Book Two
April's reign of terror over the past six months still had not brought Alex
home to her.
Flowers and firelight had not been enough. So she had blown up cars,
dumpsters and smaller, abandoned businesses. Still the PTB's had not seen
fit to send Alex back to Washington. So April changed her strategy; tonight
was the first part of her elaborate plan. For sure, after this, Alex would
have to be brought home. No doubt about it.
She was in an empty car parkade, across the street from the Washington
Public Library. Her view of the building was unimpeded which was why she
had chosen the place. She also knew that after he bomb went off, the Feds
would search the parkade. And find the evidence she was going to leave
behind for them. April's 1969 V.W. bug was parked a full block down the
street, hidden behind a dumpster. She had a plan that she could not deviate
from; her mania was slowly taking over her mind.
So focused on Alex was she, that April had not visited her brother in over a
month.
April Turner's every waking thought was for Alex Krycek alone.
She held the detonator to the powerful, homemade bomb in her latex covered,
left hand; her thumb hovered just above the button. With her other gloved
hand, she shamelessly masturbated her self. April leaned back against a
cement pillar for support while she rubbed her hand frantically over her
blood-engorged genitalia. Despite her eyes being wide open, a fantasy that
she wished was real, played through her mind. She had visions of Alex
before her, performing cunnilingus.
April bet he was good at that and planned to find out for real.
"Alex." She panted. "Yes, right there, yes... yes... Yes!" Her hands
clenched tight as an orgasm ripped through her body. Her thumb squeezed
the button down and the Washington library exploded. Sending out a spray of
concrete and paper. The brilliant orange flames of destruction had burst
into the dark sky in tandem with her body as it unleashed an explosive
climax.
Satisfied, April watched the building burn for a few more seconds before
deciding that it was time to go. She could watch the rest at home on the
TV.
Alex and fire, both never failed to provide pleasure.
She carefully peeled off the gloves; she deposited the one with which she
had masturbated, into a small brown paper bag. Along with the DNA laden
glove, April left behind a bouquet of 24 long stemmed red roses. Pinned to
the wrapper was a note that read:
Return FBI Agent Alex Krycek to the
April had meant every word of it too. She had been a quick study in the
practical art of bomb building and demolition. And now after practicing on
several smaller targets the library was her first real hit. She knew full
well that there would be four security guards in the building. It didn't
matter; those men losing their lives meant no more to her than if she had
stepped on a pack of marauding ants at a picnic.
April's patience had finally run out.
Obviously the dolts at the FBI were not going to bring Alex back from Alaska
without explicit instructions from her to do so. That's why she left the
note and the flowers this time, along with the glove that had evidence of
her DNA. The agent working the case should be smart enough to put two and
two together. April wasn't worried about leaving behind the special items.
All that the latex would reveal to them was that the bombing had been
perpetrated by a twenty something Caucasian female.
April ran to where her V.W. was hidden. The ancient black import was
cloaked by the dumpster and the darkness. She yanked the door open and
climbed in. She could already hear sirens, still faint, approaching from
the distance. The old bug complained and protested the cold start by back
firing loudly. Scaring the resident of the dumpster awake. The car farted
a few more times. "Piece of shit." April swore to the vehicle as she
pulled away.
A gunshot, that's what the bum though he had heard. He carefully peered
over the lip of the large container, just in time to read the license plate
of the vehicle. Freddy memorized the number. Not because he though the
small German car had just been used in the commission of a crime, but
because he liked numbers and letters and he couldn't help but commit them to
his memory... never to be forgotten.
His attention was pulled away from the departing car toward a bright orange
glow in the sky. Fire. Thought Freddy. He didn't like fire so he slowly
sank back down into his metal shelter, and went back to sleep.
Four hours after the initial blast, the Washington Public Library was
officially out. The initial panic had subsided; the gas was still off and
electricity too.
Pulled from his warm but lonely bed, Walter Skinner walked amongst the ruins
with the two agents assigned to the case. "This is a federal building
making this our crime scene. The local boys are already starting in on the
search and canvass. I suggest you join them. I want a full report on what
you find on my desk by noon." The time was now 7:30 in the morning. "Four
good men are dead and the press is going to go world wide with this."
Skinner looked toward a wall of news crew cameras and then all three looked
skyward to the two competing helicopters filming the smouldering aftermath.
"We're all over this, sir." Said Dave Madison, the agent who had caught the
case. He and his partner had also been working on the other bombings too,
but because the targets had been smaller, no link to them had been made yet.
As the agents were about to leave a message came over the radio.
"Got something." Came a generic male voice.
"Where?" Skinner spoke into his radio.
"Parking garage one block down." Came the static reply.
"10-4". Skinner handed the agents the radio. "By noon, agents." Was all
he said before leaving.
As he drove to the office, Walter's thoughts wandered from the destruction
of the library to Mulder. They had been broken up for six months and in
that time, Mulder had only spoken to him a couple of times and only because
it was necessary.
Walter desperately wanted Mulder back and had even gone so far as to seek
professional counseling for his controlling and abusive behavior.
He proudly told Fox this, but the younger man refused to soften his stance.
Mulder only replied icily, "Good, maybe you will treat your next boyfriend
right."
Mulder's terse reply had angered Walter, but instead of reacting he used
what he had learned in counseling and kept himself under control. If
nothing else, he was changing and that was good, maybe if he could prove it
he thought he had a chance of winning Fox back. He knew that Fox and Krycek
were no longer an item. And Mulder and Scully were no longer together
either. Walter knew that Mulder had frozen out Scully after discovering her
part in the subterfuge that saw Alex Krycek sent packing with his tail
between his legs to Anchorage.
Skinner deeply regretted that the two partners had split. But Scully
refused to blame him, every thing she had done had been of her own volition.
The A.D. pulled into the secure underground parking lot. He was at work
now, and it was time to put Fox away until tonight, where he'd come up with
another romantic scheme for getting his former lover back.
Noon
"The glove found in the paper bag is being rushed through forensics as well
as this note." Agent Madison passed A.D. Skinner a photocopy of the note
found in the parkade. "It was pinned to a bouquet of 24 long stemmed red
roses."
Skinner read the words on the paper, no expression on his face.
'Eight months ago..." Madison spoke as the A.D. read. "...Agent Mulder
was working a serial arson case where red roses were found at the scenes
accompanied by a note asking as simple question, 'Do you see me yet?'
"Well, now we know whom the firebug wanted to see." Skinner dropped the
copies on top of the parking garage note. "Anything else so far?"
Madison shook his head and closed his notebook. "No. But I think the two
cases are related. We should bring in Mulder and Scully and see what they
have to say as well as talk to this agent Krycek. I don't know who he his."
"No." Skinner said. "You keep on it, we'll talk to Mulder if we have to
and as for Krycek, he is a profiler assigned to Anchorage. So he will be no
help."
"Well, Sir," Madison stood up. "...I suggest you ask the Director to
re-assign Krycek to Washington. This bomber is Mulder's firebug, I can feel
it." Madison shrugged his shoulders. If the A.D. didn't want Krycek and
Mulder or Scully involved then it wasn't for him to say. His job was to
investigate the bombing to determine if they were acts of terrorism or not.
"I'll keep you informed." Said the agent before leaving.
Skinner re-read the agents report. The connection between the bombings and
the fires were compelling. The handwriting certainly looked the same,
however, the experts at Quantico would tell them for sure. The trademark
roses were similar too, and now, an agents name was attached to everything.
What a mess! The A.D. thought. "Shit!" He said out loud.
"Kim, get me Director Anderson please." Skinner said into his intercom.
He had an obligation to take this to the Director. After all, the bomber
mentioned Krycek by name and made a very real threat against the safety of
the civilian population. Perhaps he could minimize Alex's connection and
argue that Alex shouldn't be called back. The last thing Skinner wanted was
that green-eyed home wrecker back in the city, back into Mulder's life.
Later That Day
Skinner knocked on the Director's door and entered immediately after. He
was surprised to see Jack Stebbings, the A.D.I.C of the profiling department
already sitting there.
"Jack." Skinner said, a false smile forming at his mouth.
"Walter." Jack returned pleasantly.
"Sit down Walter." The Director gestured to an empty chair. "I wanted
Jack's input on this very serious case." He looked to the A.D. whom he was
talking about.
Stebbings' nodded and said. "I've reviewed both Madison's bomber and
Mulder's arsonist and I agree with Agent Madison. I think that it is the
same person in both cases. A very dangerous person obsessed with Agent
Krycek. Alex probably doesn't even know he has a stalker. What we know so
far is that the perp has above average intelligence and his sole objective
will be achieving the goal that he has set for himself, whatever that may
be. Unsub is completely focused and dedicated to Alex Krycek. I feel we
no choice but to bring Krycek back. If his presence is enough to stop this
person from hurting more people, than we should do it."
"So what you're saying then is that Agent Krycek's life is in danger..."
Skinner stated, pretending to be concerned. "...This stalker might want to
hurt him or worse... kill him."
"No doubt Unsub has an agenda that we will probably never fully understand,
however, one life for many..." Said Jack.
Skinner cut him off by saying, "I doubt Krycek's grandmother will see it
that way."
Jack turned from Skinner and spoke to the Director. "Alex would want to
help. Besides he's been in Alaska long enough. He's more than proven
himself. He's closed three cold cases and helped to solve plenty more new
ones."
"But..." Skinner started.
"Gentlemen." The Director held up his hands and broke up the discussion.
"I agree with you Jack. We should bring Agent Krycek in on this and I want
to see what Sean Mathews has to say about the arsonist. He worked up the
profile in that case. Make the calls Jack, I want Krycek back and settled
by the weekend."
Dismissed the men rose and left the Director's office.
Same Day
Alex pulled a green apple out of his desk drawer and bit into the juicy
fruit. He had been studying the evidence to a murder case and now it was
time for a break. He leaned far back in his desk chair so that he was
almost in a prone position and stretched, unaware of the eyes on him.
The women in the office loved being in the office when Alex took his 'apple'
break. Which he did, if possible, everyday at the same time. There was
nothing particularly scintillating about his ritual. Alex was fully clothed
and in the office after all. But he looked so beautiful and innocent, just
lying back in the leather chair, staring up at the ceiling, and eating his
fruit.
What the women particularly loved most about Alex was that the handsome
agent was so completely unaware of how gorgeous he really was. Every
beautiful single girl in town had tried to pick up on him at one time or
another. But Alex, always the gentleman, politely turned down the ardent
women. He never dated...ever. The lady agents assumed that he had just
gotten out of a relationship with a woman back in DC, which was why he came
to Anchorage.
They all had created their own special romantic tales of woe for the
irresistible agent.
"Krycek... in my office." A.D.I.C. Houghton barked. Startling the four
female agents and Alex.
Alex sat up straight. He took one last bite from his apple then dumped the
core in the garbage on his way to Houghton's office.
Houghton smiled at Alex. "Well, Agent Krycek you better go home and pack
because effective immediately you are assigned to Washington. The bureau
needs you back."
Shocked, Alex stared at his boss. He couldn't believe that he was being
called back to Washington. Back to Mulder.
No. he said to himself, That's over with, Fox chose Skinner.
"Sir... Why?" Alex finally managed.
"I would have though you would have been thrilled to go back to Washington
to the big city..."
"Oh, I am. Don't get me wrong. It's just that I'm not finished here.
There's a couple of cold cases I wanted to keep picking at and..."
"You've done a lot in six months, Alex." Houghton smiled at the young
agent. He knew Alex's family was dead but he bet that the young Alex had
made the elder Krycek very proud. Alex Krycek was on a fast track to
success. Here he was, not quite 30 and already an integral member of the
bureau. Krycek had really cleaned up the books for the A.D.I.C., making him
look very good. Houghton could tell that Alex didn't really want to be in
Anchorage, at first, but the pleasant young man had made an effort to fit
it. After his first two weeks, it was like Alex had always been there.
James had guessed that on top of being on probation, the green-eyed agent
was nursing a broken heart. In the whole six months not once did Alex date.
He participated in all of the 'group' outings but never let the others set
him up. Smart boy. And they had all tried. After a while of refusing
blind dates, Alex told everyone that he had just come out of a difficult
relationship and when he was ready to start dating again, he was quite
capable of asking someone out on his own.
Jack smiled in remembrance.
"What?' Alex asked the grinning man.
"Nothing." James said. "You have contributed to this office immensely and
as much as I would like to keep you here, you deserve to go back to your
home. Besides..." Houghton shrugged affably. ".... The Director insists.
He phoned me himself."
"Oh." Alex frowned. He wondered what was really going on. "I guess I
should go and finish what I was doing then." He stood up. "I'll make sure
all my cases are up to date. If I can make a recommendation?"
Houghton nodded.
"I suggest Tom take them over. He has a real knack for some of the forensic
work."
"Okay." James agreed. "Give him your files and make sure you're available
after work." The A.D.I.C. leveled Alex a knowing look. "I'm sure the
others will want to say goodbye.... with margarita's."
"I will." Alex finally smiled. It was starting to sink in that he was
going home. As much as he like Anchorage and it's easy going people, it
still wasn't home.
Friday
The director of the F.B.I. sat in his office with a press spokeswoman.
"This psycho has got it bad for Agent Krycek." He passed an 8x10 black and
white glossy to the woman seated across from him. "His graduation photo
from the academy."
She picked up the picture and studied it. "Well, I can see why." She
tucked the photo in her own open file folder.
"We need a small story in the Post. Something to let Unsub know that Krycek
is back home."
The press woman nodded and while the Director spoke, she scribbled down
notes.
"He broke three cold cases in Anchorage and increased that branches' closure
rate dramatically. Krycek is young, good-looking and brilliant. I'm sure
you can come up with a suitable puff piece."
She stopped writing. "I've got something in mind." She said, pocketing he
mechanical pencil. The spokeswoman gathered up her things. "You won't be
disappointed."
"You're the best, Madeline." The Director's phone rang. "I want you to
handle this personally."
The middle-aged woman nodded and then left the Director to his call.
Monday Morning
Walter flipped page two of his morning edition of the Washington Post. On
page three, he was greeted by the smiling image of Alex Krycek. He briefly
choked on his toast.
The headline read, The changing face of the F.B.I.
Skinner had forgotten just how beautiful the much younger agent was. He
studied the 2x2 photo then read the accompanying text. It blabbed on and on
about how well Alex had done in Alaska and about how brilliant and intuitive
the 29 year old was. After he finished reading, Skinner closed his paper.
All of the old, destructive feelings like envy and anger bubbled to the
surface. He had not felt this way in many months.
Walter did not know why, but Alex Krycek brought out the worst in him.
Before, Skinner had contemplated calling Mulder, using the excuse that Alex
was returning, but really it was just to get a chance to talk to his former
lover again. But after reading the newspaper story, he changed his mind.
There was no point in throwing them back together. He would just have to
hang back and see what would happen.
Monday Afternoon
An audible sighed escaped Alex as he sat below a large oak tree in the small
employees only park, behind the J.E.H. Building. Between the warmth of the
late spring day and the time change, Alex was exhausted. He had moved into
his apartment only the day before and had only managed to unpack his clothes
and toiletries so far. He had been in meetings with the Director and a
couple of un-familiar agents.
Jack Stebbings was also there along with a profiler Alex knew well, Sean
Mathews. Sean was just a little older than him. They were Jack Stebbings's
new shining stars. Sean Mathews was Alex's professional rival, but away
from the office, they were friendly to one another.
Alex was having a hard time believing that some one would actually kill four
people over him. It brought painful memories of his butchered family to the
surface. Alex tried to shut them out, tried not to compare the cases. But
somehow he couldn't separate the two.
After comparing the common evidence of the two very different crimes, the
roses and the handwriting—which matched both notes—Alex had no choice
but to admit to the group about being followed before. He also told about
receiving the email pictures of himself. He mentioned both the running
photo's and the one showing him leaving the motel.
Alex did not, however, tell them Mulder's name. His superiors had no right
to ask him anyway. Alex would only say to them that the person he was with
was married; that he was having an affair. He let the group of men seated
around the table assume it was a woman that he was dallying with. No one
knew he was gay. It wasn't as if he was hiding it, it was just that Alex
believed that it was his business alone.
Homosexuality was no longer grounds for dismissal.
The Director frowned at Alex. Not pleased that the agent had showed such
poor judgment. But he was somewhat mollified when Krycek assured him the
affair was long since over and he was single again.
Alex told the other agents that he had been at the 'Crow's Nest' the day
before it burned down with the married person.
Jack asked if the stalker could have been the spouse, but Alex was positive
that Skinner would not kill others. Maybe Mulder and himself, but not an
innocent bystander. "No" replied Alex to the question.
"You piss your lady friend off before going to Alaska?" Sean Mathews
queried.
"No. We broke up two hours before my plane took off. We haven't talked or
seen each other since then. The parting was painful but not acrimonious."
Many times in the last six months, especially in the last 12 hours, Alex had
reached for the phone. He wanted to talk to Fox so badly, but he didn't
know what to say or how to start. Alex regretted giving Fox the ultimatum.
After all, Fox had had no time to think things through. Who could make a
career and life changing decision like that in 30 seconds? Alex cursed
himself daily for giving up so easily; they should have tried the long
distance thing first. It could have worked out; who was to say?
Sean nodded. "Okay. Well, the DNA says were looking for a twenty something
naturally blond female, Caucasian and blue-eyed. Is that the description of
your former lover Alex?"
Alex shook his head. He thought about all the female blondes in his life,
there were only a few and all of them were barely acquaintances. Alex
didn't even think about April Turner, as her hair was now a deep brown. He
had already run into her, in fact, since arriving home. He was coming out
of a coffee shop, his old favorite one had burned down, and there she was.
He had mumbled a hello, then left her in the street. Alex was already late
for him morning meeting. "No." He said finally. "I can't think of a
single woman with blond hair who would do this. Not one."
Finally Alex escaped the meeting excusing himself for a quick 20-minute
break.
Mulder, tired of being indoors, abandoned his desk chair for a shaded bench
in the park.
He'd been reading a pathology report; content in the warm air, when suddenly
a small voice inside his head told him to look up. Mulder obeyed the silent
command, and that's when he saw Alex. He stared at his former lover as if
he was an apparition.
Alex was sitting there seemingly untroubled and serene, casually eating a
the last of a nectarine. Bits of bright sun made its way through the
heavily leafed oak under which Alex was sitting. Dappling the younger man's
dark hair.
Mulder smiled, his former lover conjured up a peaceful image of a newborn
fawn passing time in a lush glade.
His heart thumped out a speedy tune that played only for Alex. It was then
- with in those first few milliseconds after spotting his former lover—
that Fox knew that he wasn't even remotely close to being over the handsome
young agent. For six months he had been pretending to himself that he was.
But seeing his former lover now, only re-enforced the fact that distance and
time had done nothing to diminish his feelings.
Mulder still loved Alex. He always had.
He wondered how long Alex had been back. Surely not long or he would have
heard through the grapevine already. Or would he have? He rarely spoke to
Scully. And when he did, it was only ever about work related issues.
Mulder was always pleasant with his former partner, but he was not
friendly.
He never spoke to Skinner at all anymore, maybe only three times in the last
six months. There was no need to. Mulder was having a hard enough time in
forgiving Dana for her part in splitting up him and Alex.
And Walter, well, Mulder would never again feel for the older man what he
once had. He had violated Alex in the most heinous and vile manner; Fox
couldn't forgive him.
No one else knew of his relationship with Alex. So why would any one tell
him?
Mulder was a little wounded that Alex had returned and not contacted him.
But then again, they were broken up. The younger man certainly did not have
to answer to him.
Fox sat in the cool shadows and watched as the love of his life tossed his
nectarine pit into the bush. Alex yawned then stood up. Mulder couldn't
help but smile again. Alex looked tired, perhaps he hadn't been back all
that long after all. Mulder stared after Alex long after the agent had
disappeared. He vowed to Alex's distant back side that he would try to do
everything in his power to win his former lover back.
Everything.
Monday Night
Alex unwrapped the last of his wine glasses and put it in the dishwasher.
He was tired of un-packing. Tomorrow he would call a company to come and
finish the job for him. He ran a finger over the top of his built in
stainless steel stove top. Maybe he would have a crew of cleaning ladies
come through afterwards. The guy who had lived in the place took pretty
good care of the expensive apartment. There were no holes in the walls or
stains on the area rugs. However, his housekeeping skills seemed lacking.
Alex wondered how they got the guy out so quickly.
Chester the cat, pleased because the sleeping pills had worn off, was
weaving his way though his master's legs, begging for something to eat, when
there was a soft knock at the door.
Alex scooped up the fat cat and together they went to see whom was visiting
at this late hour. "How come the door man didn't buzz?" Alex asked the
tabby.
He peeked through the peephole and immediately, his heart started racing.
It was Fox. Alex couldn't help but feel giddy. Even a distorted image of
Mulder made his face flush. The hurt and anger that he had felt six months
ago had long since disappeared. Their break-up and the distance between
them only made Alex realize how much he did love Fox Mulder. He took a deep
breath and opened the door.
Alex greeted Mulder with a shy smile. "Hi, Fox."
Mulder returned the smile with a nervous grin of his own. "Hi, yourself."
"Come in." Alex stepped back and let his former lover enter.
As Mulder passed Alex, he reached out and scratched under Chester's chin.
The tabby accepted the affection for half a second then hissed and jumped
down.
The ice between the self-conscious men was broken.
Alex laughed. "Gee, I think he missed you Fox." Then he added softly, "I
know I did."
Fox walked right up to Alex and put his large hands on either side of his
face. He stared into the green pools that were Alex's eyes. " I missed you
too." He said. Mulder leaned down and ever so gently, placed his lips upon
Alex's.
The kiss slowly graduated from sweet and chaste to heated and lust filled.
Their tongues touched, snaking around each other in a ritualistic courtship
dance.
Finally, breathless, Mulder pulled back. He wrapped his arms around Alex,
unwilling to release the man until he had spoken what was in his heart to
him. He should have done and said these things months ago; Mulder was not
going to make the same mistake twice.
"I love you, Alex. After all this time, I still love you. Maybe even more
now. I missed you so much it was the biggest mistake of my life not going
with you. I should have gone to Alaska. I want you back Alex...will you
forgive me for being such a selfish ass?"
Alex could see the regrets in Fox 's eyes along with the hope in his
handsome face. He kissed Mulder on the mouth, just a quick peck. He
stepped back out of Mulder's warm arms and the agent looked at him. Worried
now that he was about to be turned down. Alex wanted nothing more than for
the two of them to pick up where they had left off. However, before they
could do that, Alex needed to say something first.
"Fox, I love you too. I thought about you...about what you were doing,
every second of everyday while I was in Anchorage. I missed you so much my
heart ached. And now, seeing you here, kissing you. I could easily and
happily fall back into a relationship with you. But Fox, I need to tell you
something first and I need you to understand. I won't be the other man
again. I've done that and I won't do it again. I can't. If we get back
together, it's just you and me involved this time. No one else. I need to
come first with you." He looked to Mulder, no smile graced his face now and
Alex was so afraid that Mulder would tell him to take a hike. That he
wouldn't leave Skinner for him. Alex had no idea that Mulder was no longer
with the older A.D.
"You and me Alex. No sneaking around no clandestine motel fucking. Just
us, in the open." Promised Mulder. He couldn't believe that everything was
turning out. It was so easy. They both loved each other still, so much
so, that another person could not compare to the other.
"So you're prepared to leave him for me?" Question Alex, his tone full of
hope.
"Alex. I left Walter hours after you went to the airport." Mulder
swallowed hard. He had promised himself already that if he was lucky enough
to actually get back with Alex that he was always going to be honest with
him; now was the time of truths. "He told me, Alex." Mulder said
softly.
Alex's stomach knotted up. "Told you what?" He could guess what Skinner
had said.
"Oh baby..." Mulder was so sad for his lover. "After I told him we were
through, just to hurt me, he told me that he.... raped you over his desk."
Mulder thought Alex looked like he was going to be sick. But to the younger
man's credit, he stood there and listened. Letting Mulder finish. "I hit
him, Alex. The thought that he would hurt you that way... I... I lost
control. Which was what he wanted. I'm sorry... so sorry..."
Alex 'hmmphed' softly. "No one knows, Fox. No one. I didn't report him."
He shrugged his shoulders like it didn't matter anymore, but it still did.
"I have nightmares sometimes but they're getting farther and farther apart
now." He gave his lover a weak smile. "I just want to forget about it Fox.
It's not important anymore. What is important is you and me. Are we
going to try again?"
Mulder pulled Alex to his chest and hugged him tightly. "The past is just
that... the past. Let's start fresh. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
Alex patted Mulder's back gently and the older man eased up on his embrace.
"I want to date you, Alex. We never really did that before." Mulder
grinned. "Tomorrow night, I want to take you out for a nice dinner."
"All right. Dinner, tomorrow night. Your treat." Alex leveled Mulder a
lusty glance. "But for right now, I want to take you to bed."
Mulder said huskily, "I know the way."
Then he turned and went down the hall to Alex's bedroom, while his lover
turned off the lights.
Part IX
Dirty deeds,
Fox rolled on top of Alex. He rubbed his erection over the one trapped
directly below his own hardness. He grinned and said, "Ready to go another
round?"
He was hard and anxious to make love to Alex. Both men had experienced a hot,
frenzied orgasm only five minutes before. They had kissed deeply, each tongue
challenging for space inside the other's mouth. While kissing, each agent
stroked the other off to orgasm.
Both lovers were impatient to get into the other's arms.
Now fifteen minutes later, the older agent wanted to be inside his lover again.
He kissed down the side of Alex's taut neck, taking special care to nibble but
not mark the heavily corded muscles that stood out.
Alex purred his pleasure.
And Mulder, like a thirsty man led to water, drank his fill of Alex. From the
top of his straining neck, to his tender inner thigh, Mulder kissed Alex all
over.
Eventually his mouth was drawn to his lover's tight opening. He gently tongued
the sensitive flesh, turned on by Alex's response to his tongue. The younger
man sighed his pleasure, his voice deep and husky with need.
Mulder snaked his arm out blindly and felt around the pillow until he came
across a small squeeze bottle of natural lubricant. He took his time preparing
the younger man then rose to his knees. His own cock matched Alex's in that
both were weeping. Fox entered his lover slowly, stopping only when he was
fully sheathed. He exhaled in satisfaction; Alex's depths were warm and
tight... so inviting.
