North Woods 1

The Great North Woods

Jo B. purplefox@usfamily.net

Rating: NC-17

Minor Spoilers: Sein Und Zeit and Closer

Keywords: M/O M/Sk SLASH

Disclaimer: The X-Files characters are the property Chris Carter,
1013 productions and Fox Broadcasting. No money is being made
from their use.

Summary: While on vacation Mulder finds comfort and companionship
in the arms of another man. In typical Mulder fashion his
vacation soon turns into an X-File.

Authors Notes: I'm a Minnesotan. However, most of the Minnesota
locations in this story are purely fictional. I started this
story a few days after watching the episode Closure. It doesn't
reflect anything that comes after that episode.

Special thanks to my beta-readers. Laurie for always doing a
wonderful job of editing and pointing out areas where the story
could be greatly improved. Nicole for her support and
encouragement, and her insistence for more sex scenes. Dawn for
her suggestions and being extremely helpful.

Feedback is always welcome. Any constructive suggestions are
appreciated.

WARNING! This story contains explicit Sex/Romance between two
men. Turn back now, if the subject matter offends you.

Okay to Archive: MTA, The Basement, all others please ask first.

Web site: http://www.parkers-
place.net/roundXFslash/lfta/LFTAHome.htm

***

Northern Minnesota Monday, April 3, 2000 9:45 p.m.

Mulder set his duffel bag and suitcase on the floor inside the
cabin door, leaving the rest of his belongings out in his car to
bring in tomorrow morning. He searched for and found the light
switch, flipping it on; the cabin was awash in a warm light.
Renting this upscale cabin for two months had cost him a small
fortune, but he needed a comfortable and quiet place to meditate
and reevaluate his life. Someplace that was away from
civilization, but with the common conveniences of everyday life.
Two whole months away from DC and the FBI!

He couldn't believe he was finally taking all of his accrued
vacation at one time. Mulder smiled remembering the look of
surprise then worry, on Skinner's face when he handed him the
request. It wasn't like it was a spur of the moment decision; he
had waited several weeks after finally finding out Samantha's
fate. However, he found that he had been unable to keep his mind
on his job, and knew that he needed to get away from it all to
think. Skinner had seemed reluctant to approve his request at
first, but he finally nodded and told him gruffly to have a good
time. He wondered about that. Skinner had been treating him with
kid gloves since his mother's suicide. At times he'd catch
Skinner staring at him, when he did, Skinner would immediately
look the other way. He briefly wondered if Skinner felt the same
attraction to him as he felt for Skinner, but he dismissed that
notion as purely wishful thinking.

He looked up at the high-beamed ceiling and the smooth, honey-
hued log walls; he'd never stayed in an actual log home, and was
fascinated by the construction. A balcony over-looked the great
room. Upstairs was suppose to be two bedrooms and a bathroom,
downstairs was the master bedroom. He took a quick look around
the cabin. The great room had a large stone fireplace at one end
with a sofa and two chairs arranged in front of it. On the other
end, underneath the balcony and bedrooms, was an open kitchen
with a counter and four stools, a dining room table was set in
front of a bay window and a sliding door that led out onto the
deck, and a small laundry was just off the kitchen. The décor and
style was definitely north woods and pleasantly rustic.

Mulder stopped in the doorway to the master bedroom; across the
room were double French doors that led out onto a cedar deck. He
found the switch for the outdoor lights, flipping them on he
stepped outside. Just as promised in the brochure, a hot tub was
installed in the corner of the deck. A snow-covered plastic hood
was placed over the top of the tub to protect it from the
elements. He walked across the deck to the railing and stared out
at the moonlit landscape. The deck looked out over a partly
frozen lake. The full moon made the shadows in the surrounding
woods darker and menacing. His sneaker-covered feet were buried
in several inches of snow that covered the planking on the deck;
he'd have to take time later to shovel. It might not have been
one of his brightest ideas to rent a lake cabin in Northern
Minnesota the first week in April, but the appeal of being this
far away from DC was too much for him to resist. The cabin
belonged to two of Langly's brothers, Paul and John, who were
real-estate developers. They owned ten upscale lake cabins on
Long Lake; they rented out eight of them as time-shares. Only two
of the lake homes were rented by year round residents.

He took a deep breath of the fresh pine-scented air, relishing
the pureness of it. The howling of a timber wolf sounded across
the lake. Mulder smiled, this was perfect! He'd be here long
enough to watch the rest of the ice melt off the lake, and the
new plants sprouting up from the once frozen soil. Wasn't that
what he was looking for? Someplace where he could be reborn?
Where he could gain some new insight into his life. What more
tranquil place to do that than Northern Minnesota in the spring?
He turned and headed back inside the cabin, taking off his damp
sneakers in the doorway. He carried them out to the main entrance
where he left them on a mat. Locking the front door, he picked up
his bags, carried them back into the master bedroom and set them
on the bed. His damp stocking feet made wet footprints across the
hardwood floor.

He shivered. The cabin was a little chilly, and standing in his
wet stockings didn't help, he'd have to build a fire later. But,
right now, a hot shower would do the trick. Mulder shrugged out
of his leather coat and hung it on the hook on the back of the
bedroom door. He opened the door to the master bath and was
somewhat surprised by the floor-to-ceiling bay window in front of
the whirlpool tub. With the lights on it would give anyone
outside a perfect view of the person inside. Mulder assured
himself that it shouldn't be a problem, the nearest neighbor was
half a mile up the road and the window faced the frozen lake. He
pulled his sweater over his head and laid it on the counter. He
was about to undress further, when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Who could that be?" Mulder muttered. He pulled his gun from its
holster as he walked through the great room to the front door. He
switched on the porch light and cautiously peered through the
window. Mulder sighed with relief when he saw the uniformed
sheriff standing there. He holstered his gun and opened the door.
"Can I help you, Sheriff...Olsen?" he asked, reading the man's
name from his uniform. So, this was Sheriff Olsen. Langly had
given him the scoop on the small town of Ashburg and mentioned
Sheriff Olsen as someone his brothers depended on for patrolling
their properties. What Langly had failed to mention was how good-
looking the sheriff was.

The sheriff stood there for a second too stunned to speak; the
man standing in the doorway was drop dead gorgeous. "I-I saw your
car in the driveway and the lights on, so I thought I'd stop by
and introduce myself. I patrol this area regularly; we often have
break-ins with some of these homes sitting empty for weeks at a
time. Paul Langly informed me that he had a new renter in this
unit for the next two months. The name's Eric Olsen, I rent the
home just down the road east of you." The sheriff held out his
hand and Mulder shook it, Olsen enjoyed the strong, firm grip of
the other man's hand.

"Fox Mulder. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sheriff." Mulder looked
the tall, handsome sheriff up and down. He appeared to be in his
late-thirties to early-forties. He had thick, wavy blond hair and
a strong athletic body. "You're the sheriff of Ashburg aren't
you? Isn't this rather far to be living from your job?"

"Please call me Eric. No, the cabins aren't that far from town. I
can usually make it there in twenty minutes in an emergency.
Besides these cabins are under my town's jurisdiction and we do
have many high level officials and celebrities who rent them
during the year." Olsen felt himself melting into Mulder's hazel
eyes. "Have you stopped into town yet, Fox?"

Mulder was about to correct the sheriff on the use of his first
name, but he stopped himself. One of the reasons he was up here
was to rediscover who he was, at one time he had been Fox...it
might be time to try to be him again. "No, I just got in less
then an hour ago. I plan to stop into town tomorrow for
groceries." He was shivering standing in the open doorway in wet
stocking feet and a T-shirt. Mulder didn't want to be rude and
cut their conversation short, besides he was sort of curious
about his neighbor. "Eric, please come in -- I'm freezing my nuts
off."

Olsen noticed the goosebumps on the other man's arms. "Hold on a
second, I have something in my car that should warm you up."
Olsen stepped outside and jogged back to his patrol car. He
opened the trunk and rummaged around then came jogging back and
stepped inside the cabin. He held up an unopened bottle of
brandy. "I stopped by the liquor store on my way home." He handed
Mulder the bottle and shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the
coat rack next to the door, and then he bent down to remove his
boots. "There is a built in brandy warmer on the hearth," Olsen
said, standing, he took the bottle back. "Why don't you go and
find us a couple of glasses and I'll start a fire going in the
fireplace?"

Mulder was speechless over the man's forwardness, but realized
that he did invite the sheriff in and it would rude to throw him
out. "Sure, Eric." He turned and headed across the room toward
the kitchen.

Olsen admired Mulder's jean-clad ass; he didn't even bat an eye
at the holstered gun clipped onto the back of Mulder's jeans. He
hoped that Mulder was into men. Olsen usually was able to pick up
on whether another man was interested within of few minutes of
talking to them, but he wasn't able to read Mulder. However, even
if he wasn't, he sensed that Mulder would be someone fascinating
to talk to, and he looked forward to a friendship with the man.

Mulder walked into the kitchen and searched the nicely stocked
cabinets, and he actually wasn't surprised when he found a couple
of brandy snifters. He'd have to talk to Langly about how his
brothers could afford to fully furnish these cabins. Mulder
looked across the room to where Olsen knelt building the fire.
The man was quite handsome; it had been a long time since he'd
made friends with another man. It was even longer since he had
taken another man into his bed. He carried the glasses over to
his guest just as the sheriff was closing the fireplace screen on
a rapidly blazing fire.

