Chapter Two
Fort Bragg, California
"What are you two glaring at?" Alex sounded sleepy still and the two
men turned in unison to watch as he approached them with graceful strides
and small, yawning stretches. Both men were distracted immediately as Alex
neared. He was definitely a pretty sight in the morning, disheveled and
young-looking. Green eyes darted to the two figures on the beach and a
soft smile curved his lips when he recognized Fox. "Oh I see now." He gave
Walter a disgruntled look. "What? Now Mulder can't even have Scully around?"
As Walter's brow raised Alex clicked his tongue sarcastically. "You may
find him inflexible on that one Skinner. I think he'd throw me over for
her if push came to shove."
"Good morning, Alex. You are looking exceptionally delicious this morning.
I trust you slept well... when your master let you sleep that is."
The lewd look on Antonio's handsome face irked Skinner and the words
infuriated Alex. "No one is my master," Alex spat.
Antonio was lost for a moment in the beautifully furious green eyes.
"You are lovely when you are angry, caro."
Skinner gritted his teeth and a muscle flexed in his jaw. Alex was his
to enjoy, but wisely he avoided stating that in front of the beautiful
assassin. "Why don't you go to Fox, Alex. He is upset."
Alex snapped his gaze to Skinner, and those eyes burned beneath the
sweep of lash. "Upset? What did you do to him, Skinner?"
Skinner smiled gently. How protective of Fox was Alex, Walter thought
with pleased amusement.
"I think, Alex, that it was what I did to you that he is upset about."
Walter caressed the dark-stubble face and with a little hiss of disapproval
Alex strode off toward his lover and his partner.
"He may be too much for you to handle, Skinner. What with his attachment
to your beautiful Fox. Perhaps I could..."
"Perhaps you can be careful not to drool on my property." Walter gave
Antonio a warning glance but it was brief, he was enjoying the smooth,
graceful way that Alex walked. He could see very easily why Murdoch had
thought of Alex as a cat... the sleek dark hair, the slut jade eyes,
the powerful body, he was a cat, his cat now.
Antonio stared too, and wished he could taste the muscled flesh... Alex
smelled so sweet and he was meant for Anotonio's kind. He watched as his
sweet Dana looked up at Alex's approach, they would do well together. He
turned to stare at the lanky beauty sitting so close to her... Fox
was undoubtedly beautiful, if only he weren't such a bad influence on her.
Skinner turned and left him to his covetous stares, in search of the
rest of the party, and determined to begin... to set up his base of
command. He was under no illusions as to his new status. He knew he was
the absolute ruler, but he intended to make sure the people who chose to
live in his claimed land would be relatively safe from harm. He hoped that
he could set up a system as close to the old system of democracy as he
could. He knew the world had changed, that he had changed, but he still
clung parochially to the ideas he had fought for all his life. The idea
of sitting in some palace and commanding the people living in the west
was appalling, though he knew many of his brothers were eager to do just
that. He realized that Antonio was itching to set himself up a little Sultanate
south of the old U.S. border. And he would do nothing to stop him. It would
be hard enough to set up a sophisticated government without the trappings
of civilization, but it would get done. His first job was to organize the
people in the immediate area to collect any dead and burn them, rid the
streets of cars and set up irrigation systems for agriculture. He had a
million things to do and he was going to enlist the Gunmen. They could
put their brains to good use for once, instead of thinking up conspiracy
theories and hiding behind copious locks.
Dana acknowledged Alex's presence with a small, suspicious smile. She
wasn't quite sure whether he was in part responsible for Mulder's funk.
When Mulder stiffened as he realized that Krycek was standing there, her
smile faded and one eyebrow raised a bit.
Alex saw how Mulder was resisting looking at him and his stomach tightened.
"Scully, do you mind if I talk to Mulder in private?"
She looked at him for a moment and stood slowly. With one last warning
look for Alex she left her partner with his lover.
Mulder looked up at Alex and his body responded a bit to his beauty;
he looked away and picked up another stone to throw in the relentless surf.
Alex watched the rock skip once and then be consumed by the white capped
waves. He slid his hand into the pockets of the loose Levi's he was wearing
and traced a small pattern in the sand with a naked toe. He stared down
at the pattern and nervously cleared his throat. He had failed Mulder so
many times since they had admitted how they felt... last night letting
Skinner take Mulder while he watched was the most heinous of all his careless
moments in the handling of his lover. He stole a look at the beautiful
man sitting at his feet and he nervously sat next to him. "Fox?"
Mulder turned to look at him and there was no accusation in those wide,
hazel eyes, but there was a carefully blank expression etched on his face.
"Alex?"
Alex put a hesitant hand on Mulder's thigh, slowly rubbed the soft hair
that sparsely peppered the toned muscles.
"I am sorry."
Mulder shook his head, angry with himself for being a hypocrite, but
unable to banish the jealousy.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for. I am just going to have to
deal with things..."
"I do have things to be sorry for..."
"Alex, Skinner is very attractive, and he is incredible in bed... you
couldn't help but respond to his touch and his lovemaking... it is..."
He stopped abruptly as Alex's face darkened with rage.
"I take it that is not what you were apologizing for."
Alex stood angrily. "Maybe that is how you feel about Skinner, Mulder.
I was apologizing for not protecting you from him."
Mulder blinked and then nodded slowly. "I see... so you are still
ignoring the fact that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself... and
you too I might add!"
Alex took a slow breath. "Fox, let's not get into that... I stood
by and let him... fuck you... I lubed you up! Jesus Christ! What
in the fuck is wrong with me?" He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair.
"And that I let him fuck you? That doesn't bother you?" Mulder's voice
was quiet, and Alex missed the growing fury in that voice.
"What? Baby, you know what I mean..."
"No, Alex, I don't. Why don't you tell me? Tell me why my feelings are
so fucking unimportant. Tell me why how I feel about sharing my lover
with someone is utterly subsumed by his archaic, misplaced Neanderthal
feelings of self-worth. A self-worth that seems to be based entirely on
how well you can protect something that you don't have to, while trampling
on something that you should be committed to caring for."
Alex gaped at his seething, shouting lover. "I can't believe you, Fox!
I... you are the only thing I care about. How you feel is more important
than anything." He paused as he realized that what he felt in his heart
wasn't what he was broadcasting to his lover. He hadn't even considered
Fox being jealous. Why? It would have been odd to say the least if he weren't
jealous. "I guess I just thought..."
"No. No you weren't thinking." Fox stood and turned his face toward
the forests to his right. "I know we agreed to this... but... I
want you for myself. I hate sharing you, Alex. I hate that you loved it."
Alex shook his head. "I don't know what to say, Fox. You know I love
you. You know that."
Fox looked at him and their eyes met for a silent moment. "Alex, you
and I haven't even had the chance to be together... to be lovers. I
wanted to live with you, let you cook for me... or I could learn to
cook for you. I wanted so much for us." He looked away as his voice caught
and he felt tears forming.
Alex pulled him tight to his strong body. "Oh, baby."
"I wanted to show you so many things... places I wanted to make
love to you... just staring at you for the rest of my life. Now we
can't even make love on a beach without... things attacking you..."
"Shh, c'mon. We're together. And nothing... nothing is going to
keep us apart. I swear to you. I swear on my life, Fox Mulder. I am never
going to let anything take you away from me."
Fox held tighter to this wonderful man... this man who had seen
so much hardship, so much death and evil and had still come out the other
side so loyal and special. "I'm sorry, Alex. I know I'm being selfish."
"There isn't a selfish bone in your body!" Alex declared angrily.
"Yes there is. Lot's of them," Fox said quietly.
Alex had to smile a bit at that. "No, Fox, not even one."
"I am more worried about how you reacted to Skinner than I am about
what has happened in this world. And I know that you..."
"That I what?" Alex asked as he held Fox even closer.
"That you need to feel protected... even though you don't admit
it," Fox said reluctantly, referring to Alex's obvious appreciation for
Skinner's solicitous concern. Alex hadn't been cared for much in his life;
his need for a father figure perhaps outweighed Fox's. He had seen the
look on Alex's face when they had been in the bathroom and Skinner had
dried him. It was that of a child who, not expecting kindness, had received
it. He knew that there was nothing to be done about the situation, he only
hoped that he could handle seeing Alex fall slowly in love with Skinner.
It made him want to steal away with Alex and hide him from the world. But
he knew that was a dead dream. A dream only possible in the past. He and
Alex were no longer free. No longer free to live out their lives loving
each other with no one interfering. Too, he had to admit that he wasn't
actually upset about being with Skinner, just Alex being with Skinner.
Alex frowned and pulled back slightly, just enough to look in Fox's
eyes. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
Fox shook his head, "Alex, I don't want to talk about this right now.
I just want to... take a walk... feel normal. Will you walk with
me... not on the beach... maybe in the woods?"
Alex nodded, letting the comment pass for now. There was so much that
they had put on hold. What was another?
"Do you think it will be okay with Walter? I mean, I don't know what
I mean."
Alex frowned. "Let's not worry about that right now. He doesn't have
full control of what we do."
