DC Rain II Double or Nothing Part III by Aries Alex sat at the computer, tapping quickly at the keys, his eyes scanning the screen as he worked. "I got a feeling about you," he said to his newly acquired stock as he completed the transaction and closed the window. He sat back in the chair, displaying a satisfied smile. This online investing was fun. Not to mention convenient. Just as he opened up the newspaper to the financial section, a knock sounded at the door. "God, who the hell's that?" He left his seat and sauntered over to the door, looking through the peephole. "Fuck." "Open the door, Krycek." The door inched open, and Alex stood there in the limited space he'd created, blocking Scully's entrance. "What the hell are you doing here?" "We have a little business to conduct." "You and I have no business. Go back to work, if that's where you came from." "Yeah, I came from work. Where Mulder is sitting, smug as a Cheshire cat. But that can change in the blink of an eye." "What the hell are you talking about?" Scully held up a large, yellow envelope and sneered at the man in the apartment. "You might want to have a look at these." "What's that?" Scully shoved the envelope at him, the surprise of it backing him up a few steps. She took the opportunity to come in, and she closed the door behind her. "Go on, open it up." Alex leveled a hard glare on the woman as he opened the flap and pulled out roughly a dozen and a half photos. The blood drained from his face as he looked down at the first picture. "You should have gone into porn movies, Alex," Scully purred. "You're very photogenic." "What the fuck is this?" Alex gasped, shaking hands shuffling through the photos. "Uh, that would be you and...well, I don't really know who the other guy is, but it would seem that you know him quite well." She shook her head, clucking softly. "In Mulder's bed, Alex? You didn't even have the common decency to find a motel? I guess you figured what the hell, huh? Since he was away, who'd know?" "This isn't..." Alex choked, "I don't know where you got these, but I haven't been with anyone since Fox and I got back together. In California, or here!" "Pictures don't lie, Alex." "But you do, you fucking bitch. You doctored these. Somehow you took pictures of Fox and me in bed, and then you removed him and added someone else." "I did no such thing. Those pictures are genuine." "Bullshit." "Hey, it's not my fault that you can't remember from one fuck to the next. But I assure you that those pictures are the real deal..." And then he got it. Before Scully could say another word, the pictures fluttered to the floor, and she found herself slammed up against the wall behind her with an infuriated Alex holding her there by her neck. "You," he gasped. "You drugged me, didn't you? Somehow you drugged me and sent that fucker in to do that to me! Why?" he began to roar. "How could you do something so disgusting?" "I was in North Carolina, Alex," Scully croaked, the hand around her throat constricting to a frightening degree. "How could I have done what you claim?" "You did it!" he yelled. "Admit it and cleanse your soul, bitch, before I kill you!" "There are copies," Scully wheezed. "If anything happens to me, they automatically get sent to Mulder." Alex's breath left him in a rush, and his grip slackened. "You wouldn't. You...you wouldn't do that to him." "I'm doing it for him." "Like hell!" he shouted, quickly rediscovering his rage. "This is about you! This insane desire you have to fuck me! You're so eaten up with it that you can't bring yourself to give a shit about how this would affect Fox!" "I don't want him to see them," Scully argued. "Even though that attitude of his could be taken down a notch or two." She focused an intense stare on Alex, despite the painful grip he still held her in. "If you take me up on my proposition, he'll never have to know that the man he loves and trusts so deeply had fucked another man in his bed." "I didn't!" Alex screamed, his voice breaking as he pulled Scully away from the wall and slammed her back into it. "I was drugged, and that son of a bitch raped me! And you made it happen!" "Whatever, Alex. What difference does it make? The point is you don't want Mulder to see those pictures. I'm here to offer you some insurance against that happening." "What the fuck do you want?" As if he couldn't guess. "You. In my apartment. Tonight. That'll do for a start." "You're out of your mind," Alex sneered, "if you think that I'd touch you..." "You will," Scully pressed. "Tonight, and any other night I want you." "Never. You got that? I will never ever touch you. Now get the fuck over it!" "Then the consequences of your refusal will be on your head!" the woman screeched, fury twisting what was an attractive face into something ugly. "Kiss my ass," Alex grated through clenched teeth. "You're not going to do this. If you do, there might be the possibility that he won't be able to handle it, and I'll lose him, but guess what? So will you. You think he's going to thank you for doing this? Your ass'll be gone from his life so fast you won't know what hit you. Not only that, but your career will pretty much be toast. I'll see to that personally. And I'll let you suffer all of that hell for a while. Make sure you get a real good dose, and then..." He leaned in, the warmth of his breath fanning her face. "Then I'll kill you, you scheming cow. Slowly, and painfully, and you know I know how." Alex let Scully go and backed up a step. "Now. The ball is in your court. What are you going to do?" Scully managed a hateful glare, though her heart was thrashing in her chest. "He won't know they're from me. I'll have them delivered, and it'll be your word against mine." "And whose word do you think he'll believe? You've done nothing but give Fox grief about me. You've all but shouted your hatred and jealousy from the rooftops. You think he won't believe you capable of this little bit of nastiness?" Scully blinked up at Alex, the venom fading from her expression, quickly being replaced by uncertainty. "You made your own bed, Scully. Be prepared to lie in it. Alone." Scully glared at the victor, shaking with more than one negative emotion. "Your day'll come, Krycek. And when it does, I'll be there to watch you go down in flames. And I'll be laughing my ass off." "I'll keep that in mind. Now get the fuck out." One trembling step at a time, Scully inched toward the door and pulled it open. She drew a long, stuttering breath and, choosing to say nothing more, she left the apartment. Alex stood stone still, listening for a moment to the deafening silence, then he turned around and looked down at the photos scattered at his feet. Him. Drugged into unconsciousness. Naked and draped around whoever the hell that bastard was. Being fucked...oh God, fucked in the bed that he and Fox shared. He sank to the floor, staring at the images before him. Shaking, he reached for one picture and tore it to bits. Then another. And another as the trembling turned violent, and anguished sobs pushed up from his throat. When each picture lay in hundreds of tiny bits, he wobbled to his feet and retrieved a plastic grocery bag from the kitchen. He gathered up every piece and staggered into the hall, tossing the bag into the incinerator chute. Returning to the apartment, he fell onto the sofa and looked around, hands clenching together convulsively. "What do I do?" he asked himself. "I donıt...God, what do I do?" Twelve-thirty. Yesss. Fox saved the work he'd done so far and picked up his keys and jacket. He thought vaguely to himself as he blew out of the office that he hadn't seen Scully since she stormed out over two hours ago, but the thought quickly vanished as images of Alex filled his head. Naked and flushed. Eyes gone black with desire as Fox kneeled in front of him and sucked his cock down his throat... He chuckled softly as he loosened his tie and headed for his car. "You're gonna scream so loud, baby," he whispered, "the sound is going to echo until I get back home tonight." Reaching the burgundy Ford, Fox unlocked the door and fell into the driver's seat even as he shoved the key into the ignition. The engine purred to life, and he pulled out of his parking spot and headed for home and a mouth-watering lunch. Scully sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, staring sightlessly at the people passing by. She should have gone back to work. Had that report to finish up and turn in, but... Later. In a little while. Right now she just wanted to sit here and do nothing. And that included not thinking about her disastrous meeting with Krycek earlier, but her sadistic, traitorous mind wouldn't leave it alone. You failed. You gave it a shot, and you failed. Give up. Those pictures were your last best hope, and he didn't buy into it. You were sure he would, and he didn't. And you can't let Mulder see the fucking pictures, you know you can't. So it all comes down to this. He won. You lost. Get over it and move on. But how could she? Goddamn that bastard, he'd bested her again. How could she give in and let him win and still respect herself? Just take it easy. Wait and watch, and an opportunity will present itself. Then you act. "This isn't over, Krycek," Scully whispered as she rose to her feet and descended the steps. "Your day is coming. I'll see to it." The door to apartment forty-two unlocked and opened, and Fox walked in, a sly grin plastered to his face. "Honeeeey." He looked around the room, noting the prepared table "Baby doll," he called, snickering at the sappy term. "Daddy's home." There was no answer, and for a moment he began to worry. But movement out of the corner of his eye turned him in the direction of the kitchen. His jaw went slack, and his eyes glazed over as Alex leaned against the doorframe. "Your lunch is ready." Fox stood there, frozen as the other man approached with feline grace. His eyes took in the barely there, sheerest black g-string, the black leather collar that he recognized as one of the 'toys' he'd brought back from North Carolina, and a whole lot of skin in between, and the older man's cock, which was already hard from the anticipation of this moment, throbbed within the confines of his pants. Alex reached his destination, sliding his hands over Fox's shoulders, caressing gently, then he removed his jacket and led the older man to the table. He pulled the chair at the head of the table out, beckoning his lover to sit, and he kneeled beside the chair, resting his head on Fox's arm as he reached for an object on the chair to the left. Fox's fingers curled around the smooth, fine links of the chain of the leash that Alex had pressed into his hand, and his eyes dilated to near blackness. He hooked the clasp to the ring on the collar and pulled gently, as if to test its strength. The younger man lifted his head and, searching Fox's eyes, he began to unbutton his lover's shirt. When he reached the waistband of Fox's pants, he undid the belt. The button and zipper followed, and he pulled both shirts loose, completing the task of undoing all fastenings. Sweeping his lover's top shirt away from his chest, Alex nuzzled the white cotton beneath while his hands worked their way up under the hem, crawling over the contracting muscles of Fox's abdomen. His mouth brushed over one covered nipple, and a soft groan from his lover encouraged him to continue. Ever so gently, his teeth closed over his target and pulled, and Fox rose slightly from his seat, inhaling heavily. Golden-brown eyelashes swept upward as the pressure was released, and Fox trained a glittering gaze on the man at his feet. He tugged lightly on the chain to emphasize his words. "You teasing me?" Alex merely lowered his head to Fox's lap, brushing his cheek over the tops of the older man's thighs as he stared silently up at him. "Just curious," Fox whispered, stroking his lover's smooth cheek. "You know, you walked into the room a few minutes ago and completely floored me. Do you know how much restraint it's taking right now not to throw you up on this table and fuck the hell out of you?" "If you like," Alex purred, letting the fingers of one hand skim over the opening in Fox's pants and brushing the bulge still hidden by his underwear. "But maybe you could have some lunch first?" He reached over to the table, picking up a small bunch of grapes and, plucking one away from the rest, he held it up to Fox's mouth. Fox accepted the offering, his eyes never leaving his lover's, and when Alex held another grape up to him, he took the small green globe, cradling it with his tongue as he pulled on the chain and brought the younger man closer. Needing no instruction, Alex leaned forward, his tongue stroking over Fox's as he took the grape from him. As he slowly chewed the bit of fruit, Fox's hand wandered over one shoulder then down his chest, a finger flicking lightly at one nipple. Sable lashes swept down over forest-green eyes and Alex swayed a bit, then steadied himself and resumed his task. Fox allowed Alex to feed him the contents on the plate, stopping frequently to share his meal with his lover. By the time lunch was finished, both men were about as close to the fringes of insanity as they could be without dropping over the edge. When Alex again reached over to the chair to Fox's left, the older man watched intently, wondering what else he was going to produce. A smile twitched at the corners of his lips as Alex held a square packet up before him. Balancing the wrapped condom on the arm of Fox's chair, Alex pulled his lover's pants and underwear down, freeing his deeply flushed cock. He snatched the packet up, ripping it in two, and he withdrew the condom, efficiently rolling it down over Fox's erection. "Did you remember the..." Before Fox could finish his question, Alex produced a tube of lubrication, and the older man began to laugh softly. "Forget I asked." Slowly, Alex applied the lube, smoothing the gel over every inch of his lover's twitching cock, and the second he removed his hand, Fox was out of his chair, pulling him to his feet. The older man shoved everything to the other end of the table then spun Alex around and bent him over the cool wooden surface. Cheek pressed to the oak, Alex waited, trembling as Fox pulled the g-string aside and positioned himself. A hard gasp tumbled from his lips as his lover surged forward, embedding his cock as deeply inside of him as it could go. His fingers scratched at the surface of the table, looking for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. He lay there whimpering as Fox began to move, lovingly caressing his ass with one hand as the other reached for the leash that dangled over the edge of the table. Coiling the chain around his hand, Fox applied and held firm tension, lifting Alex's head a few inches off the table, and the hand stroking his rear gripped the younger man's hip as he began to thrust hard and fast. Alex let out a bone-jarring shriek, and Fox smiled, knowing the cause of his agitation. "Gotcha, don't I?" Fox panted, hitting the same spot again and incurring a similar response. He pulled tighter on the chain, drawing Alex's head farther back, and he leaned forward, licking the side of the younger man's neck and jaw. "I'm not gonna touch your cock... " Alex answered with a frenzied whimper, but it was quickly shushed. "But you're going to come anyway," Fox commanded, rocking against his lover. "Just like yesterday. Understand?" Eyes closed and gasping frantically, Alex nodded, and then Fox was slamming into him, grunting with every violent thrust. His mouth fell open, and a sound gurgled in his throat, quickly morphing into a loud mewling sob. His orgasm, devastating and sweet, danced just beyond his reach, and he begged Fox to help him meet it, jerking backward as the older man surged forward. "Please," he sobbed, "please, Fox, let...let me..." "It's yours, "Fox promised breathlessly, fast approaching his own heaven. "Come on, baby...come on...take it." Three more hard thrusts, and Alex began to scream. His muscles contracted as he came, squeezing his lover's cock, and taking Fox with him over the edge. "Ah, God!" Fox roared, jerking erratically then collapsing over his lover's back as the last bit of his energy was spent. How he remained on his feet was a miracle, considering the rubbery condition of his legs, but he managed, unwilling to move just yet. Moaning softly, he nuzzled the younger man's ear and licked away a few drops of perspiration as they ran down from his hair. "You keep treating me to lunches like this, I'll come home every day," he murmured, gently biting on Alex's earlobe before forcing himself to straighten up. He withdrew his withering cock and peeled the condom off before sliding an arm between his limp lover and the table and pulling him up. "So," he whispered in Alex's ear as he pulled the younger man back against him, hugging him to his chest. "I see you were nosing around in my little bag of tricks." Alex rubbed the back of his head against Fox's jaw. "I didn't think you'd mind." "Are you kidding?" Fox turned the younger man around and used the chain to pull him forward. "Stand here another five minutes looking like this, and I'll be as hard as I was when I walked in." Green eyes dropped their gaze to the floor then rose again, slowly, looking at the older man through a veil of thick lashes. "You have to go back to work," the smoky, honey coated voice reminded Fox, and the older man tipped Alex's face up to his. "I don't have to." "You do," Alex argued. "Fox..." There was something there. A slight, almost unnoticeable catch in his voice that worried Fox. Gold-flecked eyes narrowed on the other man, and Fox cupped Alex's cheek. "Something wrong? Alex, did I hurt you?" "No...no. It's...it's just that you didn't go in yesterday. You've only spent a few hours there today. I don't want you to get into any trouble." "You don't have to worry about that. Skinner and I had a long, unexpected talk today." Alex eyed his lover warily. "A talk?" "Yeah. He was a hell of a lot more understanding than I ever would have expected him to be." "Understanding about what?" Fox shrugged. "Everything. He respects my feelings, even though he might not totally agree with them. That's something I'll never have from Scully." He stopped speaking for a moment and looked into disturbed eyes. "We talked a lot about you." "What...what about me?" "I told him how very much I love you. We discussed his concerns about that...we also talked about what he did to you." Alex's eyes widened, but he said nothing. "I couldn't fault the man for being attracted to you. God knows it's easy enough. And in those days, the actions might have been different but the emotion was the same." W-what d'you mean?" "I was attracted to you...my attraction manifested itself in the form of violence. I beat on you...Skinner's attraction took a slightly different path. Anyway, he promised me he'd never even think about touching you like that again." Fox kissed Alex's slack mouth. "Which is good because I promised him that I'd kill him if he did." Alex lowered his head, shaking it erratically from side to side. Liar. Goddamn fucking liar. "Babe? What? What is it?" "N-nothing, I..." Alex picked his head up and met Fox's eyes. "You believe him?" Fox nodded. "I do. He's feeling guilt. I could see it all over he face. He wanted to bury it, but doing that isn't good. It's got to come out. A person needs to come clean with their own conscience before they can really move on. I...Alex? You don't look very convinced." "I'm sorry, I...I just don't see Skinner feeling guilt over me." I don't know that it's so much you personally as it is the fact that he'd exceeded his own moral boundaries, and he had a hard time believing himself capable of losing control like that." Fox stroked the side of his lover's head, focusing a warm, gold-splashed stare on him. "I know what it's like to want you beyond all reason." Alex's gaze fell away from the older man's face. "S-so that's it?" "I don't...we've all done a number on each other in one way or another, babe. You and I have gotten past it. Maybe we could cut Skinner just a little slack? He really does seem like he wants to understand us." "I'm sorry Fox, I...I just don't think I'm...I'm nowhere near ready to be Skinner's buddy. If ever..." "I'm not asking that we all get together and go out for a beer," Fox argued softly. "But he's trying to be decent." The older man lowered his eyes, and his tone. "It just would be nice to be able to be on good terms with one of my friends." God. "I'm sorry," Alex gasped, drawing closer to Fox's warmth. "I'm so sorry, Fox. I didn't mean...Jesus, I didn't mean to alienate you from everyone you care about." "You haven't done that," Fox answered, realizing that Alex was putting all the blame on himself. "Their...Scully's condemnation of our relationship is what's screwed up our friendship. But Skinner's not doing that." Alex shuddered in the older man's embrace, and he inhaled deeply. "No," he rasped. "He...he isn't. If you can be on good terms, why shouldn't you be?" "That's all I'm saying," Fox cooed softly, pulling Alex's head down to his shoulder and nuzzling the dark hair. "You sh...you should get back to work." "Yeah, I guess I should. Only if you're okay, though." "I'm fine." "You're not upset with me?" Alex lifted his head and cocked it to one side. "Why would I be upset with you?" "For wanting to trust Skinner." "No, Fox, of course not. I understand; I really do." Alex imparted a soft kiss on his lover's full lips. "Come on, get cleaned up and go to work." Agreeing, Fox unhooked the chain from the collar and handed it to the younger man before he went into the bathroom. Alex paused a moment then retreated to the bedroom. He removed the collar and the g-string, pulling on a t-shirt and then a pair of worn jeans. Leaving the pants undone, he walked into the bathroom, where Fox was just tucking and smoothing his shirt. Giving the older man a quick smile, he took a washcloth from the shelves by the sink, and ran it under warm water. Before he could wash himself, Fox was there, pulling the cloth from his hand. Gently but thoroughly, he washed Alex's cock then lovingly tucked him into his jeans, drawing the zipper up and fastening the button. "Thanks again for lunch." Alex nodded but said nothing. Fox slipped his arm around his lover's waist, and the two walked slowly to the door. They shared a long, soft kiss, then Fox opened the door and stepped into the hall. "I'll see you later." As he started to move away, Alex's voice stopped him. "Fox." He pivoted and faced the direction from which he had just come, and Alex came to him, winding his arms around his neck. "I love you," the younger man rasped, holding Fox in a firm embrace and laying his head on his shoulder. Fox returned the hug and kissed the back of Alex's head. "I love you too, babe," he chuckled. "That's what you stopped me for?" Alex nodded, not lifting his head from Fox's shoulder. "You shouldn't ever go to sleep or leave the apartment without hearing it." "That some old Russian superstition?" "I don't know if it's Russian. But I was just thinking about my mother this morning, and I remember when I was a kid, asking her one day why every time I walked out of the apartment, or when she tucked me in at night, she'd always tell me she loved me. She said because she did, and it should never be something that we take for granted. I don't ever want you to think that I take you for granted, Fox. I'm grateful every day and every night for you." Fox tightened his arms, squeezing Alex against him. "How could I possibly think that? You're so good to me, Alex. Sometimes I swear I'm dreaming all of this." He loosened his hold on Alex and made the younger man look at him. "And I'm every bit as grateful for you. You know, in case you didn't realize it." Alex sagged against Fox's chest, basking in the warmth of glorious love as Fox rocked him gently. "If I don't get out here right now," Fox whispered, kissing Alex's ear, I'll never make it back to work." Alex breathed deeply and forced himself to push away from his lover. "Go on," he murmured, giving Fox a sweet smile. "I'll see you later." He moved back toward the apartment then turned to watch Fox walk to the elevator at the other end of the hall. Not until the door had closed did he move, finally walking back into the apartment. He paused at the door for a few brief seconds, then stalked into the bedroom and started ripping the linens off of the mattress. Sharp, brown eyes perused the report that Skinner held, then they rose to shift back and forth between the two agents. "So, you've both agreed to stamp this one unsolved?" "Yes, sir," Scully answered, eyes cast to the floor. "Forensic evidence supports neither Agent Mulder's ideas nor mine. The police are still poking around it, but I doubt very seriously that they're going to turn up anything new." Skinner nodded. "Very well. Agent Mulder, have you anything to add before we conclude?" "No, sir, I think Agent Scully covered everything pretty well." "All right then. Have a good weekend, agents." "Thank you, sir, you too," Fox answered as he rose and moved toward the door. Scully muttered a barely audible thanks and followed her partner into the outer office and finally the hall. It was there that Fox chose to speak to her. "Something wrong, Scully? You haven't looked right since I came back from lunch. Did you eat something that didn't agree with you?" "I'm fine, Mulder," Scully droned, insincerity oozing from every word. "I suppose you're going home now?" "Well, yeah. It's..." He looked at his watch. "Christ, it's after six-thirty." "Yeah, well, when you don't get back to work from lunch till almost three-thirty..." "True." Fox stepped into the open elevator, followed by his partner, and hit the button for the basement. They rode down in silence, and once the doors opened, Fox stepped out into the hall and headed in the direction of the parking garage. "Goodnight, Scully. Have a good weekend." "You don't need anything from the office?" "Nope," Fox called, still moving toward his destination and pulling his cell phone from his pocket. Scully glared after him as he pressed two buttons then lifted the phone to his ear. "Hi, babe. I'm on my way home. Listen, why don't I pick something up for dinner along the way..." "Very domestic, Mulder," she grated as her partner disappeared around the corner. "Enjoy your little fantasy while it lasts." A single eye peered out at the man on the other side of the door. "Yeah?" "Put your glasses on Langly, it's me." "Oh. Hang on a sec, Mulder." The rest of the chains were removed, and Langly stepped away from the door as Fox entered. "What's up?" "I got a question for you guys. Where are Frohike and Byers?" It was Byers' turn to do the shopping. Frohike is..." "Right here, dude." The third man entered the room, shoving a spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth. "What're you doin' here at this time on a Friday?" he asked, raising the bowl to his mouth and slurping down some milk. "Shouldn't you be getting home to the wife?" "I wouldn't let Alex hear you call him that," Fox grinned. "Not if you don't want your lungs pulled out through your nose." "He doesn't scare me," Frohike snorted. "Anymore..." "Oh no?" Langly asked, one blonde eyebrow raised above the rim of the glasses he'd just put on. He looked to Fox. "Well, he scares the shit out of me, and I ain't ashamed to say it. So, if you tell him what dead meat here just said, make sure you also tell him that I couldn't disagree more." "Yeah. Okay. Listen guys, Alex is kind of why I'm here." Langly sat down at a bench strewn with loose computer parts. "Yeah? God, don't tell me you want to have a little 'getting to know you' type soiree or something." Fox rolled his eyes at the suggestion. "Would you listen to me please? I have to ask you both something." "Okay, shoot." "You spent some time with Scully in Vegas. Was she acting..." Fox's expression assumed a confused quality. "I don't know...weird?" The two men tossed each other a quick look. "Weird?" "Yeah, Frohike. I know she's none too happy about Alex and me. But to say that she's upset would be understating the facts by a mile." "Yeah, but Mulder," Langly reasoned, "you gotta admit that this came out of virtually nowhere, man. As far as any of us were concerned, Krycek was your worst enemy, and you'd have killed him as soon as looked at him. Even after he helped us and left, your reaction never would have led any of us to believe that you...you know...thought about him in that way." "Look. Langly. I understand all that. But you guys are okay with it, aren't you?" "Yeah," Frohike answered. "I mean, if you want to shack up with Attila the Hun, turned The Happy Hooker, turned June Cleaver, who are we to object?" "Thanks, Frohike. I think." "No problemo, dude." "Okay, all that aside," Fox resumed, "you didn't think that she was bent way out of shape about