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Those Hot Winter Nights by Ratadder Part One alter trudged five paces to the left through knee deep snow, and dutifully swung the scanner in an arc. Nothing. "Mulder, you're sure this is the place?" "YES. Sir. I'm sure. Stop asking." "I'm just asking because... well, we've been looking for a few hours now and to put it bluntly, I'm cold." "I'm not exactly roasting chestnuts out here myself." Walter gave Mulder a considering look as he trudged back through the heavy wet snow. "You may be head of the X-Files Division now, but may I remind you I'm still your superior." Mulder blew a lock of hair out of his eyes and glared at his silent scanner. Finally he lifted his head and met Skinner's look. "I'm not exactly roasting chestnuts out here, sir." Walter rolled his eyes. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. He studied the peaceful forest around them and sighed. "Vermont seems like an... odd place for a landing." "Vermont seems like an odd place for anything. Except maybe cows." Mulder whacked the side of his scanner sharply, as if that would help. His lower lip grew ever more prominent when it didn't. He stalked off toward the east. "And not even so many cows anymore," Walter sighed as he followed. "Which may explain why they've always had well below the average number of cattle mutilations up here." Walter blinked. "There's actually an average?" Mulder gave him a look then proceeded to ignore him. Walking in the quiet, snowy Vermont woods started out invigorating. Two hours ago. It moved on to bracing after the first half-hour of trudging around and getting soaked. About twenty minutes after that, it degenerated to downright chilly. Eventually, about fifteen minutes back, it had become flat-out freeze-your-balls-off uncomfortable. Walter gave up attempting to appreciate the outdoors and began fantasizing hot cider in front of the fireplace at the inn. The inn. He snorted and his breath frosted in the chill air. "I still can't believe you booked us an inn on the Bureau travel budget," he muttered. The place was incredible, though he didn't think Mulder had even noticed. Their room had a fireplace and a hot tub, and it wasn't even the best room there. The Holiday Inn it most certainly was not. If accounting ever got wind, he'd be in deep shit. Mulder answered absently, still walking and scanning. "It was the closest place to stay next to the site." Walter looked around pointedly. "Yes, and it was obviously so important to be right on top of 'the site'." His sarcasm went unnoticed as Mulder curved slightly to the left and kept walking. Walter fell silent and debated how long he should wait before ordering Mulder off the spaceship hunt. His decision became moot when mere minutes later Mulder jerked to a stop on his own and made a sound of frustration. "This doesn't make any sense. The equipment specifically pinpointed this area. But we've been over the entire spread, save for climbing the trees." He pulled out his compass and directed his fierce glare at it. "We're moving offsite completely if we go any further out." Walter shrugged. Much as he hated to own a severe waste of Bureau resources, he was ready to throw in the towel. Besides, his and Mulder's track record with short-circuiting the full invasion gave the X-Files a lot more wiggle room these days. They could both survive one or two wild goose chases, no matter how expensive. "It may be time to consider that the Rebel's equipment was wrong." Mulder shook his head, face determined. "No. Their technology has never been faulty. It's incredibly accurate. We've never had one false signal. Hell, I wouldn't have dropped everything and come myself, sure as hell wouldn't have dragged you all the way up here, if I wasn't damn sure we needed an experienced team on site immediately. Otherwise John and Scully could have just handled it when they got back from Oregon. It's got to be here... the equipment doesn't malfunction." Walter shrugged again. "There's a first time for everything. And maybe it didn't malfunction... maybe a ship did land. Maybe it just left already. From what I understand the system is only set up to give you early warning of a landing, right?" He still felt vaguely uncomfortable dealing with alien technology, so he didn't know the systems as well as Mulder did. Of course, no one knew the systems as well as Mulder did. Which was why he was traipsing around after his most brilliant and most irritating agent, wading through snow up to his ass, when he could be back at home in Washington staying on top of his accumulating paperwork. Even now he could hear the distant sounds of files piling up on his desk. Mulder shook his head, vexed expression firmly in place. "No. No, They wouldn't just land and leave again in the space of..." He glanced at his watch. "Twelve hours. No way. That doesn't make any sense. It's here somewhere. They're here somewhere." Walter groaned internally. No fireplace for his frozen feet. No hot tub for his cold and aching bones. No, the most he could expect would be to maybe get a little warmed up being chased by a wolverine. Did Vermont have wolverines? He turned and scanned the empty forest in a wide circle. He glanced doubtfully back the way they'd come then looked forward in the direction that would lead them off the coordinates the Rebel technology had spit out. Then blinked in the late afternoon sun, trying to determine if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. Then rubbed his eyes and looked again. "I don't suppose that might have anything to do with our inability to find Them?" He lifted his arm and pointed at the evergreen tree not five yards ahead of them. Huge green branches bowed down toward the ground under their weight of snow. Curled up on the ground between the arching branches, like the nesting wolverine Walter kept expecting, was a shadowy black figure. "What the hell?" Mulder's voice rose, startled. Walter almost laughed. Mulder