"Yes, but we don't know what is out there. I can't stand the thought
of something stealing you from me again. God knows what is out there."
Alex closed his eyes. The need for Skinner's protection was implicit
in everything they did. Even to take a walk together was something that
had to be planned. He wanted to spend time alone with Fox, but not at the
risk of his safety.
Fox caressed Alex's face. "It's okay, Alex. Let's go back to the cabin.
I have so much to talk to you about." He clasped hands with Alex and they
walked back toward the one place they could be alone... for a few hours
at least... maybe.
Once inside the homey cabin Alex caressed Mulder's face. "So, here we
are. All alone. No spiders, no interruptions. Talk to me," Alex entreated
as he led Fox to the small couch inside the cabin.
Mulder sat on the couch and pulled Alex down next to him. "I don't remember.
I just want to sit here with you."
Alex stroked Mulder's jaw and lightly touched his lips. "That's okay
too."
Mulder smiled and leaned back into Alex's arms. Alex tightened his grip
around him and the two made themselves comfortable, with Fox leaning back
into Alex's chest. "I guess I wanted to ask you how you were... really,
after your experience, you know."
Alex stiffened and Fox turned his head to look into Alex's suddenly
guarded gaze.
"There isn't much to say, Fox. I came back to you. I always will."
"But..."
"But nothing."
"I just wanted to know what it is that makes you say his name."
Alex's eyes went wide with surprise before they were firmly shuttered
down once more. "His name?"
"Garren's... the one who took you. You say his name... you said
it in your sleep last night, as well as in the shower." He stroked Alex's
muscled thigh. "It's okay, talk to me."
Alex was stunned by the mention of Garren. He felt his blood begin to
burn. Garren. The huge man. He couldn't deny the hot burn the name sent
through him. The name represented such beauty, represented incredible strength
and such a cock...an incredible organ, hard and huge. Oh God, such strength,
such irrefutable intensity. The night skies above him, the meadow around
him, the world disappearing until he existed only to belong to his... his
mate. "No! No, Fox. I don't want to talk about it. I am home with you... wherever
that may be. Can't we just go on from here?"
Mulder turned to face his lover and he pulled Alex close, feeling the
strong body tremble. "I... shh... we don't have to talk about it."
"I love you, Fox. I do. I don't want you to think that I don't. I'd
do anything for..."
"Shh. C'mon. I know you would."
Alex grabbed Fox's face in his hands and covered his face with fierce
kisses. He kissed his lips, his jaw, his eyes and nose. "Let me love you,
Fox. Right here. Right now. Nobody else. Just you and I."
Mulder lay back, pulling Alex with him. "Right here, right now, nobody
else."
Alex stared into the gentle face so filled with love for him... for
him, the Assassin... the cool killer... the useless child whose
parents gave him away. He wanted to cry, to hold on to this perfect man
forever. Fox was everything he dreamed he himself might have been... had
things been different. Had he not been taken from his home and given to
the Consortium. Fox was dedicated and humorous, strong but comfortably
gentle... so loyal and passionate. Were Fox ugly, he would still be
more beautiful than Alex Krycek. That Fox loved him, knowing what he was,
made Alex feel at once incredibly small and infinitely blessed. He stared
so long into Fox's eyes that their breath came together in comfortable
rhythm. He began kissing Fox's face again, more gently, less frantically
than before. He kept his eyes open while Fox's slid close under the tender
ministrations.
"Alex." The sigh was a benediction.
Alex rubbed at Fox's naked nipples and bent to kiss one with a solemn,
quick touch. He saw a smile start to form on those lush lips and he continued
to press his lips across the smoothly defined chest. After several minutes
of the dry butterfly pecks, Fox arched his back and his legs spread around
Alex's hips. His body heat was like a beacon to Alex and he groaned wanting
to rip the shorts off his lover's body.
"Please, Alex."
The entreaty was a whisper in Alex' ear, but it inflamed him impossibly.
In response Alex pulled the shorts off of Mulder's body, the long legs
sliding out with near wanton speed.
Alex stared first at the swollen cock, hard for him. He looked up to
find Fox staring at his own cock, seemingly fascinated by his own flesh.
"You are so hard, baby," Alex purred. Fox's eyes flickered up from his
spread crotch and met Alex's eyes. "What do you want me to do? What do
you want, Fox," Alex asked as he stroked the plump cock with a gentle hand,
his thumb rubbing slowly over the slick skin.
"Just you. Everything you do feels so good." Mulder's voice was husky
with want, and his hips were moving in small circles, emulating Alex's
sliding thumb.
Alex unbuttoned his jeans and without waiting another moment he pushed
Mulder's legs up and apart. "I want to be inside you. Right now." He couldn't
imagine prolonging their lovemaking, all he wanted was to be deep inside
Mulder, to reclaim him, reclaim himself.
Mulder tossed his head back and trembled with anticipation as Alex bent
to lick the tight pink flesh, wetting it as much as he could as quickly
as possible. The feel of that velvet tongue pressing for entrance made
Fox cry out in lust.
Alex moved back and positioned his cock at the wet, winking entrance.
He pushed the head of his cock against the tight flesh and pushed in. The
lubrication of pre-cum eased the slide, but both men grunted with the effort.
"Tell me if I am hurting you... oh... God you're so tight."
Mulder pushed up against the tight press and he felt the hot penetration
against his prostate. "Oh, Alex... Alex don't stop... don't stop... don't
stop."
Nothing could make Alex stop. He slid in until his balls rested against
Fox upturned cheeks. "Do yourself. Do it for me."
Fox moved his hand to his cock. He toyed with the tip, sliding his thumb
over the wet tip with enough pressure to push in the flesh. Alex licked
his lips watching those long fingers toy with the pretty cock. He began
to thrust slowly, deeply into the hot sheath and the couch groaned under
his efforts. He could see Fox's eyes begin to lose focus, but he saw everything,
every pulse of blood in Fox's jugular vein, every wet lick of his lips,
every sliding motion of his hand. He could see how the fine hair slid down
over Fox's forehead as his head thrashed to and fro. He bent to devour
that open mouth and Fox bit at Alex's tongue with such passion that it
caused a frenzy in Alex. He thrust almost brutally into Fox. He couldn't
stop, kept pounding, his lover's body jerking under his strength. The pleasure
became a spiraling crescendo until both men were screaming, all thought
lost... there was only the slide of cock and the sound of flesh pounding
flesh.
Antonio closed his eyes and saw them. They were beautiful, wild, uninhibited.
Wanton. He was in the room with them. Actually he was willing himself to
be in the room, willing himself to witness their abandoned lovemaking,
an uninvited specter. Standing by the couch so close he could smell the
sweat and hear the passion building to screams. Oh how he wanted to be
able to touch, but his power could not allow him the luxury of that, so
he stood and watched, covetous and resentful. Why should Skinner have these
two? Both so nearly irresistible... so different from all other... boring
humans. Why should Skinner lay claim to them all?
"Antonio?"
The soft voice brought him back to himself with such speed he was momentarily
dizzy. He looked into Dana's concerned eyes and he managed a smile for
her.
"Where were you?" She had joined him on the small deck of the boathouse,
where he stood looking sightlessly out to sea.
He started. "What? What do you mean?" He couldn't imagine that she,
a mere human, could know what he was capable of.
"You seemed a million miles away just now. What were you thinking about?"
He slid an arm about her small frame, drawing her close. "About expanding
our family, cara, about expanding our family."
She flushed, the color beautiful on her pale skin. He kissed her red
lips. She was a treasure and there was no doubt, but he was no longer just
a man, he was a God. Why shouldn't he have everything he desired? Already
he longed to move south where he could organize his own piece of the world.
He didn't want to hurt the humans beneath him, would in fact like to see
them prosper, but they would be beneath him. He would only elevate his
queen and any other human changed like her. Fox was so pretty, but he saw
what Skinner could not. Fox was dedicated to Alex. Alex was fiercely dedicated
to Fox. They had to be separated. They could not be allowed to choose their
lovers. They should have no say in who spread them wide. It went against
everything that the new world dictated. He and his brothers ruled. The
forces from the other places would roam. Changed humans were the prize
and reward for the powerful. And humans were the workers as well as amusement.
Changed humans were too rare to squander. He ignored the niggling logic
that argued within him that questioned as to why having Alex and Dana in
his bed was any different than Skinner having Fox and Alex in his. He resented
leaving so soon with Skinner, before laying claim to other changed humans
in D.C. Murdoch surely had the lion's share. He needed several other females
and a few males for breeding stock. While he loved his Dana, she would,
one day, pass away and he didn't intend to be without her kind. He was
carrying on a conversation with his Dana while his presence returned to
the two lovers. They were still now, Alex kissing Fox's beautiful face
as Fox blinked without comprehension. Alex was chuckling over his lover's
state and Antonio couldn't stem the desire to be the cause of that dazed
expression on Fox's face. He watched as Alex moved his lover so that they
both lay on their sides with Fox's back to Alex's belly, both men facing
out from the couch. He watched as the two slid into sleep. He and Dana
sat talking about inconsequential things, getting to know one another and
staring appreciatively at one another for over an hour.
