Leaving Scully with one of the few people on the planet he should know
better than to trust was probably not the most comforting of options. Yet
Krycek had come to him with warnings that Scully was in danger. He had come
to Mulder's apartment completely unarmed, and his concerns were so sincere.
Right.
Mulder was on his way to Krycek's supposed safe-house. It was still nearly
twenty minutes away. He made a tight turn, nearly sending him sliding across
the leather seats. He readjusted himself and buckled up... for safety.
His mind was racing. Krycek seemed to show up only when the planet was in
danger. What was Mulder supposed to do? Say, "No thanks. We're not
interested this time." No. They were more desperately interested than ever.
Now the life of an innocent was threatened. A miracle was threatened. Mulder
was once more willing to give Krycek a chance. The truth was, options were
very limited.
Skinner had tried to warn him about Krycek's motive regarding the pregnancy
when he'd first told Skinner that Krycek had phoned him. The A.D. had also
made it clear that Scully needn't know of Krycek's threat... or proposition
as it was.
In turn, Krycek had explained that he wanted to hide the truth from the
alien colonists who would most certainly find Scully's baby a threat. He
said he had only wanted to hide the baby's existence from them. Now that
they already knew, they would do their best to get their hands on it.
Krycek also claimed that Billy Miles was one of several alien hosts that had
been sent to destroy everything, especially biological evidence. This much
Mulder had already suspected. Doggett had previously received a call that
Billy Miles had been seen leaving the Bureau. Skinner soon substantiated
that Miles did indeed appear on Bureau surveillance tapes.
Mulder hit the gravelly road and nearly lost control of the vehicle. A dense
cloud was kicked up, masking the road behind him. Camouflaging his route.
Krycek had pulled Mulder aside from Doggett and Scully for the rest of his
story, "The aliens believed that they'd managed to collect all traces of
their existence. Now, Scully's baby means more than the two of them are
willing to believe," Krycek gestured his head toward the main room where
Scully and Doggett were whispering amongst themselves. He rubbed his chin
and started again, "Certainly not coming from me. But you...listen to what I
am telling you, Mulder. Not only is there an alien essence in the child, it
will be our first success. Agent Scully carries an immune child within her.
A human, not a hybrid, Mulder, a human. They must never discover that we've
done it. Do you understand? The future relies on us keeping that child from
them."
How could Mulder not have made a leap-of-faith? He wanted to trust Krycek.
In the end, Scully had insisted she'd be all right. Mulder left her with
Krycek. After all, Scully was a big girl (a very big one) and she was more
than capable of shooting the man square between the eyes if necessary.
Mulder shook his head. In less than ten minutes he might have to face his
worst living nightmare. He was kicking himself. He shouldn't have taken the
risk of trust again, not with Krycek. Mulder glanced impatiently at his
watch, the speedometer, then his watch again.
Skinner was out in the field, the lone gunmen were missing and they needed
all the man-power they could muster if they wanted to find Billy Miles.
Doggett had just left the Bureau to join Skinner at Zeus Genetics. According
to Krycek, they were on the right track trying to find Miles before he found
out Scully was the carrier. Assuming, of course, he didn't already know.
Mulder approached the address he had been given with growing apprehension.
He stopped before he reached the unkempt home and threw the car into park.
At the very least he would have the element of surprise. The sun had just
disappeared under the horizon and it was growing even more tenebrous by the
minute.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if he would find them inside
at all. Even if the house wasn't altogether a phoney address, they might
have come and gone already.
Mulder pushed the thought away and slunk up the long drive. He unsheathed
his weapon as he crept quietly across the over grown lawn. He went around
to the back entrance, which was unlocked, and slipped inside.
Besides a feeble folding table and a couple of patio chairs the main room
was empty and disclosed no signs of the home's occupants. Mulder silently
padded down the first hallway toward the first door. He slowly turned the
knob and peered through the opening.
Krycek sat alone by an unlit stone fireplace, engrossed with the laptop that
sat in front of him. Mulder eyed the gun that lay beside it. He hadn't been
seen yet. Before he lost the element of surprise, Mulder plowed through the
opening, sending the door slamming against the adjacent wall. Krycek nearly
threw the laptop across the room from fright. Mulder lunged at the other's
weapon and managed to snatch the gun up from under the startled man's grasp.