had been so focused on his scanner, so sure the ship would be invisible to the naked eye. He himself had been too preoccupied by the cold, by his frozen toes, by the thought of the fireplace waiting back at the room. They could have walked right by the man and missed him completely. In tandem they both started forward. Some instinctive knowledge clicked over in Walter's mind, in his chest, and even before they reached the huddled figure he knew what—whom—they had found. Something about the body, the black clothes... the ship alert that brought them to Vermont in the first place. There really wasn't any question, was there? "Mulder—" he started to warn as Mulder's stride lengthened but he was too late and he wasn't sure what he would have said anyway. Mulder crouched and made a sharp sound of... what? Distress? Frustration... anger? Relief? Who knew. His own feelings—of distress, frustration, anger and relief—rose up and choked out anything else as Mulder caught the still shoulder and rolled Alex Krycek onto his back. Krycek slumped over limply in the snow, head rolling to one side, mouth falling partially open. He looked asleep, but since Walter sincerely doubted the survival-lovin' spy had decided to take a quick nap in three feet of snow in the Vermont woods, he'd be willing to bet Krycek was out cold. Mulder's muttered curses confirmed his suspicion as Mulder felt for a pulse, pulled up an eyelid, slapped Krycek's face lightly. "He's out. And whoa... he's really cold. How long do you think he's been out here?" "No way of knowing." Walter glanced around at the crushed snow under the tree. "Let's get him back to the inn. Is he hurt?" Walter watched as Mulder felt up and down the sprawled body, trying to decide if he was jealous or thankful that Mulder was doing the touching. "Nothing seems broken or... hey. He's got two arms." Mulder's voice was suddenly wary. "Shit. Clone? Replicant? What?" The relief Walter had been feeling coiled into hard tension in his stomach. Suddenly he didn't want to know. Didn't want confirmation of what he'd wondered about for too many months. He watched Mulder's fingers feel the back of the neck and almost staggered with the release when Mulder shook his head sharply. "And look, he bled red." Mulder tilted the man's head further to one side and Walter saw the small cut at Krycek's hairline. Sure enough, dried blood coated it and had run into Krycek's hair. The flaking dark rust on his skin and the small spot of brighter red on the snow testified that this wasn't a clone either. Mulder reached inside the jacket, felt around, and produced a wallet. He flipped it open and snorted, lifting it to Walter. Three separate picture ids, with three separate names, none of which were 'Alex Krycek'. "Offhand," Mulder offered wryly, "I'd say this is Krycek himself." Walter nodded and tucked the wallet into his coat. "Offhand, I'd say we're not the only ones to whom the Rebels may have passed on that handy-dandy first alert equipment. Back to the inn?" At Mulder's nod, he bent and helped Mulder lift the limp body, then knelt in the snow while Mulder tipped Krycek forward over his shoulder. Standing again with Mulder's assistance, he gripped Krycek's legs and settled his burden. They turned back toward the inn and started walking. Whether it was the warmth of the inn or the effect of being carried upside down, of course Krycek woke up when they were stripping him down. "Muh... hu... whaaz?" Mulder finished working a black boot off Krycek's left foot and dropped his leg back to the floor. "You back with us?" He tossed the boot to rest next to the soaked leather jacket and crawled up to peer into Krycek's face. He exchanged a look with Skinner who was bent over Krycek's chest and unbuttoning his shirt. "Wher'mI?" The huge eyes blinked, confused, staring first at Mulder then at Skinner. "You're in Vermont, at the Burgess Inn." Skinner spoke slowly and loudly. "We found you unconscious in the woods. We brought you here." Krycek stared at him for a long moment then looked down and stared just as thoroughly at Skinner's hands, still undoing buttons on his black chamois shirt. "Wha—wha' you doing?" "We need to get you warm. We don't know how long you were out there. Your clothes are cold and wet. We need to get you out of them." Mulder marveled at the calm patience in his boss' voice. He'd been unsure what Skinner's reaction to finding Krycek would be, but his supervisor had seemed completely unruffled, and expressed a real concern for the assassin's continued health. Mulder didn't argue, just worked on maintaining a blasé attitude toward the man lying on their rug in front of their fire. He tilted Krycek's chin toward him and looked in the man's eyes. The pupils were over-large but both the same size and Krycek looked awake. "How do you feel? We think you might have hit your head." Krycek appeared to think about the question. "M'cold..." he finally answered, still in that dazed voice. "Right." Mulder crawled back down his body and started working off the right boot. "First things first." He got the boot off, stripped off both socks, and moved back up to reach for the jeans. He'd maneuvered Skinner into disrobing the upper half, leaving the lower half for himself. And rather smoothly, if he did say so himself. He tugged at the fly of the black jeans, unbuttoning, unzipping, then working them down off the solid hips he remembered only too well. Krycek made another sound of protest, but his arms barely lifted from the floor. Skinner pressed them back down as he removed the chamois and started on the turtleneck under it. Mulder tsk'd as he managed to pry the jeans out from under Krycek's butt and strip them down the long legs. The long bare legs. "No long underwear? What were you thinking." "Thinkin' I w'dn't... be out th'r... that long. Didn' plan on... nap in th' woods." The rough voice still sounded thick and slurry, but the edge of irritation made Mulder grin. He exchanged another look