Metal and Bone, by Mice, part 4 of 4
~~~

MULDER RESIDENCE
2630 HEGEL PLACE, APARTMENT 42
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
EARLY AFTERNOON

"No way, boys. I don't think he's ready for it." Mulder 
leaned back on his couch. 

Byers shook his head. Mulder had to help. "You're not giving 
him enough credit, Mulder. He's come a long way since you 
retired."

"Besides," Frohike said, "he'll be here in a few minutes."

Langly folded his long, thin arms over his chest and nodded. 
He leaned back against Mulder's desk and crossed his ankles 
as well. "He's onto somethin' big, dude. This whole 
supersoldiers thing could crack wide open. And the nanotech -
- damn, we could save Skinner's ass if this turns out to be 
the real shit."

Mulder nodded. "Yeah. It's not like we don't owe him."

Byers breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Maybe they could 
change his mind. "If you could come with us --"

Mulder shook his head. "You know I can't. My leg's too 
mangled for that kind of work anymore." He held up his cane. 
"This isn't a job for Super-Gimp."

It was, unfortunately, the truth. Mulder had been limping 
around on a cane since he'd gotten out of the hospital bed 
after his return. If there was trouble, he'd never be able to 
run, and he'd hardly be able to do a smooth break-in with a 
cane in one hand. It was only luck that he'd avoided life in 
a wheelchair.

"You're right," Byers said. "I'm sorry. We've just worked 
together for so many years. It never seems to feel quite 
right without you. Not when the Bureau's involved."

"You think I don't wanna do this?" Mulder asked. "I'd give my 
left nut to be in on this, guys."

"You still have a left nut?" Frohike asked, grinning madly.

"It's next to my right one," Mulder said. "Wanna see?"

Frohike snorted, while Byers and Langly chuckled. "Uh, I'll 
pass."

"He's afraid of his love for you," Byers said, still 
laughing.

Frohike raised a hand, threatening, but did nothing. Byers 
just grinned at him.

"Maybe you could be in the van with us," Langly said. "We 
could always use an extra set of eyes for the monitors."

Mulder poked Langly's leg with his cane. "You guys want 
Doggett and Byers to go into the facility?"

"Somebody's gotta crack the computer from the inside," 
Frohike said. "And Langly and I have to deal with the 
security. It's gonna be a mother."

"Yeah, it sure won't be Dogbert crackin' the system," Langly 
said, flipping Mulder the bird.

"Byers, are you sure you can trust him to cover your ass?" 
Mulder looked over at him.

Byers nodded. "As far as I can trust anyone, yes." It was far 
more than that, but he wasn't about to say anything in front 
of Mulder. Byers knew Doggett would do his best to get both 
of them out of the facility in one piece, should anything 
happen. It was more than he could say for Mulder, when they'd 
broken into the Lombard fertility clinic all those years ago. 
Mulder had abandoned him in a hallway, telling him to go to 
Scully in Allentown -- and Byers had done it to save her 
life, narrowly avoiding arrest, or worse. It was one of his 
earliest experiences with serious breaking and entering. It 
had been one of his more frightening ones.

He swore then and there he'd never enter a building alone 
with Mulder like that again. He couldn't trust the man. Love 
him dearly as a friend, certainly. Trust Mulder with his 
life? Not for a million bucks.

Mulder gave him an odd look. "I never thought you trusted 
anybody, Byers."

"I trust the guys."

Frohike and Langly nodded vigorously. "Yeah. We don't ditch 
each other, dude," Langly said. He gave Mulder a pointed 
look.

There was a knock on the door.

"That's probably him," Mulder said. "One of you guys wanna 
get that?"

"How do you know?" Frohike said.

Mulder grinned. "Krycek's dead, and anyway, he would have 
just picked the lock and walked in with a gun pointed at us."

"Right," Langly said. "More like he'd shoot the lock off." He 
looked over at Byers. 

Byers shuddered at the mention. He didn't want to think about 
Krycek or the photos. He knew Langly was weighing whether 
they should tell Mulder that Krycek was alive, but that would 
open up an entirely new can of worms. Nothing else would get 
done. He'd just as soon put it off until later.

He went to the door. It was Doggett -- and he had a nasty 
black eye. "Agent Doggett, what happened?" Byers' heart 
skipped a beat, and he fought with himself to keep from 
touching Doggett's face in concern.

Doggett looked at him, giving a subtle shake of his head, 
warning him away. "Hey Byers. Guys." He looked over at the 
couch. "Mulder."

"'Bout time you made it," Langly said. He did a double take. 
"Man, what happened to you?"

"Ran into some trouble last night," Doggett said. "I'm fine, 
just a little dinged up. How's it goin'?" He walked into the 
living room with Byers and stood next to him, laying a 
briefcase on Mulder's desk. Byers was determined to grill him 
afterwards and get the real story.

"Mulder's considering trading in his left nut for a seat in 
the van when we do the Queens poach," Frohike said, winking.

Doggett grimaced. "I didn't need to know that."

"I could have lived without that revelation myself," Byers 
said. He looked over at Mulder. "But with Mulder and Frohike 
in the same room, it's inevitable."

Mulder grinned. "You're just jealous."

Byers snorted. "Of what? I'm not the one considering giving 
up body parts to do this mission." 

"Frohike's love for me." Mulder's grin broadened as Byers 
grimaced.

"He's really not my type," Byers deadpanned. That, at least, 
was true. They might be the closest of friends, but he'd 
never had so much as a twitch of interest in the man. 
Something about a little too short and a little too furry 
just didn't do it for him. He could hear Doggett chuckling 
next to him, and shot him a glare intended to freeze 
nitrogen.

Doggett just grinned. He looked back at Mulder. "So there's a 
funky poach planned."

Everyone nodded, making affirming noises.

"Do we know where yet?" Mulder asked.

Langly pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket. "I've been 
workin' on it. Narrowed it down to one of the buildings on 
the drydock near the old Army base."

"And how many buildings are on the drydock?" Doggett gave 
Langly a look.

"Seventeen," Byers answered. "I checked the maps. Only two of 
them look like warehouses that would be suitable for the kind 
of operation we're talking about, though."

Frohike nodded. "One of 'em's abandoned. The other, we traced 
to a shell corporation called Proteus Holding Company. We 
don't know yet who owns it."

"Proteus," Byers said, "was a shapeshifter in Greek 
mythology. Zeus, Proteus." He shrugged. "I think we've got a 
good shot there. If they're trying to transform humans into 
something else..." He wasn't positive that it was the right 
place, but the literary links seemed right. If other evidence 
backed it up, he was willing to take the chance.

"We're gonna do some security camera poaching for a couple of 
days first--" Langly said.

"--to see if we sight anybody we know from our 'Conspiracy's 
Most Wanted List,'" Frohike finished.

"You mean, like Rohrer?" Doggett raised an eyebrow.

Byers smiled. "Yeah, like Rohrer." He was pleased that 
Doggett had picked up on the agenda quickly. It would help 
quash some of Mulder's objections.

"I'll recognize some of the players if they show up," Mulder 
said. "I've run into quite a few of them over the years. 
Scully will know some of them too. If we see anyone familiar 
--"

"--or anybody in military fatigues --" Langly added.

"-- then we'll know we're on target," Mulder said.

Doggett rubbed his chin as he stood. He looked thoughtful but 
slightly agitated. "Rohrer was in my unit in Lebanon," he 
said. "I wonder..."

"What?" Byers prompted. He touched a hand to Doggett's elbow 
briefly.

Doggett looked at him. "I wonder if anybody else there was 
involved in this mess. Like, maybe other guys from the unit 
might have been grabbed by 'em?"

"Why would you have reason to suspect that?" Mulder asked. 

Byers looked at Mulder. "I think it's an excellent question."

Doggett hesitated. "Yesterday..." He looked around, then 
pulled the chair from Mulder's desk and sat. His face paled 
slightly. Byers and Frohike moved in toward him a bit. 
Mulder's eyes narrowed with interest. Doggett looked up at 
them, a flash of annoyance in his eyes. "Back off guys, 
you're crowding me."

They backed away slightly.

"What about yesterday?" Byers asked. He knew it couldn't have 
been about the photos. Or could it? A cold knot tightened in 
his gut. Were they going to be outed to Mulder now as well?

"These supersoldiers, they've infiltrated the Bureau." 
Doggett looked at Mulder, blue eyes intense.

Mulder grimaced. "That figures. Who?"

"Gene Crane, for one." Doggett sighed.

"Crane? Who got assigned to VCU after the mess in Arizona 
with the bounty hunter and Gibson Praise?" Mulder quirked an 
eyebrow.

Doggett nodded. "Yeah, him."

"How do you know that?" Byers asked. Suddenly the black eye 
was making more sense.

Doggett turned to him. "Ran into him last night on the way to 
Monica's place. He..." He swallowed uncomfortably. "He tried 
to grab me. Did this." He tapped his cheek under the deep 
bruise. "Got a bruise on my ribs too, but it's not serious. 
Nothin' broken."

"What did he want?" Frohike asked, uneasy.

"Said I shoulda been one of them." Doggett shuddered.

Byers grit his teeth, biting back a hundred questions. This 
wasn't the time for it, or the place. Fear was useless right 
now. He had to focus on what they could learn from this. "Did 
he say anything about the project, or TREYNOR?"

"No." Doggett paused and took a breath. "But he had this 
weird assed bump on the back of his neck --"

"Where is he now?" Mulder asked, cutting in.

Doggett tapped his fingers nervously on his knee. "Dead. That 
bump, it's caused by this metal vertebra in their necks. 
Rohrer has one, and Billy Miles. It's how you can tell what 
they are."

"Miles isn't the same thing," Mulder said. "He's alien-
generated; a replacement. The others, I'm not sure how 
they're created."

"Yeah, well," Doggett said, "whatever. They've both got the 
bumps."

"Has Scully done the autopsy yet?" Mulder asked.