this?" Fox watched the two men cast their eyes to the floor after exchanging a look. "You do, don't you?" "She was a bit..." Langly paused, searching for the right words. "Livid," Frohike broke in. "Pissed as shit, homicidal..." "Jesus, Frohike!" "Hey, he knows how crazy she is about this, that's why he came here." "Right. I just need to know why." Frohike shrugged. "Our guess is she's jealous." "Jealous?" "Yeah, man," Langly replied. "For a lot of years now, it's just been you and Scully. Now all of a sudden, Krycek of all people is in the picture and...come on, Mulder, is this really not clear to you?" "I just..." Fox shook his head. "Nothing would have changed." "Things had already changed, Mulder," Frohike corrected him. "You threw your job aside to go chasing after Krycek. The most important thing in your life suddenly didn't mean jack squat. And, consequently, neither did she." "I never said she didn't mean anything to me. But guys, she never gave him a chance. She went on the attack the minute she got up to the cabin in California. She drove him away even after I told her how much he meant to me." "Hey man, you know what they say about a woman scorned." "Huh?" Langly emitted a loud sigh. "When we say she was jealous, dude, what do you think we mean?" Fox's eyebrows drew down into a frown. "Langly. Aww, come on. You're not saying... " He turned to the other man. "You think that too?" Frohike shrugged. "Have you ever seen her get involved with anybody? I mean outside of the very occasional date?" "No, but neither had I." "Uh huh. You were obsessed with your job, and she was obsessed with you." Fox shook his head. "You're wrong, Frohike... you both are. Scully and I are... were like family. We didn't think of each other that way." "Okay, Mulder. Whatever you say. It's just our opinion anyway. And the most logical explanation you're liable to get for why she's so freaked out." Fox stood looking at the floor for a while then drew a deep breath and took a step backward. "Thanks for the talk, guys. I gotta go. I'll see you later." "Later, dude," Langly answered as he followed Fox to the door and closed it behind him. Leaning against the cool metal, he shook his head at the other man. "You ever think this'd turn into such a soap opera?" "Nope." Frohike looked down into his now soggy Cheerios then smirked up at his friend. "Can't wait for the next installment." "That was good," Alex set down his fork and picked up his glass, draining it of its contents. "Really?" Fox asked. "I wouldn't have thought you'd noticed for as little as you've eaten." "I wasn't starving, I guess," Alex answered, picking up his fork and swirling it through the remaining food in the plate. "But it is good." He looked up at his lover, giving him a casual smile. "Did you finish your report?" "Yeah. Skinner accepted it, and we're done with it." Alex nodded. "Anything else interesting coming up?" Fox rested his head in his palm and, smirking, dropped his other hand beyond the edge of the table. "I think you might find it interesting." "What is it?" Alex asked, picking up Fox's plate and scraping his leavings into his own plate and stacking them together. "Wanna see?" "Yeah. Sure." "You have to come over here," Fox instructed, amazed that Alex hadn't yet caught on. Piling the utensils together on the stacked plates, Alex pushed himself away from the table and approached his seated lover. He closed his eyes and began to smile as Fox assumed a boneless sprawl, grasping his exposed cock by the base and waving it back and forth. "You're a sick man, Fox." "And you're just a little slow on the uptake tonight. You really didn't know why I wanted you to come over here, did you?" "I admit I was way off." "You feeling okay, babe? You can usually read nothing more than a simple leer at a distance of fifty feet. I was throwing hints the size of boulders, and you weren't catching any of them." "Sorry," Alex apologized, sinking down into his lover's lap and draping his arms around his shoulders. "Guess everybody has an off night once in a while." "I'll forgive you," Fox purred, sliding his arms around Alex's waist, "if we can go to bed early and play." "Blackmail, Fox?" Alex asked, letting one hand slide down to gently stroke the velvety surface of his lover's cock. "Noooo," Fox growled softly, staring hungrily at the younger man's mouth. "Would I do that to you?" Before Alex could answer, Fox attacked, claiming his lover's mouth for a bone-jarring kiss. His moans vibrating against the other man's lips, Alex submitted easily, opening to Fox, wanting, always needing to surrender himself completely. This was definitely what he'd been waiting for...all that time, fucking and sucking anyone with the right amount of cash, yet unwilling to give up that last little bit of himself... It was such a tiny thing, his kiss. Insignificant in the shadow of all he had given away. But that one little gift, he knew he could never surrender. Not to any but the one he had waited for. And if Fox hadn't come all those weeks ago, clear across the country to claim it, he was sure he'd save it still. And wait. Fox fed ravenously on his lover's mouth, drinking in every sweet sound made just for him. His hands wandered the expanse of Alex's back...his hips...his thigh. And they yearned to touch flesh instead of fabric. "Y'know what we need?" "What do we need?" Alex breathed, tongue darting in and out of Fox's mouth, trying to coax him back into play. "We need you naked." "Just me?" "For a start." While Alex continued to lightly pet and tease his cock, Fox undid the first couple of buttons on his lover's black, short-sleeved shirt. "I like this," the older man commented softly. "I've never seen you wear it before." "You sure? It's nothing new." "No, I think I'd remember it. I love the way it hugs you." Fox stopped undoing the buttons for a moment to run his hands over the silky soft material. "It really shows off your upper body. Very sexy. Tomorrow, we gotta go get some more like it in other colors." Alex lowered his head, shaking it slightly from side to side. Fox cocked his head, studying the pensive expression on the younger man's face. "What is it?" "I don't know, it's just...the way you take time in the middle of foreplay to complement me. I should be used to it by now, but it still makes me feel so..." Fox smiled, waiting for Alex to finish. When no more words were spoken, he attempted to complete his lover's sentence. "Good? ...Special?" He pulled the younger man's head down for a tender kiss then released him. "...Loved?" Alex nodded, his lips trembling into a tiny smile. "All of the above." "I'm glad you feel all of those things. You always should. But I say what I say to you, Alex, because it's all true." Fox ran his hand over the younger man's shoulder then halfway down his arm, gently massaging his bicep. "You're beautiful." His hand left Alex's arm and moved to his chest, parting the open material of his shirt. "Not just to my eyes." His fingers danced over the smooth skin, raising tiny goosebumps. "To my hands..." Sable eyelashes fluttered then finally dropped over Alex's eyes, and the younger man took in a long breath. "My mouth... " Alex whimpered softly as lips, soft a dandelion fluff brushed over one nipple, then Fox's tongue flicked over the very tip. "Fox..." "My ears...baby, your voice is...Jesus, it does some incredible things to me. You can get me hard as stone three seconds after I wake up just by saying good morning." He tilted his hips slightly upward and moaned as his cock pressed more firmly against Alex's hand. "Like I am right now." Alex dropped his head to Fox's shoulder, nuzzling the curve at the base of his neck. He said nothing though his hand continued to caress the length of his lover's cock. "Baby." The whispered call brought Alex's head up, and he looked into stormy green eyes. Fox undid the last two buttons on the younger man's shirt and stroked his chest. "We really need to get you naked." Alex's gaze turned smoky, and he slowly rose to his feet. His hands dropped to his jeans, undoing the button and zipper. He paused for a moment, holding Fox spellbound with nothing more than his eyes then worked his jeans down and off, taking his shoes and socks with them. Now standing before his lover wearing only the unbuttoned shirt, he slid one hand across his chest and over his shoulder, sweeping the material down his arm. With a slight shrug, the other arm slipped off, and the shirt dropped to the floor. Fox lifted one hand and watched it travel over his lover's hip, down his thigh and back up, barely gazing the length of his aroused cock. The shaft jerked at his touch, and one corner of his mouth slanted upward. "Beautiful." He rose, now meeting Alex's eyes on an equal level. "Let's go to bed." Alex took the older man's hand and followed him into the bedroom, where Fox drew the blanket and sheet down to the end of the mattress and gently lay him down. He watched in the dim light as Fox removed all of his clothing then sat down at the edge of the bed. Fox sat quietly as Alex pulled himself up, and the younger man's chest pressed lightly against his arm. Golden-brown eyelashes swept downward, and a soft breath hissed past his parted lips as Alex's hand stroked up and down his back, and perfectly bowed lips traveled over his shoulder. "I wish there was a way..." He stopped, resting his cheek on Fox's shoulder and closed his eyes, but his hand kept moving soothingly over the older man's back. "...I wish you could know just how much I..." "I know, Alex," Fox interrupted softly. "I've never felt anything so strong. I just hope you can feel my love as intensely as I can feel yours." "I do," Alex promised, lifting his head. "God, how can I not? Your every look. Every action and touch overflow with it." Fox laid a hand to the side of Alex's face, thumb gliding back and forth over the smooth skin, then it slipped into the younger man's hair and pulled him into a deep kiss. Seconds later, he lowered them both to the bed, his body sprawled over his lover's. Alex closed his eyes, fighting the images that flooded his consciousness. Those pictures. That asshole, whoever he was, fucking him. Right here in this room. In this bed... "Alex?" He snapped back, blinking up into worried eyes and said nothing. "Baby," Fox croaked, "talk to me." Alex shook his head and pulled Fox down for a voracious kiss, obliterating all of the other man's concerns and replacing them with an intense heat that quickly consumed him. His tongue plunged into the younger man's mouth, scouring the soft interior walls, his teeth; tangling with its mate until both men were squirming impatiently against each other. Abruptly, Fox broke off the kiss and stared down at his lover, a pensive expression on his face. Alex stared back, wondering what was going through Fox's mind, when the older man lifted himself and walked toward the closet. His silent question was answered, when Fox pulled out the bag he'd brought back from North Carolina. Suspended from the crook of two fingers, the bag swung back and forth, and the other man gave him a questioning tilt of his head. "Okay?" Alex writhed amid the rumpled sheets and nodded. Withdrawing a pair of black leather cuffs lined with a soft, faux fur, Fox moved toward the prone man and climbed up on the bed, straddling his waist. He set the bag down by Alex's hip, and he positioned one of his lover's hands up above his head. He reached for the other hand and brought that one up to join the other, then gently snapped the cuffs in place. He leaned down and brushed the tip of Alex's nose with his own then kissed him softly. "Don't move them." Fixing a worshipful gaze on his lover, Alex shook his head and waited. His breath caught in his chest, and his cock throbbed as Fox withdrew the next item from the bag. Stroking the leather strap against the side of Alex's cock, Fox smiled at the tiny whimpers the action generated. "Will you wear this for me?" "I'll do anything for you," Alex whispered, arching into his lover's touch. "Are you sure about that?" "Positive." The deep glow in Alex's eyes spoke volumes to Fox, assuring him of his lover's absolute sincerity. Carefully, he fastened the restraint around the base of Alex's erection, and his own cock twitched at the guttural moans that met his ears. "How's that feel?" Alex emitted a hard breath and turned eyes, cloudy with lust up to the older man. Fox smiled down at him and stroked the side of his face. "It's okay," he murmured. "You don't have to say anything. In fact, let's fix it so you don't say another word until I want you to." Sable lashes fell over glazed eyes as the ball gag Fox had spoken of several days ago was fitted into his mouth. Fox secured the gag in place and groaned softly. "God, baby, I think I could probably drills holes in stone with my dick right now. You look fucking incredible." Alex's eyes opened halfway, and he stared up at Fox, whimpering as he writhed under his lover's scorching gaze. "You want me to touch you, sweetheart?" Alex bucked, groaning deep in his throat as Fox's fingers grazed the length of his bound cock. "Feel good?" Fox leaned down and dragged his tongue across Alex's jaw then moved a bit lower to tease his convulsing throat. The younger man arched his neck, baring the vulnerable flesh, and he took full advantage, growling softly as his mouth closed over the thrashing pulse point. The growl turned to a soft moan as Fox sucked at his lover's throat, the faint taste of salt and Alex filling his mouth. His teeth scraped over the tender skin, and Alex grunted, pushing upward, offering him more. A muffled yelp cut the air as Fox bit down, simultaneously sucking harder, and Alex's body convulsed and twisted, seeking the impossible. The need to be close to his love was an ever present ache, amplified by the simplest look or even the most innocent of kisses, but at times like this...when they were lying naked together, and he was drowning in the exquisite depths of Fox's love, the ache intensified to an unbearable degree. He wanted to melt into Fox; become part of him so he would never again have to bear the loneliness of separation. He wouldn't have to fear the night or what lay in wait for him on the other side of the door. And he would always feel warm and safe and deeply desired. Always was such a very long time, and not meant for the likes of him it seemed. He'd begun to think that maybe it was possible, but for the second time since he and Fox had become lovers, Scully proved that it wasn't. She would never allow it to be... Fox released his hold on Alex's throat and moved downward, now teasing a taut nipple as he withdrew an ostrich plume from the bag. The feather danced over Alex's sensitized flesh, and the younger man trembled with pleasure. Fuck Scully and her plans. The best revenge against that jealous bitch was for he and Fox to be happy. And they would be. And as for the asshole who'd helped her try to take what was his, he'd find out who that cocksucker was. And he'd track him down. And then he'd fucking kill him. Later. Oh, God, later. Right now he just wanted to lie here, like he had much of a choice, and experience every moment of this sweet torture that his love saw fit to inflict upon him. Fox lifted his head and smiled at the expression of dazed bliss on Alex's face as the feather whispered over his bare flesh. "You like this, baby?" Fox moaned, passing the feather over the insides of Alex's thighs then flicking it around his deeply flushed cock. Alex flinched and emitted a short, harsh grunt, and Fox chuckled softly. "Not quite sure if that's a yes or a no." Nodding, Alex arched against the dancing gray and white tendrils, whimpering for more. "That, I understood." Fox teased Alex endlessly it seemed to the man on the receiving end. Tickling, licking and nipping, making his cock pound and his balls ache, and the sensations he had wanted to feel forever just a short while ago had turned to pure torture. The need to come overwhelmed all else, and if he could have, he'd have opened his mouth and screamed. Cursed. Begged and promised Fox anything in the world if only he'd put an end to this torment. Fox watched blackness swallow the remaining green of Alex's eyes, and his chest rise and fall frantically, and he knew that he couldn't ask the younger man to hold on much longer. Laying several kisses along the inside of one thigh, Fox brushed the heavy sac that hung between his lover's legs with the tip of his nose, then he slid slowly up the length of Alex's body, making sure that they touched everywhere along the way. Settling himself on top of the other man's shuddering body, he looked down into what he was sure were the most beautiful eyes in the world, and he brushed the hair back from Alex's face. "Can't take any more, can you?" The gag was gently removed, and Alex moaned in partial relief. He looked up at Fox, eyes pleading. "Can't," he whispered hoarsely. "M'sorry. Please..." "Okay babe, okay. You know I won't make you." Fox reached into their supply of condoms and lube, pulling out two packets and a tube. Carefully undoing the cock ring, he waited until Alex's breathing returned to near normal, then he rolled the condom on. He put his on next and spread a thick layer of gel over the entire latex-covered surface. "Think we'll leave the cuffs on," he purred, "just to make things a little more interesting." Lifting his lover into position, he pushed the slick head of his cock into him, relishing the long, gasping sob his action created. "Fox," Alex choked, pushing against the other man. "Please. Oh...oh my God..." "I know," Fox gasped. "I...know, sweetheart." He gripped the clenching muscles of his lover's rear, and he thrust forward, forcing two loud cries into the air. Not waiting for either of them to fully recover from the initial shock of his possession, Fox began to move, immediately establishing a steady rhythm. Alex began to struggle within his wrist restraints, whimpering wildly as Fox rocked him back and forth. "Want to touch...please...touch you." "No." "Foooox..." Fox took Alex's mouth in a fierce kiss, muffling any further protest, and he quickened his thrusts even as one hand wrapped around his lover's tortured cock. Alex's body fell into violent spasms, and he groaned harshly into Fox's mouth as his lover worked his cock in time to each increasingly powerful lunge. An uncontrollable coiling began in the pit of his stomach, winding tighter and tighter then snapping as he came. He wrenched his head away, breaking their kiss, and his mouth fell open on a piercing cry, that sound and the uncontrollable tensing of his muscles triggering Fox's own orgasm. A series of hoarse sobs filled the room as Fox thrust erratically into his lover. He held tightly to the younger man, crying garbled, nonsensical words, and when his body had been drained completely, it fell, exhausted onto the one beneath. The silence that followed lasted for more than half an hour as both men lay motionless, unable to speak or move so much as an eyelash. Fox was first to stir as the sweat on his back evaporated, and he began to feel chilled. Lifting his head, he fixed a weary gaze on his seemingly comatose lover. "Alex?" he called softly, brushing the kiss-swollen lower lip with the tip of his forefinger. No answer. As Fox began to lift himself off of Alex, the younger man frowned and issued a soft moan of protest. "Nooo." "I'll be right back," Fox promised, taking the time to remove both condoms before he left the bedroom. Now feeling cold, Alex became more active. His eyes fluttered open, and he turned onto his side uttering a louder, more demanding complaint. Silence answered him for the first few seconds, then Fox returned, carrying a washcloth with him. "Cold," Alex grumbled, unable to wrap his restrained arms around himself. "I know," Fox answered soothingly as he washed Alex's cock. Moments later he'd discarded the cloth and removed the cuffs, smiling as his moaning lover quickly sought the closeness of his body. He pulled the sheet up around them and wound his arms around Alex, kissing the sable head nestled to his chest. Quiet prevailed for long minutes, then Fox stared up at the ceiling, a distinct wrinkle forming between his eyebrows. "Alex?" "....Hmm?" "This is...okay, this is going to sound weird, but...the bed feels different." Sable lashes lifted, and Alex stared across the room at the wall he was facing. You had to know he'd notice. You were going to tell him anyway, so what's the biggie? "Yeah." Alex lifted his head and forced himself to meet Fox's gaze. "I replaced the old one." The wrinkle deepened. "You did? When?" "Today." "Oh. Uh...why?" "Because I...the other one was pretty old. It sagged in spots, it was kind of lumpy, and that's no good for your back. I'm...I'm sorry, Fox, I guess I should have asked you first." "Nooo, no. I told you to change anything you wanted to. I'm glad to see you listened to me." Alex tightened his hold on his lover and again lowering his head to the warm chest, squeezed his eyes shut. He hated himself for the partial lie he'd just told, but the alternative scared him too goddamn much. Jesus Christ, how can you think that he'd not understand? He knows you'd never do to him what Scully was trying to make it look like you did. Yeah. Okay. Even if he believes you, how hurt would he be knowing that the woman he thought was his best friend would go to such sickening extremes simply for a piece of your ass? I mean, who could forgive that? And how do you know for absolutely sure that he would be able to put aside the knowledge that some asshole fucked you in his bed and continue on as if it never happened? How much do you think he can swallow before he's had enough? He couldn't take that chance. He wanted to trust that Fox would handle this as well as he'd handled everything else, but... All right, so he was a coward. Whatever. He wouldn't lose Fox. He wouldn't chance it. Not now. He'd fallen so deeply in love with the man that he couldn't think straight, and there was no way in hell he'd voluntarily give him up. "You okay, babe?" "...Fine." Make him believe it. Alex picked his head up and gave Fox a contented smile. "Just tired. It's an exhausting thing, you know, coming that hard." "Oh yeah?" Fox leered, sliding a hand over the younger man's ass. "That mean that a second round is out of the question?" "I don't know," Alex purred, licking Fox's collarbone. "I might be able to. If..." "If?" Alex reached for the cuffs and swung them back and forth in front of his lover's face. He sounded an evil little chuckle and reached for Fox's wrists... Three weeks later Friday again. Thank God. Now if only he could make it through this freakin' traffic. Fox sat drumming impatiently on the wheel, thinking ahead to the moment he would walk in the door to the apartment he shared with Alex. The thrill hadn't gone yet. Not one day had his heart not pounded with joy at the thought of returning home and finding Alex there waiting for him. Whether the younger man was cooking a big dinner or pounding away at the computer, lost in his on line investing...sprawled naked on their bed or staring pensively out the window, the elation at coming home to him was the same. He was there. And with him, Fox was home. Fox smiled as the traffic on the beltway began to move a little more smoothly. They were going out tonight. Nothing big, just dinner and a movie, but he loved these occasional 'dates'. Something about being out with Alex. Sitting in public, doing the things that every other couple in the world did, made it more real. More normal and permanent. Not that he wasn't sure without the shadow of a doubt that he and Alex were a forever thing, he just liked proving it to the world. And to Scully. With every day that passed without her hearing a 'you were right and I was wrong, Scully, and Alex and I are history', she grew more disgruntled. Not that she said anything, but he could read it all over her face and in her tone when she spoke to him. She was pissed. No doubt about it. Oh well. She'd either get over it or she wouldn't. Frankly, he couldn't give a damn less if she never got over it. His indifference should have bothered him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. If she couldn't be friend enough to care that he was happy, then... Ah, screw it. He wasn't going to let Scully and her bullshit problems interfere with his weekend. Finally making it home, he pulled into his parking spot and headed into the building. Before walking to the elevator, he checked his mailbox. Sometimes Alex wouldn't leave the apartment, or he would go out but completely forget to stop at the box, so, Fox always checked on his way in. Holy crap. What is all this stuff? Fox walked toward the elevator, shifting through the assortment of envelopes. "Crap, crap, bill...shit, bill, crap, crap..." He got into the elevator and turned over the last piece of mail. The large, square, handwritten envelope caught his interest, and he raised his eyebrows. "Hmm. Not my birthday. Not that anyone would be sending me a card if it was..." He reached the fourth floor and temporarily forgot about the mail as he strode toward the end of the hall and unlocked the door. A huge grin lit his face as he looked across to the end of the living room and found Alex sitting at his desk, pulling a pair of eyeglasses off and putting them back on. "Holy mackerel," the younger man said by way of greeting as he pulled Fox's glasses down to the tip of his nose and stared at whatever was on the desk in front of him, "how can you see through these things? Better yet, how can you see without them?" Fox tossed the mail down onto the coffee table and rounded the desk, wrapping his arms around the seated man. "They're reading glasses; I don't need them to walk around." "Well, why aren't they in your pocket then, instead of in your desk drawer?" "It was a miracle. I woke up one morning, and I could see perfectly." "Really, Fox." Alex submitted to a long, tender kiss then resumed chastising his lover. "If you've got glasses, it's because you need them. You're not doing yourself any good by not using them." "Yes, Mom." "I'm serious," Alex replied. "I know." Fox kissed him again. "And I love that you're so concerned about me." "Yeah, well I'm not talking to hear myself talk," the younger man answered sternly. "You wear these to read if that's what you're supposed to do." Fox stared at the other man for a moment then broke into another grin. He tightened his arms around Alex and pressed their cheeks together. "I love you, baby." "Don't change the subject." "I'm not, I'm just...you don't love me?" Fox pouted at the younger man. "Desperately. That's why I want you to take care of yourself the way you're supposed to." "Okay." Fox nuzzled Alex's jaw then planted a soft kiss there. "I'll wear them from now on." "Thank you. Now. Why don't you relax a little bit...check your email or something, and I'll go get dressed." Fox nodded in agreement and sat down in the chair that Alex had just vacated. He picked the glasses up and raised them in salute to his lover, then put them on and turned his attention to the computer. Alex smiled, blew Fox a kiss then retreated to the bedroom. Scanning his email, Fox found pretty much nothing but junk. He deleted almost everything and shut the computer down, then remembered the mail he'd brought in. Walking over to the sofa, he dropped down onto the soft leather and picked up the stack. Throwing most of it back onto the table, he opened the bills first, perused them quickly, then opened the last envelope. He pulled a card out that read simply, 'Especially For You', and he flipped it open. Frowning, he adjusted his glasses and turned the stack of pictures right side up, and then all the air in the room disappeared. Mechanically, his hands moved, shuffling the pictures, his disbelieving eyes looking at shot after shot of Alex in the bed he recognized as their own, lying beneath a man he didn't recognize. Naked...eyes closed, mouth slightly open...on a gasp of pleasure perhaps...the man's cock up his ass... "So, I was so busy giving you shit about your glasses, that I forgot to tell you how much we made on that..." Alex stopped three steps out of the bedroom, frozen as he saw Fox sitting on the couch, staring blankly down at...no. Oh, Jesus God, no. Clouded, amber eyes looked from the pictures up to the petrified man, but Fox said nothing. The horrified look in his lover's eyes jarred Alex into motion. "Fox..." He took several shaky steps toward the sofa. "What...where did you get those?" Fox blinked for the first time since Alex had come into the room, and he looked back down at the photos in his hand. A quick glance at the discarded envelope and card told Alex that that fucking dead bitch Scully had sent them in the mail. He lowered himself to his knees and gently wrestled the pictures from his stricken lover's grip. "Don't...Fox, don't look at these. Listen to me, okay? Fox, please? It...it isn't how it looks. God, it isn't at all how it looks." Fox looked up at the kneeling man with an expression that tore his heart and all hope for a long, happy life together to bits. "I didn't know, Fox, I...I wasn't...aware, I..." Alex rambled, his rattled mind unable to put two coherent thoughts together. He stopped, took a hard, shaky breath and tried again. "I did not bring that man here. I didn't even know he was..." Fox reached past Alex and picked up the top picture, staring quietly at the image. "No." Alex snatched the photo away. "I didn't...I wouldn't do this to you, Fox. I love you," he whispered desperately. "Say something. Christ, please, Fox, talk to me." But he couldn't. The wild jumble in his brain refused to be sorted, and the pain in his heart spoke loudly above all else. With no answer coming from his wounded lover, and a murderous rage building up inside of him, Alex stumbled to his feet and fled the apartment. He wouldn't later remember how he got to Scully's apartment, but soon after leaving Fox sitting nearly comatose on the sofa at home, he found himself at her door, splintering the wood in its frame as he kicked it in. Scully leapt from her bedroom, gun held out in front of her, wide eyed. Her pounding heart doubled its pace when she realized who had just broken in. "Krycek!" she screeched. "What the hell are you..." Before she could finish her question, he was on her, the gun falling from her hand as he slammed her up against the nearest wall. "You goddamn, fucking bitch!" he roared, "How could you do this to him? How could you do it!?" "What the hell are you talking about?" Scully screamed, fighting against the enraged man's death grip on her. "You made more copies of those fucking pictures, and you sent them to him!" "What? I...no, I didn't!" "You did!" Alex threw the woman across the room, sending her crashing into the buffet on the other side. Before she could regain her balance, he picked up her gun and was there, slamming her back into the glass door, shattering the pane all around her. "I didn't think you'd do it!" he bellowed, his voice crackling with fury. "I know how you feel about me, but how can you hate him that much?" "I... don't!" She grated, trying to lever herself away from the shards that clung to the doorframe. "I didn't do it! I couldn't!" "Fucking liar!" Alex screamed, curling his fingers around the woman's throat and holding the gun point blank to her forehead. "You ruined it! We were happy, and you fucked it all up!" "Step away from her, Krycek." Wild green eyes flicked in the direction of the voice and found Skinner standing to Alex's left, holding his drawn weapon on him. "Go ahead," Alex croaked, tightening his grip on Scully's throat. "My life is over anyway. This bitch has seen to that." "It isn't over, Krycek," Skinner explained softly. "Let her go." "Fuck you!" the stricken man bellowed. "Oh, wait. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Skinner answered, cautiously moving closer. "No, Alex. I didn't know. I didn't want to see, but I do now..." Scully shifted a shocked gaze from one man to the other but said nothing. "I can help," Skinner said. "It's not over. You and Mulder can stay together. You will. It'll be all right, Alex, I swear to God, but not if you kill her. Let her go." Alex eyed the older man for a second, looking as thought he might do as Skinner asked, but the fleeting scrap of sanity was lost in an instant. "You're a fucking liar just like she is," he hissed, releasing the safety. "Jesus Christ, Krycek," Skinner gasped. "Don't. Don't make me shoot you. Don't make Mulder have to live without you." "He'll be better off," Alex answered, his words broken and tears blurring his vision. "No, he won't. He loves you more than life. You can't do this to him." "He might have loved me before this." Alex's hand began to waver as two tears fell. "But not now. Not after what she did." "I didn't...do it," Scully whispered, trying to keep herself from shaking. "Shut up!" Alex shouted. "You're a fucking vengeful, spiteful bitch, and you'd never have stopped until you tore us apart! Well, congratulations! Here's your reward..." Taking a huge chance, Skinner tackled Alex, his momentum sending them both sprawling onto the sofa. He wrestled the gun away from the younger man and pinned him to the cushions as he vented his fury. "Mother fucker! I'll kill you both!" Alex screamed, in too awkward a position to gain enough leverage to free himself. He put up a hell of a fight though, and Skinner had to use all his strength to keep him restrained. "Krycek! Alex! Calm down and listen to me, dammit! I want to help you! I'm going to help you!" "Nobody can help me!" Alex answered, each word a broken sob. "His face. Oh, my God...God. The look on his face." "It'll be okay, Alex. Let me take you home, and we'll get it all straightened out." Scully watched in horrified fascination as Skinner kneeled over the inconsolable man, attempting to calm him. There was almost a tenderness to his actions that Scully had rarely seen. And she wasn't sure what the hell to make of it. "There's nothing to straighten out," the younger man whispered. "You didn't see...see his face." Skinner's head snapped around, and he fixed a withering glare on the woman. "You're going to fix this," he informed her, leaving no room for argument. "You're going to go to Mulder and explain it, or I..." A new presence in the doorway caught Skinner's and Scully's attention, and both turned to see Fox glancing once more at the broken door before moving through it and entering the room. Skinner rose from the sofa and moved to the side, making the miserable heap that was Fox's lover visible to him. Glancing from Skinner to his obviously terrified partner, he moved to the sofa and dropped to his knees, touching Alex's hand. "Alex?" Tear drenched eyes snapped open, and Alex pulled himself up into a sitting position. He lowered his eyes and said nothing. "Alex, I...baby, I figured it out. I'm so...God, I'm so sorry I reacted the way I did. But after the shock wore off, and my brain was able to function, I knew." He leveled a hateful glare on Scully. "She master minded it somehow, didn't she?" "Mulder..." "Shut the fuck up." He looked from Scully back to Alex, all traces of malevolence gone. "Baby, just tell me. Is she behind this?" Shuddering, Alex managed a slight nod. Fox whirled to his feet and came to stand in front of Scully. "Mulder, I...he...he tried to kill me. If Skinner hadn't come by..." "We're through." Fox interrupted, not giving a damn about what she had to say. "I want you out of my office before Monday, and I don't want to see or hear from you again. Do you understand?" "Mulder..." "Shut up," the furious man roared, "before I fucking kill you myself!" He turned to Skinner, drawing a deep, stuttering breath. "I don't know what you were doing here but thank you for keeping him out of trouble." Skinner nodded then looked down at the quiet man. "Take him home, Mulder. Make him understand that you're not over. He's so sure that you're all done." Shaking his head, Fox mumbled something about it being his fault, and he sat down next to the younger man. "Alex." He reached up, gently petting the sable head. "Come on, I'm going to take you home now." Not lifting his gaze from his clasped hands, Alex displayed a bewildered frown. "Home?" "Yes. Baby, I want to know what happened, but before you say a word to me about it, we're going to be home, it's going to be calm and quiet, and you're going to understand that I love you, and that no matter what happened, nothing is going to change between us." Slowly, unsteadily, an agonized, emerald gaze rose to Fox's face. Fox cupped the other man's cheek in his palm, letting his thumb sweep the stubbled flesh. "Let me take you home, sweetheart." Slowly, Alex's eyes drifted shut, and he leaned forward, sinking into Fox's waiting arms. "I'm sorry," the older man whispered into his lover's hair. "Jesus, Alex, Iım so sorry." Skinner watched Alex cling to his lover, and a mixture of shame, longing and anger clashed inside of him. While his body couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have the younger man wrapped around him like that, his heart admonished such yearnings. With Mulder was so obviously where Alex belonged. And it angered him that Scully would go to the lengths that she had to keep them apart...and it shamed him that he had sat back and allowed it to play out. He could have prevented what had happened here by going to Mulder a month ago, but he chose not to in the attempt to hide his own recklessness. But it was done now, everything was going to be fine in spite of Scully's efforts, and there was no reason now to further implicate himself. With Alex still clutching his jacket, Fox rose to his feet, pulling the younger man up with him. Speaking not a word more to the two others in the room, he began the slow trek to the door. He moved Alex into the hall, and with the two left behind staring after them, they started for home. "Well," Skinner murmured, casting his gaze to the floor after the two men had gone. "You'd better get someone over here to fix that door." Scully watched the A.D. warily. "Is that all you're going to say?" Skinner drew a long breath then let it out. "No. No, Agent Scully, that isn't all. I'll also tell you that what you did was reprehensible, and you're getting off easy." "What do you know about what I did?" "I don't claim to know every last detail, but I know enough, and let's leave it at that. What I don't know is how you could be so heartless as to make sure that Mulder found out. I mean..." Skinner walked away, running his hand over his head then turned to face the woman. "...I understand that you wanted Krycek away from him. But damn. I...I gotta say, Scully, I'd never have thought it was in you to do something this cruel." "I didn't," Scully swore. "I think it was...it had to be those men." Skinner cocked his head. "The two you brought here?" Scully emitted a long sigh. Closing her eyes, she answered. "Yes. Krycek had permanently wounded one of them. He wanted revenge. Maybe he didn't trust me to actually send the pictures. He must have taken his own." "Why would you have them take pictures if you had no intention of sending them?" "I thought it would be enough that I had them. I thought that I could get Krycek to...that just the existence of those photos would be enough." "Get Krycek to what? Leave?" "...Yeah. Leave." "Scully, I...dammit, I can see that Mulder and Krycek are truly in love. How is it that you can't?" He thought about his own question for a moment then spoke again. "You can see it, can't you? You know that Krycek isn't what we'd first thought." "He's scum." Scully protested. "He's a lying, disgusting whore. Oh, and let's not forget a murderer. He would have killed me if you hadn't stopped him, and you know it." "Scully, Mulder would have killed you. I would have killed you if I'd been in either one of their shoes." "Well, that makes it all okay, doesn't it?" "No, it doesn't. If it was okay, I wouldn't have stopped him. But the man was out of his mind with grief. That much was very clear. I mean, let's face it. You talked two men into coming across the country to basically drug and rape him, and take pictures of it, and the end result saw Mulder incredibly hurt, and Krycek tormented in so many more ways than one. "I'd take official action, but I think if Mulder had wanted to press charges, he would have said something. I don't believe he wants to put Krycek through any more than he has been already." He eyed the woman coldly. "But consider yourself put on notice. If you so much as breathe in their direction, I will act. Am I clear?" "I don't understand," Scully said, shaking her head. "You didn't want to see Mulder with him any more than I did." "I told you. I took my blinders off. Pity you weren't able to do the same. All this could have been avoided." Skinner moved to the door and stopped just inside the frame. "Don't forget to call someone about this." Scully watched the A.D. disappear into the hall, and she turned in a circle, for the first time assessing the damage done. Glass she'd be picking up well into next month. Some cracked dishes miraculously remained inside the buffet. Her gun on the floor next to the sofa where Krycek had dropped it when Skinner tackled him. Lock unseated from the door and bits of wood gone from the edge. She walked over to the door and pushed, cursing as it resisted her attempts to shut it. Finally giving it one good shove, it groaned into place, and she snatched up her phone, calling for a repairman. As she sat and waited, the realization of just how close she had come to having her brains blown out hit her like a hammer. Burying her face in violently shaking hands, she considered her next move. Okay, one thing was for sure. Her partnership as well as her friendship with Mulder was over. He'd figured out for himself that Saint Alex couldn't possibly have been fucking anyone in his bed of his own will, and immediately, he'd pinned the blame on her. You're all done, Dana. You did shit that would have your mother shuttling between church and your prison cell for a good long time, and did it get you what you wanted? Did Krycek fall into bed with you and fuck you silly? Nope. He busted into your apartment, tried to kill you, and he and Mulder are still together. He's even got Skinner on his side now. Yeah, that's good. Your boss is threatening to press charges if you so much a sneeze in their direction, and all you have out of the deal is a mess to clean up here, no more friends, and probably a goddamn desk assignment. Good job, Dana. Goddamn, fucking good job. "All because of that lousy, two-bit, dirty..." Straight out hatred and a thirst for revenge doused any remaining flames of lust that may have been left smoldering and all good sense along with it, and she began to plot. "Okay...okay, there's..." Yeah. What is there? Spit it out. I'm dying to hear. You suck at planning dirty deeds, girl, face it. It just ain't your thing. "That's because I was out of my element. First of all, I depended on someone else to carry out the plan...which, I guess was a bad plan from the start because I couldn't execute it myself. So, okay. What did we learn from this?" Keep it simple. "Right. Simple is better. I plan it alone, I carry it out alone. No accomplices, no witnesses. Second, there can be no room for interpretation. He's got to be unable to weasel his way out of it." Yeah, okay, great. But what, Dana, what? "I don't know," she sighed aloud, slumping back against the cushions of her sofa. "I don't..." Her brow wrinkled, and she stared off into space. "Hmm..." Fox stole another glance at his silent lover as he drove them home. Stress lines etched the corners of Alex's closed eyes, and his head hung low. He sat slouched so far down in his seat that despite his six-foot frame, he appeared to Fox quite small. Reaching across the short distance, Fox touched his lover's head, gently stroking the glossy, dark strands of hair away from his face, only to watch them fall stubbornly back into place. He got no reaction...didn't expect one, but he maintained contact hoping that it would comfort Alex in some small way. When they finally made it back to the building, he pulled into his parking space and shut the engine off, then turned to look at the other man. "We're home." Alex raised his head to look around the parking garage then dropped his gaze to his lap. Saying nothing more, Fox got out of the car and walked around to the passenger's side. He opened the door and took Alex's hand. "Come on, baby." Tugging gently, he got Alex out of the car and headed toward the elevator. Once inside, he retained his hold on the younger man's hand, pulling it up to his mouth for a kiss then tilting his head to press his cheek to it. Alex lifted his eyes to the older man's face and found the golden-brown lashes swept downward, and an expression at once so full of tenderness and remorse that his hand began to tremble against the shadowed flesh. Fox's eyes opened and met those of his silent lover. Before he could say anything the doors opened, and he stepped out and led Alex down the hall. Reaching apartment forty-two, he unlocked the door and preceded Alex inside. He turned and waited until the younger man had crossed the threshold, then he closed the door and removed his jacket. Again taking his lover's hand, Fox guided him to the sofa and coaxed him to sit on the middle cushion. He followed, seating himself sideways in the right corner of the sofa and held his arms out. Alex hesitated for a moment then slowly leaned forward. An involuntary sigh escaped his lips as Fox's arms came around him, and he burrowed into the older man's warmth, again wishing for the kind of closeness he could never achieve. Fox stroked his back and scattering soft kisses in his hair, soothed his trembling. He knew that Fox was waiting. And that he would continue to wait patiently for as long as he had to until Alex was ready. Finally, after nearly forty minutes of absolute silence, Alex cleared his throat and forced himself to speak. "I tried to make myself believe...I let you convince me that it had just been a dream. Then S...Scully came with those pictures..." He stopped and took a deep, shaky breath. "What did she say to you?" Fox asked softly, rhythmically petting the sable head. "Sh..." Alex paused again, trying to gather the courage to say it. "She wanted...you'd think that she wanted to get rid of me, but...she didn't. Not until she got tired of me, anyway." Fox's brow creased. "What d'you mean?" "She wanted...me. And those pictures were supposed to be insurance against my saying no." Fox hadn't expected that one. He pulled the younger man far enough away to see his face. "She what?" Emerald eyes dropped to stare at the small space between them, and Alex said nothing. "Alex, she..." Fox couldn't even say it. "She wanted to..." "Fuck me," Alex said without emotion. "She said she wanted to know what it was I had that kept you so hot for me." "I had no clue. I can't...I can't believe I didn't know." "It wasn't hard for her to keep it from you. She simply buried it in the middle of her hatred for me." "I can't believe this," Fox breathed, staring hard at Alex's knee. "I know," Alex whispered flatly. "I had a hard time processing it too, when she showed up at my apartment and threw herself at me." Fox's head snapped up. "She...you mean she came on to you back in California?" Alex nodded. "Jesus Alex, why am I just hearing about this now?" "I couldn't tell you," Alex answered apologetically. "She was your best friend. I couldn't do it to you." Fox pulled Alex back into his arms. "Dammit, how blind could I be? That's why she told me where you were, isn't it? To get you back here where she could work on you." Alex wound his arms around Fox's waist and closed his eyes. "You had no reason to think something like that about her. I...tried to talk her out of it. Make her see that she didn't want to hurt you like that. I thought she had come to her senses. Guess she was just regrouping." "That brings us to this current shit. I remember talking to you that night from North Carolina. Your speech had started to slur, and you couldn't really think straight after a while. I thought you were just really tired." "That's what I thought too, though no matter how tired I'd been in the past, I'd never felt like that before. But I didn't suspect. What reason did I have?" Fox kissed the top of Alex's head. "So he drugged you somehow." "Must've. And he had somebody take pictures while he..." He stopped, unable to say the words. "Do you have any idea who he is?" Fox asked, his voice eerily calm. "No." "Are you sure?" Alex shook his head. "I don't recognize him." Fox drew a deep breath. "Well...I never wanted to see Scully again, but I guess I'll have to." "Why? "She knows who he is." Still, that soft, calm voice. "You don't need to know, Fox." "I do." "No." Alex again lifted his head, turning a pleading gaze on his lover. "I just want to forget it. Please, can't we?" "That man drugged you, Alex. He came into this apartment and raped you in our..." He stopped as the realization hit him. "And that's why you changed the mattress." "Yeah. Once I found out, I couldn't...it's bad enough sleeping in the room where it happened, but the bed..." He shook his head. "I couldn't think of a reason to replace the whole thing, so I had to settle for just the mattress." Fox covered his face with both hands and slowly dragged them upward, raking them through his hair again and again. "I can't fucking believe this," he whispered more to himself than to Alex. "I'm sorry Fox," the younger man croaked. "I know this is a hell of a lot more than you bargained for when you brought me back here." "Don't you apologize," Fox hissed, suddenly grasping Alex's upper arms, furious not with his lover but the people who had physically and emotionally fucked him over. "You're not at fault in any way, do you understand me? This is Scully's shit. And those fuckers she got to do it. And it's mine." Alex focused a confused stare on the older man. Fox's hands gentled and slid down his lover's arms. "I never should have left you. I should have listened to my gut and stayed home." A bright glaze coated first one eye then the other. "I allowed it to happen. I made you a promise to take care of you, and I fucked it up in the worst possible way." "No you didn't," Alex insisted, his own eyes welling up as he felt the brunt of his love's anguish. "You were doing your job. You had no way of knowing what she was up to. There was no reason for you to suspect. God Fox, please don't blame yourself." "I failed," Fox insisted. "I was too arrogant. Too confident I think. I was sure that I could do it right. Do right by you. But I failed you." He looked up into his lover's face, the moisture in his eyes beginning to spill over. "You've known about those pictures...you've known what had happened to you for weeks now. Why didn't you tell me?" Alex blinked, releasing the moisture in his own eyes. "I couldn't. How could I go to you and tell you what Scully had done?" "Did you think I wouldn't believe you?" "N-no, I...was pretty sure that you would. But I was still afraid." "Afraid of what?" "That it would be too much for you. It's been one thing after another since California. You've been so incredible about all of it. But everyone has a limit, and I was afraid that you might finally have reached yours with this. And I would lose you." Fox nodded. "You see? I failed to make you see that you could trust me to love you and stand by you no matter what. Nothing I did, nothing I said really drove it home." "That's not true," Alex rasped. "I trust you with my life, Fox. And I know you love me. But everything has a limit." "No. Not everything. There's no limit to my love for you. And there's no limit to what I'd do for you. But I couldn't make you see that. You kept this to yourself. You let it fester and eat holes in you when you should have come to me the second you found out. It's my fault that you felt you couldn't do that. I've done it all wrong. It's my fault that Scully was given the opportunity to hurt you. It's my fault you've suffered with it all this time." Fox drew a difficult breath and a fresh stream of tears ran down his cheeks. "And I don't...I don't know how to make it right." Alex wrapped his arms around the older man, slumping against him. "You don't need to do anything," he gasped, trying to fight back the sob that rose into his throat. "You believe me. You still want me. That's all I need." "But how long will it be," Fox asked, watching his fingers lift the silky strands of the younger man's hair only to let them drop back to his head, "before you have more doubts? I need to know what to do to make them stop." "There's nothing more that you can possibly do, Fox. You couldn't get any more perfect. Please stop blaming yourself. It's me." Alex's hand traveled back and forth between Fox's arm and his shoulder. "It's hard to...no one's ever given me anything without wanting plenty in return. It's not easy to change your mindset when it's been that way for more than half your life. "You've proven yourself over and over again to me. I don't know why I continue to be afraid. All I can do is tell you how sorry I am and beg you not to..." Alex choked back his words and wrapped himself more tightly around the other man. "...to have a little more patience. Iım trying. I swear to God, Fox, I'm trying so hard." Closing his eyes, Fox buried his face into the curve between Alex's neck and shoulder, and the two wept softly. Several minutes later, Fox lifted his head, sniffing and dragging the back of his hands across his eyes. "I love you," he whispered to the younger man. "And it kills me to think about what was done to you in the one place you were supposed to be safe." Alex kept his head tilted downward until Fox slipped a hand under his chin and lifted. He searched the watery, green depths, and the pain in his heart increased triple fold. "He's going to pay." A question began to form in Alex's eyes, but he answered it himself seconds later. "You...Fox, no, please." "I can't let this fucker walk around free and clear after what he did." "Y-you don't even know who he is. I don't know who he is." "Like I said, Scully knows. And she's going to tell me or I'll beat it out of her." "No. Just leave her alone, okay? I want to forget about this. I don't...I don't want to think about it any more." He raised a hand to Fox's head, frantically stroking the older man's hair. "I want to go back to you and me. Can we do that? Please? No more Scully, no more..." Fox's breath caught in his throat as Alex pitched forward, covering his lips in a sudden, desperate kiss. He submitted to the unexpected blitz, letting Alex pin him to the corner of the sofa, but as the younger man's movements became more agitated, he wedged his hands between them and gently pushed him a few inches away. "It's okay, baby. Take it easy. I won't go to Scully." "I wasn't trying to...I just..." Alex's eyes began to well up again. "I need you, Fox. I need to touch you and...and..." Fox pulled his lover back into his arms, crushing him to his chest as he initiated the second kiss. Whatever Alex needed. Anything he needed. Alex whimpered into the soft mouth, feeling the transition occur. Fox was shifting from revenge-driven, guilt-ridden man to sweetly demanding, bone-meltingly hot lover. No gear grinding, no jerky stops and starts. Just a smooth conversion all within the time it would take to draw a good breath. JesusChristalmighty, how could he ever think that he had failed Alex in any way? He was dead on, fucking god status per-fect. Alex hung on to the older man as he was smoothly maneuvered onto his back, surrendering the whole of himself to his lover's desire. Fox settled over him, blanketing him in his warmth, and he gave Alex everything he could ask for and more. Kisses that soothed his heart even as they seared his blood. Caresses so tender, brushing over satiny skin, giving rise to fine gooseflesh. His voice, so low and breathless, whispering words of overwhelming love. Alex raked his fingers through Fox's hair, anchoring them in the thick, golden-brown strands at the back of his lover's head, and he opened his mouth, welcoming the coming invasion. His moans of pleasure as Fox's tongue lazily stroked the interior of his mouth turned to insistent whimpers when a wandering hand stroked over his chest and lingered on a hardening nipple. Sucking delicately on Alex's tongue, Fox pinched the pebbled flesh beneath the soft material of his shirt, creating a contrast of sensation and pulling a hard gasp from the younger man. Tugging firmly on the nipple as he gently teased Alex's mouth, he drew the moment out, his body throbbing in response to the sensuous snarl his action prompted from the other man. He broke the kiss and looked down at Alex, holding him captive in the blistering heat of his gaze, then began to slowly unbutton the entranced man's shirt. A pass of the incredibly talented tongue followed the pop of each button, and Alex arched into every caress, wanting to feel it forever. The glide of soft velvet over the trembling muscles of his abdomen scrambled his thoughts and set his nerves on edge, and as it reached the waistband of his jeans, his cock strained painfully against the denim. Fox lifted his head in time to observe to pained grimace on his lover's face, and he understood. He kissed the solid mound then rested his cheek there and focused a look of sympathy on the younger man. "Getting a little tight?" Alex nodded silently. "Let me fix that for you." Deftly, Fox undid Alex's jeans and pulled them down to his hips, receiving assistance from the other man for the second third of the journey. Together, they worked the Levi's down to Alex's knees, then Fox pushed them to the younger man's ankles, where they were kicked off and