The Fox, Dog, Bear, Rat, Wolf, and Panther
The Cabin
Monday, October 1, 2001
3:00 a.m.
Mulder sighed miserably as he eased out of the warmth of Alex's arms. He didn't want to get up, but the laundry needed to be done if they were going to have clean clothes to wear to the meeting this afternoon. His skin broke out in goosebumps as the cool air caressed his bare flesh while he climbed down the ladder. The wood was cold against the soles of his bare feet. A nice sweet ache emanated from his backside where Alex had fucked him last night, it was the only part of his body that felt warm. Over the past couple of weeks he'd had more sex than he had over the last decade. Mulder walked over to the potbellied stove and added some more wood on the dying embers.
Blair and Jim were both soundly asleep cuddled together inside the thick sleeping bags. The room seemed to be unusually cold, so he walked over to the back door and looked outside. There was a layer of frost covering the ground. It was a good thing that Blair had insisted they cover the vegetable garden last night. Otherwise the remaining plants would have died.
Mulder closed the door and lit the kerosene lamp in the kitchen before heading into the bedroom to grab his clothes and to throw some more wood on the fire in the fireplace. He paused at the bed and looked down at the two men sleeping spooned together. God, he wanted to crawl under the covers with them and snuggle up to their warm bodies. Maybe once they were well, and life became less hectic, he'd be able to do just that. He carried his clothes into the bathroom, and after shaving and dressing, he added wood to the water heater and rekindled the fire.
Mulder decided to make a pot of coffee before tackling the huge load of laundry that was piled up next to the hand-cranked washing machine. As he stood at the kitchen sink and filled the percolator with water, Tiger wove her sleek silky body around his legs, looking for attention. He scooped coffee grounds into the basket and placed the coffeepot on the stove before he bent and picked up the cat.
"You hungry, Tiger?" he cooed quietly as he scratched the tabby behind her ear. She purred loudly as he held her while walking over to the cabinet where her food was stored. He set her on the floor and lifted the bag of dried cat food out of the cabinet. It was nearly empty. He'd have to see about making a trip off the mountain to purchase or scavenge some more cat food.
After Tiger was eating, Mulder started to fill the washing machine with hot water. He'd do the whites first. He loaded the basin with every scrap of white clothing, towels, and bed sheets he could find in the large pile before pouring himself a mug of coffee. He sat on a stool by the washer and started cranking as he sipped from the coffee mug.
The noise from the washing machine woke Sandburg. He lay for several minutes listening to the swish swash of the water splashing in the basin and the grinding noise of the crank being turned. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee finally urged him out of the sleeping bag. He pulled on the robe that was draped over the back of the sofa and stepped into a pair of sheepskin slippers.
Mulder looked over at him as Sandburg crossed the room to the stove. "I'm sorry, Blair, I hope I didn't wake you."
"You did, but that's okay, man." Sandburg poured himself a mug of coffee and sat at the cook's table. He enjoyed the taste of the coffee as he shook off the last cobwebs of sleep. After he finished his first cup, Sandburg looked back over at Mulder who was filling the washbasin with clean cold water.
"Do you need any help?"
"Actually, yeah. If you wouldn't mind making the bread this morning?"
"Sure, man." Sandburg had helped Mulder a couple of days ago make bread. They seemed to be going through three loaves every two days. He brought the flour canister over to the cook's table and set it down, then grabbed the largest mixing bowl from the shelf under the table. He collected the other ingredients from around the kitchen and the cooler that they had moved up from the stream to outside the back door. He started mixing all of the ingredients together.
Mulder rang the wash through the ringer while Blair started to knead the dough. He tossed the damp fabric into a laundry basket, and carried it outside to hang on the clotheslines.
While the dough was rising Sandburg went into the bathroom to shower and dress. When he returned to the room Mulder was finishing the second load of clothes. They worked with an easy silence. Sandburg enjoyed watching Mulder work; the man seemed to have an endless supply of energy.
Sandburg punched down the dough then set it back near the stove to allow it to rise again. He pulled out three loaf pans and greased them, then sat back at the counter to enjoy another mug of coffee while he waited.
"Chief!" Ellison called.
Sandburg hopped off the stool and walked into the parlor. "Yeah, Jim, what do you need?"
"Some of that medicinal tea." Ellison turned on his side and closed his eyes. He was feeling miserable.
"Okay, big guy, I'll have it for you in a few minutes."
Sandburg filled the teakettle with tap water, enough to make John and Walter a mug of tea, too.
Mulder carried another load of wash outside to hang on the line. After he came back inside he filled another mug with coffee and sat back at the washer, drinking it, while washing another load of clothes.
Two hours later, a loud hissing noise woke Krycek from a sound sleep. He opened his eyes trying to figure out where the noise was coming from and swore. The air mattress had sprung a leak. He rolled off the mattress and looked for the leak, finding it by the valve. The seam had ripped. "Fuck!" It would be hard to repair. He decided to worry about it later after he had a cup of coffee. Krycek climbed down that ladder and looked around.
Mulder had finished the laundry and was at the stove preparing breakfast. The loaves of bread that Sandburg had baked were cooling on the rack.
Krycek stopped at the stove and kissed Mulder on the cheek. "Hey, have you been up long?" he asked.
"Four hours. I wanted to get the laundry done."
"The air mattress has sprung a leak. I'm going to try to fix it later."
"Damn, what next?"
Skinner stepped out of the bedroom fully dressed. Ellison and Sandburg were in the parlor, rolling up the sleeping bags.
"I better get dressed," Krycek said as he headed into the bedroom.
Mulder scooped the oatmeal into six bowls, and Skinner helped him carry them over to the table as Doggett walked out of the bathroom.
The men sat down to breakfast together, sharing meals had become an important part of their day. Ellison and Sandburg sat at their chosen places at the table as Krycek hurried out of the bedroom pulling a sweater over his head. He sat at the table next to Mulder.
"So what do you have planned for this morning?" Doggett asked as he poured some milk over the oatmeal.
Krycek reached for the brown sugar. "We're going to get the windmill up. Jimmy should be here by nine and between him, Fox, and me we hope to have it up before noon. Langly, Byers, and Frohike are going to handle the chores."
"Walter, Jim, and I should have most of the wiring done before we head to the meeting at the ranger's station this afternoon," Doggett said.
"Don't work too hard," Mulder said, "We don't want you too tired for the trip to the station."
"If we drink Blair's special potion before we go, we should be fine," Skinner said.
~x~X~x~
The Fox, Dog, Rat, Wolf, Bear, Panther, Otter, Frog, Stork, and Puppy
Ranger Station
Monday, October 1, 2001
4:00 p.m.
The community meeting had to be held outdoors. Too many residents had shown up to fit them all inside the ranger station. The twenty farm families from the valley were present, along with sixty-five families from across the mountain range. Most of the families had their children with them, too worried to leave them alone and unprotected. Several families had three and four generations of relatives with them.
Mulder looked around. He counted three hundred and seventy-eight men, women, and children. He only knew fifteen of them. A lot of the others came from areas further back in the mountains than he had ventured on horseback since moving to area six months ago. Frohike seemed to know most of them even the kids.
Ellison was on the front porch of the ranger station speaking to the crowd, trying to convince them of the need for a community militia to protect their families and property from outsiders.
"Mr. Ellison, who'd be in charge of this militia?" Arnold Simmons asked.
"If no one else is willing, I'd like to offer my services to the community to organize and lead the militia. I was in the military for several years and was a police detective," Ellison said.
"No offense, Mr. Ellison, but we don't know you," Simmons said. "I think most of us would feel more comfortable with someone we know and trusted heading the militia."
"That's fine with me, who do you have in mind?"
Simmons looked around at his neighbors then he turned back to face Ellison. "Melvin Frohike."