Doggett pulled a file from the briefcase he'd brought. "Right 
here." He dropped it in Mulder's lap. "Not much to autopsy 
though."

Mulder opened the file, then blinked. "Uh, no. Guess not."

Langly, standing over Mulder's shoulder, paled. 

"What?" Frohike asked.

Doggett sat back. "He fell into an industrial fan."

Langly swallowed and blinked. "Oh man. I don't wanna hear 
anything else."

"The vertebra we found, though, it went missing," Doggett 
said, frustration in his tone. "Just like the last one, damn 
it. I was gonna bring it to you to check out, Frohike. 
Nobody's been able to figure out what the hell the damned 
things are made of."

"Your confidence warms the cockles of my heart," Frohike 
said, chuckling.

Doggett shook his head. "I don't want to be anywhere near 
your cockles, Frohike."

"There's nothing on the security record from Quantico?" Byers 
asked, astonished.

"Nothing," Doggett said. "Not just nobody seen breaking in, 
but nothing at all. No record whatsoever."

Mulder snorted. "That figures."

Doggett continued. "Some really strange damage to the locker 
it was stored in, too. It's like it sorta... dry rotted. But 
we're talking metal here, not wood or anything. It wasn't 
rust, but the metal was weakened. It was almost like it got 
kinda spongy -- dry but spongy-textured and all brittle."

"That really is strange," Mulder said. "I want to get a look 
at it. I'll have to talk to Scully."

"Weirdness," Frohike muttered.

"They must have hacked security and had someone pull the 
remains," Byers said. "It could just as easily have been an 
inside job, if Crane was one of them. There must be others in 
the Bureau as well, like Agent Doggett said. There might be 
somebody in Forensics in on it."

"We gotta find these guys," Langly said. He looked at 
Doggett. "Like, we don't need anybody hauling you off like 
they took Scully and Mulder."

Byers' gut froze. No, that was the last thing he wanted. He 
could feel his short fingernails biting into his palms as his 
hands tightened into fists. He put them in his pockets. "Can 
we get blueprints for the Proteus warehouse?" he asked.

"Tonight," Frohike said.

Mulder looked up from the file. "I'm going with you guys, 
even if it's just for a seat in the van. You may need an 
extra gun along."

Frohike snickered. "Yeah, just make sure you don't lose it."

Byers gave him a sharp look. It was true that Mulder had the 
world's worst history with losing guns and cell phones, but 
having him along for backup certainly wouldn't hurt. It was, 
in fact, part of the reason they'd come to see him.

Doggett nodded. "Good idea." He looked at Byers. "I don't 
want you guys getting hurt. Monica's coming too."

"And who else will be along for our little circus act?" 
Mulder asked.

"Just Jimmy," Langly said. "I wouldn't trust him with the 
actual poach, but he can help drive."

DOGGETT'S TRUCK
EARLY EVENING

"Are you sure you're ready to do something like this?" Byers 
asked. "It's not exactly by the book."

"Are you kidding?" Doggett asked. "One thing I'm learning 
working on the X Files is that the book gets rewritten every 
day. Of course I'm ready. I need to find out what the hell's 
going on. There doesn't seem to be any other way to do it."

"And how does Agent Reyes feel about coming along for this?" 
He wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. He knew she didn't like 
them.

Doggett stared out at the moving traffic. "She thinks it's 
stupid taking you guys along. There's no way we can do this 
without you, though. She wasn't thrilled about Mulder being 
along either."

That figured. "Well, it's not like he's going to be able to 
help out much with the actual infiltration." He settled back 
into the seat. They'd been sent to give Scully the details of 
what they were planning, and now they were going to Doggett's 
place so he could pack up. They'd leave in the morning for 
New York. "But Mulder's right. We'll need extra eyes for 
this, and another person who's armed probably wouldn't hurt."

"It's gonna be dangerous, Johnny. I know you have to go in 
with me for the hack, but I really want you to be careful." 
Doggett glanced at Byers for a moment, and Byers could see 
the worry in his eyes. 

"Dangerous? Of course it's dangerous! And what the hell 
happened to you last night?" he snapped. He reached out and 
gently touched the bruise around Doggett's bloodshot eye, his 
ginger motion contrasting with his harsh tone of voice. 
Doggett flinched. "Why didn't you tell us -- why didn't you 
tell me what happened?"

"Because I figured you'd go off like this. I'm fine, Johnny. 
It's just a black eye and some bruised ribs." He scowled over 
the steering wheel. "You had a lousy day and I didn't want to 
put anything more on top of it. I talked to Monica." He 
seemed uneasy at that last statement.

Byers knew that Doggett sometimes saw Reyes. It hadn't been a 
secret. "It's okay. I mean, I know you two have an... an 
arrangement. I just... I just wish you'd called me, let me 
know what happened."

Doggett shook his head. "What, and have you up worrying all 
night? You would have. I know you that well at least."

Byers blushed. Doggett was right. He nodded. "Yes, I'd have 
worried. But at least if you were with Agent Reyes, you were 
with someone who could help." He wished Doggett had come to 
him instead, but it wasn't that kind of a relationship. He 
knew it, accepted it. He was glad for what time Doggett could 
give him, and for the things they did together. Asking for 
more would be stepping beyond the bounds of propriety. It 
might be pushing too far, and he didn't care to drive Doggett 
away with a wish for a little more emotional connection.

"It didn't exactly turn out that way," Doggett said, quiet. 

"Did you... tell her about the blackmail attempt?" Byers' gut 
knotted. He hoped not, but he knew Doggett couldn't really 
keep it a secret from her. It affected all of them.

"Yeah," Doggett said. "I did. She was, shall we say, less 
than thrilled."

"Is it going to be all right between you?" Byers was 
genuinely concerned. Right now, the last thing any of them 
needed was Doggett and Reyes having a fight about it. Byers 
knew Reyes didn't like him, but he hoped she'd be able to 
stay with the case at hand, rather than allowing the 
situation to become too personal.

"I don't know yet. I hope so." They pulled into Doggett's 
driveway. "C'mon. Let's go in, get some of this stuff 
together."

Byers followed him in, watching him carefully. He wondered if 
Doggett was genuinely all right, or if he was just brushing 
off a more serious injury along with the problems he'd faced 
last night with Agent Reyes. There was some hesitation to 
certain movements, but no real sign that the rib injuries 
were anything more than Doggett had claimed earlier. Still, 
he was concerned. He followed Doggett around the house, 
helping out when asked.

"You wanna give me a hand with this, Johnny?" Doggett pointed 
to a small pile of clothes he'd tossed on his kitchen table, 
and a backpack. "I gotta grab some extra clips and load 'em."

"Sure." Byers walked over to the table. "But Jack..." He 
hesitated.

"Yeah?"

"I..." Byers swallowed nervously. "I just want to be sure 
you're okay." He reached out and touched Doggett's face 
gently, brushing the tips of his fingers across the butterfly 
bandage over his eye. Doggett stood still and let him. The 
black eye was still a bit warm and definitely swollen, though 
the eye wasn't completely shut. The white of it was red with 
broken blood vessels. It probably looked worse than it was. 
He'd had a few himself over the years. "Your eye is all 
right?"

Doggett nodded. "Yeah. Nothin' wrong with my vision." Doggett 
reached out to him and pulled him close. The movement was 
slow and tentative, and Byers took care not to squeeze 
Doggett's ribs, but he did stroke his back slowly with both 
hands. Doggett sighed quietly, relaxing a little.

"Feels good," he said.

"I do worry about you," Byers said softly.

Doggett nodded. "I know. Not like I never worry about you. 
I'm not too crazy about taking you inside the facility, you 
know. You and the guys, you do crazy shit."

"I have to go. You'd never be able to crack the system on 
your own. I'm the only one that can do it -- Frohike and 
Langly need to crack security for us. They're better at it 
than I am. Jimmy can't do either of those jobs, and neither 
can Agent Reyes. Mulder might be able to do a little bit, but 
he's no hacker, and he can't do the physical stuff like he 
used to."

"They're all good reasons for you to go in with me," Doggett 
said, "but I'm still worried about it. If we run into 
trouble, I want you to run like hell and not look back. I'll 
cover you, make sure you get out safe if I can." There was a 
look of uncertainty on his face, as though he didn't think 
Byers would accept it.

"I believe you," Byers said, "and I'll run if I have to. I 
just don't want it to come to that. If everything goes well, 
we should be in and out fairly quickly and security should be 
none the wiser."

"If this really is a supersoldier project installation, 
Johnny, it's not likely to be that easy."

Byers closed his eyes. He knew that. The truth was, he was 
scared half to death, but the mission was necessary. They had 
to know, to stop it if they could. "We'll do the job," he 
said, trying to shove confidence into his heart by sheer 
repetition. "It'll be fine. Nobody's going to get hurt." 

He looked back up at Doggett. The big man was looking down at 
him, that odd expression back on his face. Doggett leaned in 
and kissed him gently. It stirred Byers, leaving his heart 
beating faster.

"Yeah, we will." Doggett slid a hand under Byers' chin and 
tilted his face up. "Do you have to go home tonight?"

Byers thought. As far as he knew, he had everything he needed 
already packed. The guys were taking care of the rest of the 
equipment for the mission. "I think I can stay. I should call 
the guys though, find out if they need me."

Doggett nodded. "Why don't you do that." He released Byers 
from their embrace.

It took only a few minutes to resolve the situation. Frohike 
told him to stay, that it was obvious he'd sleep better if he 
was with Doggett instead of home worrying about him and 
fussing at all of them. Byers thanked him, amused.

"Okay," Doggett said. "When we finish packing, I want some 
time with you."

Byers tilted his head. "What do you have in mind? Did you 
want to play? Are you sure you're all right for that?"

"Yeah. I don't have anything too strenuous in mind. I'd 
really like it, and to be honest, I think we both need it. 
Yesterday was pretty stressful for both of us."

Byers smiled a little, and Doggett returned the expression, 
one side of his mouth quirking upward slightly. 

"Yes, Sir," Byers said, his heart beating just a little 
faster. "It would be my pleasure to serve you."

