Sightseeing
Mulder dimly heard whispering voices and felt himself being
moved. With one of his worst nightmares being reenacted, he
panicked, came to with a jerk, and ended up hitting a fuzzy beige
floor. His side hurt after the sudden movement had pulled at the
scabbed abrasions he'd gotten from being dragged by a car last
night. Then the other events of last night came back...
Two sets of concerned eyes, one pair emerald green and the other
warm blue with a faint green wash, looked down at him in surprise.
Alex Krycek and Sean Pendrell. Mulder hadn't even known
Pendrell's first name before last night, and it relieved him that he
knew it now. //It would say something terrible about me if I didn't
know the first name of a man who'd... who I'd... Oh, shit, I am
such a slut.//
"I see a prime case of Mulder-guilt coming on," Krycek said as he
gently pulled Mulder back onto the seat. "A little distraction might
help."
"Where the hell am I?" Mulder asked as he rested his head on
beige velour and tried not to enjoy the feel of Krycek gently
stroking his hair.
"A minivan."
"You're kidding me. Why would either of you own a minivan?"
Krycek had a conspicuously innocent look on his face.
"Camouflage."
The wry look on Pendrell's face suggested that the lab tech didn't
believe that Krycek owned the vehicle, but also didn't mind.
Even the cute green mouse sitting on his shoulder looked skeptical
about Krycek's story. //Is it a good or bad sign that my life is so
surreal that I don't find that strange anymore?// Pendrell's slightly
raised red eyebrow was so reminiscent of Scully...
"Where the hell am I? And what time is it?" The rain gently
drumming against the windows, and the gray sky that went with it,
made it impossible to discern.
Scully would be worried sick. At least, he hoped she would be.
He would, in her place.
"North Carolina, I think, and it's 7 p.m. We're taking turns at the
wheel. You woke up just as Alex was going back to pillow duty,
and me to driving. You were exhausted, so we just let you sleep,"
Pendrell said. "I called Scully to tell her you went on vacation, so
she wouldn't worry."
"She'll worry, because I never go on vacation."
Krycek grinned. "It could be worse. Sean had to stop me from
calling in for you."
//This is a dream, right? I'll wake up soon, and none of this will
have happened.// "Why the hell did you kidnap me?"
"You should have seen yourself last night, Mulder," Krycek said
and laughed as Mulder blushed. "Before that. If any man ever
needed a vacation more, well, he'd be... Sean actually." He ruffled
Pendrell's hair, making the lab tech grin. "Besides, I asked, and
you agreed to come along."
"I don't remember that at all!"
"Alex, it was more an 'Mmmmm' than anything else," Pendrell
said.
"It was an affirmative 'Mmmmm.' I could tell."
"Expert, are you?"
//I'm trapped in another state with Heckle and Jeckle. State of
confusion?// "Hey! Excuse me!" he shouted, and two heads
turned to him, coming back from their own private world. "Take
me back."
"You sure you want us to?" Krycek asked, his long, thick lashes
sweeping down over shining green eyes, all innocence.
"Yes!" //I think so.// But then Krycek's hand moved lower and
traced spiraling circles on the crotch of Mulder's jeans. Mulder
couldn't help bucking into it a little.
As Pendrell squeezed through to sit on his other side and looked at
him, Mulder realized that he never knew before how warm blue
could be. In this case, warm with desire, but also with an honest
concern that made his heart thump oddly. //Actually, Pendrell's
eyes have that faint green tint to them now. They never did before.
Maybe he's a not-quite-right alien clone? That would explain a
few things...//
Pendrell nibbled at his ear. "You were injured last night, and you
look like you've been running on empty for a while. I think a
vacation would be a great idea. We brought you because we
wanted you along."
That made it all right, somehow. So they were stroking and
kissing him, and it would be impolite not to return the favor. As he
melted into the touches, Mulder retained just enough presence of
mind to ask, "What do I tell Scully?"
"Alien abduction, Mulder. There was nothing you could do.
Followed by a mind wipe," Krycek said as he unfastened Mulder
jeans.
//Well, I was abducted...// Then a disturbing thought crossed his
mind. //How many alien abduction cases are really people who
don't want to admit to their loved ones that they were partying?//
Perhaps sensing the turn Mulder's mind had taken, Krycek applied
his tongue to the underside of Mulder's hard cock and started to
draw spirals with it. The bad thought dissolved under the assault.
//I'll have to keep this in mind.//
He didn't know when he had climbed into Pendrell's lap, but it felt
as right as having as having Alex Krycek's mouth wrapped tightly
around his cock. Pendrell lavished kisses on his neck and held him
tightly to prevent him from rolling onto the floor. Mulder reached
out blindly to caress and reward both of them, one hand petting
spiky dark hair, and the other stroking a khaki-clad leg. They
really didn't have enough room for what they were trying to do, so
they were pressed closer together, every movement causing at least
two reactions.
