That was what had made watching the hearings so damn fun.
Half the world had tuned in to find out the truth, all of
it, fascinated, terrified and addicted to knowing in
excruciating detail who had done what to whom as well as
when, where and why. They were struggling to rebuild their
entire frame of political and personal reference, and the
hearings with their exhaustive side-bars of minutia
satisfied that need.
The other half of the world tuned in to catch the Fox
Mulder show.
And it was quite a show.
Always volatile, Mulder didn't see any reason to change his
ways just because the big moment had finally arrived. Oh,
he tried to behave, tried to follow procedure and keep the
sarcasm to a minimum. He even wore decent ties. But it
didn't take long for that lightening fast wit and mouth to
combine with deadly accuracy, and he didn't much care which
target he took on first. After years of being belittled,
scorned and discounted, his every word was suddenly gospel
and his theories had become the new Bible.
Church was packed.
But Mulder gave no better show than the day Alex Krycek
walked into the courtroom.
Emerald eyes sparkled dangerously beneath their covering of
lashes, and dimples flirted from behind a smirk. Alex
looked cool and deadly as he made his way casually down the
aisle to the witness table. He was wearing a dark grey suit
with just a hint of blue to it, tailored so perfectly it
had to have been handmade, just for him. His hair had grown
out a bit, and was an effective contrast between sharp
styling and soft waves and curls. He smoldered, and the
temperature in the room suddenly rose ten degrees as he
turned toward Mulder for the first time.
Alex smiled, a brilliant white smile, blinding and
breathtaking. There was an audible sound of appreciation
from the crowd as Alex was instantly transformed from
sinner to saint.
That audible sound was quickly drowned out by a bellow of
pure rage from Mulder. Literally coming across his own
table, only the quick reflexes of the bailiffs kept him
from wrapping his hands around Alex's neck.
While gavels banged, Mulder raged and the press snapped
pictures like piranhas with a ham steak, Alex laughed, a
bright, bell-like sound that held nothing but joy.
Mulder's next lunge was duly inspired and slightly more
successful, and the air in front of Alex's face ruffled
from a thrown fist. Alex didn't even flinch, and though he
did stop laughing, he only smiled the same serene,
iconistic smile.
When court resumed some two hours later, Mulder appeared to
be in control. His body was tight as a bowstring and his
voice and eyes belied his calmly asked questions. He kept
his seat and his temper as he questioned Alex, though no
one could miss the fever brightness of his eyes, nor the
clenched fists resting on the tabletop.
Alex, for his part, still looked to be the essence of calm,
but his smile disappeared as he talked. Alex had a lot to
say, and now that his life wasn't dependent on keeping
things secret, he said it all. Years of rigid controls were
put aside in an instant, and Alex answered every question
completely and honestly.
Mulder seemed to know it was all true, because he made no
attempt to refute the testimony, only stopping Alex to
clarify or make a point before letting him resume.
The courtroom was silent as he spoke, these were the deep,
inside secrets, the dirty laundry, the juicy bits. Alex
told everything, not trying to hide his own part. He told
of every kill, every double- cross, every false deed.
At last, after almost three weeks of testimony, Alex was
finished. He'd told absolutely everything he'd ever seen,
heard or done. He was tired, the strain showing in fine
lines and soft smudges under his eyes, but he remained a
study in almost feline placidity.
"I have only one more question for the witness." Mulder
spoke softly. The last few days had brought about a change.
He no longer glared death at Alex, was no longer a study in
contained fury. He'd begun to slow, to look pensive and
even sad. There were times when his features took on a
haunted look, and each day when he arrived, he spent the
first five minutes before starting to simply stare at Alex.
It was a thoughtful look, the same one he wore now, and
Alex gave a small sigh of relief that the whole thing was
almost over. He gave Mulder his full attention, and his air
of calm was startled away by the sight of tears slowly
trailing down Mulder's face.
"Alex Krycek, I have hated you and I have wronged you. I'm
not going to ask for your forgiveness, I have no right.
But, I would like to apologize, if only to grant you the
satisfaction of telling me in front of the world what to do
with it." The chairman was banging his gavel at this
obvious switch to the personal, demanding that Mulder
refrain from saying anything more, but Mulder, of course,
ignored him.
"My last question is simply this: Will you allow me to
apologize to you, here and now, with the universe as my
witness?"
Alex, for the first time since taking his oath, was stunned
into silence. His throat was tight with emotion, his eyes
darkened to near black, and his lower lip trembled visibly.
He tried to swallow, couldn't. His mouth shaped the yes,
but there was no sound to go with it. At last, he simply
nodded.
Having given up on stopping Mulder, the gavel banging had
ceased, and now silence reigned in the courtroom as Mulder
stood, made his way over to Alex's table and knelt before
him.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it, sorry for every
misjudgement and unfair accusation, every hit and every
harsh word. I was wrong. I was wrong, and you have my
sincerest apologies. I'm sorry."
The tears were a steady flow, but Mulder paid no attention
to them as he continued to kneel before Alex. The world
held its breath to see what would happen next.
A single tear made its way down Alex's cheek, and he closed
his eyes for just a moment, taking a deep breath and
releasing it slowly. He opened them again, and with an
uncertain hand, reached out and raised Mulder's face.
"Thank you." It was all Alex said, all he could say, and
then he pushed back his chair. Standing, he took Mulder's
elbow, raising the other man to his feet. They said
nothing, only looked at each other for a long time, then
Alex turned and left the courtroom.
Watching him leave, Mulder couldn't help but think it was a
damn good start.
ONE YEAR LATER...
"Did you get the ice cream?"
Alex was rummaging through the bags, one of which was still
in Mulder's hands.
"Yes, Alex, I got the ice cream. But you can't have any
until after dinner. I worked too hard and too long on this
meal for you to spoil it by taking out a pint of 'From
Russia With Buzz'. Ben and Jerry's is not a food group.
Now, stop pouting, set the table and go pick us a wine."
Alex, who had been pouting rather prettily, gave in with a
roll of his eyes. He turned to leave, only to have Mulder's
hand catch his arm, turning him back around. Mulder smiled
at him, a sweet smile that brought a match from Alex, just
for seeing it.
"I may have denied you ice cream, but I do love you."
"I know. That's why I let you."
"No, you let me because you love me back."
"Yeah, that too."
Alex leaned in, captured the mouth that gave so generously
under his own, and decided that anniversaries weren't so
bad after all.
Ono/Lennon
by Raven
Fox Mulder had never been a man that had difficulty showing
his emotions. He ranted, he teased and he cried, easily and
without shame. True, sometimes the emotion he showed was a
cover for the one he was actually feeling, but the fact
remained, there wasn't a stoic bone in his body.