with Skinner as the other man pulled the turtleneck up over Krycek's head. "Mild hypothermia at most," he theorized. Skinner nodded, then looked up at the knock on the door. "Looks like you woke up just in time, Krycek. That'll be your hot chocolate." He pushed himself to his feet and went to answer it. Mulder felt the side of the white briefs, the only thing Krycek still wore. They were damp, so he stripped them off too, ignoring Krycek's grunt of displeasure, listening instead to Skinner thanking the woman who had brought the hot chocolate. He assured her they believed the man they'd found would be fine, thanked her for staying near the phone in case they needed a doctor. Then Skinner was back by Krycek's other side, and together he and Mulder lifted the shivering body up and carried him to the closer of the two beds. His own, Mulder realized with a sense of satisfaction. Lowering Krycek into his bed brought back a few too many memories, but the chill coming off the man chased them back. He propped a grumbling Krycek against a pile of pillows while Skinner pulled a quilt off his own bed and added it to the ones covering the shaking body. Mulder settled down on the side of the bed and waved a hand toward the chocolate. "Can you grab that for me?" Skinner paused, an odd expression crossing his face, then did as Mulder asked. Mulder felt an anxious knot constrict in his chest... was he being too obvious? Would Skinner guess? He made his expression as blank as possible as he took the mug from Skinner and turned back to Krycek, whose mouth was clenched in a tight line, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. "Think you can drink something? It'll help warm you up faster." Krycek focused on him and glared. His eyes skated from Mulder's face to Skinner standing at Mulder's shoulder, and his expression got fiercer. "W-what the fuck is th-this?" he spat, his ire somewhat undercut by the teeth-chattering stammer. "Wh-what's w-with the F-florence Nightingale routine?" Mulder paused, a little surprised at the vehemence in the eyes, the voice. At the same time, he let out a breath of relief. Obviously getting him under the blankets had him feeling a little more like his old self already. The confusion was fading fast, and with it Mulder's concern about head injury. "We told you, we need to get you warm." "Oh sure, and I'm s-supposed to believe you g-guys are concerned about my w-welfare." Mulder bit down hard on the smile that wanted to surface at the sight of Krycek, propped on pillows, wrapped in blankets up to his neck, only his face visible, shivering and shaking, but spitting and hissing at them all the same. He always did hate being in a vulnerable position. Except on certain memorable occasions. "Well, we need you warmed up so we can have a little chat. We'd like to hear all about how you ended up out in the snow. At those particular coordinates," Mulder finally offered. "And we're curious to know if you found what we were looking for," Skinner added over his shoulder, voice dry. Krycek's eyes darted around the room. He took in the fireplace, the luxurious furnishings, the large hot tub in the far corner. If anything, his face got harder. "Oh yeah, th-these are definitely alien hunting digs," he said, voice scathing. "What, w-was the honeymoon suite already booked? Or are the two b-beds a cover for the Bureau, so nobody suspects fraternization and faggotry? Can't have anybody knowing you're bending over for the boss, eh Mulder?" Mulder's amusement washed away like it had been hit with a cold shower. It was a low blow, and coming from Krycek... he jerked back, further annoyed when hot chocolate slopped onto his hand. "Don't be such an asshole," he snapped, trying for cold and unaffected, very conscious of Skinner standing right behind him. He hadn't worked this hard for this many years to keep his personal life personal, only to have Krycek trot it out in front of his boss like yesterday's headline. "We're trying to help you. We could have left you out in the snow." It sounded like a vague threat even to his own ears. "Yeah and come back here to your romantic getaway in the mountains and have a fabulous little fuck-fest to celebrate, I'm sure," Krycek jeered, lip lifting in a sneer. "Nice to see you're finally getting practical, Mulder... boning the boss must be a good way to get a few perks for the X-Files." "Not hardly," Skinner growled from behind him, but Mulder had had enough. He stood, thunked the mug down on the bedside table and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door for all he was worth. His fist curled and he kept from punching the wall only through supreme self-control. Self-control, and flattening his hand out at the last minute so his palm impacted against the wall rather than his knuckles. He stared at his smarting hand and it just made him madder. The asshole had the fucking nerve to suggest he was sleeping with Skinner! The outrage poured through him. Hell, he'd never even been attracted to Skinner! Oh, he supposed the man was attractive enough, in his own way, but his way just wasn't Mulder's way. As Krycek damn well ought to know. Skinner, for fuck's sake! Skinner of the stick up his ass so far he could barely unbend to sit down. Starched-up button-down bureaucrat Skinner. Who was his boss, besides. His straight boss. As if Mulder would be stupid enough to do anything with his direct supervisor, presuming it was someone he'd want. Alex was such a bastard. To be throwing that at him... knowing... His teeth ground together and he relaxed his shoulders with an effort. Closed his eyes and counted to ten. He shouldn't be getting this pissed off. That's all Alex was after. He shouldn't be playing into it. But he'd wondered. He'd always wondered. Wondered after sleeping with adorable and adoring Agent Krycek if it had all been nothing but a trick. If Alex really even liked men, or if it was just part of the job for him, part of the act, a skill like spying or lying