"Scully, Antonio," Skinner said quietly, uncomfortable about breaking
up their intimate moment.
"Sir! Where have you been? Did you go to town? Are the people okay?"
Dana asked excitedly, her eyes wide with concern.
Scully had pulled away from Antonio and he frowned. What business did
she have worrying about Skinner's affairs? "Cara, don't bother him about
these things. Let him deal with his people. You needn't worry yourself
with details." She gave him such a hot look of surprised anger that his
eyes widened in astonishment. To change the subject he turned to Skinner.
"Your possessions are quite amorous. They have been fucking like hot little
rabbits for the longest time."
Skinner glowered at him and Dana gasped.
"Possessions? Did you just say possessions?" Dana's voice was quiet
and Antonio mistook her tone for calm.
Skinner, who knew his agent, held up a hand. "I have been to the town
and the people are in need of medical assistance. There are several doctors
there, but not enough, they could use your help, Scully."
"What? They cannot expect her to work among them!" Antonio was astounded.
Dana was to live a life of a pampered queen, not a toiling peasant.
"Okay, that is it. I am going to go talk to my mother. You two GODS
talk." She stormed off while Antonio glared at Skinner.
Skinner watched her leave. "Those people need her expertise, Antonio.
This isn't a fantasyland where we all live happily ever after. And if you
want to do well with her you might try to understand her needs."
Antonio laughed at that. "Oh? Like you understand your Fox's or your
Alex's? You know they simply want to be with one another and yet you force
them to your bed like the concubines they are. Admit it!"
Skinner scowled. "They had a choice."
"Oh yes, what a choice. Yield to you or become raw meat for those that
hunt? You knew they would choose what they chose. What is more, my powerful
friend, you would not have let them leave had they made such a reckless
choice. This is not a fantasyland? You are living out your fantasies with
the pretty Fox. You know all our brothers would kill to have what you have.
Don't lie to me, lie to yourself, or lie to your two slaves..."
"They are not slaves, Antonio." Skinner was tired. The people of the
town had been so quiet. So shocked. In the night children had been taken
off by creatures that flew from the sky, only the sound of leathery wings
beating at the air marking their dark passage. The spider creatures had
attacked as well, and an old woman had hysterically proclaimed that giant,
hairy men had taken her husband from his car and devoured him where he
stood. She had grasped Skinner's arm and handed him an old walking stick,
the only thing she knew to give him to make him understand her grief. The
stick had been her husband's and he had used it to try and fight off the
impossibly huge beasts. He felt sick to his stomach, and yet he knew the
night would come more peaceful this night. He was projecting his will over
a larger area every moment. Every day he felt his power grow... not
to move objects or to kill enemies but to shield. He would shield as large
an area as he could, it wouldn't keep all the creatures out, but it would
make it safer for the people. Even now the lesser creatures were slinking
east toward the strength of Murdoch. "They are not slaves." He moved past
Antonio.
"They are slaves, Skinner, and they need to be put in their place. They
pleasure themselves with no thought to serving your needs. They lie spent
on the little couch, not aching for release at your whim. You need to realize
what you are! What they are."
"If I were you, I would worry about your relationship with Dana, and
stop worrying about my life," Skinner growled.
"I worry because you seem to think thing are not changed. How can you
hold your place when you insist on thinking like a human?"
"I am human, Antonio. I define human a bit differently than you do apparently,
but that is not my concern. What happened to us is a greater responsibility
than it is a gift. If you can't see that then perhaps you ought to cleave
to Murdoch and his kind. We are here to make sure the world goes on, that
the balance of power does not..."
"Dribble, drabble! You can preach all you like my brother, but your
perception is skewed. You can organize as many irrigating committees, appoint
all the councils you like to run the cities, but it is you and you alone
who are the ruler here. Think you that these people will thank you for
your largesse? No, they will think it their due. They are still infected
with the notion of democracy, that it is they the people who ultimately
make the decisions. Pandering to them will not ease the transition."
Skinner stared at the man for a long moment. "I happen to be infected
with the very same notion, Antonio. I too think that the decisions should
belong with the people as far as they are able. I am not blind to what
has transpired, but my role is to protect them so they can live out normal
lives. I'd suggest that you do the same."
"And what of Fox and Alex? Are they living in a little democracy? Or
are they harem boys, completely existing for your pleasure?" He stared
for a moment at the large bulge in Skinner's cotton pants. "Well-used harem
boys at that."
Skinner had enough. "You know as well as I that they, Dana and even
the Gunmen are changed. They are neither safe nor truly free anymore. I
hope to give them the illusion that they are as best as I am able. I suggest
you do the same for Dana."
Grant,Illinois
Garren walked into the town center and the few people still on the street
looked at him warily. They were somewhere near Springfield Illinois. Cities
were unimportant, what he knew, what he sensed was that he was near where
three great rivers roamed. The Ohio, and the joining of the Mississippi
and the Missouri. He sensed the moving waters even if the Ohio was so many
miles away. He and his pack had stayed south of that river, moving north
out of Kentucky, dodging rivers as they moved implacably west. But one
could not go further west without passing the rolling waters of those two
great rivers. He would cross a bridge. He had to, it was that simple. In
his life he had crossed many a bridge and it was never a pleasant experience.
He could go north and into Canada, then west, but it would take much too
long. He was hunting his cat and he would take the shortest route possible.
Garren had found a store that had clothes big enough to fit his frame
and his pack members, who too were in human form, had followed his lead
and dressed themselves. He wore tan khakis and a black T-shirt, with comfortable
slip-on black shoes. He cared little for style, he just wanted to walk
in the town amongst the humans, talk to them, and find if anything interesting
could be hunted there, hear how lovely the new world was. After he retrieved
his mate he would carve out his own lands... with plenty of room to
roam. He tied his shoulder-length hair back with a plain black band, keeping
the silken gold lock from sliding into his face. He saw several women staring
at him and he smiled at them, fully aware of how beautiful he was.
"Is there something particular you are looking for, Garren?" One of
his pack asked respectfully.
"No. I am just shopping," Garren responded with a grin.
The pack members glowered at the people who stared at them. A wolf of
African descent ran a hand through his curly hair. "We should eat them
all, right now." He licked his soft lips, perfect teeth shining brightly
as he grimaced. Humans made him nervous. All his life they had been prey
to him, not companions or objects of lust as they were to most of the pack
when in human form. He wanted to change and tear at their soft, hairless
throats, feel the hot splash of blood, taste the sweet meat. He felt his
hands curl in response to his growing bloodlust. They smelled so good to
him... as good as a turkey dinner with all the trimmings smelled to
humans on Thanksgiving.
"Jason, you surprise me. I would think one of your cunning would be
smarter than that." Garren spared the big, dark man a short glance, the
Siberian eyes cold and frightening.
Jason shivered and the blood lust dissipated in the wake of needing
to please the pack leader. "I apologize, Garren. I would never attack a
group of humans in the daylight... unprovoked. That is stupid. Unless... unless
you wished me too. Then it wouldn't be stupid," Jason finished in a nervous
voice.
"And you forgot that humans are our only amusement on this Earth. And
as such it would displease me greatly to see them extinct even in this
dawning of our world," Garren wasn't even looking at the big, trembling
male, but his displeasure made all the men want to change and kneel before
him subserviently, claws extended to show their worth as hunters.
"Of course, Garren. To displease you is the last thing I would ever
wish for." Jason kept his amber eyes down, his head hung low, just enough
to show his submission in human form.
Garren saw more people coming out from the stores and apartments that
lined the street of this typical Mid-West, close-knit community. Several
men gathered to confront the big strangers, every last one had a shotgun
in his hand. Their faces were guarded.
One man stepped apart from the group; he wore a bloodstained uniform.
His shiny badge proclaimed him as a lawman. "So, gentlemen, what can we
do for you? What are you doing in Grant?" His voice was gruff, as if too
many cigarettes had been inhaled over his years.
Garren held out his hand. "Well, you can tell us if there is still a
diner open somewhere. My friends and I are hungry." He cast a small icy
look at one of his pack who thought that funny and who laughed a bit. The
laugh was stifled immediately. Garren turned back to the lawman who had
narrowed his eyes at the unusual reaction to such a simple statement.
"Well, we can certainly get you boys fed..."
"Sheriff, ask them why they don't look as if they came across any trouble
at all!" A woman standing on the side of the street looked suspicious and
angry as she called out her suggestion for the interrogation.
The sheriff nodded. "That's a fair question. Well boys?"
Garren nodded. "It is indeed fair. We hid... very well."
"You can't hide from those damn wolf things. They can smell you ten
miles away. I saw two of 'em tear up Stan and Roy... without any problem... and
Stan and Roy were All-stars!" The man who spoke was standing just behind
the sheriff.
"Wolf things?" Garren asked, wondering where the wolves the men referred
to were. They were probably members of the community, maybe nearby.