"Do you always go on vacation armed, Fox?" Olsen asked as Mulder
handed him the brandy snifters.

"I hardly ever go on vacation. The last one I took was a few
years ago to Graceland, and yes, I did go armed that time, too.
Don't worry, Eric, I'm an..."

"FBI agent. I know, Paul told me. He said you are friends with
his younger brother Ringo." Olsen knelt in front of the fireplace
warming the brandy.

Mulder smiled and moved closer to the fire. The warmth felt
wonderful. "I've known...Ringo for almost eleven years. How long
have you been sheriff?"

Olsen stood and handed Mulder one of the brandy snifters then
took a seat on the sofa. Mulder took a seat at the other end and
breathed in the intoxicating vapors wafting from the glass and
then took a sip of the warm brandy. It warmed him immediately and
he slumped back against the cushions and stretched his feet out
toward the fire.

Olsen caught his breath over the vision before him, as he watched
Mulder admiringly. "Seven years. I had just got out of a fifteen-
year stint in the marines. I was in my early thirties and needed
a change. What about you, Fox? How long have you worked for the
FBI?"

"Fourteen years. You must have been just a kid when you joined
the marines, Eric." He took another sip of the brandy and found
himself relaxing as it warmed his belly.

"Eighteen, I joined right out of high school, I wanted to see the
world and give a little back to my country. So, Fox, what made
you take two months off and rent an expensive cabin in the frozen
tundra, instead of at least waiting until summer? It is beautiful
up here in the summer, if you exclude the mosquitoes and biting
flies." Olsen got up and picked up the brandy bottle that he had
left warming beside the fire, he refilled his and Mulder's
glasses.

Mulder stared sadly into the flames and took a long sip of the
brandy before speaking. "My mother committed suicide, then I
finally found out what happened to my sister Samantha after
twenty-five years. It was becoming impossible for me to
concentrate on my job. I needed to get away."

"I'm sorry about your mother, Fox. That must have been a tough
blow."

"Yeah, at first it was, but you know it's strange, my mom and I
hadn't been close since my sister disappeared when I was twelve,
but I feel closer to her now than when she was alive. It's like
she been nearby, trying to reach out to me." Mulder drained the
brandy and rose to pour himself another glass.

"That's not strange. I was stationed in Saudi Arabia during the
Gulf war when my father died. I knew the moment he had passed
away before receiving the telephone call from my brother. My dad
was killed in a car accident." Eric nursed his drink and watched
Mulder intently as he sank down on the sofa next to him. He
reached out and squeezed Mulder's shoulder reassuringly. "Fox, if
it's not too painful do you want to tell me about your sister?"

Mulder shook his head and said sadly, "Maybe another time." He
then changed the subject, trying to lighten the mood. "So, what
do people do for fun up here in the frozen north?"

"There is a lot to do, if you're hearty and enjoy the winter. I
like cross-country skiing, skating, ice fishing, and
snowmobiling. There is a tavern in town, some antique stores, and
a couple of pretty good restaurants, and fifty-five miles south
of here is a casino. I'd be happy to show you around Ashburg and
the surrounding community. It really is pretty country up here.
You know we're just a stones throw away from the Canadian border.
If it was fall we could go hunting, on the far side of the lake
is a forest. The forest stretches for over a fifty roughed miles
and there are sections that no man has ever set foot in," Olsen
said excitedly.

"I've only been cross-country skiing a few times. I'd love to
give it try again. Is there a place where I can buy or rent some
skis?" Mulder asked, he caught himself leaning in closer to the
handsome sheriff, and abruptly pulled away.

Olsen didn't miss Mulder lean in then pull back; he smiled
because there was no longer any doubt in his mind that Mulder was
attracted to him. Blood-rushed to his groin swelling his penis at
the prospect that they might become more than mere friends. He
didn't want to rush things; he felt a slow seduction would work
best with Mulder. "You wouldn't want to buy any, I have a spare
set I can loan you. The weather reports are predicting that it
could be getting into the fifties this weekend, so at most we'd
probably only have a few more days to ski. We can go together and
I'll show you where some of the better groomed ski trails are. If
you ever get back here in the winter then you'll know which
trails to use."

"That would be great, Eric." The warm brandy was going to
Mulder's head, he felt a sudden urge to kiss the other man.
Mulder looked away and stared into the flames squashing those
impulses. He wasn't even sure if Eric was gay or interested in
him, the last thing he should try to do was to kiss him. He'd end
up finding himself knocked flat on his ass.

Eric looked at his watch, sensing Mulder's discomfort. "Well, it
is getting late, Fox, and I have to be up early for work
tomorrow. Why don't I come over in the afternoon say around four
o'clock? I'll bring the spare set of skis and we can hit the
trails."

"Sure, tomorrow afternoon would be perfect, it will give me time
to go grocery shopping and get settled." Mulder followed Olsen to
the door and waited as he pulled on his coat and his boots.

The sheriff opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. He
turned back to face Mulder. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Fox."

"Bye, Eric." Mulder waited until the sheriff made it to his
cruiser before shutting the door.

He smiled, feeling good about his decision to come up here. He
walked around the cabin making sure all the windows and doors
were locked before heading back into his bedroom and to the
bathroom. The large bay window still disturbed him as he
undressed and turned on the shower. He stood in front of the
window staring at his reflection in the glass; he had lost weight
over the past weeks. He ran a hand over his flat stomach and up
his chest feeling several ribs. He would have to make it a point
to try to eat better while he was here. With the lights on he
couldn't see outside, so he didn't notice the large, lumbering
figure that stood at the edge of the lake staring in at him, when
he stepped into the shower, it turned and disappeared into the
trees.

***

Walter Skinner's apartment Tuesday, April 4, 2000 3:20 a.m.

Skinner just couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he
saw Fox Mulder's face. He shouldn't have approved his agent's
request for two months vacation. He snorted, his agent! He wished
that Mulder were his. He couldn't imagine going two months
without seeing Mulder's beautiful face or hearing his deep,
sultry voice. What would he do if after two months Mulder decided
that he didn't want to stay with the Bureau? Would he be strong
enough to finally tell Mulder how he felt about him? "I am such
an idiot!" Skinner growled, throwing back the bed covers, he
climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom. He should have
told Mulder months ago how he felt. What did he have to lose? A
stellar career? A wife? The respect of his peers? He had none of
those things to worry about any longer.

When Mulder got back, he would tell him how he felt. Skinner
leaned against the bathroom counter and dropped his chin
dejectedly to his chest. Who was he kidding! Someone like Mulder
would never want to pursue a romantic relationship with his bald,
middle-aged boss. Skinner turned on the shower, he might as well
go in to work early; he wasn't going to get any more sleep
tonight.

***

Northern Minnesota Ashburg Tuesday, April 4, 2000 11:25 a.m.

Mulder stepped inside the Sheriff's Office and was immediately
approached by a young deputy. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked,
giving him a friendly smile and a once over, smiling approvingly
at what she saw.

Mulder shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "Yes, is Sheriff
Olsen in?"

"He's in his office. I'll get him for you." Deputy Anna Hoffman
wondered who the handsome stranger was. It was not everyday that
someone that good looking came to Ashburg. Most of the wealthy
tourists were middle-aged businessmen or politicians who brought
their wives and kids along. She'd have to force details out of
Eric later.

"Thanks." Mulder turned and looked at the commendations and
plaques on one of the walls as he listened to the deputy inform
Olsen that he was here.

"Hey, Fox, what brings you down?" Olsen asked jovially as he
stepped out of his office.

"I just finished shopping and was going to grab a bite to eat at
the diner. So I just thought I'd check to see if you'd be
interested in joining me?" Mulder smiled.

"I'd love to join you, let me grab my coat."

Deputy Hoffman's eyebrow rose as she watched her boss's face
light up and the way the two men looked at each other hungrily.
She was definitely going to pry the details out of him. What sort
of first name was Fox anyway? She watched the two of them leave
the office and admired the sharp contrast between them. The
sheriff was a couple of inches taller with a weight lifter's
muscular build, while the other man was lean with a taut runner's
body. Her type of man...it was too bad he was gay.

Olsen walked side-by-side with Mulder down the cement sidewalk.
The sun was out and rapidly melting the snow, and they had to
step around or hop over several large puddles. "It doesn't look
like we'll get more than today and maybe tomorrow to ski while
you are here," Olsen observed. He waved to a couple of citizens
on the other side of the street.

"So, what does one do here during the spring thaw?" Mulder
inquired.

"Usually, it's dedicated to spring cleaning and...spring
romances." Olsen looked meaningfully at Mulder.

Mulder didn't miss that look, and smiled seductively at him.
"Spring romances...hmm, that sounds interesting. Seeing that I'm
not much into spring cleaning."

Olsen felt his cock twitch and wanted to go on with this line of
conversation, but they had arrived at the diner. "Maybe we can
discuss it more while we're skiing this afternoon," he said
quickly.

"I'd like that," Mulder replied. After the first restful sleep he
had in months, interrupted only by a very erotic dream about
Walter Skinner. Mulder decided he needed something more in his
life than unobtainable fantasies, so he was determined to explore
a friendship with the sheriff with the hope for something more.
Now, he pleasantly discovered that the other man shared his
desire for something more. The only other man he had been
interested in having any sort of relationship with was clearly
not into men. There was something about Olsen that reminded
Mulder of Skinner.