"Good." 

Byers worked quickly, taking care to fit everything into 
Doggett's backpack efficiently. He'd done this sort of thing 
for too many years now. That he was doing it for Doggett 
pleased him. If it saved his Dom a little pain from the 
bruised ribs, it was all good. He wondered what Doggett had 
in mind for the night. It was obvious anything vigorous was 
right out.

Slow and gentle sounded good. It would feel good. Or maybe 
Doggett would just want to be sucked and stroked. That would 
be fine too. He let his imagination carry him while he helped 
Doggett finish the packing. By the time everything was done, 
he was in a state of low but pleasant arousal, his skin 
slightly sensitive and wanting touch.

"Sir?"

"Yeah?" Doggett looked up at Byers.

"What do you want tonight?"

Doggett set down the last clip he'd worked on, held out a 
hand to him and gestured. "Come with me."

Byers took his hand and followed. Doggett's skin was warm and 
dry, and he held Byers' hand tight. Doggett led him up the 
stairs to his bedroom. He pointed to a place on the floor. 
"Strip, boy, and come over here."

"Yes, Sir." Byers did as he was told, shivering with 
anticipation. He lowered his eyes to the floor. Doggett 
spread a sheet out on the floor near him.

"When you're here with me like this," Doggett said, seduction 
in his voice, "you're mine. Your body is mine, for my 
pleasure. You'll do as I desire. You'll obey me and follow my 
orders. If you disobey, you'll be punished. If you're good, 
you'll be rewarded, and I promise you, you'll enjoy the 
rewards."

Byers closed his eyes, cock getting harder, rising before him 
now that it was free from his pants. His heart beat faster, 
breath catching. He wanted this, wanted it badly. He needed -
- was grateful for what Doggett gave him in a sharp, bone-
deep way he couldn't put in words.

"Look at me when I speak to you, boy." The tone was quiet. 
There was no harshness in it, only a demand for attention.

"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir." He looked up into Doggett's eyes.

"What were you thinking?" Doggett asked.

Byers hesitated.

"You're mine when you're here. You'll answer the questions I 
put to you. Tell me."

Byers could feel himself blush. "I... how good that sounds, 
Sir. How much I want that."

Doggett smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way." His voice 
lowered, a sensual almost-growl. "What gives me pleasure is 
hearing you beg, hearing you lose control when I fuck you. 
The heat of your body under me pleases me. The way you look, 
kneeling in front of me with your shaft and balls bound, your 
hands bound. Your mouth --" Doggett's astonishingly blue eyes 
closed for a moment, his mouth open slightly, "--God, your 
mouth."

Byers shuddered, thinking about that, seeing himself sucking 
Doggett's thick shaft. "Yes," he whispered. He could feel his 
own cock leap at the thought. When had he become so addicted 
to this man? To what Doggett did to his body?

Doggett looked back down at him, locking eyes with him. One 
hand reached out, stroking Byers' hair, following the line of 
his cheek, whispering fingers across his lips. It was like a 
tidal wave, overwhelming and electric. He couldn't help 
gasping.

"So hot," Doggett muttered. He pointed to a spot on the 
sheet. "Kneel there, hands behind your back, knees spread."

Byers moved. "Yes, Sir." He knelt, spreading himself open in 
display as he'd been ordered. One hand clasping the opposite 
wrist, he sat up straight. The position kept his chest 
forward. The blatant, erotic exposure excited him. He waited, 
eyes raised to his Master. He was so hard he ached.

Doggett walked around him, just looking, chin in hand. The 
evaluating gaze was fire on his skin. Waiting was difficult. 
He wanted to be touched, wanted to suck his Master's hot, 
stiff rod, to caress the silky skin with his tongue. He 
wished they could play without condoms. He wanted to taste 
flesh, taste the salt and bitterness of his Dom's come. He 
craved the intimacy of the connection, the sensual depth of 
that contact. Byers wished he could bring himself to ask, but 
paranoia and distrust still held him.

Touch. He craved touch.

"Please, Sir," Byers said.

Doggett's hand in his hair, fisting. God, it felt good. 
"Please what, boy?"

"T-touch me, Sir. Please."

Doggett chuckled. He tugged a little at Byers' hair. It sent 
an erotic charge through Byers' body. "When I'm ready." 

Doggett stepped back for a few minutes, hand still in Byers' 
hair. Eventually, slowly, he ran one fingertip down the 
center of Byers' chest, from the hollow at the base of his 
throat to the root of his cock. Byers shivered and moaned, 
gooseflesh rising, his nipples hardening into tight peaks.

"Oh, yeah." Doggett grinned. "I like that sound."

Byers took a deep breath, wondering what would happen. He 
licked his lips, nervous.

Doggett knelt before him and tilted Byers' head back. He 
could feel the heat of Doggett's breath as he moved closer; 
Doggett's hot, wet mouth fastened gently on his throat, teeth 
scraping lightly along his skin, and he whimpered. He shook 
with the effort of remaining still, wanting to reach out and 
touch, to draw his Master closer, bring them body to body. 

"Yes," he moaned, closing his eyes to focus on the sensual 
stroke of Doggett's tongue on his flesh. "Ohhhhhh..."

"Mmm." Doggett backed away and stood. "Touch yourself, 
Johnny."

"Sir?" Byers opened his eyes and looked up.

"Your cock," Doggett said, his voice low and husky. "I wanna 
see you stroke yourself. Wanna see you make yourself come for 
me."

Byers swallowed, shivering. He could feel himself flush even 
more with embarrassment. He'd never been asked to do that 
before, and wouldn't have considered it without the request. 
"Y-yes Sir."

"Are you nervous, boy?" Doggett's gaze on him narrowed and he 
leaned forward, towering over Byers.

Byers nodded. "Yes, Sir," he whispered.

"Good." Doggett smiled. "Do it anyway." He reached down and 
stroked his fingers through Byers' hair, then grabbed a 
handful at the back of his head, arching his neck back.

Byers gasped and moaned, closing his eyes again. God, it felt 
good. Even the nervousness felt good. His cock throbbed.

"Do it," Doggett insisted. "I want to see you."

Byers reached in front of him and ran his fingers slowly from 
the ridge of his cock to his balls and back. "Yes, Sir." 

It twitched as he touched himself, getting harder, and he 
pushed his embarrassment back. He watched as Doggett watched 
him, his Dom's intense blue eyes fixed on his hand as it 
moved. Doggett ran his fingers along the front of Byers' 
throat and Byers shuddered at the soft, deft touch.

"You need it, don't you? Giving yourself up like this. You 
need someone to take control of you before you can let go. 
Someone to fill you. Someone to train you to pleasure."

"Yes." It was barely a whisper -- more like a hiss. He took 
his shaft in hand and squeezed, stroking slowly. "Ohhhh."

"You need to be taken like a whore, don't you? Held down, 
bound, taught to receive pleasure when it's given to you." 
Doggett's sensual growl left him shuddering.

Byers writhed, groaning. 

"Oh, yeah." Doggett slipped around him then knelt behind him, 
wrapping his arms around Byers' waist and pulling him close. 
"You need to be fucked, don't you, little slut. Look at you, 
your hot, fuckable body -- God, that sweet ass of  yours --  
jackin' off where I can watch. So Goddamn sexy. You want 
cock, don't you?"

Byers nodded, the ability to form coherent thought leaking 
out his ears as his fist stroked and Doggett's hands moved 
over him. He leaned back on his heels, knees still spread 
wide, sinking into the firm embrace.

"You got a mouth like a whore, boy. You want to suck my rod, 
don't you?" Doggett's hands slid up his chest, moving over 
Byers' tight, peaked nipples. Byers nodded and moaned again, 
and Doggett pinched them, pulling at them. Byers groaned, 
loud and long, then squeezed his shaft harder, starting to 
pump in earnest.

"Yeah, little cub, do it." One of Doggett's hands moved, 
sliding down Byers' body. He pulled his other arm from around 
Byers' waist and caressed his hip, running his fingers over 
the curve of Byers' ass. A squeeze, and his fingers slipped 
into the cleft between Byers' cheeks, spreading them, moving 
over his opening. "I'm gonna fill you, slut, gonna take your 
ass and fill it until you come."

"Ohhh, God. Aaaaannh." Byers was panting, and Doggett curled 
around him, biting his neck and the top of his shoulder. 
"Please, please, Sir."

"What do you want, boy?" Doggett's voice was right there, 
right in his ear, a quiet, horny, amused rumble. He could 
feel the man's body pressed hard against him, thrusting 
slowly at his ass. His Master's rod was hard and hot enough 
to burn through the clothes Doggett still wore.

"Please, Sir, take me." Byers could barely focus on anything 
but the need in his body and his tightening balls as he 
stroked. "Want you. Unnh, God. Need you. God, please, fuck 
me."

Doggett groaned behind him, then shoved him forward and down 
until his cheek was on the ground, ass in the air. "Stay 
there, just like that. Keep stroking yourself."

"Unnnnh. Yes, Sir." He could feel the chill of moving air on 
his skin as Doggett rose and walked away. Was he going to get 
a condom and lube? Byers wanted it desperately, with every 
fiber of his being. He could almost feel the man enter him 
already, imagining the heat and hardness and depth of it. He 
moaned again, pulling mindlessly at his leaking cock.

He could hear a drawer open and the shuffle of things moving. 
There was the distinctive crinkle of a condom being opened, 
and Byers groaned, stroking himself harder and faster. He 
could feel Doggett move closer again, looming over him. His 
heart pounded wildly as he felt the heat of Doggett's body on 
his skin.

One broad hand caressed his cheeks and he moaned low and 
long. "Unnnh, yeah. Oh God yeah. Please, Sir, please, fuck 
me." He was begging again, mindless with need. Doggett made 
him helpless with it. He was so good, felt so good, took him 
in all the ways Byers needed most. He loved the way Doggett 
handled his body; his power, his strength, the sheer mass of 
him as he surrounded Byers' own slighter frame and dominated 
him.

Lubed fingers slid into his ass and Byers cried out, 
wordlessly.