The pair of them stayed like that—attached and perfectly still. Then ever so
slowly, Fox began to circle his hips and push in and pull out of Alex at the
same time.
Afterwards, as they cuddled together, sleepy with post coital rapture. Mulder
said softly, "We're together now. Really together. No one, and nothing will
split us up again. If you get transferred again, this time I'm going with
you." He squeezed Alex briefly.
Alex gently ran the tips of his fingers over Mulder's lower abdomen. "Or
vice-versa, I'll follow you if you have to go." He rested his hand over the
middle of Fox's stomach, his eyes shuttered then closed involuntarily.
"Nothing...ever again."
The early morning love making session had left Alex feeling more relaxed than
he had been in the last six months. Thus, his mood was light, despite the
current circumstances. He strolled in to work, late, smiling at everyone he
passed in the bullpen. He knew he was grinning like a man who had just been
laid, but he didn't care. Though he'd been in D.C. for only a few days, the
other profilers greeted him like he'd never been away. As he passed Billie,
Stebbing's secretary, she stopped him.
"These are for you, Agent Krycek." She smiled and pointed to a large crystal
vase, about 3 times the normal size, holding a bouquet of tall, colourful wild
flowers.
Thanks." He said. Grinning to the young woman. He scooped up the vase and
carried it in the crook of his arm to his desk. Once there, he arranged the
monstrous crystal piece and its sweet smelling contents in the corner of his
desk, then sat himself. Plucking the card from the centre, he opened the cream
coloured envelope and read the text.
It said simply:
"Welcome home,
Impressed, Alex smiled and replaced the card. There was no name attached, but
he was confident that Fox had sent them. Alex was just about to pick up his
phone to thank Mulder when Juan Rodriguez stepped up to his desk.
"Oh, flowers." The good-looking, very married Latino man teased. "...Women
are sending 'you' flowers. How pretty. Who are they from?"
Alex blushed; everyone was waiting to hear what he was going to say. "This is a
new century Juan. Women 'do' send men flowers you know. If you must know who
sent them, I'll tell you. Your wife, she says she missed me while I was gone."
Juan stared hard at Alex for a second then laughed. And Alex joined him.
"Well then, maybe you're the father of the kid she's carrying. You can pay the
bills for him when he's born."
Alex's eye's shot up in surprise. "She's pregnant again?"
Juan nodded.
"You know, " joked Alex. "They do know what causes that these days."
"Ahh... but you know us Catholics. Birth control begins with old age." Juan
grinned. "Welcome back, Krycek." He said, not expecting a reply to who sent
the flowers.
Right after Juan had gone, Alex felt the short hairs on the back of his neck
stand up. He spun around in his chair slowly and saw that Walter Skinner was
standing in Jack's office across the bullpen staring out the window at him
intently. The look on the older man's face was inscrutable. So Alex just
glared back at him. His stomach turned over and suddenly his hands were cold.
Skinner was watching him too closely for comfort.
Finally Skinner winked and kissed the air then he pulled the cord sharply and
the metal slat blinds fell close.
Alex stared at the window blinds; he knew that it was bound to happen; he and
Skinner running into each other. He just wished he had been more prepared for
it. The sudden appearance of his abuser drudged up way too many painful
memories. Memories that were so fresh, scabs had barely formed over them yet.
Alex tore his gaze away and tried to concentrate on his work. Though he had
been interviewed and had discussed the library bombing case extensively, he was
not an official member of the investigative team. The bomber being obsessed
with him automatically excluded him.
That Night In Bed
Alex rolled off of Mulder, he was hot and sweaty, just like their lovemaking
had been. He handed Fox a plush hand towel. "That was incredible, Fox." He
stretched and yawned; Mulder acknowledged the sentiment by agreeing with his
lover. "Thanks for the flowers by the way. They really had every one in the
office wondering who my mystery admirer was." His smile, cloaked in the
semi-darkness of the bedroom night slowly disappeared from his face when
memories of the office and the flowers came to mind. He could still see
Skinner standing there, just watching him.
The older man's predatory gaze had suddenly claimed Alex's good mood that day.
"I'd like to take the credit for sending you flowers, doll face. But I can't.
I didn't send them. Tonight's dinner and dessert..." Mulder elbowed
his lover gently when he said 'dessert'. "...was my way of welcoming
you back."
Alex turned his head and looked at Fox.
Mulder met his gaze; their eyes already adjusted to the dim room.
"Then who sent them? Gramma? I talked to her today; she didn't mention them.
Who else would send me flowers?"
"Your stalker?" Half-whispered Mulder.
"Shit! I never even thought of her." Alex said grimly. He couldn't believe
it. He had been so sure that the delivery had been from Fox that he didn't
even consider another possibility. Now he was going to have to turn this
little information byte over to Madison. Who would then have to check out the
flowers, where they came from, who delivered them...
There were a few seconds of silence between the lovers and, in those moments,
Chester jumped up onto the bed and settled himself on top of the blankets, next
to Alex's hip. He absently stroked the easily irritated tabby then cut into
the quiet by commenting. "You should move in, Fox. You going back to the
hotel every morning sucks all the fun out of spending the night together."
Mulder smiled, he had been living in the same large suite at the hotel since
leaving Skinner. He was too busy to even find his own apartment. Though if he
had, he wouldn't have had any furniture to put in it anyway. "I'd like that."
He said. "I'm paid up until the end of the month at the hotel, so I may as
well stay there until then. Besides you've not even unpacked yet."
Alex chuckled softly. "I've got people coming in this week to help put things
away. Then after they're gone I'm going to have a crew of house cleaners come
through and get rid of the rest of the guy who was staying here. He took care
of things, but wasn't as clean as I would have liked. It's going to take two
days alone to scrub my oven out."
Alex rolled to his side and Fox followed his lover, spooning closely in behind
him.
The older agent draped his right arm casually over Alex's slim hip. He kissed
the back of his lover's soft neck and then whispered into the darkness, "I'll
move in at the end of the month then."
No longer sleepy, Alex patted the back of Mulder's hand that rested on him.
"We'll pick out new furniture together and make it our place." He said,
remembering that Fox had not really done that before.
"Mmmm. Our place." Murmured the older man, then he was asleep.
Though Alex was tired, he couldn't fall asleep, visions of Skinner and the rape
were there, waiting for him every time his eyes closed. In Alaska, he had
suffered the nightmares on a regular basis. When he started to fit in at work,
the dreams decreased dramatically, only pestering him every once in a while.
But as soon as he had returned to DC they'd come back, and this time, with a
vengeance. The distorted, violent pictures flooded Alex's brain...
Seeing Skinner today was only going to make things worse.
In the few hours before dawn, Alex's lids fluttered closed, this time remaining
so.
Friday Morning, 7:00 AM
Alex pulled into his usual parking space. At this early hour, the lot was
almost empty, only a few dark toned sedans sat in the spaces. He stepped out
and slammed his door then turned and started toward the security elevator.
Alex entered the code into the pad then pushed the up button. He heard
footsteps approaching from behind and just as he turned to see who it was, the
person was on him just as quick.
Walter Skinner slammed Alex's back against the steel elevator doors.
Alex brought his hands up and grabbed his assailant by the lapels intending to
shove the larger man away from himself.
But the AD had anticipated the move and pushed Alex harder into the doors,
which absorbed none of Alex's impact, sending a jarring shudder coursing
through the younger man.
Skinner pinned Alex so that he couldn't even move. "I see you got my flowers."
His breath smelled like coffee and it turned Alex's stomach. He tried to
struggle, but he was too firmly subdued. "Did you like them?" he smiled the
same predatory grin he had given Alex the day before.
Alex swallowed hard and fought down his fear. He could feel Skinner's erection
pushing hard into his lower abdomen. He spoke in an icy tone. "I did
like them, when I thought Fox had given them to me. You remember my boyfriend
Fox, don't you? He's the man who dumped you for me." Alex sneered at Skinner
then, gloating and winning a fleeting moment's worth of triumph.
Skinner scowled, but before he could reply, the elevator doors opened and Alex
stumbled backwards into the lift. He stood up straight and once again glared
at the big man, who was now smirking at him. "Take the next one; you're not
getting in here with me." Alex hastily jabbed the floor he wanted then the
door's shut button. His throat was dry and he knew he sounded nervous but he
didn't care; he'd had to get away from the menacing AD.
Walter stood back; making no attempt to ride the elevator up with Krycek. He'd
really only wanted to freak Alex out; his jealously and lust for the younger
man had dictated that he unbalance the cocky agent who had stolen his lover
away. Judging by the unsettled look gracing Krycek's beautiful face, he had
made his point.
4 Days Later
"Here it is, Agent Krycek." The secretary handed a thick, sealed file to
Krycek. He took it from the woman and signed her log. Alex said goodbye and
left the basement office. He walked further into the bowels of the J. Edgar
Hoover building, finally stopping at a remote and silent corner to examine the
contents of the file folder. He was in the open-records section of the
building, deep underground. The section had floor to ceiling shelves and
housed hundreds and hundreds of sturdy boxes packed full with files and ancient
evidence to cases too long past to probably ever be solved. Every now and
again, an agent would come down to the deserted aisles seeking a connection or
more information to a case currently being worked.
Alex had gone there so he could be alone.
He found a chair hidden among some ancient evidence waiting to be entered into
the computer system. The file Alex had was of his family's murders. He had
read the particulars on his computer, over and over again. The quadruple
homicide was entered into the database. However, he had never seen the photos
from the crime scene. Lately he couldn't get his sisters out of his mind;
their birthdays were approaching. His sisters' death and Skinner's harassment
weighed heavily on his fragile mind. Alex wasn't sleeping very well despite
having his lover there to hold him close and comfort him during the night.
Dark circles were starting to show under his eyes. He knew Mulder was worried
about him, but his lover could not control his nightmares.
Add to that a crazy stalker whose identity still was not known and it was
little wonder that Alex managed to get the few hours of rest at night that he
did. The compulsion to see the 'real' destruction Turner Gallagher's pals had
caused finally got the better of Alex. Soon, Gallagher would be ready for yet
another parole hearing, Alex planned on being there again to keep the man who
spared his life in jail. Though, soon Alex was going to have to give up
fighting anyway, Turner Gallagher would be free in fifteen months regardless of
Alex and his grandmother had to say.
Skinner especially got to him. For the last four days the older AD had
cornered him several times startling Alex each and every time. Now, the young
agent jumped at every sound loud or soft. He couldn't even begin to fathom why
the AD was risking his career to sexually and psychologically harass him. The
AD could be fired for it, but the large man was right when he laughed softly
and declared that Alex wouldn't dare turn him in. So for now his only choice
was to put up with the derisive tongue and invading hands of his superior.
Alex slit the seal over the file with his pen but he did not open it right
away. He asked himself first,
Do I really want to see these?
His silent reply to himself was,
No. But I have to. Not knowing is killing me more.
Finally, he flipped the folder open.
A large colour photo of his family sat on top; the five people in the photo
seemed incredibly young in this last, complete picture of the Krycek family. A
professional had snapped it only three weeks before the murders.
Alex's eyes welled up as he ran a single finger over the faces of his loved
ones. Suddenly he jumped up quickly. "Fuck." He swore aloud. "One fucking
picture and I'm already a basket case." He paced around for a few seconds
collecting himself. Finally, he sat down in the tucked away cubicle and picked
up the stack of glossy photos. He thumbed through the set five times before
dropping them to the desktop. He hung his head and buried his face in his
hands.
"What's the matter, Alex? Reliving the past?"
Skinner's voice spoke directly into his ear. His deep baritone was not
friendly.
Alex jumped. But before he could get up and out of his chair, Skinner's hand
had snaked around his throat and clamped down tightly around the delicate skin.
Walter smiled and quietly inhaled the younger man's scent. He smelled of
coconut shampoo and men's Burberry cologne. "I was in Vietnam you know, I
joined the forces when I was 17. Back in the good old days, they taught a
soldier how to kill a man in three moves or less. One twist of my wrist, and
you're pushing up daisies. Just like the rest of your family." Skinner darted
his tongue out and probed Alex's ear. His cock was hard as he squeezed the
soft flesh of Alex's throat. Restricting but not cutting off the younger man's
air.
Alex couldn't believe that he had not heard the older man sneak up on him like
that. He was even further distressed when he realized that he was sitting
with his back to the door. How could he have been so crazy as to sit in a
deserted area of the J.E.H to read an old file that no one cared about anyway?
And now here he was caught alone with a man who had already raped him once.
His heart raced and his chest rose and fell at double time.
How could one man get to you like this? Alex asked himself, his answer
was, because he can kill me in three moves or less.
He didn't doubt for one second that Skinner could kill him, perhaps he would
in the end.
Nevertheless, Alex would not simply roll over for this man, no matter what the
threat. "Back the fuck off, Skinner!" He whispered angrily.
Still directly behind the seated man, the AD laughed harshly then bent down and
kissed Alex's cheek.
"Alex... Alex... Alex... your tone of voice says one thing but your body tells
another story. I can feel your blood pulsing through your veins. Any faster
and your carotid will pop." Skinner pressed his thumb hard against Alex's
artery momentarily rendering the agent paralyzed. "I can take you,
Alex...whenever I want. Anywhere, any place. Fortunately for you I'm here
for a box today, not to fuck." He reached up and grabbed the handle of a small
box labeled, 'Winston'. Then he blew in Alex's ear and licked up the side of
the green-eyed man's face.
Alex couldn't move, whatever Skinner was doing to him with his thumb was
disabling him. The older man's tongue on his skin disgusted him. Finally
Skinner released him and Alex listened to the man's retreating footsteps. He
turned around finally and stared at the deserted aisle. This was a hard lesson
that he'd had to learn. Alex realized that he needed to be ready at all times;
he took a good hard look at his surroundings. No wonder he seemed to always
wind up the victim. Here he was, a dangerous, obsessive stalker and an equally
obsessive superior both trying to get a piece of him and he had made it easier
for them.
Sitting in a remote, cramped dark basement that's good, Alex...real
smart!
Alex cut the argument going on in his brain off. He used to consider himself
smart, but lately, he'd been nothing but stupid.
No more!
His resolve firmly established, Alex picked up the file and made his way to the
elevator, intending on reading the file again at his desk.
9:00 PM That Night
Mulder stood silently watching as his lover chewed the sides of a pencil
that was perched length wise in his even white teeth. Alex was obviously deep
in thought about something. Fox could see a file lying open on his blotter.
He walked through the darkened room. Alex's desk lamp was the only source of
bright light. Mulder laid his hand on Alex's shoulder and said, "Hey,
handsome, come here often?"
Alex's entire body coiled inward tightly, but an instant later, as soon as he
had heard his lover's voice, he relaxed again. He turned in the chair to face
him.
Fox saw Alex's wide eyes and despite the genuine smile on his face, the moment
of fear was not hidden in the deep green depths. "What's the matter, hon?"
"Fox." Alex husked. His lover was just whom he had wanted to see. For just a
fraction of a second, Alex had thought that the AD had sneaked up on him again.
The AD's mind games were starting to get to him; he was saw danger lurking in
every shadow now. But then his lover's melodic voice broke through the fear.
Fox was here; Fox wouldn't let any one hurt him, especially Skinner. "Boy, am
I glad to see you." He pulled his lover down to his level and gave him a
passionate kiss.
Mulder sank to his knees and rested between Alex's legs. Alex's features
changed and now all he could see on the beautiful man's face was lust. Fox
grinned and then returned the kiss. He pushed the younger man's body back so
that Alex was leaning comfortably in the chair. Fox continued to kiss Alex,
uncaring and unworried some one would see them. Everyone in this office had
cut out ages ago.
Everyone except for Alex.
He cupped his lover's burgeoning hard on and jammed his tongue further into
Alex's eager mouth. Horny, Mulder gave the sensitive balls another tight
squeeze then he pulled back and slightly away from his lover. He was still
perched between Alex's legs but he was no longer pushing him into the soft
padded back of the chair.
"Every time you want to avoid a topic, you kiss me. Not that I'm complaining,
mind you."
Alex interrupted..."I just wanted to kiss you, Fox. I haven't talked to you
all day. I missed you." He chewed on his lower lip, and gave his lover a
sideways glance, blinking his lashes seductively.
Smiling, Mulder knew full well what Alex was up to... he was still trying to
change the subject. "Well, I missed you too. Which is why I kissed you back.
But you still haven't answered my question. What's wrong? For a second there,
you were afraid. Then you saw it was me and you relaxed." Mulder ran his
hands up Alex's strong thighs. "What is it, Alex? Tell me."
Alex chewed harder on his bottom lip, this time unintentionally enticing Fox.
Secrets... again with the secrets He thought.
While Alex contemplated his reply, an unseen observer stood in the shadows.
The watcher had been there for a while and watched as the two men kissed
passionately then came apart.
April stared angrily at the two men, her face a mask of rage. She had just
come into the bullpen when the door opened behind her almost immediately. She
jumped out of the way silently, and observed Fox Mulder as he watched Alex.
She cloaked her presence from both men by sliding around the dark side of a
large cement pillar. Coming upon Alex this way was for once, an accident. She
couldn't believe it, only home a few weeks and that invading vampire Fox Mulder
had already moved in on her man.
When did he appear? She asked herself.
I knew he was mind-controlling Alex. Well, time to make Agent Krycek
disappear.
For the past two weeks she had been refurbishing a room in what was formerly
her family's house. April had grown up in the large colonial, but her parents
had sold when she left the nest. The aging couple didn't need such a big home.
The current owners of the colonial were away in Europe for six months. They
had hired her to watch the place only a couple of weeks before, unaware she
used to live in the rapidly aging house.
The room April refurbished was small and tucked away, off of the dark laundry
room in the basement. Little more than a glorified walk in closet, it had been
used as a temporary hold for illegal whiskey in the hungry thirties. The
secret hiding place had a smaller than average toilet nestled between the wall
and a minute sink perched atop a claw-footed chrome base. April had purchased
a single mattress bed that just fit in the room with only a couple of feet to
spare on either end. The room was not that much bigger than a jail cell with a
ceiling height of 7 feet.
April slammed the door she had made herself and slid the iron bar she had
welded in place. Her mother had told her that men had once hidden out in this
secret room. The door was a small opening in the laundry room wall, an entrance
way so small, that April could hide it by rolling a large bookshelf in front of
it.
"Well..." she said out loud. "...it's going to follow tradition and hide
another man."
The young woman honestly believed that she was saving Alex Krycek from Fox
Mulder and others like him. She planned on taking Alex and deprogramming him.
She thought that Mulder was controlling Alex as if Mulder was some diabolical
cult leader. She knew that if she could only have him alone, her green-eyed
lover would denounce men, and turn to her. April Gallagher had lost her feeble
grasp on sanity. Now she lived only to drag Alex down with her into her own
deep dark personal madness.
Soon, April was going to try and take Alex, before the stupid feds figure
things out and come knocking on her door. She forced her thoughts away from
the fun she and he reluctant lover would have, and concentrated on the here and
now...
Mulder and Alex...
Secrets had always got Alex into trouble; it was time to admit to Fox what had
been happening. "It's Skinner, Fox." Alex finally said. He studied his lover
closely, worried of how he would react.
Mulder's features clouded over and he frowned, but otherwise, he appeared
calm.
"What about him." Came the tight-voiced reply.
Alex hesitated for a second, ashamed to admit that he was beginning to be
spooked all over again. "Well, he's really freaking me out.
He's...he's...cornered me a few times." Alex didn't like the dark look looming
over Fox's face; he hurried out with the rest. "Skinner intimated that he'd do
it again...rape me that is." Finished Alex in a whisper. He looked directly
into Mulder's eyes, seeking re-assurance. "I'm afraid, Fox, and I'm ashamed to
admit it to you." Sighed Alex. He lowered his eyes to his carpet beneath his
feet.
The comments froze the agent midway through his growing rage. He suddenly
realized that this wasn't about him. It was about Alex and how he was afraid,
afraid and ashamed. He berated himself silently and reaching out he pulled
Alex to his chest and hugged Alex tightly. "I'm so sorry, doll face."
"I know." Alex snuggled closer to his lover. He felt safe again, with Fox by
his side; he'd handle Skinner somehow.
"I can't help but get crazy with jealousy." Mulder squeezed tighter.
"I know...It's why I love you, Fox. For some crazy reason, you think I'm worth
the trouble." He tilted his face up towards his slightly taller lover.
Mulder whispered, "I love you." Very softly then pressed his lips to his
beloved's.
Nope, Alex was hers and it was time to bring him home.
Doll face? She didn't know if she had heard Mulder right or not.
Hmmm. Doll face...I like that. It suits him.
She quietly snuck back out of the dark room. Her job was to clean the entire
floor tonight, but instead, April walked out in the beginning of her shift.
The consequences of her doing so no longer mattered.
"You're not alone anymore, Alex. Together we will figure out what to do about
Skinner." Mulder kissed the tip of Alex's nose.
The younger man smiled; the resulting contented grin was full of love for the
older Agent. "Let's go to my place. I need a good cuddle." Alex quickly
cleared the top of his desk and then locked all of the drawers.
"Well, I'm always up for a little snuggling." Mulder watched Alex as
straightened everything left on his desktop. The young agent picked up the
garbage can and emptied it into the next desk's can. "Don't you have a janitor
who comes in to do that?" He asked.
"Yeah." Replied Alex over his shoulder. "But she's freaky and I don't want
her near my stuff."
Mulder shrugged and Alex turned off his lamp.
Fox playfully screamed. "Unhand me you, cad." He said in a falsetto voice.
Alex laughed and grabbed Mulder's elbow, the bullpen was dimly lit and as soon
as his eyes adjusted, he said, "Stop fooling around. Let's get out of here
before she shows up."
"This place is a wreck." Declared Mulder, not caring that his own hotel suite
was in worse shape. Soon, he'd be moving in with Alex and Mulder couldn't
wait.
"I know. The cleaning service keeps jamming out on me, they promised to have a
crew of maids here tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath." Alex looked
around; all his stuff had been unpacked. Unfortunately, the people who had
done the unpacking for Alex had left a big mess. Prints on the carpets, dirt
on the walls. Alex's apartment needed a good sanitizing.
"Well then, let's go dirty the sheets."
"I do the laundry, Fox, not the cleaning ladies." Commented Alex absently; he
wandered over to his balcony doors and looked skyward.
Mulder stared lovingly at the rear view of Alex's form for a few seconds.
Then he shut the lights out in the living room and went to his lover. He
wrapped his arms around his waist; the two of them were back to chest, standing
in the dark. Both gazed out at the view for a few seconds content to be close,
but not satisfied with that for long. Mulder bumped his hard-on into Alex's
ass. "Come on, doll face, let's go to bed, we both have early starts the rest
of this week."
Alex turned around in Fox's arms. "How come you call me doll face?" He asked,
curious. "I'm a man, in case you haven't noticed. Doll face is for women."
He rested his cheek against Mulder's shoulder and neck and listened to the
comforting 'thump' of his love's heartbeat.
"Because my sister had a Ken doll to go with her Barbie. He had deep green
eyes, just like yours. Malibu Ken turned me on. It was then that I knew that
I liked boys more than girls." He kissed the top of Alex's head and led him
toward the bedroom, quipping, "Ken was my first crush."
Friday Morning, 8:00 AM
"Alex, the phone is for you." Mulder held the kitchen phone out at arms length
and shoved in a large piece of English muffin into his mouth.
Alex came running from the direction of the bedroom, putting on his suit jacket
as he went.
"It's Dave, the door man." Mumbled Mulder around another bite of his
breakfast.
Alex smiled and took the receiver. "Hey, Dave." As Alex spoke, Mulder took
the opportunity to straighten his tie, clucking because Alex's sense of centre
was so off. The two of them were both running late this morning, the result of
staying up all night screwing.
Mulder yawned then satisfied to Alex's appearance; he muttered, "My job here
is done." He released Alex's tie.
"No. I'm on my way down. Have them wait there and I'll give her the key then.
I want to meet them first." Alex hung up. "The elusive cleaning ladies have
finally showed up. Come on let's go, we're late...again." On the way out,
Alex snagged a banana for his own missed breakfast.
April was keeping a close eye on Alex's apartment from across the street. She
sat a small table in a curbside coffee cafe. She sipped her iced coffee and
watched as Alex—plainly visible through the apartment buildings glass front—gave a key to the cleaning ladies. There were four of them. Alex took off
with his 'lover'—that word left a bad taste in her mouth.
She decided to stay and see what was going on. Obviously, they were there to
clean Alex's apartment. The large pink mini-van was a give-away. The doorman
directed three of the women into the elevator. One pushed a giant cart in which
mops and brooms and an extra long duster stuck out of colourfully, like a
peacock's tail. The other two, carried baskets brimming with various cleaning
supplies. The door closed and the women started up. The fourth lady went back
to the company van and moved it to a spot in the secure underground lot.
April saw her way of getting into Alex's apartment building un-noticed.
She left the pleasant cafe and quickly climbed into her car and drove across
the street, where she loitered near the parking garage. It didn't take very
long for the heavy steel barred gate to lift up. Out came a black BMW and
April quickly pulled from the side of the road into the driveway. She drove in
as the car drove out. The pink van was easily spotted in the visitor parking.
April pulled into a spot three spaces down from the garish vehicle. Her bug
was dwarfed between a carpet cleaning van and was cut off from view from the
street by the cement wall. The crazy young woman sat in her car for a few
minutes making sure the coast was clear. She finally got out and went to the
van. She smiled; stupid women didn't lock the doors. They probably thought
that their van was safe from thieves.
Well, this will teach them that crime occurs in every neighborhood.
April climbed inside the van. When she emerged a few minutes later, she had
everything she needed. The resourceful young woman had found a uniform smock
and a spare I.D. tag that read, "Express maids employee." There was a place
for a signature but luckily a picture was not required. After all, who would
imitate a house cleaner? April left her car where it was... she would need it
later. After donning the pink smock the young woman steered the cart she had
stolen from the van over to her car. She removed a black canvas bag from the
hood and squirreled it away on the cart. On the elevator ride, the very
disturbed woman studied her apparel in the polished steel doors. She
definitely looked like she was part of the cleaning party. The elevator opened
up at the lobby, something April wasn't counting on. As soon as the doors
opened a camera took her picture. She wasn't counting on that either.
"Hey, the rest of your troupe has already gone up." The doorman said amicably.