"Alex, you have to..." Pendrell groaned behind Mulder. The
writhing agent on his lap had to driving the lab tech insane. The
way he'd started to thrust against Mulder's ass certainly suggested
it.
Krycek, who still retained some control, pulled back a tiny bit and
looked at his two partners with fond amusement. "What, Pooky?"
he asked, grinning as the vibration of his words made Mulder
whimper. The green mouse scampered down onto Krycek's arm
and looked at him. "Not you; the other Pooky." The mouse
twitched its whiskers at him, then climbed onto the armrest of the
driver's seat.
"I have to get out of these pants."
"No argument here."
"Alex..."
"All right. Demanding, aren't you?" Krycek pulled Mulder toward
him, but the older man fell forward with a little too much
enthusiasm and knocked him backward. It left him on his back on
the floor between the two front seats, with six feet of amorous
federal agent draped on top of him, grinding against him. Not a
bad place to be...
Mulder felt a soft touch travel down on his spine. "Mulder, do you
want me to—" Pendrell started to ask.
"Yes, please," Mulder said between kisses. He briefly sat up to
unfastened Krycek's jeans and underwear. His former partner
immediately pulled him back down as soon as he finished. They
rubbed sensuously against one another, heat to heat.
Gentle but sure hands pulled Mulder's jeans away entirely. He
hissed and arched his back when he felt a slick finger enter him.
Some dim part of him wondered how he could still be so needy
after last night, but having his former partner writhing and
moaning under him, and the unexpectedly experienced Pendrell
taking such good care of him from behind banished everything
beyond enjoyment of the moment.
Pendrell eased his cock in, then started to thrust. Mulder
whimpered, and let each stroke move him along Krycek's body.
The friction and stimulation from two fronts drove Mulder insane.
The movement apparently did wonders for Krycek, who was all
but purring, too. He hoped his former partner's jacket and shirt
didn't ride up too much, or Krycek would have some nasty rug
burns on his back. Two sets of hands—one long-fingered and
teasing, the other thicker and trying so hard not to press near his
bandages—roamed his skin.
They found a rhythm as they sped up. Mulder could swear he felt
his heartbeat and breathing synchronize with theirs. He couldn't
be sure which of them hit orgasm first, but the other two followed
soon afterward. Pendrell retained the presence of mind to move
himself and Mulder off of Krycek. Gasping, they tried to find the
space to settle comfortably on the narrow floor.
Mulder thought he probably had a very stupid look on his face, but
couldn't bring himself to care. He felt too good.
"Note to self," Krycek panted, "next time, get us a van. We need
more room."
Pendrell stroked a hand down Mulder's spine and grinned as the
older man leaned into the touch. "We have a bit of a problem,
Alex. Mulder only has what he was wearing. We have to go
clothes shopping."
"I don't know. I can't help thinking clothing would rub against his
bandages, and that would be a bad thing."
"Altruism looks good on you, Alex," Mulder said wryly.
Krycek, happy with the "Alex," said, "I'm only looking out for
your welfare."
Pendrell snorted. "If we keep doing this, he won't have anything
he can wear in public."
"His clothes look fine."
"This time. Yours don't."
Krycek smirked. "This is worth a few sacrifices. But I see your
point, and my clothes won't fit him well. Yours won't at all, Sean.
You up for a little shopping, Mulder?"
//I guess I'm staying after all. What would a few days hurt?//
Mulder smiled lazily. "Why not?"
Alex put a little more swing into his walk as he noticed the sales
staff watching the three of them. He wondered if they looked as
joined at the hip as they felt. If so, they probably provided the
oddest sight a North Carolina mall's Jeans Country employee ever
got to see.
Alex almost felt as if they were linked together by invisible bonds
of heat and electricity, that he could tug at the strings a bit and get
the attention of his two paramours. He smirked when Sean and
Mulder chose that exact moment to glance at him. //Mine, all
mine.//
As he roamed the store, Mulder looked looser and more relaxed
than Alex had ever seen him. He currently moved in a manner that
was part glide, part bounce, and all happy. Some people would see
the scrape on one prominent cheekbone as a blemish, but Alex saw
it as an accent mark, increasing Mulder's appeal. He'd always
found bruises and scrapes attractive, and his former partner wore
them well and often. With that slightly dazed half-smile etched on
Mulder's face, he looked more luscious than usual. The glance he
sent the salesgirl's way once almost gave her a heart attack. Alex
could shamelessly ogle Mulder as he pleased, because most of the
sales staff was too absorbed in doing the same to notice him doing
it. It amazed him that Mulder never seemed to notice people
eyeing him. //He must have been an awkward kid. There can't be
any other explanation.//
Sean watched it all with a tolerant but dark amusement. He looked
like the boy next door, if your neighbors were a Midwestern farm
family. Innocent and wholesome, the type of upstanding young
man who sung in the church choir and helped old women cross
streets. He probably did, too. Nondescript. Most people probably
saw him and looked right over him. None of that changed the fact
that Sean Pendrell had turned out to be a tiger in sheep's clothing.