"You missed those huh? Well they're doozies all right. The others... the
dead things, well they're slow suckers and any kid can pop 'em off, but
those wolves... uh uh... they're demons." This from a younger woman
who held her own gun easily in her small hands.
Garren smiled at her, she was a pretty little thing. Her skin was free
of make-up and was a smooth as porcelain. She smelled nice too. She would
make good breeding stock for pretty humans, with her flaxen hair and full
lips. "They sound terrible. Did they kill many of you?"
"Since this craziness started? I'd say about twenty people," she answered.
The sheriff looked at the silent men behind the big blonde wondering
why they remained silent. They seemed to want to speak, but were unusually
reticent. He'd spent twenty years in the military, and he'd never seen
such studied deference to another male.
"What your name then, son?" The question was directed to Garren, but
his eyes flickered to the others.
"I am called Garren."
"Called Garren? What does that mean? Is it your name or isn't it, boy?"
The sheriff barked.
Jason and his two pack-mates growled at the condescending tone directed
to Garren. He moved forward but a small movement by Garren stopped him.
"It is my name." Garren thought it funny how this human, how all humans
mistook his youthful appearance for youth. He was centuries old, but he
looked to be twenty. Garren was more than just a name. It was the word
that meant to the pack, Leader or in human terms, king. Funny. It had always
shocked Murdoch's little followers that members of the pack called him
by name, not knowing that it was a show of respect, the highest form of
respect.
"Well then come on. We'll get you and your friends fed. We'll want to
ask you more questions after though."
Garren nodded, "Sure."
They were led to a little diner just a few feet from where they had
been speaking. The sheriff spoke to the old man who had habitually donned
his white smock and requested that they be fed.
After eating inordinate amounts of food Garren and his pack members
left the diner to find the sheriff and more men standing on the curb. They
were in an intense discussion on how best to defend against any threat
that would surely come with the night. One young man, larger than the rest,
had joined the group. He seemed intent on the map the sheriff was referring
to, his large amber eyes intent. After a moment his nostrils flared a bit
and he looked up stunned. His huge muscles bunched and a smile crossed
his face as he stared at Garren and his three companions, before it was
replaced by fear. He lowered his eyes and dipped his head down so low he
seemed intent on bending in half, urine trickled down his leg, wetting
the worn denim in a embarrassing flood.
"Well, what in the hell is wrong with you, Buddy?" A young man asked
the large male.
Garren watched, amused as the men standing near the big youth stared
amazed at his odd behavior, their eyes widening at the urine stain that
grew on the huge thigh.
"Garren," Buddy whispered.
The sheriff started. "You know this boy, Buddy?"
Buddy grabbed the Sheriff in a strong hand, nearly lifting the stunned
man off the ground. He snarled at the sheriff for his disrespect.
This was such a young wolf... a pup really, surely only as old as
he looked in human years. So easy to excuse stupid actions. Garren thought.
Garren moved too fast for the other humans to react and he pulled the
pup off the sheriff. He glared at the shivering pup and pushed him away.
Buddy fell to the dirt where he stayed, not moving save for his small tremors
of fear. He had never expected to ever meet Garren, never!
The sheriff was eyeing the young man with a look of utter shock. He
had always been such a fine lad. Buddy's mother ran up to her boy and the
sheriff could swear she was trembling just as hard as her son. She lay
a protective hand on Buddy's massive shoulder, but her eyes darted nervously
to the young blonde stranger.
"What in the blue blazes is wrong with you, Buddy?" The sheriff was
straightening his shirt.
"Forgive him. He is young, "The mother said quietly.
"Well, shit, Stella, I'm young too but you don't see me attacking the
sheriff," piped a skinny youth whose gun was bigger than he.
Stella looked straight at Garren, before quickly dropping her gaze and
lowering her head. The apology directed only to Garren.
"How'd you know his name, Buddy?" The pretty young girl asked softly
from her perch on a wooden bench.
Garren was growing bored with this town. His mate was far away and needing
him and that was his only priority, not assuaging the curiosity of these
people. He simply walked away from the group.
"Whoa, boy. Where do you think you are going?" One of the men grabbed
Garren's arm, the gun in his hand giving him a false sense of security
as he grabbed the huge man. 'You aren't going anywhere, no how. Not until
we figure just what all this is about."
Garren sensed his five pack member's rage at this touching and he grinned.
He ran a gentle hand over the little man's face before his claws shredded
the skin of the man's fragile face. "Take them. Take them all," he said
quietly, the tone a command. His pack began to change immediately and the
humans screamed as the three wolves who had come into town with Garren
grew into frightening beasts. The woman Stella and her pup changed too
and the slaughter began. He cast one last look at the pretty girl who was
shooting madly at the black wolf that was coming toward her. Her throat
was gripped in a cavernous jaw and blood created a crimson blush over her
porcelain skin. Garren shrugged. There was plenty of breeding stock out
there. He walked out of the town as the screams and sound of slaughter
sounded. His pack would find him later, after. After no person walked in
the town, after Garren's orders had been followed to the letter. Garren
had no doubts that they would hunt madly for any survivor and tear them
limb from limb to please him. The scent of fresh blood assaulted his senses
but his mind focussed on his little cat. How he longed for him, longed
to sink into that beautiful body and hear the cat mewl and whimper his
name. He broke into a run, shedding his new clothes and changing to give
speed to his hunt, the most important hunt of all, the one that led to
his mate.
Fort Bragg, California
Skinner came in to the cabin and he stopped short. Alex was lying behind
Fox, kissing Mulder's face sleepily as Mulder blinked and breathed deeply.
They had both been asleep and Skinner thought they looked adorable. Alex
chuckled and bit Fox's chin. "Come back to me, baby."
Skinner admired the scene with the air of an art aficionado. Alex was
still dressed but that didn't keep Skinner from admiring the muscular lines.
The contrast between his assassin's state of dress and Fox's utter nudity
was almost unbearable sexy.
"My, you two have been busy," Skinner growled huskily.
Alex turned to stare at Skinner in surprise. He was losing all his perception.
He should have been able to hear Skinner long before he came into the cabin.
Fox was an intoxicating distraction. Ridiculous though it was, he moved
his leg to cover Fox's body in order to cover his nudity. Ridiculous because
he had given Fox to this man last night. Still, he was reluctant to show
Skinner anything now.
Fox flushed to be caught in such a position. He stared into Skinner's
warm eyes and cleared his throat. "Alex, let me up."
Alex frowned and slid out of Fox, the sound unmistakable and Skinner
couldn't help but smile as Alex tried to conceal Fox's nudity. For his
part Fox was unconcerned and finally sighed in frustration as Alex kept
so close to him that he couldn't reach his shorts.
"Alex! My shorts."
"You don't really need them, Fox," Skinner husked.
Alex stood between the two men as he pushed himself back into his pants
and buttoned them hurridly. He wanted to say something, anything that would
stop this. He looked into Skinner's eyes and frowned. The man seemed tired,
bone tired.
Fox slid on his shorts despite Skinner's quip and cleared his throat.
"Sir? Where did you go?"
Skinner sighed, and ran a hand over his balding head. "I went to town.
I am trying to get a handle on this situation."
"You should have told me! I wanted to go..."
"You and Alex needed some time alone," Walter sighed.
"Don't patronize us, Skinner," Alex spat out. "We need more than..."
"Remember what I said, Alex. No discussions after your decision. I am
not going to have to convince you everyday that you made the right decision.
I have too much to deal with, to deal with your little pouts."
Alex sputtered. "Pouts?" He looked at Fox who was scowling. "I have
never pouted in my life, Skinner, and I don't plan on starting now."
"Go take a shower, Fox. Alex and I have some things to discuss. You
look tired still. Why not take a nap once you are clean?" Walter gestured
to the bathroom with a flick of his wrist.
"Naps? Pouts? We aren't children, Skinner," Alex hissed.
"Fox? Go on. Alex and I really have some lines to square."
Fox spread his hands on Alex's back and lay his head on Alex's broad
shoulder for a moment. He was unduly tired, but unwilling to leave Alex
to face Skinner's ire. He was sure Skinner wouldn't hurt Alex, but this
was a discussion really for them all.
"I would rather stay. I am part of this."
"Yes, Mulder, you are. But I am asking you to give Alex and I time to
discuss this alone," Skinner asked.
"Fox, he's right. He and I have things to 'square'. I think you should
take a shower and I'll join you soon," Alex said stiffly.
Mulder tightened his grip, but then decided not to argue. What was the
point? Both men were too stubborn to argue with, especially when he just
wanted to sleep. With a considering look at Skinner he made his way toward
the bathroom.
"Let's take a walk, Alex," Skinner suggested.
Alex went through the door, but Skinner didn't come out right away.
He came out and handed Alex a jacket. "It is getting cold," he said almost
apologetically.
Alex glared, his lips tight, but inside he wondered why Skinner cared.