or shooting people. Alex was good at it, and Mulder wouldn't have doubted he was really into it, especially given Alex's proclivities once they ended up in bed. But then he'd wondered if that too hadn't just been a case of Alex reading him too well, catering to his tastes. Guessing what would make him sit up and take notice quicker than anything else. He didn't really think so given Alex had suggested most of it, but... the sneer on Krycek's face when he'd delivered the digs minutes ago loomed large in Mulder's mind. Fraternization and faggotry. His eyes opened and he glared at himself in the huge, well-lit mirror. All these years. All this time. And the bastard could still make him madder than anyone else on Earth and beyond. Even the most frustrating of all their Rebel allies paled next to Alex's ability to enrage him in mere minutes. And now he was probably trotting out sordid stories for Skinner. Hopefully Skinner would assume Krycek was a lying asshole just like he always did. Skinner never held much patience where Krycek was concerned. There was more than one reason Mulder had declined to name his suspicions on the identity of his anonymous source when the fight against the colonists went into full swing. He wondered if it was just the vulnerability of the situation driving Alex to be so crass. It was an odd thing for Alex to resort to, after all this time. He'd waited, after Alex first disappeared, for the blackmail to start. It never had. Over all the years and all the shit, Alex had never seemed inclined to throw the sex back in Mulder's face, or use it to ruin his career. No demands, no pictures, no tapes, no nothing. Of course there was an excellent chance Alex didn't like what the sex said about himself, and didn't want to risk that getting out... No doubt. Mulder sighed and slumped against the lavish marble counter, suddenly more depressed than angry. A pity, really. Because it had always been one of the aspects of the younger man he'd most appreciated. And it had certainly seemed real, even if the feelings were all up for doubt. The pure erotic enjoyment Alex had taken at his hands had felt like a sure thing. But he still couldn't help wondering. Walter stood at the bedside and watched Mulder slam his way into the bathroom. Then he transferred his gaze back to the conundrum in the bed before him. "Well, that looked like fun," he said conversationally. Picking up the mug, he wiped the drips from it and lowered himself into the same spot Mulder had sat. Rather than offering it as Mulder had, he simply moved closer and held the mug to Alex's mouth. "Drink this." He started to tip it, giving Alex a choice of either opening up or wearing it. "You need the warmth and it's incredible stuff. Real hot chocolate. Steamed milk. Chocolate that gets melted into it. Stirred together by hand. Vicki made it special for you and it's not going to waste." Unsurprisingly, Alex chose to drink rather than wear. He gulped as Walter continued to tilt the mug, steadying it only long enough for Alex to draw a breath now and then. A line of the chocolate ran down Alex's cheeks on either side of his mouth, but Walter didn't pause until his charge had downed at least half of the mug. Angry green eyes glared up at him, but no hands emerged from the blankets to stop him so Walter assumed he was still feeling the chill. When he lifted the mug back and Alex had a chance to draw a real breath and sputter, Walter cut in before the forming words could jump off Alex's tongue. "And don't even bother trying to goad me like you just did Mulder. If you'll cast your mind back, you'll remember I'm nowhere near as easy a mark as he is. I don't fly off the handle around you like he does." "Unless I'm being given over to you for safe-keeping and you feel like practicing your gut-punches," Krycek shot back, voice snide. Walter shrugged. "I owed you that one." He brought the mug back to Alex's mouth and once again tilted it without asking. "Mu-urmph..." Bright spots of color rose in Alex's cheeks and his eyes flashed as he worked to swallow the chocolate before it poured down his front. Walter took it as a good sign that blood circulation was getting back in shape. Neither of them so much as blinked when they both heard the shower turn on in the bathroom. After pouring the chocolate down his throat, Walter finally deigned to snag a napkin from the bedside table and wipe off Alex's cheeks. "You're a regular fucking Samaritan, Skinner," Alex growled. "And you're a smart-ass with a dirty mind and a gutter mouth, Krycek," he returned mildly. "Mulder and I are here on business. Same business you are, I'd wager. This just happens to be the closest accommodations to the site. We're sharing a room to reduce costs, since this place is more than expensive enough already." Alex opened his mouth to make some new sally but even as Walter watched it turned into a jaw-cracking yawn. He shook his head and stood up. "You're going to be out of it in minutes now that you're warming up. Get some sleep. We'll get some answers out of you when you wake up." "I'm not—" "Shut up, Krycek," he ordered flatly, "or I'll gag you. That hit on your head doesn't look like much more than a scratch. You're not concussed so go to sleep. You'll be coherent that much quicker." He leaned in and gave Alex a nasty smile. "And maybe all that sugar I just poured down you will sweeten your disposition while you're out." Turning on his heel he walked to the pot of hot chocolate, filled another mug, dragged a chair closer to the fire and settled himself down. Propping his feet out in front of him he picked up the copy of Vermont Life from the basket beside the chair and started to leaf through it, ignoring the man in the bed. Who for whatever reason—tiredness or gag threat—chose to obediently fall silent. The glossy photos of beautiful Vermont blurred in front of his eyes and none of the words made any sense. Alex Krycek. Naked. In a bed, three feet away from him. Perfect for his