Sure, he was sweeter and nicer than any human should be, but he
was also one of the hottest lovers Alex had ever had, and that was
saying something.
//Madness on one side, stability on the other, and me in the middle.
What could be better?//
Having Mulder gave a man the pride that came from owning
something the rest of the world coveted. Having Sean gave a man
the pride that came in noticing the value that the rest of the world
foolishly missed seeing. And they were both his.
If it made Sean happy to get Mulder some clothing, why not? Alex
felt rich today...
Sean felt a bit uncomfortable, certain that everyone was staring at
him. Alex and Mulder, sure, but him? //People rarely stare at me
for good reasons...// But that wasn't quite true. He'd have no
problems at all with the way Alex and Mulder kept shooting him
hungry glances if they hadn't been doing it in front of so many
people.
//Hunh. I'm uncomfortable, but not afraid. Do I look different? I
feel different... Maybe I'd be more scared if I didn't know Alex
would shoot anyone who hassled us.//
When they brought two pairs of jeans, three T-shirts, three pairs of
socks, some underwear, and a sweater to the counter, Alex charged
it under the name "Peter Wagner" and signed the slip with a
flourish. Mulder gave him a wry look but didn't appear too
bothered by it. //This could actually work if we both look the other
way.//
As they walked through the mall, bags in hand, Mulder asked,
"Could we stop at a men's room? I'd like to change out of these
clothes."
"Sure. Is it okay with you, Alex?" Sean understood. He had
washed the mud out of Mulder's clothing at the lab's main sink
this morning, but they still looked, and must have felt, a little
grungy.
"No problem." Alex smiled, somehow combining care, sex, and
pure danger in one gesture.
By the time Sean started to breathe again, he realized that Mulder
had halfway propelled him down a dim side hallway, with Alex
following. The men's room was deserted when they entered.
Mulder took the Swiss army knife Alex offered and went into a
stall.
After making plenty of rustling sounds with the bag, Mulder called
out, "Sean, I was wondering if you check my scrapes. I want to be
able to get these bandages off as soon as possible."
"Sure. I'll be right in." Sean looked to Alex, but the other man just
smirked. "What?" Sean hissed.
"Oh, nothing." Alex kissed his nose and directed him to the door.
After Sean went in, he started having difficulties breathing again.
//You've seen Mulder naked plenty of times in the last day.
Almost naked shouldn't be this big a deal.// He carefully removed
the bandages and took a look at the abrasions. He had to move
Mulder's boxers, the only clothing the other agent currently wore,
around to do so.
"They look good, Mulder. No seepage. I think we can leave most
of them off, and just keep the parts of it your jeans would rub
covered." Sean re-bandaged the parts that needed it and stood up.
The tiny stall pressed him close to Mulder.
"That's great. You've been so nice to me, Sean, even after I've
been so nasty to you."
"Yeah, well—"
"I'd like to make it up to you." Then Mulder swooped in for a deep
kiss, knocking Sean back against the door, while his nimble fingers
unfastened Sean's khaki pants. Mulder pulled away a moment to
ask, breathlessly, "This isn't too fast for you, is it?"
"No," Sean gasped. "But you don't have to—" Mulder tongued his
ear and pulled his briefs down. "Oh, hell, whatever makes you
happy." Sean thought he heard snickering outside the stall.
Mulder dropped down. "Would fast and dirty be fine with you?"
he asked, breathing hotly on Sean's throbbing cock.
"Yes, please..." //I'm about to get head in a men's room stall. Is
that fine with me? You bet it is...//
"Oh, good."
Mulder nipped at first before sucking him in. Sean heard the metal
locking bar bang repeatedly as he bucked against the door. When
Mulder started to toy with his balls too, he moaned shamelessly
and grabbed the older man's shoulders. He came hard, shouting
Mulder's name, before collapsing back against the dented door.
After one last, sensuous lick, Mulder asked, "Good?" then grinned
when he saw the dazed, blissed-out look on Sean's face.
"Mulder, you can verbally abuse me all you want if it leads to
this."
"As long as I orally abuse you later?"
Sean could only nod.
"Help me dress?"