"Hey, Eric, who's your friend?" the waitress asked, strolling up
to the door and showing them to a booth.

Most of the restaurant's patrons greeted the sheriff as he passed
their tables.

"Betty, this is Fox, he's renting one of the Langly cabins for
two months," Olsen replied, sliding into the booth.

"Really? Two months? That's nice, so I'll be seeing you in here
quite a bit then, Fox. So, whatcha do for a living?" The waitress
figured he must have a pretty decent job to be able to afford to
rent one of those expensive cabins for two months.

Mulder stood uncomfortably, wanting to slide into the booth, but
the waitress blocked his way.

"Betty, let the man sit down, and take our order, before you
start giving him the third degree," Olsen grumbled. He knew that
every single woman in Ashburg would be coming out of the woodwork
once they got one good look at Mulder. Oh, the dangers of living
in small town America.

Betty winked at Mulder as he took his seat. "Eric tends to be
grumpy when he's hungry. Can I bring you boys something to
drink?"

"I'll have a cup of coffee, Betty," Mulder said, pulling the menu
in front of him.

"Me, too. And, Betty, I'm never grumpy," Olsen said.

"Okay, surly then," Betty shot back with a chuckle and went to
get them their coffee.

"I get no respect," Olsen sighed dramatically.

Mulder smiled, he had watched how the people had greeted the
sheriff, and knew Olsen was well liked and respected in this
town. He wondered what it would be like to live in a small town
where everyone knew your name? Mulder went back to the menu.
"What's good here?"

"The meatloaf and the prime rib are always good."

Betty stopped back at their table. "You might want to go with the
special, today its fried buttermilk chicken and baking powder
biscuits," she said, filling their coffee cups. "The soup of the
day is wild rice and ham. Are you two ready to order or do you
need a few more minutes?"

"Yeah, I'll have the meatloaf and a slice of the apple pie for
dessert," Mulder said.

"Betty, bring me the soup of the day and a ham and Swiss on
wheat." The sheriff passed the menus to her as she finished
jotting down their orders.

After the waitress left, Olsen looked over at Mulder. "So, Fox,
what type of work do you do for the FBI?"

Mulder hesitated briefly, "My section looks into cases with a
paranormal twist to them." He waited for the disbelief that
usually came when he mentioned his work.

"Cool, like ghosts, werewolves, little gray men that sort of
thing?" Olsen asked, leaning forward in the booth.

"Yeah, that sort of thing." Mulder frowned and stared
suspiciously at the aheriff. "Why did you say little gray men?
Most people would say green."

"Most people are ignorant. You forget that I was in the military
for fifteen years. I've seen some weird shit that would knock
most peoples' socks off."

Mulder was still suspicious eleven years of looking over his
shoulder was a hard habit to break overnight. "Just what did you
do in the service, Eric?"

Olsen saw the distrust in Mulder's eyes. "Hey, I'm not your
enemy, Fox." He hesitated unsure if he should tell Mulder. "My
assignment is still classified, I could face arrest for treason
if I were to talk about it," he said quietly, so the other diners
wouldn't overhear their conversation. He had never told anyone
the extent of what he did in the service and hoped that Mulder
would just accept that he could not talk about it.

Mulder chewed on his lower lip as he stared into Eric's clear,
sapphire eyes. "So what were you, Black Ops?" Mulder knew that he
was well known within the Black Ops. However, Olsen didn't seem
to know him, but then Olsen had been a sheriff here for the past
seven years. If Olsen had been part of that unit then he would
have left just before Mulder was getting reputation within those
circles. There was something about Olsen that he instinctively
trusted; he noticed the sad, downcast look on Olsen's face.
"Okay, I won't pry." Mulder sighed and glanced around the
restaurant, no one seemed to be paying them any attention; he
focused back on the other man. "Eric, my search for the truth has
made me some enemies in high places, so excuse me if I seem a
little overly cautious and paranoid."

Olsen looked at him with concern and leaned across the table and
spoke earnestly, "Fox, be careful. The government does not want
the existence of EBEs to be made public. Part of the reason I
left the service was that I could no longer deal with the lies
and misinformation."

Definitely Black Ops, Mulder thought. "I'm always careful. Just
how much do you know about what going on?"

Olsen shook his head and looked down at the table.

Betty came back to freshen up their coffees and noticed their
somber faces. "Okay, Eric, stop talking politics, you're
depressing our guest."

"How do you know we're talking politics, and not discussing how
hot you look in that too short dress?"

"You are always discussing politics and it has the same negative
effect on everyone, and I hope you're not discussing me, not with
those kicked puppy expressions on your faces." Betty turned and
sashayed back across the diner. "I'll be right back with your
food, boys."

Olsen chuckled. "She's right. Why don't we change the topic and
save this for another time when we are alone."

Mulder grinned. "Yeah, it's not the best dinner conversation." He
glanced around the diner and watched as their waitress came back
carrying a large tray.

"Here you go, boys," Betty said, placing plates in front of
Mulder and Olsen.

They spent the rest of the meal making small talk and discussing
sports. When they finished, Olsen anxiously reconfirmed their
plans to meet later to go skiing. He had been worried throughout
lunch that Mulder would no longer want to see him.

Mulder drove back to his cabin, admiring the dense pine forest on
either side of his car as he steered down the winding road. Long
Lake was a fairly large lake and nicely isolated, one end of the
lake was bordered by a virgin forest while this side had the
cabins thoughtfully spread out and set well back from the main
road, offering total privacy. Sheriff Olsen would have had to
drive down his gravel driveway before noticing that the lights
were on or Mulder's car parked out front. Something deep down was
warning Mulder not to trust the man, but another voice was
shouting even louder, telling him not to be so paranoid. Both
voices tied for attention, so he decided to call the gunmen to
have them check into the sheriff's background; in the meantime,
he was going to enjoy the other man's company.

***

FBI Hoover Building Tuesday, April 4, 2000 3:20 p.m.

"What can I do for you, Agent Scully?" Skinner asked.

Scully sat demurely in front of his desk. "Sir, with Mulder gone
for the next two months I was wondering if you'd approve my
request to teach at Quantico? There's not very much I can do in
the X-Files section during Mulder's absence. I can't very well go
out on field assignments alone."

Skinner looked challengingly at her. "You can continue rebuilding
the destroyed case files in Mulder's absence. I know for a fact
that he spends endless hours trying to piece together the data
that was destroyed by that fire. Unless the X-Files don't mean as
much to you as they do to Mulder." Skinner couldn't help the jab,
he had watched Mulder putting in late nights and weekends trying
to rebuild what had been lost, he also knew all about the past
disagreements between his two agents.

Scully lifted her chin and met his eyes. "Sir, I have every bit
as much invested in the X-Files as Mulder, but he is wasting
valuable time trying to piece together charred scrapes of paper.
Most of the data is beyond recovery, and the scraps that can be
salvaged are meaningless without the whole of the destroyed
data."

Skinner looked down at the pen he was clutching in a death grip.
God, he hated her logic. "Scully, I don't want the X-Files to sit
empty for two months. There are people within the FBI hierarchy
that would see that as reason enough to close down the section."

Scully was momentarily surprised, that prospect hadn't occurred
to her. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't realize that might be a
possibility. I'll continue to work down in the basement until
Mulder returns, if it helps to keep the hounds at bay," she
replied, trying to lighten the mood.

Skinner looked up at her and said sadly, "Thank you, Scully.
Hopefully it will."

"Sir, is there something else the matter?"

Under normal circumstances, he would never ask one of his agents
about another, but he was suffering from too little sleep and
worrying too much about Mulder. "Scully, when you talked to
Mulder last...did you get the sense that he might be leaving the
Bureau? Now that his quest for his sister is over, would there be
a reason for him to continue?"

"Sir, Mulder is more dedicated than ever to the X-Files and
seeing that the truth is uncovered and justice is served. His
quest had stopped being solely about his sister years ago.
Hopefully, now that he knows what happened to Samantha, he'd be
less likely to go off on some wild goose chase just because
someone dangled the Samantha carrot in front of his face."

Skinner felt better after Scully's answer. He might be able to
survive the two months if it meant that Mulder would be coming
back...to him.

***

Northern Minnesota Tuesday, April 4, 2000 7:15 p.m.

Mulder couldn't remember when he'd had a better work out or
enjoyed himself as much. They had been skiing for a little over
two hours, stopping twice to admire the scenery and talk. He had
never met anyone who shared a lot of his views on politics and
social issues. Eric had stopped beside a grove of pine trees and
he glided down a small hill coming to a stop next to him.

"The sun will be setting in an hour, so we should be heading
back," Olsen said, looking around the sparkling white landscape.
"I don't like being out here after dark, it's too easy to get
lost."

"I heard a timber wolf last night, do you ever have problems with
them around here?" Mulder asked, aware of how close they were
standing.

"Wolves usually stay well away from people. We had a black bear
break in to one of the cabins a year back looking for food. Made
a mess of the place before it left. I still can't figure out how
it got inside," Olsen said, moving closer to Mulder. Then he
leaned in and kissed the other man.