away. Battling the urge to suck his lover's freed cock into his mouth, Fox traced the prominent veins along the shaft with the tips of his fingers, watching, entranced as it twitched and reached for him. God, he needed to have that thick, rigid length sliding past his lips. Down his throat. Even if he couldn't taste Alex, he wanted to feel him. Hear the low, feral moans as his fingers clenched in that taut ass, pulling him forward. He needed to drive him crazy. Make him lose complete control. Then he'd know, for that little while at least, that nothing else was lurking in the corners of his love's tortured mind. "Where are you..." "I'll be right back," Fox answered the anxious question before Alex could finish it, then he pulled himself to his feet and disappeared from the living room. Passing through the bedroom doorway, Fox was knocked back a step by the second realization of what had happened to Alex here. His knees turned to liquid, and he fought to catch his breath as images of his unconscious love, being touched and fucked, and posed for those goddamn pictures by that fucking scumbag, whoever he was, flooded his brain. And his ex best friend and partner had initiated the whole sordid event. It was...son of a bitch! It was too fucking much to take. He leaned against the door frame, panting heavily, trying to pull himself together before returning to Alex in the living room. "Come on, Mulder," he whispered. "Come on, deal with this later." He pushed himself away from the wall and wobbled to the nightstand, withdrawing some condoms and the lube. Come on. If you go back in there like this, he'll fall apart. Three deep breaths, a pause, and then two more, and he returned to the living room. The sight of Alex lying stretched over the sofa, quivering and naked except for the open shirt he still wore, helped Fox regain control and his sight of what was important right now. Forest-green eyes drifted open and focused on the face that hovered above, and Alex drew a deep breath as he watched Fox slowly undo the buttons on his shirt. He lay quietly as the garment dropped to the floor with a soft thud, and Fox began working on his pants. His eyes never leaving Alex's face as he worked, Fox commanded the younger man's complete attention. And when everything but his slate-gray boxers lay next to the shirt, he moved closer, his smoldering green and gold stare beckoning Alex to touch him. Still lingering in a mesmerized state, Alex sat up and traced the solid, silk-covered outline of his lover's cock with his fingers before leaning forward and nuzzling the same spot. His tongue inched out, licking the shaft through the material, and Fox moaned in pleasure at the sensation. Alex repeated the action, earning another moan, and his own cock throbbed painfully in response. Again. More confidently. More aggressively. Fox sobbed his lover's name, threading his fingers through the dark hair and holding his head in place. So good. Jesus God, so fucking incredible. Arousal building quickly to a level at which restraint would no longer be possible, Alex licked hungrily at his lover's thinly concealed cock, his breaths ending on tiny gasps and growls. His hands rose to grasp Fox's hips, but they strayed quickly, rounding the firm muscles of the older man's ass, stroking and squeezing as his teeth closed around the damp, silk-draped erection and pulled. "Ah, fuck," Fox grated, his fingers tightening in the younger man's hair. As quickly as that, his control snapped, and he forced Alex onto his back then stripped off his boxers and ripped open one of the packages of condoms. Alex waited breathlessly, anticipating a quick, hard possession, but he looked up at Fox with surprised eyes as the older man slipped the rubber onto him instead. Kneeling over his speechless lover, Fox leaned down and bestowed a long, tender kiss on his flushed lips then proceeded to worship his upper body with his mouth and tongue. As he teased a sensitive nipple, he squeezed a good amount of lube into his hand and reached between them, applying the cool gel. Alex bucked, whimpering his lover's name as the dual stimulation wound him a notch tighter. But the hand on his cock, stroking ever so gently, and the tongue flicking lightly over the tip of his nipple refused to relieve the tension, and so he gathered his frazzled wits and found the strength to take matters into his own hands. Fox emitted a surprised grunt as, in an impressive move, Alex grasped a handful of his hair, wrapped his free arm around his waist, and spun him onto his back. As the younger man landed on top of him, he turned a smoky, adoring gaze on him. Writhing seductively against the body covering his, he slid Alex's shirt off and dropped it to the floor, then wrapped one leg around the trim waist as Alex's mouth covered his. The two shared ravenous kisses as Alex lifted Fox's other leg and held it pinned to his side. Caressing the older man's thigh, he maneuvered himself into position and pushed the head of his cock between the smooth cheeks. Breaking from Alex's demanding mouth, Fox released a harsh breath and pushed against his lover, whining his need. The whine abruptly turned to a shocked gasp as Alex buried the rest of his cock inside of him with one swift thrust. His eyes rolled up into his head, and the thick curtain of golden-brown lashes dropped over them as his fingers dug into the other's back. "Alex," he whispered, arching against the man above him. "My baby, I love...love you. Don't stop. Please, I need...I...God, fuck me please, please..." The rush of power that having Fox beneath him and begging brought was incomparable. It was here that he knew without a doubt that Fox needed him. And it was now that he was sure beyond all reservation that he could be exactly what his lover wanted and never suffer a thought of disappointing him. A series of furious snarls rose up from Fox's throat as Alex repeatedly withdrew and slammed into him with all his strength. Raking his fingers down the length of his lover's back, his lust-crazed mind never gave thought to the welts that would later rise in their wake. Nor was he conscious of the fact that their partially open bedroom window allowed the sounds to be heard down on the third floor, where the neighbors directly below them listened from their own fire escape... "I can't believe all the action this guy's been getting lately," the male of the pair said. "For years nothing, and then wham! He's gettin' it every friggin' day. Sometimes more than once a day." "Yep," the woman answered. "Oh, and by the way? I hate to upset your fine, homophobic sensibilities, but...I was right. He is living with another man." "What? Oh, come on Candace, he's an FBI agent for Christ's sake." "I saw them, Ray. Today. They were coming into the building, and they were holding hands." "Are you shittin' me?" "Nope." "Oh, God." "I told you that other voice was way too deep to be a woman's. But do you ever listen to me? Noooo." "So, you mean to tell me we're out here listening to two men go at it?" The woman grinned. "Uh huh." "Shit. Oh, shit." The man rose and started to climb back through the window. "I'm outta here." "What's so different about it now? Just because it's two guys, it doesn't change the fact that it's erotic as hell." The man stuck his head back out the window. "It's disgusting," he whispered. "It is not. You haven't seen this other one. They're gorgeous together." "What they look like is supposed to make a difference?" "It helps," the woman sighed. "Makes for a much nicer image." The man shuddered visibly. "What if it was two women, huh Ray? Would you be in there, telling me how disgusting it was, or would you still be out here, straining to hear every sound?" "That's different." "Why?" "It just is." "Typical male bullshit answer. If you don't want to listen, go inside. But shut up now, so I can hear the rest of this..." Fox gazed up at Alex, eyes shimmering a dreamy mix of blue, green and gold as the younger man moved slowly now inside of him. Alex stared back silently as he moved, his passion-heavy eyes saying so much more to Fox than words could have. Unable to keep them open any longer, Alex let his eyes close for a moment as he sank back into luxurious, slick heat. His mouth fell open as he withdrew fraction by fraction, and a gasping breath tumbled out. He opened his eyes and pulled out almost all the way then again pushed home, the constricting warmth that surrounded his cock penetrating and spreading through the rest of his body. Every nerve ending tingled, every taut muscle begged for relief, but the torture was just too good. Fox, just too beautiful. He had to hold on. Had to take the pleasure just a little bit farther... "Nooo, no," Fox wailed as Alex pulled completely out of him, but the younger man shushed his protests as he kneeled between his legs and pulled him up into a sitting position. He watched, moving to give Alex the room he needed to maneuver himself onto his back, then he crawled forward at his lover's silent urging, and stopped when directed to. The other man arched upward, nudging Fox's ass with his cock, and the perfect mouth he'd been watching so attentively, opened to speak. "Take it, baby." Struggling to control his breath, Fox lifted himself slightly to grasp his lover's cock and guide it into his slick entrance. The head slid in, and he paused, savoring the sensation. Alex allowed the small hiatus, stroking Fox's thighs and brushing his fingers through the dark hair that surrounded his swollen cock, and when Fox had relaxed, moaning softly at the pleasurable caresses, Alex grasped his hips and pulled him down as he thrust upward. A loud, gasping sob broke past the older man's lips as he was suddenly, fully impaled on his lover's cock. His head fell back, and his eyes dropped shut as Alex's fingers closed around the base of his erection, and the younger man began stroking him gently. "Look at me," Alex commanded softly. "I want to see your eyes." Fox willed himself to open his eyes, and he looked down at the man who lay beneath him. "Pretty eyes," Alex whispered, caressing the head of his lover's weeping cock. "So deep. So fucking sexy." His sigh flowed over Fox's lips as the older man leaned down for a tender kiss. They began to move in unison, joining and separating, and his hand tightened slightly, working his lover's cock with more purpose. Fox moaned into Alex's mouth, rocking faster against him, and the younger man issued no protest. His tongue entered the older man's mouth, tasting and teasing, and when he had him whimpering uncontrollably, he pushed against his chest, breaking the kiss. He bucked hard, drawing a small cry from Fox, then bucked again, grunting as he did. "Come on, baby...ride me...God, yeah. That's it," Alex encouraged breathlessly as Fox obediently began to thrash against him. "Harder, Fox. Ohhhh, yeah," he moaned deeply through his teeth, jerking Fox in a firm rhythm. "Look...at me," he rasped, quickly losing the tenuous grip he had on his control. "Want...want to watch you." Keeping his eyes on his lover, Fox increased his speed, arching his back and clenching his muscles as he moved. The hand on his cock matched then exceeded his pace, and both men fell into a fit of frenzied convulsions, filling the room their cries. When the sounds faded, Fox fell forward, his head pressed to Alex's shoulder as he gasped for breath. In the haze that surrounded him, he felt one hand touch his back, sliding up and down through the sheen of perspiration that covered it, and the other rest itself on his head, massaging his damp scalp. And the voice of his love, so soft and husky from spent passion, vowing unending devotion. As Fox lifted his head, Alex opened his eyes and looked up into a sea of turquoise and amber, brimming with adoration. "My love," the older man whispered. "God, Alex, what you do to me." Alex blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the sudden heat that pricked at his eyes, but he could feel himself losing the battle. Before the tears fell, he pulled Fox back down, wrapping him in a fierce embrace. Fox felt the slight tremble of his lover's body, and he attempted to pull away, but Alex held him in place, releasing a soft sob as his arms tightened a bit more. "Alex?" he called softly, caressing the younger man's arm. "Baby, why are you crying?" Alex buried his face in the other man's hair and shook his head. Fox lay quietly in his lover's arms, knowing not to push the issue. If Alex wanted to talk about it, he would do so in good time. In the meantime, he continued to stroke the younger man's cooling skin and drop tender kisses over his shoulder and throat. Finally composed enough to speak, Alex took a steadying breath and kissed the top of Fox's head. "I couldn't dream up a man more perfect than you." "Alex," Fox moaned. "I'm not..." "No one else in the world would let themselves be subjected to the crap you've been through because of me and still want to have anything to do with me." "No one else in the world could love you the way I do," Fox answered softly then wriggled out of the younger man's embrace and looked down at him, his expression serious. "You're the center of my universe. If I didn't have you, everything else would be pointless. You have to understand that." "I do understand," Alex countered, sniffing again. "But what if..." "There is no what if." "There's always a what if," the younger man murmured. "Alex, would you do anything to purposely screw this up?" Alex looked at Fox as if he had two heads. "Never. But it doesn't mean you'll never be hurt. I saw what those pictures did to you." "Of course it doesn't mean that. You love, you hurt. It's a fact of life. There might be times when I hurt you. But you know I'd never do it purposely, right?" Alex nodded. "Just like I know you never would. Yes, those pictures knocked me on my ass," Fox continued. "But they didn't blind me forever to the facts. After the initial shock, I was able to rationalize everything and figure it out." He kissed the tip of his lover's nose. "You have to trust me to be able to do that, sweetheart. Do you understand? You need to trust me to trust you. "I'm not pushing you," Fox assured the younger man. "I know you're trying. And that's all I can ask of you." "You can ask anything of me," Alex replied. "I want to give you everything you need...be everything you need. I'm...I've tried so hard to make you happy, Fox, but..." "You do make me happy, Alex," Fox interrupted. "I've found a heaven with you I never knew existed. You're everything in the world I could ever need or want, and I'll love you till I die. Period." Alex fell silent, knowing that there was nothing more to say. He reached out, winding his arms around the older man and coaxing him back into his embrace. Fox sighed softly, luxuriating in Alex's warmth. Long minutes later, he felt a faint tugging between them. "Ah, damn." He lifted his head and looked down into still slightly cloudy eyes. "Baby, I think we're stuck together." Alex groaned softly and shifted, testing Fox's claim. "Oww. Oww, oww...you're right." Fox giggled even as he gasped, trying to gently lift himself away. "Okay. We gotta do this fast or we're just going to drag out the pain. You ready?" "No, but go ahead. On your count." "All right. One. Two. Three" Both men groaned at the pain of their sudden separation, and Alex lay wincing, gently drawing his hand up and down his abdomen as Fox kneeled above him. "If you think that hurt, wait till you try and take your rubber off." "God." Alex looked down at his spent cock and lightly fingered the hardening latex. "Maybe it won't be that bad." "I got an idea," Fox announced. "Let's go take a warm shower. Then it'll slide right off." Alex smiled at the offer and nodded. He watched the older man get to his feet, then he took the outstretched hand and let Fox pull him up and lead him into the bathroom. The warm water did its job, and soon Alex was painlessly separated from his condom. When he and Fox were finished showering, they dressed in comfortable jeans and t-shirts, and together prepared a light dinner. While they sat on the sofa eating and watching the news, Fox turned to the younger man and made an announcement. "Alex, let's move." "Huh?" the younger man asked, not turning his attention from the television. "Let's find someplace else to live." Alex's head snapped around, and he stared hard at the other man. "What?" Fox put his barely touched food down on the coffee table and turned to face his lover. "Staying in this apartment isn't good for us. I mean, I'm sitting here, eating, watching t.v., and all I can think about is what happened to you here. And if it's this heavy on my mind, I can imagine how it's affecting you. I hate that you've slept in that bed for this long, torturing yourself." "Fox, this is your apartment. It's been your home for..." "It's our home. And something terrible happened to you here. Something that'll haunt you... us for a very long time. Certainly as long as we're here. I want to start fresh. Someplace new. Someplace with no bad memories." Alex hesitated as he thought about the proposal. Knowing that Fox would hear the truth in his voice if he attempted to lie, he leaned against the older man, speaking softly. "I'd like to do that." Fox kissed the top of Alex's head and reached for the paper. "Then we will. How about an apartment for now? At least for the next year, then when I'm out of the Bureau, we can decide where we want to live, and find a house there." Alex rubbed his cheek against the older man's chest then looked up at him, deep gratitude shining in his eyes. "Okay." The two settled down with the paper, carefully scouring the rental ads and debating over several prospects. "...Yeah, but that one's at least an hour's drive from work," Alex argued against one of Fox's choices. "I know," Fox sighed. "But it was Scully I was thinking about. I just don't want to be anywhere near her." "She won't bother us," Alex presumed. "Not after the way you lit into her. And if she wanted to mess with us, I really don't think that distance would be an issue." "I guess." "Hey, this one sounds good. Spacious two bedroom. Eat-in kitchen, large living room/dining room. One and a half-baths." "Yeah, it..." Fox rubbed the back of his head, scowling at the paper. "Oh, wait. I know why it sounds familiar. Well, the address anyway." "Why?" "This is in Skinner's building." "You sure? I mean, I know it's in Crystal City, but..." "Positive." Alex looked down, hiding his expression. "Oh." "Is that a bad thing?" Fox asked. "You did seem interested in it. It sounds perfect for us. A lot bigger than what we've got here." "Yeah. Yeah, it does." "And maybe Skinner could put in a word for us." Alex pulled himself out of his lover's arms and sat at the edge of the sofa, looking down at his shoes. "I suppose." "Babe, he's okay, really. I don't know if you realize it, but he helped you over at Scully's place. He stopped you from killing her, and when I walked in, he was telling you that everything was going to be all right. That we were going to be all right." "...He did?" "Yeah." "I don't..." Alex drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't remember." "I didn't think you would. You were pretty wound up." Fox slid forward and rested his cheek against Alex's shoulder. "He told me to take you home and convince you that everything was okay. He's on our side, babe. For whatever reason, he's for us." "And you don't think he's up to anything?" "Dirty tricks aren't Skinner's style." "You didn't think they were Scully's either." Fox thought on his lover's reply for a minute then nodded. "That's true. Look, Alex. I trust that Skinner's on the up and up, but if you don't, we can forget about the apartment. There are plenty more here we can consider." Alex sighed softly and let his head drop to the side, resting it against his lover's. "I'm sorry Fox. We...we can keep it on the list. If you trust Skinner, then really, it's good enough for me. I trust you." "Thank you, baby. But we both have to be a hundred percent satisfied with our choice." "I want to look at it," Alex argued, figuring that once they got there, he could find enough wrong with the apartment to strike it from the list but give Fox the satisfaction of having at least seen the place. "And hey, if we take it, you and he can car pool to work." "Riiight. And we can borrow cups of flour and sugar from each other too? Maybe we can get together for a game of gin." Fox grinned, rubbing his head against Alex's. "I don't think we'd have to worry about him knocking at our door every hour. But, look. We'll put it last on the list. Sort of as a standby. Okay?" "That's fine," Alex answered, incurring a questioning look from the other man. "Really. It is." Fox gave the younger man a soft smile then leaned back against the leather cushions, pulling him along. "Here's another one. One bedroom, gourmet kitchen..." "Nah." "What nah? You didn't even let me finish. Two walk in closets..." "No, it's only got one bedroom." "So who needs more than one? It's not like we're going to have guests or...ohhh, unless you plan on relegating me to the spare bedroom whenever I piss you off." "Of course not," Alex smirked, amazingly for all he'd endured today, feeling playful. "If you piss me off, I'll just shoot you." Fox cast a deadpan look at the younger man for a short while then quickly threw him down onto his back, straddling him so that he was unable to get up. "You'll just what?" Alex gave the older man a challenging grin. "You need me to repeat it? Oh, shit!" he squealed with laughter as Fox's fingers located and began to torment the area just under his ribs, which he'd discovered were extremely ticklish. "No! Come on, Fox, I was just having a little fun with you!" he shouted between attempts to breathe. "So am I," Fox answered, breaking off the attack. "Isn't this a blast?" The tickling resumed, and Alex screeched, laughing too hard to find the strength to fight his lover off. "Stop! Cut it out, dammit! Ah, you prick!" When Alex was too winded to curse anymore, Fox let him off the hook. He sat astride the younger man's hips and looked down into gleaming green eyes, and he smiled. "So, we've got eight prospects. You want to go with those and see what happens, or do you want to make a secondary list?" "No," Alex gasped. "That's good. If we don't find anything from those choices, then we can start over. By that time, there should be some new listings." "Okay." Fox moved to get off of Alex, and the other man flinched, his arms automatically coming up to protect himself. "What? I wasn't going to tickle you again." Alex tossed the older man a suspicious look but said nothing. "You don't believe me?" "Not really, no." "Okay, I'm hurt." "Awww." Fox turned a beautiful pout on Alex, and the younger man felt his cock twitch. "Oh, that's just low." "What is?" "You know what. You harass me, then you go and pull that lip and make me go all squishy inside." "For the record, you started it and..." Fox's pout turned to a tiny grin. "You're squishy?" "Parts of me," the other answered softly. "What about other parts?" Alex grasped Fox's hand and directed it down to the growing bulge at the front of his jeans. "That's nice," Fox murmured, lightly stroking the now rock-solid mound. "How 'bout a closer look?" Alex asked, unbuttoning his jeans as he sat back and smirked at his lover. "Ooooh, can I?" Alex shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Knock yourself out." "You're too good to me," Fox tossed back, digging into his back pocket and pulling a few condoms out. He tossed them onto the cushion beside them, and Alex chuckled softly. "I'm learning," Fox responded to the implied comment as he drew his lover's zipper down. "Learning?" Alex asked on an aroused moan as Fox liberated his cock and caressed its velvety length. "Mmm hmm. To always be prepared." "Ooh, a boyscout. Would you put on one of those cute little uniforms and show me how to start a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together?" "I'll pass on those little khaki shorts and neck kerchief if you don't mind, but as for that other thing..." Fox took his lover's hand and placed it over his own denim-covered erection. "I think we could do a hands-on demonstration." Fox pushed the coffee table out into the middle of the room, and dragged Alex down to the floor, where the two made love for the next hour before he left his exhausted lover with a kiss on the nose and retreated into the bedroom. Alex sat up, listening to the shuffling sounds coming from the other room then watching as the older man reappeared, wrestling the new mattress into the living room. "What...Fox, what are you doing?" "We're not..." Fox started then stopped as he jerked the mattress through the doorway. "...sleeping in there any more." "We're not?" "No." "Ssssso, we're gonna sleep out here in the living room?" "Uh huh." Alex didn't need to ask why; he knew. Sweet lunatic. "Yeah, but Fox...umm..." He looked around the not-so-large living room and back at the other man. "I know it could take a while before we find another place," Fox said in answer to Alex's unasked question. "But tell me you don't hate sleeping in there now." Alex opened his mouth and closed it, knowing as Fox did that there was only one honest answer that he could give. He got up and started moving things around to make room for the mattress, and when it was set in the middle of the floor, he leaned into Fox's embrace, resting his head on the older man's shoulder. "Gonna look awfully weird having a mattress in the middle of the living room," he stated softly. "Who's going to see it besides me and you?" Fox answered, stroking Alex's bare back. "Besides, we can stand it up against the wall in the daytime so neither of us trips over it." "Okay, but we're going to have to find a place real soon," Alex moaned, thinking he probably couldn't take looking at a mattress against the living room wall for much longer than a week. "We can get started tomorrow, okay?" Alex agreed, and the night ended a couple of hours later with him fast asleep, wrapped in the shelter of Fox's arms. From their new and hopefully very temporary bed, Fox stared up at the ceiling, seeing next to nothing in the darkness. He'd done well. He hadn't thought he'd had it in him, but goddamn, he should be considered for an Emmy. The amount of discipline he had to call up to remain calm enough to give Alex the comfort he needed was nothing short of phenomenal. And now he lay here, his heart breaking at the thought of the hell Alex had endured, and his mind screaming for revenge against those who had had the audacity to think that they could hurt him like this and get away with it. Their time would come, he vowed silently as he tightened his arms around the slumbering man. And it would come sooner than anyone thought. Three days later The two men drove away from the next to the last apartment on the list, and the passenger cast a wary glance at the driver. "Well, I guess we'd better call Crystal City." "We can check tomorrow's paper," Fox answered, stopping to let a jogger and her dog cross the street. "Yeah, but we agreed to see the apartment in Skinner's building if all the others on the list fell through. They have, so let's call." "Alex, I...babe, I know you're not comfortable with that, and I refuse to do anything you don't feel right about." "You need me to trust you, Fox," Alex argued. "I need me to trust you. Iım trying to do that here. I want to do it. Please, let's just call." The car behind them beeped impatiently, drawing Fox's attention away from the twin pools of emerald green, and he drove on, clearing his throat. "You don't need to do anything you don't want to do just to prove that you trust me, Alex." "Finding someplace where we can start fresh is what I want," Alex replied. "Though sometimes I wonder if it's possible to do that anywhere." "Of course it's possible," Fox insisted. "You'll see how different things will be in another place." "I want to. We have to Fox, I...Christ, I hate that we have to sleep on a mattress in the middle of the living room because we can't sleep in the bedroom, because Scully hired some asshole to come in and... fuck. I hate thinking about it. And I hated lying to you, and..." He was rolling and couldn't stop. "...and I really hate that we seem unable to live a normal, happy life, and I really, really hate that I've got you tangled up in all this bullshit..." As Alex ranted, Fox pulled onto a side street and parked. "...We're supposed to be on our way to an ordinary, peaceful life, instead all this shit keeps happening, and I can't...I really can't blame anyone but myself, can I?" Alex asked the dashboard. "I mean," he laughed harshly, "I set the wheels in motion, you know? A long...God, such a fucking long time ago. And now, sometimes it feels like I'm screaming downhill, and there are no brakes. I'm going to end up in a twisted wreck when I finally reach the bottom, and I