Was it because he wanted him, simply protecting his interest? Or was he
genuinely concerned? The man Skinner had been before this was unquestionably
honorable. This new Skinner, was an enigma. He took what he wanted, but
he was strangely comforted, drawn even, to Skinner's strength. He felt
intuitively that Skinner was stronger than he knew. He took the jacket
after a few moments and the two men walked away from the cabin and toward
the cool forest.
Mulder quickly showered, he wanted to sink into the large bed and sleep
for days. He could understand his exhaustion. The last few days had been
traumatic. Murdoch was far away to the east, but his touch lingered on
the edge of Mulder's perception. He shivered. Those eyes so black and the
way they would glow in unearthly light. That he was inhuman was utterly
apparent. Mulder hoped that Skinner was strong enough to protect him from
the man. He heard himself begging to come, begging for more. He shook his
head and rinsed off the soap quickly. After toweling himself off he went
to the bed too tired, too anxious to block out his memories to dress. He
slid beneath the clean sheets, dimly wondering who had changed them before
sleep took him.
He woke in the dark, so cold. He shivered and huddled into a ball, the
darkness was without relief. "Alex?" he asked softly, certain his lover
could not be too far. "S-s-so cold, Alex." His voice echoed and he closed
his eyes, unbidden fears assaulting him. Warmth surrounded him as strong
arms held him close and pulled him back into a muscled body. The scent
of his lover calmed him and he wondered if he were dreaming this inky darkness.
He turned into his lover's embrace and warmed his chilled face in that
perfect spot between chin and chest. "It is so cold," he murmured, stretching
his legs out against the muscled ones next to him.
"I'll warm you, Fox, I'll warm you."
Alex's voice was nearly silent, it was so faint and yet Fox took comfort
even in that. Mulder felt the hard length of Alex's cock swell against
his own redolent flesh and he began to kiss Alex's salty neck. "You taste
so good, Alex."
"Shh. No words now, Fox... my precious little, Fox. You can never
get away from me."
Fox was rolled to his back and his lips devoured, and still the darkness
was absolute. His mind began to stutter along over the familiarity of this
kiss, so familiar and yet something different. A strong hand gripped his
penis and stroked it to hardness.
"Wrap your legs around me, beg me, beg me, sweetling."
Fox whimpered, caught between desire and need. He was still so cold,
but Alex's voice soothed even as it caused his breathing to grow ragged.
"Please, Alex..."
"No words, Fox. Beg me with your beautiful body. It looks so pretty
in the blackness."
Fox pumped his hips up to meet the greedy hand and he tossed his head
as Alex bit him on the shoulder. He cried out as Alex sucked hard on the
marked flesh and he spread his legs, beginning to writhe with the need
for more. He rubbed his legs along Alex's huge... torso. The size of
him joining in the taste of him in familiarity that confused him.
"Moan for me, Fox. Make me want to pound you so hard that it is almost
an agony to take it. Make me want to tear you apart, to hear you scream
in pleasure and pain."
The words inflamed him and he wanted it. Wanted to be taken fiercely.
He couldn't stop the gasping moans as his legs were grasped and pushed
against his chest. He moved his body urgently, he wanted what surely waited
to impale him. Huge and demanding. He choked out a scream as at once Alex
bit his lips and shoved the tip of his cockhead inside his anus.
"So beautiful here, in the blackness. So tight and hot in the cold."
Alex's voice was sibilant and dark. His cock slammed in all the way and
Fox screamed. "Yes, yes, you are so perfect," Alex's voice whispered, the
words a dark echo in the thick black of the room.
Fox opened his eyes, not realizing until he did so that he had kept
them closed throughout. The darkness was so dense he could not even see
the faintest outline of his big lover. The rhythmic pounding nearly drove
all reason from him. He opened his mouth to beg for more... to beg
for less... he didn't know which, only that he felt as if he would
split in two. His eyes found his lover's in the darkness and they glowed
orange. He screamed again.
"You will always be mine, Foxling. Always."
The scream woke him and he sat up in the bed another scream waiting
to be born, poised on his lips. He looked at the bed around him. The sheets
were off and he lay shivering on the soft mattress. His eyes darted about
the room trying to understand that it had just been a dream, when he felt
the throbbing of his body. He groaned his denial and stood shakily. His
nipples were throbbing and his lips and neck were sore. He walked to he
mirror, feeling the unmistakable stretched feeling in his ass. There were
no marks on his body, but when he touched where he knew he had been bitten
there was a dull pain. He turned and looked at the bed. A small droplet
of blood adorned the sheets, a testimony to the reality of his experience.
He shuddered. It had to be a dream. Murdoch was thousands of miles away.
Wasn't he? His heart, already racing from the dream, began to pound at
his chest with insistent rhythm and he pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. He
bit his lip to still any unmanly sounds of fear as he sat gingerly on the
bed pulling on shoes. His body pulsed with unfulfilled passion and he had
the distinct impulse to lie once more on the bed, naked and waiting. The
light of the day filled the room, a stark contrast to the utter darkness
of his dream and yet he felt Murdoch inside him, beckoning and insistent.
He dashed out of the room in search of his lovers. He didn't question his
desire to be with both Skinner and Alex, he just knew he wanted to find
them. "You'll always be mine, Foxling." The disembodied voice had sworn
this, and Fox feared that Skinner might not be strong enough to alter the
prophetic nature of the claim. Without thinking he turned to the cool shadows
of pine and hurried into the forest.
Murdoch Family Estate
Murdoch returned from the blackness of the other place, the place where
so long his kind had existed. Free now to roam and to become the hunters
once more, the darkness still appealed. Fox had been so beautiful, so responsive.
He had woken too soon, for Murdoch longed to fill him with his seed once
more. But, he grinned, he had to sleep alone again. It had been a bit of
a stretch to compel his prince to sleep, to come to him, but it had been
worth it. He could taste Foxling's blood in his mouth and he smiled. Just
a little nip. Nothing to scar or mar his beauty. His cock throbbed still
unquenched and needy. He called for his favorite Foxling-a-like to be brought
to him. When the young man, who had once been named Michael, was brought
before Murdoch. Murdoch decided to play with him in bed, instead of the
sling. The pretty, swollen lips were so like his Foxling... so close
that Murdoch took only small nips from him as he reamed him as hard as
he wished to do to his errant prince. Skinner would not hold him for long.
Already his chosen guards were taking flight and heading toward his prince
to find the best opportunity to take him from Skinner and bring him home
to Murdoch.
The Schells were not perfect guards as they were loath to be near each
other and had no hierarchical structure of discipline. They served Murdoch
of course, but did not have a pack mentality that served to make the best
symbiotic unit of defense. Too, the Schells were not as efficient as hunters
as were Garren's pack, but they were strong, and unlike vampires they could
fly by day as well as night. Schells were what humans called gargoyles.
Humans had used the likeness of Schells for centuries to ward off evil,
not knowing that the stone images served only to warn off Schells, who
would avoid another Schell if at all possible. And so it was a hunt of
several independent hunters who flew miles apart and who did not communicate
with one another, who went west to reclaim their master's prize.
"Shall we bring in a slave to torture, my pet?" Murdoch murmured into
the sweet neck of his prize.
Michael shuddered. The torture of humans was Murdoch's favorite pastime,
save for sex. The screams and begging of the victim as he was slowly tortured
to death always made Michael sick.
"Would you like that, sweetling?"
Michael nodded his agreement, and then in a surprising bid for freedom
he shook his head. "No. No I hate it." He could only hope that Murdoch
would kill him for his disobedience, as death could be his only savior.
He was disappointed when Murdoch simply chuckled. His courage gone, Michael
steeled himself as a man, wearing a torn SWAT uniform was brought in by
human guards.
"One of the cities finest I see," Murdoch said happily as his Foxling-a-like
shuddered.
Fort Bragg, California
Alex stopped walking after he and Skinner had walked for ten minutes
in silence. He leaned against the near-black trunk of a towering pine.
"What are we doing, Skinner? I mean you and I and Mulder."
Skinner couldn't stop from appreciating how beautiful Alex was, but
his words were serious and they deserved a straight answer. "We are trying
to form a family of sorts. Believe me I don't want to influence you or
to force this, but I want you both. If it weren't me, Alex, it would be
someone else, and I think you know it."
Alex wanted to protest that notion, but he knew it was true.
"Think about it, Alex. Do you think anyone else would let you two retain
any freedom? I know you can't immediately absorb the enormity of what has
happened, but you and Mulder are changed, you will never be free, not really.
I want you two to be with me, in bed and out of it. I know you both can
help me with what I want for this world."
"And what is that, Skinner?"
"I want people... my people I guess, to live without fear of the
creatures we've seen, without fear of me. I know what I am, Alex. I know
what I could do, but it is what I should do that drives me. I really
do believe in the things I have always fought for."
Alex saw the truth in those chocolate eyes. "What is going to happen?"
"I don't know. I really don't. I am asking you to help me though. Don't
fight me. I can't change what has happened, nor will I apologize for claiming
you or Mulder, but we can make it work if you stop fighting me."
Alex ran a hand through his dark hair but was startled as Skinner pulled
him into a gentle embrace. Their eyes met and for a moment there was only
concern in Walter's eyes before it was replaced with desire. He kissed
Alex's lips, his tongue seeking entrance.
