Skinner glared angrily at Krycek, his own gun pointed squarly at the man.
"Don't do it, Krycek."
Turning with an evil little smile to look at Skinner, though careful to keep
his gun trained on Mulder, Krycek replied, "I don't think I'll have to.
You're going to do it for me, aren't you, boy?" He reached into his
pocket with his real arm, and pulled out the palm pilot.
Mulder silently watched as the two men growled at each other. His gun arm
was lowered, and he didn't look inclined to join the fray... regardless of
the fact it had come to this because of him.
"No. You can kill me if you want, but I won't shoot Mulder," Skinner
declared, bravely pulling his shoulders back, and glared defiantly at
Krycek.
"Oh yeah, I want. I most definitely want." Krycek grinned, flipping a
switch on the palm pilot, and watching gleefully as Skinner doubled over in
pain.
A loud groan escaped Skinner's throat as he fought against the pain, his
eyes burning with hatred as he reluctantly gave in, "I'll do it, just turn
that off," he whispered hoarsely, raising his arm to aim his gun at Mulder.
Krycek shivered with anticipation, when suddenly, Skinner swirled around to
fire a bullet at the assassin instead.
Krycek cried out in pain, and fell to the ground. Though his teeth were
clenched, he gave Skinner a brief smile of satisfaction, "You did just what
I thought you would do."
A small sound of distress escaped Mulder, and he crossed the room to kneel
at Krycek's side, pulling the bleeding body gently onto his lap. "Alex,
why?" He stroked the soft hair back from the young man's eyes.
"What the hell is going on?" Skinner demanded, staring in shock at the two
ex-agents on the floor, gazing tenderly at each other. Neither man paid any
attention to him, remaining focused completely on each other.
"So you wouldn't have to choose," Alex replied, gazing sadly at his
ex-partner. He couldn't help but be grateful for Mulder's willingness to
hold him as he died. It showed how much the man still cared about him.
"Choose? What is there to choose between?" Mulder asked, completely
confused.
A sharp hiss greeted the question, "Your baby? The one Scully is bringing
into the world right now..." Krycek couldn't understand the man's reaction.
Why else would he have fought to keep the child safe? Mankind ws important,
but nothing matered as much as Mulder.
Hazel eyes widened. "My baby? I'm not the child's father, Krycek. You did
this because you thought...? Dammit, Alex, why didn't you talk to me? I
would never choose anyone over you," Mulder tightened his hold, burying his
face in the younger man's neck. His shoulder's shook with the force of his
sobs.
Alex raised his arms to hold the man as best as he could, and with the last
of his strength said simply, "I'm sorry." A lonely tear wove its way down
his cheek, as he tried to comfort the man he loved. He was dying, but he
was leaving Mulder behind. It hadn't occured to him that Mulder might
actually regret his decision to sacrifice himself this way.
"I'm sorry too, you little bastard," Skinner muttered, his gun raising
again to aim it at the men on the floor.
Mulder had no inkling of the threat until the bullet tore through his spine
and nicked his heart. He died almost immediately.
The palm pilot was still in Krycek's hand and with his remaining energy,
activated it, sending Skinner screaming in agony as his veins and arteries
became black and swollen with the nanocites. It wasn't long before they
burst, and Skinner collapsed to the floor, dead.
Finally, Krycek allowed himself to die. He heard Mulder calling for him,
and he allowed his soul to follow the voice. Things might turn out all
right after all, he realized, as he followed the light glowing in the
distance, bringing the silhouette of the man he loved closer with each step.
~Fini~
Resolutions
by Kindli
"I have to do this, Mulder." Krycek's voice shook a bit, as he aimed his
gun at the other man. He'd planned out these last moments very carefully,
and this was ground zero. Alex Krycek refused to watch Mulder become
devoted to the small child being born in the other room, and had decided
death was a more satisfactory solution.