Most of the people in the crowd nodded and made sounds of approval.
Frohike had been shamelessly flirting with Ada Elend when he heard his name and looked around puzzled.
Arne Elend chuckled. "It looks like you're our new militia leader, Melvin, serves ya right for flirting with my wife."
"Whoa, I'm a lover not a fighter."
Hugh Wagner turned to him. "Melvin, we don't know your friends and we'd feel better with you in charge. At least until we decide if we can trust them."
Maureen Blye echoed her agreement. "You know this area, Melvin. You know where all of us live and you also know these strangers," she said, nodding toward Ellison, Skinner, and the other men. "I think you're the perfect choice. You can act as a bridge between us."
"But, Maureen, I don't know anything about organizing and leading a militia."
Ellison felt relieved that he wouldn't have to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility for the militia. Frohike could act as the community contact for their group while he and the others did the actual work. He was starting to feel sick again as the medicinal tea Blair had given him before they headed here wore off. "Melvin, don't worry, Walter, John, and I will help you...we all have military training."
Mulder watched his friend's face as Frohike thought it over. His features went from doubt to resignation.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Several people patted him on the back. Langly and Byers frowned but kept their thoughts to themselves.
"Cool, Melvin, do you get to wear a uniform?" Jimmy asked.
"No, Jimmy, at least I hope not," Frohike grumbled.
Mulder noticed that his lovers and Ellison weren't looking well. "Fro, we need to be heading back home. Why don't you collect a list of our neighbors that want to be part of the militia and we can hold a separate meeting here later in the week with them."
"Good idea, Mulder, I'll see you guys tomorrow," Frohike said as the six men started for the two horses and two mountain bikes they had ridden there on.
Mulder made sure that Skinner and Doggett were well enough to ride the horse back, while Sandburg helped Ellison on the other horse and swung up behind him. He and Krycek climbed on the mountain bikes. It was a beautiful late afternoon day. The trees had just started changing to their fall colors and the temperature was in the mid-fifties. He and Krycek rode behind the two horses to keep an eye on their sick friends.
Mulder was exhausted and looked forward to relaxing after he took care of the animals, and maybe even going to bed early for once. He, Krycek, and Bond had assembled and erected the windmill earlier in the day. It was a labor-intensive task. The other members of their group had finished wiring the cabin and tomorrow they'd be able to hook up the power. Mulder couldn't wait to have electricity and not have to depend on the kerosene lamps for light.
The path widened and Krycek rode up along side of him. "You look tired, Fox. Why don't you let me handle milking the cows and bedding down the horses, while you get some rest."
"That's okay, you've worked just as hard as I did today," Mulder said.
"Not true. You were up four hours before me doing the laundry and fixing breakfast."
"Are you sure, Alex? You're still not used to milking--"
"Fox, I'm sure. I think I've gotten pretty good at milking."
The path narrowed again forcing Krycek to ride behind Mulder.
They arrived back at the cabin twenty minutes later. Mulder helped Doggett and Skinner off the horse and into the cabin, while Krycek took their horse, and Sandburg's and Ellison's horse to the barn. When they entered the cabin, Sandburg already had Ellison on the recliner and was heading into the kitchen to heat a teakettle of water to make another batch of his medicinal tea.
Doggett and Skinner collapsed tiredly on the sofa and Tiger leaped up to sit between them.
"I hate being this sick," Doggett grumbled as he petted the cat. His whole body was stiff and achy, and his head felt like it had been split wide open.
Mulder frowned as he looked at his two lovers' pain-filled faces. "Don't worry, guys, Blair is fixing another batch of his herbal remedy." He placed a throw blanket over them before going to build fires in the potbellied stove and the fireplace in the bedroom.
Skinner was feeling marginally better than Doggett. He'd been fearfully checking his body each morning for any sign that he had changed further or for any openings that shouldn't be there. This morning he'd noticed that the hair on his arms had started growing back. He took that as a good sign, even if it wasn't as dark and thick.
"Mulder, can I see you a moment?" Sandburg called from the kitchen.
Mulder closed the grate on the stove and walked across the room to the kitchen. "What's wrong, Blair?"
"I haven't been able to find any more feverfew flowers on the plants, and after the frost we had last night, I don't expect there to be anymore until Spring."
Mulder glanced over at the men suffering in the parlor. "Oh great. How long do you think your supply will last?"
"I have enough to get them through the next three days. After that we'll have to depend on Tylenol to relieve their discomfort."
Mulder rubbed his eyes tiredly, he didn't like to see the men suffering and knowing that he was responsible for Walter's and John's condition made him feel even guiltier. "Okay, Blair." He headed into the bathroom to add more wood to the water heater.
Krycek finally finished attending to the animals and headed inside. Ellison and Skinner were in the kitchen preparing dinner, and Sandburg was sitting in the parlor reading. He looked around for Mulder but didn't find him in the bedroom or bathroom.
"He's out on the front porch with John," Skinner said. The A.D. felt a hundred percent better after drinking the tea, too bad it would only last four hours.
"Thanks." Krycek walked across the room to the front door and stepped outside. He found the two men sitting on the porch swing talking quietly. Doggett had his arm around Mulder's shoulders.
Mulder looked up at him and smiled tiredly. "Hey, Alex. I was talking to John about you and me taking a scavenger trip into the city. There's some items I want to get before someone else beats us to them."
Doggett shook his head. "Alex, I don't think you and Fox should go until Walter and I are better so we can all go together."
"John, if your change takes as long as mine did, you won't be well for another three weeks," Mulder said, "And one of the things I want to look for is feverfew at one of the herbal medicine stores, that is if any of the stores are still left standing. Blair's supply is only going to last three more days." Mulder also wanted to pick up another few boxes of tampons. With Krycek needing them his supply wasn't going to last for long, but he wasn't about to voice that aloud.
"Fox is right, John, we can't wait until you're better. We'll take the truck and trailer; I want to get a sleeper sofa as long as we're out. We'll take Jimmy with us to watch the truck when we're in the stores."
"You're going to get yourselves shot for looting."
"The military is too busy preparing for the invasion and helping the refugees to care about people looting from the ruins," Mulder said. "Besides, the military has been providing Sean with the latest stickers to allow him to travel freely. He'll let us use it to get through any military roadblocks."
"What else are you planning on picking up?"
"Since we have electricity now, I thought I'd pick up some more light bulbs, lamps, some power tools, some lumber supplies for the Gunmen's bathroom, and a couple of space heaters," Mulder said. "Can you think of anything else we need?"
"A washer and dryer," Doggett said. He had listened to the sound of Fox doing the laundry for three hours this morning.
Mulder grinned. "If we can find an appliance store, I'd love to get at least a washer."
"When will you be leaving?"
"I want to leave before the sun comes up. That way, if everything goes well, we can be back here before the sun sets tomorrow."
Skinner poked his head out the door. "Dinner's ready."
He and Ellison had made pasta tossed in olive oil, with sauted garlic, mushrooms, and zucchini. And a nice large salad. Everything was dished up and on the dining room table along with bread and butter.
Mulder took his place on the side of the rectangular table next to Krycek. Skinner and Ellison sat at the opposite ends with Mulder on Skinner's right and Doggett on Skinner's left.
"Fox and Alex are driving to Baltimore tomorrow," Doggett said as he stabbed a slice of tomato in the salad bowl with his fork.
Skinner looked at Mulder and Krycek. "Why?"
"I want to pick up some things now that we have electricity," Mulder said.
Skinner nodded. "Okay, take your side arms and automatic rifles," he said, "We'll probably need something to entertain us this winter, so if you stumble across a CD player and CDs get them but don't go out of your way looking for them."
Mulder smiled. "Sure, Walter. Blair, Jim, is there anything you need?"
