Walter whistled something tuneless but cheery as he walked down the corridor to his apartment. He was going to surprise his lover with some Chinese food and himself. The whistling turned to humming as he worked the lock, and threw open the door. The huge smile of greeting melted off his face in shock when he saw Alex kissing Mulder. Dropping the bag of food, he rushed over and grabbed one of Alex's elfin ears and growled, "What the fuck do you think you are doing, boy?"
"Ow ow ow!" cried Alex, feeling himself suddenly transported back to the third grade, and the ear-pinching claws of one Mrs. Fedorchuk.
"Walter!" gasped Mulder in surprise, wondering if he should be upset that Walter had started going half-cocked before he could explain, or just upset that he'd been caught in the act.
Walter completely ignored Mulder and growled in Alex's ear, "Well?"
"Damn, Walter, I was just passing the time."
"Passing the time? That is the most curious definition of passing the time I ever heard of!"
"Hey, he wasn't exactly complaining!"
Clearly that wasn't what Walter wanted to hear because he frog marched Alex out to the balcony and pressed him against the wall, growling, "I better not see you touch Mulder ever again!"
"Fine, I wont touch the merchandise-got it," huffed Alex. "Sheesh, such a grouch!"
With one final shake for emphasis, Walter let Alex's ear go and Alex surreptitiously rubbed it, looking askance at the older man.
"I should ask the same of you, big guy. Why so rough all of a sudden? It wasn't what you think. I wasn't going to...well, you know." He offered Skinner a look that was somehow defensive, lecherous and a little vulnerable, all at the same time. Walter wasn't in the mood to try and sort out what it meant, however.
"You goddamn better not or I will kill you!" He knew part of his rage came from guilt, and he knew Alex knew it, too.
"Shit, the only person I have fucked is you!"
Walter glared at Alex for a second then said in distinct clear cold terms, "Do not go near Mulder. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, daddy."
Walter let that remark slide and, still angry, though genuinely curious, asked, "What is your problem? Can't keep it in your pants? Me, Mulder, even Scully? Which I personally think is an all new low for you-I don't think you should be doing those things with us, let alone Dana. I don't want Jenny around you."
"Ouch, that hurts! I'll have you know I am very careful with Jenny and I certainly do not do anything inappropriate around her!" Alex was hurt that Walter would think that about him, and he certainly didn't think the older man should have carte blanche to attack him, physically or verbally.
Walter huffed. "Well...maybe not, but I don't think you should stick around too long. After today, maybe you should make yourself scarce!"
"All right, big guy, I know when I'm not wanted," Krycek replied. He stepped around Walter, keeping his ears well out of reach, and walked back into the living room. He found Fox still lying on the bed, staring worriedly at him, and said, "I will come back when Mister Macho isn't around, if you want me to." His voice was uncharacteristically soft, without a trace of its usual sarcasm. "I just wanted to cheer you up, y'know?"
"Sure, Alex. Um, can I have a kiss goodbye?" Mulder deliberately asked that when he saw Walter coming in from the balcony.
"Sure thing, babe." He bent and kissed Mulder sweetly, not with passion but definitely with intent, then turned, smirked at Walter, and left.
When Alex left, Walter rushed over to Mulder and moaned, "Fox, why did you let that thing kiss you?"
"Walter, that 'thing' is a human being who needs some support every once and awhile."
"Support?!"
Mulder sighed. "Walter, I don't know if you noticed, but Alex Krycek is very vulnerable right now."
"What does he have to be vulnerable about?" the older man huffed, suddenly worried about what Alex might have said to Fox.
Mulder shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he's lonely. Maybe he's feeling left out because I am carrying your child. I just feel it from him."
He grasped Walter's hand and gave him a serious look, and Walter realized this was not something that Alex had set up, but something Mulder really felt.
"Vulnerable, huh? Doesn't sound like Alex at all."
"Hmm, but I wonder why you are so jealous, Walter. It isn't as if you have anything to fear from him. He certainly isn't attracted to me."
"Isn't attracted to you? How could he not be?" Walter murmured, moving closer to his lover.
"Well, I am not my usual sleek self." Mulder smirked, and the words came out lightly, but Walter knew it was a serious issue with his lover.
"No, you're not. You're more beautiful than ever, Fox."
Mulder rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I guess anyone who carries your child would look beautiful to you."
"You always look beautiful to me, Fox. I love you so much, baby," he bent and kissed Mulder, thrusting his tongue into Mulder's mouth, trying to show Fox that he really did love him, and always would.
