He was tied, face down and literally across a barrel. He
had a gag in his mouth and a gun to the back of his head.
His pants were bunched around his tied ankles, leaving his
bare bottom very exposed. Aside from his watchdog, there
was one more man in the room besides Mulder. That guy was
in the process of pouring some machine oil over an erection
that, he had assured Mulder, would make him glad they were
going to shoot him when they were done.
It was not a moment for levity in any way, but Mulder's
brain was so overcome by sheer terror that it was the only
thought he could comprehend.
Mulder had scarcely begun to berate himself for being a
smartass instead of thinking of a way to save his ass, when
the door to the side of them opened silently and only a
fraction. Mulder only noticed it because the door and the
floor were all he could see.
There was a flash of something metallic and Mulder's would-
be rapist crumpled to the ground, still clutching at the
knife in his throat. The second man lifted the gun from
Mulder's head, but he lifted it just a second too late. The
figure in the doorway waited only long enough to ensure the
muzzle of his opponent's gun was pointing away from Mulder
before firing a nearly silent shot.
Having dispatched both men with a speed and efficiency that
really should have won him some kind of award, the figure
stepped all the way into the room, into the dim light from
the small bulb.
Mulder groaned behind his gag as he saw the brilliant
smile, the sparkling eyes, the slightly smug set to the
head.
It just got worse.
Shit.
Krycek.
It just had to be Krycek. His heartfelt apologies to
whatever deity he'd pissed off were useless and
interrupted.
"Mulder, what the hell am I going to do with you, huh?"
The voice held amused bewilderment and Mulder bit down hard
on his gag, trying to ignore the flush covering his face.
He longed to get off the barrel, but he was tied to it
securely and he was going nowhere.
"I mean, if I let you get killed by every penny ante thug
that comes along, what am I supposed to do for
entertainment? Your girlfriend's cute enough, but she's not
really my type, seeing that she's a girl. Plus, she's a
much better shot than you. Too much work." Alex had come up
to stand beside Mulder, and now the man almost tenderly
smoothed the sweat soaked hair from Mulder's face.
The scent from the black leather gloves easily reached
Mulder and his nostrils twitched. Alex pretended not to
notice.
"Skinner could be fun. He'd beat the hell out of me, but
then he might be persuaded to take a different kind of
revenge, if you know what I mean?" Alex paused, laughing
softly.
"Considering your current position, I'd say that you know
very well what I mean. Yes, the A.D. would be interesting,
no doubt. But still, he wouldn't be you. Nobody else'll do.
I'm afraid there's just no substitution for Fox William
Mulder."
Alex had walked around to stand behind Mulder, out of his
field of vision, but he kept one hand on Mulder's head.
"That brilliant mind..." Here Krycek stroked through
Mulder's hair again.
"Those nerves of pure steel." The leather covered fingers
trailed softly down Mulder's neck and spine. Mulder felt
his breathing hitch as the hand lifted just before it
reached his vulnerable backside.
"That will, that incredibly indomitable will that can't be
stopped, that lets you keep fighting." Alex smoothed his
hand over Mulder's clenched fists, subtly checking for loss
of circulation. Finding none, he continued.
"No, you only get all that in one very special, very
handsome package." The hand trailed down now, stroking
across Mulder's rear. The bound man began to struggle and
Alex patted the backside gently, making soothing noises.
"Shhh, shhh, easy, Mulder! I'm not going to rape you,
Mulder, you know that's not my thing." It was true.
Mulder's struggle had been more reaction to the tension of
the situation than to any real fear that Alex meant to take
him. The assassin might flirt with him as a head game, but
he wasn't a rapist.
Calming himself, Mulder stopped struggling. He lay panting,
waiting for Alex to make his next move, trying to think of
a way out. Trying not to think about the fact that he had
the beginnings of an erection.
Fight or flight did funny things to a man when he couldn't
do either one. At least, that's what Mulder told himself as
Alex continued to fondle him.
"But I really must do something. See, your problem is that
you're a sucker. Somebody calls you up, leaves you an
anonymous tip, and you're gone. You never consider the
source. Why the tip came, when it came, why it came when it
did. You don't think, Mulder, you react. That's gonna get
you killed, Mulder, and by somebody other than me. I have a
real problem with that."
Alex had been lightly caressing Mulder's naked rear while
he spoke, and now he lifted his hand clear. Mulder's bottom
tingled, expecting and waiting for the touch to continue.
Instead, Alex walked back to Mulder's head, kneeling down
so that Mulder could look into his eyes.
"You have to learn to consider the source. And you have to
learn it now because the deeper you get, the bigger the
target pinned on you. You're running out of chances,
Mulder. We both are."
