
the forehead, willing himself to remember. Alex cut
his eyes sideways and gasped when he saw that the
creature was ignoring Walter and instead fixating on
Jamie.

"Hey, you! Over here!" cried Alex, waving his arms to
gain its attention.

The Leviathan swung itself around, its tail striking
Walter. Alex tumbled forward and grabbed the glock as
the older man fell. In one swift movement, he leveled
it up to aim at the horror. It turned round again,
hissing angrily, and the gaping mouth lunged down.

"Jamie!" Alex warned.

But Jamie slid neatly out of the way and the seething
creature swept right past him and straight toward
Mulder!

"Oh, shit!" Mulder ducked and rolled away.

Hissing in frustration, it tore round and once more
Jamie staggered back, staring in silent awe. The
tentacled mouth bore down and then inspiration struck.

"Salt!" Mulder declared, jumping up and sliding his
long legs over the kitchen counter. The slimy shell of
the Leviathan crushed a table beneath its bulk in a
frenzied attempt to reach him.

Not waiting any longer, Krycek fired the gun.

~oo0oo~

In the misty darkness, the shot echoed from the cabin.
Richard glanced at his colleague. Augustus merely
smiled. "Do not worry. Their time is running out. The
non-believers cannot harm the Leviathan with such a
weapon. It will take care of them and bring the
Deliverer to us."

~oo0oo~

Mulder slammed down hard onto the linoleum when the
bullet ripped across the room. His ears rang from the
shot. Gripping the counter, he hauled himself up and
found the creature surging back toward Krycek and
Walter. Mulder dashed to the cabinets and scattered
the contents maniacally until he found the prize he
sought.

He hurled the cylindrical container. It shattered,
showering the Leviathan with salt. An ear piercing
screech filled the room and it slithered back.

Leaping back over the counter, Mulder slipped past and
reached for Jamie. "Jamie? Jamie, come on!"

With a roar of pure agony, the creature convulsed and
twisted, collapsing into a heap on the floor. Its skin
cracked open, emitting a foul vapour. Gagging from the
stench, Alex clasped the gun tightly and 
ran over to join Mulder and Jamie who was staring down
at the shattered body.

"Jamie? Are you all right?" asked Mulder, deeply
troubled.

"You killed it," he stated quietly.

Mulder nodded grimly. "Yes, I did. There could be more
of them on the way."

"More?" Krycek repeated. "Come on, let's get our asses
out of here." He helped Jamie toward the door.

Mulder hurried over and knelt beside Walter. "What
about Avatar?"

Alex looked back. "Oh, I'll handle them," he said with
relish, cocking the gun for good measure. Wrapping an
arm around Jamie's shoulders, Alex lead him outside.

Anger boiling to the bursting point, Mulder took
Walter under the arm and helped him up. Walter spit
out a few drops of blood and wiped at his mouth. "Did
you see that?" he asked, breathlessly.

"I know!" raged Mulder. "That rat bastard's taking
over. Jamie needs me, 
not him!"

Infuriated, Walter grasped Mulder's shoulders and
twisted him around. "Mulder!" he barked, pointing down
at the dissolving remains of the creature. He had to
make him understand. "That thing. What the hell is
it?"

Turning his hazel eyes to the bubbling stench, Mulder
had a flash of his Oxford flat back in 1983 when
Professor Wickham destroyed a similar horror.

"It's called a shoggoth," he explained.

Walter shook his head and instantly regretted it. His
skull ached terribly. "Mulder, I have to admit that
this is a bit beyond me," he confided.

Mulder gave him a half-grin. This was getting to be
like the good old days. "Lovecraft wrote about them in
his works. Seems he was spot on. Its like a servant,
seeking out a Chosen One."

"Jamie?" he asked. "The second it burst inside, he
didn't even flinch."

"He was in shock," Mulder sighed as if the weight of
the world were resting on his 
shoulders. "What are you saying?"

"I think there's more going on here than either one of
them is telling us."

"It doesn't mean that Jamie is involved. Does it?" He
gazed pleadingly at Walter. "That's possible, isn't
it?"

To his surprise, Walter's voice was gentle as he
replied, "Yes, it's possible, Mulder. And for your
sake, I hope it's the truth."

~oo0oo~

Alex walked slowly down the front steps, wincing as
the wood creaked ominously beneath his feet. He
scanned the darkness for any sign of the Avatar
agents. They now knew that he had Jamie, and they
would stop at nothing to get him. He whirled round,
slightly amazed to find the Lexus missing.

"I guess that ball of slime scared them off," he
reasoned, making his way back toward Jamie.

"He shouldn't have killed it," Jamie told him angrily.

Alex looked at him curiously. This tone was unlike
Jamie. "Are you all right?"

Jamie looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. "Of
course I'm all right. Why shouldn't I be?"

"Didn't that creature scare you? Mulder killed it to
save you."

"I heard," he replied coldly.

Alex took Jamie's chin in his hand, and forced Jamie
to look him in the face. "What's the matter with you?"

Jamie stared at him defiantly, then slowly a look of
total misery filled his face. "Alex, help me," he
whispered. "I made it appear!"

[Next Episode: Who's Who?]