Mulder dropped his ski poles and wrapped his arms around Eric's
waist kissing him back hungrily. Not being used to kissing while
locked to skis, Mulder lost his balance and both men toppled into
the wet, melting snow. Mulder chuckled as Eric stretched out on
top of him and reclaimed his lips. When they came up for air
Mulder was unbelievably hard. "I've never come in a snow bank
before," he said wistfully, wiggling his hips and grinding his
hard cock against an equally hard organ in the larger man's
pants.

"I always like first times," Olsen said, capturing Mulder's sweet
lips again and pressing their groins together. He drank in the
delicious essence of the other man as his tongue explored every
hidden crevice of Mulder's mouth. Olsen increased the speed of
their coupling using a circular motion to grind their cocks
together, he felt Mulder's body arch up and knew that he had
successfully brought the other man to a quick orgasm. His hand
went down and squeezed Mulder's spent organ, feeling the wetness
there "Now, whenever you come in a snow bank in the future you'll
have to think of me. We better get back before this freezes. I
plan on having a repeat performance later minus the clothes."

"You haven't come yet," Mulder replied, reaching for the other
man's cock only to have his wrist grabbed.

"I'm saving myself for someplace a little warmer." Olsen gave
Mulder a chaste kiss. "Has anyone ever told you, Fox, that you
have an incredible mouth for kissing?"

"Not within the last decade," Mulder admitted, accepting the
offered hand up.

"I can't believe that. Not someone who's as hot looking as you."
Olsen stepped back into his skis and waited for Mulder to get his
on.

"I haven't had much time for anything other than work," Mulder
said, as he skied beside Olsen as they headed back toward his
cabin. Mulder was terribly uncomfortable, not only from coming in
his pants, but the whole back of his pants and even his knees
were soaked from lying in the snow.

"Well, then we have a decade to make up for in two months," Eric
quipped. "So how much experience do you have with men?"

"A little mostly from Oxford. One of my professors liked to
tutored me in private." Mulder grinned. "Believe me some of his
lessons were definitely eye-openers."

Olsen's eyes widened. "Fox, that's awful. The man should have
been fired for taking advantage of one of his students."

Mulder looked sideways at him inquiringly. "It was purely
consensual, Eric."

"That still doesn't make it right. You were young and vulnerable
and this professor should have known better than to mess with one
of his students."

"Maybe, but at the time it felt good to have someone who cared
about me," Mulder said. It felt weird to have someone he didn't
really know being that indignant about something that happened to
him over fifteen years ago.

The sun had set by the time they got back to the cabin. They left
their skis on the porch. The phone was ringing when they stepped
through the front door and Mulder made a mad dash to answer it.
"Mulder," he said breathlessly. He was shivering and his teeth
were clattering together.

"It's me," came the voice on the other end.

"H-hey, S-Scully, h-how's the dr-drudgery of the nine-to-five d-
day going?" Mulder quipped, bending down to remove his boots. He
frowned at the wet mess he trekked across the floor, looking up
he met Olsen's eyes as the other man shrugged out of his winter
clothing.

"Fine. So how are things in the frozen north? You definitely
sound cold! Are you bored out of your mind yet?"

"Everything's fine...and no, I'm not bored. Eric and I just got
back from cross-country skiing. I fell in a snow bank and soaked
my pants. It's beautiful country up here. So what is going on in
DC?" Eric walked over and took Mulder's coat and boots. Mulder
mouthed a silent 'thank you.'

"I had a meeting with Skinner this afternoon, I wanted to go back
to teaching at Quantico while you were on vacation, but Skinner
turned down my request. So who's this Eric?"

"He's the local sheriff, he lives in a cabin just down the road
from mine. So why did Skinner turn down your request? It sounds
like the perfect solution while I'm gone." He watched with
amusement as Eric mopped up the floor, then went into his bedroom
and came back with his robe.

Eric draped the robe over the chair and stood behind Mulder,
unbuttoning his soaked jeans, he then slid them down Mulder's
long legs along with his boxers. Mulder stepped out of them and
Eric pulled his socks off. The larger man then stood and kissed
the side of Mulder's neck as he helped the agent out of his
sweater. Mulder fumbled with the phone to keep it pressed against
his ear, trying to listen to Scully.

"Skinner didn't want the X-Files section to sit empty for two
months, he was worried that someone might try to use that as an
excuse to close it permanently. So, you're getting friendly with
your neighbor, are there any good looking women up there?"

Mulder smiled at Eric as the larger man helped him on with the
robe. "Women? Why, Scully, are you planning to come for a visit?"
he chuckled. "Truthfully, I really haven't noticed. I suppose
Skinner could be right. I would hate to come back to find out
that I didn't have a job any longer." He bit his lip to keep from
moaning when Eric started sucking on the side of his throat as
his fingers pinched and teased his nipples.

"Skinner seemed worried that you wouldn't want to continue
working for the Bureau when you returned. So what does this Eric
person look like?" Scully was a little worried; Mulder didn't
sound quite right.

"A Nordic God about describes him," Mulder quipped and gasped
loudly as Eric bit his neck, then tenderly lapped at it with his
tongue. Mulder moaned as Eric ground his erection against his
ass.

"Mulder, are you okay?"

Mulder pushed his ass back. "Ah, yeah, Eric, didn't appreciate
the Nordic God comment," he said snickering. He tried to focus
back on their telephone conversation. "So Skinner is worried,
that is not like him. I'd have thought he'd be dancing for joy if
I decided to quit the Bureau."

"Skinner respects you." She listened to the moaning in the
background. "Mulder, look...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt
anything. Maybe I better call back tomorrow."

"Ah, yeah, Scully, that would probably be best." Mulder fumbled
to set the phone back on the cradle but missed.

Scully listened for a few moments to the moaning and gasping
before hanging up. Her curiosity was piqued; she decided to try
and find out all she could about the sheriff of Ashburg tomorrow
when she got in to work. Scully didn't like how fast the man had
gotten involved with Mulder. It just wasn't like her partner to
let anyone get that close, that quickly.

Mulder's hands caressed up and down Eric's strong biceps before
looping around his neck to bring their two mouths together. He
rubbed his cock against the rough fabric of Eric's jeans. He
pulled away and looked into the totally aroused blue eyes.
"You're over dressed. If I remember correctly, you weren't going
to come until you were naked and pleasantly warm."

"What's your preference, Fox? Do you prefer hand jobs, blow jobs,
or are you into anal sex?" Eric started to strip out of his
clothes; he removed his holstered gun and set it on the end
table.

"All three. But if it's okay, I'd prefer to start slow, until we
get to know each other better. It's been sixteen years since I
had any type of sexual relationship with another man."

Eric dropped his socks on the pile of clothing. "That's fine with
me because I want to get to know you really well, Fox," he said,
pulling Mulder's body back against his he recaptured Mulder's
lips. The kiss slowly deepened until both men were breathless and
fully aroused. "Now I'm still freezing my ass off, what say we go
soak in that whirlpool tub?"

Mulder smiled. "This would be another first...I've never taken a
bath with another man."

"You don't know what you've been missing," Olsen said, taking his
hand and leading him toward the bathroom.

"You seem awfully familiar with my place, Eric."

"I've been inside all of these homes at one time or another.
Besides there are only four different models that the Langly
brothers built from. This is the smallest and least expensive
model."

"It seems pretty big to me, but then I'm used to living in an
apartment."

Olsen plugged the tub and turned on the water, looking around for
the bubble bath his eyes met Mulder's. "Don't you have any bath
oils or bubble bath?"

"No. I usually only take showers, so all I have is some shower
gel."

"I'll remember to bring you some tomorrow, along with some
massage oil."

Mulder hung up his robe on the back of the bathroom door then
leaned against it, admiring Eric's body as the man squirted some
shower gel under the faucet. Yes, definitely a Nordic God.

"What are you looking at?" Olsen asked.

"You. You have a magnificent body." Mulder walked over to him and
sat on the edge of the tub then caressed lightly over Olsen's
large pectoral muscles, stopping to tease his nipple. "You lift
weights don't you?"

Olsen nodded and moved to kneel between Mulder's thighs. His
hands brushed up Mulder's thighs, over his hips, and up his
sides. "You have a very athletic body, Fox. I bet you play
basketball and probably jog for exercise."

Mulder smirked. "Yes, on both counts...that's what I get for
dating a cop." He leaned down and captured Olsen's lips in a slow
kiss.

Olsen ended the kiss and stood, offering Mulder a hand up. "Let's
get in the tub."

Mulder turned around to step into the tub after Olsen, but he
hesitated as he looked at his reflection in the window. He was
suddenly apprehensive. It was an irrational fear, and he couldn't
put his finger on its source other than the feeling that they
were being watched. "Eric, do you think Paul Langly would be
agreeable to hanging some curtains in this window?" he asked,
stepping into the bathtub.

Olsen chuckled. "Why? Are you afraid someone is out there looking
in at us? I can assure you, Fox, that nobody is." He spread his
thighs and pulled Mulder back against his chest.

"I've got a funny feeling that we're being watched, it's probably
nothing." Mulder relaxed into Olsen's arms, he could feel the
press of the large man's penis just above his ass.