can't stop it. I can't stop it, Fox, I can't..." Blindsided by the younger man's sudden meltdown, Fox could only pull Alex into his arms and hold him while they both shook violently. "It's all right," he breathed after a considerably long time. "It'll be all right. I promise, baby. I swear. Just please hang on, okay?" Alex clung to Fox's jacket, intermittent shudders still rattling him. "Can we s-see the last place?" he asked. "Are you sure?" Alex nodded, clearly feeling pretty damn desperate after days of fruitless searching. "All right," Fox soothed, pulling his cell phone out of his inside pocket. As he called the number in his notebook, he kept one arm around Alex, gently stroking his back. He spoke briefly with the person who answered then hung up and kissed the younger man's bowed head. "We have an appointment tomorrow at ten." "It's a weekday," Alex whispered hoarsely. "You have work." "I'll get there when I get there." "Fox..." "I'll explain it to Skinner. He'll understand." Alex's head ducked lower, but he said nothing. "In the meantime, why don't we go see what we can do about lightening the load a little?" "What d'you mean?" Alex asked, almost unheard. Fox gave the younger man a gentle squeeze. "I'll let you throw a bunch of my stuff away. You know, get ready to move." Alex gave a perfunctory nod and pulled himself out of his lover's arms. The moment he did that, Fox slipped a hand under his chin and lifted. When their eyes met, the older man gave him one of those smiles that always warmed the chill that had all too often invaded his body. "Soon, Alex," he pledged. "If we have to start sleeping in a hotel until we find someplace we like, we'll be out of there. In fact," he said thoughtfully, "that's a good idea. Let's stay at a hotel tonight." "No. No, I...there's no need to stay at a hotel." "No need except that we're both haunted by what happened to you at the apartment. Why shouldn't we get away from it if we can?" "You're...God, Fox, you're way too indulgent," Alex replied, letting his gaze slip back down between them. Fox pulled Alex back to his chest, hugging him tightly. "First of all, I don't see it as indulgence. It's a necessity. And if I was being indulgent, so what? I love you, and I'll make as much of a fuss over you as I want to." Alex rested quietly against the older man, digesting what he'd just said. The tremors occurred at longer and longer intervals, and when they had ceased, he lifted his head and almost shyly, he kissed the other. "No matter how crazy things get, you always manage somehow to get me back on the ground." "Just being selfish," Fox answered. "Holding on to you keeps me sane." He returned the kiss then gently put Alex away from him as he turned back to the wheel. "Let's go do some work, then we'll get a room, okay? I know a great place to start looking." This time Alex put up no argument, and they drove back to the apartment, where Fox looked up the number for the St. Gregory Hotel. Tourist season in Washington wasn't yet in full swing, and he had no trouble booking a sky room. That done, Fox called Skinner to explain why he'd be late the next day, then they spent the rest of the day separating Fox's belongings into two piles. By late afternoon they'd had enough, and they packed up a few changes of clothing, and left the apartment. Less than an hour later, Alex was standing on the balcony of their room, looking out over the city. "Nice view," he said as he felt his lover's presence behind him. Saying nothing, Fox wrapped his arms around the younger man and pulled him back into the warm cradle of his body. "Reminds me a little of California," Alex mused. "How so?" Fox asked, nuzzling the back of the younger man's head. "The view is similar. But...mostly it's...it was in that hotel with you where I first felt like something better than what I was. First time I'd felt safety and comfort." Green eyes stared out at the lights below. "Like now." "I want you to always feel that way." Alex turned his head, pressing his face into the curve of his lover's neck. "I would never have dreamed that this could be me." Fox cupped the side of his lover's face, stroking the late-day stubble. "That what could be you? This sweet, vulnerable man, who laughs at my lame jokes, tries to make me eat right...keeps me organized..." He smiled and kissed Alex's cheekbone. "...has shown me the innumerable joys of loving and being loved..." "I haven't shown you anything." Alex turned to face the older man. Winding his arms around Fox's neck, he fixed an adoring gaze on him. "I knew want and need, but I knew nothing of love until you taught me." Fox chuckled softly. "I guess it was there in both of us then, and we just needed each other to bring it out." Alex rested his forehead against Fox's and nodded. "Okay, I guess I can go along with that." The two stood quietly, nose to nose, stroking each other, then Fox moved in slowly and brushed Alex's mouth with his own. "Hungry?" Alex nodded, letting his tongue inch out far enough to graze his lover's lower lip. "For food?" The younger man groaned then paused, giving some thought to the question. "I guess I could eat a little something." Fox grinned at the other man and led him over to the bed, where he guided him down to the mattress then picked up the hotel directory. "Okay, let's see..." As Fox perused the dinner menu, one hand reached out and began undoing the buttons on Alex's shirt. "...something light?" Alex's gaze shifted from Fox's hand to his face, but the other's eyes never strayed from the menu. "Yeah. Light is fine." Fox nodded, doing that insanity-inspiring thing that he sometimes did with his lower lip as he continued to unbutton Alex's shirt. "How about an antipasto, some warm, crusty bread and a bottle of wine?" "Sounds good," Alex whispered, closing his eyes as Fox brushed his fingers back and forth across both nipples. Fox picked up the phone and punched in the dining room number with one hand while the other gently caressed Alex's chest. "Good evening. This is Mr. Mulder in room seven-ten. I'd like to order something from your light dinner menu...I'll have the antipasto for two, the Rosmary Focaccia, a bottle of white wine...whatever goes best with it...yeah, and..." He eyed Alex hungrily as his hand dropped to the younger man's pants. "...something light and creamy for dessert. Yes, thank you." He hung up and directed his gaze to his lover, who sat quietly, eyes closed, immersed in pleasure. He swept the unbuttoned shirt over Alex's shoulders, letting it slide down his arms, then moved closer touching his lips to the younger man's jaw. "Dinner will be up in half an hour to forty-five minutes." Eyelashes lifting halfway, Alex nodded his acknowledgment. "What..." He cleared his throat and began again. "What do you want to do till then?" Fox's answer came in a low, breathy sigh as he gently pushed the younger man down onto his back. "I was thinking..." He pulled the rest of Alex's shirt away and began dropping warm kisses on his chest. "...that maybe..." He smiled at the soft moan that crept out from between the other's lips as he traced a circle around one nipple with his tongue. "...we could have a little appetizer." Capturing the nipple between his teeth, he pulled carefully then released it and looked down into almost black eyes. "Would you like that?" Alex responded with a clipped, ragged breath as Fox's hands wandered over his upper body, lightly teasing the tingling skin. He turned his head, rubbing his face in Fox's hair as his lover's tongue moved over his shoulder, and one hand came up to pet the golden-brown strands. The long sigh he emitted brought Fox's head up, and the older man focused a sparkling green and amber gaze on him. "Do you think you'd know me from taste alone?" "Hmm." Alex blinked sluggishly and frowned up at the other man. "What?" Fox licked the side of his lover's neck and then looked back down at him. "I've memorized your taste. I think I'd know you blindfolded." "That'd be an interesting comparison test." Fox laughed softly at the breathy statement. "Yeah. But this tongue will never touch another." Alex's heart pounded with joy. And then it began to ache. The innocently stated oath of fidelity reminded him with painful clarity of each and every time since he and Fox had become lovers that he'd betrayed the older man's love. Don't you start. Don't you fucking dare. Fox watched Alex's eyes cloud over, and he knew that yet another dark emotion was battling his tormented lover for dominance. Cupping Alex's cheek in his palm, he held the sable head still and came in for a mind-numbing kiss, gradually eradicating every thought in the younger man's head but one. Swinging a leg over Alex's hips, Fox bore down lightly, pressing their restrained erections together, and a moan of frustration rumbled in his mouth. He broke the kiss, letting his tongue dance over Alex's mouth before he spoke. "Makes you crazy, doesn't it?" he asked, grinding his crotch against the other man's. Whimpering, Alex nodded as he gripped Fox's ass and pushed up against him. "Me too," Fox whispered, his breath dancing over his lover's lips. "I want so much to rip the rest of your clothes off and fuck you until you can't stand, but our food will be coming soon, and if the bell boy knocks while I'm inside you, I'll have to kill him. So, we'll just have to behave ourselves until after dinner." Alex gritted his teeth, emitting a coarse groan as Fox returned his attention to his chest, licking and sucking at the erect nipples. "Thought you said..." The younger man stopped in mid sentence, unable to suppress a long, sobbing moan as Fox nibbled at the hardened flesh "...said we were going to behave..." "I did say that," Fox agreed, blowing on the nipple he'd just released from his mouth. He smiled as Alex's muscles tightened. "And we are behaving. No more clothes are coming off." "Then why are you undoing my pants?" "Just trying to make you a little more comfortable." "Aren't you uncomfortable?" "Like you wouldn't believe," Fox answered, stroking Alex now through his underwear. But it wouldn't be a good thing to answer the door with my pants hanging open, so I'll have to suffer a bit longer." For the next twenty-five minutes Fox teased Alex mercilessly, ignoring his lover's best attempts at pathetic begging and pleading. By the time the bellboy knocked at the door, the younger man lay in a quivering heap, unable to put two coherent words together. Fox kissed Alex's perspiration-dotted brow and, promising that he'd return shortly, he rose from the bed. Smiling and raking a hand through his tousled hair, he walked to the door. "Here's your dinner," the perky young blonde man piped as Fox opened the door, and he strolled in, wheeling the cart over to the round dining table. "Now, if there's anything else you...uh..." He'd turned to face Fox and for the first time saw the half naked man on the bed, curled around the pillow he'd pulled to his chest. "Uhhhhhhhh..." "Need?" "Huh?" "If there's anything else I need?" Fox asked, finishing the young man's sentence for him. "Yeah." Tearing his eyes away from the restless form on the bed, he looked in the general direction of the other man, for the first time noticing his half unbuttoned shirt and... "Oh. God. Uh..." Fox attempted to conceal his grin as the bellboy's eyes cut away from the hard-to-miss bulge at the front of his pants. "I'll call," he assured the kid in an amused tone then motioned to the door just as a voice, soft and strained called. "Fox..." "Okay, baby, I'm coming." Wide, watery blue eyes shifted from the bed to the ten-dollar bill that Fox now held in front of the young man's face. Gingerly, he reached up and took the money, nodding his thanks as he sidled past the much taller man and wobbled out into the hall. Fox smiled and waved then closed the door, dissolving into laughter as he made his way over to the bed. "Poor kid, I thought he was going to have a heart attack," he concluded, seating himself at the edge of the bed. Running his fingers through Alex's hair, he emitted a luxurious sigh as the younger man gravitated to his warmth, pressing himself against his thigh. "Our food is here." The only answer he received was a soft moan. "Come on sweetheart, we haven't eaten since breakfast." He tucked a hand under Alex's cheek and lifted the younger man's head. "You're going to need your strength." Glittering, dark eyes lifted, meeting Fox's gaze, but Alex said nothing. "Okay, I've got an idea," Fox purred, petting the sable head. "How about a reenactment of our first date?" "You call that a date?" Alex asked, voice deep and husky with frustration. "Well, you know, sort of." Fox leaned in, brushing the tip of nose over the other's. "What you don't want to?" "I didn't say that," Alex croaked, trying to move close enough to capture Fox's mouth, but the older man quickly eluded him. "Good. Sit up." Alex hauled himself up and sat quietly while Fox sauntered over to his bag and dug down to the bottom, pulling out a familiar looking black silk scarf. His body remembered it well, shaking with intense arousal as Fox approached and kneeled behind him. The silk wafted down in front of his face, and Fox secured it over his eyes then nuzzled the sensitive back of his neck. "I can feel you trembling," the older man whispered against Alex's neck, raising gooseflesh there. "I love that I can turn you on that much." "You have no idea what you do to me," Alex answered in a breathless, barely audible tone. "It's...God, it's devastating. Overwhelming," he gasped as Fox tenderly bathed the back of his neck. "I have no control. No pride. I'll take anything you have to give me and beg for more. I can't...can't get enough of you." Fox got to his feet and pulled the blindfolded man up, clamping his arms around him and teasing the sensitive flesh just below his jaw with his mouth. Alex released a small whimper as Fox began to suck at the skin, marking him. His fingers clenched in the thick, golden-brown hair, holding his lover to him as he arched against the demanding mouth. "Jesus Fox, please," he whispered, losing himself in Fox's hunger...offering himself to his god, begging to be consumed by the heat that now permeated every inch of him. Forcing himself to release his hold on Alex's throat, Fox grasped a handful of the younger man's hair and pulled him into a deep kiss. He pulled away seconds later and led the whimpering man to the table. "Sit down, baby," he purred. "Let's have our dinner." Alex sank into the chair Fox had stood him in front of, and he sighed softly as the older man moved behind him, gently stroking his hair. "This looks good," Fox commented as he lifted the large, silver lid off of the antipasto with one hand as the other continued to stroke the younger man. He plucked a black olive from the pile and rubbed it over Alex's top lip before pushing it into his slightly parted mouth. As Alex ate his offering, he moved away to open the bottle of wine. A soft clink and the sound of gurgling, fizzing liquid met Alex's ears, and then a smooth, chilled glass was being brought to his lips. The cooling liquid trickled down his throat as he took a small sip. Fox's lips followed, teasing for only a moment before his tongue pushed another bit of food into Alex's mouth. So erotic. Such a sensuous, loving thing. Alex's erection pounded rhythmically, hardening to a painful degree as he shared the morsel with Fox. The older man broke off a piece of bread, feeding it to him in the same manner then gave him another sip of wine. "Good?" Alex nodded, licking the residual moisture away from his mouth. Fox rounded the chair, pushing a hand between Alex's knees and parting his legs so that he could kneel between them. The hand traveled slowly up the younger man's thigh as Fox ate a little of the salad. He smiled, watching as Alex slumped in his chair, arching his hips. "Is this what you want?" he asked, letting his hand glide over Alex's crotch. The younger man groaned, pushing up against the gentle warmth. "Soon, baby." Fox removed his hand and continued to feed himself and Alex until the younger man would eat no more. Putting the fork down, he poured another glass of wine and held it to Alex's lips. Alex accepted the offering, taking a healthy sip as Fox observed hungrily, watching the slide of those incredible lips on the glass and imagined them wrapped around his cock. He pulled the flute away from his lover's mouth and downed the rest of the wine then again picked up the bottle. Alex listened to the clink of glass and the gurgle of liquid, and he knew that Fox was pouring more wine. The flute was pressed into his hand, and he was allowed to drink on his own as Fox worked his pants down and off. Hands, gentle, soft, grazed the skin of his chest and belly, skimming down over his thighs and coming close to but avoiding his twitching cock. "You know what I want to do?" Fox asked, finally brushing the backs of his fingers over the base of his lover's erection. "I want to go sit out on the balcony." Alex put the half-empty glass down on the table and paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "You...you do?" "Mmm hmm. I thought it might be nice to have our desert out there." Alex's mouth moved as if he intended to speak, but no sound would come out. "Baby?" Fox called. "Do you not want to?" "No, I...if that's what you want." Fox smirked, realizing that Alex wasn't quite with the program. He rose to his feet and took the younger man's hand, pulling him. "Come with me." Alex's head turned back to the place he'd just left then he faced forward in Fox's general direction. "Like this?" Fox chuckled softly, opening the glass door, and he guided Alex down into one of the two chairs. The younger man sucked in a breath as a slippery coolness touched his chest. "Baby," Fox whispered, smearing the Panna Cotta over one nipple. "You're my dessert." Alex tried to laugh but it came out more as a gasp as the older man's tongue slid through the creamy sweetness. He attempted to relax and enjoy the older man's attentions, but his cock pounded insistently, and when Fox's mouth closed over one nipple and began to suck voraciously, his body stiffened, and he broke into a sweat despite the chilly night air. "Fox..." He was going to come, he knew he was, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Fox knew it as well, and as he wasn't yet ready to put an end to such sweet torture, he pulled away, listening to his lover's soft whimper of protest. "Easy," he whispered then leaned in to gently lick away the remainder of the dessert. Alex endured the continued torture for what seemed like an eternity. When Fox had finally removed all traces of the Italian confection and pulled back, he began to shiver and moan. Entranced, Fox touched the tiny, rising bumps on his lover's skin then rose to his feet, undoing his pants. Alex heard the soft grind of Fox's zipper, and he sucked in his breath, waiting. He listened to the rustle of material, and then Fox was lifting him out of his seat and asking him to step forward. "Now, reach out," the older man instructed. "The rail is in front of you." Alex reached out and leaned forward, his hands coming in contact with the smooth, cool metal of the railing. He sighed softly as Fox caressed his back and ass, lingering on the rounded muscles. The hands left him, he heard more movement, then Fox was leaning slightly against him, kissing and licking his back. "You're so damn beautiful," Fox rasped, his words and the stiff breeze that had kicked up sending an intense shudder through the younger man. He slipped a condom over Alex's cock, then his own, lubed them both, then reached up and pulled the blindfold away from the other's eyes. Alex blinked to clear his vision, and he looked out at the lights of the city. "We're n-not that far...far up," Alex stammered as he felt the tip of Fox's erection brush the crevice of his rear. "Someone could be watching." Fox looked up, his eyes scanning all that they could see. "Someone could be." "It doesn't..." Alex sucked in a harsh breath as the tip of his lover's cock penetrated him. "...oh, God...doesn't bother you?" "The thought is actually a bit of a turn on," Fox answered, rubbing his stubbled cheek over the younger man's shoulder then gently biting into the flesh as he slowly thrust forward. Alex's eyes rolled up into his head as his lashes dropped down over them, and he groaned softly as his lover filled him completely. "But if it bothers you, we can go in." Was he kidding? Alex was here, in a plush hotel in the heart of Washington, standing naked on a balcony with the cock of the man he loved more than life up his ass. What the fuck did he care if anyone was watching them? Enjoy the show, Washington. Get your collective rocks off; you're not likely to see anything prettier than this any time soon. "No," he gasped, pushing back against his lover. "Fuck me, Fox. Please, I want you so much." Fox wrapped an arm around Alex's waist as the other hand gripped his shoulder. "Okay, baby. Hang on." Alex's grip on the railing tightened as Fox withdrew then plunged back in, drawing a sharp, rapturous cry from them both. He spread his legs wider, wanting to give Fox all the access he could, and the older man took full advantage, pushing himself a little deeper. He forced himself to open his eyes, and he stared out at the lights, watching as they blurred and merged as Fox managed to hit his prostate. Fox grinned at the coarse growl that rolled in his lover's throat, and though he was himself teetering on the edge of total meltdown, he held himself in check and uncoiled his arm from around Alex's waist to grasp his cock. The growling grew louder as Fox began to stroke Alex's cock, and without ever realizing it, he began a loud whining that quickly turned to a wail as Fox initiated a forceful rhythm. "I think they'll hear us long before they see us," Fox panted, gritting his teeth as he felt the telltale tightening of his body. "C'mon, Alex," he grated, slamming harder into the younger man as his hand jerked his cock almost brutally. "Come for me. Let them hear you down on the ground." If the wind was right, they'd probably hear him down at the Lincoln Memorial. Alex tipped his head back and let loose a cry so loud, so feral, the shock of it rumbled through Fox, taking him screaming with his lover over the edge. The older man shuddered violently then collapsed over his back, too spent to move a muscle for a full minute. Finally, Fox lifted himself, moaning at the exertion, and pulled away, ridding himself of his condom. "Baby," he called softly, wrapping an arm around Alex's chest and pulling him away from the railing. "Come on, let's get inside. It's going to get cold now." Fox was right. They had both been so aroused that the chill wind had felt good against their heated skin, but now that they were both coming down off of the incredible high, they'd begun to shiver. Alex lay his head on his lover's shoulder and allowed himself to be led back into the warm room, where Fox stripped him of his condom, washed them both, then fell into bed, dragging Alex down with him. Some twenty minutes later, an urgent knocking sounded at the door. Fox lifted his head, growling at the intrusion on his much loved quiet time with Alex after they'd made love. Incurring a grumble of protest from his dozing lover, he apologized softly and dragged himself out of bed, moving toward the door. "Who is it?" he called, clearly irritated. "I'm sorry to disturb you sir, but we're checking on all of the guests. Would you open your door for just a minute please?" Fox sighed, looking around for something to throw on. "Yeah, wait a...shit. Wait a minute." He retrieved his pants from where he'd left them on the balcony and trudged back into the room, putting the garment on as he walked. Zipping but not bothering to button the pants, he unlocked and opened the door. "Why are you checking on the guests?" he asked, immediately interrogating the man at the door. "I'm sorry, sir." The man at the door flashed a badge. "Hotel security. Screams were heard coming from the hotel, or at least that's what the caller insisted. So, we're checking on all the guests to make sure everything is all right." Fox closed his eyes, willing himself not to smile. "Yeah, everything's...we're fine." The man tilted his head slightly to one side and looked past Fox and into the room. "Are you sure?" "Yes. I'm sure." Seeing the man's uncertain expression, Fox reached into his back pocket, pulling his wallet out and flashing his own badge. Paper covers rock, Kojak. "Special Agent Mulder, FBI. If you do find a problem elsewhere in the hotel, please inform me." "Yes, sir. I'll...do that. Thank you, and I'm sorry for disturbing you." Fox nodded, and the man was gone, leaving him standing alone in the doorway. Yawning, he backed away and closed the door then returned to the bed. He slipped out of his pants and crawled back into bed, where Alex immediately found and reclaimed his warmth. Purring contentedly, the younger man curled into his arms and dropped back into a deep sleep without missing a beat. Chuckling softly to himself, Fox supposed he could wait until morning to tell Alex about the trouble they'd caused. He closed his eyes and quickly followed his lover into the depths of satisfied slumber. "...and the closet space is most generous," the apartment manager commented, sliding open the first of the master bedroom's two closets. "The other is identical." Fox peered inside and looked to Alex, motioning him forward. "He's right, it's huge. I think we'd be able to fit our clothes in there without a struggle, huh?" "Yeah," Alex nodded then smiled at his lover. "The bathroom is really nice, too. And the kitchen." "You like it more than you hoped you would, don't you?" Fox asked gently, reading Alex's thoughts. Alex emitted a soft, breathy laugh. "I guess I do." "So, what d'you think?" Alex shrugged. "What do you think?" Fox shook his head. "Nope. This is up to you. It's a really nice place, I like it, but aesthetics aren't what's important here. It's a matter of your comfort." "I like it too." "But can you live in it?" Alex looked around the bedroom then back to Fox. "Yes." Fox studied his lover's face for a few seconds before turning to the manager. "Would you mind giving us a few minutes please?" "Sure. I'll be in the kitchen." When the man was gone, Fox walked over to Alex and draped his arms around the other's waist. Alex's hands came up to rest on his biceps, and he looked into steady, hazel eyes. "Alex, don't tell me yes if you have even the tiniest misgiving about this place." "I'm not going to lie and tell you that I don't feel a little trepidation," Alex answered. "But I can live with it. This is the best place we've seen by far, and truthfully, I don't want to go back to your apartment. And I don't want to stay indefinitely in that hotel room, nice as it is. I want a place to live. Someplace we can call ours, even if it is rented. I want someplace with rooms. Some place with more furniture than a bed and a mini bar...where I can make you dinner rather than have it brought up by room service." "The place where a man you're none too crazy about lives only a few floors above." "Fox, I believe you when you tell me that Skinner means us no harm. I'm okay with it." "Baby, are you sure?" Alex looked the concerned man right in the eyes. "I'm positive." Fox planted a tender kiss on the younger man's lips then hugged him to his chest. "Okay. Let's take it." The two men left the bedroom and found the manager in the kitchen, talking on his cell phone. They waited patiently while he finished his call, then he turned to them, smiling. "So. You come to any decisions?" "We'll take it." "Very good. There's some paperwork to be done, referrals and all that..." "No problem. Actually, one of your tenants is my boss." "Oh, yeah? Who's that?" "Walter Skinner." "The Assistant Director with the FBI?" "Right." "Excellent. I'll speak to him this evening, then." Fox nodded, taking the rental agreement from the other man, and the application. "I'll just leave you alone to fill that out. I've got some things to take care of, and I'll be back in about half an hour or so?" "Fine." Fox shook the man's outstretched hand, then Alex. When the manager had left, the two men stood at the counter, filling out the application. They finished long before the other man returned and decided to have another look around the place. As they stood in the spare bedroom debating over its possible uses, another presence made itself known. "Agent Mulder." Both men stopped talking and turned in the direction of the voice to find Skinner standing in the doorway. "What are you," Fox began, surprised to see the A.D. "Why aren't you at work this time of the day?" Skinner shrugged. "I had nothing pressing this morning, so I thought I'd come over and see how you liked the place." His gaze shifted and rested and the third man. "How're you doing, Krycek?" "Fine," Alex answered, his