He helped her out of the elevator and got her into the other elevator that
would take her up to the apartments.
"I know, I'm sooo late today. I hope I don't get fired." April smiled at the
homely man, who returned the grin.
"I certainly hope you don't either."
As soon as the doors shut, she dropped her smile. April had no intention of
getting near Alex's apartment. She stepped off the elevator and quietly pushed
her cart to the stairs exit. Safely hidden away, April settled in and waited
for the ladies to finish.
Exactly two hours from when they had arrived, the women stepped back into the
hall. April, hidden in the stair well, watched them until they the elevator
took them away. She could only hope that Dave the attentive doorman did not
notice that she didn't leave with the others. April used a key to Alex's
apartment that she had come across one night while snooping through his desk
drawers at work. It was taped to the top, inside of his middle drawer. Once
the door was open April pushed the cart in then followed it.
Fascinated, April walked around the entire apartment touching this and that,
gently running her fingertips over Alex's things as if caressing them was
somehow the same as touching her precious Alex. She went to pet the large
tabby cat perched on a bare bookshelf near a sunny window, but the cat hissed
at her and ran away.
"Flea bag." She muttered.
After exploring the whole place, April started to set up. If Alex came home on
time, he'd be back at 6:00 PM; however, he could be later or even earlier, it
was best to just be ready. She pulled the bag out from the cleaning cart;
there was quite an array of toys in her bag. To the apartment she had brought:
handcuffs, a black leather blindfold, a ball gag to match, pepper spray, a
replica police night stick and a ziplock baggie.
Inside the plastic was a white cotton rag that had been pre-soaked with her
homemade version of chloroform.
April had stuffed the sweater she had been wearing into her bag before
replacing it with the cleaning company's smock into the canvass bag and inside
the pocket of the sweater was her J.E.H. Building Employee I.D. tag. April
left the room to stow the large cart in which she would hide Alex out of sight,
on the veranda.
Chester, the tabby, nosed through the black bag his eyes were caught by the
shiny plastic laminate tag. He bit the corner of the tag and ran to his
favorite sleeping place—a cushioned cat house in the corner of Alex's
bedroom. Chester dropped the shiny tag in the centre of his pillow, circled
several times, seeking just the right position. Then he dropped down on top
of the evidence and settled in for his mid morning nap.
April came in from outside, she had just picked up the handles of the bag when
suddenly she heard the slide of a key entering the lock. With her heart
thumping wildly, April took off for the bedroom. She hid in the dark depths of
the walk in closet and while she waited, the quick thinking girl carefully
pulled on a pair of latex gloves and a set of swimmer's goggles. She pulled
out the pepper spray and the police stick and held one in each hand. She
didn't know who was coming into the apartment It didn't matter anyway; she
planned on ambushing who ever it was. To her deranged delight, April saw her
lovely Alex come storming into the bedroom, his back was to her and he seemed
to be searching through the nightstand drawer.
"SHIT-O-SHIT-O-SHIT! Where is it?" Alex pulled opened his nightstand drawer;
he was desperately searching for a file on a serial kidnapper that he was
supposed to present to his AD today. After tearing through the kitchen, Alex
remembered that he had last worked on the papers in bed last night. There they
were, right on top of everything else. He didn't remember shoving the papers
into the drawer, but then, he could have; Mulder, horny and demanding, diverted
his attention away from the kidnapper. He smiled.
"Alex."
Alex heard a woman's voice say his name softly. He whirled around immediately
and was greeted by a thick stream of stinging pepper spray. "Ahhhh..." He
screamed.
Despite being blinded by the liquid, he still attempted to draw his sidearm.
The goggles protected her from the pepper spray. She got in close and then
forced herself to club her beloved with the baton on the left the side of his
head.
Alex felt the burn of the spray and then a bright light exploded behind his
lids, but after that, Alex knew no more. His scrunched up eyes relaxed and he
crumpled to the carpet in a neat heap.
Previously
"DISMISSED." Skinner said pleasantly. All the people seated at the table
stood. Alex turned to Mulder and said quietly. "I forgot some paper work at
home. I'm going to need it when I meet with Jack later this afternoon. I'm
going to take off and get it." He looked at his feet, his discomfort at being
in the same room with Skinner was obvious to his lover.
Walter, as the AD in charge of the bombing case, had called the meeting. He
had asked Jack Stebbings to send Alex to the meeting at the last minute. The
young agent wasn't really needed. Walter just wanted to see him squirm...
Mulder too.
Along with Alex and Fox, Agent Madison and Scully were present too. Madison's
regular partner was needed elsewhere. Skinner saw the opportunity for Dana to
possibly reconcile with her partner, and assigned her to the case. Mulder
worked alone, he preferred it that way. Sean Matthew's, another profiler also
attended. He sat to Alex's left and Mulder, sat to his lover's right.
Throughout the briefing, Skinner slowly circled the table of agents.
To Alex, it felt as if the older man was stalking him, a king snake seeking the
unaware rodent.
Mulder eyed his former AD carefully; he knew damn well what the man was up too.
Skinner, by continuing to slowly circle, was trying to intimidate Alex. Many
people moved around while they spoke during meetings. Skinner's norm however,
was to stand at the head of the table and command the audience. His walking
around and around would seem like an innocent enough activity to the other
agents. But three of them would know better.
Alex tried to ignore Skinner's movements.
He kept silent through out the whole briefing, concentrating on keeping his
mind on the progress of the investigation, which meant he put up the AD's
annoyingly slow circle of the table.
Mulder however, could not ignore it.
"Okay." Fox said quietly. "I've got work to do here." He glanced to his
left, right at Skinner who was talking to Scully. Mulder frowned. "Why is she
here?" he asked, still staring at the duo.
Alex spoke and Mulder turned back to him. "Give her a second chance, Fox. You
gave me one." He smiled gently.
Fox blinked, his beautiful Alex had such a good heart. "No... it was
you who gave me a second chance." He countered, returning the smile.
"Please Fox. For me? Give it one more try."
"Okay, only because you asked me to. I'll see how she conducts herself on this
investigation." Mulder finally relented.
"That's my boy." Alex purred softly. It was only he and Fox and Skinner and
Scully left in the room. So he didn't care if the two of them heard him or
not. "I gotta go. I've got a huge day today. I'll try to phone you later."
He kissed Mulder's soft lips, lingered for a second or two, then pulled back
and left.
Mulder waited until he was sure his lover was gone before he went over to
Skinner and Scully. "Dana." He greeted in a tone just slightly warmer than
the chilly one he usually reserved for her.
"Mulder." She replied, in the same manner.
"I need to talk to AD Skinner. Can you excuse us please?" He leveled Scully a
look with out even realizing he was doing so.
The former partner understood the look and extended an olive branch. "Sure.
I'll phone you later?" She knew that Fox had something personal to say to the
AD.
"Okay. On my cell." Mulder smiled then turned his icy hazel glare to his
former lover. Scully left, shutting the door behind her.
As soon as they were alone, Mulder said, "Don't you ever lay your hands on Alex
again." Mulder didn't shout however, he kept his voice calm and even.
Skinner smiled evilly. "What's the matter, Fox? Jealous? I never even laid a
finger on him during the briefing."
Mulder ignored the AD's taunts. "You think I don't know what you're up to?
There was only one reason why Alex was here at this meeting today. It was so
you could mind-rape him all over again, this time with an audience looking on.
You wanted to provoke me... well... you succeeded. I'm telling you I'm not
going to put up with it, Walter. Alex told me about you cornering him. The
only reason why he hasn't hit you is because he doesn't want an insubordination
charge in his jacket on top of the reprimand you managed to stick in there!"
The large man smiled. So Alex was freaked out by being alone with him, but not
quite enough to strike out at him. Too bad, he could have made the
insubordination charge stick too. Walter stared at Fox's angry face and he
wondered what it was that Alex had that Mulder wanted. A year ago, Fox Mulder
wouldn't have stood up to him, now he was. That little whore must be really
good in bed. Walter wished he could find out; after all, the point to rape was
not reciprocation. Well, he'd never have the chance to find out. Because no
matter how much he enjoyed terrorizing the young agent, it was Mulder that he
ultimately wanted back.
"Touch him again... or try another brain fuck like today..." The irate agent
threatened menacingly, stepping in close to his former lover. Skinner's
grinning face pissed him off. "...I'll go to the Director myself and tell him
everything. I don't give a shit how I come out of this looking. All that will
matter is that you are a fag who bashes around his lover. I'll make sure your
career in the bureau is good and dead. And if the Director won't believe me
then I'll go to the fucking newspapers. I already warned you about this once.
Now, you've had your chance. The next time I won't be talking to you." He
stormed out of the briefing room, slamming the door after himself. During his
tirade, Walter had stayed silent, his face twisting into a mask of outrage the
only indication that Mulder had made his point.
The irate agent was glad that he'd had the satisfaction at least of seeing
that bald bastard's triumphant grin slide right off his face.
April couldn't believe that it had been that easy. How lucky for her that Alex
had come back for something. She didn't dare to remove the goggles; the smell
of pepper spray was still heavy in the air. The obsessed young woman stared at
her 'catch' through the acrylic. She dropped her two weapons and squatted down
next to Alex. She was afraid that she had hurt him more than she intended to.
His pulse was racing and there was a lump forming where she had hit him in the
head, but otherwise, he seemed okay. April flipped Alex over to his belly and
quickly cuffed his hands behind his back. The activity elicited a groan from
deep within the semi-conscious man's chest.
"You're going to be fine." Whispered April as she ran the tip of her finger
around the rim of Alex's elfin ear. Knowing that she was going to have to work
fast, she reluctantly pulled her hand away from her beloved.
There would be time to linger over his body later, when they were alone.
First, April rolled Alex onto his back and dug the prepared rag out from her
bag of toys. She pressed the pre-soaked rag directly over Alex's nose and
mouth. The unconscious man had no choice but to inhale the concoction. After
a five minutes, she pulled the cloth away.
Her break with reality was almost complete.
April Gallagher, shy young woman hopelessly in love with an unattainable man,
had ceased to exist. She was now, just April... able to do whatever she
wanted. After re-sealing the cloth in the ziplock baggie, she shoved it back
into the canvas bag. Next out was the disposable camera and a sharp bowie
knife.
April pulled a chair over from the corner of the bedroom and placed it next to
the prone man. Then she stood up on it and took Alex's picture from above.
She put the camera aside and removed the agent's expensive suit jacket by
cutting it off. Then she got back up on the chair and took another photo.
After each item of clothing was removed, the young woman had stood in the same
position and snapped a frame. Once Alex was completely naked, she posed him
provocatively and snapped another photo.
That one ought to drive Mulder crazy. Thought April. She licked her
lips at the sight of Alex's maleness. His ample endowment would bring her much
pleasure, she could hardly wait.
April took two more items out of the bag and repeated the rituals the same as
when she had been undressing Agent Krycek. She snapped a picture when Alex was
outfitted with the ball gag and then when he had the blindfold on. The black
leather was soft and supple, molding to the distinct contours of Alex's face.
Before putting the gag in Alex's mouth, April bent down and kissed his soft
lips. Then she sat back and studied her reluctant lover. He was in her power
now, hers alone to control in the games they would play. April's panties were
wet just seeing her stud trussed up in such a way. Afterwards, the
photo-session completed, April put Alex's black boxer brief shorts back on him.
Those, she did not need to cut off.
The pictures she had been taking were meant for Fox Mulder alone. They were
her idea of an insult. She wanted to make Mulder insane with jealousy, just as
he had her. Despite being crazy, April was still cunning. She knew Mulder would
come looking for Alex eventually, and when he showed up here, his only clue to
his where-a-bouts would be the pictures. That's all Mulder would ever see of
Alex again...she planned on keeping the agent for good.
It was time to go.
April placed the camera on the top of Alex's dresser, it was up to Mulder to
notice it. After double-checking to make sure her love was still out of it,
she quickly dashed out to the sundeck and retrieved the large cart hidden out
there.
It took the petite girl some maneuvering, but she managed to manipulate the
180lb man into the large cupboard like compartment almost the whole size of the
entire cart. As she was shifting Alex, his cell phone shrilled out, April
ignored the nuisance and left it where it was in the pocket of the suit. A
large garbage can sat at the front end of the cart and various solvents and
assorted rags perched atop the cart. April still wore the latex gloves, she
didn't want Mulder to find out her name too soon, they would eventually, she
didn't care if they did, she just didn't want to help them.
It was time to leave, with one last look around; April pushed the cart into
the hall and re-locked the door. She had planned an elaborate lie for the
doorman in case she ran into him, but as luck would have it, again, he was busy
outside the building helping a pregnant lady into a cab. He didn't even turn
around. Even if he did, the doorman would never have guessed in a million
years that he was witnessing the kidnapping of a federal agent.
Switching elevators quickly, April was in the underground parking before Dave
came inside. At her car, again she used all the strength her slight frame had—which was actually quite considerable—and stuffed Alex into the back seat of
the bug. She covered the handsome bundle that was Alex up with a dark gray
wool blanket. The she peeled off the gloves and the smock and stuffed them
into the garbage can on the cart, which she left behind. April of course, made
sure to take her canvass bag with her. She climbed into the bug and started
it. The ancient car sputtered to life and she took off.
Back at his desk, Mulder dialed Alex's cell again.
Still no answer.
He hung up and started going through the notes from the cop canvas at the
scene of the library bombing and the particulars of the fire at the Pirates
nest. He noticed that an old version VW was seen near the scenes of both fire
and bombing sites.
Could it be the perp's vehicle. Or just a coincidence? He asked
himself.
Mulder picked up his phone again and this time he dialed Alex's desk phone,
leaving a message for his lover there too. Knowing he was being a pain in the
ass, Mulder dialed Alex's cell one more time, he swore softly when the call
went unanswered. He left a message with the voice mail.
"Hey Alex, where are you? I might be onto something, call me." Mulder tried
Scully's phone, which she picked up on the second ring.
"Dana Scully." She said pleasantly.
"Scully? It's me."
"Hey Mulder, what's up?"
"I found a connection with the two cases, other than Alex that is."
"What is it?" She asked, sitting up straight in her chair. Scully could feel
the thrill of the hunt setting in.
"An older model black VW was seen across the street from the Pirate's Nest and
down the block from the library."
"Well, it's a weak lead, but still very plausible. Have you told anyone else
yet?"
"Well, I phoned Alex but he's not answering..."
Scully felt a small pang of envy course through her. There was a time when
Mulder would have thought of her first. She regretted her behavior before she
and Mulder split the partnership. But only because it was the root of their
separation. She still didn't care for Alex Krycek, but for Mulder's sake, she
would tolerate him. Scully didn't think that the sable-haired agent would be
going anywhere soon.
"...so then I thought of you." Mulder babbled on, unaware, of course, of
Scully's thoughts.
That made Scully smile.
"I guess I better phone Skinner and Madison to let them know. Jesus, Scully, I
hope this is the break we've been waiting for."
"Well we won't know that until we investigate." She said reasonably. "You
phone Madison tell him to start a re-canvass of the area around the bombsite.
Tell him I'll meet him there to help." Scully was all business now. "Is there
a mention of who placed the VW at the library?"
Mulder smiled, he'd heard Scully's voice. She was interested in the
twice-divorced Agent Madison. Fox conjured the man's face. Craggy, but
handsome. He'd give Scully a good run for her money. However, he did not dare
speak his thoughts to his former partner. "Yeah, a guy name Freddie, he lives
in a dumpster down the block, the exact location of the tin-condo is not named.
Mulder couldn't help it he laughed and so did Scully. The thought of Madison
and Scully searching through garbage to find Freddie was too much.
Suddenly it felt like old times again.
Scully stopped laughing. "I'll phone AD Skinner if you want." She offered.
"Thanks, that would probably be best." Mulder had other things to focus on
now. "I'll check the VW angle. Phone me when you anything and I'll do the
same."
After the two had said goodbye, Fox stared at the receiver. Alex was right, he
did miss Scully more then he realized. Maybe after this they could talk about
partnering again in the serial crimes unit.
He tried Alex's cell again and slammed it down in frustration when he got his
lovers husky, recorded greeting. Fox looked at his watch, it was 1:00 in the
afternoon already, where had the time gone? As usual he'd lost himself in a
case.
Of course! Thought Mulder, Alex is in the office with Jack and the
other profilers.
On Fridays, the profiling department always met and did a case by case review.
Sounding out ideas and theories to their peers, often helped with an
investigation. Barring an emergency, Alex would be in conference until at
least 5:00.
This wasn't an emergency, so Mulder decided it could wait until his busy lover
was done.
"Sean, where the hell is Alex?" Grouched Jack. He was pissed off; they were
waiting for Alex to show.
"I don't know Jack. He went home for a file. Last I heard; he was coming to
the meeting." Sean shrugged; he wasn't Alex's keeper.
"Fine. Let's get started then. I'll deal with him later."
Friday
Madison handed his cell phone to Scully. She dialed Mulder's number and he
organized his notes. They had just gotten a very lucky break in the case.
"Mulder. It's me." She said half excitedly. "Freddie turned out to be a
homeless guy who's got a slightly diminished capacity..."
"Shit..." Mulder cut in.
"No. Actually in this case it's good news..."
"No I mean shit... the computers just went. I was in the middle of eliminating
black Volkswagen owners when the error message..."
"Shut up and listen Mulder." Scully wrested back control of the conversation.
"Our guy Freddie, who lives in the dumpster, is a savant. His specialty is
number and letter sequences. He likes license plates, Mulder." Her voice was
hopeful.
"Get on with it Scully..."
"He gave us the year of the car and the license plate." She recited the
particulars to Mulder then finished the phone call by saying, "Go to the third
floor. Company geeks will be all over the computer problem. Maybe they can
help you run down that plate. Madison and I will meet you back at the bureau."
With that she hung up without saying goodbye.
Mulder immediately dialed Alex's cell. He wondered where Alex was when his
voice mail answered his call. He assumed that the meeting must have been
running late. The recorded Alex finished speaking it was Mulder's turn. "Hey
doll face, sorry to be such a pain in the ass with all these messages. I'll
make it up to you later..." That made Fox grin, "...any way, Scully and
Madison found the plate of a car that was near the bombing. The computers are
down so I'm off to find another way to run down the numbers. I'll talk to you
later. Phone me."
He hung up and went to find the computer geeks. Once he had, they advised him
to go to the cop shop and run the license plate numbers. The main frame wasn't
off line, just the building's computer system. Some geek in inadvertently
activated a virus while trying to hack into a hacker's personal computer.
FBI War Room
Madison, Mulder and Scully ate Chinese food and reviewed their papers. The
plate search turned up a name and a face. Elizabeth April Gallagher. Fox
mentioned to the other two that her face was familiar to him but not her name.
He said that thought she had cut and dyed her hair since she'd had her license
photo taken, but he was positive that it was the girl who had worked in the
cafeteria. Then she moved on to custodial work. "Now that I think about it.
It seems to me that everywhere we went, she seemed to show up. In the coffee
shop, the park, even at a sushi bar once. Alex said we saw her all the time
because she probably lived in the area, it was a trendy neighborhood."
"Are you and Agent Krycek screwing?" Madison asked incredulously.
Scully gasped and choked on won ton.
Mulder sat up straight and looked Madison straight in the eye. "And if I am?"
He said quietly.
Madison held up his hands, "And nothing. It's none of my business, but it
would have been nice to know that you were the mystery lover at the Pirates'
Nest. He should have told us Mulder, you should have told me."
"Skinner and I already knew." Scully defended her former partner. "Krycek
didn't want Mulder brought into this if it could be helped."
"But he is involved, you shouldn't be on this investigation Mulder. You're
part of it."
Scully looked between the two men. "Listen, Cam, I know this isn't exactly
what's in the rule books. But Mulder's name isn't important to the
investigation...not really, if it becomes so then I'll kick him off the case."
She raised a cinnamon eyebrow and smiled at Mulder.
Never the one to adhere strictly to the rulebook, Madison agreed.
"Now..." Sully said, "...give me that!" She snatched the photo from Mulder's
hand. "Jesus, you're right. It's the eyes, they're so... so... dead."
"I don't recall her." Madison piped in. Plucking the picture out of Scully's
tiny hand.
"So, where is Agent Krycek?" Madison asked, putting the photo down.
"I don't know. I haven't been able to reach him all day."
Suddenly, it hit all three agents at once. None of them had seen or spoken to
Alex since the progress meeting in the morning.
Mulder picked up his cell phone and searched out a number. Once he had it, he
pushed the dial button. He was calling Jack Stebbings'. Mulder looked grim
throughout the whole one-sided conversation. Finally, Mulder hung up. He
squeezed the back of his neck; the nigglings of a migraine were coming on.
"Jack says that Alex pulled a no show for today's profiler pow-wow. He hasn't
seen or talked to him all day." Fox was starting to really get scared.
"Okay. So no one has seen Alex this morning." Madison said rationally.
"Scully and I'll go to Gallagher's place, I'll phone Skinner. The warrants are
signed; we just needed a name with which to fill in the blanks. In the mean
time, I suggest you try to locate Agent Krycek."
While Madison filled in Skinner, Mulder drew Scully aside. "Scully, I'm
worried. What if she's the stalker? What if something has happened to Alex?
He usually tells me his movements throughout the day. Him not making that
meeting really scares me."
The tiny red head patted his arm. "Alex can look after himself." She
reassured. "I mean, he could have been called away out of town for a case.
Jack Stebbings' is a good guy, but he's got so much on the go, he could have
sent Alex out of town and forgotten. Let's not jump to conclusions...yet."
"You're right." Mulder didn't believe a word of it he was sure something was
wrong. "I know that name." He mused out loud. "I'm so fucked up with worry
that I can't remember anything right now!" He was frustrated, normally his
eidetic memory served him well.
"You need to calm down Mulder, your perfect memory will return then..."
"Scully, let's fly. The warrants are done, all we need to do is pick them up."
Scully turned from Madison to Mulder. "He's fine, Mulder. Keep in touch."
She instructed then left with the other agent.
Mulder took a deep calming breath. He cleared his thoughts... and then it came
to him. He remembered where he had heard the name Gallagher before. He took
off for Alex's desk. Once there, he picked the lock on the middle drawer and
pulled out the file Alex had on his family's murders.
There it was. In very small print. The name 'Elizabeth Gallagher.' The much
younger sister of Turner Gallagher. She wouldn't have been very old at the
time of the crimes. Only ten or so. Her brother was barely twenty-one when he
broke into the upscale New York apartment. Alex had only just turned fourteen a
few weeks before.
He slammed the desk drawer shut. The bullpen was abandoned. Had Alex realized
that the enamoured girl already knew who he was? Probably no or Alex would
have said so. Why was she working at the J.E.H? To see Alex? To keep a
close eye on the man who had made sure her brother stayed in jail for his whole
sentence? Most likely so then somewhere along the way, her focus shifted so
that her hobby became an obsession.
Mulder dialed Alex's home number. Impatient for the machine to start
recording. "Alex it's me. Were looking for Turner Gallagher's sister. She
goes by the name April. If you're home Alex, stay put. I'm on my way." Fox
grabbed Krycek's file and took off for his lover's place.
He couldn't stop the panic from creeping in.
Part X
"There is no Heaven or hell, Alex. Just the here and the now..."
Scully used the butt of her halogen flashlight to bang on April's apartment
door.
April wasn't answering.
The young woman's last known residence was located in a seedy part of
Washington proper. How Mulder could think that the woman lived in Alex's
neighborhood was beyond Scully. Especially with what the bureau would pay the
young woman to clean offices at night.
Stupid idiots. The agent mused, So in love they can't see the
ugliness of the world around them.
A pang of longing surged through Scully. It would be nice to be in love
again, she gave Madison a quick glance. He certainly seemed like an
interesting guy.
An unfamiliar voice spoke to the partners from across the hall; pulling Scully
out from inside of her head.
"She ain't home so you can quit pounding."
Agent Dave Madison showed the disheveled man a picture of Gallagher, "You know
this tenant? Elizabeth Gallagher."
"Yeah, she goes by April and she's one pepsi short of a six-pack..." Snorted
the autonomous neighbor, he noted the hard stare from both agents and cleared
his throat.. "...Yeah, I know her so what if I do?" Taking on a defensive
tone.
Scully immediately crossed over to the man. "You know where she went?"
"What am I, her secretary? I don't know where she's gone! She's like right
fucking out of it. Who knows where a space cadet like her would disappear to
anyway? I don't know and I don't care. I ain't seen her in two weeks
now and it's been the best two weeks I've had in this shithole...."
Scully scowled at the nosy neighbor and ignoring him while he was still
speaking, she turned to her partner. "KickitDave." She instructed.
The man pulled his head back into his apartment like a retreating turtle. He
wondered what shit the young woman had stepped into now.
Madison braced himself in the frame and one solid kick later the flimsy door
gave way.
The two agents entered the apartment and it was obvious to them that no one had
been living here for a quite while. The plants were almost dead and the air was
stale; dust motes, stirred up by the puff of fresh air made Scully sneeze. The
apartment was a complete mess; April had not washed a dish in months. The
majority of food in the fridge was spoiled and cockroaches ran freely through
the cupboards. Madison shuddered at the sight of the roaches, then he and
Scully split up, each slowly, searching through the tiny dwelling.
"Scully." Madison called from the bedroom. "You better get at look at this."
Dana stepped into the tiny room and froze. She stared up at the walls amazed.
Taking up one entire bedroom wall was a mosaic of Alex; created by using
hundreds of copies of the same picture of Alex. The large wall size picture
was the very same as it's tiny counterparts which made it up. The artwork was
astounding; neither agent could believe how life like Alex's grinning face
looked from a short distance.
The two approached the wall, and immediately, the effect was lost.
"Wow. It's Krycek." Scully finally breathed, leaning forward to examine the
smaller prints.
"Holy shit. This girl is talented." Madison scratched at the back of his
head; the accuracy of the effect was miraculous.
Scully pulled her cell phone from her pocket.
Friday, 10:00 PM—day zero
"Oh god, what's happening?" Alex murmured once he had finally 'come to'.
His head throbbed and his stomach threatening to eject its contents any second
now. The agent was less than impressed to find himself naked, face down on a
small, single four poster bed; his head hung partially over the end.
"You're safe now, Alex. I've rescued you." April was in the room with the
agent waiting for him to wake. She had been crouching in the corner near the
tiny doorway.
Alex fought the restraints; uncaring that the handcuffs bit into his wrists.