The last was said with a sorrow that darkened the jewel
bright eyes, shadowed the face. Mulder felt his heart miss
a beat, then swell painfully as he took in the sight of an
Alex Krycek contemplating defeat. It was over in an instant
and the smile, the smirk and the smug were all back in
place.
"Now, I've never studied psychology in any formal way,"
Mulder didn't even bristle at the tiny jab, only waited to
hear what Krycek would say next, "but it's been my
experience that pain is a powerful motivator. Actual pain,
threat of pain and the memory of pain, all of these can
work miracles, and when you put them together, it's usually
a safe bet that the lesson will be learned."
Mulder felt his stomach clench. His whole body stiffened
but Alex was still looking into his eyes, and Mulder
somehow found the gaze reassuring.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to do anything too awful to
you, Mulder. But I am going to teach you a lesson you'll
never forget. Not because it'll be so bad, but because
it'll come from me. Consider the source. Every time you
remember today, and you will remember today, you'll think
about what happened and the worst of it, the absolute worst
part of it for you, will be the unavoidable knowledge that
I did it to you. I punished you, for your own damn good,
Mulder. To keep you safe, to keep you alive, for whatever
reason. You'll consider the source, now and every time
after this you get some mysterious message, your mind will
automatically take you back here, to this room, to this
moment, and you won't know who to hate more, me or
yourself."
Alex gave him a blinding grin and leaned forward,
whispering into Mulder's ear, the lips just barely brushing
the sensitive lobe.
"I'm going to spank you, Mulder. I'm going to spank you
like I owned you. I'll spank long and hard. You'll cry. You
won't want to, but you won't be able to stop yourself. I'd
take off your gag to hear it better, but that's a luxury I
can't afford. Not this time. And there will be another
time, Mulder, if this doesn't do the trick. Only next time
it'll be a whipping and I'll make sure your boss gets a
nice 8x10 color glossy. Who knows? Might give the big guy
some ideas."
Mulder was flushed with humiliation and shame, mostly from
Krycek's words, but also because he was still erect, had
gotten harder just by the sound of that husky whisper in
his ear, the feel of warm breath against his neck, full
lips brushing over his ear.
Alex, too, was aware of Mulder's arousal and he made a soft
sound of amusement before kissing Mulder's cheek and
standing up.
"You know, so long as you learn your lesson, I don't care
what you do with the books later."
Mulder closed his eyes, knowing that he would indeed be
jerking off to this later, and the fact that Krycek knew
it, too, was almost unbearable. He sagged slightly in his
bonds, unable to fight, practically admitting to Alex that
he didn't want to fight it, not deep in his heart.
Alex had moved to stand beside Mulder now, one gloved hand
on the small of Mulder's back, the other rising in the air.
The first smack was sharp, louder in the small room than
Alex's gunshot had been. Mulder drew in a fast breath,
grateful for the gag Alex had left in his mouth. This was
not going to be an erotic game, despite the set-up. This
would hurt, hurt a lot, and any eroticism would come later
from the fact that it was Alex punishing him. The source.
Consider the source. Damn, it was working already. Mulder
sighed. He hated it when Alex was right.
His musings were cut off by another hard blow to his
backside. Alex admired the handprints, placed with
precision in the center of each well-shaped cheek, then
proceeded to color in the skin around them. The blows were
hard, heavy, and if he hadn't been wearing gloves, Alex
wouldn't have been able to keep up the pace very long. As
it was, his palm was protected and Alex spanked as long as
he dared.
Mulder had begun to cry ages ago and, by the time Alex
delivered the last dozen blistering swats, he was sobbing.
The tears were a blessing, a wonderful relief, and the gag
gave him permission to cry all of them he wanted, as loudly
as he wanted. Mulder had been relieved of the burden of
stoicism, both by the ties and the gag, and it was almost
worth the pain just to be able to let it go.
Alex gave the chastened flesh a final look. Mulder's ass
was uniformly and very darkly shaded, from the very tops of
each cheek to the top third of each thigh. He'd be too sore
and stiff to even think about sitting down for a couple of
days at least. Satisfied, Alex placed a gentle pat on the
bruised muscles and bent to untie Mulder's feet.
Without a word he untied Mulder's wrists, checking again
for damage, relieved to find none. He'd been tied securely
but not tightly, a faint red mark the only sign.
Alex started to reach for the gag, but a look into Mulder's
moss green eyes, crystalline with tears, and he left it.
Alex stood Mulder to unsteady feet, propping him against
the barrel he'd been bent over for so long.
"It was a mercy, Mulder. Remember that, a mercy. And
consider the source."
It was a soft rumble of honey-rich voice, and Alex pressed
his lips briefly to Mulder's forehead before turning and
leaving as quickly and silently as he'd entered.
THE END.
The Source
by Raven
Mulder sighed, thinking to himself that, at least, things
couldn't get any worse.