Olsen glanced at the window and couldn't see pass their
reflections, and he felt suddenly nervous. "My cabin doesn't have
a large window in its bathroom, only two of the models do." He
kissed the back of Mulder's head. "Why don't we stop at the
hardware store and purchase a café rod, then we can have Emma
Johnson sew you up some curtains. I'm sure Paul wouldn't mind."

"I'm surprised no one has asked for curtains before," Mulder
said, caressing Olsen's thighs.

"It's not too surprising this cabin is less than a year old.
There hasn't been too many people who have stayed in it," Olsen
said, his hands were busy teasing Mulder's nipples.

Mulder moaned he was beginning to have a hard time concentrating
on their conversation. "I thought it was older considering all
the old trees around it."

"The Langly brothers employed only the best builder and specified
that as few trees as possible be removed. It does give these
homes the appearance that they've been here a long time, but in
reality, the oldest was only built three years ago. They're still
building, Paul wants to have another three homes finished by mid-
summer." Olsen nipped at the side of Mulder's throat, and Mulder
arched his neck. He started grinding his cock into the small of
Mulder's back. Olsen wondered what it would feel like to sink his
cock between those gorgeous round buttocks.

Mulder pushed back against the granite object burrowing into his
back. He grinned at the groan he caused, then he turned around so
he was straddling Eric's thighs and captured the large man's lips
as his fingers found and gripped Eric's cock. He stroked up and
down its velvet length, twisting and jerking it off with
professional ease. Water splashed over the rim of the tub as he
increased the speed of his strokes.

Olsen was pushing into Mulder's hand while his fingers weaved
through Mulder's hair as he held the agent's head immobile so he
could plunder his mouth. He felt Mulder squeeze his balls just
right, and he came, screaming as he pumped into Mulder's hand,
spurting his come into the water. Olsen slumped back against the
smooth porcelain wall of the tub.

Mulder pulled away and smirked down at him. "Are you warm yet?"

"Hm, that was good." Olsen's fingers delved into the crease of
Mulder's ass and scraped over his anus. "Are you sure you still
want to take it slow?"

"Yes. I hope you don't mind." Mulder picked up the bottle of
shower gel and squirted a little into his hand, then he started
to soap Olsen's fur-covered chest.

Olsen nearly purred as Mulder's fingers caressed over his
nipples. "It's hard to believe you haven't been with another man
in over a decade. What about women?"

"A few on and off, but no one seriously in the last eight years,"
Mulder confessed.

"What do you usually do for release?" Olsen asked, shifting and
pulling Mulder down to sit next to him.

"I usually jerk off while watching porn or fantasizing about my
boss," Mulder confessed, realizing he sounded like a total loser.
"God, my life is so pathetic!"

"Fox, tell me about this boss you fantasize about?" Olsen's arm
looped around his shoulders.

"He's good looking, intelligent, and he has a great body," Mulder
said, smiling wistfully.

"I think I'm jealous. Why haven't you gotten together with him?"

"He's as straight as he is bald," Mulder replied sadly.

"I can't say I'm not happy to hear that, but it is probably good
that he is. It's not always the wisest decision to get involved
with your boss."

Mulder sighed, "Yeah, but I'm not known for making the wisest
decisions. I'm more of the act first and worry about the
consequences later type of guy."

Olsen pointed to Mulder then back to himself. "Is this one of
those worry about the consequences later decisions of yours?"

"No. I'm tired of being alone, and want...needed a change. At
least for two months, before I go back to my celibate life as an
FBI agent," Mulder quipped.

"Fox, after two months with me, you won't want to go back to
being celibate," Olsen promised, his fingers snaking around
Mulder's hard cock. He caressed its length feeling the vein on
the underside, his thumb circled the head...

"GGRRUUUUEEEWWWWEEOOUU!"

"What the hell was that?" Mulder gasped, startled. Olsen jumped
up to look out the window. Mulder quickly climbed out of the tub
and turned off the bathroom lights. "Do you see anything?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard an animal that sounded like that before?"
Mulder asked, shivering as the cool air dried his wet skin.

"No."

"It sounded big. Do you think it could have been a moose?"

"That was no moose, Fox." Olsen tossed him a towel and grabbed
one for himself. "I think we should go out and investigate."

"If it isn't a moose, what do you think it is?"

"I don't know. It might have been an injured animal, which could
account for the weird sound," Olsen said, heading out into the
great room, he started to pull on his clothes.

"Eric, do you think it's smart to track down a wounded animal at
night?" Mulder stepped into a dry pair of jeans as he stood in
the bedroom doorway.

"If it is an injured animal, it would be only humane to find it
and put it out of its misery. Besides, injured animals tend to be
dangerous and I can't take the chance that it might hurt
someone." Olsen walked over to the door and retrieved his boots.

Mulder joined him and pulled on his coat then stepped into his
boots, he made sure that his gun was loaded.

"I have a flashlight out in my cruiser," Olsen said.

Mulder turned on the outdoor lights then they walked cautiously
to the cruiser. Mulder was aware of every sound around them as
their feet crunched on the gravel driveway and the wind blew
through the trees.

Olsen pulled the high-beamed flashlight from his car and passed
it to Mulder then he pulled out his rifle. "The sound came from
the behind the cabin so let's start there."

Mulder flipped on the flashlight holding it with one hand while
holding his gun in the other. They crept around to the back of
the cabin and Mulder made wide sweeps with the flashlight
exposing all the hidden shadows, while searching for any
movement. "Do you smell that?" he asked, gagging.

"Yeah, it smells like something died out here," the sheriff said,
staying protectively close to Mulder. The sky was overcast making
the night pitch black.

They did a wide search around the cabin grounds, stopping short
of going into the dense woods. "That's weird," Mulder said as
they returned to the back of the cabin.

"What?"

"The smell, it's gone."

Olsen frowned. "Yeah, it's strange. Fox, we're not going to find
anything tonight, it's just too dark." He didn't want to give up
searching, but he was feeling apprehensive as if something had
been watching them from the deep woods.

Mulder looked at the dark, looming shapes of the trees uneasily.
His gut was telling him that there was an X-File here, but his
head was reminding him that he was on vacation and was here to
relax not to go hunting monsters. "Do you want to sleep over?"
Mulder asked. "We can head out again once the sun comes up."

Olsen smiled. "Sure, Fox, I would love to sleep over."

They carefully made their way back to the front of the cabin and
back inside. Olsen leaned his rifle against the wall then bent to
remove his boots.

Mulder hung up his coat and looked down at Olsen. "Are you
hungry?"

"Starving. What do you have?"

"How about tomato basil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?"

"Sounds good. I'll give you a hand."

They walked into the kitchen and Olsen pulled a grill pan out of
the cabinet while Mulder pulled the ingredients out of the
refrigerator and cabinets. They worked in perfect symmetry as if
they had been together for years. Mulder kept glancing out the
kitchen window into the night beyond as he stirred the soup on
the range.

"Are there any myths or legends about this part of Minnesota?"
Mulder asked, pouring the soup into two bowls.

"I'm not sure. I only moved here after I left the service." Olsen
scooped the grilled cheese sandwiches out of the pan with a
spatula and deposited them onto two plates. "I'm originally from
St. Paul. I wanted a quiet place to live after the service."

"Don't you miss the city life?" Mulder asked, carrying the bowls
to the counter and setting them down. Eric followed with the
plates, while Mulder went back for spoons and beer.

"Yes and no." Eric sat on a stool at the counter and gratefully
accepted the bottle of beer Mulder handed him. "I like the
people, the town, and the wilderness, but it's hard to meet other
gay men in this town. Not that there aren't any, but none that I
feel like hanging with."

"I like city life. I think I'd go crazy if I had to live out here
for too long." Mulder said, dunking his sandwich into the soup.

"I'm the opposite. I couldn't handle the noise and pace of city
life for very long. I go on four trips a year down to the Twin
Cities to visit my family, and I'm so happy to leave by the end
of my visits."

"Do you come from a large family?" Mulder asked, turning slightly
sideways on his stool so he could watch the other man.

"No, not very large. My mother is still alive and I have two
sisters, three nephews, and two nieces." Olsen sipped his beer,
glanced over at Mulder, and wondered if he should ask about
Mulder's family? However, knowing from their early conversation
that his mom had committed suicide recently, it seemed to throw
their whole conversation off kilter. Mulder saved him the trouble
of asking.

"I have no family left. My dad was murdered over five years ago,
my sister was abducted twenty-six years ago, and I only found out
recently that she's been dead for twenty years, and you know
about my mom," Mulder paused, stirring a pattern in his soup with
his spoon. "It is weird not having anyone left."

"I can't imagine what it would be like not having any of my
family there for me," Olsen said softly. "I'm sorry about your
sister and parents, Fox."

"Thanks, Eric." Mulder looked at him sadly. "Eat your soup before
it gets cold."

They finished the remainder of their meal in silence. Afterwards
they did the dishes and retired to the great room to watch TV.

***

Walter Skinner's apartment Tuesday, April 4, 2000 10:45 p.m.

Skinner stood out on his patio sipping a bourbon. It was a
beautiful, clear night with the temperature in the high-sixties.
He was feeling very lonely tonight; he missed Mulder's presence.
Although, it was only the second day at work without Mulder
around, he still found his absence disheartening. There were
times that he'd gone a couple of weeks without seeing Mulder when
his agent was out of town on some case. So, Skinner couldn't
understand why only two days without him was affecting him this
way. He almost picked up a copy of the Globe at the grocery store
tonight, thinking that if he could find an interesting enough X-
File; he might entice Mulder back.