As soon as he heard the voice speak, he stopped struggling. Suddenly, Alex
recalled what had taken place back at his apartment.
This morning? Yesterday?
"Rescue me from what, April? Why am I chained? What's going on? Let me go."
He tried to keep the anxiety out of his voice and was mostly successful for his
effort.
The young woman walked around to the end of the bed. She squatted down right
in front of Alex. She smiled and then gently pushed back a lock of hair off
her agent's sweaty forehead. "I saved you from Fox Mulder. He's a filthy
demon who tried to seduce you away from me. He's brainwashed you somehow and
now I'm going to have to de-program you." She leaned forward and pressed a
kiss to Alex's wet forehead, in the very spot she had just cleared of sable
brown hair. "I need to keep you chained until I'm sure the demon that exists
within you is exorcised." April breathed in Alex's scent. So this was what
fear smelled like. Now she knew, the power that Turner had felt... Alex was so
pretty, so vulnerable.
"I can't release you, Alex. You're mine; we belong together. I'll get you
through this ordeal, I know what's best for you."
"There is no 'us', April. Do you hear me! There is no us and there never will
be." Alex's stomach spasmed and he started to heave over the end of the bed.
There was an ice cream bucket already there to catch the liquid.
As he vomited, April, who had only moved a little ways out of the path of the
waste, spoke. "Chloroform always makes one puke. Don't worry darling, you
will feel better tomorrow." She was pleased to see that the swelling lump on
her sweetheart's head had gone down some.
His stomach empty, Alex whispered hoarsely. "Tomorrow? What day is it?"
April captured Alex's face in here warm hands. "Today is the first day of the
rest of our lives together."
She kissed him again then, on his lips, the man's breath tasted like the
inside of his stomach, but she didn't care.
Alex did however, he protested and tried to pull away, but the young woman held
him firm. She wanted to taste all of her reluctant lover...what did a little
bad breath matter? April forced her tongue into Alex's mouth.
"It's me." Scully said automatically. "Where are you?"
"Alex's place. You?"
"I'm at Gallagher's last known. She's long gone. You better come over here
and check this place out."
"Why?"
"Trust me, you have to see this to believe it." Scully was creeped out by the
voyeuristic photos of Alex and Mulder that covered the other three walls. "Is
Krycek with you?" She asked casually.
"No...He's not here...I don't like it, Scully." Chester arched his back and
rubbed his cheek over Mulder's leg. The large tabby kept rubbing and threading
his way through the agent's limbs. Fox looked down, watching the cat, as he
spoke.
"Don't jump to conclusions." Krycek's giant portrait stared out at her and
Madison, wide-eyed and innocent looking. She could understand Mulder's growing
concern.
"Well he's not here and I've not spoken to him since this morning and he missed
the big meeting. Gallagher is not there...you do the math, Scully!"
"All right. All right. Listen. Check out Alex's place first and, if you
think he's missing then you had better call Skinner. He can assess the
situation or call Jack Stebbings, he can go to the Director or at any rate,
have a team on standby. We don't even know for sure he's missing...."
"I know that Scully. I've got a real bad feeling about this. I better go,
I'll see you in a bit. Okay?"
"Don't be long..."
Mulder hung up. He reached down to pet Chester; the cat had never been this
friendly toward him before. Though the feline had been slowly deigning to
allow Mulder to feed him and let him out.
Chester darted away quickly, but stopped running a few short feet and sat down,
staring expectantly at Mulder.
"Silly cat." The agent murmured as he turned away; then Fox forgot about
Chester.
He looked around the kitchen, neat as a pin. Same for the rest of the place.
The cleaners scrubbed the apartment down. If a crime had taken place here, it
wasn't obvious. He went to the answering machine and pushed the play button.
All messages were from him.
God, Alex is going to think that I'm a stalker next.
He turned and left the apartment. Obviously Alex wasn't there.
In the elevator, Mulder tried Alex's cell again. No answer, just the voice
mail.
Shit! Where is he?
Ignoring the ringing noise coming from the pocket Chester nosed the abandoned
suit, his master's scent was still in the fabric.
"Jesus Christ." Exclaimed Fox. He was standing next to Scully and Madison,
starring at the large picture Alex. "It's beautiful." He said finally.
"I wonder if it means anything?" Madison said, half-joking half-serious.
"I'm sure it does. We need a head shrinker to tell us what though." Scully
replied dryly.
"She's kidnapped Alex." Mulder forced his gaze away from his lover's gigantic
eyes. "I know it and there's too much evidence to say otherwise...."
"... And not enough to prove it. Dave and I have been all over this place we
couldn't find a trace of Krycek." Scully retorted sensibly.
"We already used our open warrants on this place. So she better be the 'one'."
Madison entered the conversation. "But for the record, I'm with Mulder; I
think Ms. Gallagher is our culprit too. A forensic team is on the way. If
Krycek was here, they'll know it." Just as Madison was talking about the team,
they had arrived. The leader of which, knocked and walked in simultaneously.
"O'Reilly." The expert said to Madison. O'Reilly entered the tiny living
space. "What a dump." He muttered to no one in particular. He stared at the
walls for a second. "If I'm not mistaken that's Alex Krycek's face on the
wall." He commented, again, to no one specific.
"Yes it is. Go over this place with a fine-toothed comb. We think this woman
is involved with the disappearance of agent Krycek." Madison nodded to the
expert, who walked away and started in on the task. He glanced at his watch
then reached into his coat pocket and retrieved the Polaroid's that he had
taken of the walls using his own camera. Madison gave to Scully who pocketed
the snaps.
The older agent turned and said to Dana. "...AD Skinner is aware of the
situation. He's going to work the administrative end of this and leave the leg
work up to up to us."
"I'm in on this too." Mulder insisted before going back into the bedroom for
one last look around. Mulder could not even begin to guess exactly how many
photos of Alex and himself there were on the four walls. He supposed that was
something the evidence people would find out. "Unbelievable." He said softly.
"I know." O'Reilly had come to stand next to Mulder. He had an instant camera
too and began to take more photos.
Mulder spoke to O'Reilly as the man worked. "That bitch. I know she has him.
I know it."
"Go back to the office Agent Mulder, we have a lot of work to do. I'll call
Madison as soon as we know something."
Back at Alex's apartment, the three agents discussed the case.
"We don't know that she's done anything wrong Mulder. For that matter,
Alex might not even be missing."
"It's one o'clock in the morning Scully. I haven 't seen or spoken to him
since yesterday morning. No one has. Where the fuck do you think he is!"
Mulder's voice had slowly risen and ended with him shouting at his former
partner.
Madison shot Scully a 'don't get him started' look, but she ignored her new
partner's glare. "Alex is a grown man, maybe he's out with someone else
tonight."
Madison sighed...why the red head would provoke Mulder, especially at a time like
this was beyond him. But they knew each other better than he did. Perhaps
this was their 'way'.
Madison knew that Mulder and Scully were partners before and that Krycek had
somehow come between them. However, that was all Scully would say on the
subject, and Dave accepted her words and left it at that.
Outraged, Mulder stood up. "If that's how little you think of Alex, not to
mention me... then get the fuck out of here Dana. Right now." Chester took
the opportunity to butt his head up against Mulder's shins
"No." Dana replied calmly. "I won't go."
Madison thought that the agent was going to tackle Scully; he looked that
angry.
"Some one has to play the devil's advocate Mulder." She glared to Madison,
silently calling him a chicken shit. "...Someone has too." Her icy
eyes cut into the older man.
"Hey." The gray templed agent said, holding up his hands. "Leave me out of
this."
"I'm telling you Scully, Alex isn't out with another man. He's not like that."
"NO?" Dana slowly got up from her chair and stood with her arms crossed,
staring up at Mulder.
Madison sat back and waited for the floorshow to start.
"If I'm not mistaken," Scully said her tone smug. "...The guy did start dating
you while you were heavily involved with another man."
Mulder's face clouded over. "I don't know why I let Alex talk me into giving
you a second chance." He stooped and picked up the cat. Amazed that the
portly animal allowed the contact; Mulder looked to Madison. "I want her off
this case. Obviously Agent Scully's heart isn't in solving it." He stormed
off toward the bedroom, cat still in his arms.
"And your heart is too involved." Dana yelled toward Fox's back.
"Hold on, both of you." Madison jumped up and tried to calm the flaring
tempers. But Mulder had already disappeared into the master bedroom. The
seasoned agent let him go. He sat down and gestured for Scully to do the
same. "Must you antagonize him?"
"Well, some one has to look at other possibilities...."
"...Unless we can come up with something concrete to say one way or the other."
Madison cut in.
"Hey, Scully, Madison you better get in here right now."
Both agents exchanged glances then stood and went to where Fox was. Once
there, they saw Mulder kneeling on the floor staring at a shiny piece of
plastic. He shot a triumphant look over his shoulder at the agents. "See," he
said angrily, "I told you Alex was in trouble. I need an evidence bag."
Madison pulled a small clear plastic bag from his suit pocket and went to where
Mulder was. He squatted down and stared at the ID tag. "Scully, get on the
phone, I want another evidence collection team here right now. It's Elizabeth
Gallagher...a.k.a. April, employee of the JEH. She's gotta' have Krycek."
"How do you know?" Scully asked, pulling her telephone out from her pocket.
Madison looked up from the tag. "Because this is her employee credentials I'm
staring at!" He snapped. His mind turning to what he was going to have to do
to get the missing agent back.
Scully frowned at her older partner but did not other wise comment. She dialed
her cell and left the bedroom to talk.
"She's been here, that bitch broke in." Mulder handed the evidence bag to
Madison who signed the sealed bag and pocketed it.
"You smell that?" Madison started to walk around the room. He rubbed his
eyes; they were irritated.
"What is it?" Mulder asked, looking around the perfectly neat bedroom. He
sniffed the air. "Pepper spray? Mace?"
"Something like that, that's for sure."
Mulder stopped sniffing the air, suddenly it came to him. "That bitch... she
sprayed him, that's how she subdued him."
"That would be my guess. Forensics will be able to test for it. We should get
out of here before we completely contaminate this scene."
Back in the kitchen, while the trio was waiting for O'Reilly to show up,
Madison questioned Mulder in depth about the housekeepers and the company that
they worked for.
"They were supposed to leave the extra key with the door attendant."
Scully, during Madison's questioning stood off to the side and watched the
seasoned agent work. She was amazed at how he had drawn the normally
combative Mulder out, put him at ease, and then effortlessly got the answers he
needed.
Madison's telephone rang just as he finished with Fox, who was anxious to start
kicking in doors searching for his lover. Madison hung up. "That was
O'Reilly, he's on his way over with part of his team."
"Good." Mulder said. He looked at his watch it was now 3:30 in the morning.
Although he was exhausted, there was no way that he would be able to sleep.
Not now, maybe not again until Alex was home again. He wandered over to the
balcony and stepped out into the warm summer air. He took a few deep, calming
breaths then looked skyward at the stars. Fox's eyes picked out an orbiting
satellite and as he watched it streak across the horizon, he wondered what was
happening to his lover at that moment.
Like any hot-blooded woman,
April crouched on the other side of the bars, blocking the half door. She had
been quietly watching Alex sleep for hours.
After he had puked, she had given him some orange juice that was laced with a
commercial sedative. Along with the juice, she also fed him a protein bar. He
ate the bland bar then swallowed all of the juice, complaining afterwards about
the bitter taste of the liquid. April smiled at her beautiful hostage then,
and put a single finger to his lips. "Shhh." She hushed. "It tastes bad
because I drugged it."
"Why am I here?" Alex asked between tightly clenched teeth; he was so
frustrated and angered by the entire situation.
"Because I took you. You're mine now, its time for you to forget about that
whore Fox Mulder. He can't love you the way I do. I'm saving you from all
that he does...from the evil that is inside of him. In a few weeks, I will
have gently excised him from your body then we can get on with our lives."
"You're nuts April. Nuts! Let me go now, before you get into more trouble.
You're not going to get away with this. Mulder will never give up searching
for me...."
"Hush, sweetie...I'm smarter than he is...by the time he does find you, you
will love me and not him. It's only a matter of time..."
"You mean you plan to try to brainwash me?" The captive man wondered what it
was about him that made think that he would ever fall in love with her. "Well
give it your best shot, lady, because I will never crack. I'll never love you
and I'll never say it."
April's indulgent smile fell away, betraying her displeasure. However, when
she spoke she did not raise her voice. "You'll fall in love with me Alex
Krycek or you will die trying." The predatory smile returned. "Go to sleep
now, darling, and in a couple of hours, we will talk again."
Though he fought it, Alex's eyelids grew heavy and the sedatives claimed his
consciousness.
"Mulder." Madison called softly. "It's after four am you should go home.
O'Reilly is here now. We should both go."
Fox turned slowly upon hearing his name. His eyes searched the living room
once he stepped back inside. "Where's Scully?" He asked finally.
"I sent her home like I'm doing to you."
"What about you?"
Where had the time gone? Mulder asked himself. He had been standing
and staring zoned out for over half an hour.
"Yeah, I'm off too. I need a couple of hours sleep, then I'll be fresh again."
"I can't go. I don't want to go." Mulder said. A gaping yawn escaped his
mouth, betraying him. He clamped his lips firmly together; pretending it
didn't just happen. "I have to stay in case Alex phones...."
Madison smiled; he'd never felt the kind of love that Mulder did for Krycek.
Dana had filled him in on the whole story from the affair to the Mulder/unknown
boyfriend split up to Krycek being transferred and Mulder and Krycek parting
ways before the one flew off to Alaska. Obviously, Mulder wasn't going to let
Alex go without a fight this time.
"Come on, Mulder, I'll buy you a coffee then because O'Reilly wants us out.
He's already pissed off that we've stomped all over this place. He's good,
Mulder, he'll phone when he has something. But other than prints, were going
to have to wait awhile for the results form hair and fiber." He led Mulder
towards the front door.
Mulder's Hotel coffee shop, 5:00 AM—day one
"If you don't get some sleep Mulder, you won't be any good to me or Alex when
it comes to this investigation."
Mulder gave the older agent a bleary grin. "So you're going to let me stay on
board?"
"Yes. But the minute I think your cracking I'll make you step back. Got it?"
"Got it." Mulder swallowed the last drops of his strong coffee.
"Dana told me the story of you and Krycek." Said Madison softly.
Mulder looked up from his cup, eyebrows raised. "Oh? And?"
"And nothing. It's not for me to say. I've strayed on way too many of my
former girlfriends. That's why I'm alone."
"I'd left Skinner mentally, long before I met Alex. I just didn't have the
willpower or the sense to leave him physically."
"Skinner?" Questioned Madison....He was pissed off that people were keeping
secrets from him...again. He'd have to deal with Skinner later.
Mulder gave Madison a knowing smile. He owed his former lover nothing.
"Ahhh...I see Dana only told you half of the story. Trust her to protect that
bastard. Here's the rest of it...."
Fox proceeded to fill Madison in on the rest of his and Alex's tale of secret
love and then, separation. Only skipping the part about Skinner raping Alex.
Two hours later, Mulder was laying on his bed desperately trying to stop sleep
from coming to him, but it was no use. Eventually Mulder's body stopped
fighting and gave in; his eyes feathered shut.
Time unknown—day two
"Alex." April was standing next to Alex's cot. She stared down at the
sleeping man and watched as his eyes blinked their way open. She had changed
Alex's position when he was out of it; now, he lay flat on his back with his
wrists and ankles cuffed to the corners of the metal bed frame.
Alex fought against the biting cuffs; his hands were already numb. He stopped
battling the steel bracelets when he noticed that April was standing before him
wearing all red lingerie`.
From bustier, to garter and stockings.
Her matching red lace panties were crotchless; the restrained man thought the
get up was more obscene than alluring.
"You think dressing like a whore in an Amsterdam window is going to make me
want you?" He spat angrily at the young woman.
"No, not really darling. But the lingerie makes me feel sexy. I brought
something else to help stimulate you with." She uncapped a small brown glass
jar, and scooped out a small amount on her finger. The petroleum jelly was
mixed with a liquid form of amyl nitrate. She smeared the homemade concoction
all around Alex's flaring nostrils and then worked in the last of the portion
into the short mustache whiskers just starting to show below Alex's nose.
Alex eyes blinked rapidly as the scent from the gel hit his olfactory sense.
And then to his horror, a rush of pleasure hit him in about the same time as it
took April to stroke Alex's member to life.
"OH GOD." Alex said, ashamed that the mad woman had made him erect.
The amyl nitrate or 'popper' kicked in fully, he could nothing but watch
helplessly as April tied up his balls and his cock with a long, suede bootlace.
She bound him up tightly and in such a way, that Alex's testes were pushed to
the very bottom of their warm sac. April had wound the lace around the space
between testicles and the base of the penis five times. The suede held up
Alex's now jutting, red cock, like the brass rings around a tribal maiden's
neck.
After she finished tying the suede lace, April commented on Alex's breathy,
heart felt, "OH God."
"There is no heaven or hell, Alex..." April prophesized, eyes on her task.
"...only the here and the now; and I'm your god."
Saturday, 3:00 PM—day two
Mulder was dreaming of he and Alex.
The two of them were standing outside a majestic cathedral; they were on the
stairs with other revelers, celebrating Scully's wedding to Dave Madison. The
pair stepped out of the church and a resounding cheer went up for the
newlyweds. Fox and Alex joined in with happy shouts of their own. Church
bells chimed their cheery sounds, Dave and Dana kissed and then the confetti
rained down and flew through the air. Showering Fox and Alex with colourful
bits of paper snow.
Fox was happy, he felt so good, so free. He turned to his lover, the reason
for which he lived. "Alex, I love you." Instead of Alex returning the
devotion, the green-eyed man frowned. His face once happy and full of joy had
changed to one bearing pain and sorrow.
"Help me, Fox. Please...." Alex implored.
The bells clanged louder, and before Fox could reply to his beloved, the church
bells switched to a telephone shrieking out. Mulder bolted upright in his
bed. He had dreamt of Alex begging him for help. The phone rang again and
Mulder realized what it was that had taken him away from Alex.
"Mulder." He barked half hoarsely into the bedside phone.
"It's Madison. I'm at the office, O'Reilly telephoned; he's got a prelim
report from both scenes. Be here in an hour."
"Prelim? What time is it?" Mulder glanced to where his alarm should be on his
bed stand.
Shit he thought, I let the batteries die again.
"It's a little after three."
"Three!" Shouted Mulder as he stood up and switched on the bedroom light. The
hotels black out curtains kept his bedroom completely dark, even during the
day.
"Three-oh-five, to be exact. And before you go thermal on me, I tried phoning
you twice already. You didn't answer.
Mulder scratched his scalp. "I'll be there by 4:00." He said, and then hung
up.
As he showered and dressed, all he could think about was the dream and what
was happening to Alex. Would April really hurt him? Mulder hoped not. He
clung to the knowledge that the young woman's older brother had not been able
to hurt Alex in the way his cohorts had the rest of his lover's family.
Perhaps April will turn out the same. The apple doesn't fall to far from the
tree.
As he drove to work, Fox berated himself for sleeping in so late and for
sleeping so solidly. What if Alex had tried to phone him too, and he didn't
hear the call coming through. Mulder started to worry that he had missed a
call from Alex. He had only meant to lie down for two hours, not an eight-hour
sleep. The whole day was wasted now. As he parked, Mulder conjured Alex's
pleading face, 'Help me, Fox,' the younger man had said.
Mulder truly believed that the plea had come directly from his lover himself;
that they could communicate on all planes was proof of their love for each
other. Once in the elevator, Fox pulled himself together as best as he could
and tried very hard to hide his growing anxiety...escalating toward full-blown
panic from the rest of the world.
"We've just conceived a baby, Alex." April dropped the lace to the floor and
climbed off of her prisoner. She squeezed her insides, smiling in the surety
that her body would create a child with her beloved. The young woman
unconsciously ran the palm of her hand over her flat abdomen, smiling down as
she spoke to Alex.
She saw him and yet she didn't .
Alex's beautiful face stared up at her, and April could see his bewilderment.
His features, the young woman could see clearly, but not his bleeding wrists
and ankles. No, those areas she ignored. As April gazed upon Alex, she told
herself that if in the end, if she couldn't get him to love her, then at least
she'd have his son or daughter to cherish the rest of her life.
Finally, having processed what April said, Alex broke the extended silence
between hostage and jailer. "What do you mean you've just conceived a baby?
Are you ovulating? How dare you..." He raged, "...you bitch...you psycho....
you've got no right to...."
"SHUT UP!" Screeched April at the top of her lungs halfway through Alex's
tirade. He kept up yelling, ignoring the angry young woman. As soon as he was
at the 'got no right to...' part of his speech, April went berserk. She
snatched the canvass strap off of the black bag and folded it in half then
started whipping Alex with it.
She hit him over and over again and eventually one end escaped her tight fist
freeing the metal clasp. The clip raked Alex's unprotected flesh, leaving a
raised and opening up the welt wherever it landed; one welt was dangerously
close to his right eye. The force of that particular blow cracked the orbital
bone below it. At some point during the beating, April had climbed on top of
Alex and straddled his waist; she had managed to do so without interrupting the
whipping.
Finally, the petite woman ran out of steam and she leaned back, away from her
captive, exhausted. Her chest rose and fell with heavy pants, the canvass
strap slipped from her fingertips to the cement floor and lay next to the suede
lace.
Alex opened his eyes, the right one was rapidly swelling and would soon be
closed again; his body stung all over. He too, was exhausted, only his fatigue
stemmed from trying to tighten his body to absorb some of beating. He looked
to the girl, and he could see that she was no longer 'connected'.
She was free falling into the depths of total madness.
Logically Alex knew that he should be trying to sweet talk her, to sympathize
with her, but he could not. The victim act had worn thin. He did not want to
bow to a woman.
Chauvinistic yes, but Alex's inner cave man dictated that he ought to be able
to best a woman. He had tried talking to Margaret Miller about the Riverbank
killings as she held a fellow agent hostage... that had failed miserably. This
time at least, it was only his life on the line. He was mentally unable to
accept the position of victim again. Alex stared hard up at April. His eyes
were green and glacier cold. "Get the fuck off of me you, skanky little
witch."
"Last chance, Alex, say it or I will have no choice. I can make you say
it with love or through the way of pain. It's up to you, my darling." Gone
was her anger, it had been replaced with dreamy eyed lover as she caressed the
bangs away from his sable brows.
"I don't love you. I never have and I never will. I'd rather die first."
The pretty woman's face suddenly reverted to anger. "Fine..." She jumped up,
off of Alex. "...have it your way." She put her hands to her stomach, as if
to protect the infant forming inside of her. "...I'll exorcise the devil that
is Fox Mulder from your mind then you'll be free to accept me in your heart."
She doubled checked the restraints, gathered her stuff, and then went to the
locked and barred door.
"You can't keep me, April. I'm a federal agent! They won't give up looking
for me...alive or dead! They will catch you—"
April paid the shouting Alex no mind; she slammed the door behind herself.
Frustrated, Alex yelled even louder as she pushed the rolling bookshelves over
to conceal the entrance.
"You're crazy! You won't get away with this..."
"That's what you think." Said the young woman softly, replying to Alex but
speaking to tummy. Ignoring her lover's shouts and threats, April left the
cold basement.
Day Four
Mulder paced outside the briefing room. Madison finally showed up and O'Reilly
trailed in the older agent's Stetson scented wake; the three of them entered
the room. Skinner, Scully and Director Anderson were already seated inside the
large room. Mulder scowled at Skinner and Scully, but managed to greet the
director decently. Madison sat next to Scully, while Mulder chose the chair
opposite to Madison, three empty places away from the Director who sat at the
head of the table and Skinner, who was to his immediate right.
O'Reilly stood at the other end of the table and started right in. "First
residence..." he flipped the lights out, and as he talked, he clicked slides.
"Elizabeth Gallagher. 227-2141 Gee St. There were no signs that Agent Krycek
was ever in that apartment. No prints or fibre found could be attributed to
him. However, a good case could be made for her being involved in his
disappearance." O'Reilly stopped at a picture of the wall-sized mosaic of
Alex. "The experts in profiling were really interested in the photo's of the
apartment." He turned the lights on, "Other than his photograph, I'm confident
saying that Krycek wasn't held there at any time."
"Speaking of profiling, where is Stebbings'?" Mulder asked.
Skinner replied. "Working overtime on catching Gallagher."
Mulder nodded stiffly and turned away from his former lover.
"What about Krycek's apartment?" Scully said, breaking the momentary silence
in the room.
"Now, that's where we find most of the evidence." O'Reilly pulled a rolling
bulletin/dry chalkboard to where he was standing; the dry board was blank.
"Well, here's the good news. We've matched the formula of the pepper spray
that was used in the assault, from analysing the agent's shirt collar to
ingredients found at Gallagher's apartment. In particular, a rare brand of
mace, the strongest available on the market. Luckily, the stuff only comes
from one company and only one shop carries it...she used a bankcard to pay her
grocery bill.... Which was itemised on the master roll, which the speciality
grocery store still had."
O'Reilly and Madison both could not believe their good luck when they'd found
that out. "Also, we can place Gallagher at the scene. We pulled a perfect set
of prints off of her FBI ID. We found hairs in the master bedroom. They match
the ones found in the suspect's known residence. Also, Madison came up with
video footage of Gallagher in the lobby of Krycek's building. The doorman
thought she was legit."
To Mulder, O'Reilly sounded like he was already testifying in court on the
case.
"It was just like you said Mulder, the cleaning ladies did a great job. But,
luckily, the crime must have taken place after they had gone. We found a small
amount of Krycek's blood on the same shirt as we got the spray from. We also
found an item that did not belong to the agent. A disposable camera. We
cracked it and developed the prints. It's not good."
O'Reilly turned the board around. Thirteen pictures, blown up to eight by
tens, were pinned to the light brown cork. The colour photos were put up in
the same sequence as they were taken. Madison swore softly and Scully
immediately looked to Mulder to gauge his reaction.
"Director Anderson..." O'Reilly glanced quickly to the most senior man in the
FBI, "...has ordered that details of these photographs do not go beyond this
room. Stebbings will view and examine them at length later on." O'Reilly
didn't really know what else to say.
Mulder stared; hardly believing what he was looking at. There were twelve
pictures of his lover being undressed—one photo at a time. By the twelfth
snap, Alex was naked. In the thirteenth, April had rested her cheek against
the unconscious Alex's, held the camera out at arms length and snapped one off.
