The silence settled over him as he closed his eyes and leaned his head
against the back of the couch. Friday night and he didn't have to work at
the Waterfront until 4 p.m. tomorrow. Tim sighed and felt the release of a
little more of the tension that had bound him up all day. He stretched out
his tired muscles and debated whether to have dinner or a shower first. He
decided to split the difference and have a sandwich while he undressed.
After a hot shower, Tim felt pretty good and too energetic to sit at home
alone on a Friday night. What to do? The Waterfront was out of the question.
As much as Tim loved the bar he shared with Munch and Lewis, it got boring
sometimes. It was a quiet place for serious drinking and unwinding after a
long day at work. But occasionally he found himself wanting loud music and
flashing lights and exotic people. He usually ignored these thoughts, but
now he saw no reason to do so. He was free to do anything he wanted and
tonight he wanted something completely different.
He went to his closet to get one of the dozen nearly identical white shirts
he owned, but a patch of black leather caught his eye. He reached into the
very back of his closet and pulled out the jacket. After he had gotten it
and worn it once, he had hung it up and forgotten about it. Even after two
years it was still a perfect fit, at least physically. He had never felt
that it fit him so it was exiled to the back of the closet.
Tim Bayliss made an uncharacteristic and bold decision. Not only would he
wear the black leather jacket, he would also wear his tightest jeans even
though they were faded and worn. He figured the plain white T-shirt would be
too Brando or maybe just too obvious. He instead put on a jade green shirt
that an ex-girlfriend had said complimented his eyes. He wasn't quite sure
how green complimented brown, but she had been right about most other things
like how wrong they were for each other.
Fifteen minutes later Tim was on the street and heading for his car. He
reconsidered the wisdom of driving and caught a cab instead. When the driver
asked his destination, Tim was almost surprised to hear himself give the
name and address of a club his friend Chris Rawls had told him about. The
Gaslight wasn't exactly a "gay bar" more of an anything goes kind of place.
Chris had assured him it was the perfect place for someone who was exploring
his options. Tim certainly felt like an explorer tonight and he was
definitely keeping his options open.
Well, the music was certainly loud and the people were definitely exotic to
Tim at least. He went straight to the bar and ordered a beer. He hoped after
a drink or two this out of place feeling would fade. He certainly felt more
comfortable with a bottle in his hand and a bit of alcohol in his
bloodstream. He watched the crowd with fascination. Everybody was free and
comfortable with each other. Guys danced with girls or with other guys or
both at the same time- it didn't seem to matter. Partnerships changed right
on the dance floor. There sure didn't seem to be any shame or confusion in
this crowd. No-what did Frank call it?- angst. Yeah, that's it no angst
here.
As soon as Alex Krycek stepped into the club, he knew it was perfect. The
place was loud and busy with bright lights and plenty of dark corners. The
crowd was wild and uninhibited—perfect for hiding or hunting.
Alex found a table in the shadows and sat with his back to the wall. He
ordered a drink and settled back to watch and wait. He turned down a couple
of dance requests and ignored a few come hither looks. He preferred to take
his time and pick his conquest carefully. He wasn't sure exactly who or what
he was looking for yet but he would know it when he saw it. He briefly
considered the pretty little blonde flirting from the next table, but then
she giggled extinguishing any spark of attraction.
He watched the constantly shifting bodies crowded around the bar for awhile
until one finally caught his eye. At first glance, the man looked like any
other guy in the bar. On second glance, he looked uncomfortable but
fascinated with his surroundings. At 6'3", he was a couple inches taller
than Alex and therefore not his usual type. Alex preferred his casual lovers
smaller and easily dominated even if he chose not to do so. The short brown
hair and gold rimmed glasses reminded him of Fox, but he didn't want to be
distracted by that right now. He couldn't believe his luck. Less than
fifteen minutes in the club and he had already found what he wanted. Now if
he could just get the guy to make eye contact long enough to gauge his
availability.