Sean used Alex's Swiss army knife to cut the tags off and handed
the items to Mulder. Sean had to admit, with some envy, that
Mulder, with his lean height, certainly wore clothing well. //And
he looks damned good naked too.//
When they left the stall, Sean noticed Alex zipping up again. The
thought that Alex had been out here getting off on the sounds he
had made as Mulder got him off, along with the suddenly
inescapable image of Alex stroking himself, instantly affected
Sean's groin. //Behave! I'm sure you'll get more later! When did
I get so greedy?//
Mulder grinned lushly at them both, then said, "I really want a
cookie. Does anyone else want a cookie?"
Sean decided that the only thing stranger than him having sex with
Mulder had to be making sand castles with Mulder; though with
the way the trip had been going so far, something further down the
road might top even this.
At least, they had started out building it together. Mulder currently
fussed over Alex, who was trying hard to cover what seemed to be
some kind of phobic reaction. The former agent had been fine
until he saw the ocean, with its night-dark waters gilded with
moonlight, rippling toward the shore. Few people would have
noticed the way Alex had gone briefly stiff—his eyes widening and
breathing speeding up—but Sean and Mulder had spent the past day
studying that body. They said they didn't need to go to the beach,
but Alex, with what might have been a tinge of self-disgust,
refused to alter his plan. They were going to the beach. Right now
Mulder, who seemed to have some idea of what the problem was,
had Alex so engrossed in necking that the scenery escaped him
entirely.
Sean appreciated the locale for the both of them. He found the
sight of white-highlighted black waves gently rolling into shore
almost as soothing as the soft rushing sounds they made. The
arching sky above them ranged from orange-purple over the main
strip far behind them to blue-black, occasionally touched with
moonlight, over the ocean. They'd had to walk for a half-hour to
find a deserted section, but the effort had been worthwhile.
Shaping cool, damp sand put him into a calm, trance-like state.
The two warm bodies at his side had the opposite effect.
Sean couldn't help feeling like he violated some sort of uniform
code. They both wore leather and denim, while he looked like a
preppie in his green polo shirt and khaki Dockers. Then, the
mental image of the three of them being dressed exactly alike in
leather jackets, jeans, and T-shirts made him chuckle.
Pooky's head popped out of the open hatch on the top of his plastic
carrier to look at Sean for a moment before he went back down.
When they had returned to the minivan, the intensely—well, sulky—
mouse had narrowed his green eyes at them before turning his back
on them entirely. He hadn't perked up until he stole and ate a bit
of Sean's chocolate chip cookie. Pendrell knew that he wasn't just
ascribing human behavior to the little rodent; Pooky actually
behaved in some very unmouse-like ways. The color hadn't been
the only thing that had changed.
Pooky became ever more interesting as a study subject. Sean just
hoped that he didn't get himself eaten by a seagull.
"Sean, you don't mind that I brought us here at night, do you?"
Alex asked as he molded himself to Sean's back.
Sean leaned back. "Not at all. During the day, if I don't slather
myself with suntan lotion, I explode into flames. Fwoosh, another
redhead ignited."
Hot, soft lips teased his ear. "And suntan lotion tastes awful."
"Maybe I should invent edible lotion. I would just have to figure
out how to make sun protection tasty."
"The world would thank you, I'm sure," Mulder said as he rested
his head on Sean's leg and looked up at him.
"There's a huge need for it."
"Edible suntan lotion," Krycek said wryly.
"No, sex on the beach. Agh! You bastard, stop!" Sean dissolved
into helpless giggles under his tormentor's tickling hand.
Mulder writhed under Alex's other hand. "What did I do?" he
shrieked.
"Sat back, and let it happen. Make me your straight man, will you,
Pooky..."
"'Straight'? No, not under the arms!"
Part consciously and part helplessly, Sean writhed harder, forcing
Alex to let go of Mulder entirely to keep assaulting his primary
target. "I want you to say 'uncle,' Pooky, then I'll stop," Alex
said.
"Uncle! C'mon!"
"Well, what do you know, I was lying."
"Mulder! Could you give me a hand here? I can't breathe!"
Mulder sat there and grinned. "I don't know..."
"Mulder!"
"All right." Mulder grabbed Alex by the shoulders but couldn't
break his death-grip. After some confused wrestling in the sand,
Alex had both of them pinned.
"Some help you turned out to be," Sean muttered.
"He's not tickling you any more, is he?"
Alex sank down between them. "It's no fun beating people who
never had a chance."
"Oh, really?" Mulder asked before he grabbed Alex in a Full
Nelson and wrapped his legs around the other man's to keep him in
place. "Now it's time for TOTCHA!"
"You couldn't torture your way out of a paper bag." Alex squirmed
against his captor, although that move seemed to torment them
both.
"Didn't say I would be doing it. Sean?"