She was taunting Mulder; the agent knew that. He covered his eyes then rubbed
at his temples. But otherwise, there was no other reaction from him.
"So it was her this whole time." Skinner said, interrupting the awkward
moment.
"Yup." Madison replied.
O'Reilly sat down and then it was Madison's turn to speak.
"April Gallagher's family has not heard from her in over two months, including
older brother Turner, incarcerated for attempted murder. She suffers from a
very complex mania disorder." The agent levelled the Director a frank look.
"Meaning, she has trouble with what's real and what's not. She has been off
her medication for at least two months, probably more, were basing that
assumption on the unused prescriptions in her medicine chest. Her former
residence was sold six years ago to a young family of four. The inhabitants
are now out of town until the end of the month, but the neighbours confirm that
there is a house sitter, and a pair of local cops talked to her. The sitter
has neither seen nor heard anything out of the ordinary. She'd said she would
call if she sees anything suspicious. No one is watching the house at this
time." Meaning that the cops were not going to put the large, private home
under surveillance. Madison passed around some papers given to him by Jack
Stebbings, and then he recited the latest profile of April Gallagher to the
group.
It went unsaid, but all agents at the table, including the superiors, could
read between the lines, something that was not stated in the profile; April
Gallagher 23, was completely capable of murdering Krycek.
Stebbings was deluding himself not thinking so.
After the meeting, Scully, Mulder and Madison stayed behind. "Why was Skinner
here?" Complained Mulder.
"He's my supervising AD Mulder, he has to be involved." Madison eyed the
younger agent warily. The man was exhausted; his sleep deprivation made him
belligerent. The senior agent picked the thread of the discussion that had
been going on between the three, before Mulder's childish complaint.
"So you think Gallagher is the arsonist, bomber and stalker?" Madison would
have laughed at the absurdity of it all had an agent's life not hang in the
balance. He didn't want to overlook any possibility no matter how farfetched.
Moreover, Mulder's theory was not that out there. All evidence pointed to
April Gallagher as being the culprit in all three crimes.
Mulder nodded then shuttered.
Madison sighed. This case was taking a toll on the lanky agent. "I'll call
anti-terrorism. There's a guy still there who owes me favour or two. I'll see
what their evidence says. At this point, Mulder, it's nothing but
circumstantial and educated guesses. This girl is clever, we may never find
the proof to convict her."
Scully frowned at her former partner then turned her head and said to Madison,
"Is there an agent in any department who doesn't owe you a favour?"
She pushed Mulder down to a sitting position on the couch in the corner of the
room. She sat on the coffee table across from him. "You need to rest, Mulder.
You're dead on your feet."
The older agent wisely did not answer Scully's question to him.
"NO." Mulder replied adamantly. "I can't sleep."
"But it's been three days since you slept last. You are going crash
Mulder, it's just a matter of time."
"I can't sleep Dana. I'm waiting for another psychic message from Alex." Fox
wasn't making sense to the other two agents. "...That's how much we love each
other, he's calling me for help...I can hear him"
"What?" Scully humphed, confused.
"What do you want in your coffee, Mulder?" Madison asked, getting a dirty look
from Scully for his troubles.
Mulder noticed the look his ex-partner gave Madison. He smiled, "Black."
"You're not making much sense." Scully rested her hand on Fox's forearm.
"That's because I haven't seen Alex in four days." Bemoaned Mulder.
"No...it's because you haven't slept in four days!" Scully was losing
patience.
"Leave him alone Dana." Madison chided softly as he handed Mulder a mug of
coffee. "This will keep you awake, guaranteed. It's stronger than tar and
tastes like it too." The older agent toasted, and then took a sip from his own
cup.
"Good. I need something strong right now." He drank some of the brew,
wrinkling up his nose at the dubious tasting brew. He shrugged then took
another sip.
Twenty minutes later, the mild sedative Madison had slipped into Fox's beverage
did its job. Mulder was fast asleep, stretched out on the couch. Scully
covered him with his own jacket. The sleeping pill was so mild that it would
leave Fox with no after effects. If he asked, Scully planned on telling him
that he fell asleep halfway through his coffee, which was technically, the
truth.
"How come I had to be the bad guy?" She commented, not angry and certainly not
remorseful for drugging her ex-partner.
"Because I don't know him well enough to drug him yet." Quipped Madison.
Scully studied the older man; he was really starting to grow on her. "Coward."
She said finally, turning off the small lamp beside the couch.
"You bet, Red." Agreed Madison. "Come on lets go get some dinner while we
can." The pair of agents left Mulder to sleep.
Day Five
Alex licked his lips; he was so thirsty. He had dehydrated to the point where
he was no longer able to raise saliva, with which to ease the pain of his dry,
cracked lips. He had not eaten or drank since his first full day in the small
cell. How many days ago that had been, Alex could not be sure. Time froze; it
not longer had any meaning for him. In the beginning, the best the young
agent could do was try to pace the hours by the gaps in between April's now
sporadic visits, now he no longer cared.
Despite her lengthening absences and her neglectful ways, Alex didn't mind
being left alone too much and luckily, she had not become sexual with him
again.
Unluckily, she had swapped the sexual overtones for violent ones.
Many times the young woman had insisted Alex say that he love her, but he
couldn't, not even to save himself from another whipping with the leather belt
that she had started to carry in and out with her. Alex knew that he'd have to
break down and say it eventually, but he was saving that final indignity until
he was desperate...for the time when he could endure no more of whatever April
to give out.
Now, after four days of being denied both food and water, Alex had reached his
breaking point.
His stomach no longer grumbled out its noisy demand to be fed. Now that it
had shrunk, his stomach was silently beginning to seek nourishment from Alex's
own body; by raiding its limited fat stores. The young agent had never known
such thirst before. His body was drying out slowly and needed to preserve its
moisture which was why he was no longer creating liquid or solid waste for
output anymore.
What little waste there had been, April cleaned up as soon as she visited.
Alex was ashamed at those times and always turned his head away from maniacal
woman. Though she never spoke during the process of cleaning him, Alex
couldn't help but feel that she blamed him for the messes, like it was his
fault‹that he'd made her kidnap him and keep him chained to a bed.
Lying there now, waiting for April to return was so far, the hardest part for
Alex. He didn't want to betray Fox by telling another 'I love you'. He had
promised Fox that he'd only say it to him, no other. And now here he was
cracking under the pressure. Alex hated to give up, but if he wanted to
survive this ordeal, he was going to have to do some grovelling.
He was sure that Fox would forgive him for his words and actions of his
captivity. But could Alex forgive himself? That was the question, and Alex
didn't have the answer to it. He would find out though, if he was fortunate
enough to be found.
The only thing was, Alex wasn't so sure any more about Fox coming to the
rescue. Hope of him doing so grew dimmer each passing hour.
Finally, the book case wheels squeaked, signalling to Alex that his keeper had
returned. He waited until April had re-locked the door before speaking. She
would not answer him otherwise anyway.
"April..." Croaked Alex, he tried to clear his throat but could not. His
voice was barely above a silent whisper.
"I have something I want to say to you."
She smiled brightly at Alex not seeing his raw, cracked lips or the dark
black/blue bruise below his right eye. She had long ago stopped noticing his
red and bleeding wrists and ankles. The purple bruises and scabbed over welts
from the beatings, may as well have been freckles...she paid that little
attention to Alex's hurts.
"What is it?" Her anticipation soared, her love had not spoken to her
voluntarily in days.
Alex cleared his face of all emotion and, looking right at the woman, he lied,
"I love you."
April giggled out loud then covered her mouth with her fingers. "Really?" She
wanted to believe so badly.
"Yes, with all of my heart." Inwardly, to himself, Alex apologised to Mulder.
"I need some water April, may I have a drink?"
The young woman, elated, reached for a bottle of water tucked away inside her
black canvass bag. She assisted Alex as he drank the entire bottle at once.
After Alex had finished drinking, April jumped up. "I think we should
celebrate." She said, excited.
"We need to talk...you have to unchain me...I'm starting to get sores." Alex
thought that this would be as good a time as any to try and reason with her.
"I know..." April's eyes went wide with delight; she was not paying any
attention to her prisoner's words. "...We'll make love the way that you
like to do it."
"Are you listening to me?" Implored Alex. "April... you need to start taking
better care of me. You're killing me slowly—by denying me food and water."
He tried but it was of no use.
"Shut up, Alex," April said, but there was no anger in her voice. "or you're
going to ruin the mood." The young woman turned away from him and fished
around in the black bag that always came and went with her.
She faced her captive again; a large grin plastered to her face. In one hand
she was holding a massive strap on dildo and in the other some lubricant.
"We'll do it the way you prefer..."
Alex's eyes flew wide open at the site of the massive piece of rubber. The
dildo was at least twelve inches long and as thick as his wrist. Why didn't
sex toys represent the real male's anatomy? "NO WAY!" He protested as
loud as he could.
"...I know you like it this way, otherwise you wouldn't be doing it with
men...doing it with Fox Mulder..." At saying the name 'Mulder' April grimaced
like she had a sour candy in her mouth.
"That thing is just too....too big...it will...."
"I promise to be gentle, darling...." April quickly stripped her clothes off.
"I said no." Alex tried one last time before giving up trying to reason with
the young woman. She wasn't listening to him anyway.
As she fastened the device to her waist, he prayed to a god he wanted to
believe was up there, to make this quick.
Part B
Throughout the vile act, Alex had retreated into his own mind, to a safe place,
where he could pretend that the woman wasn't having sex with him, again. But
he wasn't safe. For there, in the dark recesses of his own memories, Walter
Skinner and what he had done to him still lurked.
The older man was there, as always, to haunt him.
A few seconds of clarity came to Alex afterwards, as April cleaned him up.
"You're no different then Skinner..." He accused the perplexed woman. Alex's
ass had finally stopped aching and now merely stung and burned.
"Men...women...you're all alike...you're all rapists..."
"I didn't rape you; you wanted it...we love each other. You said so your
self."
Alex's laugh was bitter. "Funny, Skinner told me I wanted it too." His eyes
were focused on April's form, but he was not seeing her. "He bent me over his
desk..." The green-eyed man winced from the memory. "...and fucked me until I
passed out."
The young woman straightened up, her anger growing with each word. Bad enough
that her lover could not shake his addiction to that smug bastard Fox Mulder,
but to find out that her beloved had been violated in such an ugly way was too
much. She truly believed that the sex she had had with Alex was
consensual...he loved her after all.
"You mean that bald AD raped you?" She questioned.
No longer following the conversation Alex babbled on. "Skinner, April, Turner
Gallagher, my whole life some one has wanted to fuck me over...Fox, where are
you?" Alex's eyes closed, and mercifully, he drifted off to sleep.
April stared down, her heart turned cold. Walter Skinner was going to die for
his particular trespass...she'd win Alex over by killing the older man for him.
Day Six
Mulder's cell phone rang. He immediately sprung up from Alex's bed and
snatched it up. "Mulder." He looked at the bedside clock it was two thirty in
the afternoon. Exhaustion had claimed him five hours earlier.
He didn't even remember lying down.
It was Madison on the other end. "We've got April Gallagher in custody
and...." He started to say.
Mulder, jumping to conclusions, interrupted the older agent..."Oh God...how's
Alex...where is he?"
"Mulder...shut up and listen to me." Ordered Madison... When Mulder didn't
reply, Madison continued. "Gallagher tried to Kill AD Skinner in the Hoover
parking lot. To make a long story short, Skinner got the best of her and
hauled her ass in. But she won't talk. The brass is all over her; the
Director and Stebbings are questioning her right now. She's my godammed
suspect and Ican't get near her. There's no use coming down, there's no
access for you. Her lips are sealed tighter than a bloody clam's. I just
wanted to let you know."
"Shit, Madison. Is he alive?" Fox buried his face in his free hand. He
scrubbed at his forehead, weary of all the waiting.
Madison could hear the despair in the agent's voice. "I don't know Mulder, I
honestly don't know." He paused for a second then said, "Listen, we'll get her
to talk. I promise. We'll find agent Krycek. She'll tell us where he is."
"I hope so Madison, I hope so. We've got to find Alex. We just have to."
" We will..."
"One way or another?" Mulder said, finishing the sentence. He knew that
Madison was thinking it, hell, he was.
"He's one of our own, Mulder, we won't give up on him...ever."
Oddly enough, Mulder was pacified by the agent's conviction.
"Fox." Alex called, confused, he'd been dreaming that he was only dreaming of
his captivity. Then the haze cleared slightly and he realised that his
nightmarish hallucinations were real. He smacked his lips, the water had
helped to revive him, but it had also left him wanting more. After screwing
him, before falling asleep, April had held another bottle of water to his lips
and let him drink his fill.
Unfortunately however, Alex had to urinate, he wasn't desperate yet, but if
his jailer didn't show up soon, he was going to pee the bed. Hating himself
for doing so, he called out to his keeper.
"April!" Alex shouted. His voice barely registered a few octaves above a
whisper. "April....can you come here please...I need to see you." He listened
intently, but Alex was surrounded in silence. He tugged on his restraints
again. Crying out when he pulled open one of the scabs on the top of his right
wrist again. A greenish discharge had started to slowly ooze from the wound on
his left wrist. The agent tried to shift, his shoulder blades, calves, heels
and the tops of his buttocks were starting to deteriorate and small, open
bedsores were already forming. Alex looked to his damaged wrists again and
thought that a few more days with out food maybe his wrists would be skinny
enough to slip the cuffs.
Thursday, 9:30 AM—day seven
Madison stepped into the hall and Mulder left Scully's side and went to him
immediately. "What's going on Dave? Why am I here?"
"At three thirty this morning, Gallagher finally spoke. First she lawyered up,
then informed Stebbings that she wanted to talk to you, me and AD Skinner this
morning." Madison and Scully looked just as tired and worn out as Mulder did.
All three agents had been existing on only a couple of hours of sleep a night.
Madison and Scully worried about the case while Mulder just worried about his
lover.
April's lawyer stepped out into the hall; she was coming from the interview
room. "Against advice, she wants to speak to you now." The large woman said
to Mulder.
Mulder, Madison and Skinner stood in the interview room staring expectantly to
the pretty young woman seated at the table.
She looked back just as hard at the trio, remaining silent throughout, before
resting her eyes on Mulder. For him, she smirked then placed her hands over
her flat stomach. She knew her own body well enough to know that she was
definitely pregnant; she didn't need no test to tell her that.
Mulder's patience snapped, he stormed over to the table and slapped the formica
surface with the palms of his hands. The loud blow startled April, but to his
annoyance, she quickly regained her composure.
"Where is he! Tell me where Alex is." He yelled.
"Never." Replied the young woman smugly.
Madison approached the table, he was the 'good cop' for this interrogation;
Mulder had already taken the bad cop role, a given, considering the situation.
Skinner however, hung back, near the two-way mirror and let the agents handle
things. The older man was seemingly relaxed leaning against the wall with his
arms crossed, however, he was ready for anything.
"Why call us here before you then?" Madison asked, his voice calm, soothing.
"If not to tell us Agent Krycek's where-a-bouts." The experienced agent took
the young woman's focus off of Mulder and his escalating anger.
April stared at Madison for a few uncomfortable seconds, and then she shifted
her gaze back to Mulder, who stood just behind the older agent. She replied to
Madison's question, but did not look away from Fox, who locked his eyes to
hers. "I called you here to tell that I've won the game. You will never find
Alex." She rubbed her belly and this time all three men noticed the gesture.
"I don't care if I do go to jail, I'll never give him back..."
"He'll die if you don't tell us..." Madison put a hand on Mulder's chest,
stopping him from speaking.
"It doesn't matter if he does. We've consummated our love...we created a new
life between us. I've said my goodbyes to him, Alex will always be part of
me...."
"YOU BITCH!" Mulder stepped away from Madison. "What did you do to him?"
"We made love! And he liked it! He got off...and got me pregnant at the same
time."
"You lie." Mulder accused.
The young woman gave Mulder a knowing smile. "He has the most adorable freckle
on his inner right thigh, it's the shape of Marvin the Martian's helmet...who
happens to be his favourite cartoon character." April was enjoying taunting
Mulder; she ran her tongue over her plump lips. "He tasted wonderful."
Mulder's face turned crimson red with rage, and April laughed outloud
haughtily.
Madison turned and shot Mulder a warning glare. The girl was winning; she
certainly had Mulder where she wanted him.
April spoke to Fox again. "You can't keep Alex safe, Mulder...therefore, you
don't deserve him. I know what happened to him Mulder." She said, then, she
watched the agent's face, saw his demeanour change. "You know what I'm talking
about. Alex told me everything. Lovers do that...tell each other their
secrets."
"What are you talking about?" Madison asked, confused.
April turned her eyes on Skinner, who had remained totally silent throughout
the exchanges so far. She fixed the much larger man with an icy glare. "He
told me you raped him Mr. Skinner."
Madison spun around and stared questionably at the AD who returned the look
with a stony glare of his own. The bald AD shook his head 'no' in vehement
denial, but still he remained silent.
Mulder coughed into his hand, which drew the young woman's attention away
from Walter. He thought that Alex must be in bad shape to have told her that.
"Where is he?" Demanded Madison, weary of April Gallagher's bullshit.
April ignored Madison. "I've won Fox. I stole Alex right out from
under you." She gave the livid agent another triumphant smirk. "He's better
off dead then to end up yours and Skinner's victim. And now...I've said
everything I'm going to say to you."
Skinner rapped on the glass and then the three men left April alone in the
room.
"Like I was telling you, Madeline, she's nuts. I'm going to have her evaluated
first, then we will talk about a deal." April's lawyer said before walking
away from the Assistant State's Attorney.
Madeline Smith, the Assistant State's Attorney, turned to the two agents and
the AD. Director Anderson, was standing next to her. "Here's the skinny..."
The older African-American woman said. "...Gallagher will plea bargain her
attack on AD Skinner. She'll cop a guilty plea to assault 3, and does the
maximum, six months at Windsor Gardens, where she will receive treatment for
her mental illness."
"Attempted assault causing bodily harm? Six months in a five star hotel
masquerading as a psychiatric hospital?" Spit out Mulder incredulously. "What
about her suspected involvement with the arson fires from last year and the
bombing? A civilian died for christsakes! What about that?"
"There is no proof that April Gallagher was behind those crimes. Yes, the
office agrees that she was probably behind it all, but the constitution says I
have to provide proof to a judge before charging her. Do you have such proof,
Agent Mulder?" The woman stared hard at the silent agent. "The best I can
give is six months at Windsor, a maximum security facility. Look Agent
Mulder, I'm going to have to take this deal. Or Shirley Hilton, Gallagher's
lawyer in there, is going file a writ entitling Gallagher to bail. I've seen
the photos of Krycek, all of them, she's obviously disturbed...she needs help."
"What about Alex? Where the fuck is he? Where is that bitch keeping him? Why
don't you file a god-dammed writ forcing that psycho to tell where she
has him hidden."
The small woman stood up to the much taller agent Mulder. "Good question agent
Mulder. Where is Agent Krycek? The State's Attorney wonders that herself and
so do I. You're supposed to be looking for him, not us. Listen, we've got to
put up or shut up, gentlemen. Find me some conclusive proof that
A—that girl in there has taken Agent Krycek or B—she knows of his
whereabouts. Until you complete that task, agents, you're fucking up what
little bit of a case against her I do have!"
With that, Ms. Smith stepped past the three men and started down the hall. The
Director followed in her wake.
Friday, 11:00 PM.—day eight
Thirst finally drove Alex from his disturbed sleep. His eyes were dry and his
mouth felt like it was full of cotton. "Please, somebody, I need help." He
called out softly, he didn't know how many days had passed since he last seen
April, but he thought it was at least two, if not more.
For the whole time of his captivity, Alex had lain in virtually the same
position. Tender tissues had finally broken down completely and bedsores had
taken a firm hold of several points up the heels of his feet, his legs, his
buttocks, and back. The sores weren't too deep yet, but they were spread out
in circumference, about the diameter of a silver dollar. Luckily, Alex could
no longer feel the eight open sores nor could he feel his hands or feet either.
All that he had in the way of sensation at his extremities were pins and
needles. He lay back and blinked his eyes; before him, the face of his father
appeared. Alex smiled immediately. "Father, oh father..." Alex cried, his
eyes dry. "I've missed you so much, I love you...daddy?" Alex's pleasant
hallucination took his mind away from his horror.
Saturday, Cochrane Penitentiary, 11:37 AM—day nine
Madison and Mulder stood together inside a private interview room; they were
waiting to talk to Turner Gallagher. The idea to ask Turner about his sister
had come to Mulder late the night before. He phoned to tell Madison, who then
took over. Mulder was amazed that in a matter of twelve hours, they were
talking to Gallagher, the first person to perpetrate a crime against Alex.
In a matter of minutes, all of Alex's family had been wiped out by the gang of
thugs with whom Gallagher ran. Those men had murdered the Krycek's and were
executed for their brutal crimes. The seriousness of Turner Gallagher's crime
had been that he could not kill the young Alex. For that, he had received
life behind bars.
"Listen, Mulder, don't pull that macho, jealous lover shit again. You got it?"
Madison scowled in remembrance of the overprotective agent clutching at
'prized' photos of Alex Krycek, unwilling to part with any larger than a
snapshot the size of a drivers licence picture. Finally, Madison waited until
Mulder was distracted and took the three he wanted.
Mulder opened his mouth to dispute that he was out of control, but then he shut
it again and only nodded.
"You stand back and let me do the talking got it?"
Mulder nodded again. The knob clicked and both turned to watch Turner
Gallagher enter. Mulder wasn't sure what to expect, not the real Turner that
was for sure. The thirty-five year old man was tall and reed thin. His blond
hair was cut very short and he wore glasses similar to the late John Lennon.
Turner Gallagher looked more like a librarian than a man who had been an
accomplice in a quadruple homicide and attempted murder.
Turner looked between both men, but did not smile. He went to sit down but
Madison stopped him. "You can take the hardware off." He said to the guard,
who shrugged indifferently and removed the chains.
"Please excuse us." Madison asked of the guard, who left the room.
"Thanks." Turner said, rubbing his wrists as he sat.
"You see. We can work things out. If you do us a solid, I'm prepared to do
you one. Ms. Madeline Smith Assistant US Attorney, has given my the authority
to help you out."
Turner nodded once then asked. "We alone?"
"Yes." Madison answered honestly; there was no one behind the glass today to
listen to the conversation.
Turner looked past Madison to Mulder, who was skulking in the corner of the
room.
"You Fox Mulder?" The convict asked.
"Yes." Replied Mulder, his voice flat.
Turner studied the agent's placid face. Then he said, "Do you love him, no
matter what?"
"Yes. With all of my being." He said softly, the inmate still could hear him
though.
"I believe you." Was all Turner said in response. He turned to Madison. "Did
you bring them?"
Madison flipped open a plain, cream coloured file folder. Using the tip of his
finger, he pushed the first picture in a stack of three towards the inmate.
The colour photo was of Alex wearing a beautiful dark green Hugo Boss suit. It
had been taken outside of the church where fellow profiler, Juan Rodriquez's
baby daughter had been christened. In the photo, Alex was a vision to rival
even the most handsome of the cover boys. Madison pushed the second plastic
covered picture toward the man. Turner took it and arranged it in front of
himself on the tabletop. Next to the first eight by ten
This picture depicted Alex stretched out on a chaise lounge, resting in the
shade on his large deck. He was sleeping, and at the time, Mulder thought that
he had never gazed upon someone more beautiful. Alex's chest gleamed, smooth
and brown from the early summer tan, his long legs, bronzed and well muscled,
took up the entire length of the chair. He was wearing a bathing suit that was
the same style as his boxer underwear, only the fit much more closely, hugging
and accentuating Alex's very apparent maleness. The material was a pattern of
loud white Hawaiian style flowers with an aqua blue background.
Turner's breath caught in his throat when he saw this particular shot.
Finally, Madison passed the third photo on.
Fox was loath for the man to have the private photos. They were Mulder's, and
he was possessive of them and of Alex.
But having the pictures given to him to keep was one of Gallagher's two
conditions. The other inmate had not named the other condition, yet.
Turner picked up the last shot. It was of Alex, standing on a wild flower
covered hillside. The two of them were watching a solar eclipse. The early
morning air was fragrant with the scent of crushed daisy's and wild phlox. At
the exact moment that the sky went dark, Mulder called Alex's name, the younger
man pulled off his welder's glasses and looked at the camera and before Alex
could smile, Mulder snapped the photo.
He had captured Alex's look of genuine wonderment while he witnessed the
celestial phenomenon.
The darkened sun sat directly over Alex's right shoulder. The flash was just
bright enough to pick up the colourful daisies and poppies and among the other
assorted flowers.
When the picture came out, the flowers, ringing Alex at knee height, were
pale, like they had been painted around the handsome man with soft, watercolour
paints. The photo slowly grew darker as you looked up from the flowers to the
eclipsed sun. The lighting captured Alex's body in a semi-silhouette. That
particular shot, was Mulder's favourite. He couldn't believe that he had let
Madison take it.
Madison shut the folder.
The room was silent; both agents were watching the prisoner closely.
But Gallagher was not paying attention to them. He was too busy looking at the
pictures. He ran the tip of his finger over Alex's face, the one of him in the
suit in front of the church. "He's so beautiful." Turner looked up to Mulder.
"He was such a pretty teenager. His eyes and lashes were so huge back then.
But I see that he's grown into his features now. He's much more beautiful then
I ever imagined." The convict's breath increased slightly and his eyes grew
shiny, his placid cock began to harden as he studied the photo of Alex in the
bathing suit.
"You're lucky to have had him in your bed every night, in your arms naked...."
"This isn't a circle jerk Gallagher. You can masturbate over Agent Krycek
later, when you're on your own time. This is my dime now. You have your
pictures, what's the second condition?" Madison was impatient; time was
running out for Krycek.
Gallagher put his pictures in a stack and then placed them in his lap, hiding
his semi-erection. "I want early parole. I've only got eight months left; I
want out. I've done my time."
"Done." Madison said. Ms. Smith had anticipated that early parole was the
most likely other term.
"Just like that?" Question Turner.
"Just like that." Promised Madison. He pulled out some papers from his coat
pocket, and handed them to Turner. They were official papers stating
Gallagher's early parole for good information.