"Mulder!" Krycek scurried backward as his attacker tried to immobilize him.
"Where is she!?" Mulder lodged his own gun under Krycek's jaw and jabbed him
demandingly with it. He heard Krycek's teeth slam together. "Where is she?"
"What?" Krycek's eyes widened and he tried to grab onto Mulder's arm for
balance. He turned his head trying to find release from the gun that was
nearly choking him. He gasped for air.
Mulder removed the gun and brought it above his shoulder. When the weapon
came back down, the butt smashed into Krycek's right temple and knocked him
over sideways.
"Where's Scully, Krycek?" Mulder was on top of him again, pulling him
upright.
"She's fine! She's upstairs asleep, you fucking psycho. Jesus Mulder,
overrea..." Krycek hadn't even finished his sentence before Mulder was
ascending the staircase at the end of the hall.
He rushed past each nearly empty room, glancing in, as he approached the
master bedroom. The door was closed and he eased it open, composing himself
so not to alarm Scully. The exhausted woman lay fast asleep. Mulder watched
the gentle rise and fall of her blankets. Satisfied, he quietly closed the
door and went back downstairs.
When he reached the room in which he had found Krycek, the man was standing
by the fireplace. Mulder noticed the gash on his temple and the broken
laptop by his feet. When Krycek finally looked up he followed Mulder's line
of sight to the gun he had taken from him, which now lay in the far corner.
"Take it Mulder. You obviously need the peace of mind." Krycek strolled over
to the gun and kicked it across the floor. When it stopped at Mulder's feet,
it spun in place. Mulder pretended not to notice that it was there. He
closed the door and slowly approached Krycek.
"I... she wasn't answering her phone. When you didn't call, I thought..."
"Well don't." Krycek interrupted, "I made you a promise that you would see
her alive again, or are you incapable of believing me?"
Krycek stared deep into Mulder's eyes, which seemed to be exploring his own.
They seemed to burn their gaze into him as they fluttered back and forth
between his two eyes, searching them for truth. Finally Mulder opened his
mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Krycek shrugged and turned away. He touched his wounded temple and inhaled
sharply from the sting. It wasn't bleeding much, at least that was a relief.
Mulder watched as Krycek used his good arm to crack his stiff neck. Then he
closed the gap between them. Krycek remained still as Mulder cleared his
throat.
"It's not like you've given me any real reasons to trust you. You're a liar,
Krycek, and worse..." Mulder grabbed Krycek's wrist tightly and turned him
around to face him. "You're a killer."
Krycek tried to twist away but Mulder held fast. "Let go. You don't want my
help, Mulder."
"Wrong. I need your help. From what you've told me, maybe the future does."
Mulder released his arm and waited.
"And my methods? You can allow yourself to live with them knowingly?"
Mulder hesitated only a moment then shut his eyes and nodded. Krycek took
the last step that closed off the rest of the universe.
"And what if the future depends on whether or not Scully's baby lives or
dies?" He let an obvious challenge show in his voice, a mistake.
Mulder's eyes flew open. One quick jolt and Krycek was knocked to the
ground, his head hitting it with a dull thud. Only a split-second later he
was being pulled to his knees. A cruel fist exploded into his jaw.
"Tell me you won't hurt her." Mulder demanded. He brought his fist back for
another blow.
With one swift swoop of Krycek's leg, he joined the wounded man on the
floor. A brief struggle secured Mulder back on top. Sending another punch to
the other's face, he pleaded, "Please don't hurt her child. Promise you
won't!"
Krycek nodded frantically, "All right. They're safe." Mulder grasped
Krycek's hand and pulled him upright so that they were both sitting opposite
each other. Krycek kept hold of his hand when he released him. Mulder
examined him with bewilderment. "I promise you, Mulder."
Krycek reached out and clasped the back of Mulder's head firmly in his hand.
Mulder looked skeptically into his eyes and then glanced down at his
bloodied and swollen lip. Seeing this as the only invitation he would ever
get, Krycek kissed him. For a moment, Mulder kissed the man in return. When
he felt Krycek's tongue enter his mouth, he pushed him away.