When Mulder pulled away to breathe he sighed. "Okay, I believe you. I think you should watch yourself around Alex, though, not be so rough on him. There is no reason to worry, he just needs to feel wanted."
"Mulder, the guy has some definite problems. The only way he seems to relate to anyone is sexually."
"Hey, maybe that's why he is feeling vulnerable right now. He is starting to relate to others non-sexually and he is very unsure of himself."
Walter sighed. "Ok, Mulder. I will try to be careful around him, but I do not like to see him kissing you! I mean, I don't like to see anyone kissing you but me!"
Mulder shook his head. "Walter, it's not as if kissing at this stage of the game would lead anywhere! Right now, I would love nothing more than for you to climb on up here on top of me, but if you did, I think ol' Walt junior here would kick you off!" He stroked one hand down his distended abdomen, and they both watched it quiver for a moment.
Walter chuckled, seeing the frustration on Mulder's face and feeling sympathetic to it, which in turn caused him to try to reign in his temper and his fears, and be the supportive partner he knew Mulder needed him to be. "I'm sorry for being such a bear, love." He bent and began nuzzling Mulder's neck.
"Maybe I should stay here, that way Krycek won't have to come back." Walter murmured against his lover's neck.
"There's that green eyed monster again, Walter." Mulder held Walter tightly as he spoke. "I want you to go back to work. I am sure Alex will wander back here soon, if he's not skulking out in the hallway already. I'm fine with that, and I want you to be fine with it, too. I will be perfectly safe with him." Before Walter could protest, he added, "And Scully says that I should be fine as long as the contractions are kept in check and, hopefully, I can hold out until next week at the earliest."
"All right, Fox, I trust you." Walter pulled up, then bent to kiss his lover one more time before saying goodbye.
Walter found Alex lurking in the foyer, looking rather put out.
He went over to him and whispered, "Look, Alex. I am sorry for getting so worked up. Mulder needs you to be there with him." He thought he might be seeing some of what Fox mentioned in Alex's eyes, so he did his best to be understanding, and to extend a little trust to this man. If Fox could do it.
Alex nodded. "Fine, Walter. I will certainly go back and be with Mulder." Impulsively, he leaned over and kissed Walter on the cheek, then quickly rushed over to the elevators.
Walter put his hand to his cheek and shook his head, then wandered out of his apartment building to his car in a daze.
*****
Scully was desperately worried about Alex, wondering what she could do to convince the man to not abort the child currently growing inside him. If the way the little buggers were acting up in the lab was any indication, she felt she had good reason to fear for his health, even his life.
Taking all the samples and locking them away in a private freezer, she began to muse on Mulder's nanobytes. She wondered if they would die when the baby was born or go dormant until Mulder was impregnated again, or, and this was the most worrisome thought of all, not remain dormant.
She felt a flutter in her stomach when she thought of Mulder having his baby. "Damn, why are you so upset?" she castigated herself. "Women have babies all the time, and this one will be no different, even if the plumbing's a little off. Besides, it's not like Mulder will be alone-he'll have me, and Walter."
Walter and Mulder were good together...more than good. Scully had to concede that Walter was very good for Mulder. A thought suddenly occurred to her. Maybe she needed to get Walter in the lab to determine exactly where the nanobytes were in his system and if they changed when transferred to the 'female' host.
She went in search of her cell phone to call Walter on his. She dialed the number from memory and waited. Walter answered on the third ring with his usual gruff, "Skinner."
"Hi Walter. I was wondering...no everything's fine...I was just hoping that you could come to my office sometime. Why? Well I wanted to run some tests on you as well." She paused as he listed reasons why he would not be very happy with that right now. "OK, Walter, after the baby is born. Fine. See you later." She sighed and put her phone away. Walter was being difficult and she understood why. She knew Alex was spending time with Mulder lately and that had put Walter on edge.
She was wondering why she was on edge about that too. Yes, she had to admit to herself that it seemed like maybe something might start up between her and Alex, but truthfully, she was glad that things between the two of them were moving slowly. Right now he needed time to think about what he intended to do regarding the unborn child inside him. She knew he was putting off a decision, trying to ignore the situation in a way, and she was glad she was not a distraction to him. Or was she?
As a physician, she believed abortion should be the mother's decision. As a Catholic, however, it was more of a problem, but she had waged an inner battle with those issues long ago, and understood that as a physician, her ethical duty was to do what was in the best interest of the woman. Since she was in a private practice, issues for or against abortion rarely were raised. It had always upset her that public facilities were always targeted while private doctors rarely had to worry about being attacked by antiabortionists. A person with the right insurance and enough money could abort anytime without ever fearing for her safety or having her rights violated by over-enthusiastic picketers. It did help that most private facilities had their own security while many public facilities did not. Unfortunately, that left some women in desperate need of this sort of medical attention at the mercy of the press, the protestors, and the sometimes less than pristine conditions of public clinics.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and began to clear her desk, preparing to leave for the day. Doctor Booth knocked on her open door and took a step into the office.