"Oh, yeah, that's right, boy. Let me hear you. God, I love 
the way you sound when you need it that much."

Byers shuddered as the fingers stroked and invaded him, and 
he spread his legs wider, pumped his cock harder. "Ohhhhhh. 
Mmmm."

A quick thrust, and something cool and hard filled him. He 
howled. Doggett slid his arms under Byers', pulling him up by 
his shoulders until he knelt upright again, body arched back, 
completely exposed.

"Take it, boy. Fuck yourself for me." Doggett's arms left 
Byers, his body suddenly bare and unsupported. He kept 
stroking, helpless as he moaned, eyes squeezed shut. When he 
opened his eyes again to see his Dom's face, Doggett stood 
before him, grinning broadly.

"Oh God oh God oh --"

Doggett toggled something in his hand and suddenly the big, 
cool toy in Byers' ass took on a life of its own. 

"Aaah! Aaaaaaah!"  

He could hear the mechanical grind as it spun and moved 
inside him. Gasping, he leaned forward onto one hand, 
squeezing his cock tight. It drove him, squirming and 
groaning, to the edge.

"Back as you were," Doggett snapped. "Stroke yourself, little 
cub. Come for me. I wanna see you come."

It was an effort to move with any control, but he leaned back 
on his heels, pumping himself hard, hips thrusting. He 
shouted, incoherent, as Doggett played with the controls, 
changing the speed of the vibrator randomly. 

"Yeah, boy, that's it." Byers could hear the excitement in 
Doggett's voice. "God, you're gorgeous like that. I can't 
wait to watch Sergio fuck you in front of me. Wanna watch him 
take you, make you scream."

What little control Byers still had snapped and he threw his 
head back, bellowing as he shot. As his cock jerked and spat 
the thick, viscous liquid, he collapsed on the floor. The 
vibrator kept moving in him, left him writhing on the floor 
at Doggett's feet, clutching his cock hard while the fingers 
of his other hand dug into the sheet.

"Damn, you're so hot." Doggett's voice was breathless and 
close, and when Byers opened his eyes, he was right there, 
kneeling next to him.

"Unnh, Master, oh God, please, unh..."

Doggett's hands stroked his side and back as he bucked and 
trembled. "Is that what you want, boy? To be my slave? To 
wear my collar?" There was a tremor in his voice, and he 
traced the line of a collar around Byers' throat with one 
finger.

Byers just moaned, unable to form coherent sound. All he 
wanted was to keep feeling like this. He wanted anything that 
would give this to him, loved the sound of Doggett's voice, 
the touch of his skin. Calling the man his Master seemed to 
come as a reflex sometimes. Maybe he did want to be Doggett's 
slave, but if he did, he was too afraid to face that desire. 
He'd deny it if forced to answer.

"It's not like this, Johnny, being a slave." Doggett's voice 
was quiet, intimate, close in his ear. Hands on his chest, 
fingers pinching his nipples, Doggett's hand on his own, 
squeezing his shaft. "I'd love to take you like that, to own 
you, but you're not ready. You may never be."

"Aaaaunh. Unh." He'd stopped spurting, but the movement 
inside him kept him on edge, gasping.

"I love the sound of that word on your lips, little cub, my 
hot, beautiful boy, but if you want me to collar you, you'll 
have to earn it. You'll have to prove you understand it, that 
you really want it."

Byers groaned. The motion inside him slowed, then finally 
stopped, and Doggett's strong arms collected him, clutching 
him to his broad, warm chest. He heard Doggett's heart 
thundering, almost as swiftly as his own. Byers burrowed his 
face in Doggett's chest, making small, incoherent sounds.

Doggett held him as he got his breathing under control again, 
heart starting to slow to a more normal rate. He was 
floating.

"Oh, God, Sir," he finally whispered, voice hoarse.

Doggett reached a hand between Byers' legs and took the 
vibrator, playing gently with it, slipping it slowly in and 
out a few times before he pulled it carefully from Byers' 
body.

Byers went limp in Doggett's arms. Doggett held him close and 
kissed him deep.

"God, Johnny, you're beautiful," Doggett whispered, lips 
moving in Byers' hair. He caressed Byers, kissing him again. 
Byers sucked at his tongue, wanting everything Doggett gave 
him, until he pulled away. "So beautiful when you come."

"Thank you, Sir," Byers mumbled. He could barely move, and 
his body sang with exhaustion and pleasure.

"We're not done yet," Doggett said. Byers looked up at him. 
Doggett grinned.

Byers blinked and swallowed. "No, Sir. Of course not, Sir. Y-
you haven't had your pleasure yet."

"Oh, I'm very pleased, but you're right. That'll be a while. 
I'm not done playing with you yet." 

Byers shivered, not knowing what was coming but wanting it 
anyway.

Doggett let Byers lie back down on the floor. He reached into 
the top drawer of his bedside stand and pulled out a short 
length of chain. Nipple clips. Byers shivered in 
anticipation. He wondered if he'd be able to tolerate the 
clips so soon after coming. Everything tended to be 
hypersensitive for a while. He shuddered and moaned as his 
Master tightened them down on his nipples.

God, it felt good, stirring a wave of pleasure through his 
body down to the base of his spine.

"Come sit here on the bed," Doggett said. 

Byers' legs felt like rubber as Doggett helped him to the 
edge of the bed. They collapsed under him as soon as the 
backs of his thighs touched it. He was trembling as he worked 
to keep himself upright.

Doggett stripped and sat beside him, rolling a condom onto 
his hard shaft. "Go ahead and lie on your side," he whispered 
in Byers' ear. 

They lay together, bodies touching, while Byers closed his 
eyes. 

Doggett stroked Byers' sweat-slick body slowly, tracing 
patterns on his skin with the tips of his fingers. He lay on 
his good side, enjoying the feel of Byers' flesh under his 
hands. He licked and nipped at Byers' throat, listening to 
his sub's quiet moans.

He wasn't sure when Byers had become so beautiful to him. 
Byers himself hadn't changed, but the way Doggett saw him 
certainly had. The flush of his skin when he was aroused left 
Doggett breathless. The way his lashes lay dark on his cheeks 
drew  Doggett in. The way he moved -- Doggett tugged gently 
at the nipple clips and Byers groaned and clutched at him.

"Beautiful," he whispered. "So beautiful, Johnny."

Doggett was hard from watching Byers, from listening to the 
sounds his sub made when he came. The salt in his glistening 
sweat burned Doggett's tongue and left him wanting more. 
Byers tasted of need and desire. He smelled of heat and sex 
and pure ecstasy. 

Byers' hands slid along Doggett's body, exploring 
tentatively. They moved softly over his side, up his chest. 
The touch left him tingling, like current passing over him. 
He held back a shudder and pulled Byers close, holding him 
tight. It felt so right.

He could hear Byers' almost silent sigh. The emotion in it 
was layered and complex -- need, relief, pleasure. He slipped 
one hand between them, caressing Byers' half-hard cock.

"Mmmmmmm."

He nibbled at Byers' ear. "Sweet. So sweet." Byers hummed 
again as Doggett sucked at his earlobe, stroking his sub's 
cock gently. A shudder passed through Byers' body and Doggett 
rolled onto him and kissed him. 

Byers responded, still shaking, opening to Doggett's moving 
tongue. Doggett nipped at his lips and he moaned, panting. 
When Doggett slipped his tongue into Byers' mouth again, 
Byers sucked at it, eyes closed, his whole body surrendering 
to Doggett's rough demand.

He backed off and whispered into Byers' ear. "Suck me, little 
cub. I want to feel your hot mouth on my rod. Please me. Make 
me come." His breath was ragged with want.

Byers groaned, loud, and opened his eyes. They were dilated, 
big and dark, filled with lust and arousal. "Yes, Sir," he 
said, lips moving against Doggett's. "Anything for you."

God, the look in his eyes -- Doggett's heart skipped a beat 
at the words and their wild, decadent promise. *Anything.* 
Yes. He wanted this so much, wanted Byers' touch and his 
attention. Doggett rolled off his sub and lay on his back, 
one knee raised in a languid, open posture. He ran a hand 
through Byers' soft hair, caressing the back of his head as 
Byers lowered himself to Doggett's throat.

"Yeah, Johnny. Ohhhhhh..."

Doggett let himself relax as Byers' lips and tongue played 
softly on his neck, under his chin. Byers' beard was soft and 
scratchy on his skin, and he arched his head back for more of 
the complex, erotic sensation. God, he was so lucky. His hand 
fisted in Byers' hair, pulling a moan from the man. Byers 
kissed and bit at his skin with even more enthusiasm as he 
moved down Doggett's body.

"That's your fantasy, isn't it boy?" Doggett's voice was 
rough as he spoke, barely controlled. "To be a slave. To wear 
a collar." He panted as Byers whimpered into his chest, 
biting at Doggett's nipple. Doggett yipped and slapped Byers' 
hip. "Not so hard, slut."

"I'm sorry, Sir." It was a quick gasp, then Byers' soothing 
tongue slipping over the aroused flesh. A suck and a pull, 
and Doggett groaned. Byers kept his mouth moving on Doggett's 
chest, working his way lower.

Doggett grabbed Byers' thigh and pulled at him, making him 
move so his hip was near Doggett's face. He stroked Byers' 
ass with one hand, letting his hand slip around between his 
sub's legs to caress his balls. Byers whimpered again.

"You want a Master, don't you?" Doggett asked. He scratched 
gently from Byers' pucker down over his balls to his cock.

Byers moaned, head back, shaking.

"Don't you?" Doggett demanded. He thrust a finger into Byers' 
ass, then pulled it out.

Byers was gasping now, shuddering. He spread his legs further 
apart, his shaft hard and purple.

Doggett slapped his ass hard. "Answer me, slut!"

"S-sir, I --"

Doggett grabbed Byers' hair again. He shoved Byers' face into 
his crotch. "Suck!" he ordered, voice sharp and harsh. 

Byers groaned and took him in, mouth wet and burning. Doggett 
held his head down and thrust into his mouth.