concentration. Old memories of Alex-Krycek-naked-in-a-bed swam through his mind, lazy and arousing. It had been so long. Years. And it still had the same heated power, still fired his senses and warmed his groin. And it wasn't just the sex. He remembered only too clearly the intensity of the relief he'd felt when Mulder had turned over that body and his suspicions were confirmed. Alex... alive. Alex, in person, after so long of not seeing him or hearing from him. Sure, he'd suspected who it might be feeding him information when the invasion heated up and things started to go down and tips began flowing through unexpected channels. Of course he'd suspected. Hoped. By the end, been positive. And so he'd waited. Waited for the inevitable time when Alex himself came to deliver the latest tidbit of information in person. When they'd be able to see each other in person and sit and talk and settle the question of Alex's loyalties. Work out all the old animosities. Walter wanted that. He'd wanted it for all the long months that he and Mulder and Scully and Doggett and Reyes and the Gunmen battled the invasion. Wanted it throughout the months that followed, through the clean up and the cheering, through the public revelations and the promotions. Wanted the clearing of the air, wanted to be able to thank Alex for his part in it all. It never came. Alex never came. The information stopped just before the Colonists bit the dust and no Alex ever showed up to claim his thanks. To clear the air. To tell Walter he was still alive. And after waiting for so long, Walter began to believe that he wasn't. Couldn't be. Otherwise... he'd have come by now, wouldn't he? But no hint, not the barest indication of a presence, ever arose again. Until the Vermont woods on a cold snowy day when a black lump caught his eye and he knew, knew without seeing anything more than the outline from a distance... knew it was Alex. And the relief had flooded him like a spring thaw in this part of the world. Wild and rushing and fast. So fast as to be unexpected, so strong as to almost knock him on his ass in that fucking snow. Walter sucked in a slow breath through his nose and released it through his mouth. Then turned a page, just in case Alex was still awake. Damn the man anyway. Shows up alive again after all this time, after so much silence, and the first thing he did was accuse Walter of sleeping with Mulder? Walter almost laughed out loud, but reflected that he was unlikely to be able to pass off Vermont Life as that amusing. Him. Sleeping with Mulder. Honestly. Well, he supposed, given he'd had Alex when Alex was purportedly an agent beneath him, the man might assume he did subordinates all the time. He didn't, though. Hadn't before Alex and hadn't since. It was pure stupidity, and he'd known it at the time and he'd known it doubly so after it all fell out. After he sat in his office, working his ulcer into an uproar, positively petrified... for weeks, months, waiting for the blackmail to show up. Waiting for his marriage to explode in his face. Waiting for his career to end in a blaze of tabloid photos and lurid headlines. That none of it happened—well, the marriage exploded but that was his own doing—made him more solid than ever about not bringing sex to the workplace. He felt he'd escaped by the skin of his teeth. He'd taken his one risk and used up any luck he had. To test fate again would be pure arrogance. And Mulder! He almost laughed again and reminded himself to turn another page. Mulder of the Scully Obsession so strong you could almost taste it when you watched them together. An obsession that shone so bright and so clear anyone with a functioning brain would have to be completely nuts to fall for him. Mulder of the obsessive personality and mood swings, of the unconscious arrogance and self-centeredness and martyr complex. He shook his head and breathed out a soft chuckle. He got more than enough of Mulder at work. Mulder! His eyes watered as he vibrated with silent laughter. Of all people, Alex should very well know Walter didn't have the inherent masochism necessary for a relationship with Mulder. Inherent... masochism... His brain stuck for a moment, then clicked. Masochism. Inherent masochism. Relationship with Mulder. His head slowly swung and he stared at the bed. Alex was asleep or pretending really well. His face relaxed, his mouth open just a bit, his eyes closed. Breathing slow and regular. Odd, wasn't it. That Alex's first words to them were an accusation of a sexual nature. He'd assumed it had to do with his own history with Alex. Thought it might be Alex's way of striking out, trying to establish some sort of higher ground. Maybe even be a veiled threat... deal carefully with me or I'll reveal you to Mulder as the faggot you are. An event Walter was prepared to deal with if forced but no doubt about it he'd just as soon keep the question of his sexuality out of the office completely. And a brain like Mulder's didn't need any hints, however obscure. All of which led him to the firm-handed approach he'd taken when Mulder disappeared into the bathroom. But now... now he wondered. Maybe warning him off wasn't the only reason the sexual innuendoes had leapt to Alex's mind. Mulder had gotten awfully fired up awfully fast. Not unusual for Mulder, particularly Mulder around Alex Krycek. But still. When they'd first found Alex, Walter had been concerned he'd have to pry Mulder's hands off Alex's throat. Instead Mulder had been... solicitous. Alarmingly so. Hadn't been overly aggressive in the least, not even to hurl a few insults. Very unusual. Had even been about to feed Alex the hot chocolate before Alex did his little verbal tap dance. Hmm. Walter sipped his chocolate and let the fire toast his toes. He looked out the porch doors that displayed a wide swath of snow covered meadow. And let his mind turn gently. The bathroom door opening behind him brought him back to his magazine-reading pretense. He let his gaze