"Okay." Turner folded the papers and put them on top of the photos. "I'm
pretty sure Alex is at our old house. The one we all grew up in."
Madison frowned. "Don't yank my chain Gallagher. The people who bought your
place are in France and the neighbours confirm that fact. The cops have talked
to the house sitter. Neither your sister or Agent Krycek is there."
Turner laughed. "The house sitter is my sister. She's been wearing a
disguise the whole time while at the house. That's why the neighbours didn't
recognise her; they would have known her otherwise. She knows what's she's
doing."
Madison couldn't believe it. He knew he should have checked the house sitter
out for himself, but the cop was positive that it was a different girl...then
it hit Madison. Alex would still be in that house somewhere. He dialled
Scully's cell, she was out in the field waiting with a team, heading up the
rescue. "Scully, he's at the family's former residence. You got the address?
Good, get there and phone when you have him."
Cochrane prison was three hours away from D.C. Madison and Mulder would never
make it to the house in time to get Alex. They would have drive to the
hospital and see him there.
"Let's go." Madison said with urgency. He picked up the empty folder and went
to the locked door. He rapped on it, and the guard on the other side unlocked
it right away. He stepped out of the room.
Mulder went over to Turner; he stopped in front of him and said blandly,
"Thank-you for helping." He turned to leave but Gallagher held onto his wrist
and prevented him from going.
"I know you won't believe me. But I love Alex. I did back then and I do now.
Always. I'd never do anything to hurt him....again. I wanted the pictures
because I know I'll never be able to see him once I'm out." Mulder and
Gallagher stared at each other for a long second of silence. "God help me...."
Turner said finally "...but I love him more than my own sister."
"I believe you." Was all Mulder said before he left Gallagher alone with his
papers of promises, and his pictures of Alex.
"Agent Mulder." Turner called out just as Fox got to the door.
The agent stopped. "Yeah?"
"There's a hidden room just off of the laundry room in the basement. That's
the most likely place for her to put him."
"Okay." Mulder said softly, then he left.
Scully looked to the swat team leader and nodded; she was ready.
"Take it." The leader said into a walkie-talkie.
The door crashed in and the swat members swarmed into the house. The khaki
clad men fanned out in search of Alex. Scully and two bureau agents, who were
trained paramedics, followed in the wake of the swat team. Someone hollered
and the trio of trailing agents ran for the basement; they had found Alex.
"Cut the hinges." Ordered the leader and a member dropped to his knees and
started to cut the metal hinges using a portable blowtorch.
There was a brief lull in the noise and Scully heard Alex call out hoarsely.
"Who's there? Fox? Dad, Gracie...Gia..." The agent's looked at each other,
agent Krycek sound very weak.
"Hurry up God-dammit!" Scully snapped impatiently to the man who was cutting
the hinges.
"Just a few more seconds mam." The man replied. Then he was done and the
small barred door was yanked out of the way.
The two medics barged in first and went straight to Alex lay. "We need the
cutters in here!" Yelled the senior medic.
Another member of the swat teamed entered the tiny space and quickly cut away
the hand and ankle cuffs with a pair of heavy duty wire cutters. The medics
and the swat member could not believe the stink in the room. It smelled of
fear and sickness, and piss permeated the stale air. The two medical men
quickly pushed the bad smells aside and worked on Alex, talking to each other
the whole time about what procedures they were performing.
"We need a stretcher." Ordered one medic and two of the swat team went to
retrieve it.
While waiting, the paramedics started two I.V's; one of saline, the other
potassium. Then they quickly dressed the wrists and ankles. When they rolled
their delirious patient, both men winced at the site of the open and weeping
bedsores on him. Those they dressed too. When the stretcher arrived, it was
too wide to fit through the tiny door. So the paramedics extricated Alex by
using the soiled sheet below him as a makeshift carrier. They passed him
through the door where he was received by Scully and a couple of swat members.
As they settled Alex on the rolling stretcher, he opened his eyes and looked
around. He focused on Scully; his gaze was wild and frightened.
"Mother? Is that you?" He asked, his voice was weak and childlike and it hit
a chord with every person standing in the laundry room.
"No." Scully said gently, she plucked Alex's reaching hand out of the air and
held it tightly. It was very cold and very dry, she tried to rub some warmth
into it. "It's Dana Scully, Alex. We finally found you, these men are here to
rescue you."
After nine days, Alex Krycek was free.
Alex gave Dana a tiny smile in recognition and tears immediately came to the
normally hardened agent's big blue eyes.
"Is Fox okay? He must be sick from worrying over me." Alex's breath was
shallow and an audible rasp could be heard in his chest.
Scully's tears fell freely, here was Krycek, half dead, and his first thoughts
were for Fox; he was worrying about his lover's health and not his own. She
pinched at her running nose and stepped closer to the stretcher.
"Fox is fine, Alex. He's going to meet you at the hospital."
"Agent Krycek is bad off, Agent Scully, he really needs to get to the
hospital." The senior medic broke in.
Alex let go of the female agent's hand. "No offence, Dana, but I wish you were
my mother. She's the only one I didn't see." His eyes fluttered and then he
was out.
"Let's roll." Barked the second paramedic.
"You're going to be fine." She said to the unconscious man, not understanding
what Krycek was talking about.
She watched, overwhelmed and shocked, as the rescue team escorted the medics
out of the basement, and even long after Alex had disappeared, she just stood
there staring. Suddenly, the smell of the small cell wafted out of the room
and assaulted her nostrils. Alex had been to hell and back many times. This
trip there could cost him his life and all he thought about was Mulder; if that
wasn't love, Scully didn't know what was. She hoped for her ex-partner's sake
that the handsome young agent would be okay. The forensic team elbowed Scully
aside, breaking her out of her reverie. The swat team had rescued Alex, now it
was their turn; they would gather all the evidence they could, and then use it
to convict April Gallagher of kidnapping.
"O'Reilly." Scully called out.
The man replied upon hearing his name. "Yeah?"
"Get everything you can from here. Everything. This bitch is going down."
O'Reilly nodded.
Scully left then, heading for the hospital that Krycek would be taken too.
Saturday: 6:00 AM
Alex dreamt he was skiing and had fallen down. The impact in the dream jolted
him awake and it took the agent a second or two to figure out where he was. He
remembered being rescued, but little else after. Brief flashes of an ambulance
ride passed through his mind.
Alex looked around the room. He was lying on his stomach with a tree full of
several different liquid filled IV bags dangling nearby. All the tubes
eventually met and fed through one common line that was leading into the large
vein at the back of Alex's right hand. He turned his head away from the IV
pole and saw his lover sleeping curled up in a padded chair that pulled out
into a small, cot-like bed.
"Fox." Alex whispered; he was surprised by how hoarse his voice was.
Upon hearing his name, Mulder immediately woke up. "Alex!" He cried out
emotionally.
Fox went over to Alex's bed and hugged the younger man to him. "Thank
God....Oh...god....At first I thought you were dead...." The older man wept
openly in relief.
"Shhh, Fox. I'm okay, love. I'm right here." Alex kissed the side of
Mulder's stubbled cheek. "I'm thirsty, Fox. Can you help me get a drink of
water?"
Mulder let go of Alex and stood up. He dried his tears, ashamed with his
selfish behaviour. Here Alex was comforting him; it should be the other away
around. Mulder poured a cup of icy water and held the straw to Alex's dry
lips as the younger man drank.
After finishing two glasses of water, Mulder carefully marked down the amount
on a small, dry erase board. Alex shifted his position in the bed so that he
was sitting up; he was tired of lying down.
Once settled again, Alex held out his arms. "Come here Fox. I want to hold
you."
Mulder crawled on to the bed with his lover and wrapped his arms around his too
skinny frame.
"Mmmmm. This feels so good. The whole time she had me, I thought of you...
I love you, Fox." Alex sighed, he was having difficulties organising his
thoughts. There were so many things that he wanted to tell Mulder, stuff that
he had to get off his chest. But those memories were still so fresh,
recollecting them hurt too much. He didn't know if he'd be able to confess to
Fox, about telling April that he loved her, and have him understand why he'd
had to say it.
"While I was gone... April made me do..." No, that wasn't right. "...She
forced me to say..." Alex couldn't find the right words, he shook his head in
defeat.
"It's all right, Alex." Fox said gently. "We can talk about it later."
Mulder kissed Alex deeply then, but he was gentle. "I love you too. I was
going crazy trying to find you! I've lost you twice now; I'm not going to let
it happen again."
"Don't worry, Fox." The green-eyed agent smiled at his beloved and cupped his
cheek with one hand. The white bandages circling his wrists almost blended
into to Alex's pale flesh. "The worst is behind us now." Predicted Alex
rather cheerily.
Mulder snuggled in close to his lover. He said nothing to Alex's declaration,
preferring to stay quiet and enjoy the moment for all that it was.
There would be plenty of time to sour Alex's happiness with the current news
later.
Part XI
Alex's hospital room
First Fox felt Alex's body relax in his arms then he heard the hum of his
lover's faint snore. For the last
five days, he had held his lover close every time he had wanted to go to sleep.
Day or night, Fox had been in the room whenever Alex had needed him.
He gently extricated himself from Alex's limbs and climbed out of the bed then
the agent quietly padded
to the foot of the mattress and pushed a button, making the hospital bed flat
again.
Alex immediately flipped over onto his belly unconsciously seeking relief from
the pain of the sores on his
back, buttocks, calves and ankles.
Mulder untangled the long tubing joining his lover to the IV pole and put up the
small bed's other
guard-rail. Then, as he had done for the past three days, he settled himself
into the spare chair in the
private room and wondered how to tell Alex that April had said he was going to
be a father. Worse,
Mulder fretted over telling Alex that the last he'd heard, she was pleading
innocent to all of the charges due
to insanity.
To Mulder, it seemed as if Alex's dreams were a little more settled today.
Perhaps it was because the
younger man knew that his lover was there in the room; sitting sentry over him.
Regret jolted through
Mulder's belly, and he wished that he could have been there at the apartment to
prevent April from taking
Alex and hurting him this way in the first place.
There was a soft rap at the door and Mulder opened it, saw who it was, and
stepped into the hall.
It was Madison and Scully. Dana had a beautiful potted hydrangea in her
delicate hands and Dave held a
fruit and muffin basket for two. Mulder couldn't help but smile at the pair.
The two of them had worked
damn hard at finding Alex, no thanks to him; or so that's how it felt to him.
Mulder was embarrassed about how easily he had fallen apart during Alex's
crisis.
"How is he?" Madison asked, passing Mulder the cellophane covered food.
"He's lost all of the grogginess that he had in the beginning. The doctor says
that's because his fluids are
back up to normal. This morning he ate a bowl of oatmeal, but now he's sleeping
again." Realising that
he was babbling on and telling the agents more then they probably wanted to
know, Mulder let his voice
trail off.
"Good." Scully said and she meant it. "Do you mind if I put this in his room?"
"No, go ahead."
Scully eyed her former partner suspiciously. She could see that he had not
really slept well since Alex had
been brought into the hospital five days prior. "Why don't you and Dave go get
a coffee, I'll sit with
Agent Krycek until you get back?"
Fox wasn't so sure he wanted to leave Alex's side. But a fresh coffee sounded
pretty good, too.
"I...uh...don't know...."
The petite redhead changed Mulder's mind for him. She plucked the fruit from
his arms and said softly,
"I'll page you if he wakes up. I promise."
"Okay," Mulder said reluctantly.
"Come on." Madison put a hand on Mulder's elbow and turned him around toward
the elevator, leading
the agent away before he could change his mind. "I'll buy the coffee at that
over priced stand in the
lobby."
"Better take advantaged of that offer...they don't come along very often!"
retorted Scully, just loud enough
for her new partner to hear. Madison turned his head and shot Scully a sour
look. But then he smiled. It
was all in fun. The two of them were rapidly finding their own quirks and ways
in the partnership.
And luckily, it wasn't the same way that she and Mulder had been; it appeared to
be a whole lot
healthier.
Once the elevator doors had closed on the pair of male agents, Scully turned and
entered Krycek's private
hospital room. She had avoided looking at the slumbering agent while she found
room for her and
Madison's gifts amongst the various other flowers, helium balloons and greeting
cards. Finally she
managed to clear a space and settled the basket and the hydrangea. Once that
was done, she reached into an
inner pocket of her blazer and pulled out a greeting card. Scully carefully
tucked it under the decorative pot
of the plant.
In the card, was a letter that she had written to Alex the night before. The
card held a long note in which
Scully had poured out her heart about all the things she could not tell him face
to face. The paper and pen
took away her inhibitions. Dana removed her navy blazer and hung it up over the
back of the chair. She
took a few minutes and read the other greeting cards. They were from various
departments throughout the
FBI. The Anchorage division had sent a large, cheery card and a small potted
Douglas fir tree. Profiling
had also sent their best wishes, along with the Serial Crimes and Arson
departments. Scully replaced the
card from the profiling department and mused on how just well liked Agent Krycek
was as she settled
herself into the chair.
She pulled out her notebook and reached for Alex's chart and carefully copied
everything the chart said into
her book.
Madison blew away the steam rising from his coffee cup, trying to cool the hot
liquid. "So. What does
the doctor say about Alex?"
"Is this on or off the record," Mulder replied cynically, sipping from his own
coffee.
"Both," Madison said amicably.
"I'm assuming that Scully is busy reading Alex's chart and questioning the
doctor in my absence?"
Madison laughed at that. "You 'know' she is. The States attorney is
still building a case against
Gallagher. But she presented a deal to April's lawyer. Madam State's Attorney,
is confident that the
proposal will be accepted."
"What's the deal?" Mulder asked, curious. He was hoping to have some good news
to tell his lover for a
change.
"A full twenty years in Windsor Gardens."
Mulder shook his head. Twenty years for murder, arson, terrorism, kidnapping.
He took another drink
from the cup, wrinkling his nose at the overly strong tasting brew and
swallowed. He pushed the paper
cup away. It sat, untouched for the rest of the agent's conversations.
Madison had noticed that Mulder pulled a face before swallowing his coffee, but
he ignored it. The
younger agent was looking a bit gaunt even to his unpractised eyes, but the
older agent supposed Mulder's
lack of interest in food and drink had been normal under the circumstances. The
agent would start to eat as
soon as he saw that Krycek was getting better.
"Gallagher's pregnancy test came back positive. She's definitely going to have
a baby. Whether or not it's
Agent Krycek's is another matter..."
Mulder sighed and scrubbed at the back of his neck, the muscles were complaining
from being forced to
sleep in such an awkward position the night before.
"...As soon as the baby reaches the second trimester, the State's attorney will
force Gallagher to undergo an
amniocentesis, we'll establish paternity then. But personally, I'd take her
word for it that the baby's
Alex's. Agent Mulder..." Madison looked directly into Mulder's eyes, needing
the agent's attention.
Mulder looked up at the mention of his name.
"Gallagher refuses to acknowledge the sexual assault allegations." Madison, an
experienced law
enforcement agent, could see that the younger man was biting his tongue at the
mention of Krycek's
'sexual assault'. "Gallagher maintains that the sex between them was mutual,
and her lawyer, if forced to
go to court, is going to argue that a woman *cannot* rape a man. That's the one
stipulation behind
accepting the deal."
"Fuuuuck..." Hissed Fox softly. Did this mean that by copping a plea April
was sparing Alex the
humiliation of a court appearance? He said, "So she avoids an angry jury and
does life inside Windsor
Gardens?"
"Yep, that's pretty much it."
"What about the baby?"
"What about the baby?" Madison was surprised that Mulder was even interested in
the unborn infant.
"What's going to happen to it?" Mulder couldn't believe how indifferent the
older man seemed regarding
the unborn child.
"April will go through with the pregnancy and birth the baby inside Windsor.
Then the newborn will
most likely be placed in her parent's custody. What?" questioned Madison, when
he saw the look of horror
that had suddenly contorted Mulder's face.
"That's Alex's baby too..."
"Allegedly..." cut in the agent.
"Oh, it's his all right! You better believe it is!" spat Mulder. He took a
deep breath to calm himself,
finally, collected, he continued on, once again in control of his emotions.
"Won't he automatically get
custody of the child when it's born? I mean, Gallagher's parents are the one's
who fucked-up Turner and
April in the first place, why would a court allow them to raise another little
psychotic? "
"Well, unless Alex fights for custody, the baby automatically takes on
Gallagher's last name and becomes
part of her family. Agent Krycek will no doubt be pressed to relinquish his
rights to the baby all the while
paying child support. He should probably just forget about the kid. I mean, if
he fights the Gallaghers for
the baby, everything that happened to him will come out in court. If I know
April, she'll have her lawyers
drag out all the dirty details. And no doubt, by the time the suits are
done with Alex, they will
have twisted everything around to make it sound like *he* raped her and that he
*wanted* to be
kidnapped!"
"You mean to tell me that Alex could end up with no parental rights whatsoever?
No say at all in what
happens to the baby?" Mulder was incredulous.
"Like I said, none. Unless he takes her to court."
"Shit!" Mulder scrubbed at his burning eyes. Things couldn't get any worse.
Once Alex recovered, he
had some hard choices to make. Mulder knew that all he could do was stand
beside his beautiful lover and
support him in whatever he chose to do. The older agent knew what *he* would
do, but it wasn't him
making the decisions this time. He looked at his watch, suddenly feeling like
he should be back with the
recovering Alex. "I gotta' get back. I've been away long enough." Mulder
stood and impatiently waited
for Madison to gather up his stuff.
The older FBI agent mentally noted that the two of them had only been away for
just over half an hour. It
was obvious that he wasn't going to get anything more out of Krycek's concerned
lover. Madison sighed
and followed the agent out of the hospital cafeteria. He hoped that Scully was
able to pump more
information from Krycek's doctor than he did out of Mulder.
As they walked to the elevator, Mulder asked, "What do you know about
Gallagher's parents?" Madison
pushed the up button and the doors glided open. The two men stepped inside and
continued with their
conversation.
Just before the steel doors opened to release the men on the floor that they
need, Mulder turned to Madison
and asked, "Do me a favour, Dave?"
"Sure, if I can," Madison was surprised that Mulder had used his first name.
"Get me everything you can on the senior Gallaghers."
When Madison raised his brow in question, Fox quickly added, "Just in case. I
want to know everything
about these people."
"Okay." Shrugged Madison. "I'll dig up what I can on the whole family."
As Scully was finishing up with the doctor in charge of Alex's case the elevator
doors opened and Mulder
and Madison stepped out. Scully thought that her former partner looked even
more tired then when Dave
had hauled him down to the cafeteria. She could see by the firm set to
Madison's brow that the older
agent's talk with Mulder had not gone too well. "Thanks, Doctor Lemke." She
handed the handsome
young doctor her card. "I'll be in touch, if anything should change, give me a
call."
The doctor nodded and smiled at Scully, his eyes were hopeful as he pocketed the
business card. "Okay,"
he said. He wanted to ask the pretty redhead out for a coffee sometime, but his
pager went off; interrupting
the moment. "I've got to go. It's an emergency."
"Okay." Scully could see that the doctor was interested in her. Maybe she
should call him and ask him
out. Ever since her and Madison had become partners, the prospect that there
might be something between
them was squashed. They continued to flirt and joke, but now that they were
permanently assigned to one
another, a real relationship was absolutely out of the question.
"How's Alex?" asked Mulder, the second he was within Scully's earshot.
"He's fine. He woke up when the doctor and two nurses came into the room about
ten minutes ago. The
nurse kicked me out because they were going to clean and air out his bedsores.
On the bright side, Dr.
Lemke says he can go home on Friday." Dana smiled at her former partner, the
worry he had burdened
himself with, over his lover's condition was evident and she wondered how she
ever could have denied the
two's love for each other. "Why don't you go in and see him? I'm done here.
Madison, are you ready to
leave?"
The older agent nodded. "I'm done too, for now." Madison winked at Mulder.
Mulder kissed Scully's cheek goodbye, then stepped into Alex's room and shut the
door firmly behind
him.
"We're working, no visitors please," called a pleasant voice from behind a white
cotton curtain.
"It's me," said Mulder, hoping that Alex was still awake.
"Fox, come in. It's okay, Fox is my...." Alex wasn't quite sure what to say to
the two women.
The nurse who had spoken smiled down at her young charge. "It's all right. We
know that Mr. Mulder is
your partner."
At the word partner, Mulder stepped around the curtain. He stopped and watched
the two nurses for a
second. The older one was training the younger girl, who wore a slight blush at
her prominent
cheek bones, but otherwise, she seemed all business; just like the older RN.
They were setting up a new
tray of utensils, getting ready to cleanse the open sores that still marred the
tops of Alex's buttocks,
clavicle and his calf muscles. Mulder could see that the wounds at Alex's
wrists were already freshly
bandaged.
"I'm Hazel," introduced the older woman. Her nametag actually read, 'Hazel
Sundstrom' RN. "You can
take a seat at the head of the bed and keep Mr. Krycek company. We're just
about to start."
"Fox Mulder," returned the agent. Mulder eyed the beautiful older African
American woman, then the
younger nurse, who did not introduce herself. Fox sat in a chair where he was
instructed to and mentally
noted that the younger nurse's nametag said 'Shelly Moody'. Fox took a seat
directly in front of Alex,
who was laid out naked and on his belly—and winked at the prone man. Mulder
searched his lover's eyes
then grinned; Alex's cheeks were just as red as the young trainee's.
"Sundstrom?" said Mulder softly of
the older woman.
"I met and married a Norwegian while in the Peace Corps," replied the astute
woman. Though she spoke,
she did not raise her eyes off of her task at hand; which was pouring a liberal
amount of hydrogen peroxide
into the first sore.
Alex hissed, but then the sting quickly faded. He read Mulder like a book, and
seemed to know his lover,
who could not bear to see him hurt, was about to ask the nurses to stop the
treatments. "Fox, I'm all
right. They have to do it." He said. Alex inhaled sharply again and reached
for Fox's hand when another
rivulet of the cleansing liquid hit another open sore.
Mulder stared menacingly at the two women.Just one more thing to blame April
for! He thought
sourly.
As soon as the nurses were done with Alex, they left the room. The doctor had
instructed that Alex's sores
be allowed to breath. The air would help them to dry up. Nurse Sundstrom left,
leaving the curtain pulled
closed as the patient's backside was still exposed.
Mulder fed some water to his lover then took his seat again at the head of the
bed.
"We need to talk," both men said at the same time, once they were alone.
Fox smiled and looked into Alex's eyes. The brightness had finally started to
come back to them.
"Me first." Alex reached out and traced a heart over the back of Mulder's hand.
"Okay."
"Well...I know that before we talked about getting a place together...but...."
Alex hesitated for a second,
then said, "how would you feel about moving into the apartment with me?" He
gave his lover a small,
bashful smile. As if needing to explain himself before Mulder could turn down
the idea, he went on
quickly, "We will totally redecorate the place together, it needs it now
anyway." Alex didn't think he
could live in the apartment with the same stuff around him as had been there
when April stole in and took
him. Yet, he couldn't leave the place either. For some reason, despite the
intruder, he felt safe there. He
needed the comfort of familiarity right now. "Chester would hate moving and we
can..."
"Okay," Mulder said.
"....and we can ... the patio ... what?" Alex held tight to Fox's hand. "What
did you say?"
"I said okay. I've got most of my stuff there anyway. It's a great apartment,
I can see why you wouldn't
want to sell it."
"Really? You don't mind living there. You said before that you wanted a place
of our own." Alex was
relieved.
Mulder leaned forward and kissed his lover gently. "I hope you don't mind, but
I think I'm already living
at the apartment." Alex raised a brow and Mulder explained, "Well, when you
disappeared, I still went
back to the hotel room, but then I had to drop around your place everyday to
feed Chester and clean his
box. I eventually brought a night bag, which led to me bringing my toiletries
and eventually I just let the
hotel room go. The other day it dawned on me that I'd already moved in." He
kissed Alex's again, this
time he let it linger just a whisper longer.
"Well, then I guess it's our place then and not mine." Alex stroked his fingers
over Fox's stubbled chin,
he loved the feel of his lover's five o'clock shadow, at one point during his
captivity when all his hope had
been lost, Alex thought he would never again feel the raspy 'cat tongue'
whiskers. His mood suddenly
turned sombre at the thought of April.
"What?"
"Nothing," lied Alex. "Come and kiss me." He demanded and Fox did.
Mulder knew it wasn't nothing, but he let the comment slide; most likely
April had found her way into
his waking thoughts.
Finally Alex pulled back to slide his tongue over Mulder's jaw-line. "Did I
ever tell you how much I love
it when you don't shave?" The smile was back; once again April Gallagher had
been banished.
"Yes," Fox said simply, a devilish gleam shining in his eye.
"What was it you wanted to say to me." Alex, tired of being on his belly,
propped up his pillows and
rolled to his side.
Mulder wished he didn't have to talk about April and the baby. But it needed
to be done. Where to start?
That was the dilemma. The agent figured he might as well start at the
beginning. Fox took a deep breath
and started to relay to his lover what Agent Madison had told him.
"I have a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that Madison told me
that April's lawyer is
going to accept a plea that will see Gallagher do twenty solid inside the walls
of Windsor Gardens. But
she refuses to 'deal' when it comes to the sexual assault charge. She doesn't
feel that it has any merit, and
neither does her lawyer."
Alex's smiled slid slowly away. But he remained silent and let Fox finish what
he was saying.
"Gallagher's parents want the baby. She'll probably going to sign over custody
to mom and pops right
afterward it's born." Mulder stared pointedly at his younger lover. "I don't
think that's right," he said
frankly.
"Oh God....what a god-dammed mess!" groaned Alex. Tired of lying down, he sat
up in the bed and
swung his legs over the edge.
"Where are you going?" asked the very nervous Mulder, he put his hands out and
helped Alex to stand.
"I'm tired of being in bed. Help me to the window."
Mulder helped Alex on with a hospital gown and then his robe. "Hang on to the
rail." Instructed Mulder
before he squatted down and fished Alex's size 11 slippers out from under the
bed. "Here, at least put
these on."
"Stop mothering me, Fox," admonished Alex as he dutifully slipped his bare feet
into the warm sheepskin
lined slippers.
"I'm not mothering...more like fathering," joked Mulder weakly. "I'm sorry," he
said when he saw the
pained expression wash over his lover's face. "I guess that wasn't very funny."