Ellison couldn't think of anything off the top of his head. They'd be going back to their cabin as soon as he was better. "We could use some KY and a few bags of coffee beans."
"A bread machine," Sandburg said. He had the tedious task of making bread that morning.
"Good thinking we could use one of those, too," Mulder said, "You know you're welcome to stay here if you want."
"Thanks, Mulder, but Blair and I will be heading back to our cabin as soon as I'm better." Ellison took a sip of water then picked up his fork. "If you find a liquor store that hasn't been destroyed or looted pick up some wine."
"We could always check some of the unaffected towns to see if they have any stores that are still open," Mulder said.
"I'm sure the prices will be through the roof," Krycek said.
"We can't steal everything," Mulder said. He was beginning to feel guilty about all of the stuff they'd acquired after millions of people had lost their lives.
"Fox, it's not stealing, either we get it or someone else will. Life changed when the aliens attacked, right now its survival for the fittest," Krycek said.
"Alex is right, Fox. Right now we have to focus on surviving, and we might as well do it with as much comfort as we can find," Doggett said as he looked across the table at his lover.
"I know you're both right, but it still is going to feel weird to walk into a store and take whatever we want." Mulder twirled his fork in the pasta.
"Just be careful tomorrow. There's bound to be others scavenging through the Baltimore area," Skinner said.
"Don't worry, Walter, we will be," Mulder said as he brought a forkful of pasta to his lips.
Skinner swallowed as he watched a trickle of olive oil drip off the pasta and down his lover's chin. He wanted to lick it off and would have if it weren't for the other men at the table.
Krycek grabbed Mulder's wrist as he started to pick up a napkin. He leaned in and licked the olive oil off his chin.
Skinner glared at Krycek then went back to his meal.
They finished the rest of the meal while enjoying small talk. After dinner, Mulder excused himself and went into the bathroom to take a shower while Krycek and Doggett did the dishes. Skinner joined Mulder as he was dropping his clothes on the bathroom floor.
"Fox, do you mind if I share the shower with you?"
"No." Mulder grinned tiredly. "You can wash my back."
"You look beat. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to help you with the chores," Skinner said as he stripped.
"Walter, I understand. Besides I'm the reason you've been too sick to help." Mulder turned on the shower and climbed into the bathtub, Skinner stepped under the spray a minute later.
They stood facing each other for a minute as the water rained down on them before Mulder wrapped his hand behind Skinner's neck and leaned in to kiss him. As their lips touched, Skinner pulled Mulder against his body and returned the kiss with uncontrolled passion.
Arousal made them both hard. They ground their groins together as they kissed, moving faster as the need for release spurred them on. Mulder moaned into Skinner's mouth as he spilled his seed. Skinner's arms tightened around Mulder's water-slicked body as his own release joined his lover's against their bodies.
Mulder sighed and rested his forehead on Skinner shoulder. "I'm too exhausted to move."
Skinner chuckled. "Turn around and I'll wash your hair and back."
Mulder lifted his head off Skinner's shoulder and turned. Skinner's large hands caressed Mulder's shoulders before he reached for the shampoo. "You're so fucking beautiful."
Mulder snorted. "You're one to talk, you big bald beautiful man," Mulder said as Skinner started to wash his hair.
"You don't seriously find me attractive?"
"Walter, you exude a raw unbridled sexuality." Mulder moved to allow the water to wash the shampoo out of his hair. "Do you have any idea the number of women that took their lunch break when you did just to be in the cafeteria at the same time?"
"You're making that up," Skinner said as Mulder picked up a washcloth and a bar of soap.
"They used to tell Scully that watching you kept them trim."
"How's that?"
"They saved on calories because they didn't need dessert, watching you was their dessert." Mulder ran the soapy washcloth over Skinner's chest.
Skinner groaned. "Now I know you're making it up."
Mulder smiled sweetly. "No you don't. Now do my back."
Skinner took the washcloth. He washed Mulder's back and ran the cloth over the sweet mounds of his ass. "I want to sleep with you up in the loft tonight."
"Walter, in a couple of hours Blair's concoction is going to wear off and you'll be glad you're near the bathroom and in a nice soft bed."
Skinner knew he was right. "Then sleep downstairs with John and me."
"After you're better we'll go back to your bed schedule." Mulder felt guilty about leaving Alex to sleep alone in the chilly loft.
"Okay, Fox," Skinner sighed.
They finished their shower, and then took turns at the sink brushing their teeth. Mulder pulled on an undershirt and pajama bottoms while Skinner dressed in flannel pajamas. He touched Skinner's arm, as his lover was about to leave the bathroom. Mulder leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "I really want to sleep with you. I hope that you're better soon."
"You will wake me to say goodbye before you leave tomorrow morning?" Skinner knew Mulder planned to leave before sunrise.
"Sure, Walter." They stepped out of the bathroom and Mulder walked across the room to the ladder and climbed up to the loft.
The other four men were sitting in the parlor relaxing with mugs of hot cocoa. Krycek stood and headed into the bathroom. "You didn't use all the hot water, did you?" he asked Skinner.
Skinner smirked. "No. Fox and I conserved hot water by sharing a shower."
Krycek stomped down his irritation with the knowledge that he'd be sleeping with Fox tonight. "Sleep well, Wally," he said as he closed the bathroom door.
~x~X~x~
The Fox, Rat, and Puppy
Baltimore
Tuesday, October 2, 2001
10:00 a.m.
Mulder steered the truck into the lot of the Home Depot and backed it up to the lumberyard. They noticed other scavengers, but they stayed out of each other's ways; there was more than enough loot in the store for all of them. On the back of the pickup truck bed was a sleeper sofa and a queen-sized mattress, box spring, and bed frame that they had picked up at a partially destroyed Slumberland store. The large trailer was empty except for a stacked washer and dryer--Mulder considered that find to have made the trip well worth it. Krycek on the other hand was more excited about the Queen-sized sleigh bed for the loft. It amused Mulder how much care Krycek had taken in choosing just the right bed frame.
Mulder turned off the engine and looked at Bond. They had taken the youngest Gunmen along for added protection and muscle. Someone needed to guard the truck when they were in the store. "Alex, Jimmy, I'm going to start loading lumber onto the trailer for Byers' bathroom. Why don't you both go into the store and get us the power tools and whatever else you think we'll need."
"We're going to need some drywall, a door, and some roofing materials," Krycek said. "But if we forget anything we can make another run later in the week. Leave room on the right-hand side of the trailer, I want to get a table saw and sander."
"Sure, Alex, the roofing material is out here, I'll get that. You're right; we'll have to make another trip for the drywall. I still want to stop down the street at the Super Target store." Mulder wasn't about to go home without a few boxes of tampons, dry cat food, and the bread machines.
Mulder started loading the two by fours onto the trailer as Krycek and Bond headed into the store. They had no problem getting what they needed. It was at the Target Super store that they finally ran into trouble. Krycek had just returned after loading a CD player onto the trailer. He passed Bond who had a cartload of music CDs.
"Jimmy, would you stay outside and guard the truck?"
"Sure, Alex."
The other end of the store smelled of rotten meat and spoiled milk. Mulder was down at that end getting cat food and some small kitchen appliances. Krycek was heading in that direction, he wanted to pick up some Queen-sized sheet sets and blankets for the new bed. He turned down the aisle and heard a low growl as he came upon a pack of wild dogs that had entered the store through the warehouse. The leader of the pack was a large pit bull. Krycek heard the wheels of a shopping cart coming toward them. The dogs' heads turned in that direction.
"Fox, watch out!" Krycek shouted. Fear for his lover's safety caused him to morph into a large wolf. He pounced on the pit bull as Mulder hurried down the aisle with his gun drawn. Mulder shot and killed two of the dogs and the others four fled. He watched the large sable fur wolf with green eyes kill the pit bull with supernatural strength.