He had just started on his second beer when he noticed the man at a table in
the corner watching him. He had dark spiky hair and a face that wavered
between sweet and dangerous. Tim looked over his shoulder to see if there
was someone else there, but apparently it was Tim himself who held the guy's
attention. He glanced away, but was drawn right back to that steady gaze.
This happened a couple more times until finally Tim held eye contact for
about ten seconds. He managed a small half smile and that was all it took.
Finally! thought Krycek as the man at the bar noticed him. Dark eyes met
his briefly and skittered away but quickly returned. The guy looked kind of
innocent so Alex figured this was a pretty good indication of interest. When
he saw the shy little smile on that tantalizing mouth, he knew it was time
to make his move.
The stranger moved to Tim's side and waved to the bartender. "Another vodka
and another beer," he motioned at Tim's bottle. He stepped closer to Tim and
smiled. Tim had thought he was attractive from a distance but, up close, the
guy was gorgeous. He had undress-me green eyes with long black lashes and a
lush sensual mouth that begged to be kissed. He was dressed in tight black
jeans, a black leather jacket similar to Tim's, and a tight white T-shirt.
On him it was definitely Brando and actually worked. When he spoke, his
voice was low, almost intimate, even in the noisy crush of the crowd. "Hi, I
'm Alex. Can I buy you a drink?"
Tim nodded and wracked his brain for something clever or charming to say but
came up blank. So he went for the obvious. "Hey, Alex. I'm Tim." He almost
breathed a sigh of relief at how casual he sounded. "Nice to meet you."
Yeah, that's it casual. He's a guy— I'm a guy. If all else fails, we can
talk about baseball then ignore each other.
"You're new here aren't you?" Alex asked with a knowing smile as they
settled side by side at the tiny table in the shadows.
"Yeah, it's pretty obvious, huh?" Tim replied with wry self-amusement.
"Only to someone looking closely. And I was looking very closely. You
seem more like an observer than a participant."
"Occupational hazard, I guess." When Alex looked like he would pursue that
remark, Tim jumped in to shift the focus. "So do you come here a lot?"
"No, actually it's my first time too. I'm new in town." He picked up his
glass and took a slow savoring sip never taking his eyes from Tim's. He
licked the lingering drops of vodka from his lips.
Suddenly Tim was tingling in places he didn't know he had. His mind started
drifting from the conversation to thoughts of a more carnal nature. Focus
you idiot! Say something. Anything! He thought somewhat frantically. "Um,
where did you live before Baltimore?"
"D.C. mostly. I travel a lot." Alex looked away briefly then smiled at Tim
and asked, "Would you like to dance?"
"I'm not really much of a dancer," replied Tim with a faint blush of
embarrassment. "So, what do you do?"
I'm a spy. A double...no, triple...well, let's say a freelance agent. Alex
smiled sweetly and said, somewhat truthfully, "I'm in sales."
Again Alex got that knowing look in his eyes. "When you said you were new,
you meant to this whole scene, didn't you? You're still a little
uncomfortable with the public aspects." He looked at the other man
appraisingly. "Why don't we try this then?" He reached under the table and
laid his hand high up on Tim's thigh.
Tim jerked upright his spine stiffening until a strong arm came around his
shoulders. He settled back down and realized two things. One, no one was
paying attention to what was going on under the table or even at the table
sitting back in the shadows as it was. And two, the hand wasn't moving. It
just lay there, not limp, just still. And very, very warm.
Alex leaned closer, his right hand tightening slightly on Tim's shoulder,
and whispered in his ear, "See, it's okay. Nobody here cares what we do.
Half these people are a step away from full copulation anyway."
Tim swallowed convulsively then turned his head and met those tempting lips
with own. He froze then trembled slightly, shocked at his sudden bravery. He
had exchanged a few nearly chaste kisses with Chris before they had decided
to just be friends. This was totally different.