Skinner drained the rest of his drink, and walked inside to pour
himself another as he contemplated his feelings for Mulder. After
six years of working with the younger man, Skinner had gone from
admiring him, to considering him a friend, to silently lusting
after him, and now he was beginning to realize that he was in
love with Mulder. How else could he explain his feelings for the
younger man?

***

Mulder's eyes closed and he threw back his head and moaned loudly
as a wonderful wet heat engulfed his cock. The hard scrape of
teeth along its length enlisted a deep purr from his lips,
followed by some keening sounds of pleasure. His fingers wove
through Eric's thick blond hair as he thrust into the larger
man's mouth. Olsen's finger played at his anus then penetrated
him. Mulder gasped at the sharp burning pain, it didn't last as
his lover skillfully nudged his prostate, sending an electric
bolt of pleasure coursing through his body and into his groin. He
came screaming, and dimly thought, it was a good thing that their
nearest neighbor was a half-mile away.

Olsen was chuckling when he pulled away and gave Mulder's cock
one final lick. He crawled back up to the top of the bed and
pulled Mulder into his arms, kissing him deeply. Then he looked
down at Mulder's fully sated face. "God, Fox, I love the noises
you make during sex. You are one of the most uninhibited men I
have been with in a long time."

Mulder smiled up at him as he licked his lips and tasted his own
semen on them. "I do tend to be a little too noisy." He yawned
suddenly. "Sorry."

Olsen gave him a tender kiss. "No need to be. We should get some
sleep. I want to search for signs of whatever made that noise at
first light. Plus, I need to get into work. Unlike some people,
I'm not on vacation."

Mulder chuckled, "Yeah, two whole months of sleeping in late and
not having to wear a suit. I'm going to get spoiled."

"Well, you are going to get up early tomorrow to help me
search...aren't you?" Olsen nipped just below Mulder's chin.

"Yes, I wouldn't miss it for anything." Mulder worried his bottom
lip with his teeth as he thought about the strange noise and
smell. Olsen had snuggled up against his side with one arm draped
across his stomach. "Eric, is there anyone in Ashburg who might
know the history of this area? Or is there a library that might
have old newspapers about the town and the surrounding
countryside?"

"Why?" Olsen asked tiredly.

"I'm going to be here two months. I thought I'd get to know the
area and its history," Mulder lied.

"Every morning at the diner a group of old timers get together
for breakfast, if anyone would know the area's history they
would. Ashburg's library is a bit too small to house the
newspaper archive; you might want to check with the newspaper. I
think they have an archive in their basement." Olsen burrowed
down a little deeper under the covers. "Now go to sleep, Fox."

Mulder smiled, the solid, muscular body next to his was
comforting. Eric was about the same build as Skinner and Mulder
briefly fantasized that it was Skinner's arm draped across his
chest, and Skinner's penis pressed against his hip. He had to
admit that he had it bad for his boss, ever since the first time
Skinner had defended him in his office against the smoker. No one
had ever defended him that fiercely before. Mulder sighed, if he
wanted to get on with his life, he had to get over his
unrealistic fantasies and desires involving his boss. He turned
over on his side and scooted back against Eric's body until they
were pressed chest to back. It took over an hour for him to
finally fall asleep; every time he closed his eyes, he kept
seeing Skinner's face. He had a weird feeling like he was
cheating on Skinner.

***

Mulder's cabin Wednesday, April 5, 2000 6:30 a.m.

Mulder leaned against the kitchen counter sipping his coffee
trying to wake up. He was dressed in a sweater, jeans, and hiking
boots. Olsen had gone back to his home to change and get an extra
hunting rifle. He jumped when the telephone rang and nearly spilt
his coffee. He picked up the wall phone in the kitchen.

"Mulder."

"Hi, it's me," Scully said.

"Hey, Scully."

"So, are you alone?"

"Yes. Eric had to run home and pick up an extra rifle," Mulder
said, stepping over to the coffeepot he topped off his mug.

"Oh, he spent the night?" Scully asked slightly surprised. Mulder
was generally more standoffish and cautious than most men she
knew, and it surprised her that he would jump so quickly into bed
with another man. "You did use protection?"

Mulder smiled against his mug, her concern was heart warming.
"Don't worry, Scully, I'm a big boy." He wasn't about to tell her
that they didn't use a condom while having oral sex. Even though,
Eric had assured him at the time that he was clean, it was still
stupid not to, but he was thinking with his dick at the time and
the risk seemed so small.

"So, why has he gone home for an extra rifle?"

"We heard something outside the cabin last night. Eric thinks it
might have been an injured animal, so we're going to try to track
it this morning," Mulder replied.

"Be careful, Mulder. Wounded animals can be extremely dangerous."
Scully felt uneasy about Mulder trekking through the woods.
"Couldn't Eric get someone in from the DNR to track it down?
After all, they're trained for that type of work."

"Don't worry, Scully, I'm almost positive that we won't find
anything. It started raining four hours ago and I'm sure any
tracks that were out there would have been washed away by now."

"Raining? Considering where you are, I would have thought it
would be snowing."

"Yeah, it's rather a shame. I would have liked it to snow. I
really had a blast skiing yesterday, but this rain is going to
melt most of the snow," he said, looking over at the door as
Olsen came back inside. He was wearing a slicker over his uniform
and carrying two rifles.

Olsen set them by the door and took off his coat and boots. He
walked over to Mulder and kissed him on the cheek then stole a
sip of his coffee. "Who you taking to?"

Mulder covered the mouthpiece and whispered. "Scully." Then he
removed his hand. "Eric just got back."

"Mulder, may I talk to Eric?"

"Ah, sure." He held out the phone to Eric. "She wants to talk to
you."

Eric took it, smirking at Mulder. "Good morning, Agent Scully.
How are you today?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Olsen. I thought I'd introduce myself since you
seemed to have made such an impact in my *partner's* life."
Scully paused. "Look, I will get right to the point. It doesn't
bother me that my partner is sleeping with you, but I am
concerned by how quickly you have instinuated yourself into his
life. He's just getting over a terrible family tragedy and he is
vulnerable right now. So, I thought I'd warn you in advance that
if you do anything...anything at all, to hurt him, I will
personally come out there and remove your spleen through your
nose."

Olsen eyebrows rose. "Hang on there, Agent Scully. I do not
intend to do anything to hurt your partner. I might remind you
that he is an adult and is quite capable of making his own
decisions."

Mulder quickly took the phone back. "Scully, don't. Eric isn't
one of them, and he isn't going to hurt me. I appreciate your
concern, but please don't threaten my date, you're liable to
scare him to death." Mulder grinned reassuringly at Eric who
didn't look very happy. "Then I'll have to be the one trying to
explain to Skinner why my vacation suddenly turned into a
homicide investigation."

"Mulder..." She took a deep breath, suddenly embarrassed. "I'm
sorry. I don't know what came over me...I'm just concerned and
maybe a little protective. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Don't worry, Scully, I won't be."

"Tell Sheriff Olsen that I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense. I
better get to work. Call me tonight, okay?"

"Okay, Scully, bye." He hung up and looked over at Olsen. "She's
sorry. It's my fault, if I dated occasionally this wouldn't have
fazed her," he quipped. Seeing the frown still on Olsen's face he
added, "Eric, I'm sorry."

Olsen started laughing. "She threatened to remove my spleen
through my nose! God, Fox, it must be nice to have someone who is
that protective of you, and here you said you didn't have any
family left. I think you have a member that you forgot to count."

Mulder chuckled. "Don't laugh, my partner's a doctor, and she's
quite capable of following through on that threat." He walked
over and wrapped his arms around Olsen's waist and kissed him.
"Thanks for reminding me, Eric. Scully is like a sister to me."

"No problem, let's see if we can track down whatever the hell was
outside the cabin last night," he said.

They pulled on their coats. Eric laced up his boots as Mulder
grabbed one of the rifles.

"What time do those old men meet for breakfast at the diner?"
Mulder asked.

"Old men and women, about eight o'clock. What's the hurry? You're
going to be here two months," Olsen asked, picking up his rifle
and opening the door. The rain had let up and only a drizzle was
coming down.

"I want to get to know the area and people while I'm still here
to appreciate it." Mulder looked around at all the puddles and
the few mounds of snow that had yet to be dissolved by the rain.
He sighed; it was going to be almost impossible to find anything.
He followed Olsen around to the back of the cabin. The larger man
kept scanning the ground for tracks. Mulder didn't think Olsen
would find anything. He had scanned the same ground very
carefully with the flashlight last night.

They made their way around to the back of the cabin, and Mulder
wished he would have a pair of worn rubber waders as his hiking
boots sunk deep into the mud. As he had predicted the search of
the cabin grounds yielded no evidence, so they ventured into the
woods and separated. Mulder's eyes were drawn to a freshly
snapped branch off a pine tree. He walked over and studied the
break. A whole two-inch in diameter branch had been snapped off,
but the tree limb was nowhere to be seen. He scanned the area
from that spot and realized that he had an unobstructed view of
the cabin's bathroom window through the dense grove of trees.
"Hey, Eric, I've found something!"