Krycek looked up from the body at Mulder and walked over to him. He hopped up on his hind legs and placed his paws on Mulder's shoulders then licked his face.
Mulder stood there too stunned to move as the wolf morphed back into Krycek.
Krycek gave Mulder's face a couple of more licks before he pulled back and looked at him in surprise. "Ah, what just happened?"
"You changed into a wolf and killed a pit bull before he could attack us."
"Why don't I remember...?" Krycek looked down at the body of the dog. "God, Fox, I could have killed you."
Mulder smiled. "No, but you might have licked me to death. Alex, I think you knew exactly who I was."
Krycek shook his head in dismay; he hated not having any memory of being a wolf. "C'mon, let's get the rest of the stuff and get out of here."
~x~X~x~
The Dog, Bear, Fox, Rat, Panther, and Wolf
The Cabin
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
11:30 a.m.
A few hours ago Sean had flown the items that they had picked up from the Baltimore area yesterday to their place. Skinner was now out in the barn with Ellison setting up the power tools and putting away the lumber. They would cut it down to size in the barn before hauling it to the Gunmen's cabin. The first thing they had to do, at the Gunmen's place, was build a septic tank, distribution box, and a leach field, where the liquid waste and water could drain. It was going to involve a lot of physical labor.
Krycek was up in the loft assembling the bed frame with help from Doggett.
"Okay, let's get the mattresses on it," Krycek said as he stepped back to admire the highly polished, mahogany, sleigh bed.
"What made you select a sleigh bed?" Doggett asked as they grabbed opposite sides of the box spring and lifted it onto the frame.
"My parents had one. I remembered all of the times when I was a little boy that I used to crawl into their bed. Sleeping in that bed with them, gave me a sense of security and love that I haven't had since that time. I wanted to try to recapture that feeling."
"It's a nice looking bed," Doggett said as they put the mattress on top of the box spring.
Krycek picked up one of the sheet sets that were sitting against the wall. He'd taken three Queen-sized sheet sets and feather pillows from Target. One set was flannel and the other two were cotton. He chose the flannel one to put on the bed. Doggett helped him make the bed and put the blanket and comforter on it. The bed looked very comfortable.
Doggett liked the loft. It had a couple of windows that looked out over the farmyard and the stream. The ceiling was slopped following the pitch of the roof. It was very cozy.
Mulder was downstairs in the kitchen hooking up the electric washer and dryer. The stacked set took up less floor space than the old hand cranked washer.
Sandburg sat on the new sleeper sofa in the parlor, sorting through the box of herbal medicines that they had picked up at a health food store. They were only able to find three bottles of ground feverfew. It should be enough to get them through a couple more weeks. He had the CD player on and was playing Alanis Morissette's latest CD. The old floral sofa they had moved out to the barn. The new sofa was made of dark navy blue leather and was a foot longer than the old sofa.
He and Jim would be heading back to their cabin tomorrow, to check on it, and drop off the supplies that were still at the ranger station. They planned to stay at Mulder's cabin until they had the Gunmen's bathroom built, the patrols organized, and his lover was feeling better. Sandburg was going to miss this place. He enjoyed the companionship of the other men. Not to mention that this area of the mountain range was beautiful.
Doggett climbed down the ladder followed by Krycek. He walked over to where Mulder was hooking up the outside heat vent from the dryer through the hole he had cut in the thick log.
"How's it going?" Doggett asked.
Mulder smiled. "Almost done, then we can test it."
"I'm going out to the barn to see how Walter and Jim are doing. Call me when you're ready to test the washer."
Krycek started digging through the cabinets. It was his day to cook. He pulled out three cans of tomato soup and dumped the contents into a large pot with three cans of milk. He stirred the contents with a whisk until the soup and milk were well blended, then walked outside to get the package of sliced American cheese out of the outside cooler. He wanted to test the convection oven by making grilled cheese sandwiches.
"Blair, can you go outside and tell the guys that lunch will be ready in ten minutes?" Krycek said as he placed the six cheese sandwiches in the oven.
"Sure, Alex."
Mulder turned on the washer and watched as the basin started to fill. He added towels and sheets, then the laundry detergent.
"Hey, it sounds like the washer is working," Doggett said as he walked in through the back door followed by the other three men.
"So far so good," Mulder said.
Krycek carried the bowls over to the table then ladled the soup into each bowl. He then cut the grilled cheese sandwiches in half and placed them on a large plate.
Skinner and Ellison walked into the bathroom to wash their hands as Krycek filled a pitcher with ice-cold water from the tap and placed it on the table along with six glasses.
Sandburg filled one of the glasses with water from the pitcher and sat at his place at the table. He reached for half a sandwich and started eating as the other men took their places. "So, do you think we're making enough electricity to run a refrigerator?" he asked.
"Yes," Doggett said, "We're generating enough power to provide electricity for three households."
Everyone looked over at Krycek and Mulder.
"Okay, we'll add it to our list. I just don't know where we're going to put a refrigerator, we seem to be running out of space in the kitchen," Mulder said.
"There's room next to the washer and dryer," Skinner said, "We'll just have to install another electrical outlet on the wall."
"It probably should be on a separate circuit," Ellison said as he looked over at the wall.
"Yep, you're right." Doggett dunked his sandwich into the soup. "We'll start on it after lunch."
~x~X~x~
The Panther and Wolf
Jim's and Blair's Cabin
Thursday, October 4, 2001
1:30 p.m.
Ellison knew something was wrong the minute he and Sandburg turned SUV down the road their cabin was on. He heard the sounds of kids playing, a baby crying, and several people talking in the direction of the cabin.
"What's wrong, Jim?" Sandburg asked.
"I think some people have moved into our cabin."
It was confirmed when they saw the vehicles parked in front of the cabin. Ellison parked the SUV behind a minivan and an old station wagon with New York license plates. He and Sandburg climbed out. A couple of eight or nine year old boys were playing out front. They ran into the cabin and called to their dad and uncle.
"Dad, Uncle Jacob, someone's here!"
A large man walked out on the porch pointing a rifle at them. "What do you want?"
"This is our cabin!" Ellison growled, not liking having a gun aimed at him and Blair.
An even larger man came out of the cabin, holding a handgun, behind him in the open doorway stood two women, one holding a baby, and the other with a toddler. Both men had red hair and resembled each other. Ellison figured they were probably brothers.
"Not any longer," the man said, "My family has been here the last three days and we're staying." He cocked the rifle.
"Jim, maybe we should go," Sandburg said. He could see the man wouldn't hesitate to kill them to protect his family.
"Can't we work this out? Our belongings are in that cabin."
"Mary, get their bags and bring them out here," the larger man said.
"We'll give you your things then you're leaving. Got that?"
Ellison glared at the man, then looked at the small freckle-faced boys hovering fearfully behind him. "Got it," he said as he realized that he couldn't throw them out. No matter how much he wanted to smack the bastard with the rifle.
Mary came out of the cabin with their bags. The man stopped her from carrying them down the steps to them. He grabbed first one bag and threw it underhanded at Ellison who caught it then the other bag to Sandburg.
"Now get."
"C'mon, Chief, let's go and give the guys the good news that we'll be staying through the winter with them."
"At least they have electricity now."
Ellison smiled as he started the truck. "I think we'll be able to become part of Walter's revolving bed schedule. I'd love to be able to make love to you by firelight in that large pine bed in the master bedroom."
"Just so long as we only switch beds and not partners, big guy. I think Walter mainly wants to switch so he can sleep with Mulder. He and Alex don't seem to like each other very much...I wonder what that's all about." Sandburg knew from talking to Alex about his troubled past with Mulder, but he knew nothing about Alex's past with Walter.