"Hi, Jerry, what can I help you with?"
"Hi, Dana. I was wondering what these files were in the lab. I found them just lying there and they looked rather curious..."
"Oh, uh, they are just something I am looking over as a consultant. Nothing to worry about." She held out her hand and Doctor Booth handed them to her without hesitation. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks for retrieving them for me."
"No problem, you know I always try to find an excuse to see you." He winked then walked out.
"Thank god for the male ego..." she thought, glad he was more concerned about seeing her than looking into her files. Though she was upset that thoughts of a certain young man were keeping her flustered and leaving her files lying around.
*****
Doctor Booth sat down at his desk in his office and picked up the phone, punching in a speed dial number. "Sir, I have some important information you may be interested in..."
*****
Alex was surprised when he came into Dana's apartment. Mrs. Scully was there, looking frustrated.
"Alex, am I so glad to see you!"
"Mrs. Scully, it is always a pleasure..."
"Alex, I need your help: I've been trying to put Jenny down for her nap, but she's being difficult. Dana said she'd be home right away, but she's running late, and I have this appointment, and..." She gave him an imploring look, and, in a softer tone, added, "She's been asking for you."
"Of course, Mrs. Scully..."
Mrs. Scully rushed out, grabbing her purse and barely pausing to say thank you. Alex shrugged his shoulders, and then went in search of his favorite little person.
"Hey Jenny," he whispered as he entered her bedroom. She was sitting up in her crib looking very upset.
"Awex!!" she cried, her hands going out automatically to him.
He picked her up and held her saying, "What's up, baby?"
"I don't wike you going 'way, Awex!"
"I went to see Uncle Fox. He hasn't been feeling well and I wanted to cheer him up."
"He had a boo boo?"
Alex smiled. "Yes, he had a boo boo."
"'kay!" she cried then kissed him soundly on the lips.
"Would you like to come take a nap in my room, baby?"
"Wif you?" she asked solemnly.
He nodded, and she nodded right back, her eyes suddenly droopy.
He smiled as her head fell onto his shoulder. He carried her to his room; glad he had taken the prosthesis off earlier. He lay back on the bed, and held the baby to his chest, letting his hand move in tiny circles over her back as her breathing deepened into regular sleep. He could feel her tiny heartbeat next to his own, and he closed his own eyes, relishing the weight of her, the warmth.
*****
Scully entered her apartment a little tired but not in that facing-the-worst-scum-of-humanity way she had been when she came back from an assignment with the FBI.
She called out for her mother, was surprised to get no answer, and then went in search of her Jenny. She was a little concerned that Jenny wasn't in her crib, and she moved a little quicker through the apartment. It was awfully quiet...She noticed that Alex's door was slightly ajar, although no light was visible through the space between the door and the wall. She entered, quietly calling his name, then smiled at the picture before her.
There was Jenny lying right on top of Alex, who was sleeping too, his light snoring apparently soothing the baby.or maybe the other way around. He had pulled the blanket up to cover them both and they looked so comfortable that she decided not to wake them.
She did move closer, though, just to take a look at her baby, then saw how amazingly young Alex looked while he slept. Her hand involuntarily reached out to brush a bit of his hair back from his forehead. His hair had been growing quickly, and she briefly wondered if it might have something to do with the hormones the nanobytes were producing in him.
Having decided that the baby was secure in Alex's one-armed grip, she gave her a tiny kiss on an upturned cheek, then felt Alex stir. She looked into his eyes as they fluttered open and her breath caught at how beautiful they were, even sleep muddled and confused, as they were now. She covered his mouth with her own to stifle a reaction and pressed her finger to her lips as she looked down at Jenny.
His hand left Jenny's back, and crept up and caressed her cheek. She replaced his hand, lightly holding Jenny in place, and gave Alex a tiny, slightly confused smile, then shivered when he surprised her by stroking her neck, then leaving his hand there in a loose but controlled grip that felt.delicious. She grinned suddenly at that thought, and he smiled back and pulled her down. She sat on the bed to make it easier for him and he covered her mouth with his own. She moved her body to be more comfortable and found herself lying against his side, sharing a very sweet kiss.
Her head went down to his shoulder and she breathed in his smell as he held her against him.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
My beta, the Goddess Michele, is the fairest of them all!