slide sideways as Mulder padded into the room in a thick white robe, walked over to the bed and checked on their guest. Walter watched Mulder surreptitiously resettle the quilts over Alex's still form, and he knew he was right. He kept reading while Mulder pulled on a thick pair of socks and came to sit in the chair across from him. Then he folded the magazine back together and looked up at the damp and silent man. "The hot chocolate is pretty damn amazing." Mulder offered him a wan smile and shook his head. "No thanks. I see you got it down him though." He waved his hand at the empty mug sitting on the bedside table. Walter grinned. "I forced the issue. I find with Alex Krycek, sometimes the best thing to do is take control. I find he has the most amazing reaction to that at times." He worked hard to keep his voice perfectly innocent but he almost laughed aloud at the flush that colored Mulder's cheeks and the way Mulder's eyes danced away from his to focus on the fire. "Really?" Mulder's voice sounded strangled. "Yep." Walter nodded and sipped his chocolate to hide his smile. Oh, he was so right. He sighed internally. He supposed he should have guessed. But... well. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to guess. Hadn't wanted to think he might have competition in the form of a younger, better-looking man. With hair. And hell, what about Scully! It wasn't his fault he hadn't realized this before! Mulder did a damn good job of pretending to be in love with Scully. Walter had even watched him so carefully for signs of a broken heart when it was clear Scully and Doggett were becoming close. He'd watched and waited and been ready to offer Mulder some genial straight-guy support of the sort you expected from your divorced boss. The awkward pat on the back and the gruff platitudes that didn't help but what else could you say? He'd been relieved when Mulder had hid the pain well enough that he didn't really need to play the role. But he'd also worried. Worried about how bad the pain might really be and how much it might be costing Mulder to hide it all, and he'd taken it easy on Mulder for weeks. And the bastard had been perfectly fine the whole time. Probably thrilled for his best friend. Walter felt like he owed his agent a few extra reamings just for the all the times he'd gone easy on him without really needing to. He sighed and shook his head. Mulder looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. Letting his thoughts subside—after all, he couldn't really fault Mulder for his own misinterpretation—he returned to the business at hand. "Do you suppose he took care of the landing single-handedly? Sent them on their way?" Mulder ran a hand through his hair. "I was thinking about that in the shower. Either that or the landing was a drop off... and they dropped him off." "Ah. Good thought. Definitely possible." Walter nodded sagely. It would be just like Alex. Hiding in outer space while Walter was worrying he was dead or worse. "Although the Rebel technology is set to detect Colonist ships, isn't it?" Mulder nodded. "But who knows... maybe an unannounced Rebel ship would set it off too. I'm not sure. For all I know Krycek has his own ship that he flies around." Mulder snorted. "I can just see that. After all, he obviously got his arm back from them. What's to say they didn't give him a ship too?" Walter smiled. "What?" "Nothing. No, I'm not laughing at you. Just... occasionally I forget that you're definitely the best at the 'extreme possibility' thing. I hadn't thought of either of those options." Of course, he admitted to himself, that could be because he had been preoccupied with wondering about Mulder and Alex. Mulder resettled in his chair and huffed out a sigh. "Whatever happened, I think it's a safe bet the ship that rang our bell isn't there anymore, which is why we couldn't find it. I suppose we can try to get the real story out of him when he wakes up." Walter nodded. "My thoughts exactly." He turned his mug in his hands, staring at the bed. Then, without warning, he turned back and pinned Mulder with his gaze. "Why do you suppose he accused us of having an affair?" He shook his head and snorted. "That was a little odd to be the first thing out of his mouth, don't you think?" Mulder opened and closed his mouth three times before any sound emerged. "Uh... I don't know," he finally managed, sounding uneasy. "Because he's a foul-mouthed little prick who lives to piss us off?" Walter smiled again. "Well, all that's definitely true. But you don't suppose he threw that at us because he's slept with us both, knows we do men, and therefore, given the setting," he waved his hand around the admittedly romantic room, "actually thought we might be... doing each other?" Mulder gagged and choked, his face going three shades of red as he sputtered, "I didn't! What... who... he—" Midsentence he froze, eye going wide and mouth dropping open as if he'd suddenly digested the entire sentence. "Slept with both of us?" Walter nodded calmly. "He and I had an affair. I'm assuming you and he did as well? Maybe I shouldn't assume?" He offered Mulder the polite out, knowing that as a subordinate Mulder was in the more precarious, and likely the more fundamentally weird, position. "No." Mulder winced and shook his head. "I mean yes. Wait. I mean, I did, I do... that is, we... yes. Yes." He drew a deep breath and met Walter's eyes directly. "Yes. Sir. I... had a relationship. With Krycek." His voice sounded formal and somehow defeated at the same time. His eyes though... his eyes showed his brain was already ticking. Walter nodded. "I thought maybe." A sane voice in his own head wondered why he'd even opened this conversation. A not-so-sane voice wondered if he was really thinking what he thought he was thinking. A wickedly gleeful voice overrode them both. Maybe it was the Vermont air. "But... you, sir? You and... and Krycek?" Mulder shook his head again, as if dispelling a mental image. "I thought... well, I