"Maybe jealousy."
"Then how come Walter and Alex don't seem to have a problem with John's relationship with Mulder?"
"Maybe because Walter is having sex with John, and I think Alex and John sort of like each other."
"That still doesn't explain why Walter and Alex don't like each other," Sandburg said.
"Let's not pry, Chief."
"How are you feeling?" Sandburg asked as he noticed his lover's face had taken on a greenish tone.
"Fine...sort of. Can you pour me some of that tea?"
Sandburg picked up the thermos at his feet and poured some tea into the plastic cup. He handed the cup to Ellison who took it while keeping his left hand on the steering wheel.
~x~X~x~
The Fox, Bear, Otter, Frog, Stork, and Puppy
The Gunmen's Cabin
Thursday, October 11, 2001
7:00 p.m.
They'd been working on the bathroom at the Gunmen's cabin for a week. It took them three long days to dig the trench for the drainage pipe and a deep hole to install the septic tank and lay the pipes for the leach field. Having power tools cut the construction time in half.
Over the past week Mulder had enjoyed watching Byers. The man had taken total charge of all aspects of the bathroom project. He had a clipboard with the daily schedule of what they should have done. Byers even insisted on going with Mulder, Krycek, and Bond when they headed back to the Home Depot in Baltimore to pick up the drywall and a solar-heated water heater with solar panels for the roof. Byers wanted to select the tiles and accessories for the bathroom; he didn't like the tiles that Krycek and Ellison had picked up, on their ill-fated trip.
During that trip, they had stopped back at the Slumberland store and picked up the matching dresser and nightstand for the sleigh bed. Krycek reasoned that Jim and Blair needed a place to store their clothes. They had encountered more people on that trip than on past trips. It seemed more and more people were venturing into the ruins in search of food and supplies.
Back at the cabin, Ellison and Skinner had been discussing building a staircase going up to the loft to replace the ladder. They didn't want it to take floor space from the parlor, so that led to talks about expanding the cabin, maybe adding another bedroom.
At the Gunmen's place, yesterday they had installed the bathroom fixtures, except the claw-footed tub, and today they were tiling the room. The bathroom was beautiful. Mulder was surprised how good it had turned out. They had installed a bay window and a corner potbellied stove, since the large fireplace that separated the parlor from the kitchen was the cabin's only source of heat, they knew it would not be enough to heat the bathroom, too.
Mulder pulled his mind back to the task at hand as he cut a tile with a tile cutter. He handed the piece to Skinner who was on his knees installing the tile.
Skinner had awakened that morning feeling fine; he didn't need the medicinal tea. To his and Mulder's relief there was no sign of a vagina on his body, so maybe he wouldn't change into a hermaphrodite after all. It had been eighteen days since Mulder had infected him.
Krycek had finished shingling the bathroom roof a few hours ago and had gone back to their cabin, since tiling the bathroom was only a two-man job.
Skinner stood. "Okay, guys, we just need to grout the tile tomorrow then put on a sealer Saturday, and install the bathtub."
Byers stood in the doorway and smoothed a hand over the tiled wall. "It's beautiful. Thanks, Mulder, Walter."
"You're welcome, John," Mulder said.
"So can we use the toilet?" Langly asked.
"You probably shouldn't walk on the tiles until the glue sets for at least 24 hours," Skinner said.
Frohike walked over to them and looked into the room. "Very nice. I have dinner ready if you're hungry."
"Hey, I'm starving. What did you make?" Mulder asked.
"Stuffed acorn squash and pan fried crappies."
"Mm, who caught the fish?" Skinner asked.
"Langly and I did this morning."
Bond came in through the back door with a basket of eggs. Rocky followed him inside and sat looking up at the stove.
"Cat, go catch some mice. Fish is people food," Frohike said as he scooped the fish out of the cast iron skillet onto six plates.
"So, when's the next militia meeting?" Mulder asked as he sat at the round table.
"I plan to hold it Sunday afternoon at the ranger's station. Langly is going to contact the other militia members on the radio. There's a few new families that have moved into the Timberlake cabins who want to be part of the militia," Frohike said.
Skinner frowned. "I'm not sure we can trust them. One of those families held a gun on Jim and Blair and stole their cabin."
"Since you, Jim, and Arnold are my field captains, you'll have a say in whether they are allowed to be part of the militia." After finding out he had the power to delegate, Frohike had discovered that he enjoyed being in charge.
Langly picked out the tiny bones from the trout. "Mulder, let me know next time you and Alex plan on heading out on another scavenger hunt there's something I'd like you to pick up for us."
"Sure, what do you need?"
"I want to get some more solar panels for the roof, to help charge the battery in the generator Alex and John picked up for us, and some back up batteries," Langly said.
"Sure, we'll look the next time we head out. The Home Depot is pretty picked over, but there may be some more stores deeper within the ruins that haven't been totally destroyed or looted."
By the time they finished eating it was dark outside and Mulder was feeling strange. He felt a stirring in his loins as he sat next to Walter. Something wasn't right. The moon wasn't full so that wasn't what was causing his ardor to rise. Skinner's scent seemed to be more intense...arousing.
"We'll see you, guys, tomorrow. We need to be heading home," Mulder said.
"Thanks for dinner, Melvin," Skinner said as he pulled on his jacket.
"Be careful riding those bikes on the path in the dark," Byers said as he walked out onto the front porch with them.
Mulder climbed onto his bike as Skinner got on the other one, and they started pedaling down the dark path with just the small bike headlights to see by. They made it three miles when Mulder stopped suddenly.
Skinner stopped and looked back at him. It was too dark to make out Mulder's features. He watched as Mulder climbed off the bike and allowed it to topple over.
"Fox, what's wrong?" Skinner climbed off his bike and put down the kickstand.
Mulder crossed the distance between them, and grabbed Skinner by the front of his shirt and kissed him hard.
Skinner was startled at first then returned the kiss with unbridled lust. After several minutes of kissing, Skinner started to feel strange and aroused in an area that wasn't a part of his body. It didn't help that Mulder's hand had found its way down the back of his pants and his finger was pressing against his perineum. Skinner suddenly found himself on all fours. He whimpered, as the urge to be mated became all encompassing. His felt damp as Mulder's long tongue darted out and licked his backside before leaping up on his body and mounting him from behind. Mulder slid easily into him and started to fuck Walter hard and fast. It was only when they tied as a large knot swelled inside him that Skinner realized he was no longer human and Mulder hadn't been fucking him through his rectum.
'What's happening to me?' Skinner mind shouted.
Mulder's voice sounded soothingly inside his head. 'It's all right, Walter. You're like Alex and me...a werewolf.'
'I'm a female werewolf?' Skinner asked, as Mulder remained tied with him.
'More like a hermaphrodite wolf,' Mulder said as he finally shrunk enough to pull out of his lover. 'You seemed to have retained your cock and balls.'
'This is too weird.' Skinner felt strange as Mulder separated from him. He looked around, his deep brown eyes seeing everything in clear detail. His eyesight was perfect...he didn't need his glasses.
'Run with me, Walter,' Mulder said, being in wolf form made him feel playful and unencumbered. He took off down the hill on the right side of the path.
Skinner was over his initial shock and chased after Mulder through the underbrush. They spent over an hour running and playing together before stopping by a stream to drink.
Skinner sat back on his haunches. 'Fox, this is remarkable. I was scared and repulsed at first but I've never felt more free.'
Mulder walked over to him and licked his face, then nuzzled against his body. 'The only drawback is we will only have fleeting memories of this time when we change back.'
'How long can we keep this form?'
'I don't know. Usually I only changed during the full moon, but for some reason we both changed tonight. The only time I changed during the day was when John was shot.'
'How do we change back?'