Sean grinned. "It all looks so good..." Sean ravaged Alex with
kisses—starting at the lips, traveling in nips down the elegant neck,
savaging his nipples through the thin cotton of his T-shirt—while
cupping and squeezing the erection that had quickly started to
swell the tight jeans. "Those jeans look uncomfortable. Do you
want me to help you get loose?"
Pleasure-dazed, Alex looked at the dilated eyes of the man in front
of him and wriggled a little more to feel the man behind him
shudder and buck again. //Am I too proud to beg? Hell, no.// "Do
it."
Sure fingers soon had him exposed, the shock of cool night air on
his hot throbbing flesh making him harder. Sean stroked and
pulled while resuming his attack on Alex's nipples. His other hand
traveled over Alex's hip to unfasten Mulder's jeans, with the older
man's bucking sometimes trapping that hand against Alex's ass.
He knew they had seen his moment of weakness—that moment
when he had seen black water, but his mind had thrown up the
memory of a thicker fluid forcing its way out of him—and hated
that. But he had to say that their concern had led to some great
distractions. //I have to keep this in mind. Oh, this is so good. I
love you both...//
Alex desperately wished he could use his hands to direct things
more, but Mulder had him immobilized, forcing him to Sean's
pace, and the frustration only increased his lust. When Sean
finally had the both of them bare, the feel of Mulder's hard length
pushing against his ass almost made him howl and come in Sean's
hand right there.
Sean's hand abandoned Alex's cock to twine around him and get
the condoms and lubricant out of Mulder's jacket. As the lab tech
prepared Mulder and ground against Alex, Alex had to ask,
gasping, "Where the hell did you learn this?"
Sean laughed against Alex's chest. "During the dry spell after
college, I became the X-rated Walter Mitty." Then he slid a slick
finger into Alex while bringing the other hand back to stroke and
tease the cock it had abandoned moments before.
"Now!" Alex moaned. "I want it all now, damn you!"
When Mulder plunged in and started to thrust, he finally let go of
Alex's arms. Alex could barely think from the friction he was
getting from both sides, but he retained the presence of mind to rip
into Sean's pants, pulling the button off and ruining the zipper. He
stroked Sean, Sean stroked him, and Mulder's long, ruthless
strokes seemed to travel through his whole body. He and Sean
screamed into one another's mouths, while Mulder muffled his
own by biting his shoulder.
After a while, Sean said, "I'm not looking forward to getting the
sand out."
They eventually wandered back to their room and took an
exhausted shower together, too tired to indulge in the kind of
horseplay they might have usually gotten into in the tiny tub. The
bed was a bit too small for all three of them too, but they all
clambered in, damp and shower-warm, and huddled under the
covers.
Mulder sighed softly at the rare feeling that all was right with the
world. He had Sean on one side and Alex on the other, with Pooky
in his clear plastic carrier on the nightstand seeming to look
benevolently down on them. Or maybe the mouse was just happy
eating his strip of lettuce and nestling in his wood shavings; who
knew?
Mulder felt tired and achy, but a good tired and achy. His mood
was probably a direct result of all the endorphins almost non-stop
sex brought, but that was more than fine with him. He might
actually sleep again tonight.
But, as Alex started to turn off the light, Mulder had to ask, "Could
we... leave the TV on? Just on low? It helps me..."
He felt Alex's low rasp against his neck. "No problem, Mulder."
Some action flick with Arnold Schwarzenegger as an inhuman
mound of muscle that refused to die no matter what you threw at
him came on. Snuggled against his lovers—with Alex nuzzling his
neck, Sean's arms wrapped around him, and the muted sounds of
explosions in the distance—Mulder drifted into sleep.
From Sean Pendrell's private journal (notes on subject Pooky and
the greening phenomenon to be rewritten more formally later):
...My eyes haven't gotten any greener since I left the lab, so the
catalyst must be in the building, maybe even in the lab itself. It's
disturbing to think about, but I haven't noticed any differences in
my mind or behavior since my greening. Well, except for the fact
that I currently seem to be part of a traveling three-ring sex circus.
Oh, shit. That might count as different. But can I honestly say I
wouldn't have jumped at this if I hadn't been exposed to some sort
of bizarre mutagen?
This last bit is not going into my formal report.
The longer I observe Pooky (and I have to give him a more
scientific name for the formal version!), the more convinced I am
that his mutation has involved a sizable increase in intelligence.
He appears to know his name and can usually follow simple
commands. I have to see if tone of voice has anything to d—
"Alex!" Sean gasped as he fended off roaming hands and a mouth.
"I'm writing!"
"Then stop," Alex said before he dragged Sean back off to bed and
Mulder. "I have more useful things for your hands to do."
They hadn't gotten out of bed until 10:45 a.m., fifteen minutes
before checkout, and Sean felt ashamed. Sloth, avarice, gluttony,
and lust, all before noon. He would have called in to work this
morning anyway, but his guilt provided more of a spur.