response barely audible as he inched closer to Fox, leaning into his warmth. Skinner nodded but said nothing more to the younger man. He watched Fox slide an arm around Alex's waist and pull him closer, brushing a soft kiss into his hair, and he cleared his throat, looking away for a moment before returning his attention to the couple. "I ran into the manager at the elevator downstairs. He said you wanted the apartment. I answered a few questions for him." "Thanks," Fox replied. "Yeah, it's the best apartment we've seen by far." "I think you'll like it here. The building is kept in excellent repair, and if you do need maintenance, they're very efficient." "Good to know." Quiet up till now, Alex decided to speak. "What are the neighbors like?" Skinner looked to the younger man, surprised that he was addressing him. "The neighbors?" "Yeah. Management obviously isn't discriminatory, which is part of what made me feel good about the place, but what about the neighbors?" Skinner shook his head and shrugged. "I really...I don't know. Everyone is pretty quiet and seems to mind their business. I mean, they're pleasant enough and say hello if you pass them in the building, but I'm not on friendlier terms than that with any of them, so I can't really answer that for you." Alex nodded then retreated back into silence. "So. Uh...Agent Mulder, when you're finished here, will you be coming into the office?" "Yeah, I will be. I've got a few things that should get done today. I should get in sometime after lunch, and I do need to see you for a minute." "All right, then. I'll be in my office for the rest of the day." Hand in hand, the two men accompanied Skinner to the door, running into the apartment manager as the A.D. stepped into the hall. "Leaving so soon, Mr. Skinner?" "Yeah, I just stopped by to see how they liked the place." The man nodded and took the application that Fox held out to him. "This stuff is just a formality, really," he said, holding up the papers. "I have every intention of making sure that your friends here are approved." "Thank you." "No problem," the manager replied, giving Fox a friendly smile. "If you're okay with the Assistant Director, you're okay with me. You'll like it here. It's a good building. Clean. No trouble. Well, except for a that incident a few years ago, but it was just and accident." "Incident?" "Yeah, well, some guy fell off a balcony." All three men stared blankly, saying nothing for a moment, then Fox gathered his composure and spoke. "Really." "Oh, yeah. It was just an accident, like I said, but some nut called the police saying that somebody hanging off a balcony...Mr. Skinner's balcony in fact, threw somebody else off." The man let out a hearty laugh. "Can you imagine that? How insane would somebody have to be to hang off a balcony that far up, and jerk another guy over the rail?" Silence. "Anyway, as far as I know, nobody ever figured out what the guy was doing here, or whose balcony he actually fell from. It happened in the daytime while just about everybody was at work, so...sounded more like a suicide to me, but what do I know, huh? So, since then security has been beefed up, and there hasn't been a single problem since." He looked to each of the men. "Hey, I hope I didn't just make you change your minds about the place. My wife always tells me I don't know when to shut up." "No," Fox answered, lightly squeezing Alex's hand. "Things like that happen everywhere, right? You wouldn't believe some of the stuff that's gone on in my building." Unseen, Skinner raised and lowered his eyebrows in confirmation. "Okay, good. Well, it should just take a day or two to process this, and then I'll be in touch, okay?" "Great." The four men walked into the hall, the manager locking the door behind them, and with a round of cordial good-byes, they went their separate ways. "Well," Fox said as he and Alex walked to their car, "I guess we can start packing. He seemed pretty gung-ho about us getting in there." "Yeah." "I almost fell over when he started talking about the balcony incident." "I know," Alex said softly. "I didn't know which way to look." "Well, you looked a lot cooler than Skinner or I." "How anxious do you think he'd be to have us as his tenants if he knew that I was the one hanging off Skinner's balcony, and it was me who threw that man off?" "No more anxious than if he knew that I was at the center of all the stuff that went on in my building." They reached the car and, approaching the passenger's side door first, Fox unlocked and opened it for Alex. When the younger man was seated inside, he shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. "We're going to need to get some big boxes," Alex commented as the older man slid into his seat. "Yeah. They usually have a bunch of them sitting outside of the supermarket. We can stop there and see after we have some lunch." "You're supposed to go back to work after lunch." "The market's on the way. It won't take much more time." The two had a quick lunch then drove by the market only a few blocks from Fox's building and picked up as many boxes as they could fit into the car. Leaving Alex at the apartment with the promise that he'd return as soon as he could, Fox traveled back to the Hoover Building and headed straight for Skinner's office. The pleasant redhead looked up from behind her desk and smiled at Fox as he walked into the outer office. "Good afternoon, Agent Mulder." "Hey, Kim. Is he free?" "At the moment he's in with..." Before the secretary could finish her sentence, the door opened, and Scully walked out, followed by Skinner. She stopped in her tracks, staring for a moment at her former partner. "What're you doing here?" The secretary looked from one Agent to the other, shocked at the cold as steel tone in the male's voice. "You'll be happy to know," Scully stated softly, "that I'm transferring to the lab." "So, I still have to deal with you once in a while?" "Uh, Agents, this is no place to do this," Skinner interrupted, noting the look of stunned curiosity on his secretary's face. Fox cut the woman one last venomous look then turned and headed into the A.D.'s office without another word. The door closed behind the men, and Scully stood quietly seething for a seconds before spinning and stalking out into the hall, slamming the outer office door as she did. Kimberly sat motionless for a number of seconds, trying to absorb what she'd just seen and heard, then, glancing quickly at the A.D.'s door, she picked up the phone and pressed three buttons. "...Hey, Dawn? This is Kim. You got a second? You're not going to believe what just happened over here..." Skinner took his seat, folding his hands on top of his desk, and eyed his lone agent. So strange to think that Mulder would never be sitting here again with Scully in the chair next to him, trying to make scientific sense of the reports he'd filed. Well, she'd brought it on herself he'd supposed, but still, he couldn't help feel just a bit uneasy about it. He was not a man who took well to change. But on the other hand he could certainly understand Mulder's unwillingness to deal with her any further. He wasn't especially thrilled with her either after what she'd done to Mulder. And, God, to Krycek. Skinner had spent many an hour since that day, reliving those few minutes he'd spent at Scully's apartment, trying to keep the devastated man from killing her. The excruciating pain in his voice. The wild, tortured look in those beautiful eyes... "Sir?" Skinner blinked, shaking himself back into the present. "Sorry. What did you want to see me about?" "First, thank you for the putting a word in for us with Mr. Jergen." Skinner nodded and waited. "Second...I didn't ask you that day, I was...I was too concerned with Alex to think about anything else, but...you were still there at Scully's when we left." "Yes." "What happened? Did she talk to you? Did she say why she'd do such a hateful thing?" Skinner shook his head. "She said that she didn't send the pictures. That the men she'd brought here had to have taken their own and sent them." "So, you know basically what happened." "Yes." "I'm surprised she told you so much. You said she brought those men here. Brought them here from where?" "You don't know?" "No. But I need to." "Why?" "So I can find them." "Mulder...you don't need to." "I do. I can't let them slither into the wood work and never pay for what they did." The tone of his voice. The look in his eyes was colder and more frightening than Skinner had ever seen. "Mulder, let it drop. Take care of Krycek and forget all about those men." Fox sprang from his chair and glared down at the older man. "Could you?" No answer. "Could you? If someone had done to someone you love what these fuckers did to Alex, could you let it go?" Skinner bowed his head for a moment then looked up, but not directly at his agent. "No." "No," Fox repeated. "Then how can you ask me to? Please, Walt. If you know anything. Please tell me." What're you going to do? Skinner heaved a long sigh before speaking. "Sit down." Fox took his seat and waited. "They're from California. Krycek knew at least one of them. The one who...who actually..." Fox shook his head in confusion. "He said he didn't recognize the guy." "Maybe he didn't. He knew him as a...a customer. I would assume that a good many of them were just faceless strangers to him. But I'm a little surprised that he didn't remember this one. He'd left the bastard with a permanent limp for some reason or other, and the man wanted revenge. I don't know the details of how Scully found this particular person, but as far as I know, he's no longer here. I would assume he's gone back to California." Fox looked at the A.D., confusion wrinkling his brow. "She told you all this?" "Some of it." "Some of it? What about the rest?" "...He told me." "He. Alex?" "No. The man who did it." Fox stared silently, for the moment unable to process what Skinner was telling him. Then... Slowly rising from his chair, Fox leaned over the A.D.'s desk. Their faces now inches apart, his eyes burned into the other man's. "You saw this guy? You..." His frown grew deeper. "You knew what he did to Alex?" "...Yes." "When did you know?" No turning back now. "The night it happened." Kimberly nearly jumped out of her skin as a deafening ruckus began in the A.D.'s office. She rose from her chair and moved on shaking legs to the door, listening. "That was over a fucking month ago!" Fox roared at the seated man. "Why didn't you say anything to me? Why did you let Alex suffer with this all this time?" "I'm sorry, Mulder, I truly am. I should have told you, I should have, but I couldn't without..." "Without what?" A soft knocking started, drawing both men's attention to the door. "A.D. Skinner, are you all right?" Skinner sighed softly, running a hand over the top of his head and swiping away the fine sheen of perspiration that had formed there. "I'm fine, Kim." He looked to his infuriated agent. "I know you're upset, Mulder, but try and keep your voice down." "Oh, you think I'm upset?" Fox shouted, ignoring his boss's direction. "What the fuck makes you think Iım upset!?" His voice suddenly lowered, but not for the sake of the secretary outside. "You couldn't tell me without what?" "Mulder, this really isn't the place to do this." The younger man glared icy hot daggers at him. "How much worse is it?" "Let's go down to your office." "The basement?" Fox asked, barely maintaining his cool. "I guess you expect a whole lot more yelling." "Mulder, please. Let's just go downstairs, and I'll tell you everything." The secretary jumped back from the door as it opened, and a wild-eyed Agent Mulder stalked out, followed by her boss. Skinner held a hand up, giving her a look meant to reassure as he followed the other out of the office, but all Kimberly could feel as she fell bonelessly into her chair was terror. She'd never seen Agent Mulder like that before, and she was damn sure she'd never want to see him that way again. "What do I do?" she asked herself softly, as she wrung her hands nervously. Not knowing the answer, she sat and waited, and prayed that Skinner would be able to diffuse Mulder before he really exploded. Fox threw the door open and blew into the office, spinning around just as Skinner closed the door behind them. "All right, let's have it. You couldn't tell me without what?" Skinner drew a long, deep breath, and he looked up at the irate man. "Mulder, please understand. I...when this first began with you and Krycek, I was shocked to say the very least." "You're stalling." "No, I'm trying to say this so that you'll understand. Please listen." Fox folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the front of his desk, eyeing the older man like a tiger waiting for its prey to make one fatal move. "I didn't get it. I couldn't fathom a relationship between the two of you. I was sure that Krycek was manipulating you fifteen ways to Sunday, and I saw him as Scully does. Lying, dirty dealing, duplicitous, cheap whore, who was only trying to take you for anything he could get. Like Scully, I didn't want to see him ruin you." Fox emitted a soft, hissing laugh. "You're a little behind, I see. Scully wanted just a little bit more than that." "What do you mean?" "Alex. She wanted Alex. She did that shit to him for one reason, and one reason only. To blackmail him into sleeping with her." "What?" "I can see you're surprised," Fox said flatly. "Imagine my shock." "When did you find this out?" "Alex told me. That night I found him at Scully's." "Have you confronted her about it?" "No." "Why not?" "I don't think I can. Not without wanting to snap her little neck." Christ, he really wasn't making this any easier to say. "We're getting off track," Fox said, that eerie calm still in his tone, making Skinner actually wish he'd start yelling again. "Continue with this story of yours." The older man licked at dry lips then cleared his throat. "Uh...as I was going to say before, I couldn't tell you that I knew what had happened without telling you that..." Skinner closed his eyes for a brief moment, praying for the best. "...that I was there." Fox cocked his head, the blood raging through him. "You were where?" "At your building. After the fact," he added quickly. "I saw the one who limped coming from your apartment, and I confronted him. Before he could answer, his buddy stepped off of the elevator carrying a couple of cameras and some device in his hand. They ran. The other one got away, but I tackled the one with the limp, and he started giving me some bullshit story. I wasn't having it, I threatened him, and he started to sing." "And then what?" "I...I let him go." "You let him go..." "Please believe me when I tell you, Mulder, that I wish with all my heart that I hadn't. But when he said that it was Scully who had brought him there, I couldn't hold on to him without seriously implicating her in what they'd done." "So, you..." Fox stopped, trying to compose his thoughts, then he started again. "You let this mother fucker, who had drugged and raped Alex just..." He snapped his fingers then gave a brief toss of his hand. "..leave. Because you didn't want to get Scully into trouble. Have I got this so far?" "Basically, yes. And because I...God, there was no way that I could explain my presence there." Fox blew out a hard breath. "Yeah. Yeah, Walt, let's talk about that. What were you doing there when you knew I was away? And did you even go inside to check on Alex to at least make sure he wasn't dead?" "Yes. I did. I went inside to check. He was out, Mulder. He didn't know a thing. His pulse was steady, and when I touched him, he started to stir. I found a used condom on the bed, there beside him, and I flushed that, then pulled the sheet up over him and left." Skinner looked up at the younger man, knowing that he was now waiting for the reason he'd been there. "I'd...I'd gone over there in the first place to...wait, I have to back up a little. I'd been there before." "When?" "Not long after the two of you returned from California. Just after you'd returned from suspension. I'd gone there to confront him," he continued quickly. "I wanted to know what it was he thought he had to gain by being with you. I wanted him to tell me. To admit that he was up to no good. But he insisted that he loved you. I refused to believe it. Was so sure that he was lying. "He was so arrogant. He taunted me, and I was so angry. Angry at him, and angry that he could tick me off so much. I wanted to knock him down a notch or two. I caught him by surprise and got him against the wall..." Fox's heart pounded triple time, and his hands clutched the edge of the desk so hard that they'd turned a bluish white. And he said nothing. Skinner looked up into the fixed and severely dilated eyes, and a shiver passed through him. But he had to finish. He might leave this office in a bag, but for Mulder's sake, and Alex's, he had to tell the other man everything. "And it...it was like that night all over again. That night at my apartment. I didn't know what to do with all the anger. I was pressed against him. The feel of him...his scent..." He thought he'd be dead by now for sure. "But umm...he said he'd kill me. Said you'd kill me, and I don't know, I just sort of snapped out of it. I left, but the feeling stayed with me." Fox spoke. "And you waited until I'd left town to try again." "Try again. No, I...I don't know if...Mulder, this is no excuse, but you said it yourself. He's tempting as hell without even trying. I couldn't...Christ, I couldn't help myself. And I couldn't understand why. I truly despised him, and I swear I'd have been happier than you know to have him out of your life. And mine. Yet, I'd get near him, and I'd just want to... "But something happened that night. That second night I'd gone to your apartment and found him lying there unconscious and so vulnerable. I saw him that night for the first time as a person. A victim. I was...God, I was furious at what those men had done to him. I wish I had held onto that little bastard, but what's done is done. As much as I'd like to go back and undo it, I can't. Iım sorry, Mulder. You'll never know how sorry." Fox remained silent for some time, bowing his head, resting his chin against his chest. When he finally looked up at the other man, there was a mixture of fury, hurt and confusion in his eyes. "I don't get it," he started softly. "What is it with you and Scully? You hate him, you despise him, you want to jump him, you couldn't give a shit less that he's mine..." "I didn't believe it," Skinner explained. "I mean, I knew that as far as you were concerned he was yours, but I really thought he was using you. I was positive that he didn't care a bit about you. And I guess that maybe somewhere in my clouded mind, I figured that made him fair game. Until that night, Mulder. And most especially a few nights ago. Any doubts that may have lingered about Krycek's feelings for you were obliterated the night I walked into Scully's apartment and found him there. Jesus, he was so completely destroyed." Skinner looked Fox directly in the eyes, willing the younger man to believe him. "I realize now that he does love you. And I swear, Mulder, on my life, I won't do anything to ruin that." "Why should I believe you?" Fox asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't have to tell you any of this," Skinner answered. "I didn't have to try and help that night at Scully's. I want to make it right. I want to see the two of you make it past all of this and be happy." "Uh huh. So, all of a sudden, you just don't want Alex any more. He holds no more attraction for you." "I...I'd be lying if I said I didn't still find him incredibly attractive. But I'll never act on it. I have new respect for what's between you." "You know, if you had believed me from the beginning, a lot of this might have been avoided." "You must understand, Mulder, how incredible it seemed. Alex Krycek. In love with you. One hundred percent committed to a monogamous relationship with you." Fox lowered his head and sighed. "I believe that if you could go back and change the way things went down, you would. But what happened, happened. And I could beat the shit out of you for what you did. And what you didn't do." "I know, Mulder, I..." Skinner walked over to face the younger man head on. "If you want to punch me, go ahead. I deserve that and worse." Fox studied the older man for a long moment, wondering if Skinner thought he really wouldn't do it... There was no time to brace himself as Fox's fist whistled through the air and connected with his jaw, spinning him one hundred and eighty degrees, and sending him stumbling into Scully's desk. He leaned over the oak surface for a moment, trying to get his bearings, then he straightened up and brought his hand up to his throbbing face. "Shhhhhit." "You're going to come with me," Fox instructed the disoriented man. "We're going to go to my apartment, and you're going to apologize to Alex." Skinner nodded silently. He followed in Fox's wake as the younger man blew out the door, keeping up with his purposeful strides. Reaching the parking garage, each man got into his own car, and Skinner followed Fox straight to his apartment. Pulling up in front of Hegal Place, he sat quietly, gathering his wits for a few seconds, then got out of the car and walked to meet the man who waited for him on the steps outside of the building's main entrance. Saying not a word to Skinner, Fox turned and entered the building. He rang for the elevator, and the doors opened immediately, allowing the two men to enter. "I need something else from you," Fox announced as the doors closed. "What do you need?" Skinner asked, wincing slightly at the pain in his jaw. "Scully's pictures." "Why?" "I know Alex must have destroyed the ones that were sent to me. I didn't ask him, but I don't find them anywhere around. I need something to show around once I get to California." "Mulder..." "And I need you to cover for me. I'm going to tell Alex that I have to go out there on a case." "How would you explain going without him? You said you wouldn't travel anymore and not take him with you." "I plan on asking him to go. He'll refuse. He'll tell me he's fine, and that he should stay here and get the apartment set up." "You seem very sure of that." "I am." "Mulder, you shouldn't be going out there." "I'm going. And you're the only one who knows about it." Fox gave the older man a cool stare as the doors opened. "Time to redeem yourself, Walter. You gonna do it?" They stepped into the hall, one man facing the other. "Jesus," Skinner whispered, then, "When are you going?" "Get those pictures from Scully as soon as possible. As soon as we've moved into the apartment, I'll tell Alex that I've got an important case on the west coast." Skinner sighed as they started slowly toward Fox's door. "I don't like this, Mulder, I don't..." "I don't love it much either," Fox cut in. "But you put me in this position by not holding onto that bastard. Now, you owe me." Fox unlocked the door as soon as they reached the apartment, and the two men walked in to find much of the place packed up. "Alex?" Fox called, looking around as he moved to the middle of the living room. The younger man emerged from the kitchen carrying a box and stopped cold in his tracks when he saw that Fox wasn't alone. The smile fell from his face, and he looked from Skinner to his lover, who had since moved to his side. "You got a lot done," Fox said softly, taking the box from Alex's loosened grip and lightly kissing the younger man. "Yeah, I uh..." Alex closed his eyes briefly, trying to compose his thoughts. "..the manager from this building called a little while ago to let you know how much of a penalty we'll have to pay for breaking this lease." Fox nodded. "Is he really going to sock it to us?" "No. No, not really. Since the lease was up..." He paused, sending an uneasy glance Skinner's way. "..umm...up soon, he didn't charge any ridiculous amount." "Good." Fox set the carton down on the dining room table and took Alex's hand. "Come here." The two men walked into the living room, followed by Skinner, and Fox guided Alex down to the sofa, sitting beside him. "Skinner has something he wants to say to you." Wary green eyes rose to the other man's face, and Alex frowned, noting the deep bruising around the left corner of his mouth and part of his cheek. "Krycek, I..." Skinner stopped, blowing out a long breath then began again. "I want to apologize to you. What I did to you. I never should have come here that day. I had no right to touch you, and I...I misjudged you. I didn't think you were worthy of the consideration one would give a dog. I was wrong." Alex's gaze dropped to the floor. "What made you come to that decision?" Skinner looked to Fox then back to Alex. "I know what happened to you. Not because Scully told me, but because I was here that night. I saw the two men. I had one of them, and I let him go." Alex cocked his head, not quite believing what he'd just heard. "You what?" "I let him go. Iım so sorry, but I...I couldn't...Scully was involved, and I would have to explain my own presence here. But after I came inside and found you, I'd wished that I had held on to him. And the other day at Scully's place...I'd never seen you as human before. Never thought it possible that you could love or hurt. That day I saw both. And I realized that you and Mulder were for real. "I want you to know that I am truly sorry for harassing you and for treating you like a...the way I did. And I promise I'll do everything I can to keep a lid on Scully. Though I doubt that after you nearly killed her the other night, she'd try anything else." Alex shrugged. "It's understandable that you would treat me the way you did. To a large extent your distrust and hatred of me are more reasonable than Fox's feelings." Skinner watched Fox lean in and rest his forehead against Alex's temple before depositing a soft kiss on the younger man's cheek. "Mulder told me that things were different," he countered after the men returned their attention to him. "That you weren't who we'd known. I believed that he believed it, but I was so sure he was being suckered." Alex nodded. "So...I don't have to ask what you were doing here the night Fox was away." His gaze shifted to the side of Skinner's face. "But uh...you didn't look like that a few hours ago." He looked to Fox. "What happened?" Skinner answered before Fox could. "Your uh...your boyfriend here has a worse temper than I'd imagined. It's okay," he said, holding up a hand as Alex's head snapped back and forth between the two men. "I had it coming. Iım not going to suspend him or anything." "That's not what I'm surprised about. I told you not to think you could mess with me and expect Fox to just blow it off. What surprises me is hearing you call him my boyfriend." "I've pulled my head out of the sand so to speak. I have to learn to fully accept every aspect of your relationship, and I will." Skinner went silent, and Alex lowered his head, looking at the floor. Fox sat quietly as well, drawing his hand gently up and down Alex's back. Finally the younger man lifted his head and looked to his lover. "Do you believe him?" "Would you think I was crazy if I said yes?" "I guess not," Alex murmured, momentarily losing himself in the tranquil green and amber of his lover's eyes. "You don't seem especially pissed." Alex shook his head, covering the older man's hand with his own. "You were apparently pissed enough for the both of us." Fox lowered his gaze and said nothing. "I already knew about him, Fox. It came as no surprise to me." The older man looked up into his lover's eyes. "I wish you had told me, baby. I know that you were thinking of me, but I hate that you've carried all of this around by yourself." "I know. Iım sorry, Fox. I just...like you said, I couldn't do it to you. Your life had already been shaken up so drastically. Scully and Skinner were closer to you than just about anybody, and I didn't want to be the cause of any trouble between you." "Any trouble between Skinner, Scully and me, they caused themselves." Skinner watched as Fox tenderly petted his lover's hair. Soft, silky, dark hair. Thick, matching eyelashes sweeping shut as the hand slid down and around to the lightly stubbled cheek. He wanted to look away. He tried, but he was mesmerized by every touch...every look that passed between the two, and when Fox leaned forward and covered Alex's mouth with his own, he felt his legs weaken. A moan rumbled in Alex's throat as Fox's mouth moved slowly over his, and his hands came up the older man's back, stroking longingly over its length. Only the soft coughing of the third man drew them apart. "I'm going to leave now. I've got some work to finish." The two men rose and escorted the third to the door. "I'll get back to you about that case we discussed," Skinner said as he stepped into the hall. Fox nodded, pulling Alex into his