'I think that will happen automatically at daybreak.'
Skinner saw a small shape move in the brush. 'Shall we catch a couple of fat rabbits to cook up for lunch?'
'Cook up?' Mulder had already caught and eaten a rabbit while in wolf form.
'Lunch, Fox. According to you we'll be human again and I sort of doubt we'll want to eat the rabbits rare.'
'I'm not sure I'll like rabbit as a human.'
'It tastes like chicken.'
'If you say so.'
Skinner gave his lover a wolfish smirk then took off after the rabbit he'd seen.
~x~X~x~
The Rat, Dog, Bear, and Fox
Krycek stood out on the front porch looking off into the night. Fox and Walter should have been home hours ago. He went back inside the cabin and got a flashlight.
"Alex, where are you going?" Doggett asked. He was dressed in a robe and pajamas and sat on the recliner next to the potbellied stove. Sandburg and Ellison were in the bathroom sharing a shower before bed.
"To look for Fox and Walter."
"Let me get dressed and I'll go with you."
"No. John, you're not feeling well and will only slow me down. Stay here. I'm just going to take the path to the Gunmen's place."
"Do you have your gun?"
"Yeah, I never leave home without it."
"Be careful."
"Don't worry about me, I'm always careful." Krycek paused at the front door. "You look like shit, John, why don't you go to bed?"
"Not until Fox and Walter...and you get home."
"I'll be back shortly." Krycek closed the door behind him as he stepped outside. He flipped on the flashlight and started in the direction of the Gunmen's cabin.
The evening was crisp with a sweet fragrance of decay from the leaves that had fallen off trees. Krycek's feet made a crunching sound as he stepped on dried leaves and twigs.
One mile down the path a couple of large shapes darted up the hill and onto the path. Krycek dropped the flashlight and reached for his handgun as one of the wolves walked up to him and dropped a dead jackrabbit at his feet before hopping up on its hind legs and placing its paws on Krycek's shoulders.
"Fox?" Krycek asked as he looked into the wolf's golden eyes. The wolf licked him in response, which made the other wolf growl around the fat jackrabbit in its mouth.
Mulder morphed suddenly into his human form and was surprised to find himself looking into Krycek's face. "Alex?"
"Fox, tell me that wolf behind you is Walter?"
Mulder turned and look at the large wolf that looked up at him with intelligent brown-eyes. "Walter?"
Skinner set the rabbit on the ground, walked over to him, and pushed his nose in Mulder's groin.
Mulder gasped then pushed Skinner's nose away so he could kneel beside him. He petted Skinner's large furry head as he looked at him. "Can you understand me?"
A long tongue darted out of the wolf's mouth and licked Mulder across his lips, causing him to fall back on his ass. The wolf stepped forward and pushed Mulder onto his back, then stood over him and started licking Mulder playfully. Mulder started chuckling. When Krycek stepped closer, Skinner looked up and growled, baring his teeth.
Krycek glared at him. "Don't push your luck, Wally, you're not the only one that can change into a wolf."
Skinner ignored him and went back to licking and nipping his lover. He suddenly found himself back in human form, on the ground on all fours, with Fox's arms around his body hugging him. The last thing Skinner remembered was standing on the path kissing Fox.
"Are you two about done?" Krycek's annoyed voice startled an already confused Skinner.
"How did you get here?" Skinner asked.
"I came looking for you when you didn't come home."
"What time is it?"
"It's midnight."
"Walter let me up," Mulder said breathlessly.
Skinner climbed to his feet and gave Mulder a hand up.
"Where are our bikes?" Skinner asked as he looked around.
"I think you must have left them somewhere along the path. Why don't you take the rabbits back home while Fox and I go and look for them," Krycek said.
Skinner looked down at the dead jackrabbits on the path. "What killed them?"
"You and Fox caught them," Krycek answered patiently, he remembered how upset he'd been at Fox's suggestion that they had turned into werewolves. "We might as well clean them and prepare them for dinner tomorrow night. We should get used to hunting and eating game animals. We're not going to be able to scavenge Spam or canned meats from the ruins indefinitely."
"Why don't I remember catching them?" Skinner asked.
Mulder walked up to Skinner and hugged him. "Walter, Alex and I watched you turn from a wolf back into a man. I had returned to human form before you and I don't have any memory of our time together as wolves either." He watched the look of doubt and fear on his lover's face. "Walter, as a wolf you knew exactly who Krycek and I were. You even got frisky with me."
"Okay, I'll take your word for it, although I'm not really going to believe it until I see one of us change with my own eyes." How could he doubt it when even John Skeptic Doggett claimed to have seen Mulder change from a wolf back into a man?
Skinner bent and picked up the large jackrabbits by their ears, each must weigh close to twenty pounds. "I'll take care of cleaning them in the morning. When I was a boy, my dad used to take my brother, West, and me hunting in Wisconsin. We caught and cleaned dozens of rabbits over the years."
Mulder made a face. "I hope it doesn't taste too bad."
"It tastes like chicken," Skinner and Krycek said simultaneously.
Skinner looked at Krycek questioningly.
Krycek shrugged. "When you're on the run sometimes you have to live off the land. C'mon, Fox, let's go find your bikes."
~x~X~x~
The Bear and Dog
Skinner arrived home thirty minutes later, he hung the rabbits up in the barn before entering the house through the back door.
Doggett had the sofa bed opened and made. He was sitting at the kitchen counter waiting for them. "Walter, where's Fox and Alex?"
"Retrieving our bikes." Skinner looked at the partially opened bedroom doorway; he could hear Sandburg snoring softly.
"What happened?" Doggett asked.
"According to Alex, Fox and I changed into wolves."
Doggett sighed and stood. "So this alien virus Fox infected us with will cause both of us to change into werewolves?"
Skinner walked over and hugged John. "Look on the bright side...unlike Fox and Alex, at least we're still completely male. I think that I can live with turning into a werewolf as long as we're not a danger to humans."
"Do you want to turn in?"
"John, I'm going to sleep in the loft with Fox tonight," Skinner said guiltily.
Doggett chuckled. "That's okay, Walter, if I was feeling better I'd insist on my turn with him, too. Besides, I don't mind sleeping with Alex."
Skinner hugged and kissed him. "I'm going to clean up. Why don't you go to bed, John? You're not looking too good."
"Okay, at least I know that I should be feeling better by Monday." Doggett walked over to the sofa bed and crawled under the covers, it wasn't as comfortable as the big bed in the master bedroom, but it was better than the air mattress had been.
Tiger hopped on the bed and curled up on the pillow next to his.
~x~X~x~
The Fox, Rat, Bear, Dog, Panther, Wolf, Otter, Frog, Stork, and Puppy
The Cabin
Saturday, October 13, 2001
4:30 p.m.
Doggett sat on the sofa as he mixed the chocolate frosting in a small bowl. After it was silky smooth, he started to frost the two layer chocolate cake that Blair and Alex had baked that morning after Fox and Walter had left for the Gunmen's place. The cake was on the coffee table, since there was no room in the kitchen or dining room for Doggett to work. Krycek wanted to make Mulder something for his birthday, something that he hadn't had since moving to the cabin six months ago. So the kitchen and dining room had been turned into a pizza assembly line. To feed ten men they figured they'd need at least five large pizzas.
On Friday, Krycek had left the mountain and rode his motorcycle down into the ruins. He had a list of items he wanted to get for Mulder's birthday. One of them was chocolate for baking. He left early in the morning before Mulder had woken up, only Doggett knew where he was going and why. Doggett had later filled Skinner in when he'd gotten up but kept Mulder in the dark. Later they invited the Gunmen to the surprise party on Saturday. Doggett found it amusing that Krycek would plan a fortieth birthday party for Mulder. It just didn't seem like something the young man would do.