Mulder abruptly stood and shook his head at Krycek. He reached out his hand
to offer him help off the ground. Krycek took hold of the outstretched hand.
Once he was standing, he used the arm as an anchor and pulled Mulder in for
another kiss. This time Mulder resisted instantly, slapping his face with
the back of his hand.
"Forget it Krycek. It will never happen."
Krycek threw Mulder up against the wall and froze a single hair's width away
from Mulder's mouth. "Never?" Krycek implored. Then he added, "Never is a
very long time." Krycek escalated his challenge by pressing his entire body
firmly against Mulder's, part for part. He rocked ever so slightly, causing
a subtle friction between their already alert bodies.
Mulder didn't move to prevent the assault. Instead he whispered, "Never."
Yet Krycek seemed to think Mulder had answered differently. He brushed his
lips gently against Mulder's. He repeated this several times until he felt
the slightest pressure being returned. Both men's eyes were locked and
hungry. In an affective approach to escalate the game, Krycek began to
nibble and suck on Mulder's luscious bottom lip.
This seemed to rouse something primal inside of Mulder. Without warning, he
swung into action. He managed to switch places with Krycek, who became the
one captured against the wall. Mulder's tongue dove eagerly into the trapped
man's mouth, dueling with its counter.
Krycek ran his hand down Mulder's torso. As it reached his waist, it was
swooped up and it too was pinned to the wall by Mulder. He gave him an evil
smile, and closed their mouths together. The kiss went on and on. When it
finally did end, it was only to allow Mulder better access for him to remove
his shirt. Krycek took the liberty to do the same.
The two rolled sideways along the length of the wall, devouring each other,
shedding clothing as they went. Finally when they were utterly naked they
began to explore. The roaming hands were rewarded with handsome groans and
other encouraging noises. Krycek used every free moment he had to purr,
"Yesss..." into Mulder's ear.
He finally got Mulder to release him long enough to drop down to his knees.
When Mulder saw this, he bit his lip in anticipation. Krycek buried his face
in the other's groin, taking him into the depths of his warm mouth. He
worked his tongue enthusiastically in variations of swirls, short licks, and
long traces of Mulder's throbbing shaft. He concentrated on all the right
areas, until Mulder was begging for him to stop or else.
When Krycek rose, he was bombarded by the most passionate kisses, he
believed, that had ever been given. Mulder ran his hands all over him.
Finally, he let his hands came to rest on Krycek's ass, pulling on him and
holding them close. Their cocks were equally hard, and graciously knocked
together between them. As Mulder pulled them even closer, grinding their
eager pricks, creating a mind-numbing friction, their eyes meet and locked
once more.
He watched as his right pointer and middle fingers were taken into the
other's mouth. Enthralled by the combination of stimuli and the slight
sucking that Krycek had anxiously begun, Mulder went right over the edge.
Without warning, he came, bitting down on Krycek's shoulder. In a sort of
chain-reaction, Krycek too began to spasm and moan deliriously. Mulder
kissed him as the last of the his convulsions subsided.
They both collapsed over one another onto the floor. Mulder dragged his hand
away from where it was resting on Krycek's hip. For the longest time,
neither of them moved. They were spent. And mostly, both of them felt
awkward. Though, for very different reasons.
Finally, Mulder cleared his throat. "I have to check in with Agent Doggett,
I should have done it already....to say things were okay." He began to clean
up and get dressed. Krycek followed his lead.
When Mulder went into his coat pocket to retrieve the phone, Krycek quickly
fastened his pants and nervously darted for the door. Then Mulder saw that
the phone had been switched off. "Hold it, Krycek." He drew his weapon,
cocking it to audibly announce it's presence.
Krycek stopped but didn't turn around. "Mulder, I can..."
"Explain? Shut-up." Mulder cut him off so suddenly, Krycek spun around to
face him. "I'm tired of your explanations. Just. Stay. Still." Mulder bobbed
the gun to emphasize each word. He dialed his voice-mail, not taking his
eyes off of Krycek for a moment.