//Can it be wrong if it feels so good? Don't answer that.//
But he didn't feel guilty while he was with them. It all felt too
right, too comforting.
Pooky wandered in circles on his shoulder for a while before
curling up right next to his neck to doze, providing a calming, soft
warmth. Sean didn't know if he'd be able to turn the little guy
over to the bureau again. The rank-and-file might want to vivisect
him, and, if the shadowy forces Mulder believed in really existed,
others might kill him and make him disappear...
//I can think about that later. Right now, I have an obligation to
tend to.//
A harried voice answered the phone. It took Sean a moment to
realize that he was talking to Agent George Knipfel, who never got
upset over anything. George's voice took on a higher tone of near
hysteria after Sean identified himself.
"Thank God you called, Sean. Maybe you can help somehow... A
green squirrel is tearing the lab apart."
"A... green squirrel." Sean had left the squirrel at the lab, but it had
been in a cage at the time. How did it get out? "You're kidding,
right?"
"No! It's wreaking havoc. I can't believe how strong the little
rodent is! It looks like it tore its way out of one of the cages before
going on a rampage."
//Super Squirrel?// Sean remembered how everyone had been
laughing at him over all this before he left. "Funny, George. A
green squirrel. Good one."
"This isn't a joke! I swear I remember you saying something
about green animals before you left, and I know you're constantly
dealing with Mr. and Mrs. Spooky—"
"George, that's insulting to both Mulder and Scully. They work
hard and don't deserve to be smeared like that. You had your fun,
but it's over. A green squirrel. Good one. I'm sure you guys have
everything under control. I'm having a great time. Wish you were
here! Well, not really. 'Bye!" Sean slammed the phone down. He
stared at it for two minutes, then picked it up and redialed. "I'm
sorry. I lost my temper a bit."
"It's okay, Sean, really. Could you—"
"Have you been seeing anything else turning green in the lab?
Test animals, bugs... other lab technicians?"
"We found a few bugs, but no other animals— People?"
"I should get my identification stats updated. My eyes have gone
from blue to aqua."
"Oh, God, Sean—"
"It hasn't gone any further since I went on vacation, so it's
something in the building."
"Then you do know what's going on."
"No, I don't know what's causing it. When I brought it up to our
illustrious supervisors, they told me I was working too hard and
firmly suggested I not bother my co-workers with it. They also
told me that if I didn't take a vacation, I would face disciplinary
action."
"Shit. Do you think they're in on it?"
Once, the idea would have been blasphemous. Now... "I have no
idea."
"Okay. I'll think of something." George already sounded much
calmer. "Will you be coming back soon?"
"I don't know. It hasn't been a planned vacation, in any sense of
the word." Sean watched Alex and Mulder walk toward him. They
moved like two cats on the prowl, loose and sinuous. //Mine.//
The surge of lust the sight of them brought still surprised him. "I
don't know. I'm in South Carolina right now. George, I have a
feeling that the evidence of this might start to disappear. Be
careful."
"Sure, kid. Enjoy your time off."
"Thanks, I am." Sean hung up the phone and waited for his
partners to catch up to him. //Can the whole world tell I want to
jump them right now? I hope not.//
Alex leaned against the wall in full, relaxed sprawl, no doubt fully
aware of how sexy he looked doing it. "Mulder here wants to play
miniature golf. You game?"
Mulder pouted, but in such an exaggerated way it was obvious he
didn't take offense. And his pout looked sexy. "Myrtle Beach is
famous for its theme miniature golf."
"To whom?"
"Giant, painted metal animals give me a happy, okay?"
Sean had seen the signs for pirate- and jungle-themed miniature
golf parks last night. "I don't mind at all, but I can't see you just
giving in, Alex. What's the deal?"
"If we play one game, we have to find a hotel and spend the rest of
the day in bed."
"Seems like a win-win situation to me," Mulder said.
"Me too," Sean said. "Let's the games begin."
"Alex, please give me your jacks," Sean said, wincing a little as he
tried to find a more comfortable way to sit. At least the hot water
and circulating bubbles felt really good. He was grateful he'd had
the foresight to get them a room with a hot tub. He had already
appreciated his foresight in getting them a room with a mirror on
the ceiling over the bed.
"I don't believe I'm doing this," Alex grumbled.
Mulder looked at his two tired and worn-down partners and
wondered if he looked as exhausted, achy, and debauched to them.
He certainly felt that way. "I'm getting too old."
Sean shook his head. "Mulder, are you telling me that there was a
time when ten straight hours of sex, especially considering the day
and night of sex that preceded them, wouldn't faze you at all? I'm
fazed, and I think even Alex is fazed."