Skinner had promised to keep Mulder away from the cabin until five o'clock in the afternoon. They had spent an hour seal coating the Gunmen's bathroom then Skinner talked Mulder into going fishing with him, so that was where they were now.
"Mulder likes anchovies," Frohike said.
"Mulder isn't going to eat all six pizzas, Melvin," Langly said, "Just put them on one."
"Two. I know Walter likes anchovies and so do I," Frohike said.
"I don't mind anchovies," Bond said as he put slices of pineapple and pepperoni on one of the pizzas.
"Jimmy, you'd eat just about anything." Langly finished adding the mozzarella cheese to the vegetable pizza he was making.
"Man, you haven't lived until you've had a tongue pizza with Gorgonzola cheese," Sandburg said.
Langly made a face. "Yuck! No offense, Sandman, but I think I'd rather eat a can full of anchovies before I'd try tongue."
Byers walked over to the CD player and put in 'The Very Best of Frank Sinatra' CD.
Langly groaned. "Couldn't you put on something good?"
"Frank's good," Doggett said.
"Yep," Frohike echoed.
"At least tell me you hid the Elvis CDs," Langly grumbled.
"Hey, don't insult the King, Blondie," Doggett said.
"Whatever, Dogbird."
Byers stopped beside the sofa and looked down at the plain cake Doggett had just finished frosting. "That looks delicious."
"It does look pretty good," Doggett said proudly as he carefully picked up the plate the cake was on, carried it into the kitchen, and placed it inside the cupboard.
Krycek looked up at the kitchen clock...it was past five, Walter and Fox should be there by now, as if on clue, the back door opened and Skinner and Mulder walked in.
Mulder looked around. "What's going on?"
"Happy birthday!" everyone shouted.
Mulder blushed and shuffled his feet uncomfortably.
Krycek walked over and hugged him. "You didn't think you could turn forty and not have a party?"
"I was hoping no one would know when my birthday was."
"Hey, I've sent you a birthday card every year since we've known each other," Krycek said.
"Oh, so those were from you." Mulder looked at him surprised. "I always thought they were from Vicki in accounting."
Sandburg opened the oven, slid two pizzas onto the racks with the wooden pizza board Doggett had made yesterday, and then he closed the door.
"You made pizza?" Mulder said, surprised, as he looked hungrily at the uncooked pizzas on the kitchen table.
Skinner walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of cans of beers. He opened them, handed one to Mulder, and kept the other for himself.
Mulder smiled. "Wow, pizza and beer, I couldn't ask for a better birthday present."
"We're using the fresh mozzarella you and I made last week," Krycek said.
"So, if the cheese turned out we could have pizza more often," Mulder said hopefully.
"If we're still alive come spring, I think we should get a couple more cows," Doggett said. "With the six of us living here we can easily clear and plant six acres of land with alfalfa and hay for feed." He never thought he'd want to farm, he joined the marines to avoid it, but right now it felt like a lifeline...a way to hold onto what this country once was before the aliens attacked.
"That would be a lot of work to clear five more acres without a tractor," Mulder said. Most of their land was hilly and rocky, but next to the one-acre field where the cows go during the day to graze there were at least eight more acres of flat forestland and small fields next to the lake that could be cleared. The rest of the property was too hilly to farm. This summer Mulder purchased the feed that filled the silo from Doris and Daniel Lin who have a farm across the road from the Elend's sheep ranch.
"We could check with the Elends or one of the other farm families in the valley if we could borrow their tractor, or I can check with my Pa about getting his old tractor that he no longer uses. The tractor will take some work to get it running properly," Doggett said as he suddenly began to look forward to tinkering on his Pa's old John Deere Model 530 tractor. He wondered if he could get it up here before the first winter snow stranded them in the mountains until spring.
As if reading his mind, Skinner said, "Why don't you try to reach your Pa on the Ham radio after the party? We could take a trip down to his farm next week to pick up the tractor."
"Good idea, Walt. I'd love to get that tractor up here to work on over the winter."
The Ham radio that they had set up in the loft had been a Godsend the past week. It had allowed both Skinner and Doggett to keep in touch with their families, in Alaska and North Carolina. In addition, Skinner and Ellison were able to contact friends in the military to find out what the situation was like around the world and across the country.
Sandburg removed the first two pizzas from the oven and set them on the cardboard covered cook's table. He put two more pizzas into the oven as Frohike used the round cutter to slice the cooked pizzas.
Mulder was served the first slice. "Mm...." He closed his eyes from pleasure, as he tasted the homemade pizza. The sauce had just the right amount of spices and the crust was perfect. He smiled. "Guys, you outdid yourselves."
"It came out better than I thought it would," Krycek said as he stood next to Mulder enjoying his own slice of pizza. He picked up a can of beer and took a sip while still holding the slice of pizza.
"So did you and Fox catch any fish?" Doggett asked. He was sipping some medicinal tea with the pizza.
Skinner nodded. "Some crappies and a couple of nice size bluegills. I left them tied in the stream out back. I'm going to clean them after the party before the raccoons can get them."
"I saw a couple of wild turkeys on the other side of the stream today," Ellison said, "Maybe after I'm better we can go turkey hunting."
"I'm game," Doggett said as he picked up another slice of pizza.
"Count me in," Krycek said. He looked over at Mulder. "Fox?"
"Doesn't turkey hunting involve sitting quietly outside in the cold brush until a turkey comes along?"
"Mulder, you can sit and wait if you want, I prefer tracking them," Ellison said.
"Yeah, but you're a sentinel, tracking them would be easy for you," Mulder said.
Ellison smiled. "Just stick close to me and stay quiet, we should be able to catch a couple of turkeys."
"Don't worry, Mulder, we'll bring a thermos of hot cocoa with us," Sandburg said as he pulled the next two pizzas out of the oven then put in the last two.
As Frohike sliced the pizzas, Langly walked over to the CD player and put on a Nirvana CD.
Byers moved to stand beside Skinner. "Walter, thanks for your help on the bathroom."
"No problem, John, have you used the bathtub yet?"
"Not yet, we wanted to give the seal-coating a chance to dry. I plan to take a bath when we get home tonight." Byers looked over at Bond and Frohike. "I only hope I can keep the bathroom clean."
"Don't worry, bathrooms are meant to take abuse."
Byers took a sip of beer from the glass he was holding. "So, Mulder said that you, Jim, and John have been discussing building onto your cabin."
"Yeah, we've been working on some ideas since we've been stuck inside sick. We want to add a staircase going up to the loft, a separate room for the laundry and storage, and another bedroom with a fireplace."
"If you need any help, Walter," Byers said.
"Thanks, John."
Mulder walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out another beer. "Does anyone want one?"
"I can use one," Bond said.
"Me, too," Langly said.
Mulder pulled two more cans out and passed them to his friends. He then walked over and put his arm around Doggett's back. "You're not drinking. How are you feeling?"
"I feel all right. I had some of Blair's tea...I just don't want to chance it by drinking alcohol."
"Do you want me to sleep down here with you tonight?" Mulder asked as he reached for a slice of pizza.
Doggett leaned against him. "If you wouldn't mind...I've missed your touch."
"Of course I don't mind. John, I'm feeling rather strange and would prefer sleeping down here with you," Mulder whispered. He was on the onset of his period and didn't want to be with Walter or Alex. His intuition told him that it wouldn't be good, but with John still going through the change it would be safe to sleep with him tonight.
"Strange? What do you mean, Fox?"
"It's hard to explain, but I'll try tonight when we're in bed."
Doggett reached for the last slice of pineapple and pepperoni pizza.
Skinner smiled contentedly as he looked around the warm kitchen filled with friends and companions. After so many years of frustrations and loss, he finally felt happy and at peace. It felt good to be a part of something, to be in love. If they ever got the chance to fight the aliens he knew that he could depend on his friends to protect his back, as he would protect them.