Alex pulled back with a small sound. "I can't help but feel like this
is wrong. I love Fox, Skinner. With every part of me, I love him. If..."
"I love him too, Alex. This isn't wrong."
"He would think so," Alex whispered.
"Maybe. But not for long. Soon he will accept it, if you set an example."
"Set an example? I wouldn't want to find him alone with you. How can
I expect him to..?"
"You can know that I will love you both, that I want you two to love
each other. I won't try to come between you... I won't. Can't you see
that? Can't you see that anyone else would?"
Alex nodded. "Yes, yes I do, but..." His words were swallowed by
Skinner's mouth and he was drawn to the security of strength and gentle
passion inherent in that moist embrace. He let himself forget his inhibitions
and his worry of Fox's reaction and let Skinner's tongue slide into his
mouth.
Skinner tasted Alex's submission, knowing it wasn't absolute, knowing
that this was not the end of it, but for the moment Alex was allowing this
without any pushing by Skinner's mind. He placed both hands in Alex's thick,
black hair and his fingers tightened in the smooth gloss. He felt Alex
respond to his passion and he had to restrain his instinctive response
to take him right there on the bed of pine needles. The image of Alex spread
open in the beautiful forest almost overpowering. He broke the kiss before
he could act on his instinct to take this changed human, to own him as
was Skinner's right, his inheritance. It was more to fight his own in-human
nature that he drew away from the sexy man. The sigh of disappointment
from this sexual being nearly broke his resolve, but this was a delicate
time. He needed Alex's support. Fox would undoubtedly follow his own inclinations,
but Skinner knew that Alex's acquiescence would go a long way in giving
Mulder the extra push he needed to succumb to his desire to become Skinner's
own.
"Alex. Alex, we can make this work for all of us. Will you at least
try?"
Alex nodded. "I can't promise..."
"No. But try."
Alex nodded again. "I want to get back to Fox. I'm worried with him
alone. Those things on the beach yesterday... and God knows what else.
He thinks he can take care of himself, but we both know he is no killer.
He'd rather arrest than murder."
Skinner grinned. "I wouldn't worry about that, Alex. That is one of
my goals. To rid my land of the hunters. Already they retreat. As for Mulder's
reluctance to kill, I appreciate it. That is what I love about him, his
integrity." A mischievous glint played in his eyes. "That and his incredible
looks."
Alex smiled. "Only you could get away with saying that you know?"
Skinner took that for what it was, an olive branch.
Military Installation
William Mulder walked through the metal corridor, taking the first left
in the warren of corridors that led to countless chambers. He had rested
for a bit before searching out his closest, and most trusted cohort. He
entered the smoke-filled room and frowned at the man who sat smoking, reading
a file. "Put that damned thing out, Spender."
Spender slowly snuffed out his Morley and turned to look at his old
friend, as always, wondering how the man who had once looked to him for
direction had taken over the Consortium. "Bill, how did the discussion
go? Will the technology be ours? What of colonization?"
William looked at his old friend and sat in a chair opposite him. "Don't
be a fool, Christian, the invasion, colonization... everything our
allies intended is in shambles. The forces that rule now are too powerful,
our allies know it."
"Then it was all for naught! All our machinations, all our sacrifices
for nothing."
William smiled. "It isn't like you to give up so easily, old friend.
Have I kept you in power despite your detractors for nothing? You have
never given up as long as I have known you. You even killed your own flesh
to further our goals. What other man would have done that?"
Spender smiled and reached for another cigarette, which he held unlit
in his stained fingers. "You would."
"And had I done so we would be without our best chance at success."
"And here I thought you protected him over the years due to some lingering
affection for your son," Spender quipped.
William smiled. "He is a beautiful man, how could I not be proud to
have created him? And now that creation will buy us power. Funny how these
things work out isn't it?"
Spender smiled. "You refer to former ADIC Murdoch's desire for the irrepressible
Agent Mulder?"
William smiled and took a sip of his brandy, handed to him by an unobtrusive
servant. "My son. My son the concubine to the world's new ruler. Do you
think I will be invited to the wedding?"
Spender laughed and then grew serious. "What do they want? Our allies?"
"Nothing we can't provide. Once we hand over my son to this Ascendant.
And then, my friend, we take our place of power." He sighed in pleasure.
"Actually, this situation is far more desirable than that which would have
been under colonization. Far more desirable. Our allies could never have
been trusted not to extinguish all our rights. This world is one that I
could never have dreamed of. And it is all ours, once my son is spread
out and caught."
"To your son's beauty then," Spender toasted, wondering where his assassin
was. Alex Krycek was very much on his mind of late. He had become used
to the man under his thumb, among other things. Once the network of spies
was reestablished he would set out to find the needle in the haystack.
"Where is he?"
"My son, or your obsession?" William asked. He was well aware of Spender's
desire for Krycek. His only saving grace was that he had never let that
obsession sway him from their goals.
Spender smiled but didn't deign to answer that.
"He is in the west. With Skinner."
Fort Bragg, California
Mulder wandered in the woods, with every step the dream faded. He rationalized
the sensations in his body down to his recent lovemaking with Alex, and
to the night before with both Alex and Skinner. He ran a hand through his
hair and wondered just how he was going to deal with the situation.
"Fox? What are you doing?"
Mulder looked up at the sound of Alex's voice. Alex and Skinner were
making their way toward him and he smiled in welcome. The dream moved from
his mind completely.
"Looking for you two," he said, relieved.
Alex walked to meet Mulder and he touched Mulder's face with a gentle
hand. "I thought you were going to nap."
"I wasn't as tired as I thought. So, did you two have an interesting
conversation?" He tried but he couldn't quite keep the note of jealousy
out of his voice.
Skinner looked at Alex and tilted his head with overt suggestion.
Alex cleared his throat and withdrew his hand from Fox's face. "Yes,
we did. Well, I am going to go back. I'll see if there is anything edible."
With that he left Mulder alone with Skinner.
Mulder was surprised by that, and it showed on his face.
Skinner smiled gratefully at Alex's retreating back. When Mulder gave
him a loaded stare he held up his hands innocently. "I'm not doing anything.
He and I have just come to an understanding of sorts."
"Oh? And what is that?"
Skinner smiled again. "Oh, just to try and get along. Why don't we go
back too? I am getting hungry."
Mulder cleared his throat. "I want you to leave Alex alone. I mean if
you want me that's fine, but you can't have him." His hazel eyes were filled
with determination.
"C'mon, Mulder, let's go back. In time you'll accept the situation.
It won't help you to fight it. I think you know that I won't give up Alex."
Mulder bit his lower lip. "Why not? You hate him."
"I don't hate him. I never did. All that is past is irrelevant now.
I want him. I want you. And you know you both want me. There is no more
to be said on it. Now, let's go." Skinner decided to take a different tact
with Mulder, as cajoling him into it would be useless. Mulder wanted to
feel forced into it, to lessen the guilt he felt for wanting Skinner. Skinner
intended to let him feel that way as long as he needed. What was important
was that Krycek did not feed Fox's fantasy of defiance. "You don't have
a say in it anymore."
Mulder frowned darkly and followed the big man back to the cabin. They
walked slowly, and in silence. Every once in a while Skinner would reach
out a big hand and caress some part of Mulder, his face, his ass, his chest.
Mulder told himself he was just tolerating the hot little touches, but
his body responded to them. His cock twitched in pleasure. He wanted to
stop and lie down on the fragrant needles and be taken, hard and fast.
He wondered what was happening to him. He was becoming such a sexual deviant.
He wanted to be filled, to fill, to smell the scent of arousal...
Skinner heard the small sounds of Mulder's arousal and he smiled. He
would let Mulder fight the hook until he tired. Then it would be a simple
matter of reeling him in.
They entered the cabin to find Maggie and Dana Scully helping Alex in
the kitchen while Antonio looked through the small collection of books
in the bookcase.
"What domesticity," Skinner said dryly.
Antonio shrugged. Dana was still angry with him and so he was trying
to remain as quiet as possible. While it was true he could force her to
talk to him, like he would do with Alex or Fox if they were his, he wanted
her to come to him as willingly as she had done previously. He glared as
she went to Fox and checked him out solicitously, fussing over him like
a mother hen. Fox stood the treatment like one well used to such tactics.
"Mulder, are you all right?" Dana looked into Mulder's tired eyes and
cleared her throat. "You need to eat something. Alex is fixing soup."
Fox's eyes lit up. "Tomato soup?"
"Not Campbell's I'm afraid, baby. I am actually making soup," Alex
said in an amused voice. He turned to Maggie. "Fox's idea of a feast is
to warm up a can of tomato soup for the both of us. A true gourmet."
Fox smiled and went to embrace Alex from behind. He whispered something
in Alex's ear and Alex laughed huskily.
"Now that is a feast, baby," Alex purred as he diced several potatoes.