side, and as Skinner looked on, Alex wound his arms around his lover's waist and laid his head on his shoulder. "I'll wait to hear from you." Skinner made no move at first, eyes still trained on the two in front of him, but the ringing phone startled him out of his hypnotized state. He cleared his throat softly and walked away, hearing the door close. He stopped then, leaning against the wall and drawing a few deep breaths. Jesus Christ, why did he have to be so fucking gorgeous? And why did they have to be so goddamn hot together? He gritted his teeth, praying for the ache in his pants to subside. All right. All right. Think cool thoughts. Snow. The ocean in spring. Ice cube...sliding over Krycek's smooth chest...circling one nipple then the other, making them hard and stiff... ...Mulder blowing your balls off with his service revolver... "Okay, that last thought was a sobering one." Pushing himself away from the wall, he walked to the elevator and looked back at apartment forty-two. And they're going to be living in your building soon? What fun that'll be. The door opened, and Skinner stepped inside, sighing audibly. Now to find Scully and threaten those pictures out of her. "Hello?" Alex listened to the caller and looked to Fox, nodding his head. "Uh huh. All right then, thanks for getting back to us so soon. In a couple of days, I'd say. Yeah. Thanks again." Alex hung up and gave his lover a soft smile. "Our application's been approved already. We can move in whenever we want to." "Wow, that was fast," Fox replied, moving closer to his lover and drawing him into his arms. "Do you still want to?" "Yeah, I...what about you? You've had a bigger shock today than me." "Yeah. All things considered, it'd be kind of stupid to want to move into Skinner's building. He's admitted to me that he's still attracted to you. But I believe him when he says that he'd never try to come between us, and he'll never again treat you the way he did. It's a big, nice place. It's close to work, and it's more secure than this hole." "So, it's settled." "No," Fox murmured, "it isn't. Now I know what happened. I know that you might never trust Skinner, and I understand completely. We don't move into that apartment unless you give the word." Alex studied his lover for a short while then leaned forward, resting against his chest. "Iım fine with it. I believe that Skinner'll behave himself." He pulled back and kissed the older man's chin. "I think he's sure now that you'll kill him if he doesn't." He pulled away and stared at the older man, eyes shining. "You slugged him good." "He deserved a lot worse. But I can't ignore the help he's given us either." "I know." Alex tried to suppress a smile. "I guess I should be ashamed of myself but..." "But what?" "I kinda felt this little tingle when I saw what you did to him." Fox smirked, gently running his hand over the small of his lover's back and a bit beyond. "A tingle, huh?" "Maybe a twinge." One golden-brown eyebrow arched while the other waited. "Okay, it really, really turned me on." Fox chuckled softly and nuzzled Alex's cheek. "What do you say we leave the packing for a little while?" "Don't you have to go back to work?" "No. Not really." "What about that case Skinner mentioned?" "He's got to review it first, then he'll contact me." Fox took Alex by the hand and led him to the door. "Come on. Let's go back to the hotel for a while. Then we can hunt down some more boxes." "We don't have to wait that long," Alex argued, hanging back a bit. "It's okay if we stay here." "Well, not really." Fox's smirk turned lascivious. "I'd packed up all our toys and took them with us, and I find myself suddenly in the mood to play." "Oh yeah?" Alex asked, rubbing himself against the older man, making his own arousal known. "Mmm hmm. I have this very strong desire to see you cuffed face down to the bed, squirming while I spank your pretty ass." Alex's breath left him in a low moan as he cupped Fox's ass with both hands and writhed against him. "Let's go." Grasping one of the younger man's wrists, Fox spun around, jerking him along as they headed out of the apartment and toward the elevator. Minutes later, they were on their way to the Saint Gregory, where Fox would spend the rest of the afternoon teasing Alex to the very brink of insanity. When the younger man finally lay exhausted and motionless, Fox lifted himself from the bed and picked up his cell phone. He punched in Skinner's number and slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. "Skinner." "It's me. Have you seen Scully yet?" "No. I told you I'd call you when I did." "Yeah, well it's been hours. What's the hold up?" "I hadn't been able to reach her until just a few minutes ago, actually. I'm on my way over to her place in a little bit. I'll call you after I meet with her." "All right. I need those pictures, Walt." "I know that. As much as I disagree with your plans, I'm going to do everything I can to help you. I'll call you when I get back from Scully's." "All right. Uh...thanks." Fox disconnected, turned the phone on vibrate, and inched the bathroom door open. He crept into the room and over to the bed, where Alex lay in the same position Fox had left him in. A half smile curved the older man's lips, and he lowered himself to the bed, curling himself around his sleeping lover. Phone in hand, he closed his eyes and waited. The redhead groaned as she looked through her peephole and found one of the last people she really wanted to see right now, standing at her door. Open the door. You know he knows you're here. The lock clicked, and Skinner watched as the door inched open. "What do you want?" Scully asked through the six-inch opening. "To talk to you for a minute." "Haven't we said all we needed to say?" "Not quite. " Scully stared but made no move to let him in. "I'll make it as quick as possible." Sighing heavily, Scully swung the door open and allowed Skinner to enter. Leaving the door open, she walked toward the kitchen. "Okay, well, I know you're not here to see how I'm getting along in the lab, so..." "I'm here for the pictures," Skinner broke in as he shut the door, stopping the woman in her tracks. "The pictures?" "And the negatives." "Why do you want them?" "To make sure they're out of your hands," he answered, unwilling to tell her the whole reason. "What happened to your face?" "Little accident. Now, please just give me the pictures." "What makes you think Mulder would be any more comfortable with them in your possession?" "I'm going to give them to him and let him destroy them." "What a pal." "I'm trying to be. God knows you've failed miserably." Skinner looked at the woman, shaking his head. "I know now why you did what you did. But Scully, Mulder is..." he amended his statement. "..was...your best friend. How could you let your lust for his lover come between you?" Scully blinked, thrown by Skinner's extended knowledge of the situation. "There are going to be lots of things throughout our lives that we'll want," Skinner went on. "And we'll get some of those things. But not all of them. And we can't go around hurting people to try and get them the way you have." "It wasn't my intention to hurt Mulder." "But you didn't stop when you realized that it was inevitable, did you? You couldn't. You wanted Krycek. Period. And you were going to get him. If Mulder got hurt in the process, oh well. You did hurt him, Scully. Severely. You hurt him when you hurt Alex, and it's perfectly understandable that he would want nothing more to do with you." Scully folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head. "Alex." No response. "Okay." She walked away, tapping at her forehead with her middle finger. "Okay, I'm getting this now." She spun around, glaring at the man. "You've got a thing for him." Still nothing. "I'm right, aren't I? You've got the hots for Alex. And Mulder found out about it, didn't he? And he clocked you. That's what the bruises on your face are." She gave Skinner a venomous smile. "That's what Alex was talking about that night, wasn't it? When he said fuck you, then said, you'd probably like that. And that explains why you were so sickeningly sweet to him." She snorted. "How noble of you. Wanting him to be happy even if you couldn't have him." "They love each other," Skinner answered. "Deeply. I've awakened to that fact. They won't be happy with anyone but each other. And I want them both to be happy." "Nice. So Krycek has now got you as well as Mulder seeing stars. Oh, he's good. Two of the last people in the world I ever thought..." "And what about you?" Skinner broke in. "Seems you're the one who's gone completely around the bend." "For the record, I haven't lost my mind. All I wanted from Krycek was sex. It's you and Mulder who are all ga-ga over him. And as far as I'm concerned, that's far more dangerous. You've both lost sight of who it is you're dealing with." "Krycek is not who he was," Skinner argued. "But I didn't come here to do this with you. Give me the pictures and the negatives." Scully stood her ground, glaring up into the determined face. "Don't make any more trouble than you already have, Dana," Skinner warned. "It will not end well for you." The woman emitted a soft, bitter laugh then left the room. She was back seconds later, shoving a large envelope at her visitor. "It's all there," she hissed, watching him check the contents. "I'd prefer to see for myself." Skinner resealed the envelope then looked down at the redhead, compassion sneaking in past the stern tone in his voice. "Forget about him, Scully. Count yourself fortunate that you aren't dead or sitting in prison, and move on." "While Krycek and Mulder trip happily into the sunset." "It's not going to be all wine and roses from here on out for them. Not yet. But it'll be a little easier for them to get there if no one is purposely trying to sabotage them." "What are you going to do? Stand guard outside of Mulder's apartment?" "I'm going to leave them alone. I strongly suggest that you do the same." Skinner fixed a warning stare on the woman then turned abruptly and left the apartment, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the room. Staring at the door, Scully stood frozen, digging her nails into her palms, and when the pain finally began to register, she spun around, searching wildly for something to throw. Finding nothing within her immediate reach, she tore into the kitchen and threw the utensil drawer open, yanking out the liner and scattering silverware over the floor and table. Screeching, she grasped the two nearest cabinet doors and jerked them open only to slam them shut again. She repeated the action several times, stopping only when one knob came off in her hand. She then flung the object across the room, watching it bounce off the wall then hit the edge of the table and clatter to the floor. "Fuck you, Skinner," she panted, gritting her teeth until her jaw hurt. "Kiss my goddamn fucking ass!" And as for the other two... Soon. Just as soon as she figured out how... Black turned to gray, and then a hazy light filtered in through the curtain of Fox's lashes as he opened his eyes. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. Hadn't thought he would, but he'd been more tired than he'd thought, he supposed. And the warmth and comfort of Alex's body pressed back into his had definitely helped to relax him enough to put him out. Now, the vibrating of his cell phone drew him out of his soft, quiet paradise. Shifting too quickly, his movement disturbed Alex's sleep, and the younger man sighed and turned onto his back as Fox raised the phone to his ear. "Mulder." He kissed the sable eyelashes as they fluttered and began to rise. "Hmm?" "Go back to sleep." "Mulder?" "Yeah, Iım here," Fox answered as he stroked Alex's chest. "What's going on?" "I've got the pictures and also the negatives." "All right...that's fine. So I'll hopefully at least have time to move in to the apartment." "What do you...oh, I get it, Krycek's there." "Yeah. The apartment manager called right after you left. Said the apartment was ours." "Really. Well...good. Uh, listen. If you want, and if Krycek doesn't mind, I'd be happy to give you a hand moving. I'm sure you want to get it done as quickly as possible." "Thanks for the offer. I'll have to get back to you on that." "...I assume I'll see you sometime tomorrow?" "Yeah. You'll be in the office all day?" "I believe so." "All right then. You'll hear from me at some point during the day." Fox looked down at Alex, who was now wide awake and staring back up at him. "Goodnight." Disconnecting, he turned his full attention on his lover. "You were unconscious," he informed Alex, grinning as he brushed a few wild hairs away from the younger man's forehead. "You wore me out," Alex answered hoarsely. Frowning, he cleared his throat and spoke again. "So was...damn. What the hell happened to my voice?" Fox laughed softly. "Apparently you aren't aware of the amount of noise you sometimes make." "God," the younger man croaked and attempted once more to clear his throat. "Anyway...that was Skinner?" "Yeah. He's got some more people to talk to before he decides whether or not I get that case. I figure we'd better go get a Ryder truck tomorrow and start hauling some of our stuff over to the new place. And uh...Skinner offered to help." Alex's gaze dropped from Fox's face. "He did?" "Yeah. I thanked him and said I'd have to get back to him on it." "Should we take him up on it?" "It's your call." Alex shrugged. "I don't know, Fox. Can't you make the decision?" "Not without your okay, no." "But I don't know. I mean, I guess it would be good to have an extra pair of hands. And I did say that I was okay with living in the same building with him. I guess it's just that it'll seem kind of weird to have him banging around with our stuff...you know, like we were all bosom buddies or something." "Okay." Fox kissed the side of Alex's nose. "I'll tell him thanks but no thanks. We'll do it ourselves." Alex fell silent for a while, content to feel his lover's body brushing his, then he looked up at Fox, drawing the older man's attention to his face. "Okay, that's just stupid." "What is?" "Not accepting Skinner's help. We really could use it." "We can handle it ourselves." "Yeah, but it'll go faster if there are three of us instead of two. If he really wants to help, let's let him. It'll provide us both with kind of a safe environment, where we can get a little better acquainted. Maybe then things won't be so uncomfortable." "You think?" Alex gave the older man a tiny smile. "No. But it's worth a shot. Especially if he's the closest thing you've got to a friend left." Fox pulled Alex into his arms, laughing softly. "I love you." The third such proclamation today, and yet it produced exactly the same sensations that the first had stirred up. In truth, his insides melted into his stomach without fail, every time Fox uttered the words. Emerald eyes glowed up at the older man, and Alex stretched up for a kiss. He pulled away long seconds later, again lowering himself to the mattress. "Those words give me such strength." A bemused smile curled his lips. "And at the same time they make me weak all over." "Makes it easier for me to take advantage of you," Fox growled into his lover's ear. "Yeah," Alex giggled, squirming as Fox's tongue teased the inside of his ear. "Like it was ever hard. So, listen..." "Hmm?" "God." Alex pushed against Fox's chest, separating them and putting a stop to the sensations that turned his brain to mush. "Before I completely forget what it was we were talking about; tell Skinner that he can help us move if he really wants to." Fox squinted down at the younger man. "Are you sure?" "Yeah. If he wants to haul furniture and throw his back out along with us, who am I to deprive him?" "What d'you mean, 'along with us'? I'm a perfect physical specimen. There'll be no throwing out of the back here." "Oh," Alex smirked. "Of course." "That sounded just a little condescending." Fox flicked the end of Alex's nose, sneering as the other man swatted his hand away. "You don't think I'm in excellent shape?" "Sure I do. I am too. God, we'd have to be the way we go at it. But screwing like bunnies and moving a refrigerator are two different types of exercise. There's a science to moving furniture." "There's a science to fucking too, babe," Fox purred. "Not everybody can make their lover scream himself hoarse. It takes know how." Alex moaned softly, writhing gently against his lover. "You know how, baby." "Damn right," Fox murmured, brushing his mouth over Alex's. "Why don't you show me again?" Low, throaty chuckle. "You sure you can take it? You're not going to pass out on me in the middle of it, are you?" Not waiting for an answer, he rattled on. "Maybe we should have something to eat first. You know, build your strength." "Hey, wait a minute. I admit you've got a hell of a lot of stamina for a man your age...?" "A man my age?" "...but you're no more resilient than I am." Narrowed, hazel eyes stared down at the younger man. "Is that right?" "Yes, that is right." "Look here, baby boy," Fox drawled, "I can fuck you into next week and back, go for a five mile run, stop at the park and play a couple of pick up games, come back, and you'll be right here where I left you, comatose." Alex threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. "You don't believe that?" The younger man grinned up at his lover. "What color is the sky in your world, Fox?" "I'm not the one who passed out for two hours this afternoon." "Yeah, well I was working all morning and part of the afternoon, hauling stuff around, packing...I haven't gotten a whole lot of sleep the last few days...I've been under a tremendous amount of stress lately..." "Oh, I see." "Do you dispute any of that?" "Not at all. But you're using it as an excuse for your obviously diminishing vitality." He shook his head. "So young, too." "Kiss my ass, Mulder. You got nothin' on me." "Oh, yeah?" Fox leered. "You wanna go again and see who ends up unconscious for the rest of the night?" Alex burst into laughter. "You sound like a nineteen year old, challenging me to a drag race." "Guess the old man's in his second childhood. Come on punk," Fox taunted, flicking at one of the younger man's nipples. "Take me on. I promise you'll never know what hit you." "I don't want you to hurt yourself." "Iım not the one who's going to be walking funny tomorrow," Fox answered before shifting so that he was lying fully on top of the other man. His mouth came down on Alex's, surprisingly gentle for all his previous posturing, and Alex responded in kind, winding his arms around his lover's neck. Licking and sucking at the lush mouth, he moaned softly, the sound translating into an intense sensation in the pit of Fox's stomach. The older man groaned audibly, deepening the kiss as his hips rocked against the other's. The feel of his lover's cock nestled alongside his, rubbing along its length and creating a heat that spread farther than that one location, washed Alex's mind of any residual notions that he would further tease Fox. All he wanted now was his lover everywhere. His hands, his mouth. Skin, soft and satiny smooth, touching his. Hot. Slick and salty with perspiration as he thoroughly and rhythmically fucked Alex into oblivion... Fox ended the kiss and smiled down into lust-glazed eyes. "This is your first and last opportunity to beg for mercy." Alex forced himself to focus on what Fox was saying and not the insistent throb of his cock. "What?" "From this point on all requests for leniency will be denied. Speak now before time runs out." "Fox, I don't..." "Tick tock, Alex." "What do you mean by..." "Oops. Time's up." "But you didn't even let me..." Fox's mouth muffled the remainder of Alex's words, inflicting a harder, more demanding kiss. Half expecting quiet submission, Alex surprised him, responding with a voracity that froze him for all of three seconds before he recovered and reacted. Plunging his fingers into Alex's hair, he dragged his mouth away from the other man's, moving down his chin to his neck, where he found and clamped his mouth over the pounding pulse. A harsh grunt rolled in Alex's throat as Fox sucked hard at the fragile skin, and he grasped a handful of hair in an attempt to pull him away. The older man only tightened his hold, emitting a warning growl. Alex loosened his grip on Fox's hair, giving his lover just enough slack to think he had given in, then he quickly rolled to his side and dumped Fox onto the mattress. He pressed his advantage, immediately pouncing on the older man, and the struggle for dominance was on. It ended long minutes later with a panting, slightly bruised Fox pinning the snarling younger man to the bed. "You're so pretty when you're pissed," Fox taunted as Alex bucked against his weight. He held the other's wrists firmly, pressing his hands into the mattress as he drew his tongue up the side of the stubbled face. His trek ended at Alex's ear, and he lingered there, teasing the interior lightly. "So fucking pretty," he whispered as the other man stopped bucking and began to writhe against him. He smiled at the faint whimper and pulled back to look down into eyes almost black with passion. "Listen to me." He drew a long breath, attempting to restore some of his composure. "Iım going to let you go. Don't move, or I'll leave you hanging, and I know you don't want that." Closing his eyes, Alex endured the loss of Fox's warmth as he lay in the same position the older man left him in. He could have taken the opportunity to initiate another power struggle; attack while Fox's back was to him...wear him out then toss him onto his back and fuck him blind, but something held him in his place. When Fox returned, a hard breath pushed past his parted lips. His cock leapt, and he began to whine softly as he arched toward his lover. "I'm surprised at you," Fox murmured, placing the objects he'd pulled from his bag on the bed. "I'd fully expected to get jumped the minute I'd turned my back." "I thought about it," Alex rasped honestly. "What stopped you?" Fox asked, smiling as he secured the younger man's wrists to the bedposts with two silk scarves then unwrapped a condom and rolled it onto his squirming lover's cock. "I don't... shit, Fox!" Alex yelled as a leather cock ring encircled the base of his erection. "Come on, this isn't fair!" "Easy babe," the older man soothed, stroking Alex's cheek before reaching for another packet. The restrained man watched as Fox slipped on his own condom. His eyes grew wider, shifting from Fox's hands to his face then back again, watching as the other man fastened a cock ring on himself as well. "Fair now?" Fox asked, attempting to steady his breath as he lay down beside his lover. "Not quite," Alex panted, straining against his bonds to emphasize his point, "but better, I...why did you..." "Easy. I want to be able to fuck you into tomorrow morning, and you know that isn't going to happen unless I employ a little assistance." "So, you're going to torture us both?" "Just prolonging the pleasure," Fox whispered, lowering his head to lick a stiff nipple. "You're fucking nuts," the younger man gasped then trained a hazy gaze on the other. "Jesus, I love you." "Is that why you're not fighting me?" Fox purred as he teased the other nipple. "Because you love me?" "Yes," Alex answered through clenched teeth. "And because you can too easily turn me into a big puddle of warm goo." The vibration of Fox's chuckle against his sensitized flesh made Alex moan. "Good thing you don't actually look like warm goo. It's not a pretty image." Alex gasped sharply and arched up off of the mattress as Fox's teeth closed around the hard nub and pulled. "Christ." Pulling harder before he let go, Fox gave the younger man a sweet smile. "Still love me?" "Always." "Really. Hmm. Even if I teased you all night then left you unsatisfied all day tomorrow?" "You wouldn't." "I might. Would you still love me?" Alex looked up at Fox with an expression that spoke of deepening frustration and unconcealed adoration. "I'll love you till I die. Which, if you do that to me, might be tomorrow." "You won't die," Fox promised, flicking his tongue rapidly over the nipple. "You might want to kill me..." "Yeah, right," Alex breathed. "I just think you like to make me beg." "Mmm hmm." Fox worked his way down Alex's chest, pausing to explore the younger man's navel. "I love it when you're submissive." He was on the move again, following the light trail of hair to Alex's crotch. "Because I know that you want to surrender to me. I know how good it feels to you." Alex's hips rose involuntarily as Fox nuzzled the thatch of dark hair. "It does," he whispered on a shaken breath. "I can't believe the way you make me feel. Oh... God." The capability of speech left him as Fox grazed the length of his restrained cock with his lips then closed them over the latex-sheathed head. A couple of deep breaths, and Fox deep throated his lover in one move, sending Alex's blood pressure skyrocketing. Loud, pleading sobs rang in his ears as he slowly lifted his head, letting his tongue dance along the distended vein on the underside of the shaft. As he reached the end of his journey, he lashed quickly at the head, drawing coarser, more desperate cries from the other man. "Fox, please...please," Alex cried, finding his voice. "I can't. Don't make me, please." "If you really mean that," Fox offered, licking the swollen shaft, "if you really want to end this right now, we will." No answer aside from choking gasps. "Alex?" The patch of skin between Alex's eyebrows creased as it so often did when the younger man was troubled, angry or confused. "You're not...not hurting?" "I am," Fox assured his distressed lover. "But I can deal with it. My cock wasn't down your throat." He kissed the flared head. "I won't make you take more than you're able to." He grinned. "Not much more, anyway." Sable lashes lifted, but the crease remained as Alex tried to focus on the man now nibbling gently at him. Smoky, green and amber eyes returned the stare. "Are you mine tonight, Alex?" "Every night," Alex moaned. "Every day." "I know that, baby. But can I have complete control? Do you trust me to take you as far as I want?" Whimpering pitifully, Alex nodded his consent. "You don't seem especially sure." "It's just...Jesus, Fox, every part of me is throbbing, and I'm afraid I'll..." Fox cocked his head, waiting for the rest, but it never came. "Afraid you'll what, baby?" he asked, kissing the inside of his lover's thigh. Alex shook his head saying nothing. "Tell me." "Nothing, I...it was nothing." "Alex..." Licking at his lips, Alex forced himself to look down into his lover's eyes. "I don't want to disappoint you. I don't ever want to disappoint you." "How could you do that?" "I want to take it all...for you, but what if I...if I can't?" "Then you can't," Fox said simply, stroking Alex's outer thigh. "I wouldn't be disappointed. It's hardly an insult, baby." He gave the other a beautiful smile. "Hell, I'll probably give in before you do. Nothing in the world is better than being deep inside you when I come. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to keep this thing on before I want to fling it across the room." "I don't have that option," Alex countered softly, drawing another smile from the older man. "No, you don't, do you?" Fox moved up a bit, resting his cheek just above Alex's cock. "All right, listen. If you can't do it, tell me. Not 'I can't' or anything like that." There was that grin again. "It's too much fun hearing you protest. Maybe a word. Just one word." "What word?" "I don't know, I...Mulder. Call me by my last name, and I'll put us both out of our misery, okay?" Alex drew an unsteady breath and nodded. Fox looked up at his lover, utter devotion glowing in his eyes. "I love you, Alex." Alex's heart pounded in time to the throbbing of his cock, and he closed his eyes as the words washed over him. And then the leisurely pass of his lover's tongue over the inside of his thigh opened them. He lay trembling as Fox moved to the other side, licking and sucking, and when the older man nuzzled the heavy sac that hung between his legs, he yelped softly, desperately wanting the freedom to plunge his fingers into Fox's hair and hold his head there between his thighs. Reaching into the pile of items he had dropped down beside Alex's hip, Fox felt around for and found a rubber glove and the lube. As he drew one testicle into his mouth, he worked the glove on then applied some lube to three fingers. Oblivious to Fox's actions, Alex writhed and twisted under his careful ministrations, crying out for more as the moist warmth was removed. "You liked that?" Fox asked sweetly, briefly taking the other testicle into his mouth. "Yes." Again the other man pulled away, leaving Alex more frustrated than before. "You'll like this better," he whispered, brushing his slick fingers over the crevice of his lover's ass. "Mmmph...Christ..." One finger worked its way in, finding the tense ring hidden between the firm muscles, and Alex bucked, crying out softly. "Fox..." "I'm wearing a glove," Fox soothed the unvoiced concern. He felt Alex begin to relax a bit, and he pressed in a bit farther, sliding his finger in just up to the second knuckle before stopping. "I love watching the expression on your face when I'm making love to you," he murmured. "It's so intense. So beautiful." The finger withdrew a bit then slid back in, sinking up to the last knuckle. Alex's mouth fell open on a harsh gasp, and he pushed against his lover's hand, wanting more. Fox gladly obliged, pulling back and adding a second finger. The younger man whimpered frantically, rocking now against the welcome intruders. "That good, sweetheart?" Alex nodded, too dazed to speak, and when Fox added a third, his head snapped back, and he cried out, quivering uncontrollably. Pushing as deeply as he could, Fox watched the look of pained ecstasy that contorted his lover's features, and his own body begged for release. But he pushed aside his desires and concentrated on the man lying restrained beside him. A loud shriek pierced the air as Fox took Alex's cock into his mouth, and his fingers found that spot that would have sent him right over the edge if not for the cock ring. The tortured man twisted and arched, feeling release so close. So fucking close, but it wouldn't come. "Fox," he gasped through gritted teeth, the veins standing out on either side of his throat as he strained to meet that which danced just beyond his reach. "God...oh, God." Fox sucked harder, taking Alex's entire length, and the younger man roared in frustration. The sound turned to a desperate sobbing as he pulled ineffectually at the scarves, and he jerked upward, trying to bury himself impossibly deeper in Fox's throat. "You're killing me," he choked, incurring nothing more than an aroused groan for his misery. "Fox...Fox, please..." Pulling up slowly, Fox teased Alex every inch of the way, then he gently removed his fingers and slithered up the length of his lover's body, coming face to face with him. "Fox, please, what?" Alex moaned, pressing up against the older man. "Feel like..." he opened his eyes and fixed an agonized stare on his lover. "...I'm gonna die." "Would I let that happen?" Fox asked, dragging his tongue across Alex's lips. "Hmm?" Alex reached up, trying to capture Fox's tongue in his mouth, but the older man was faster, ducking his advance. He whined petulantly, letting his head drop back to the pillows, and Fox smiled down at him. "You want to kiss me, baby?" he asked, brushing the tip of his nose over the other man's. Displaying a perfectly beautiful pout, Alex nodded up at his lover. "How can I refuse you anything when you look at me like that?" Fox asked, lowering his head to take the younger man's mouth. Unable to touch his lover, Alex focused all of his concentration on the assets still available to him. Moaning softly, he fed on Fox's lips, sucking and nipping, teasing him with his tongue while he writhed seductively against him. Trembling with the force of his own need, Fox pushed his tongue into Alex's open mouth, scouring the soft interior as his hands wandered over his lover's hot skin. His bound cock, wedged between them pressed hard into the other's belly as Alex's did to his, and both ached for relief. But until Alex gave the word... if Alex gave the word, there would be no respite for either of them. You could stop it. Fox laughed to himself. Oh, no. He's not ready to pass out yet. You want to be good and sure that when you're done with him he's going to be out for the rest of the night. You'll show him what a man your age can do. That he did. Into the small hours of the morning, over and over again, Fox pushed himself and Alex right to the brink of total devastation. Only the cock rings they still wore kept them from the bliss each man so desperately longed for. Now, with his endurance reaching its limits, and Alex's wild thrashing and cursing beginning to subside, Fox decided that they'd both had more than enough. Alex watched, whining hopefully as the older man carefully removed his own cock ring. "Jesus," Fox whispered through his teeth. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he opened his eyes and looked down into the tormented features of his lover and offered a pained grin. "That was rough." He reached for the leather strap around Alex's cock, incurring a grateful sob from his lover. "Breathe, Alex. Deep breaths and relax." Alex obeyed the whispered command, and several difficult moments later his cock ring lay on the nightstand beside Fox's. "Are you ready, baby?" Fox asked, looking down at his lover through a heavy curtain of lashes. Alex strained ineffectually against his restraints. "Yes." "I didn't think you'd last this long." He swung himself over the younger man and into position, and began to gently work his cock into him. "I didn't think I'd last this long." Both men gasped as with a firm push, he fully buried himself inside Alex's slick heat. "God...and I...I don't know how long I'm gonna last now, but...I promise baby, before this is over, I'll make you scream until you can't scream any more." Alex sobbed his lover's name, bucking weakly against the presence inside of him, wanting more than anything to collect on the breathlessly uttered promise. Though the torment he'd suffered at Fox's hands had brought him time and again to the point where he'd been sure he would lose his mind, he'd refused to ask for mercy. An act of the stubborn bastard he could be or the insecure child terrified of displeasing the only person who'd ever shown him love, he did not know. It was probably a bit of both. But now he would have what he could not ask for. And it came in the form of the most overwhelming sensations. Spiraling through his body, tickling and teasing each nerve ending, every touch, every sure thrust of Fox's hips took Alex closer to a devastating end. Whimpering frantically, he rocked against the older man, unconsciously, wordlessly begging him to move faster. Indulging his tormented love's unspoken need, Fox wrapped his fingers around Alex's cock, stroking and squeezing as he quickened the rhythm of his thrusts. Less than thirty seconds later, Alex stiffened, and his eyes snapped shut, and Fox watched as he came violently, vibrating the air around them with harsh cries. Alex's explosion touched off his own furious orgasm, and every muscle in his body seized then began an intense series of contractions. Wild, grating sobs tore from his throat, joining those of his lover, and an eternity later, the room fell into near silence. Head resting on Alex's shoulder, Fox lingered in a haze of utter satisfaction. His senses drifted back to him one by one, and he vaguely thought he could hear a soft whimpering, just inches from his ear. He forced himself to open his eyes and focus on his lover, who seemed pretty well unconscious. Not the slightest flutter of his lashes. No twitching muscles. Mouth relaxed into a pout so damned sexy that the sight of it would have hardened Fox in a second were he not so exhausted... "Alex?" Dead silence. "Baby, you alive?" Somewhere in the darkness, Alex heard Fox calling him. Softly. Almost inaudibly, and he tried to answer. Attempted to speak his name. Something to let his lover know that he had heard him, but his voice refused to cooperate. Fox saw the tiny, nearly undetectable twitch of the younger man's lips, then they went still, and Alex lay completely motionless. The only signs of life were the soft, deep breaths that intermittently lifted his chest. Gingerly, he separated himself from the unconscious man, removed both condoms then released his wrists from the restraints and laid beside him, watching quietly as he slept. "Gotcha," he whispered, lightly brushing the slumbering man's cheek with his knuckles. "How's that for a man my age?" He laughed softly and laid his head on Alex's shoulder, giving in to the heavy lethargy that washed over him. "Not bad, huh?" His eyes closed, and he drifted into sleep. Sharp, brown eyes squinted toward the east, searching each approaching vehicle then shifting again to the top of the street when the car passed by without stopping. Skinner sighed heavily and looked down at his watch for the fourth time. Mulder had told him on the phone that he and Krycek would be at Hegal Place at ten. Here, it was almost twenty after the hour, and they had yet to arrive. So he continued to wait and watch. "Sometime this morning, Mulder." He was shocked when he got the call from Mulder early this morning taking him up on his offer of assistance. He hadn't really expected that Krycek would agree to it, and he wondered what had brought him to the decision to allow him to help. Five minutes later, Fox's car pulled up, and he got out, nodding at the older man. "Sorry we're late, but... " "We." Skinner looked past Fox into the now empty car. "Where's Krycek?" "Right behind me. Well..." He looked up the empty street. "Sort of. I lost him two lights back. He'll be here in a minute. We got delayed picking the truck up at the rental place." "Moving van," Skinner murmured. "That's right. I suppose moving would be a lot easier with a truck." "Thanks for coming on such short notice." "I was actually sort of surprised to hear from you at all," Skinner replied. I didn't think Krycek'd be very comfortable with this. Not that I could blame him." Fox watched the truck appear at the top of the street and approach them. "He's still not completely at ease, but he wants to try. It was his decision to ask you. He says he doesn't want me to lose any more of the few friends I have. I told him that he was all that was important to me, and in light of what's happened, I'd understand completely if he didn't want to be around you. He insisted though." Skinner nodded silently as the truck idled up to the curb, and Alex hopped down. He caught the younger man's eye very briefly before Alex moved to Fox's side. Clearing his throat, he acknowledged the new arrival. "Krycek." Alex took a moment then raised his eyes to Skinner's, holding a steady gaze on him. "Thanks for the help. It was good of you to offer." "Moving's not a fun activity in the best of situations...I mean...you know...it's a real pain. But it's a little easier when you have some help." Silence fell over the trio, then Fox took Alex's hand and started for the building. "Well, this stuff isn't going to move itself. Let's get started." In the three and a half hours that followed, the men worked quietly, making little conversation unless it involved the task at hand. When everything had been loaded into the truck, Fox blew out a heavy breath and gave Skinner a satisfied smile. "Took less time than I thought it would." "Yeah," Skinner agreed. "No broken dishes or mirrors, no sprains, scrapes or contusions. I'd say we did pretty well." Securing the back doors of the truck, Alex walked over to the pair, edging past Skinner and standing by Fox's side. Fox slipped an arm around his lover and pressed a soft kiss to his temple. "It's lunchtime," he commented. "Anybody hungry?" "A little," Alex answered, resting his chin on Fox's shoulder. "You?" Skinner watched the simple exchange, the absolute purity of it hitting him smack between the eyes and blocking out anything that Fox may have said. Goddamn. This was no bullshit. This was as real as it could get. He'd known that the day he'd found Alex at Scully's, but those were far from normal circumstances. Everything was wild that night. Exaggerated and surreal. Emotions were about as high as they could be, but this. This was uncomplicated, every day type stuff. And still the adoration in each man's eyes...the softness in their tone when they spoke to each other. The way one just seemed to flow into the other. Those things couldn't be interpreted in any other way but one. And dammit, there was that feeling again. The same one he'd had the night he'd found Alex unconscious and unknowingly abused in Mulder's bed. The same bloody feeling he'd had that night not so long ago at Scully's, when he'd tried to console the emotionally stricken younger man. Jesus Christ, what the hell's wrong with you? He couldn't answer. He couldn't understand why he kept feeling this way. Walt Skinner wasn't a man who was usually given to futile sentiment. Practicality was one of his middle names, and it had served him well. Why now would he let this keep happening? "You think we worked him a little too hard?" The words brought Skinner back to earth, and he focused his attention on Fox. "Sorry, what'd you say?" He glanced quickly from Fox's curious gaze to Alex's uncomfortable one, then back again. "I was asking if you'd like to get something to eat before we started moving this stuff up to the new apartment." "Yeah. Uh...yeah, I could do with some lunch." "Anything in particular?" "No. I don't...whatever you guys want is fine with me. I'm not real fussy." "Okay," Fox answered, unconsciously drawing a hand up and down Alex's arm as he spoke. "That Italian sandwich place is on the way." "Fine with me. Why don't you tell me what you want, and I'll stop and pick it up," Skinner offered, knowing that neither he nor Alex would be especially happy about spending any amount of time in each other's company if Fox stopped for the food. Fox nodded in agreement, having fully intended to ask Skinner if he wouldn't mind stopping anyway. The tension that flowed through Alex when Skinner had fixed that odd stare on them just a few minutes ago had alerted him to a potentially uncomfortable situation, and there was no way he was going to leave them alone together for more than a couple of minutes. Not that he thought Skinner would attempt anything improper, but he knew that Alex would be uneasy, and he wouldn't have that. After deciding on their lunch orders, they argued briefly over who was going to pay the tab. Fox won, insisting that it was the least he and Alex could do since Skinner was spending his whole Saturday helping them. The three separated, and Skinner drove to the sandwich place while Alex and Fox continued on to Crystal City. Arriving at their new home, the two men met in front of the truck and looked up at the building. "You want to change your mind?" Fox asked then looked to the younger man, smiling. "And do what?" Alex shot back, returning the smile. "Live in this thing?" Fox chuckled softly then leaned back against the vehicle Alex had indicated with a short toss of his head. "All our stuff's in it already." The two went silent for a while, then Fox spoke again. "I could feel you tighten up a little while ago when Skinner was giving us that look." "Yeah," Alex began, lowering his gaze to the pavement, "it's kind of hard not to just because he's told us that he's come to terms with our relationship. It's just...it's a little unnerving, you know?" "I know. Which is why I'm asking you again, Alex. Are you sure you can do this?" Alex looked up into his lover's eyes and answered, though in a rather roundabout way. "I used to be fearless, you know? Had balls of solid granite. Then," he said, waving his hand back and forth between them, "this happened, and...all of a sudden I became a man with everything in the world to lose. And in one blinding flash I understood what fear was. "A little trepidation is good, I suppose. Reminds you that you're human. But this...what's happening to me now. It's...it's too much. It's ridiculous. I've got to get a handle on it. I have to stop being afraid that some disaster is lurking around every corner, waiting to take you away from me." He shook his head. "Avoiding Skinner isn't going to help me do that." Fox studied his lover for a few seconds then held his hand out, gently pulling Alex to him when he took it. "Doesn't mean you should do anything you're uncomfortable with." "God, Fox, if I don't do anything I'm uncomfortable with, I won't be doing a whole lot. I have to stop behaving like a baby and face my stupid fears." Pouting, Fox rested his forehead against the other man's. "You don't want to be my baby?" he croaked, incurring an amused chuckle from Alex. "I didn't say I didn't want to be your baby, I said I didn't want to be a baby. Who I am with you isn't who I want to be to the rest of the world." Fox nuzzled the younger man's jaw. "No?" Sable lashes swept downward, and Alex emitted a soft sigh as his lover moved to his ear. "Don't want to be sappy for anybody but you." "That's sweet," Fox murmured, closing his teeth around the younger man's earlobe and pulling. "But I can't imagine anyone being stupid enough to think you were sappy." He pulled back and grinned at the other. "You know, besides me." "I don't know about that." "Don't sell yourself short, Alex. You can still scare the shit out of people." "Scully doesn't count." Fox burst into laughter. "Why not? Don't discount her. She's kicked many a man's ass in her day." "Yeah, okay..." An approaching figure diverted Alex's attention. "Here's Skinner." "I didn't see you drive up," Fox commented as the older man stopped in front of them. "Your attention seemed to be concentrated elsewhere," Skinner answered in a mock-gruff tone. "If you think you can tear yourselves away from each other for more than a few minutes, what do you say we go eat? I'm hungry." Alex looked back to his lover, who raised his eyebrows, posing a silent question. Combing his fingers through Fox's hair, he leaned in, answering with a soft but passionate kiss. Skinner managed to avert his eyes this time, waiting quietly until Alex broke the kiss and tugged on Fox's hand, prompting his lover to follow him toward the building. Mentally fortifying himself, he turned and joined them, keeping several paces behind. The small group entered the building and boarded the empty elevator, Fox pushing the button for the seventh floor. They took up position against opposite walls, Fox and Alex standing side by side, facing Skinner. "Smells good," Alex said, breaking the silence. Skinner stared for half a second then blinked and looked quickly down at the bags in his hand. "Oh. Yeah. I've had to smell it for the last twenty minutes, and now I'm starving." "What's in the other bag?" Fox asked, indicating the second paper sack. "Picked up a six pack of Coke and some Evian. I was going to get beer, but I had no idea what you drank, so..." "That's fine," Fox answered. "Thanks." The doors opened, and the three proceeded to the apartment located about halfway down the hall. Alex unlocked the door, and they entered. Fox looked around, smiling. "We're going to be so much more comfortable here, babe," he said to Alex, who had just come up from behind and wrapped his arms around his waist. "So much room." "Mmm hmm." Alex kissed his lover's ear then rested his chin on his shoulder. "And bright. I like daylight. Saw far too little of it for a lot of years." Fox turned his head to the right and kissed Alex briefly before gently pulling out of his embrace. Dropping down onto the floor, he banged on the hardwood with the palm of his hand. "Come on, let's eat. I'd like to be moved in sometime before dark." Alex and Skinner joined Fox on the floor, digging into the bags and finding their respective sandwiches. While both Skinner and Fox pulled a can out of the pack of soda, Alex reached for a bottle of Evian. "You should be drinking water," he said, softly chastising Fox as the older man drained half of his soda. Fox grinned up at his lover. "Coke tastes better." "You've been exerting yourself all day," Alex reminded him, "you've been in the sun a lot, and you're bound to be dehydrated." Fox gave Alex an exasperated sigh, though his eyes glowed with boundless affection. "Yeah, yeah, okay." Alex handed him a bottle then gave Skinner a sidelong glance. "You must be just as dry as we are." Skinner peered over the top of his can at Alex, clearly shocked that he would be included. His gaze fell to Fox, who simply shrugged. "Hey, do what you want. I'm the one who's gotta live with him." "Oh, is that how you feel about it? You gotta live with me?" Fox pivoted and stretched out on his back, laying his head in Alex's lap. "Alex..." "'Cause you know, you don't have to." Skinner watched intently, afraid he'd inadvertently started a fight between the two. "Baby..." "You can live in this big apartment all by yourself for all I..." Alex's words were smothered my Fox's mouth as the older man snaked an arm around his neck and pulled him down for a thorough kiss. "You know I love it when you're bossy," Fox growled against Alex's mouth, earning a throaty chuckle from the other man. "All right then, eat your damn sandwich so we can get back to work." Fox grinned up at Alex, rubbing his head against his lover's thigh. "Yes, sir." Okay, so it had just been some kind of game. If Skinner hadn't been there, they'd probably be half naked by now, crawling all over each other. Well, there was a bad image to put in his head. Quickly, he shook it off and picked up an unopened bottle of water. Twisting the cap off, he drank down at least a third of the contents before placing the bottle on the floor in front of him. He bit into his sandwich and looked up just in time to see Alex feeding Fox's lunch to him. Shit, shit, shit... He focused on Fox, putting himself in the other man's place. Head in Alex's lap. So close to the heat of his crotch. Taking food from his fingers...licking and sucking them clean... Get over it, Walt. That's one situation you'll never find yourself in. Not with this man, anyway. Fox tore his gaze away from his lover for a brief moment, catching the look of discomfort on the third man's face, and reluctantly, he sat up, giving Alex one more kiss before finishing his lunch on his own. The three made small talk for the twenty minutes or so that it took for them to finish their sandwiches, then cleaned up and made the trek down to the truck to begin moving everything up to the apartment. The second half of the move went fairly smoothly with the exception of one little incident. Fox walked smack into the closed door and dropped the box he was carrying. Alex heard a thud, crash, then a few muttered curses, and he ran from the kitchen to see what had happened. He threw the door open and found Fox crouched on the floor, jiggling the box back and forth. "There go our glasses," he lamented then looked up at Alex. "Why'd you shut the door?" "I...shit, Fox, I'm sorry, I didn't even realize I had. Are you all right?" "Yeah. Well, my hands hit the door first. That's why I dropped the box." Alex emitted a soft, sympathetic whine and stooped to take Fox's hands in his. "I'm sorry," he whispered, covering both of his lover's hands with kisses. "Okay?" "You missed a spot," Fox grumbled, trying to maintain his pout. "Yeah? Where?" "Right there," Fox pointed to the second knuckle on his right hand. He breathed deeply as Alex dusted the skin with his lips then lightly drew his tongue over the area. Smoky green eyes looked up at him through the heavy fringe of lashes, and Alex licked his knuckle once more. "Better?" The husky, one word question went through him like a bolt of lightning, sizzling along his nerves and creating a pool of electricity in his lower regions. Christ, he wanted nothing more than to propel himself forward and tackle the younger man. And he might have done it if not for one thing. "I meant to ask you before, Mulder. What do you still want with eight tracks?" The two men looked up at the approaching third member of their moving party, and rose to their feet. Clearly, he'd walked in on yet another...warm...moment, and Skinner looked briefly away then back in the general vicinity of the others. "That's what I asked him," Alex said, picking up the box of broken glasses while Fox relieved Skinner of his burden. "How could I just throw them away?" Fox asked, following his lover into the apartment. "You know how old those things are? They could be worth money someday." "This is why it took us so long to load the truck," Alex called out as he walked into the kitchen. He re-entered the living room a placed a kiss on his frowning lover's temple. "He's got tons of junk." "It's not junk," Fox protested. "Okay," Alex breathed, patting the older man's rear before he moved to the door. "Let's go get the rest of your treasure before it gets dark." As he had done the entire day, Skinner trailed behind the other two. He listened to their good-natured barbs and affectionate squabbling and found himself smiling in spite of the jealousy that kept nipping at him. He could do it. For the sake of his relationship with Mulder, he could get over this fixation with Krycek and possibly be a friend to both. God knows that they hadn't five friends between the three of them, and it couldn't hurt at all to have another. By the time dark had fallen the truck was empty, and the men stood in the middle of Fox and Alex's new home, surrounded by boxes and displaced furniture. "Thank God," Fox groaned, falling into the nearest chair and closing his eyes. "It's done, and I'm dead." "Dead?" Alex lifted one of Fox's eyelids with his thumb. "You can't be that tired." "Why can't I?" "A man with your stamina?" Fox grunted in response, and Alex released his eyelid but continued to tease him. "Come on, Fox, can't you get up and go for a five mile run? Play a few pickup games?" "Sure," Fox droned. "You come with me." Arms folded across his chest, Skinner looked from one man to the other. "You're kidding, right? I mean you're not actually going to go running." Alex shrugged, looking down at Fox. "Somebody around here thinks that they're superhuman." One hazel eye opened and directed its gaze at the man standing beside the chair. "Need I remind you who the first one was to keel over last night?" "I only have your word on that." Fox shook his head in response and closed his eye. "Well, I'm beat," Skinner announced. "I'm out of here." "Okay, well...thanks for your help," Alex said, temporarily abandoning his harassment campaign. "No problem." "I'll walk you out," Fox offered as Skinner turned and headed for the door. He boosted himself out of the chair, and Alex broke into laughter as he attempted to muffle a groan. "When you get back, I'll give you some warm milk and put you right to bed." Fox sent a glare in the younger man's direction. "You're looking for trouble, Krycek." "Uh huh, and who's going to give it to me?" Alex taunted. "Give me five minutes and I'll show you," Fox tossed over his shoulder as he and Skinner moved into the hall. He shut the door behind him, and the smile vanished from his face. "Now that we're moved in, call me tomorrow, and I'll tell Alex that I have to leave the next day on that case." Skinner sighed heavily, eyeing the other man. "I'd sort of hoped you'd given up on that." "Would you?" "Mulder, what...what if something goes wrong? What if something happens to you?" "Nothing's going to happen to me." "You don't know that. Would you take such a big chance on leaving Alex alone? It'd kill him to lose you." "He's not going to lose me. I wouldn't do that to him." "You might not have much say in the matter, you know?" "I'll be fine." "Mulder..." "Just call me tomorrow, okay? Walt, please. It'll be better if you help me, but with or without you, I'm going to California." Skinner hesitated a moment then lowered his head. "All right. I'll call you tomorrow." "Thank you. And thanks for helping us move." "You're welcome." "Goodnight." Skinner nodded and started toward the elevator, hating to be part of something that might very well get Mulder dead, but he saw no way out. Mulder was going whether he wanted him to or not, and... But what if Krycek knew about it? He'd be able to stop Mulder. Are you ready to tell him and piss Mulder off? Does it matter how mad Mulder is if it saves his ass? The question is, would Krycek even believe you? He stepped into the elevator and rode up to his floor, still talking to himself. But you'd want that bastard to pay if you were Mulder. Hell, you're you, and you want him to pay. Just...do as he asks. It'll be okay. The doors opened and he walked to his own apartment, letting himself in and dropping down on the stairs. He sat in darkness for a long while, convincing himself that all would be well, then got up and dragged himself up to bed. DC Rain II: Double or Nothing continued... MMCUSN@aol.com

D.C Rain II—Double or Nothing by Aries November, 2000 Fandom: XF Pairing: M/K Rated NC-17 for language and m/m sexual situations Spoilers: teeny tiny ones from Tunguska and Anasazi Summary: The search for Alex is on, and Fox won't stop until he finds him. Turns out that'll be the easiest part. Feedback: You betcha! As always, I can be reached at MMCUSN@aol.com Archive: RatB, Den of Sin, Slashville I'd appreciate a quick shout from anyone else who wants it, okay? https://www.squidge.org/terma/aries/aries.htm http://denofsin.slashcity.net/aries/ariestitle.html back to top

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