~x~X~x~
The Fox and Dog
The Cabin
Sunday, October 14, 2001
1:00 a.m.
"Tell me, Fox?" Doggett asked as he lay with his head on Mulder's shoulder. If he weren't feeling like shit again he'd be all over his lover, but since there was so little of the feverfew left Blair would only give it to him and Jim twice a day--eight hours of relief and sixteen hours of misery.
"I'm afraid that if I slept with Walter or Alex tonight, I'd become pregnant."
"Why do you think that?"
"It's hard to explain how I know, but my body has cycles similar to females. I probably shouldn't even be sleeping with you but--"
"But I'm too sick to have my way with you."
"No, I don't think you can get me pregnant until you complete the change and become like us."
"How would you know that?"
Mulder shrugged. "Instinct." He was sometimes at a loss to explain how he knew some things, other than he just did. It was what led to his nickname Spooky, his uncanny ability to tie unrelated fact together and arrive at answers that were right on the money.
"But Walter isn't exactly like you and Alex, he's still completely male."
"He's enough like us, he changed into a werewolf."
"Okay, say you're right, couldn't you avoid having sex or just use a condom?"
"It's not that simple," Mulder said as he caressed John's back. "Besides condoms break. Now go to sleep."
~x~X~x~
The Panther, Wolf, Frog, Bear, and Rat.
Ranger Station
Sunday, October 14, 2001
3:10 p.m.
Ellison's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened as he saw the old station wagon parked in front of the Ranger's station. Several other vehicles were parked out front along with a few horses tied to the hitching posts. He climbed off the mountain bike and put down the kickstand. Ellison pulled the automatic assault rifle from where it was slung across his back and checked it before walking up the step to the station.
He held the door open to allow Frohike, Skinner, and Krycek to enter first. Blair looked at him questioningly as he walked into the station. Ellison allowed the door to slam shut behind him and crossed the floor in three steps. Before the red-haired man could respond, Ellison slugged him in the nose, knocking the man off his feet. The man's brother leaped to his feet and started to go after Ellison but was stopped by Skinner and Krycek.
"That's for stealing my cabin and pointing a gun at my friend and me!" Ellison growled.
The man licked at the blood dripping from his nose past his lips and down his chin. "I suppose I had that coming, but I was only protecting my family, mister."
"You pull a gun on my friends or me again and your children will grow up without a father! Got it?" Ellison threatened.
The man climbed to his feet. "Got it. So are you going to try to take the cabin back?"
"No. My friend and I have somewhere else to stay. If you would have asked nicely, we would have allowed you and your family to have the cabin," Ellison said.
The man looked ashamed. "My family and I barely made it out of New York City with our lives, we spent over a week searching for a place to stay and fighting for every scrap of food we could get our hands onto. After a week on the road and finally finding a place to settle you can understand why my brother and I were a bit hostile."
Something about the way the man stood and spoke piqued Ellison's interest. "You're a cop aren't you?"
"How did you know?"
"It takes one to know one. I'm Detective James Ellison, Cascade PD."
"Detective Noah Woods, NYPD, fifth precinct." Woods held out his hand.
Ellison shook it. "My friends are Blair Sandburg, Alex Krycek, and Assistant Director Walter Skinner of the FBI." Ellison nodded to each of them as he said their names and they exchanged handshakes with Woods. "And our militia leader Melvin Frohike."
Woods gave Frohike an appraising look, surprised that the small man would be the leader. He would have guessed the leader would have been Ellison or Skinner. "This is my brother Sergeant Jacob Woods of the twelfth precinct."
Jacob shook their hands.
At the meeting were three other families that had moved into the Timberlake resort cabins. Noah Woods introduced each of them. They had already met the other militia members before Frohike's group had arrived.
"Let's get down to business," Frohike said as he walked over to the map of the area that Ranger Sean had hung on the wall. "There are two roads where all vehicles have to pass to get into our section of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I want to have a guard station and a gate built at each of these roads." Frohike used a pointer to tap where each road entered the area. "I want each guard station manned 24/7 with two people per station. They should be equipped with a radio to contact us anytime someone tries to enter our community."
"How long are you planning the shifts to be?" Arnold Simmons asked.
"I figure three shifts, eight hours each. We have sixty-nine members, not counting our new recruits, so that means each person will have to put in one eight hour shift once every six days," Frohike said, "I don't think that's asking too much."
"Can we sign up for the shifts we want?" Noah Woods asked. "I don't want to be on the same shift as my brother. One of us needs to stay with our family."
Frohike nodded. "Yes. I'll post a schedule for everyone to sign up for. First we need volunteers to help build the guard stations. We'll need to put in a load of firewood at each station for winter."
"Melvin, I have an old one room hunting trailer on my property that we can move down for one of the guard stations," Simmons said. "It has a potbellied stove that keeps it nice and warm in the winter."
"Great, Arnie, that will save us time."
Rancher Sean bobbed his head up and down. "That reminds me, there's an old foreman's trailer that the lumber company left behind. It hasn't been used in years. We could move that down for the other guard station. It will take a little work to get it into shape, but it would be less work than building a new place from scratch."
"Thanks, Sean, so all we have left is to build two gates. Any suggestions?" Frohike asked.
The meeting continued as the men and women discussed what type of gate to build and how to get the trailers into place.
~x~X~x~
Back at the cabin, Doggett was on the radio with his dad. Mulder stood over his shoulder listening in.
"Pa, you don't have to deliver it, I'll be able to come down there and pick it up. Over."
"Nonsense, Johnny, I want to see where you're living. Your brother will help me load the tractor on the flatbed trailer and I'll drive it up to you on Friday. Over."
"Pa, it's too dangerous for you to come up here alone. I told you that Fox and I were ambushed on the way home last time by an armed band of men who had the road-blocked. Over."
"Johnny, I'm going to be driving big bertha and I have no intention of stopping for any road-blocks. Over."
Doggett looked up at Mulder and sighed, "Okay, Pa, just be careful. Do you think Mike will be okay by himself? Over."
"The military's been guarding our farm along with our neighbors. They have a few men stationed out in the bunkhouse and have helped us with the harvest. Over."
"Okay, Pa, we'll see you on Friday. Over and out."
"Big bertha?" Mulder asked.
"Remember the Dodge truck that required a step ladder to get into it?"
"Yeah, the one on those five foot high tractor tires."
"That's big bertha. My Pa and brother customized it. You should see the engine in that thing."
Mulder smiled. "Don't worry, John, no one in their right mind could stop your Pa in that vehicle."
Doggett turned in the chair, wrapped his arms around Mulder's body, and rested his forehead on his lover's chest. "At least by Friday I should be feeling better. Do you think we can get six single beds moved up here before my Pa arrives?"
"How about if we promise not to have sex while your Pa is here? Or better yet have him stay in the guestroom at the ranger's station."
"My Pa is coming to visit me, we can't have him stay eight miles away with Sean." Doggett sighed. "Pa likes turning in early, so I'll share the bed in the loft with him. You, Walter, and Alex can sleep in the master bedroom and Blair and Jim can sleep on the sleeper sofa."
"Okay, Johnny."
"Don't call me that, Foxy," Doggett sighed as Fox's fingers combed through his hair.
~x~X~x~
The bounty hunter made his way through the D.C. ruins. He had hoped that he'd be able to find some information about where Fox Mulder had gone from the agent's former residence, but that building had been destroyed along with the rest of the neighborhood.
It was going to be a time-consuming task trying to locate Mulder. There wasn't even any indication that he was still alive. The bounty hunter decided to start with the refugee camps, then the small towns.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Skinner gets a little kit in the oven.