With Mulder's help, Alex shuffled to the window. "No. Don't be sorry, it's all
right. I'm all right."
Smiling to the panes of glass when Fox wrapped his arms protectively around his
shoulders. Alex reached
out and pulled up the blinds that were hiding half of the window and turned his
face up, toward the sun.
He greeted the large star with closed eyes and a smile. Alex stayed that way,
silent, soaking up the
vitamin D for a few minutes. But finally, he asked his lover, "What would you
do, Fox?" his eyes opened
and Alex's pupils narrowed, like a cat's...He turned and faced his older, wiser
lover.
"Truth?" Fox couldn't help but draw Alex in closer and kiss him. He looked so
young—-so unsure of
himself.
"Yes, of course the truth."
"I don't think you should let your baby be raised by two people who have only
proven that they aren't
capable of raising a 'normal' child either. Madison gave me some of the low
down on the parents. Both
are religious zealots that raised their children according to their
interpretation of the bible. Which means
they were beat more often than not and starved for love and affection. I'm sure
there's sexual abuse in there
somewhere too, but there's no proof and Turner and April aren't' saying.
Granted the people are quite a bit
older now, but what are the chances they've changed?"
Alex turned away from Fox but not out of his arms and stared out of the window
at the people bustling
about on the concrete below. To Alex, they looked as tiny as termites from this
high up...Alex wished he
was down there with them. "But will we make better parents?"
"Yes, I do." Mulder said immediately, with conviction.
"I don't know Fox." Alex couldn't tear his eyes away from the busy intersection
below. "To go to court,
to have to talk about what she...what she..." The tears started to fall then and
Alex was helpless to stop
them. He had been trying for over a week to bury what April had done to him,
and not just the stuff about
the sex. But being tied up, beaten, not even allowed up to go to the bathroom.
The humiliation he still
carried at having her clean him after he could no longer hold his bowels back.
He could put none of the
ordeal behind him. Alex wondered if sitting in a courtroom telling his story
would make things easier or
harder.
His lover's tears fell as freely as a summer's rain and Mulder was powerless to
comfort Alex. All he
could do, was hang on tight and murmur sweet nothings into Alex's elfin
ear until the moment
passed.
Finally, the tears started to abate and Alex sniffed nosily. Mulder passed him
a Kleenex and Alex took it
and blew the snot from his nose, grateful that he had such an attentive lover.
"Alex."
"What?" He leaned even farther into Mulder's embrace, feeling secure within the
strong arms.
"No matter what you decide, I'll be here for you. I'm in this relationship for
life." He squeezed the man
with in his grip a little bit harder. "I totally understand if you can't deal
with the baby. I mean, she did
force this on you. But if you want to fight her, take away from her what she
would you, then I'll stand
behind you in court. Every single day, through every sordid detail until you
win your fight." At that, he
turned his lover around in his arms and stared into the slightly shorter man's
troubled green eyes. "I'm
here for you Alex, no matter what you decide."
Alex couldn't help but smile up at Fox. "I know," he said softly. "I just need
some time to think."
"Okay." Fox closed his eyes and kissed Alex again. This time, he gently nudged
open Alex's warm lips
and greeted his beloved's tongue with the tip of his own.
"Fox, would you please go to the lounge and shower!" groused Alex in a cheery
tone.
"No," Mulder replied blandly. "I don't think I should leave you."
Alex didn't know who was suffering more from the after effects of the trauma, he
or Fox. Though he still
had frequent, vivid dreams of April and to some lesser extent, Skinner but he
was not afraid to be alone in
the hospital room. It was Fox who was afraid of leaving him alone. It seemed
that the older agent was
scared that if he let Alex out of his view again, that another felon would come
charging in to kidnap him
again.
The young agent was tired of being babied.
"Well, to be honest lover," said Alex, grinning. "You stink!" He laughed out
loud when Mulder's face
showed offence at the comment. "I'll be fine. It's eleven o'clock at night.
Nurse Sundstrom is on duty,
she won't let any one get into my room that shouldn't be here!"
"Welllll..." Wavered Mulder. A hot shower did sound good, plus he needed to
shave. Scully was taking
care of Chester the cat, for the time being. Mulder had left Alex's side very
little in the last week. His
former partner was couriering clean clothes back and forth to him at the
hospital.
"Go! I'll be fine," encouraged Alex.
"You're right." Fox decided. He picked up his small kit bag and dug through
his larger duffel for a clean
T-shirt and sweats. Before leaving he gave Alex a long, lingering kiss.
Silently promising to hurry and
return.
Alex smiled and gently bit Fox's chin. "Go," he said. Pleased with himself and
the semi-erection tenting
the flannel blanket covering his lap.
"Walter Skinner, Assistant Director, FBI." Walter showed the large duty nurse
his badge as he rattled off
his titles.
Nurse Sundstrom carefully looked at the badge and the ID, she smiled and passed
the leather bound
credentials back to the tall, handsome FBI man. "Mr. Krycek is down the hall,
room 808. To your right."
Skinner nodded and tucked his ID into an inner flap of his suit jacket. He knew
he shouldn't be here,
especially this late at night. But he couldn't help himself. Ever since Krycek
had been kidnapped,
thoughts of guilt had plagued him. Then to have that bitch, April, tell Madison
about him raping Alex,
well that had really scared him. He kept waiting for the guillotine to fall.
Though nothing had been
mentioned about it, Skinner couldn't help but wonder if Agent Krycek was going
to charge him after all,
or if Agent Madison would follow up on the allegations. Knowing Madison, who
reminded Walter of a
bloodhound on the trail of an escaped killer, the grizzled agent would look into
Gallagher's accusations. It
was only a matter of time. Walter had gone to his therapist and confessed his
indiscretion, he had told the
man every ugly detail. The therapist had told Walter that the only way to
forgive himself was to talk to
his victim and to let him say and do what he wanted to.
And if Alex wanted justice in the form of a jail sentence, then so be it.
Walter thought at the time the therapist was insane to even suggest such a
thing, but now that he had
thought about it, talking to Alex, telling the young green-eyed agent to press
charges if he liked would
really be the only way he could clear his conscious.
"Alex?"
Walter rapped on the door and then entered the room, calling the agent's name
softly.
Alex was struggling to find a slipper that had been pushed far under the bed.
His back was to the door and
during the search, his pyjama bottoms had ridden low down his back, exposing two
of the healing wounds
to Skinner.
As soon as he heard the voice he had abandoned the search for his slipper and
jumped up to face the AD.
He winced from the tightness of the scabs on his backs. "What the hell are you
doing here?" Alex's voice
cracked and wavered slightly.
Though Krycek had bounced to attention, the large AD had still seen the two
large ruddy brown scabs on
his hipbones. Walter winced at that point too, not with pain, but with
remembrance of his despicable
deeds.
Skinner moved into the room, the fear on the agent's pale face was evident as
Alex moved away from him,
not letting the much stronger man get close to him at all. Guilt swamped
Walter's conscience. How could
he have not seen it before? The younger man was terrified of him, despite his
bravado. "I came to
apologise," he said after a considerable silence where they just stared at each
other.
"Oh...really?" Alex replied, quashing the fear and snorting his disbelief.
"I'm sorry I hurt you Alex," Walter said sincerely. "Truly."
At the AD's gentle words, Alex slowly stepped toward his bed, he reached out and
snatched up his robe
and hastily put it on as if the plain cotton would protect him from his
attacker.
"What if I don't want your apology?" Alex crossed his arms protectively across
his chest.
"Then I will understand," sighed Walter. "But please, let me explain myself."
With a derisive laugh, Alex calmer now said, "Explain what?"
"Why I did what I did." Walter was careful to keep his distance to the agent.
He knew that if he got any
closer to Alex inside the tiny room that he would probably panic and take off,
and then he would never
have his chance to get what he wanted to say off his chest.
"What if I don't want to let you off the hook? What if I want you to carry the
guilt of what you did to me
around for the rest of your life?"
"Then I will understand that, too."
"Fine. Say what you have to then get out." Alex had wanted to tell the AD to
go to hell, but he could
not. He wanted to hear what the man wanted to say, and that surprised the hell
out of him.
"Well, first of all I want you to know that I've been working with a therapist
intensely for the last eight
months. I know now that I drove Fox away from me with my controlling
behaviours. I'm the only one to
blame for it. And I did what I did to you because I was jealous and I wanted to
hurt you, but most of all,
I wanted to hurt Mulder. I knew exactly how he would feel. I wanted to crush
his heart like he'd done to
me."
"You can't even say it, Skinner, so how can you be sorry?"
"Say what?"
"You raped me. Raped Me!" Alex's voice had risen a few octaves along with his
anger. He took a deep
breath to calm himself. "How can you have regret when you won't even
acknowledge what you did? You
beat me up, bent me over a desk..." his voiced trembled, "....and forced your
self on me. I passed out for
god sakes!" There was no hesitance in Alex's voice now. "When I came to, I was
in my car, I bled
Skinner. Really bled. Do you how I felt afterwards?"
Now Alex was becoming angry again, and it was just the reaction Walter was
hoping for.
"Dirty. That's how I felt. I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror! You
were so lucky I didn't call
the cops. So lucky."
"I know I was lucky," Walter replied contritely.
"Damn right!"
"Can you forgive me? For everything? The rape....sending you to Alaska....for
my hand in trying to
break up you and Fox?"
Shaking his head slowly, Alex was amazed at the level of sincerity in the man's
voice. But always a
believer in humanity, Alex really did believe Skinner when he said he was sorry
for everything. Alex was
tired of holding Skinner's rape inside him, perhaps just forgiving the man would
be a good start in finally
letting it go.
Then again, maybe not.
"Fine," Alex said, his voice flat. "I'll accept your apology, but I can't
forgive you. Not yet. Maybe
someday... just not today."
"Okay..." Walter sighed, the pressure of his guilt immediately alleviated, but
not banished. He wanted to
say more, but Alex cut him off.
"That's the best I can do for you Skinner. You're going to have to walk around
with the knowledge that
you hurt another person- and like me- you're just going to have to live with it.
You'd better go now,
before Fox comes back and sees you."
"But..." Walter took a step toward Alex and Alex took an immediate step
backwards, bumping into the
bed. Mulder walked in, just in time to see them.
"Get out!" Mulder ordered the minute he had laid eyes on Skinner. He was
enraged that his former lover
would come to the hospital to menace Alex.
Walter stared into Alex's eyes for another few seconds then turned to Mulder.
"I'm going." He stepped
around Fox and left.
Mulder immediately went to his lover. "Are you all right?" Fox was angry at
himself for taking so long
in the shower.
"I'm fine, Fox, just fine," assured Alex.
"Good. Wait here." He instructed Alex, as if the agent had anywhere else he
could go.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a hand reached out and stopped
them from doing so.
Mulder stepped into Skinner's view.
"Don't ever speak to him again and don't you ever," Fox put heavy
emphasis on the word 'ever',
put yourself alone in a room with him again, or I'll kill you."
The wild grin on Mulder's face actually scared Walter. And at that moment, he
believed Mulder was
telling the truth. He would kill him.
"Got it?"
"Yes."
"Good." Mulder's voice was calm, yet angry. He released the one door and the
stainless steel slipped
shut, slowly taking his ex-lover out of his sight. Satisfied that he had made
his point, Mulder spun
smartly on his heel and went to comfort his lover.
Four days later:
Mulder rolled over in his sleep, but his empty arms woke him when he reached for
his lover. His eyes
popped open and searched the dark bedroom -made light by the brightness of the
gibbous moon—for his
lover. Fox could see through open door that there was a light on in the living
room. Naked, Mulder
stood up padded over to his favourite chair. He picked up his velour robe and
slipped it on, shutting out
the early morning chill. Following the light Fox went to the living room, where
he found Alex, sipping a
whiskey, sitting securely wrapped up in his own robe.
Alex had only arrived home the morning before, he had slept upon his arrival,
but now, slumber eluded
him. Indecision over what he should do about the baby kept tumbling over and
over inside his mind.
Finally, afraid that he was keeping Fox awake, he had slipped out of bed and
into his chair. He thought
that how strange it was to miss a piece of furniture. Chester was curled up on
the back of the chair, eyes
closed and purring, pleased that his master was home again.
At that moment, in the still of the night surrounded by the things and the man
he loved, his cat purring,
and good whiskey in his hand, Alex decided.
"Alex, are you all right. What are you doing out here all alone?" As Mulder
approached his lover, Chester
opened his eyes but chose to ignore his other master and closed them again. Fox
scratched behind the fat
cat's ears before kneeling down at Alex's feet.
"I'm fine, Fox." Alex smiled down, how could he not keep something that was
his? How could he deny
a baby a chance at what Alex knew would be a good life? His grandmother would
be thrilled to hear he
had a child, and Mulder, he knew, would make a great father. "I've come to a
decision." He put his
tumbler down on a nearby end table and looked into Fox's eyes. "I'm going to
fight them," said Alex, his
voice a husky, whisper. "That baby is ours and I won't let them have him. Both
April and her parents
should have to pay for what happened to me. Letting the Gallaghers keep the
baby would only serve as a
reward to them."
Fox remained on his knees but he straightened tall on them and gathered up Alex
into a tight hug. "We'll
win, Alex, you'll see, we-will-win." This time it was Mulder's turn to shed
some tears. Fatherhood was
something he had always dreamed of, but never thought attainable. To have this
opportunity was too
much; his relief came fast and furious. When he was done crying, it was his
lover's turn to hand him a fist
full of tissues. Mulder couldn't help but smile at the irony. Hadn't they done
the very same thing just a
few days before; only now the roles reversed.
"Come on, Fox, let's go to bed. I want to make love to you." Alex stood and
pulled Mulder up with
him. He leaned over and shut the small light off and together hand in hand the
two went down the hall
toward the bedroom with Chester on their heels.
"You know, this would be more comfortable if we could lose the cat," grumbled
Mulder as he tried to
cuddle in next to his lover.
Alex laughed softly, "He missed me and wants to be close to me, that's all."
Still, he picked up the tabby
and tossed him to the foot of the bed.
Angry at his displacement, Chester left the bedroom looking for a more
hospitable place to sleep.
"Well I did too," said Mulder, pulling Alex close so that they lay in the middle
of the bed, face to face.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" whispered Fox softly, his breath was still
fresh. He reached behind
him with one hand and found a small bottle of lubricant. He quickly squeezed a
dollop onto his palm then
tossed the plastic bottle away; he resumed his position.
"Hell yes. I've gone too long without your touch..." Just as he said the word
touch, four feather soft
fingers and a thumb wrapped around his semi-erection, surging the organ to life
instantly. Alex inhaled
airily at the gentle, wet caress but kept on speaking, "...for almost a month. I
miss it and I miss you....I
need you to 'take' me back, Fox...."
"Oh, I intend too..." husked Mulder. He leaned in the extra few centimetres and
kissed Alex softly on the
lips. Within seconds, the subdued kiss lengthened until the tip of each man's
tongue was greeting each
other in the age-old mating dance. Mulder didn't say it to Alex, but in the
back of his mind he thought
that his lover, despite his protests, was not ready for the actual act of sex;
either giving or receiving. So
when Alex released himself into Mulder's capable hands, the experienced agent
decided to go another, less
hazardous route.
Without releasing his massaging grip on Alex's now fully erect cock, Fox gently
pulled his lover closer to
him so that their chests met. The kissing between them continued and lips and
tongues reacquainted
themselves after such a distressful separation. Mulder wrapped his left leg
around Alex's hip and held him
close, then his cock joined Alex's; both attended by the warm confines of his
slick fist. "Let me do the
work," whispered Fox.
Alex was grateful for his lover's insight, for it the truth be told, he wasn't
really ready for lovemaking.
Yet Mulder had known that and had chosen a different, almost more pleasurable
path for them. At first, he
had flashes of April and Skinner and his confinement, but within seconds, Fox's
kisses—which felt like no
others—chased away the dark, scary thoughts. His lover's cock felt so good,
so right touching his in the
slippery lube. Soon the lubricant warmed and all thoughts except those of him
and Fox were banished
from the bedroom.
It was just the two of them now.
Fox could tell by his lover's soft moans that he was close, he was right there
himself so he increased the
friction by clenching his hand a little bit tighter and increased the rhythm of
his stroking pace. Within
seconds of doing that, Alex cried out his love for Mulder and Mulder, returned
the sentiments.
Hot, thick liquid erupted from both men at almost the same moment and then
bathed down the back of
Fox's hand, just like super-heated lava, and cooling just as quickly.
Afterwards, luxuriating in the after glow of a much needed orgasm, the men
wrapped themselves around
each other. Mulder spoke softly to his lover, "Don't worry, Alex, together,
we're unbeatable."
Alex couldn't help but smile at his lover's optimism. He had been wallowing in
his pain from the last
year long enough. It was time to adopt Mulder's positive attitude. "I know,
Fox. I know." Mulder's
was playing with his hair and his fingers were gently caressing his scalp.
Whenever Mulder did this to
him, it made him sleepy, it always had. Alex remembered that he had once told
Fox that whenever he
couldn't sleep, his mother would play with his hair to relax him. It worked
like a charm every time.
Exhausted and close to the edge of slumber Alex whispered sleepily, "I want you
to meet my
grandmother." One final yawn and he was out.
Mulder stared up at the ceiling, wide-awake now. Alex really wanted him to meet
his grandma? She was
one of the most important people in his life, yet Fox had never met her in
person. Alex had told Mulder
that his grandmother knew he was gay, but he had never let anyone that he dated
meet her before. She was
his refuge and Alex always ran to her when something was not right in his life.
Her knowing his lovers
personally would spoil everything. Fox felt honoured that Alex wanted to
introduce them.
Even during the time of Alex's kidnapping, the poor old lady was distraught and
had wanted to come to
Washington but Agent Madison, kept her updated and convinced her not to. He
told her that there was
nothing she could do for her grandson, that she would be safer upstate. Madison
did not want to take the
chance that April wouldn't try to kidnap her if she was close by. Even when
Alex was in the hospital, she
didn't come down. Mulder knew that Alex talked to her everyday on the phone,
and he also knew that
Alex had told his grandmother about the two of them and their relationship.
What will she think of me? thought Mulder, excited yet nervous at the
thought of meeting the
formidable Helena Krycek.
As the night sky lightened and the early morning sunbeams streaked across the
bedroom walls like
streamers at a party, Mulder found himself no closer to sleep.
Part XII
We're not going to take it.
"We're not going to take it."
8 weeks later
Mulder removed the key from the door and entered his and Alex's apartment.
Eight weeks of living together, and Fox was finally just getting used to calling
the place 'theirs'.
"Alex? You home?" he called. The front door closed automatically and clicked
locked. Two new security features Mulder had insisted on when they had
redecorated.
"I'm in here, Fox," called Alex from the kitchen.
Mulder hung up his jacket and followed the direction from which the husky voice
had come. He stopped in the doorframe and slouched against it arms crossed
casually, watching his lover from behind as the man added cooked Chinese noodles
to what looked like was going to be a stir-fry dinner. He couldn't help but
smile behind Alex's back, it seemed so natural for the younger man to be in the
kitchen cooking for him while he, the big strong FBI agent worked all day.
Mulder chuckled softly knowing full well that his very masculine lover did not
appreciate the 'wife' label being pinned on him. On more than one occasion Alex
had retorted hotly to Mulder's good-natured jibes with a serious 'Wives are
women, men are husbands, Fox...'
"I can hear you laughing," Alex said without looking over his shoulder. He knew
what his lover was thinking. Mulder had a total fixation with the concept of a
traditional family. With the exception of the nuclear family consisting of
father, father and baby rather than the more conventional mother, father and
baby makes three. "I'm not going to warn you again about calling me the little
woman." At that, the Russian turned around and smiled at his lover. He was
still holding the wooden spatula he had used to spoon the noodles into the wok
with, a very sweet brown spot of soy sauce stained the right corner of his
mouth. "I will chase you down, and paddle your bare ass," Alex brandished the
spatula as if it were a weapon, "like I did last time."
"Ohhhh, I love it when you talk dirty to me." Said Mulder in an exaggerated
voice. He could not resist striding over and kissing the darling little mark of
soy. The tip of Mulder's tongue darted out and removed all traces of the salty
brown sauce. After a few seconds the kiss graduated from innocent to indecent.
Mulder pushed Alex backwards, toward the granite counter top. His lover's ass
bumped the edge and Mulder grabbed Alex by his firm thighs and lifted him up.
Part of Alex's butt rested on the counter while Mulder's strong arms supported
the rest of his weight. Fox rocked his hips forward, aggressively indicating
that he wanted to make love right there and then. His tongue delved deeper into
Alex's lush, warm mouth. Excited groin met excited groin, Mulder pushed again
and Alex hit his head against the cupboard. The agent paid the noise no mind;
he only had one thing on his mind.
The soft jolt however, pulled Alex back to his senses and out of their necking
session. "Fox," he whispered. Mulder's lips, denied his lover's plump mouth,
immediately went to Alex's strong neck. Leaning his
head sideways and closing his eyes, Alex smiled. "Fox, we can't get into this
right now."
Mulder stopped kissing Alex's jaw, but did not remove his lips. "Why?" he
asked.
"Grams wants to meet you. She's coming over for dessert. She'll be here in
forty minutes." Alex grinned again and mentally counted down backwards.
'Five-four-three-two-one'...
"What?" Mulder stepped back from Alex, his erection, slowly ebbing. He was
surprised. Alex's grandma had been in the city for three days now, and he knew
that Alex had seen her every day and talked to her on the phone every night.
She was staying in a posh D.C. hotel suite. In the three days, not once had she
asked to meet him. And the agent thought that maybe Alex's Grandmother wasn't
as 'hip' as he thought she was.
Fox could certainly understand.
He had been out to his parents for years now, and both were still
uncomfortable around him. But to be honest, he didn't know if it was because he
was gay or because they blamed him for his sister's abduction. He still saw his
parents now and again and both had even met Alex, but they were a difficult
couple; putting it mildly. Mulder spent as little time around the two of them
as possible. "She wants to meet me? I was starting to think that she wasn't so
keen on meeting her Grandson's lover."
Alex laughed softly and reaching out, he pulled his lover back over so that Fox
stood between his legs. He wrapped his arms around Fox's neck and kissed him on
the tip of his nose. "You can be so paranoid sometimes, you know that?"
Mulder simply shrugged, he was an FBI agent; it was in his nature to be
distrusting.
"I needed some time to tell her about what happened between me and April. She
knows all of it now." Alex's smile slowly slipped away. He spoke solemnly.
"It was hard for me to tell her, and harder for her to listen. But she's all
I've got, I try not to keep secrets from her."
"You've got me," Fox said.
"I know, and the two of you are enough." Alex's fingers played with his lover's
short hairs at the nape of his lean neck. "You know everything and now she does
too....Well, she knows almost everything." He leaned forward and rested his
forehead against Fox's. "I didn't bring up the whole Skinner thing."
Mulder grimaced but he kept his thoughts to himself, instead he said, "Okay,
then I won't bring it up."
"It's not that I don't want her to know, it's just that." Alex sat up straight
again and stared into Mulder's eyes. "I've put that whole incident behind me.
I know it's not quite the kind of justice you would have like to have seen, but
Skinner did apologise, I just hope he can get help so that he doesn't hurt
another."
"Me too," Mulder replied softly.
"Besides all this April bullshit is enough to deal with at the moment." Alex
flashed his lover a weak smile.
"That should be our new mantra..." Fox commented. Alex raised his sable brows
at the same time silently asking 'what should be?' "One calamity at a time."
Mulder kissed Alex chastely on the lips. "Come on, the stir fry is drying up,
and I want to have a shower before Helena gets here." Mulder opened his eyes
wide with uncertainly. "I can call her Helena...right?"
"Yes of course you can silly. It is her name you know." Alex jumped off the
counter and took up his wooden spatula again. "Come on, if we hurry and eat, we
can shower together." He flashed a mischievous grin over his shoulder at his
lover, the seriousness of the discussion forgotten.
Both Alex and Fox sat in their living room, awaiting the arrival of Helena
Krycek. They had each scarfed down a bowl full of noodles and vegetables within
a few minutes so that they could take a little more time together in the
bathroom. After giving each other a hand-job simultaneously, they hastily
soaped and shampooed and jumped out of the shower.
Alex declared that his 'Grams' was never late and that they only had ten minutes
to dress. Mulder, naked and dripping, agonised, for the first time in his life,
about what to wear. A suit was too much, and jeans weren't enough. Alex only
laughed at his lover and kissed his bare shoulder. "Wear what you want," he
said, then he went to his closet and came out in casual pants and a golf shirt.
"Hurry up, she'll be here any minute," he warned, walking out of the bedroom and
leaving Fox, standing naked in front of his own closet.
Finally, Fox chose a collared shirt and a pair of dark khaki Denver Hayes cargo
pants. He slapped on some mild cologne and combed his short hair with his
fingers and, after a quick look in the mirror he left the bedroom, too. Glad
that the large hickey Alex had left on his chest did not show through the light
coloured shirt.
As it was, they didn't have to hurry. Helena was late, and didn't arrive until
forty-five minutes after she had said she would. Alex was worried. Like he
told Mulder, Grams was never late. He dialled down to the doorman and gave him
a vivid description of the eighty-two year-old woman. "She's five feet tall and
weighs hundred pounds," he said. "Her hair is white and her eyes are green
and..."
Mulder watched Alex as his lover frowned at being interrupted.
"All right," he said. Frustrated, he hung up.
"What?" Mulder asked, standing up to pour them a pair of whiskeys.
"Fredrick knows to watch out for her, and me phoning down every five minutes is
preventing him from doing his job...yada...yada...yada." Alex rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry, you know what it's like trying to get a cab in this town,
especially on a Friday night." Fox stepped up to Alex and wrapped his arms
around his lover and hugged him tight, trying to assuage his anxiety.
"I know," admitted Alex. "It's just that she's in her eighties, and all alone.
I knew I should have gone to pick her up, but she wouldn't let me. She insisted
on a god-damned cab!"
Luckily, before he could get worked up again, the phone rang. Mulder released
his lover and the Russian dove for the phone. It was Fredrick the doorman
letting Alex know that his Grandmother had arrived alive and in one piece and
that she was on her way up.
Now it was Fox's turn to be nervous.