always thought you were straight." Walter laughed. "So did I, once." He shrugged. "It's okay, Mulder, I thought you were straight too." Mulder sagged in the chair in what looked like relief. "Really?" "Really. Hell, I thought you and Scully..." Walter trailed off, waving a hand. Mulder shook his head. "Oh. No. I mean William... he's mine. But no. Not like that." Walter nodded. "So I gather. Now. I didn't know before. Up until about fifteen minutes ago I'd always assumed you were straight." "Well, it's good to know all that effort didn't go to waste," Mulder cracked, shoving his hair out of his eyes. "So when did you... I mean, you know. You and him?" Mulder carefully concentrated on the fire again. "When we were partners." He slid his eyes sideways. "You?" Walter grimaced. "When he worked at the Bureau." Mulder made an incensed sound. "That two-timing little—" "Like that's a surprise, all things considered?" Walter cut in, eyebrows going up. Mulder stopped, and suddenly grinned. "Okay. Good point. And I suppose I should be relieved. All along I've wondered if I was just a job, or if he really liked guys. I think I can now assume he actually liked guys?" "I'd say so," Walter snorted. He'd never even doubted that. "He was certainly enthusiastic enough." Mulder laughed, then glanced over at the bed and lowered his voice. "You don't say," he agreed dryly. "And he never used it against me. He sure as hell used enough else, so I finally assumed he'd really been in it for me. Well, for the sex." Walter shrugged. Nodding, Mulder leaned back in his chair. "Same here. I worried about blackmail but nothing ever came of it. Uh, sir? I should probably add at this point that... well, I'm ninety-nine and forty-four one-hundredths percent sure that Alex was my source. My anonymous source, the one that helped us take out the Consortium and do away with the Colonists, the Replicants." "Your source?" Walter blinked. "He was my source!" Mulder's head snapped up. "What? Your source? You mean... the tips you were getting? The ones that filled in the blanks on some of my information? That was Krycek?" Thunderclouds gathered on his face at Walter's nods. "What the fuck game was he playing?!" Walter groaned, and rested his forehead against his hand. "Again, we're surprised by this? For a couple of trained investigators we haven't learned much over the years." Obviously not yet ready to release his growing anger, Mulder sat forward and glared at Walter. "Why didn't you tell me your source was Krycek?" Walter gave him an incredulous look. "Hello? Why didn't you tell me?" "I wasn't positive! It sounds like you were." "Well, it's not like any of the information was signed, but yes, I figured out after a while that it had to be him. And don't tell me you don't think ninety-nine and forty-four one-hundredths percent is pretty damn positive." Mulder sputtered but with a glance at the bed made an effort to keep his voice low. "I just... I can't believe you didn't tell me!" "And I can't believe you kept telling me your source was so anonymous! At least I had a good reason for not telling you my source was Alex. I just assumed you wouldn't believe a word he said. I mean after all, he did kill your father." Mulder sat up straighter. "What, and you don't think I had the same reasoning for not telling you? He killed you." Walter's lips twitched. "I was supposed to stay dead. I didn't. Thanks to him. What's your excuse?" Mulder rolled his eyes. "My father. Hell, do I need an excuse?" "No, I suppose you don't," Walter conceded with a half-smile. Now it was his turn to study the fire. "Did he... let you know he was still alive? After everything, I mean." Mulder started, as if the question was unexpected. "No. I haven't heard from him since before we knew it was over. All of a sudden the information just... stopped. I looked for him a little bit after everything died down. But until today I didn't know he still existed at all." "Me either," Walter murmured. He glanced at the bed. "It's good to see him." Mulder ducked his head. "Yeah. I had pretty much assumed the worst when he disappeared. When I realized it was him out there—" His voice roughened and he didn't finish the sentence. Walter turned back to the fire and laughed, mindful of the volume. "And here I was thinking I was going to have to figure out a way to keep you from arresting him or smacking him around." "Same here," Mulder muttered. Watching the flames dance for long minutes Walter finally sighed deeply and offered, "I guess I can understand why you wouldn't have told me you thought he was your source. I never gave you any indication that I'd listen to anything Krycek said." He heard the answering long sigh from Mulder's chair and looked up. "Same here," the other man repeated, still grudging. But after a moment he continued. "It was hard enough as it was. At first I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing, trusting the information. If you'd told me your suspicions on your source I would have probably figured it was all some sort of trap and maybe we wouldn't have gotten as far as we did as fast as we did." "Something tells me he knows the two of us better than either of us ever knew him," Walter murmured wryly. Mulder snorted then suddenly fixed Walter with an odd look. "Speaking of knowing him..." He paused, and the silence hung just long enough to feel a little uncomfortable. Walter stiffened. He thought he knew what was coming. Mulder cleared his throat. "You said something. Just a bit ago." Mulder's long fingers tapped restlessly on the arms of his chair. His slouched posture was still relaxed but there was a coiled alertness about him. "Something about the best thing to do with Alex is to take control." Walter's lips curled up. "Why do I have the feeling I know what you're going to say." "Just wondering... what you meant by that?" Mulder offered innocently and Walter had the overwhelming urge to throw a pillow at that bland face. Well, fine. If that