"A slave obeys orders instantly, boy." God, Byers' tongue in 
his slit was amazing. He tried to silence his own gasp, only 
half-succeeding. "Disobedience brings punishment." He slapped 
Byers' ass hard, several times, not letting him raise his 
head. 

His shaft muffled Byers' cries. He shuddered as the vibration 
of it rang in his body.

"A slave has no safewords, John." He tugged at the chain that 
joined Byers' nipples, and Byers moaned, sucking harder, 
desperation in his movements. He could see Byers' cock 
jumping, beginning to leak. The scent of his arousal was 
thick, and Doggett barely managed to resist moving to suck 
Byers' dick, dangling so close. Damn, he felt so hot. 

"Is that what you want? Can you really handle offering me 
'anything'?" Byers only seemed to call him Master when he was 
on the knife-edge of losing himself, when he was coming. 
Doggett thought it had to be something buried deep in him, 
some desire that scared him too much to accept when he was 
more in control.

Byers sucked deeper and his mouth was an inferno of bliss, 
pushing Doggett to the edge. His tongue was committing acts 
of pure torture on Doggett's shaft. "Unnnnngh. Fuck Johnny, 
oh God."

Byers' hands were on his balls, caressing his ass, slipping 
close to his opening -- too close. Doggett was about to 
explode. He jerked the chain again, thrusting up into Byers' 
mouth. Byers groaned deep, then swallowed him, head bobbing 
quickly.

Doggett pulled him off by his hair, and Byers moaned a 
wordless objection. He tugged again at the nipple clips and 
shouted, "Off the bed and on your knees,  slut!"

Byers, eyes squeezed shut, slipped off the edge of the bed to 
his knees beside it. "Y-yes, Sir," he gasped.

Doggett stood, still holding the chain. He could barely 
control his breathing, he was so hot. He wanted in Byers' ass 
so badly he was shaking. "You were out of line, boy."

Byers bowed his head. "Yes, Sir," he whispered.

"Kiss my rod." Doggett tugged at the nipple clips again, and 
Byers gave a loud groan, bending his head to kiss. Doggett 
almost lost it at the touch of Byers' lips.

"Turn the covers down," Doggett said. He let go of the chain 
and gestured at the bed.

"Yes, Sir." Byers, still on his knees, moved to comply. 

"On the bed." Doggett slapped Byers' ass hard. Byers hissed 
at the blow and lay down on his back. Doggett could see 
Byers' dick throb with his rapid pulse. "No, roll over. On 
your stomach, boy. I'm gonna take you from behind."

Doggett stood, watching Byers. His sub had been riveting as 
he stroked himself, as he sucked Doggett's cock. He stroked 
his shaft, sliding a finger over the slit. His ribs hurt, but 
he knew what he wanted tonight, what he needed. He knew it 
wouldn't be what Byers was expecting.

Byers spread himself out on the bed, hands fisting into the 
sheets, legs spread wide. He raised his ass into the air, 
moaning quietly. Doggett could see he was resisting the urge 
to rut into the bed.

"Good boy," he said softly. He knelt on the bed over Byers' 
body, stroking his back. The caress turned to scratches as 
Byers moaned louder, trembling beneath him. "You need it, 
don't you? Need my rod in your ass." One hand slid down over 
the firm roundness of Byers' cheek. "You need to be pushed, 
to be taken."

"Ohhhhh..."

His fingers slipped across Byers' opening. Byers hissed and 
rocked back, trying to press against his hand. Doggett 
slapped his ass with a sharp, stinging blow.

"Ahh!" Byers' body jerked and flattened to the bed.

"Not until I'm ready, little cub. You'll move when I let you 
move."

"P-please, Sir..."

Doggett leaned into the small of Byers' back, pinning him to 
the bed with his weight. Byers groaned and ground his hips 
into the bed, fingers clutching the sheets in helpless 
spasms.

"Yeah, boy, like that." He leaned down and whispered into 
Byers' ear. "Gonna take you so deep, nail you to the bed. I'm 
gonna make you come so hard. You want a Master? I'll Master 
you, little cub. I'll make you a slave to my desire."

Byers' whimper sent a shiver through him. He loved how the 
man reacted. It was so easy to get turned on when he was with 
Byers. Doggett was achingly hard. He couldn't take any more. 
He wanted to be inside Byers, wanted to weigh him down and 
slip into his tight ass, the root of his dick gripped hard. 
He wanted to feel his balls against Byers, the length of 
their bodies together.

"Gonna put it in you so deep you're gonna taste it when I 
come." He lay on Byers' back, feeling the man writhe under 
him, groaning wordlessly. The body contact was delicious, 
comforting. His shaft felt like it would explode if he didn't 
fuck Byers right now. "So hot, boy. You burn; it feels so 
good." He reached up and grabbed Byers' wrists, pinning him 
hard to the bed. "Love it when you're like this. God, I wanna 
take you."

"Yes," Byers gasped, "please, Sir." His voice shook, barely 
controlled. Doggett could feel how close he was to the edge.

He rose from Byers' body and moved toward the head of the 
bed, still straddling Byers. Pulling a tube of lube from the 
bedside drawer, he slicked himself.

"Unh, God, pl--" Byers' eyes were closed, his body flushed. 
He looked so good. 

Doggett lay his body over Byers again, pinning his wrists, 
bracing himself and thrusting the head of his rod against 
Byers' ass. Byers bit into a pillow, muffling his howl. His 
body shook as Doggett slid slowly into him.

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmmm!" Byers was sweating under him.

"Oh, God, sweet," Doggett panted. He kept moving slowly, 
deliberately, pushing further and further into the tight heat 
of Byers' ass. The searing pleasure of Byers' body grew as 
Doggett moved. He groaned as Byers struggled under him, 
shouting into the pillow.

With a rough, sharp thrust, he penetrated as far as his body 
would let him, balls slapping against Byers' body. He growled 
and bit down on Byers' shoulder, holding himself still, 
buried to the root.

Byers turned his head to gasp for breath. "Aaaaangh! 
Aaaahhh!" He tried to buck into Doggett's body, but Doggett 
held him down with his greater weight, and his leverage.

"God damn, fuck, so hot." He struggled to hold himself still, 
letting the sensations blow through him like a gale-force 
wind. The heat of Byers' sweating body beneath him, the scent 
of his arousal, and the salt taste of his skin pulled Doggett 
closer to the edge. He needed this, needed to hold on, to 
keep still as long as he could with his throbbing rod buried 
in Byers.

Byers' firm, slim body drove him into raw, pure lust. This 
was what he'd missed so badly last night. He craved this 
sensation, this closeness, this incredible heat. He needed 
the feeling of control he had when he was with Byers, to make 
the man surrender. His chest was full to bursting with the 
weight of his desire for this man. He could barely fathom the 
depth of his need and attraction. It was becoming a 
compulsion; one he didn't understand, but couldn't give up.

"Unh, John, God." His own body was dripping with sweat from 
the intensity of this nearly motionless joining. Byers kept 
crying out under him, still struggling to move. 

"Aaaaaangh! Master -- unh, fu-fuck..."

Master. Hearing the word again snapped something in him, and 
he couldn't hold out any longer. He wanted that -- wanted to 
own this beautiful, sensual man. He wanted into the fantasy 
that Byers' word betrayed, to take him as his slave. Doggett 
bucked into him, pumping hard and fast, ribs aching, and 
Byers screamed under him, coming hard.

"Yes, yes, yes, oh God, yes --" Doggett chanted the words 
into Byers' ear, gasping for breath as he spiraled down into 
helpless sensation. "Mine, John, you're mine." The world 
could end around him, the house come tumbling down, and all 
he'd be able to do was fuck senselessly. He could feel it 
build in his gut and his tight balls, slamming through him 
like a bullet. He shot into Byers, gasping for breath, unable 
to stop thrusting. Everything intensified, and Doggett was 
sure time stood still as he pounded into Byers even harder. 
His rod kept pulsing and he kept coming, clinging to Byers 
mindlessly.

They moaned and howled together, lost in their orgasm, bodies 
melded. He didn't know, didn't care if either of them said 
anything that made sense. His mind and body blazed with the 
intensity of his pleasure, not wanting to let go of it.

Slowly, the flood subsided. Doggett thought he might pass out 
from the pleasure, and the pain in his ribs. He rolled onto 
his good side, pulling Byers with him so they lay spooned 
together. He slipped his hand gently down Byers' chest to his 
damp, sticky stomach, trailing his fingers down into Byers' 
pubic hair and tracing the root of his limp cock. 

Byers was gasping, chest heaving as he lay on his side in 
Doggett's arms. Doggett's own breath was just as heavy. He 
squeezed Byers carefully. The relief of their joining left 
him floating, dizzy.

Water. He needed water.

He didn't want to let go of Byers. Didn't want to pull his 
cock out of him. Byers was trembling in his arms, exhausted. 
There was no way Byers would be able to walk. Doggett wasn't 
sure he could either. Water would have to wait.

He squeezed Byers again and wriggled his hips against him, 
half-hard shaft still tingling as it moved in Byers' body.

"Unnnnnh." 

"Oh, God, John." Doggett took another deep breath before he 
tried to speak again. Byers tilted his head weakly, and 
Doggett kissed him. It was soft but possessive. He wanted 
Byers, wanted so much to keep him, to have him in his bed 
every night. It was too much like desperation. He could 
hardly imagine having this wish fulfilled, but it didn't 
prevent him from wanting.

"Jack." It was a bare whisper. Byers looked at him, eyes half 
open. "That... amazing."

Doggett kissed him again, and Byers sighed into it, taking 
hold of Doggett's hands and pulling them tighter around him. 
Doggett's ribs ached, but he didn't care. He was still too 
buzzed on the high of his orgasm. 

"You liked it?" His own voice was a whisper as well.

Byers groaned, then nodded. "God, yes... oh, God... so good."

Doggett grinned, then grimaced when the muscles pulled at the 
bruise on his face.