"Mrs. Krycek," replied Mulder demurely as he reached for the older woman's hand
to shake it. He was surprised to see that the elder Krycek, though in her
eighties, looked to be more in her middle sixties. Her hair was as white as the
clouds overhead and pulled back into a bun, with only a few loose wisps to frame
her petite face. Her eyes were the same startling green as her Grandson's, but
he must have got his height from someone else as she was more than a foot
shorter than Alex. "Please, Fox, call me Helena." She gently extricated her
tiny hand from Mulder's large one and then removed her cotton gloves.
"Babschi," Alex's voice husky with relief. He hugged the tiny woman tightly to
his large chest for the second time in as many seconds. "I was so worried."
"Please, 'Vnuk' I'm a grown woman. There's no need to worry." She laughed
softly and handed her gloves and bag off to her grandson, who took them without
question. "A sherry would be nice," said Helena, turning to Mulder.
"Ummm.... All right, Helena. Alex?" Mulder turned and went for the bar. He
smiled, how easily the woman commanded two strapping men. Fox committed the
word Vuh-nook to his memory, wondering what it meant. He would have to
ask Alex later when they were in bed.
"I'll have a vodka please," replied Alex. He smiled to his lover and went to
the closet to put away his grandmother's things.
"Why are you so late, Babshi?" Alex guided his grandmother into the most
comfortable chair in the place, and Mulder handed her the sherry.
"Rolfe came to D.C. with me. We were having dinner then he escorted me here in
a cab." She looked lovingly at her grandson. Alex always worried about her,
and she him.
"Why didn't Rolfe come up?" asked Alex. He turned to Mulder and explained,
"Rolfe was my Grandfather's best friend. His wife passed away just before
Grandpa. He's looked after Grandmother ever since."
"And I've looked after him." Cut in Helena, she sipped her drink; green eyes
sparkled out at the men.
"Don't worry for Rolf, Vnuk. He's having an after dinner coffee and reading a
paper at that over priced shop down the street. He'll pick me up in an hour."
Helena sighed and turned to Mulder, "He's the only person I know who actually
reads the paper from front to back, page by page." She laughed softly.
"He reads the Washington post?" asked Mulder.
"Worse. The N.Y. times." Helena sipped her drink and listened to Mulder laugh.
He seemed like an okay man. He certainly was handsome. But did he have what it
took to take care of her Alex? She intended to find out. The elderly woman put
her drink down.
"Babshi, why are you leaving so soon?" Alex sat down on the love seat across
the coffee table from his grandmother, and Fox joined him.
"I'm very tired tonight. It's been a long couple of days." What Helena had not
told Alex yet was why she was in D.C. at this particular time of the year. She
could have easily met Alex in New York City. It was only a couple of hours
train ride for each of them. That's where they usually met. But she was sick,
and she had come to Washington for a second opinion on the advice of her
physician. Rolfe had escorted her because he knew how sick she really was.
Helena leaned forward and looking directly into Mulder's dark hazel eyes she
said, "So, do you use condoms when you make love to my Grandson?" Her voice
was perfectly pleasant, like she had just asked Mulder about the weather instead
of his sexual practices.
Alex, who had been sipping his iced vodka, started choking on his drink.
Finally he managed a rather liquid, "Grandma!"
Mulder put a hand on Alex's knee to quiet him and replied red-faced,
"Uhhh...with all due respect, I don't really think that's any of your business."
Helena sipped her sherry. "I think it is. If you love Alex, you would use
protection, you would want to keep him safe." Truth be told, Helena knew it
wasn't any of her business what the two men did in their bedroom at night. She
was just testing Mulder, seeing if he'd stick up for himself with her. Alex
could never be with someone whom she didn't like. And though her first
impressions of the agent were positive, the way he reacted to this question
would tell her whether he was the right man for her Alex ; or not.
"Well, I can tell you without a doubt that I love your Grandson. He is my whole
world. I plan on growing old with Alex. But as for what we do or don't do in
bed, well, Helena, that's still none of your business." Mulder took a large
swallow of his dry martini and hoped like hell the woman wouldn't end up hating
him. He didn't want to make a bad impression on the most important person in
his devoted lover's life, but he still refused to be 'pushed'. He wouldn't take
any 'guff' from his parents either.
Calmly, quietly, Helena put her empty sherry glass down. Her face was stern,
yet still beautiful. Time had not ravaged her as it did some women. A smile
crossed her mouth and Mulder was instantly reminded of Alex. They had the same
shaped eyes. Helena reached out and slapped Mulder softly on his left cheek.
"You're okay, Fox."
"Jeez, Grandma, you had me worried there," said Alex, relieved to see that his
grandmother was only yanking Mulder's chain.
"I had to see if he had the stuff to stand up to me. He does."
"Oh, thank-god," Mulder whispered, downing the rest of his drink in one large
gulp.
"I wanted to make sure he was strong enough for you. You're about to start on a
bumpy road, Vnuk. That baby of yours is going to need two parents to raise him.
I didn't want to think that Fox would run out after you won custody of the
babe."
"I'll never leave Alex," stated Mulder emphatically, rising to mix another
martini. He really needed another drink.
"Do you think we have a chance then?" Alex, uninterested in his vodka, set his
tumbler down in front of him.
"I do. Those people have been victimising our family for far too long. No way
will any decent judge give them another helpless baby to raise."
Mulder sat down. "Yeah. Look what they did to the first batch of kids they
had."
"Right."
"But, Babshi, not a lot of people are sympathetic to two gay men raising a
child."
"Nonsense! That baby is yours!" Helena passed her tiny glass off to Mulder who
took it wordlessly and poured her another drink. "The judge will see that you
are the better parents in court."
"I hope so, Babshi. I hope so," sighed Alex. He was very worried about the
coming trial. They were due to start proceedings in a matter of a few weeks.
April was already into her second trimester. By the time the lawyers were done
arguing the case, it would almost be time for the baby to be born. Alex wanted
so badly to believe that he would win...his grandmother certainly thought he
could and so did Mulder. Hell, even Mulder's parents were ready to get on the
stand. Not that he knew them well, but the Mulder's wanted a grandchild so
badly, that they were willing to put aside their misgivings about their gay son
and testify in favour of them. Still, Alex wasn't so sure he and Mulder could
win.
"You'll be in court with us, right?" asked Mulder chewing on an olive.
"Ahhhh...no, Fox. I cannot."
"What?" exclaimed Alex, horrified at the thought of his Grandmother not sitting
behind him.
"Well, that's another conversation. One we can have right now if you're ready
for it."
Alex felt like he'd had been kicked in the stomach. He groped for Fox's hand
and Mulder immediately grabbed it and held it in his own.
Helena watched this and she knew, that it was right to wait for Alex to have his
Fox by his side before telling him that she had no more than a couple of weeks
left to live. She could have told her Grandson many times in the past year that
she was ill. But it never seemed right. He had been through so much already.
And then in the aftermath of the kidnapping, how could she drop another bomb on
him? No it had been better to wait. Now was the right time.
"Alexander...my beautiful, beautiful Vnuk...." started Helena.
While Helena filled in her grandson in on the details about her illness, she
noticed that though he was upset, he did not cry. So typical, Alex would wait
until he was alone to do his grieving. It was his way. She knew, that Fox
would be here to hold him throughout the process. And for that, she was
grateful. She would have to remember the handsome man in her will. Almost
everything she had would go to Alex; the farmhouse, that land. It was a great
place to raise children. All her monies would go to Alex, except some that she
would use to set up a trust for her unborn grandchild, and any child they should
have after that. She planned on leaving a nice lump of it to the humane society
and now decided that Mr. Mulder should have a little bit too. Just so he would
know that she did care for him.
"Can't you have a transplant?" Alex was desperate. Both of his Grandmother's
kidneys were rapidly failing. She had told him that she refused dialysis; it
would only extend her life a few more weeks anyway. There were others, who had
a chance to live, who needed the treatments more than her.
"I'm too old, Alex. Besides," Helena reached across the small distance and held
Alex's other hand. "I'm ready to go. I'm tired, Vnuk. Very tired."
Alex nodded, he understood. But for some reason, he had it in his head that his
grandmother would live forever. The very thought of losing her, especially at
this point in his life where he need her the most, was just too much to
comprehend.
"Don't worry for me.... think about yourself. This is your time. This is your
chance to get a family of your own. I'm the only family that you've had for
quite a while now. It's time for you to experience children and married life."
She smiled and stood up, then went to her still-seated Grandson and hugged him
tightly to her bosom.
Alex clung to her in such a way that it brought back strong memories of when he
would have the nightmares about his parents and sisters. He'd wake up screaming
in the night and she would go to him and hold him tight, and tell him that it
was okay. She was there and everything would be okay. Only she wasn't going to
be here much longer, and then he'd be alone.
Hours after Rolfe had gone, Alex sat, in the dark sipping yet another vodka.
Mulder sat next to him, silent, sipping his own drink. They stared into the
blazing fire, despite it being too warm out to merit a fire. Alex found comfort
in the warm, orange flames. Fox had known that and had built the fire for his
quiet lover.
Finally, Alex put his drink down and turned to face Mulder. "She's going to
die, Fox," was all he said before the tears sprang from their deep wells and
tumbled out.
"I know...and I'm sorry." Mulder grabbed Alex and pulled him to his chest,
murmuring comforting words and rocking his devastated lover.
Finally, the tears passed and Alex collected himself. Mulder waited for Alex to
extricate himself but the Russian did not do that. Instead he rearranged his
long body so that his back was leaning against Fox's chest. Both men were
stretched out over the love seat meant for two; their feet hanging over the end.
"Better?"
"Yes," Alex said as he blotted his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. Mulder
pulled a Kleenex out of a nearby box and wiped his lover's runny nose. Out of
the shadows, Chester emerged. The overweight tabby jumped up and joined the two
men on the already crowded love seat. Chester seemed to sense that his master
needed him, so he circled then settled comfortably onto Alex's lap. The Russian
automatically reached out and started to pet the cat.
Alex had stayed silent for so long that Fox thought that maybe his lover was
drifting off to sleep. But then he spoke. "We need to find something that will
seal the Gallagher's fate. Something that will pretty well guarantee that we'll
win the court case."
"Yeah." Mulder replied. "I'll see what I can do tomorrow, there are some
people out there who owe me a few favours."
"I hate to put pressure on you Fox...."
Mulder cut Alex off. "You're not. That's our baby and I'm willing do whatever
it takes to win. You can count on me."
Alex patted Chester's head. "I know I can," whispered Alex. "Come on, it's
been a long night. Let's go to bed."
Monday
morning, Sept 3-2001.
"Mr. Skinner, it's Fox Mulder, he would like to see you."
"Send him in." Instructed the AD over the phone.
Mulder entered the office and Walter's heart missed a beat. The agent was as
beautiful as ever and Walter was still in love with him. A pang of regret raced
through him, but he put it aside. There was no use crying over spilled milk.
It was his fault that Fox had left him... his alone.
Unfortunately, it was harder to fall out of love with someone than it was to
fall in love.
"Fox, what brings you by?" Walter didn't really expect to see the agent in his
office again.
Mulder pulled out a chair and sat in it. "Are you really sorry for what you did
to Alex?" he ground out.
Walter grimaced. "Of course I am!" he replied sternly. "I apologised to Alex
and I meant every word of what I said."
"Good." Mulder still was reluctant to forgive his former lover. "Then you can
make it up to him by helping us out."
"Name it. What can I do?"
"I need anything you can get on the Gallagher's and their kids. I'll take
whatever you can find. Social worker reports, hospital records...anything."
"Stuff like that is sealed, Fox," Walter said.
"Well, you're a god-dammed AD in the FBI surely to Christ you must be able to
pull a few strings!" Fox stood up and slapped his hands on the table. He
needed his former lover to take this seriously.
"Calm down, Fox. I only said that those types of records would be sealed, I
didn't say I couldn't get them."
Mulder took a deep breath, calming himself down. "I'm sorry. But Alex is going
to need all the help he can get."
"Give me a few days, I'll call you when I have something." Walter was pleased
that Fox had come to him for help. He did not want to let him down...again.
Fox searched Skinner's eyes for a few seconds then he said softly, "Thanks,
Walter." Then he was gone.
After going to Skinner's office, Mulder paid a visit to agent Dave Madison.
Madison and Scully were partners now and they seemed to be working well
together. Luckily though, on this day, Scully had put in for a few hours of
personal time and Madison was in their office alone, going over case files.
Mulder knew that almost every department within the bureau owed Madison some
sort of a favour or another. When he asked for Madison to dig up dirt on the
Gallaghers, the time-worn agent was only too happy to help. Though he did not
know Agent Krycek well, he thought that the young profiler really needed a few
breaks. He would do what he could to give him those breaks. Mulder left the
office after Madison promised to get back to him by the middle of the next week.
Report to the Court in re: Gallagher
April Gallagher is a well-nourished Caucasian girl aged seven. She is currently
residing in state foster care and was brought to this interview by her
foster-mother. This foster mother is a therapeutic foster parent who specialises
in female victims of sexual abuse. April is in First grade and attends a special
education classroom for math and language.
April parted readily from her foster parent and was moderately co-operative with
testing. She presents as a sullen youngster with a fixed stare and a nervous
habit of chewing on her braids. She immediately remarked that my red suit was
the devil's colour and I should pray that Jesus forgive me. She then remarked
that girls should not wear pants. However her foster parent has dressed her in
pink coveralls to minimise April's inappropriate displaying or touching of her
genitals. April has engaged in sexual behaviour with her brother, a much younger
foster brother and neighbourhood children. Her behaviour included tying the
foster brother up and mounting him, imitating sexual intercourse. When she was
discovered, April apparently had a seizure and consequently denied any
recollection of her actions. However CAT scans do not indicate any epileptic
tendencies.
April is the third child of a Charles and Mary Gallagher. A previous sibling,
male, was removed permanently from their care.
April presents with an overall IQ of 86 on the Weschler scale. Scores are
depressed in verbal areas although she had high mechanical reasoning scores.
Thematic perception testing produced notably primitive drawings with over
emphasis of both April and her father. The mother figure is much smaller than
April and the brother is a sketchy head, torso, and penis lacking arms.
When asked to tell a story, April told a garbled version of the story of Lot
with remarks that the daddy had to make babies with his daughters to save them
from the devils. April states that her brother is a devil because he wants to
sleep with other boys. She insists that she initiates sexual acts with her
brother to keep the devil from him.
April is notably unable to distinguish stories from the truth. Her tale telling
is of serious concern.
Rule out Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Retest at later age re indications of Schizotypical Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress
Additional Findings deferred pending results of sexual abuse medical
examination.
"Fox....Where did you get this report?" Alex asked.
"Skinner dug them up for me."
"How? These would have been sealed."
"I'm not sure how, but Skinner pulled a few strings and a judge ordered them
un-sealed."
Alex fingered the papers, he was unsure how he felt about Skinner helping him
out.
"You're not angry are you?" Mulder was worried that Alex was mad at him.
Alex sighed softly, after some thought he replied, "No...no I'm not angry." He
turned to Fox. "We need all the help we can get, right?"
Fox nodded. "Do you want to read what this says?" He held up another manila
file folder for Alex to see. "It's about Turner?"
Alex nodded and Fox passed him the file.
Report to the Court in re: Turner Gallagher
Turner Gallagher is a thin Caucasian boy aged eleven. He is currently residing
in state foster care and was brought to this interview by his foster-father.
This foster father is one of the house parents at the family group home
placement where Turner has been residing since the initial placement. Turner is
in the fifth grade and is placed in special education for the majority of his
academic classes.
Turner was uncomfortable being asked to part from his foster parent, but was
very co-operative with testing. He presents as quiet, rather sad in affect
youngster with a downcast stare. One of the remarks that his caretaker has made
is that he chews on his fingernails until they bleed. Turner had a scrape on his
cheek from a fight at school with a peer. He reported that the classmate called
him a fag and he had to hit him.
Turner immediately asked about April whom he saw in passing. He presents as very
concerned about his younger sister and wanted to know if April had said anything
about him.
Turner is the second child of Charles and Mary Gallagher. A previous sibling,
male, was removed permanently from their care.
Turner presents with an overall IQ of 102 on the Weschler Intelligence Scale for
Children- Third Edition. The test observer notes that excessive looking for cues
from her may have depressed actual test scores.
Thematic perception testing produced surprisingly vivid and idealised images of
his family. Turner added his older brother, Serge, to the family picture. He
remembered his older brother well and notes, "Serge didn't want to come home and
daddy said he was the devil's spawn. He was adopted. I'm not sure what that is.
Is Serge dead now?"
Note from Examiner: Because of Turner's anxiety, information about his older
brother should be provided to him if possible.
Turner drew a charming and brightly coloured home, with detailed flowers, a
puppy, and smiling parents. In the drawing, he is the only dark figure and is
much smaller than the rest of the figures. April is drawn with curls and a white
dress with a blue bow. She holds her father's hand while the mother stands at
some distance away.
When asked to tell a story, Turner recited almost verbatim the plot of an
Incredible Hulk comic book he carried with him. When asked for an original
story, Turner said he couldn't tell one. He became uncomfortable and agitated,
trying to leave the office.
Turner has a bed wetting problem. Medical issues have been ruled out. Since
separation from April, Turner has not been reported to have any incidents of
sexual acting out. Both April and Turner stated that she initiated the contact.
His behaviour is closely monitored in placement. Turner has set two fires at the
group home and has been caught stealing from other residents and a local store.
Retest at later age re indications of Schizotypical Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Significant elevations of scores for depression and anxiety
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Turner has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity. He
is now on a medication trial.
Alex slammed the folder closed. He shook his head. What kind of people were
trying to take his baby away? More determined than ever, Alex vowed not to let
another child fall into the hands of the elder Gallaghers.
October
1-2001
The phone rang once and Alex, the first it's shrilly ring had woke, elbowed
Mulder in the ribs. "Fox, the phone is ringing." Alex assumed it was for
Mulder; he was the only one who got calls at two in the morning anymore. The
phone pealed again, "Fox!" Alex said louder, "get the phone!" He used his feet
to gently kick Mulder in the shins.
"Hmmm." Groaned Fox, rolling over. Finally, by the third ring, the agent
realised what it was that was disturbing his sleep. He slowly came awake and
fumbled for the receiver. "Mulder."
"Fox, its Rolfe. I need to speak to Alex."
The sound of Rolfe's voice had immediately pulled Mulder from his stupor.
"He's right here." Mulder said coherently. He passed the phone to Alex. "It's
Rolfe."
Alex took the phone and sat up in the dark.
Mulder turned the light on and sat up too.
Alex didn't want to answer Rolfe. In his heart, he knew what the family friend
was going to tell him. "It's gramma, isn't it?" He said, not even greeting
him.
"Alex I'm so sorry." Rolfe said, his voice was soft and even. He had been
through this tragedy too many times before.
"When?" Was all Alex asked.
"Not more than ten minutes ago."
"Was she in pain?" For Alex, that seemed to be the worst that could happen to
his grandmother. That she should suffer like his parents and sisters had in
their deaths.
"She had no pain, Helena went in her sleep."
"Thank god." Alex's voice wavered and he swiped at a loose tear. He took a
deep breath and swallowed down his anguish.
"When can you come?" Rolfe asked. He was the executor of Helena's will and
knew everything in it. There were several papers that needed to be signed
before her estate could be taken care of. Always thoughtful and always
practical, Helena had planned her own funeral, right down to the dress she
wanted to be cremated in. Helena wanted some of her ashes to be buried in the
family's plot and then the rest of them scattered over the farmlands that she
had loved so dearly. There was to be a wake only, no religious service. Helena
couldn't bear the thought of people crying over her, she wanted them to eat and
be happy and to tell each other about the good times.
"I'll be there tomorrow." Alex said, "I want to see her before she's cremated."
"Ahhhh, Alex you can't."
"What? Why?"
"She doesn't look the same, Helena wanted your last images of her to be the ones
of when she was alive." Rolfe felt bad, but it was up to him to carry out his
good friend's wishes.
"Okay, I understand." Alex scrubbed at his tired eyes, while he talked on the
phone, Mulder had moved closer and put a loving arm around his shoulders.
"Can you and Fox stay for a few days, Helena has everything arranged already.
There's some things you and I need to discuss when you get here."
Alex smiled to himself. It was so typical of grandma to have planned her own
funeral. She was always so organised. She would always complain to Alex that
around the farm, if you wanted something done, you had better do it yourself.
"Fox and I will be there by dinner time tomorrow."
"I'll see you then." Rolfe said. "Take care Alex."
"You do the same."
"You know us old guys, we always seem to come out okay."
The next morning Fox went into work and arranged for two weeks bereavement
leave. He also took the time—while at the office—to arrange for his open
cases to be sent Scully and Madison. For the last three months, he had not
opened a new file, which was a good thing because with Alex grandma's death, and
the custody case looming, his lover was going to need him more than other.
Mulder filled out the proper forms that would give him a leave of absence for
the months of November and December which was when the judge was to take the
opening statements. The case was going before a family court judge, and within
the next two weeks, their lawyer, an expert in family law, would know which
judge had been assigned and then put a more concise case together from there.
While at the office, Mulder pulled Madison aside.
"Anything yet?" he asked.
"Just this." Madison handed over a file containing everything he had dug up on
the Gallaghers to date. "They were members of a church, and I use that term
very loosely," Madison remarked dryly, "that is pretty shady. The Unified
church of the Brethren is an obscure sect which follows the bible to a "T" at
least the way as they interpret it. The 'Brethren' wield the strap easily...you
know what I mean, the old spare the rod and spoil the child
bullshit....salvation via the man of the house beating the wife and
children senseless."
Madison made a face, leading Mulder to believe that perhaps the older agent had
been raised in a similar household.
"Anyway, it's all in there, from their tax exemption status to their home
schooling programme." Madison shook his head. "That church is one scary place;
I'm sure I've found most of their skeletons. I've managed to link the church
and the Gallagher's roles within the sect together; both were elders. The
Unified Brethren is a really secretive community, and contrary to what the
Gallagher's told their lawyers in the statement, I'd say they are still involved
with the church in some shape or form. You just don't quit a 'cult' like that.
Crazy beliefs like the ones they have of the church are ingrained into one's
psyche, it is not something they are likely to just stop believing in."
"Thanks Dave." Mulder took the thick folder then he shook the agent's hand. "I
appreciate this."
"If you don't mind, I'm going to keep digging. There's something about that
sect that bothers me. Like where they get their money, for one."
"Dig away, Dave." Mulder said with a smile. Agent Madison was not only helping
out Alex but he was quietly building a case against the church. There was more
to this agent than he realised. One day, when all this was over, he was going
to have to buy the man a beer and find out more about him.
"I'll let you know if I come up with anything more on the Gallaghers."
"Thanks."
Alex drove the whole way to his grandparent's farm in upstate New York. 'No.'
He silently reminded himself for the tenth time, 'his' farm now.
He was quiet for most of the trip, but every now and again, he would point
something out to Fox about the landscape. As they neared the property hours
later, Alex would comment on this and that.
The two men pulled up to the front of the farmhouse and got out. Fox stretched
his back muscles, made sore by the long car ride. He brought his upraised arms
down and the beauty of the farm hit him. It was quiet and the air was clean.
Though it was early October, there was still plenty of flowers still in bloom
and the trees still had an array of brown, orange and yellow leaves clinging to
their branches like brightly coloured bits tissue paper.
Mulder's breath was taken away by the landscape. "Oh-my-god-Alex!" he
exclaimed. Mulder had spent his whole life in the city, right now, he felt like
he was in a whole other country. He had visited many towns in many states, but
he had not really taken the time to look around and notice where he was.
"Do you like it?" Alex stepped up next to his lover and wrapped his arm around
his waist.
Fox's arm automatically went around his lover's strong shoulders. "I love it!
It's so... so... so.."
Alex laughed. He knew how Fox felt. This farm—the lands and the house—held
some of his most cherished childhood memories, it also held some of his worst.
"Serene? Tranquil?" he cut in.
"Yes to all that and more." Mulder, even though he had not yet seen inside the
house or the lands to the back of it, loved the place.
"Good." Stated Alex firmly. "Because if we win custody of the baby, this is
where we are going to raise him..."
"Or her. And it's WHEN we win custody." Finished Mulder then turned and drew
his lover into a passionate kiss.
DC Confidential
by Demi-X
Part VIII
Washington DC—Six Months Later
June
3:30 AM
city and to me or the next time more
than four people will die.
Two months later those fires stopped and the case was put aside. Looks
like our fired bug graduated in to making things go boom." He handed
Skinner a photo copy of the arson notes.
3:00 PM
Anchorage
3:00 PM.
6:00 AM
3:00 PM
He swallowed the last bit of his snack. It was time to get back to the case
review. He stood, tightened his tie then left. Unaware that he was being
watched by an admirer from across the small park.
11:55 PM
done dirt cheap
AC/DC
I missed you."
FBI Parking Lot
Tues, 9:00 AM
FBI Records Archive
Seeking justice was exhausting work and Alex was tiring from the responsibility
but he had promised his grandmother never to let it rest. He hoped that
finally seeing the images would renew his spirit enough to keep fighting.
April couldn't really hear what the men were saying to each other. But from
the looks on their faces, whatever her baby Alex was saying to Mulder, it was
pissing him off.
"FUCKING BASTARD!" Roared Mulder. He jumped up to a standing position. "How
dare he! He's trying to get under my skin... I'll teach him to...
April smiled, so now Mulder was getting a good dose of what it felt like when
another poached on your 'territory'. She watched as her lover jumped up
quickly too.
"Fox, No! No!" Alex put his hand on Fox's arm. "I'll take care of this in
my own way. This is the reason I didn't want to tell you. You're letting this
make you crazy."
April watched and her hopes deflated with the passionate kiss. For a few
minutes, it looked like Alex might toss his slut lover away but obviously, that
was wishful thinking on her part.
Down in the lobby, Alex handed over a key to his apartment to the lady in
charge. "Leave it with Dave when you're done." He instructed. Then he and
Mulder left together for the office.
FBI War Room
10:00 AM
4:30 PM
Friday, 8:00 PM
April Gallagher
Friday Night, 10:00 PM—day zero
I have simply wanted an object
to crave.
'Uninvited'
Alanis Morisette
No, we ain't going to take it.
We're not going to take it anymore.
We're right,
we're free,
we'll fight, you'll see.
Biff Naked.
Sept 1-2001
BD
Retest at later age re Antisocial Personality Disorder
BD
Retest at later age re Antisocial Personality Disorder