"Be right there, Fox!" Olsen shouted back. Five minutes later, he
came over to Mulder dragging a pine tree branch behind him. "I'm
beginning to think that we're dealing with a human perpetrator
and not some animal. How many animals know how to conceal their
tracks?"

"N-None t-that we know of," Mulder's voice quivered from being
cold and soaked to the skin. He turned and pointed toward the
cabin through the trees. "Whoever w-was out here ha-had a clear
view of us in the b-bathroom last night."

Olsen frowned. "We'll hang a sheet in the window until we can get
a set of drapes made. I'll let Paul Langly know about the peeping
Tom, so he won't have a problem with us installing them."

Mulder was shivering. The drizzle had soaked his hair and pants
below his leather jacket. He was amazed that his feet were still
dry, considering the amount of mud and water he had walked
through this morning. "I-It doesn't lo-look like we're g-going to
find anything else. Do y-you want to go ba-back inside?" Mulder's
teeth clattered together as he spoke.

"Fox, I'm sorry. Of course, let's go back inside. I think you
should get out of those wet clothes and take a hot shower. I'll
make you some hot tea. I wouldn't want you to catch pneumonia."

"A-Aren't y-you cold?" Mulder asked, his teeth were clattering
together.

"Fox, it's in the forties! It's practically a heat wave."

"I-If you s-say so." It had been in the seventies when Mulder had
left D.C. and he was no longer used to these colder temperatures.
Mulder took his mud-caked boots off on the cabin's front pouch
and walked back inside in his stocking feet. He headed straight
to the bathroom. Mulder berated himself along the way for
believing the weird sound they heard could have been something
other than some sick human playing a warped joke on them. He had
to stop seeing X-Files in everything.

Olsen hung up his slicker and walked across the room to the
kitchen and filled the teakettle. He called his office while
waiting for the water to boil. "Ann, I'm still checking out a
disturbance call from last night. I should be in shortly. Has
there been any messages?"

"Nope, everything has been fairly quiet. Congressman Asner and
his family arrived last night from D.C., so you might want to
stop by his cabin and say hello," Deputy Hoffman said.

"I'll do that this afternoon," he said, pulling a mug out of the
cabinet and opening a newly purchased tin of teabags that he had
spotted last night on the counter. He dropped a teabag into the
mug then waited for the kettle to boil. "If there isn't anything
pressing, I'll be there in a couple of hours."

"I'll call you if anything comes up," she said.

Olsen hung up then lifted the whistling kettle from the heat as
he turned off the stove. He filled the mug and allowed the teabag
to steep as he walked through the bedroom and over to the
bathroom doorway. "Fox, how do you take your tea?" he shouted
loud enough to be heard over the shower.

"With just a little honey," Mulder shouted back. He closed his
eyes and tilted his face into the hot water he was starting to
defrost. The shower door opened a few minutes later, and Olsen
stepped in naked and carrying a mug of tea, which he was careful
not to get in the way of the spray.

"Here you go, G-man," Olsen said, holding the mug out for Mulder
who took it and moved a little out of the spray.

Mulder purred with delight as the hot tea worked its way down his
throat. "Thanks, I needed that. Don't you need to get into work?"

Olsen's arms wrapped around Mulder's body from behind, and he
sucked on the slick flesh of Mulder's shoulder. "I'm still
investigating a disturbance from last night," he said.

Mulder chuckled, taking one more sip of tea before setting the
mug on the ledge and turning into his arms. He kissed Olsen
passionately, then reached down between their bodies and rubbed
their wet cocks together.

Olsen pushed into Mulder's hand while his tongue explored
Mulder's mouth dueling for ownership. "Mm, you taste like honey,"
he murmured as his fingers kneaded the flesh of Mulder's ass.

Mulder increased the speed of his hand on their cocks. He paused
and circled the head of Olsen's cock with his thumb teasing the
slit.

"Oh God, Fox!" Olsen shouted, feeling the pressure building up in
his balls.

Mulder started to work them together more fiercely. A few minutes
later Olsen came, his nails dug into Mulder's back. Making Mulder
gasped and come explosively. After the tremors subsided, Mulder
turned and picked up the mug of tea. "I could get used to this,
Eric." He smiled.

"Yeah, me too."

***

Hoover Building Wednesday, April 5, 2000 11:30 a.m.

Skinner looked around the table at his department heads as Agent
Branson droned on presenting his monthly report. He kept one ear
focused on Branson's presentation. He long ago learned how to
focus on more than one thing at once. Skinner's eyes stopped on
Scully. She didn't appear to be paying attention. Generally, when
both Mulder and Scully were present at one of his meetings, she
was the one who was attentive while Mulder usually looked bored
out of his mind.

When the meeting ended, Skinner waited until everyone was getting
up to leave before flagging down Scully. "Agent Scully, may I
have a moment of your time?"

"Yes, sir." She sank back into the conference chair.

"Is there something bothering you?" Skinner looked her squarely
in the eyes; she fidgeted only slightly and quickly composed
herself.

"No, sir."

Skinner tapped his pen against the smooth wood surface; he wasn't
about to be put off. "Are you still having a problem with my
decision that you stay with the X-Files while Agent Mulder is on
vacation?"

"No, sir."

"Scully, I'm not your enemy. If something is bothering you, I
hope you know that you can confide in me," he said softly. He saw
uncertainty pass across her features.

"Sir, it's...I'm concerned about Mulder."

Skinner's fingers tightened around the pen. "Why is that,
Scully?"

She fidgeted again, looking down at her hands. "I'm worried that
in his present state of mind, he could easily be taken advantage
of. I don't want to see him get hurt..."

"Scully, is there some reason you feel this way now? You didn't
seem too concerned when we spoke yesterday," Skinner asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, it is rather personal and I rather not say."

Skinner sighed, he hated when she did that. "If this involves
Agent Mulder, Scully, I'd like to know. I consider him a friend
as well as my agent."

Scully was not about to tell Skinner that she was worried about
Mulder because he was involved in a homosexual relationship with
a man he only met the day before. "Sir, I really can't tell you.
It's not that I don't trust and respect you, but this involves an
area of my partner's personal life that I am not at liberty to
discuss with you."

Skinner nodded, knowing perfectly well what area she was
referring to. He was well aware of Mulder's bisexuality. CGB
Spender brought it up to him when he first became Mulder's direct
supervisor. He never did figure out what Spender hoped to gain by
giving him that bit of information. So, as he watched Scully
squirm nervously in her chair, he was positive that was it. It
didn't take much effort for him to deduce that Mulder must be
currently involved in a relationship with another man for Scully
to be concerned about him. That revelation made his heart sink
and he silently kicked himself for waiting too long, and possibly
losing any chance he had for a relationship with Mulder. "Thank
you, Agent Scully, you may go," he said in an even voice, hiding
his anxiety.

Scully looked like she wanted to say something more, but instead
she stood and headed for the door, pausing briefly, she turned
back to him and said, "Thank you for your concern, sir."

***

Northern Minnesota Saturday, April 8, 2000 6:15 a.m.

Eric was spooned behind Mulder's warm body in bed. His nose was
pressed between the crook of Mulder's elegant neck and his
shoulder blade. He could still smell the light musk of the
intoxicating cologne his lover wore. Fox had told him it was an
exclusive fragrance, that could only be purchased at one store in
D.C. where he bought his suits. The store's proprietor dabbled in
creating unique colognes for men and he turned Fox onto that
fragrance. Fox wasn't the only one turned on by it, Eric loved
the way it smelled especially when he was in the process of
making a light snack out of Fox's neck. His hand caressed
Mulder's hip, he hadn't realized how much he missed and needed
this type of human contact. It would be hard to let Fox go after
two months. His ears perked up as his lover started murmuring in
his sleep. Mulder's murmurs became louder.

"Walter...Oh God...love...you..." Mulder startled awake. He lay
there panting breathlessly for a second, trying to get his
bearing.

"That must have been some dream," Olsen whispered softly through
clenched teeth.

Eric's voice brought Mulder back to the present. "Yeah. Sorry, I
didn't mean to wake you."

"Who's Walter?"

"Oops...I talked in my sleep didn't I?" Mulder asked, mortified.

"Yes, you did. You said you loved this Walter person."

Mulder turned around in Eric's arms and looked him in the eyes.
"I'm sorry. Walter is Assistant Director Walter Skinner, my boss.
You remember, I mentioned him during our first night together?"

"Oh yeah, the straight bald-headed man whom you fantasize about.
Sorry, Fox, the thought of you being in love with someone had me
jealous. It's funny since I'm not usually the jealous type and we
hardly been dating long enough for me to feel this way." Olsen
realized that he was falling for Fox after only four nights
together.

Mulder smiled and kissed him reassuringly on the lips. "I'm
flattered. I don't think anyone has ever been jealous over me
before."

"I'm sure if you dated more often you'd have half of D.C.
jealous," Olsen teased, nipping at his lover's plump lips then
exploring deeper with his tongue. He rolled them until Mulder was
on his back under him. "I want to fuck you, Fox," he growled
against his lips. Mulder's body stiffened.

"Eric, it's still too soon...I would like to wait a little while
longer. If that is okay with you." Mulder was afraid that Eric
would get fed up and dump him. If it wasn't okay with Eric, would
he be able to take the next big step in their relationship?