This was a stranger that he was really attracted to— a sexy, mysterious
stranger. What am I doing? asked his brain. His body said Shut up.
This is hot and sweet and spicy and I want MORE!
When Alex started to return the kiss, Tim ignored his brain and began to
kiss the other man in earnest. At first, he was as tender as he would be
with a woman. But when muscular arms tightened around him, he remembered
that this was no woman. His kiss became very forceful, almost rough, but
Alex met him all the way with equal fervor and superior skill. Tim drew back
staring at the man in his arms and tried desperately to catch his breath.
Dark green eyes gazed back at Tim trying to look harmless. Alex had
chosen—he wanted... this man. He didn't want to scare him away because then
he would have to stay here and hunt some more when what he really wanted to
do was go home and go to bed. And he really didn't want to go alone. He had
been alone way too much lately and he was sick of it.
"Don't stop now. It was just getting good," he whispered as he pressed his
lips to Tim's jaw. He nipped his way down that nice long throat until he
reached the spot where Tim's pulse thudded wildly. He bit gently then
soothed it with his tongue when Tim gasped. Alex continued to tease and
arouse his partner while one part of his brain calculated the risk of taking
the guy to his apartment. Sparsely furnished and barely lived in, his place
was surely free of anything incriminating. He would never have lasted this
long in the game if he had been careless.
Tim was about to go up in flames. He put his hands to Alex's shoulders and
pushed gently. They were in a public place, for crying out loud! He had to
regain some control or he was going to face some very embarrassing
explanations when his fellow police officers arrested him for public
lewdness. He almost laughed at his own foolishness, but Alex touched him in
a way that made his mind go totally blank.
"Tim, do you want to get out of here? Go somewhere private?"
Once again Tim Bayliss made a bold and uncharacteristic decision and said,
"Okay. Where?"
"My place's not far from here."
The two men left the club and walked the two blocks to Alex's apartment
quickly, close but not touching. Alex watched the traffic, both cars and
people, with an intensity that Tim failed to notice in his haze of desire,
anticipation, and fear. More that once during that short walk did he ask
himself what the hell am I doing?! He would take a deep breath, try to
relax, and tell his brain to give it a rest. He was going to take things as
they come and enjoy it. He choked back a slightly hysterical laugh as he
realized what he was thinking.
Alex glanced at his companion as he unlocked his door. Alex didn't think he
had ever seen anybody look so aroused yet so worried. He smiled reassuringly
at Tim as he ushered him into the main room of the small flat. He hung their
jackets on a rack behind the door and made small talk about the building and
neighborhood. He waved Tim over to the small sofa and went to kitchen for a
beer to further relax his nervous guest.
Tim sat down and tried to settle down and avoid looking at the bed at the
other side of the room, but it was no easy task. He was sailing in uncharted
waters and unsure of his course. He sort of knew what he wanted, but asking
for it— or actually doing it— that was something else entirely. And he
had no idea what Alex wanted...well, maybe some idea. He decided to just let
Alex lead the way and if it turned out he didn't want to go there...
Alex came back with the beer for Tim and sat down on the couch. He settled
just inside Tim's personal space and said, "Look, we can take this slow. You
just tell me if there's anything you don't like or don't want to do. 'S that
okay?"
Tim drank half the bottle in one gulp, set it down, and nodded. "Yeah, ok, I
'm ready."
Laughing, Alex said, "Good grief, you make it sound like getting a tooth
pulled!" Tim was starting to blush so he cast him a sultry look from under
long black lashes and moved closer. "I'll be gentle."
Alex was practically in Tim's lap doing an incredibly thorough dental exam
when a loud thumping came from the hallway. Tim pushed Alex back a little
and tried to disengage his mouth enough to speak, to think— something. He
realized the thumping was someone knocking on the door and it was starting
to sound a little frantic. He pushed harder against Alex's chest and mumbled
"Someone's at the door."