"Hey." Byers turned slightly, pulling away. His breath was 
coming more easily now. Doggett slipped out of him, his shaft 
mostly limp. Byers lay on his back and ran one gentle, 
trembling hand over the bruise. Doggett tried not to twitch. 
Byers looked down at his body. "How're the ribs?"

Doggett snorted. "Sore. I don't care."

"You should."

"God, I'm tired."

Byers kissed his cheek. "We should sleep."

"Need some water first. Gotta clean up."

Byers groaned then nodded. "You're right. I'm in the wet 
spot." He grimaced. "Ugh."

"Come on." Doggett pointed to the bathroom.

Byers rolled his eyes. "Do I have to?"

"You wanna lie in the wet spot all night?"

Doggett got up. Byers sighed and rose with him. They cleaned 
up quickly, and Byers dried the sheet with a towel, then 
tossed a clean one over the still-damp spot. Doggett got a 
big glass of water and drank it down, thirstily. He offered 
one to Byers, who also drank deep.

They slid into the bed together, barely managing to stay 
awake. "Dinner later," Doggett said. "It's early yet."

Byers shifted his weight and snuggled up against Doggett. 
"I'm not hungry yet. Maybe when we wake up, we can call out 
for something." He yawned. "Right now, I just want to sleep."

Doggett nodded, putting his arms around Byers. "Mm-hmm." It 
wasn't even quite dark yet, as the summer days were long, but 
he was too tired to think. Holding Byers left him feeling 
content, despite the deep ache in his ribs and the still-
tender bruise on his face.

"Thank you," Byers whispered. He kissed Doggett softly, his 
beard scratching slightly.

"All you ever have to do is ask," Doggett said. He smiled 
when Byers closed his eyes and snuggled closer. There was 
something so right about this. One last caress, and he closed 
his own eyes too, settling into their embrace.

LONE GUNMEN'S MICROBUS
ON THE DOCKS
QUEENS, NEW YORK
LATE NIGHT, TWO DAYS LATER

"Haven't we got enough surveillance yet?" Doggett asked. He 
was cramped, and the steady diet of junk food and coffee 
wasn't setting well with him. Byers, Jimmy and Reyes were all 
off in a nearby motel, catching some sleep. They'd been on 
duty earlier in the day. He was bored and half asleep 
himself. Stakeouts had never been his favorite activity, and 
he much preferred the idea of being curled up next to Byers 
right now. 

Frohike shook his head. "Haven't seen anybody we recognize 
going into the building. I'm starting to think Blondie was 
wrong about which one we're after."

Mulder, leaning back in one of the seats, sipped at his 
coffee. "No, I'm sure Langly and Byers were right about this. 
It's gotta be this one."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Langly said. "God, I 
hate this. Fro, gimme another Jolt."

Frohike reached down into the cooler at his feet and flipped 
a chilly can to Langly. 

"Hey, dude, watch it. You shake it up and we'll be cleanin' 
it out of the equipment for days."

"Sorry."

Mulder straightened up in his seat. "Holy -- this can't be 
real." He slammed his fist down on the tiny counter where he 
watched the surveillance screen.

"What?" Doggett asked.

"Fuck," Mulder said. "It looks like Krycek. The bastard's 
dead. It has to be a shapeshifter. He went into the 
warehouse."

Everyone stilled, and Doggett and the Gunmen exchanged uneasy 
glances. 

Mulder looked over at them. "Okay, what aren't you guys 
telling me?" he snapped. "What do you know about this, and 
how long have you known it?" 

Doggett waited, watching the Gunmen sweat. He was nervous 
too, though he didn't care to admit it. It had been his own 
indiscretions that had brought Krycek out of the woodwork. He 
shifted, and Mulder nailed him to the passenger seat with his 
eyes.

"Spill it, Doggett."

Doggett cleared his throat. "He showed up a couple days ago 
at the Gunmen's place. Left an envelope. They got him on 
surveillance tape, but it was a quick flash. They --"

"We weren't sure it was even him, Mulder," Frohike said. "It 
could have been a clone. A shapeshifter. Hell, it could have 
been somebody in a mask. Who knows?"

"Well, at least now we got our confirmation," Langly said.

"He delivered an envelope?" Mulder wasn't going to be 
deterred. "What was in it?

The Gunmen looked at Doggett. It was his responsibility. He'd 
have to take this particular bull by the horns. "A blackmail 
attempt."

Mulder looked over at Langly. "What did you do this time?"

Langly held his hands up in the air. "Hey, it wasn't me this 
time, dude. It was Byers."

Mulder laughed, astonished. "Byers? Yeah, right. What the 
hell does Byers ever do that's worthy of blackmail?"

Langly looked at Doggett, his eyes begging for help.

"I got the same envelope," Doggett said.

Mulder stared at Doggett. "The same?"

Doggett nodded. "We... uh... the information was somewhat 
compromising. Nothing graphic. It wasn't enough to keep us 
off the case."

Mulder's eyes widened. "You? And... and Byers?" He shook his 
head, disbelief clearly written on his face. "I always kind 
of wondered if Byers wasn't a closet case, but you?"

Doggett nodded again. "Yeah. Me. You got a problem with 
that?"

"No." Mulder shook his head. "I'm just surprised. I never 
thought you had it in you."

"What?" Doggett said, "Tough ex-Marine, can't possibly like 
guys?"

"It never even crossed my mind. And Byers -- well, let's just 
say I'd never have guessed he was your type, or that you were 
his."

"Leave Byers alone, Mulder," Frohike said. "He doesn't need 
your shit. We give him enough on our own."

"Why am I always the last to know?" Mulder said, crossing his 
arms over his chest.

"'Cuz nobody loves you," Langly said. "Get used to it."

"Look, Mulder," Doggett growled, "this really isn't germane 
to the case. The envelopes were delivered. We ignored the 
threat. Whatever happens, happens, and we'll deal with it. 
This is between me and John, and it's none of your Goddamned 
business. The fact is, now we know Krycek's involved with 
this, and we know that this is the right building. I figured 
this was why the blackmail attempt was made. They wanted to 
keep us away from this."

Mulder looked like he wanted to hit him. "Anything having to 
do with Krycek is my business. If you end up getting the guys 
hurt because of this --"

"Oh, shut it, Mulder," Frohike snapped, sliding into the 
driver's seat as Langly moved to shut down the surveillance 
equipment. "You're not the center of the fuckin' universe, 
and this fighting isn't gonna solve a damned thing. We have 
what we need. Let's get back to the motel and catch some 
sleep. We can figure out what the deal is with Krycek later, 
when we have some breathing space. We'll plan the poach 
tomorrow and do the deed tomorrow night."

"No!" Mulder shouted, "We have to go in now! We can find out 
--"

"Mulder," Langly said.

"What?"

"Shut up. Like, we're not goin' in without everybody here. 
You know the drill."

Frohike started the engine.

PROTEUS HOLDING COMPANY WAREHOUSE
QUEENS, NEW YORK
NEXT NIGHT

"Okay," Frohike's voice hissed in Byers' earpiece, "you're 
in. Go!"

"Check," Byers muttered. He nodded and gestured to Doggett, 
and they hurried across the open space to one of the back 
doors of the warehouse building. Frohike and Langly were in 
an underground access tunnel several blocks away. Mulder was 
monitoring the situation from the microbus near the entrance 
to the tunnel, and Reyes and Jimmy were in Reyes' car, hidden 
behind a nearby building on the dock. They were far enough 
away to be concealed, but close enough to act as backup if 
needed.

When they got to the door, Byers scanned the area while 
Doggett opened it, pistol in hand. They both slipped through 
quickly. Byers closed the door securely behind them. "We're 
in."

"Check." It was Langly's voice this time. "You've got a 
hallway going left and right. Go right."

Doggett nodded and led the way. Byers prayed that they'd be 
in and out before their presence could be discovered.

They were both dressed in black, Doggett in jeans and a tight 
turtleneck, Byers in the multi-pocketed jumper that he always 
wore for these missions. Doggett wore a leather jacket that 
concealed his shoulder holster. Byers' heart was pounding in 
triple-time with fear. If he wasn't so scared, he knew he'd 
be very distracted by Doggett in that outfit. 

"At the end of the hallway, turn left, and it looks like the 
third door." Frohike again. "There's a card swipe at the 
door. We'll try to open it from here."

"I've got the lockpick if you can't," Byers said. He patted 
one of his cargo pockets, thankful for the high tech they 
dedicated so much of their lives to cracking.

It wasn't long before they found the door Frohike indicated. 
"This should lead to a complex of hallways and a bunch of 
offices," Frohike said.

"Got the lock," Langly added.

Doggett raised his weapon and nodded to Byers.

Byers turned the handle and tugged with one gloved hand. The 
red light went green and the door clicked open. Doggett 
whirled into the doorway, weapon held in both hands before 
him, scanning the corridor. Byers followed when he moved 
forward.

Doggett seemed calm and collected, moving like a tiger. Byers 
envied his steadiness and grace. He looked around at the 
corridors that moved out before them and to either side. 

"Which way?" Byers asked.

"We got no idea what's in there," Langly said. "Any windows 
on the doors?"

"No," Byers whispered.

"Any of your data file numbers from the files you found 
marked on the doors?" Mulder asked.

Byers glanced at the numbers on the doors. "Numerical strings 
aren't long enough," he said quietly. "It looks like regular 
room numbering."

"Try going left," Reyes said.

Doggett hurried along the left corridor, moving with almost 
ghostly silence, gun at the ready. There was only one door 
there. It was a heavy one. There was a card swipe there, 
along with a numeric keypad.

"How about it, guys?" Byers whispered.

"Working on it," Langly said.

They stood for several too-long moments, waiting for Langly's 
green light, but it didn't come.

"What's happening?" Byers was starting to sweat.

"Try the lockpick," Frohike said. "No joy here."

"Fuck," Doggett muttered. They looked at each other. 
Doggett's outer calm was betrayed by the uneasiness in his 
eyes and the tension in his shoulders. Byers could think of a 
million places he'd rather be.