"Fox, I don't want to rush you. I'm willing to wait until you're
ready," Olsen said, then ground their groins together, enlisting
a moan of pleasure from Mulder.

"Ooh God, . . . thanks, Eric." Mulder pushed his hips up as he
pulled Olsen back into a kiss.

Olsen started humping their groins together, until he had Mulder
moaning and making those delicious noises he loved so much. He
was dying to feel his cock buried deep inside Fox's body, but
only when his lover was ready. He would wait...he'd do anything
if it made Fox happy. He felt a sudden wetness as Fox came, he
started to hump more frantically until he too came adding to the
sticky mess. Olsen rolled off Mulder and laid gasping on his
back. "God, nothing like sex in the morning."

"Do you want to share a shower?" Mulder asked as his hand smeared
the sticky semen around Olsen's stomach.

"Sure. What do you want to do today?" Olsen asked, climbing out
of bed and following Mulder into the bathroom while admiring his
firm, round ass.

"First, I want to go for a morning run. Would you care to join
me?" Mulder asked.

"No, Fox, you go ahead. I think I'll make us breakfast and
prepare a surprise for you." Olsen picked up the bottle of bath
gel and squirted some onto a nylon puff.

"Surprise? What do you have in mind?" Mulder asked, purring
contentedly as Eric started washing his back and ass.

"You'll see when you get back from your run," Eric said, kissing
the back of Mulder's neck.

Mulder wasn't use to being pampered this way, and he turned and
hugged Eric affectionately. "This vacation has already beaten the
hell out of Graceland."

Olsen chuckled and hugged him back. "Does that make me the King?"
he asked in a perfect Elvis voice.

"If you can sing like the King it could be love," Mulder teased,
then gasped as Olsen broke out singing in an almost perfect
impersonation of Elvis Presley.

"Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go. You have made my
life complete, and I love you so. Love me tender, love me true,
all my dreams fulfill For, my darlin' I love you and I always
will." Eric caressed the side of Mulder's face lovingly as he
sang. "Love me tender, love me long, take me to your heart. For
it's there that I belong and we'll never part. Love me tender,
love me true, all my dreams fulfill. For, my darlin' I love you
and I always will..." He held Mulder as they softly swayed under
the pulsating spray of water. "Love me tender, love me dear, tell
me you are mine. I'll be yours through all the years till the end
of time. When at last my dreams come true, Darling this I know,
Happiness will follow you Everywhere you go..." Olsen captured
his lips.

"Wow," Mulder moaned. "Where'd you learn to sing like that?"

"The military. I had a buddy who was really into Elvis but he had
the worse singing voice. I've always been a good singer, so he
asked me if I'd teach him how. He never did get much better, but
I ended up perfecting a damn good Elvis impersonation."

Mulder sighed happily as they held each other until the water
turned cold. They parted, and stepped out of the shower. Mulder
dressed quickly and headed out for his morning jog wondering what
other surprises Eric would have for him.

After Mulder left, Olsen quickly headed out on to the deck and
started filling the hot tub. He turned the heater on high wanting
it to be useable when Fox returned. He then walked back into the
kitchen through the sliding door in the dining room.

***

Mulder heart was soaring, he hadn't felt this alive in years. He
breathed in the cool morning air as he flew down the paved
country road. Pine trees loomed on either side of him casting
their shadows on to the black pavement. He stopped to stand in a
spot of warm sunlight that had filtered through the trees onto
the road. He looked around contentedly at the forest and listened
to the birds singing. It was beautiful and tranquil here and he
thought he could get used to living away from the city.

"Agent Mulder?"

Mulder spun and looked toward the man who called his name.
"Congressman Asner."

The young congressman was strolling down the road with a young
girl. "Are you here on a case?"

"No, vacation. My friend's brothers own these cabins," Mulder
said, not sure what made him feel like he had to explain. He had
met the congressman a few times at the gym and once at the
clothing store they both frequented in D.C.

Asner was aware that his daughter was staring wide-eyed at
Mulder. "Agent Mulder, this is my daughter Sarah."

"Hi, Sarah," Mulder said, smiling.

"Hi," the little girl replied bashfully.

"Are you going to be up here long?" the congressman asked.

"Till June 4th," Mulder replied.

"That long? I'm up here with my family for three weeks. Maybe we
can go fishing in together," Asner said.

Mulder smiled. "Sure, I'd like that. I don't have any fishing
gear though."

"No problem, I have several fishing poles and tackle. Well, we're
keeping you from your run. If you have time, stop by for some
drinks later. I'm staying just down that drive," Asner said.

"I'm tied up this weekend, but if the offer is still good for
next week..." Mulder wanted to spend this weekend alone with
Eric.

"Sure is. We're usually home most days just stop by some
afternoon." Asner waved and headed back to his cabin with his
daughter.

When Mulder got back to his cabin as he opened the door, he was
assaulted by a delicious aroma. Eric smiled at him as he entered.
His lover was dressed in an apron and nothing else. "What are you
cooking?"

"Oven-puffed pancakes with spiced apples, and bacon. Get your
clothes off, Fox. We're eating in the hot tub on the deck," Olsen
said, opening the oven and pulling out two skillets.

"Isn't it a bit cold for eating outside?" Mulder asked as he
quickly stripped.

"We're eating in the hot tub. People up here use those things all
year round even on days near zero. I think you should be able to
handle a morning in the forties." Olsen scooped the large
pancakes onto two plates along with two slices of bacon then he
poured some maple syrup over the pancakes.

Mulder walked over to him naked and took the plates from him.
"I'm always willing to try something new as you very well know."

Olsen peeled off his apron and grabbed a couple of forks from the
drawer. "I know. Come on, let's eat." He opened the sliding door
for Mulder, and Mulder smiled at the bucket of champagne sitting
next to the hot tub and with two flutes.

"How romantic. Is there anything you don't do, Eric?"

"Probably, but I'm always willing to learn new things." Olsen
winked and stepped into the hot tub, it still wasn't as hot as he
would have liked it to be, but he had no doubt that he and Fox
would be able to heat it up in no time.

Mulder set the plates down on the rim of the tub then climbed in.
He was hot and sweaty from running so the warm water felt
surprisingly good. Eric handed him a glass of champagne. Mulder
leaned back and sighed. "This is the life."

Olsen smiled at him as he picked up his plate and started eating.
If he could keep Fox happy maybe he wouldn't want to go back
after his vacation was over.

***

Walter Skinner's Office Monday, April 10, 2000 4:00 p.m.

"Hi, Kim, is he in?" Scully asked, carrying a folder.

"He's expecting you, Dana." Kim leaned forward and whispered.
"Just be careful, his mood has gone from surly to outright
dangerous. I don't know what is bothering him."

Scully knocked then entered the office. She hadn't seen Skinner
since Thursday and was surprised by his appearance. He was still
dressed in a crisp, white shirt and tailored suit, but it looked
like he hadn't slept in days. He had large, baggy circles under
his eyes and he didn't look like he had been eating too well.
"Sir, are you feeling okay?"

Skinner looked up at her from his pile of paperwork. "Agent
Scully, you're here for me to sign off on your request for a
desk, *not* to make idle chitchat!" he snapped.

"Sorry, sir." She pulled out the document from the folder and
laid it in front of him.

He quickly scrawled his signature on it and handed it back then
went back to his paperwork.

Scully stood there, not sure if she should bring up the real
reason she had come up to see him.

"The Bureau's not paying you to stand around, Agent Scully!"

"Sir, I need to speak to you about Agent Mulder."

Skinner dropped his pen and leaned back in his chair, looking up
at her, suddenly all alert. "Go on."

Scully thought that was interesting. "I don't know how to say
this, so I'll try to be as direct as possible. Mulder has been
seeing someone romantically during his vacation. I did a
background check on this person, and found out that this person
was once in an area of the government that specializes in
concealing the truth. I'm worried that our enemies are setting
Mulder up for some sort of a fall."

"Does this person have a name?" Skinner asked deceptively calm,
but all the while hoping that she couldn't hear how loudly his
heart was beating.

"I'd rather not..."

"Cut the goddamn crap, Scully! I want his name!" Skinner growled,
taking off his glasses and tossing them on his desk.

"How do you know it's a he?" Scully asked cautiously. She'd never
seen Skinner so unraveled.

Skinner rubbed his hands over his face. Sighing tiredly, he
looked at her. "I know all about Agent Mulder's bisexuality,
Scully."

"Oh." Scully pursed her lips as she looked at him then sighed,
"Sheriff Eric Olsen. He served a fifteen year stint in the
military. Eleven years were in the marines, he is a decorated
Gulf war veteran. The last four years he spent in the Black Ops.
He's been the sheriff of Ashburg Minnesota for the past seven
years," Scully said.

Skinner pinched the bridge of his nose, he had a major headache.
"Just because he was in the Black Ops doesn't mean he is working
for them, Scully. He might be nothing more than an innocent man,"
he said. An innocent man who had stolen the only man he had ever
loved, Skinner thought sadly.

"I'd like to check into it," she said.

"Let it go, Scully. Mulder is an adult, don't treat him like a
child," Skinner said.

"But, sir."

"Dismissed, Agent."

Scully turned on her heals and stormed out of the office she was
half tempted to slam the door behind her. She found Skinner's
behavior totally out of character. Something else was going on
here but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

***

End of Chapter 1