Maggie, who had caught some of what Fox whispered, blushed. All this
homosexual pairing was surprising to her. She had always hoped that her
daughter and her partner would marry. However, the nights past had held
many more surprises than this. She handed her plate of chopped onions to
Krycek to be added to the bubbling pot of chicken in broth.
Jessup, Missouri
Garren kneeled on the ground gathering his breath. He was thirty yards
from the high bridge he had just crossed and he calmed himself. The waters
rushed far below, but they were powerful, cleansing waters. He shuddered
at their strength. Somewhere west Alex was being claimed by another. With
that infuriating thought in mind he gathered himself once more and continued
the hunt. Night was coming and he was tiring. He had come nearly two hundred
miles since the little town, Grant. He would have to stop soon. His body
too was aching for some relief of a sexual nature. Though he was in love
with his mate, a wolf needed sex, often. He wondered if, when he brought
another male to he and his mate's bed, would he let the new male touch
Alex. The thought angered him and he figured his mate would just have to
watch. The idea of monogamy was for the weaker mate. And even that monogamy
could be broken if it pleased the stronger of the two. He caught the scent
of humans and ran toward them. There was a young male among them, and males
had always been his preference. He was feeling kind and would let the male
live after the fucking. He grinned and when he was upon the small group
he simply ran into their midst and took the young man and raced off into
the night with him, amid the human screams of warnings.
Werewolf they had called him, as they scrambled. He chuckled past razor
sharp fangs and carried his struggling toy for a mile before he stopped.
He would take the man changed, take him as the wolf. He bit the young skin,
the man barely past his twenty-third human year by the look of him. He
watched as the spore took hold and the toy began to beg for sex. Garren
lay himself down, dwarfing the trembling male. His legs pushed between
the long legs of his captive.
He left the man an hour later and headed west for another, the sex reviving
him a bit. He gave not a thought of how the male would rejoin his pathetic
gang of humans. He had been extremely generous in leaving the man alive.
Even kinder not to feed on his companions. He hadn't eaten flesh since
the young human toy in Kentucky. He grinned as he changed to human form
and stopped running. He had given the male the greatest of pleasure, that
too was a kindness. Having a mate to love, was really making him a humanitarian.
Murdoch Family Estate
The bloody remains of the former officer of the law were removed from
Murdoch's chamber. Michael sat shivering. He had become unresponsive an
hour ago and Murdoch chuckled, imagining how his prince would react to
his games. "Take my pet to his room," Murdoch said to the guard who stood
waiting.
As the pet was taken away, Murdoch went to clean the blood and bits
of flesh off his body. In the shower his thoughts turned to Foxling. He
stroked his large organ to its full size and imagined those sweet lips
wrapped around the large head. He stepped out of the shower, his erect
cock swaying with his movements. He pulled on a silk dressing robe and
made his way to the pens, where the changed humans were kept. He watched
them for awhile. The cages were filled with luxury, it wouldn't due to
mistreat such valuable flesh. Lush cushions of down and silk covered every
space that wasn't dedicated to the sanitary needs of the little sweetlings.
Bowls of exotic fruit sat next to crystal jugs of water and wine on ebony
tables. He stared at one woman. Her beauty was intoxicating. She was of
Asian descent and he forced her to come to him. She, like all the changed
beauties, was naked save for the black leather collar fastened on her neck.
Similar collars adorned all the prized humans. Her small breasts were like
little ripe fruits. Her long blue-black hair was like the most delicate
silk, falling in shimmering waves to her waist. He wrapped his hand in
it. Her scent, her red lips and her dark eyes made him smile. "You will
make a fine gift for my brother in Germany."
She raised her chin, proudly and said nothing. Her eyes defied him.
What a treasure. He looked at all the changed humans. Already he had set
some of them to breeding. He imagined a nursery filled with little changed
babies. All of which he would keep until they were old enough to breed,
then they would be gifted to others or kept for his own pleasure. Foxling
would be pleased to know that Murdoch did not condone sex with children.
He was a patron saint to children, that was what he was, he decided.
With a small gesture he indicated that she was to be taken away. She
would be sent to Germany to his ally there. Already the man had ten such
humans, but another, given as a gift, would solidify their pact. The man,
Gregory, was one of the strongest of his allies. Not nearly as strong as
Skinner, but powerful enough to control all of Europe given time.
He picked a dark male for his night of pleasure. He didn't look like
Fox, but he did resemble the pretty little cat who had so entranced Garren
and Fox. As his thoughts turned to Garren he frowned. He would have to
make amends with the powerful pack leader. The pack was an invaluable asset.
Irreplaceable really. And while they would do as he commanded while Garren
cleaved to him, they were only loyal to the pack and especially to their
Garren. He would woo Garren back and then, with Foxling at his side, he
could attend to the business of running the world. He clasped a leather
leash onto the collar and led the male back to his suite of rooms.
Fort Bragg, California
The sun lost its grasp of the western sky and the deep purple of twilight
faded to black. The moon illuminated the white of cresting into something
silver and restless. A fickle wind dallied in the branches of the sentinel
trees, with sighing sounds while nature's predators roused themselves for
the nightly hunt. Rocks far from shore, black in the moonlight rose with
jagged defiance from the cold water as several small creatures emerged
from the water and took residence on the slippery surface. Red eyes set
in gray, soft faces stared toward the light of the cabins on the distant
shore. Lipless mouths revealed shards of teeth as the waves crashed around
them. Hunger filled their bellies as they dove back into the water to hunt,
their webbed hands and feet making them faster than much of their prey.
Far above the cabins he sat, waiting. It grew ever more difficult to
resist the command to leave this place. The not-human male was so powerful
that all his brothers and sisters had already fled. Only the oldest of
his kind would dare stay now. There were wolves to the north, hunting,
but they were reckless creatures who cared nothing for eternity, they would
roam close, but not too close unless commanded to do so, and then nothing
would stop them. He took to the air only to settle on the loose soil of
the earth. He changed appearance then and sighed as he admired his graceful
hand. Such a lovely boy he was. And so talented at pleasure. The female
who had fed him with her rich blood lay dying not ten miles from the cabins.
Her pretty lips still curved in pleasure. She would never wake alive again
once her eyes closed, but perhaps she would become like him. He had left
her in an area she could easily dig a burrow in against the hateful sun,
had she the strength to do so when the dawn first threaten to defile the
night. If so then she would open her eyes as a hunter, if not then she
would burn and become nothing but gray ash, easily taken by the slightest
breeze.
Even he was not quite brave enough to come close to the cabins, but
he got close enough to smell the sweet perfume of the interesting humans,
who were not exactly human anymore. They smelled different, they smelled
intoxicating, more intoxicating than blood even, and he chuckled at that.
They didn't smell like the two non-human males. Those two were not prey
or toys. They were something altogether different. He heard the chattering
of them all as they gathered in one cabin. In all there was only one completely
normal smelling human, an older woman. There were two humans that smelled
so sweet he gnashed his teeth with the desire to take them, and four others
who, while not smelling as sweet, were in their own right, delicious. He
could picture the two males that haunted him. One that the Garren of the
wolves had claimed, and the other. Fox and Alex were their names. His tongue
wet his full lips and he sighed once more. He hadn't survived so long by
hasty action, and it was with this thought that he let his feet take him
away from the cabins and deeper into the forest. When he had walked among
the lovely shadows long enough to enjoy the quiet he took to flight, heading
south to the banquets awaiting him in the larger cities, cities that had
yet to be affected by the commands of the biggest of the non-humans. It
was like a force spreading out, forcing his kind and the other hunters
to flee. He rose up high and was grateful for his ancient blood. It would
protect him when he finally made his move to steal one of his pretty males.
He had only to decide which one to take.
Maggie yawned and after kissing Dana's cheek she made her way to her
cabin.
Langly stood too and with a yawn the other gunmen, tired from the long
day in the town, followed him out the door. They had pulled a large trailer
into the clearing by the cabins and set up shop there. Maggie was delighted
to have her own cabin.
Dana had forgiven Antonio and the two were quick to make their exit.
Antonio gave one last, longing look at the two beauties who Skinner had
greedily claimed, and led Dana to their cabin.
Alex stood, starting to clean up the clutter. Fox stood to help him
but Skinner took his hand and led it to his mouth for a soft kiss. Outside
of a small tightening of his lips, Alex ignored the suggestive gesture.
Skinner stood and placed a hot kiss on Mulder's lips. "I want to take you
to bed, Fox. Alex can join us later."
Mulder started to protest, but with a small push Skinner made Fox turn
and walk to the room. Alex was clenching his jaw, and Skinner soothed him
with a little mental promise of pleasure to come. He followed Mulder into
the bedroom and pulled his lithe body to his heavily muscled one.
"Mulder. I love touching you, feeling you next to me. I've wanted to
hold you for years."
Their eyes met and Mulder opened his mouth to say something, but he
kissed Skinner instead. It was a brief kiss. He pulled back slightly and
Skinner pulled off Mulder's shirt. He ran his fingers along Mulder's ribs,
smiling passionately when Mulder shivered. He knelt and began to unbutton
the loose Levi's. He growled as the parting fabric revealed Mulder's lack
of underwear. He pulled the jeans down until Fox's thick cock was released.
