by Lady Midath
"So have you located him yet gentlemen?"
The taller man nodded, he looked nervous, but then
everyone looked nervous when
they were dealing with Spender.
"We found out that he's actually been staying with
Assistant Director Walter
Skinner." The assassin explained.
Spender's eyebrows shot up. "Is that so?"
The assassin nodded again, god how he hated having to
deal with this man, it was
like having to deal with the devil himself....only
much worse.
"Yes Sir." The second man spoke up, he was just as
nervous as his partner. "We
made some... inquiries and discovered that he has been
at Skinner's apartment
now for nearly six weeks."
"I see." Spender replied thoughtfully. "And did either
of you actually discover
the reason behind Skinner and Krycek's sudden desire
to become...roommates?"
Both operatives looked at each other, obviously unsure
how to proceeded, then
the taller man spoke up again.
"It would seem Sir that Alex Krycek is being held
against his will. From what we
could discover, Krycek is being held a prisoner in
Skinner's apartment...Sir."
"Hmmm, well it seems that things have taken an...shall
we say unusual turn."
Spender mused, he stared at the glowing tip of his
cigarette for a moment, then
allowed himself a small smile. "Thank you gentlemen, I
must say you have both
done quite well."
"Sir, about Krycek?" The taller man asked nervously.
Spender glanced up at him.
"I will let you know what further action is to be
taken gentlemen...and thank
you both for your assistance. Good day."
Obviously dismissed, but operatives left the dimly lit
office feeling rather
shaken, but neither of them could say just why.
Part Two
"Come on Alex, you need to eat." Walter said as he
offered another spoonful of
oatmeal to the younger man.
Alex turned his head away, refusing the food. Walter
sighed, worried now. Lately
it was getting harder and harder for him to get Alex
to eat anything. It seemed
that the young man had fallen into a deep depression.
*Or a deep sulk*. Walter thought to himself, well he
certainly knew an effective
way to pull a certain young rodent out of that quick
smart.
"Alex, one more mouthful, now you don't want me to get
angry do you?"
Alex turned back to the AD, green eyes dark and
resentful. "Not hungry." He
snapped.
Walter sighed, holding his temper but just. "Alex, you
have hardly eaten
anything this morning, and I have to get ready to go
to work shortly so I don't
have time for this nonsense, now open up... or else."
Alex stared at the older man for a moment as defiantly
as he dared, then
dropping his eyes, he opened his mouth.
Walter fed him a spoonful of the oatmeal. He had mixed
plenty of warm milk and
sugar into it so Alex would enjoy it. But he finding
nothing seemed to tempt the
young man.
*Well if he doesn't pull himself out of this mood,
he's going to be bare butt up
over my knee.* Walter thought grimly.
He managed to get Alex to swallow a couple more
mouthfuls, then Walter carried
the bowl into the kitchen.
He walked back into the bedroom where he had been
feeding his young...guest, and
made sure that Alex's bonds were secured properly,
something he did every
morning before he left for the day. It had become
something of a ritual now.
Then he bent down to pop a gently kiss on top of
Alex's sable hair. "Have a good
day sweetheart." He said as he grabbed his briefcase
and left the room.
Alex watched him go, he heard the front door close and
the horrible weight of
loneliness settled down on him.
As much as he would never admit it, he hated it when
Walter left him alone.
He sat on the bed for a while, listening to the
silence that had settled over
the apartment almost like a shroud, then suddenly he
buried his head into the
pillow and wept.
Part Three
Spender was already in Walter's office waiting for the
AD. He looked up with an
almost reptilian smile as Walter entered the office.
He stopped dead. "What the hell do you want?" He
snapped as he strode over to
his desk.
"Alex Krycek."
Walter stopped dead. He looked up at the Smoking Man,
a man that he had grown to
detest, a man that Walter knew from experience, not to
cross.
"Alex Krycek?" Walter frowned. "What about him?"
Spender's smile thinned considerably. "Yes, Alex
Krycek, I believe you know
where he is."
Walter's frown deepened. "Krycek, why would I know
where he is?"
"I have been informed by very reliable sources that
one Alex Krycek is currently
chained to your bed." Spender regarded Walter with
cool amusement. "I take it
that prostitutes are no longer your thing AD Skinner?"
Walter drew a deep breath, then let it out again,
there was little point going
on with this charade.
"What do you want Spender?" He asked.
"I want Alex delivered back to me, today if possible."
Spender replied. "After
all Mr Skinner, he does belong to me."
"No." Walter replied flatly. Spender stared at him for
a moment, then pulling
out a pack of Morleys, he lit one, inhaling the
aromatic deep into his lungs.
"You are refusing Mr Skinner?"
Walter glowered at the other man for a moment. "You're
dammed right I'm refusing
Spender, you are not getting Alex back, and that's
final."
Spender shook his head sorrowfully at the other man's
foolishness. "Mr Skinner
may I remind you that Alex Krycek works for me, I am
asking, no, demanding that
my property be returned... immediately."
"For a start Spender, he's not your property, he now
belongs to me, possession
being nine tenths of the law and all that you know.
Secondly, you do not come
unannounced and uninvited, making demands, have I made
myself clear?"
Spender faced the infuriated AD calmly. "Perfectly Mr
Skinner I thank you for
your time." With a slight incline of his head, he left
the office, a thin trail
of smoke following him.
Part Four
Walter had left the office as soon as he was able to,
he had told Kim that a
personal emergency had cropped up and she was to
cancel all his meetings until
further notice.