"Am not, and it wasn't non-stop," Alex said.
"Trips to the vending machines don't count. We didn't even get
fully dressed to go out."
"When you put it that way, Sean, no. And thanks for making me
feel better," Mulder said, answering Sean's smile with a lush look
they all would have done something about a few hours ago. "And
I'm really appreciating the hot tub."
"You're very welcome. Alex, please give me your jacks."
Pooky nibbled contentedly on a cheese puff as he guarded the
stack of cards. The odd, jerky motion of the small floating table
didn't seem to bother him at all. He turned his head to look at
Alex, then twitched his pale green whiskers.
"I'm not doing this."
"You were the one who demanded we stop playing poker. We
could switch back. You might even win your money back."
"You both cheated somehow; I just have to prove it. If you let me
deal the cards—"
"We tried that," Mulder said, "and noticed you stacking the deck.
We can forget about the money—"
"No, I'm good for it. $5,000 for Sean, and $3,000 for you." Alex
directed a stern look at both of them. They smiled back. //I've
corrupted them too well.// "I will figure it out."
Blue eyes that had a small hint of green glinted, and lips swollen
and bruised from kissing elongated into a predator's smile. //The
card shark raises its head.// It all looked so odd and so sexy on
Sean's freckled innocent's face that Alex wanted to grab the agent
again. Then his body protested, reminding him why they had been
forced to play cards to begin with. So unfair.
"Do you have the jacks, Alex?" Sean asked softly, with an
almost sultry tone. "If not, you have to say it."
"Like hell."
"You know you want to," Mulder said as he placed his cards
facedown on the table and put his hand down under the water.
Mulder's hands were every bit as talented as they looked, and one
of them stroked Alex's cock back to life in slow circles.
Alex groaned. "You're ganging up on me."
Mulder also had that freshly-and-happily-laid look to him, and he
wore it so well... "Like you and Sean ganged up on me earlier: for
my own good. Say it." His hand kept moving.
"Go fish," Alex moaned.
"Was that so hard?" Sean asked.
"It is now, you bastard."
Alex muzzily woke up in near darkness with his thumb in his
mouth. //Have to stop doing that; Momma says I'll ruin my
teeth...// Then clarity returned, and he realized he had someone
else's thumb in his mouth. A few minutes of fumbling revealed it
to be Mulder's. //Wonder how that got there?// He had to be tired;
he usually woke up in seconds.
Something had dragged him back to consciousness. The morning
light creeping around the edge of the heavy curtain showed Alex
that Sean was awake and staring at nothing. "What's wrong,
Pooky?" Alex asked softly.
"Don't call me—" Sean answered just as softly. "Nice try, Alex,
but I have to go back. The guys at the lab need me."
This was bad. Very bad. He should have seen this coming, but he
hadn't wanted to look that far ahead.
Alex didn't want Sean to leave. Alex had gotten used to Sean's
presence and concern, his welcome flashes of mischief and even
more appreciated sensuality.
He also knew that Sean's departure, especially if he left to fulfill
some sense of obligation, would reawaken Mulder's own sense of
duty and insane obsession to find The Truth, whatever that was
supposed to be. You could drug Mulder with love and pleasure for
only so long before his demons started riding him again. Alex
would lose them both.
Alex thought of trying to talk Sean out of it but had heard the iron
in his voice. Once the little redhead made up his mind, nothing
would change it. //It's actually one of the things the three of us
have in common.
//I could make them stay...// But it wouldn't be the same. Not at
all. They would hate him for it, and the whole feeling of fun and
spontaneity their relationship had had would be gone forever.
"What's going on?" Mulder asked sleepily as he yawned and
stretched.
//That's only one of the things I'm going to miss.// "Sean feels that
he has to go back to work," Alex said, his voice a low, flat rasp.
The slight rays of morning revealed the relaxation fading from
green-gold eyes, to be replaced by the more familiar, jittery look
that spoke of Duty and The Truth. //Damn it all.//
"We... still have to drive back, so we still have some time left
together." Sean reached out in a way that let him hug Mulder and
loosely embrace Alex. "I hope this wasn't just temporary insanity.
I'd like to do this again someday soon."
"Me too," Mulder said, sounding a bit shaky. "What about you,
Alex?"
"Try to keep me away." //Next time I get you, I'm making sure
you won't be able to remember your own names, let alone
anything else that could take you away.//
"And I'm not giving Pooky back, either."
Mulder wilted under Scully's icy blue stare. He didn't think she
was buying his story at all. "So, I don't remember a thing, Scully.
Really."
Her eyebrows rose into her hairline. "As it happens, those marks
on your neck were made by human teeth. Two different humans,
from the size differences, and probably... both of them male. Does
that bring back any memories at all?"