Byers pulled the device from a pocket. He put the card into 
the slot and waited for the lockpick to find the code. In a 
moment, it blinked green. He tried the door. It didn't open. 
"Guys."

Frohike's voice again. "Hang on Rover One. Try it again. 
We'll go for the number pad from here."

"Too much of this and it might set off an alarm," Byers 
hissed.

"I know, I know," Langly muttered. "Go, dude, try it again."

Byers did the card swipe again, and this time two sets of 
green lights came up. The door opened when he turned the 
handle. He let out a sigh of relief. His stomach hurt.

Again, Doggett took the lead, weapon at the ready. The 
corridor ahead of them led to an elevator.

"Looks like we're going up," Doggett said.

"Nothin' under you guys right now but dock and water," Langly 
said, "so I sure as hell hope so."

There was a card swipe on the elevator as well. "Y'think 
they're paranoid?" Doggett whispered.

Byers swiped the lockpick again. This time, the button next 
to the door lit. Byers pushed it. He could hear the sound of 
the elevator mechanism hum to life. 

"Second floor?" Byers asked. He heard the rustling of paper.

"There are several large open areas indicated on the second 
floor plans," Reyes said. "They might be labs of some sort, 
or file storage areas."

"Yeah," Langly said. "At least one of 'em's probably clean 
storage. If you can, get a look into them. You might be able 
to find some samples."

Doggett nodded. "Sounds good for a start."

They stepped into the elevator when the door opened. Byers 
pressed the button for the second floor.

"Check for these number strings," Mulder added, and rattled 
off a long series of numbers.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down here," Doggett muttered.

Byers shook his head. "It's okay, I got them." He laid a hand 
on Doggett's arm.

"You two can get cute later," Frohike said. Byers looked up 
at the surveillance camera, jerking his hand away. Frohike 
chuckled. "Smile, you're on Candid Camera."

"I'll kick his ass later," Doggett said. "Cut the chatter, 
boys."

They stood along the sides of the elevator as the doors 
opened onto the second floor, Doggett scanning the hallway 
then nodding to Byers and signaling him forward. There were 
four doors in the hallway, spaced far apart. The security 
here was tight.

"Guards headed in your direction," Langly said. "Routine 
patrol. Let's get you into one of those rooms, like now."

Byers hurried to the first door on the left. It was a massive 
metal double door that looked extremely heavy. He guessed it 
was several inches thick. "I wonder what they're trying to 
keep out," he whispered. Looking around, he saw the other 
doors were equally massive.

"Or what they're trying to keep in," Doggett said softly.

"Hurry up," Frohike snapped. "They're about to round the 
corner."

Byers shuddered. He slipped the lockpick through the card 
swipe as Frohike and Langly worked on the keypad. Two green 
lights, and they were in. The double doors slid shut with a 
click behind them.

"Just in time, boys," Mulder said.

Byers looked around. There were several large mainframes in 
the room, with workstations on long tables in the center. 
Another door opened into the room from the far side. Around 
the walls were long rows of file drawers. The room was cold, 
intended to accommodate electronics, not the humans that 
operated them.
 
He hurried around the perimeter of the room, scanning the 
labels on the drawers. Recognizing several of the numbers 
Mulder had recited to him, he pointed out a couple of drawers 
to Doggett. Turning quickly, he ran to one of the 
workstations and powered it up.

Frohike and Langly were on the security with him, cracking 
the system. It didn't take long.

Doggett came over to him, holding several small glass vials. 
They had tiny samples of... something in them. Each of the 
numbered vials had a name on it. One of the names was Knowle 
Rohrer.

"Shit," Doggett whispered. "Looks like this is connected to 
the supersoldiers project."

"Keep checking the drawers," Byers said, turning quickly back 
to the monitor. "I'll be a few minutes downloading 
information here." His fingers flew over the keyboard as 
Doggett went back to the walls of file drawers.

Byers slipped a CD into one of the burners and began copying 
files, moving as fast as he could. "Status," he said.

"Guards are gone from the hall," Frohike replied. "You should 
be safe for about another twenty minutes, if the patrol 
information was correct."

Byers sighed with relief, focusing his entire attention back 
on his work. The materials he found amazed him. "TREYNOR," he 
whispered. "I found the acronym. You guys aren't going to 
believe this."

"What?" Langly asked.

" TRansgenic-Extraterrestrial Yoked Nanotechnological 
ORganism," Byers replied.

Langly and Frohike both stifled laughs. "Oh God," Langly 
said. "That is *so* lame!"

"Yeah," Byers muttered. "Your tax dollars at work."

"My three-year-old cousin could do better than that," Langly 
snorted.

"Nobody ever accused the government of intelligence," Frohike 
said.

"Extraterrestrials," Mulder said. "That's it! This is the 
proof!"

"Now we just have to get out of here with it," Byers said 
nervously.

"Still looks clear," Frohike said. "Keep downloading."

Byers nodded and focused on the monitor again.

"Holy shit," Doggett hissed, shock in his voice.

Byers spun and saw Doggett holding a paper file in his hand, 
his eyes wide. He'd gone pale as milk. "What?"

Doggett looked up at him, fear on his face. "This." He 
hurried over to Byers. The file had Doggett's name on it.

"Oh, no." Byers felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"Dudes, total alarm here! We've been made! Your door's been 
locked down!" Langly's voice snapped in Byers' ear.

Byers turned to the keyboard. "I need to finish this up!"

"No," Mulder shouted, "you got a bogey coming for the back 
door to that lab!"

Frohike's voice was loud in his ear. "Get out! Get out!"

Byers kept on the download, pushing for just another few 
seconds.

Doggett looked down at him. "Come on, damn it!"

"Go! Go!" Frohike shouted. "We're hacking the door!"

The door in the opposite wall opened, and a tall, muscular 
man stepped through. His hair was close-cropped, and he was 
dressed in military fatigues.

Doggett and Byers both looked up. Doggett slipped the paper 
file into his waistband and raised his gun.

"Shit. Run, Johnny!"

Byers slapped the eject button on the CD burner and jerked 
the disc out of the drive. He ran for the door. Skidding to a 
halt, he hit the button to open it. It didn't budge. "Damn 
it, do something!"

"Stop right there," Doggett snapped at the soldier. 

Byers turned and saw him aiming at the man. The soldier kept 
on coming. Byers' stomach leapt into his throat. "Open the 
door, open the door!" He could hear his voice rising in 
panic. He kept pushing the button. Nothing happened.

Byers heard a shot, and turned his head back to Doggett. 
There was terror in Doggett's face. Another shot, and the 
soldier jerked but didn't slow.

It was one of *them.*

Byers pounded on the door. "Open the door!" he screamed. The 
door slid open, and he dashed through. He looked behind him, 
but Doggett hadn't moved.

"Come on, damn it!"

Doggett shot again, and the soldier kept on coming, running 
now. Doggett turned to follow Byers, but the soldier, moving 
like lightning, caught up to him. He picked Doggett up with 
one hand and threw him. Doggett sailed past Byers and slammed 
into the wall across the hallway with a sickening crunch. The 
gun fell from his hand and skittered to Byers' feet.

"Holy -- shut the door!"

"Working on it!" Langly shouted. "Shit! The fucker's locked 
down again! Working on it!"

"More bogeys headed your way," Mulder said. "On your floor, 
maybe a minute away from you."

Byers' heart was trying to crawl out his throat. He looked 
back at Doggett, slumped on the floor, unmoving. He looked 
back at the oncoming soldier, then down at the gun at his 
feet. Tucking the disc in his pocket, he scooped the gun off 
the floor and pointed it at the soldier, hands shaking. He 
backed up several steps until he was standing over Doggett's 
fallen form. 

"S-stop!" The soldier kept coming and Byers pulled the 
trigger. The first shot slammed him back up against the wall 
with the sudden, unexpected recoil. With a yelp, he pulled 
the barrel down again, hysterically muttering, "Center of 
mass, center of mass--"

Byers fired again, closer this time, and again and again, 
striking the soldier repeatedly in random locations. The man 
didn't even flinch. Byers thought he was going to pass out.

The doors slid shut.

Byers took a quick breath and looked at the elevator but spun 
back to the door when he heard pounding.

"Oh, my God."

"We're on backup!" Reyes shouted. "We'll be there in just a 
minute! Get out of there!"

After the first two blows, he could see dents beginning to 
appear in the door. Byers stood, frozen with terror.

"We got you, man! Get to the elevator!" Frohike shouted.

Frohike's voice snapped him out of it. The pounding got 
harder as Byers stuffed Doggett's pistol in a pocket. He 
grabbed Doggett's ankles and heaved, dragging the larger man 
toward the elevator door. The pounding got louder, more dents 
appearing in the lab door. Byers was close to blind panic, 
barely holding on.

When the elevator door opened, he heaved with all his 
strength, dragging Doggett inside far enough for the door to 
close. He leaned against the side wall of the elevator, 
panting, heart pounding on his ribs as hard as the 
supersoldier had pounded on the lab door.

"Shit, shit, shit," Byers muttered. The doors slid open on 
the first floor. Byers got down near Doggett and shifted, 
pulling him into a fireman's carry. He had no idea if he 
could do it, but he had to try. He wasn't going to leave 
Doggett behind. There would be no second chance.

With all his strength, he staggered to his feet. Doggett 
weighed more than he did, was larger and bulkier, but his 
terror and the adrenaline in his system forced one foot in 
front of the other. He wobbled down the hallway as quickly as 
he could, Langly's voice guiding him back along the turns, 
through the doors where they'd entered.

He could feel muscles pulling and groaned, pushing the pain 
away. He had to do this. He had no choice. If he left 
Doggett, they'd kill him, or experiment on him. He would not 
let that happen. He'd rather die.

Gasping for breath, he staggered the last few feet to the 
door they'd come in through. Praying, he shoving against it, 
and it opened. 

Reyes and Jimmy ran up to the door. Reyes' car was idling a 
few yards away, doors open. Byers' knees buckled.