He listened to Doggett's hasty message in utter disbelief... 'Yeah Mulder,
it's John Doggett. I, ah...want you to know I'm sorry as all hell to tell
you this... We found Assistant Director Skinner... It looks like murder. To
be honest, I couldn't tell you what killed 'em. I never saw the likes of it.
There's some kind of skin reaction, a rash or somethin'. It's covering his
entire body. Mulder, it ain't pretty. Whatever it was, it can't be
accidental. I'm on my way to you now. And....watch out for Agent Scully,
will ya?"
Krycek watched Mulder's expression changed as he held the phone against his
ear. About halfway through his message, Mulder locked eyes with Krycek. He
knew what the message was telling Mulder.
"No," Krycek protested, shaking his head ever so slowly. "Mulder? Shit. I
had to."
Mulder slowly lowered the phone. Glancing down at it, he asked, "Why?" He
threw the phone at Krycek. "Why!?" Mulder watched Krycek's eyes dart toward
the ground and noticed the forgotten discarded weapon.
They both dove, but Mulder went for Krycek, not the gun. They skidded into
the hall. Mulder hauled Krycek to his feet and held him against the wall,
his left arm pressed firmly against the man's neck.
"You liar! You killer. Who's next? The baby, Scully....Me?" Mulder clenched
his teeth, "Why?"
Krycek began to wheeze and he eased away just enough to let him speak. "I
had no choice."
Mulder lowered his voice, but tightened his choke, "How could you do this
here with me after killing Skinner?"
There was no answer. Mulder swung at him and intentionally missed; his fist
nearly went through the wall. As Mulder lowered the gun that had been
looming near Krycek's bloodied temple, Krycek relaxed his recently nearly
paralyzed body.
One minute of silence followed. Sixty seconds of racing thoughts. Just a
single instant. Krycek stared into the emptiness that were Mulder's eyes. He
was searching for something, a chance. Mulder searched the liar's eyes for
something too. He wanted to find anything, so long as it was a truth.
Mulder saw hurt within the masked gaze. The man's scent flooded his
nostrils. Mulder titled his head, took in a long breathe and held it. He ran
his eyes over Krycek, who was still coated in a shiny sheen of sweat beads.
He watched a wicked smile begin to pull at the corner's of Krycek's mouth.
Mulder searched the now scornful eyes for further explanation. He began to
wonder if he had seen only what he wanted to see before. Maybe it wasn't
hurt behind Krycek's desperate eyes, maybe it had only been fear. Maybe
tonight was a final insult. Another one of his twisted conquests, another
manipulated success. A hurt he would cause, but never feel.
Mulder became a member of some unseen audience, watching the scene from a
far. "I have no choice," He heard himself say with composed conviction. The
stillness of the moment that followed was haunting...Then Mulder moved. It
was the tiniest movement, almost invisible really. A small twitch, a slight
pull, was all it took.
A strange warmth spread through Krycek's stomach. It started from the very
center and moved like a wave through his body. Then a churning began,
followed again by an intense and painful burn. Krycek reached down and felt
wetness, he shakily raised his hand and stared at it, dismayed. "Mulder?" He
asked, pleaded, and comprehended.
"I'm sorry," Mulder breathed, barely more than an exhale. Mulder, who had
been helplessly gazing into the tormented face, watched as Krycek slid
weightlessly down the wall to pile at his feet. Mulder was frozen. He wanted
to move, help, scream, get out of there, anything. He couldn't look down.
Krycek had been still for sometime before he realized it was over. Scully
had been calling him, from some other dimension, since the bullet was fired.
Now she stood at his side. Mulder turned toward her after she finally
slapped him. She was asking him what happened. He shook his head absently.
Scully told him to sit down and picked up his cell.
When he reached out to steady himself on the wall, Mulder noticed that his
hand was covered in blood. He turned back toward were Krycek had fallen. He
stared at Krycek's silent form for several minutes.
He had lost himself for just a instant. Yet, he had found what he was
looking for...a feeling. Krycek had been terrified. It was done. He couldn't
take it back if he wanted to. Mulder felt a single tear trail down his cheek
and turned away, never to look back again.
One Moment
by May-conX
Mulder glanced at his watch. It had been nearly an hour since the last call
from Scully. He had rung her cell thirteen times and counting as he dialed
again. Still no answer.