Skinner licked his lips as he stared at the pretty cock. The head was a
smooth invitation, and he didn't bother with the words of praise that he
thought, he simply sucked the head into his mouth, relishing Fox's moan
of pleasure as much as the taste of the salty flesh. He sucked hard as
the flesh grew to a complete erection.
Mulder rocked into Walter's hot mouth, moaning as the velvet tongue
swirled around the tip of his cock. He closed his eyes and put one hand
on Walter's head. His cock slid in and out of the sucking wetness and he
felt himself getting close to orgasm rapidly. Walter abruptly pulled away
and stood. Mulder groaned his frustration until Walter turned him to face
the wall. He pulled the jeans off Mulder's body and tossed them to a corner
of the room, where they lay in a forgotten pile. Mulder spread his legs
as a wet finger played at his anus. Without much preparation Walter's cock
nudged at him and the sharp pain of penetration made him gasp. The thick
slide of it, the hard pressure of it as his body was opened was intensely
erotic. He spread his hands open on the wall and licked his lips as Walter
worked himself in and out, going deeper with every thrust. When he was
fully seated inside Mulder's body, Walter began to kiss Mulder's neck.
"You're so beautiful, Fox, so tight and hot. You were made for this.
You were made to be mine," Walter husked at Mulder's ear. "Can you feel
it? Can you feel how much I need you?"
Mulder had one second to think how ludicrous that question was, before
Walter pulled out and slammed back in with a force that made Fox yelp.
"Can you?"
"Yes," Mulder gasped.
Another retreat and advance, and another. Mulder felt his feet pulled
off the floor and spread against the wall, held by some force other than
Walter's hands which were finding work at toying with Mulder's nipples
and aching cock. Mulder felt a moment's fear that he was pinned to the
wall, unable to move, before the erotic nature of his submission overwhelmed
him. His legs spread further and he whimpered as the fucking continued.
He arched his head back and Skinner claimed his lips with his own. Their
tongues mated wildly, and Walter pinched the tip of Fox's cock making Fox
scream into Walter's mouth. He never wanted this to end. He wanted to be
filled and taken.
"Wal-ter... oh God!" He wanted to move, he wanted to buck his hips
back into the hard thrusts, but he was pinned. "Pl-ease... oh Wal... please."
Walter felt the inevitable orgasm building. Having Fox so helpless and
yet so fully willing was the most erotic moment of his life. He was using
no control over Mulder's mind, and the charge of that made him come so
hard into the tight sheath that he screamed. He slammed several times into
the immobile body before falling into Mulder, shaking and spent.
Mulder groaned. He was so close and Walter had stopped. "Don't stop... please.
S-so close, please."
Walter let Mulder down and led him to the bed. Mulder moaned and looked
at his own wet, throbbing cock.
"Save it for Alex, Fox. I want to see you take him."
Fox's cock jumped wildly at that thought. His beautiful Alex spread
beneath him.
As if summoned, Alex entered the room. His reluctance evaporating as
he looked at his lover gasping and hard on the bed.
"Take off your clothes, Alex," Walter growled.
Alex needed no pushing and he did just that.
The two men on the bed gasped in unison as Alex revealed his perfectly
muscled body. His nipples were erect peaks on his defined pectorals, and
Walter wanted to feed on them, to bite them and make those pink lips part
with gasps of pleasure.
Alex strode to the bed, his erection swaying intoxicatingly. He slid
over Fox, intending to part his legs and take Fox as quickly as he could.
"I want to be inside you, Alex," Fox purred before he claimed his lover's
mouth.
Alex grinned into the kiss. "Do you, baby?"
"Oh, yeah, I do," Fox sighed as his hands explored the silken skin of
Alex's muscled back.
"How do you want me, baby?" Alex asked as he nibbled on Fox's lips.
Fox moved quickly and flipped Alex over onto his back. "Like this. I
want to see your face when you come."
"Make him wet, Fox. Wet him with your tongue," Walter managed to say
through his lust. These two men were almost too beautiful. Their love and
passion made him feel like a welcome voyeur. It was as if everything around
the two melted away until there was just Fox and Alex. This didn't bother
Walter, it only served to excite him further. No one save himself would
be welcome here, and he only due to his power. There was an illicit thrill
in that, and he had to admit he was grateful for what had happened that
he could be here right now. He watched as the two men stilled and became
lost in one another's gaze. Fox rained small kisses on Alex's face, the
tender love implicit in each touch made Walter's cock swell once more.
Fox made his way slowly down Alex's chest, kissing every sharp valley
made by the well-defined muscles. He bit one nipple and then the other,
hard enough to make Alex cry out and bump his hips in response. He lapped
at Alex's belly button and sucked hard on the sensitive flesh, his tongue
plunging in and out in a promise of what he would soon be doing to Alex's
ass. Alex spread his legs as Fox moved lower, slowly, too slowly.
"Baby, please."
Fox grinned as his lover writhed, trying to bring his cock up to Fox's
languid mouth. He bit Alex's hipbone and dragged his tongue over the shivering
flesh to the opposite hip and nibbled there. Alex was tossing his head
and his eyes were narrowed with lust. Fox pulled back to look at Alex's
hard cock. He kissed the tip and Alex clenched his teeth over a pleading
groan. Fox took the plump head in his mouth and lapped up the pre-cum that
drooled out with every pulse of Alex's body. Fox pushed Alex's legs up
and licked at Alex's tight balls. He nipped gently on the skin and Alex's
hips bounced enticingly. He trailed his tongue down the sweet crevice and
sucked hard at the spot between anus and balls. Alex screamed in pleasure
as his prostate was massaged from the outside. Fox's lips and tongue found
Alex's anus and he fed there with moist adoration. He tried to get his
tongue inside, but Alex was too tight, so he lapped at the flesh until
the sphincter began to relax. He was able to shove his tongue in finally
and he shoved it in and out while Alex squirmed on it. He joined his tongue
with a finger and slowly entered his lover with first one finger and then
two. He moved his mouth back to the smooth skin of the perineum as his
fingers plunged in and out. When Alex was loose and slippery from the moist
play, Fox moved up and shared Alex's taste with his lover as their tongues
slid together, slowly and with promising passion.
Alex felt the first attempt at penetration and he hissed. Fox kissed
Alex's forehead. "Relax, baby, let me in."
Alex gasped as the head slipped into his tight sheath and he pushed
his hips up to hasten the penetration, groaning as Fox slid home.
'Fuck me," Alex moaned. "Hard."
Fox sat back on his knees and pushed Alex's legs up tight against his
muscled chest. He began the age-old rhythm and the two were lost in it.
Alex began to pull on his own cock while the incredible sensations filled
him. He stared up at Fox, whose head was thrown back, the tendons of his
neck straining with the effort not to come before Alex. When Fox bit his
lip and groaned, Alex felt his balls tighten.
Fox was going crazy with the effort not to come. "Get fucked, baby,
get fucked," he begged.
At the urging to come for his lover Alex screamed as it hit him and
his internal muscles clamped down hard on Fox's intruding member. Fox came
with a near-silent scream and he fell atop Alex's shuddering body. He thrust
erratically as the orgasm washed through him and into Alex.
When the tremors had passed, Fox lay dazed atop the warm body beneath
him.
"Oh fuck, Fox," he said shakily.
"I think I just did," Fox whispered.
Alex chuckled and hugged him tight. "God I love you, baby."
Fox lifted his face from the warmth of Alex's chest and his eyes misted,
"Not nearly as much as I love you, Alex. You are the only thing that matters
to me. I love you so much."
Alex groaned at that and pulled Fox's face to his and the two kissed
with heartfelt passion that made Skinner smile gently.
One day. One day they would say the same to him, he thought. Until that
time he would enjoy their love for one another and their need for him.
Considering his own throbbing erection, he debated whether to have them
both pleasure him with their pretty, slutty mouths. Instead he let them
fall asleep in each others arms, the power of their love for one another
and his love of them, winning over his own power to own them. He curled
up beside them, smiling as Fox sleepily patted his massive arm. One day,
he vowed, before he too succumbed to sleep, his erection still demanding
attention.
Part III: Out of the Dark
Outstanding Skinner AU
The Alliance
by Czara (Nicole)
The
Hunters
"I'm going to take my time.
I have all the time in the world
To make you mine.
It is written in the stars above.
The God's decree.
You'll be right here by my side
Right next to me"
"It's no Good" Depeche Mode
Day Two
Hour 0700
Day Two
Hour 1000
Day Two
Hour 1030
Sirius
Annapolis, Maryland
Day Two
Hour 1100
Day Two
Hour 1100
Domed Mountain
Armatise, Colorado
Four Miles Deep
Day Two
Hour 0100
Day Two
Hour 1230
North of St. Louis
Day Two
Hour 0800
Sirius
Annapolis, Maryland
Day Two
Hour 1000
Day Two
Hour 0830
uvalley@msn.com
Honorable mention