Jimmy dragged Doggett from his shoulders before Byers hit the 
ground, and Reyes pulled him back to his feet. "Come on, in 
the car, now!"

Jimmy shoved Doggett's unconscious form into the back seat, 
then climbed in after him, and Byers nearly fell into the 
front passenger seat. Every muscle in his body was screaming 
in protest. He felt dizzy and light-headed, sure he'd vomit. 
Reyes slammed her door and peeled out, tires squealing.

"We've got 'em! Go, guys! Get the hell out of here!" Reyes 
shouted into her headset.

Byers passed out.

ASTORIA GENERAL HOSPITAL, ROOM 247
QUEENS, NEW YORK
TWO HOURS LATER

Byers sat, exhausted and miserable, in a chair next to 
Doggett's bed. Doggett had been admitted for observation. The 
doctor said he'd had a bad concussion. Doggett's vision had 
been blurred when he'd become coherent enough to examine, and 
he'd been vomiting, and now he was lying, asleep, next to 
him. There was an IV in one hand, filling the man with saline 
and drugs.

It was a miracle he was in the room at all. Mulder had been 
forced to offer the duty nurse a substantial bribe to let any 
of them into Doggett's room, but he and Reyes had finally 
been let in, and a blind eye turned to their movements. 
Mulder had made a crack about the Gunmen becoming an 
expensive habit, but somebody with a gun needed to be in 
there if one of the supersoldiers -- or Krycek -- came 
calling. Not that a gun would do any good. Byers had seen 
that himself.

Reyes had seemed torn between anger at him for trying to stay 
on the download, and admiration for saving Doggett's life. He 
was still beating himself up over waiting, but Langly and 
Frohike had taken issue with that behavior. They'd said 
several times that the door controls were taken away from 
them and, even if he had run when they first told him to, the 
door wouldn't have been opened any faster. Reyes had said 
nothing, but her anger seemed somewhat diminished by their 
insistence.

Reyes had gone a few minutes ago to phone Scully and Skinner 
and let them know what had happened. He hoped she'd be away 
for a while. He really just wanted to be alone with Doggett.

Byers had no idea how he'd carried Doggett out of the 
building. Looking back on the whole thing, he couldn't 
believe he'd done it. His body told him otherwise; it ached 
everywhere. He'd been given some muscle relaxants and anti-
inflammatories for the sprains, but the pain filled him like 
a dull fire. Byers suspected he'd have a hard time walking 
for the next week or so. His neck and shoulders throbbed and 
he had a terrible headache. His lower back burned, and he 
wasn't sure he'd even be able to stand when the time came to 
get out of his chair.

The room around him was dark, dawn still an hour or two away. 
Frohike, Langly and Mulder were probably working on the files 
he'd burned onto the CD, and going through the paper file 
Doggett had found with his own name on it. The idea left 
Byers with a cold numbness in the pit of his stomach.

Reaching out, he took Doggett's hand in his own. Doggett was 
warm, but Byers felt like he was bearing a glacier inside. 
His own hands were freezing. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm 
so sorry." Even though the guys couldn't have gotten the door 
open any sooner, he still felt guilty. He'd had the habit so 
long, sometimes it was hard not to feel that way.

The image of the supersoldier throwing Doggett through the 
air like a toy kept replaying in his mind. Shutting his eyes 
didn't make it stop; if anything, it only seemed to bring the 
picture into sharper focus. He could still hear the crunch of 
Doggett hitting the far wall. The doctor had said that, from 
the impact Doggett sustained, he was lucky he hadn't suffered 
far more serious injuries. They expected to release him late 
tomorrow if his vision cleared.

Byers squeezed Doggett's hand. There was no response. Aching, 
he shifted his weight carefully and slid an arm around 
Doggett's chest. He laid his head on the sleeping man's 
shoulder and closed his eyes, just listening to Doggett's 
heartbeat, and the steadiness of his breathing.

He'd almost lost him. 

Shaking, Byers could feel a raw, burning tear slip down his 
cheek. His hand clenched in the fabric of Doggett's hospital 
gown. He held it tight.

ROOM 247
ONE HOUR LATER

Doggett's eyes fluttered open. He moaned softly. His head was 
muzzy. For a brief moment, he wondered what had happened, 
panicking with the thought that the supersoldiers might have 
him. He remembered being picked up and thrown. The last thing 
he'd felt was his back hitting the wall. His head was 
throbbing with every beat of his heart.

After a moment, he remembered waking in the ER, and a doctor 
testing his vision, asking him questions, but he didn't 
remember most of his answers. At least, thank God, he wasn't 
a prisoner, or a medical experiment.

It was dark. He turned his head slightly. It hurt and he 
hissed. Then he saw Byers, his head resting on the bed next 
to his shoulder. Byers' hand was in his. He was safe -- 
they'd both gotten out, and Doggett suddenly realized just 
how much that meant to him.

Byers looked all right, though there was pain in his face, 
even asleep. Doggett raised his other hand slowly. There was 
an IV attached to it. He moved carefully to avoid pulling at 
the line and laid his hand on Byers' shoulder. He stroked his 
way softly down Byers' arm, but Byers didn't stir.

That feeling was back -- the one that had left him so 
confused. It was that fullness in his chest, and he tightened 
his grip on Byers' hand. He knew what it was now, recognized 
the feeling. It made sense of so many other things he'd been 
puzzling over lately where Byers was concerned.

He'd fallen in love.

For a moment, he wanted to deny it, reject it. It was the 
drugs. It was some kind of delusion. He'd never been in love 
with a man before. He'd never even thought he could love a 
man. Byers didn't love him, never would; he couldn't, it 
would never work. Byers would leave, like all the others. 
He'd...

Doggett didn't care. Byers was here, now, asleep next to him. 
Somehow, the man must have managed to get him out of the 
building. He couldn't imagine how, but here they both were.

He swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to will the feeling 
away, but it wouldn't leave. And then he didn't want it to. 
The intensity of it stole his breath.

The door opened quietly, a shaft of light coming in from the 
hallway. Doggett looked up.

Reyes entered the room. "John?" she whispered.

"M-Monica." His voice was harsh and rough, his throat sore. 

She smiled, the white of her teeth light in the darkened 
room. "You're finally awake." She sat on the bed next to him, 
not far from Byers' arm. Reyes looked down at Byers. "I can't 
believe what he did."

"What happened?" 

Reyes shook her head. "He carried you out of there."

"No." Doggett blinked. "No way. He's not strong enough." He 
coughed, trying to get past the soreness in his throat. 

Reyes picked up a cup from the bedside table and slipped an 
ice chip into his mouth. Sucking on it helped the raw burn. 
She nodded. "He did. I saw it. I thought he'd run, John. I 
thought he'd leave you there and save his own skin."

"No," Doggett whispered, "don't even think that. I told him 
to run. I made him promise he'd run if we got in trouble. 
He... he didn't. He got me out." He looked back at Byers, 
touched his cheek. "He didn't leave me there." He blinked, 
his eyes damp and stinging. After a moment he looked back up 
at Reyes. "You're so wrong about him, Mon."

Reyes looked at Doggett, silent for several minutes. She 
reached out and took Doggett's cheek in her palm. "Maybe..." 
she said softly, "maybe I should give him a chance."

Doggett took her hand. He squeezed and she squeezed back.

"For you," she said, "I'll try."

DOGGETT RESIDENCE
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
EVENING
THREE DAYS LATER

Doggett was putting the finishing touches on dinner when the 
doorbell rang. That would be Byers. It was the first time 
they'd seen each other since they'd arrived home from Queens. 
Doggett's head had ached too much, and Byers had been too 
stiff and sore to leave the Gunmen's warehouse.

When Doggett opened the door, Jimmy was standing there with 
Byers. "Uh, hi, Jimmy." This wasn't exactly what they'd 
arranged. He looked at Byers. "Johnny."

"Don't worry, Agent Doggett, I'm just dropping him off." 
Jimmy grinned.

Byers blushed. "I'm not quite in shape to drive yet," he 
said. 

"Well," Jimmy said, turning away, "I'll be heading back. 
Byers, when you need a ride home, let me know, okay? I'll 
come get you."

"Thanks, Jimmy." Byers limped through the door. He really 
wasn't moving very well yet, Doggett noted. He closed the 
door behind Byers.

"How's the research been going?" he asked.

Byers gave him an uneasy glance. "Bits and pieces of several 
dozen projects," he said, his voice low. "They're... they're 
looking at attempting to breed supersoldiers. And the 
nanotech, it does seem to be linked to what happened to 
Skinner. We --" Byers took a breath. "This is dangerous 
stuff, Jack. Very dangerous. We're going to have to move 
carefully on it."

Doggett nodded. He moved closer and put his arms around 
Byers, pulling him into a gentle hug. Byers sighed and 
settled into the embrace. It was warm, comforting. He didn't 
want to think about the file with his name on it. All he 
really wanted right now was dinner. Dinner and Byers.

It felt so good just to hold Byers. Mulder had told him what 
had happened in the Proteus warehouse. Had shown him some 
captured video. Doggett never once thought he'd see Byers 
with a gun in his hands. It was obvious Byers had never fired 
one before, and the terror on his face was stark. Yet he'd 
stood there, trying to hold off the supersoldier until the 
doors closed.

The damned things looked almost indestructible. Doggett could 
barely wrap his brain around how much damage that many shots 
would have done to an ordinary human. It was hard to even 
imagine how Byers must have felt, facing that thing alone. He 
pulled Byers closer, until a quiet sound told him he'd 
squeezed too hard.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to do that."

"I know, I'm okay," Byers said. "I just... if you could take 
it easy for a week or so, I'd really appreciate it. 
Everything still aches."

"Let's go eat." He caressed Byers' face and kissed him, soft. 
"Then we can watch a movie or something."

"The Hunt for Red October?" Byers asked, a slight tone of 
skepticism in his voice.

Doggett grinned. "Nah. I rented the original Mummy for you. 
Figured I had to see it eventually."

The smile that bloomed on Byers' face lit Doggett's heart. 
Yeah. He could so get used to this.

~~fin~~