Shit. He had tried to hide them, but so many were just too high to
be covered by his collar. Cover stick hadn't worked at all, looking
too pink-orange to do anything other than draw attention.
"I'm afraid not."
"Did these... 'aliens' use anal probes?"
Mulder couldn't help the blush that took over his face. "Uh..."
//Too close to the truth by half.//
"Right. Don't you think it would make sense to check for human
DNA in other—"
"Um, no, and I probably wasn't in any position to refuse. At least I
don't remember... They'd probably get mad and take over the
Earth. Really."
"Right. So your aliens are really just cruising the galaxies looking
for back-door nooky?"
"Scully!"
"Have you guessed yet that I find your story less than believable?"
"I don't know, but I was beginning to get that idea. I detected just
a hint of sarcasm."
Scully took him by the arm and took advantage of his surprise to
lead him out of the office and down the hall. Once she felt
confident that they were far enough down the empty basement
corridor, she said, "Now that we're out of the office, you can tell
me what really happened."
"What?"
"I know you think the office is bugged. Spill it."
Lying hadn't worked. It rarely did with her, which was why he
usually chose to keep her completely in the dark. //Let's see how
you handle the truth. You asked for it...// "Okay. I was abducted
by Pendrell and Krycek. I spent the last few days with them."
"Our Pendrell and Krycek?"
"Yes."
"Shy lab technician Pendrell who can barely say a non-job-related
word without tripping over his own tongue."
"Well, he's not always like that, but yes."
"Traitorous, murderous Alex Krycek your former partner."
"Well, he's not always like that either, but yes."
"The hickeys—"
"Theirs, yes, okay?" Her face took on a horribly hurt look. It made
him feel like the lowest life form that had ever oozed across the
dirt. "I'm sorry, Scully."
"Mulder, I understand 'don't ask, don't tell,' but I'm upset. Upset
[1] that you're lied to me, and [2] that you thought I would believe
such a ridiculous one. Pendrell and Krycek? Have some respect
for me. I appreciate that you somehow convinced Agent Pendrell
to call you in for you to give this story some credence, but still!"
So much for telling the truth. "Scully—" //She even forgot that she
was the one who dragged "this story" out of me!//
"Krycek and Pendrell. Together, with you. Krycek alone, maybe,
if you were letting your little head do all the thinking for you, but...
You do know I'd kill you, right?" She shook her head. "I won't
ask again, since you obviously don't want to tell me. I'll even
keep it quiet from Skinner, since I can understand the need for
secrecy. But I have one request."
Mulder dreaded this one. "Yes?"
"If Pendrell and Krycek ever abduct you again to make you their
sex slave, you better bring me along so I can watch."
//Thick enough to cut with a knife. Sarcastic much, Scully?// "I'll
try."
"That's all I can ask."
As they walked back to the office, they met a very nonplussed-
looking Skinner waiting for them. Since it took a hell of a lot to
faze their assistant director, Mulder couldn't wait to hear this one.
"You're needed at the lab," Skinner said. His voice sounded
harsher than usual. "The lab boys are reporting a rampage by a...
green squirrel. The lab is demolished."
Mulder raced to the lab, followed by Scully, who mumbled the
usual phrases of disbelief. The sight that greeted them when they
got there left one thing absolutely clear even to Scully: the lab had
been devastated. Broken glass and torn metal wire had been
strewn across every surface. The harried-looking lab technicians
scrambled to catch a green blur that kept eluding them.
From the hall behind them, someone said, "Hi, honey, I'm home."
Pendrell walked into the lab and looked around in some disbelief.
The green blur changed direction on a bounce and came flying
toward him. Mulder had a sudden horrified image of Sean getting
his throat ripped out. Instead, the squirrel halted in front of
Pendrell and climbed up his trench coat until it reached his
shoulder. Once there, it circled for a minute before settling down
to sleep, its fluffy tail with its varying shades of green curled
around itself, making it look like a bizarre, furry epaulet.
//I'll be...//
The other lab boys actually cheered. Mulder's almost expected
them to start singing Sean's praises. Sean grinned and sent a
heated look in Mulder's direction before he walked amidst his
people, murmuring comforting phrases and patting shoulders.
Scully had been too stunned by the spectacle to notice.
"...and we're going to find out what's causing the mutations after
we clean up the lab, and..."
Mulder couldn't stop grinning. //Chaos, blessed chaos. Maybe
Scully might even notice Sean's neck. Only having Alex around
could make things better...// He shook that thought off. There was
nothing he could do about that. //It's still good to be home.//
The End
Green III
by Viridian
"And so I find a place where I've never been seen,
Find another place where the red turns green,
Where the emerald glistens through the darkness again,
Where the emerald glistens through the rain..."
—"Light" by the Sisters of Mercy