"Ignore it." Alex moved all the way into Tim's lap and started opening
buttons with more speed than finesse. Kissing and nipping and trying to get
both their shirts off at the same time, Alex blocked out all sound, except
the subtle snick of tumblers turning in the lock. He jerked his head up just
as the door swung open.
"Uh-oh."
Federal agent Fox Mulder stood frozen in the doorway watching his lover
scramble away from the very bewildered man on his sofa. Alex handed a pair
of gold-rimmed glasses to the guy who was trying to button his shirt and
smooth his rumpled hair at the same time.
"Alex...what...who..." Tim glanced from the man blocking the exit to the man
turning pale next to him. He finished smoothing his appearance out just as
the new guy moved into the room. Tim drew himself up to his full height and
tried to look tough as he wondered how quickly he could get out the door and
whether he would have to take out the guy in front of it.
"Alex, what the hell is going on here?" Mulder asked as he stalked over to
where Krycek was trying to restore order to his own appearance. "I go to
Iowa for a week and you move out of town? And now this?"
"You're the one who said we should cool it for awhile, Mr.
This-could-ruin-my-career. How'd you find out I moved here, anyway?" As soon
as the question was out, Alex realized how stupid it was. Duh, he's a
professional investigator. And he knows how your mind works. Sometimes,
he amended as he looked over at Tim who was grabbing his jacket on his way
out the door. Some insane impulse made him call out, "Tim, don't go. The
evening's not over yet!"
"Oh, yes it is!" called Tim Bayliss as his made his escape. He heard a low
voiced argument begin as he headed for the stairs.
Just before the apartment door slammed shut he thought he heard a plaintive
voice cry, "But we were on a break!"
Bayliss walked into the squad room on Monday morning, got a cup of coffee,
and settled at his desk. Same as always. He had put the disturbing Friday
night behind him and he felt back to normal. Normal for him anyway.
His sometime partner Frank Pembleton had just come in and was hanging up his
coat and hat when Lieutenant Giardello came out of his office. He loomed
over Bayliss's desk with that smug look that meant he was about to give an
order his detectives would absolutely hate but would have to follow. "Do you
two gentlemen have any new leads on the Hite murder?" His voice boomed out
over the room even though the detectives were right in front of him.
They both shook their heads silently refusing to make excuses for their lack
of progress on the stone cold whodunit.
"That's what I thought," said Gee repressively. "Maybe the people in my
office can help you make some headway. The FBI heard about this case and it
seems to fit a string of similar murders they're currently investigating.
There are two agents in my office. I want you to go introduce yourselves and
give them your full cooperation." With his last statement he glared at
Pembleton who stared back petulantly.
"Yes, Gee. Whatever you say Gee," Pembleton muttered, after the Lieutenant
was safely on his way out of the room.
The two detectives looked at each other with resignation and headed to Gee's
office. Bayliss opened the door and stepped inside as Frank followed several
steps behind. He saw the redhead first and stepped closer to introduce
himself when he noticed the occupant of the other chair. Tim's eyes widened
as the tall brown-haired agent got to his feet and said, "Special Agent Fox
Mulder. Are you Pembleton or Bayliss?"
Tim swallowed nervously at the predatory smile on the other man's face, but
managed to speak steadily enough. "Bayliss, Detective Tim Bayliss. Nice to
meet you." He stuck out is hand only because he knew Frank would question
him if he didn't.
Mulder, his hazel eyes boring into Tim, shook hands with the detective and
said with the barest trace of irony, "I'm really going to enjoy working with
you."
And Now For Something Completely Different
by Amy B
Tim Bayliss shut his apartment door with more force than necessary. He flung
his keys on the coffee table and himself on the couch. Damn, what a day. He
had spent the whole morning in court, which he hated. The afternoon had been
filled with the little irritations that usually only occur one or two at a
time. Misplaced evidence, missing files, miscommunication,
misinformation, Frank at his sanctimonious best, Kellerman at his irritating
worst, and, above it all, Gee yelling for more black on the board.