"But what about the meeting with Agent Mulder and
Agent Scully?" Kim asked
confused.
"Cancel it." Walter told her tersely.
She watched as the AD practically ran towards the
elevator, then turned to pick
up the phone to start canceling the meetings for that
morning.
The drive home had been tortuous, Walter had cursed
every red light and every
slow driver in front. Finally he arrived home, parking
his car in the
underground garage, he raced for the elevator, pushing
the button for the
seventeenth floor.
The elevator seemed to take it's own sweet time
getting there. Walter was
practically seething by the time he reached his
apartment floor.
Walter pulled the keys out of his pocket to unlock the
front door to his
apartment when he noticed that the door was slightly
open.
"Shit!" Walter raced through the living room and into
the bedroom where he had
left Alex earlier that morning.
He stared at the rumpled bed. Alex was not there.
Frantically he searched the
apartment but there was no sign of him. Alex was gone.
Part Five
Spender smiled down at the young man almost kindly.
Alex glared up at him, one
eye already closed from the terrible bruising after a
fist had smashed into it
earlier.
"Aren't you glad to see me again Alex?" Spender almost
purred. Alex snarled at
him, and attempted to launch himself at the older man
in the rather stiff
looking light gray suit.
Suddenly he was hauled back by one of Spender's men.
"Now, now Alex, there's no need for that is there."
Spender said calmly. "After
all, we are all friends here are we not?"
"Fuck you." Alex spat out, he could taste the blood in
his mouth from the deep
split in his lip. "What do you want from me Spender?"
"Information, that's all." Spender replied with a thin
smile, he waved his hand
in the air, Alex watched the smoke whirl and eddy
around the older man's head
from the cigarette that was held between his two
fingers.
"What information?" Alex asked furiously. "What are
you talking about you
bastard."
"A certain disc that was taken from me, one that I
have been looking for, does
any of this ring a bell Alex?"
Alex glared at the other man for a moment. Then he
shook his head. "I have no
idea what you are talking about Spender."
Spender sighed elaborately. "Alex...Alex...Alex." He
said almost sorrowfully
despite the gleam in his eyes. "After all I have done
for you, rescuing you from
Walter Skinner, from being used by him. You should be
thanking me, not calling
me names."
"Thank you for this?" Alex gestured towards the
bruises on his face.
"That is regrettable Alex, you were not supposed to be
hurt and I assure you
that the men responsible will be dealt with, that I
can promise you."
Alex stared at him, then turned away. "Walter." He
said, his voice sounding
strangled.
"What about him?" Spender asked, he tapped his
cigarette, the ash landing in
front of Alex.
"Is he all right?"
Spender chuckled. "Why are you so concerned about
Walter Skinner, after all
wasn't he the one that has kept you a prisoner for how
long as it been now, six
weeks?"
Alex said nothing, he stared down at the concrete
floor, jaw clenched with rage.
He was still naked and wearing the harness that Walter
had especially made for
him, his one good arm trapped in the manacle attached
to the thick strap around
his middle. The ankle cuffs were still secured around
his legs. In short, he was
helpless.
"What do you want from me?" Alex whispered. "What?"
Spender could hear the pain and the defeat in the
former operative's voice and
smiled.
Part Six
"Where is he?"
Walter was practically screaming down the phone. He
was standing in the living
room, the telephone clutched to his ear, his face
slicked with sweat despite the
coolness of the room.
"He's here and quite safe." Spender's voice purred in
Walter ear. "Would you
like to speak with him Walter?"
"Yes...and if you've hurt him you son of a bitch..."
"Walter." It was Alex.
"Alex, are you all right?" Walter clutched the phone
even tighter as he heard
the younger man's voice.
"Yes, I'm okay." Walter frowned, Alex's voice sounded
weak and unsure.
"Listen to me Alex." Walter told him urgently. "I'll
find you, okay, I'll get
every available agent onto this and...."
"I would advise against doing that Mr Skinner."
Spender's oily voice was back on the line once more.
Walter could feel his face
flush with rage.
"I want him back Spender, is that clear. I want him
back!"
"And you shall have him back, as soon as I am done
with him." With that, the
phone went dead.
Walter stared at the handpiece for a moment, then
slowly replaced it back into
the cradle.
Without even realizing what he was doing, he wandered
into the bedroom where
Alex had not so long ago inhabited.
Sitting on the bed, Walter lifted the pillow to his
face, he could still smell
the faint musky scent that had been Alex's. He reached
over and stroked the
sheets where the younger man had lain.
Suddenly shuddering rage ripped through the older man,
his face twisted in a
mixture of grief and real anger.
When he had told Alex a couple of weeks ago that his
motive for keeping the
younger man here was no longer revenge, he had been
speaking the truth.
Walter had never admitted it but he had been a lonely
unhappy. Since Sharon had
died and Fox Mulder and Dana Scully had finally found
each other, Walter had not
had anyone in his life.
His days had been spent at work, his nights sleeping
alone. His had become a
life of dreary solitude with nothing but work to break
the monotony, then Alex
had changed all that.
Suddenly he got to his feet, still clutching the
pillow.
"I am going to find you Alex, I swear to god I will."
He said out loud. "And I
promise I will make those bastards pay."
Part One
pender leaned back as he lit yet another cigarette,
he blew the smoke out,
taking his time as he regarded to two men standing in
front of his desk.