was the way Mulder wanted to play it. "I meant that if you get assertive he tends to fall into line," Walter responded smoothly. "I'm sure you've noticed that in the past. I've watched you be overly aggressive with him at times and the way he responds to it." Mulder gave him a shrewd smile. "Fine, fine. If you're going to be vague, I'll say it plainly." He glanced at the bed where Alex was snoring softly and lowered his voice even more. "Were your experiences that he responded... the same way in the bedroom?" Walter grinned. "And how. So, I take it we both had the same Alex in bed?" "I get the feeling we did." "More proof it was real for him," Walter murmured, eyes drawn to the bed as well. He looked back at Mulder. Mulder, a highly intelligent, intuitive man. A man he liked and respected, most of the time. Someone he could talk to, finally, about Alex. Someone who would actually understand. Because he'd been there too. "Ah, I know this could get... awkward. Us working together if we talk openly about this." He cleared his throat and plowed on, ignoring the sane voice that was calling out in the back of his head, warning him he was truly losing it. "But, well, I consider you more than an employee, Mulder. I consider you a friend. I have for some time. Given the fact that our job here is apparently done for us, what say we treat this as personal time, away from work, and understand that it has different parameters than our Monday to Friday lives? Give ourselves a break. None of what is said here affects our work lives." Mulder relaxed noticeably in the chair. "I'd like that, si—... Walter." Walter nodded, pleased. He kicked the little sane voice into silence again. "In that case, tell me. When he was with you...," he leaned forward and lowered his voice to match Mulder's pitch. "Did he want you to be really forceful?" Mulder shifted forward himself. "Maybe we should define 'really', but yeah, you could say that. Liked it rough and liked it often." His eyes glinted with wickedness. "Did he want you to tie him up?" "Constantly! I'm sure there are hotel headboards that still have the scars on them from the handcuffs." "You should see the legs of my table! I'm just thankful Scully never seemed to notice." "Your table? He did that with you, too?" "It was one of his favorites." "Well, that and over the back of a chair..." "Oh yeah, that one too!" "Did he want you to spank him? And did it make him a total slut?" "Oooooh yeah." Mulder's voice hit a new low. On cue the snickers started until they were both laughing so hard it was almost impossible to keep it down, but they still struggled, not wanting to wake the man in the bed. Yet. Walter was reminded of years ago, a younger self and fellow Marines, getting a little drunk and trading stories about their girls, their exploits... and he could almost feel guilty. His conscience almost nagged at him. Almost. Except this was Alex Krycek. Alex. Alex, who had played them both like guitars. Not once, but twice. Alex, who had disappeared again, without a trace, after slipping all that information to Walter and getting his hopes up. Alex, who had been alive for months and hadn't had the decency to let Walter know even though it had been safe to come out of hiding ever since the dust settled. And Walter had made sure that word got around. But no, this was Alex, who stayed away and let people who cared about him think the worst and didn't even call or write or email or just give some sign that he wasn't dead in a ditch somewhere. Who obviously would have kept himself hidden too, if something hadn't happened out in the woods. Something that let him be knocked unconscious long enough for Walter and Mulder to trip over him. So no, dammit. Walter was not going to let his conscience nag him at all about having this conversation, or about laughing with Mulder, or... or any of it. Surely Alex Krycek deserved a little something at their hands. If some jocular kiss-and-telling was the height of it, he was getting off easy and... And... And why exactly should he get off easy? The sane voice in his head got tromped by the not-so-sane voice that started repeating 'oh god, you are thinking what I think you're thinking.' And the gleefully wicked voice just got louder still. He drew a long breath. If he said it, it was out there. No taking it back. He looked across at Mulder. A risk but... worth it? He considered his agent. A creative mind if ever there was one. And a man who liked those extreme possibilities. He felt a slow smile stretch his lips. "Mulder, I've got this idea. What say we teach Mr. Krycek that he doesn't know us as well as he thinks he might..." Mulder opened the car door and exited into the biting cold, a shudder racing through him. He spent a moment appreciating the fact that they'd gone enough off the coordinates to find Alex. If they hadn't, he'd have been a Krycicle by now. Full dark had fallen while he was out shopping and it gave the cold more force. He leaned back into the lingering heat of the car to gather up the multiple bags from the back seat. Just the sight of the burgundy paper bags with their black writing brought a not-entirely-uncomfortable flush of heat to his cheeks. Was he really doing this? When Skinner... Walter... had first broached the idea he'd almost choked all over again. His staid boss was certainly surprising the hell out of him this trip. Maybe Vicki had slipped a little something into that hot chocolate. Of course, he was an old hand at knowing how Alex Krycek brought out odd traits in a guy. He looped the black plastic handles over each arm, piled more on top of arms, and backed out of the car, bumping the door closed with his hip. Even in the frigid air, he couldn't help but pause, staring at the huge old remodeled barn that held their room. The innkeeper had taken great delight in telling them how they loved the looks of panic on the faces of their guests when they first saw the barn from the outside, and were told that their room lay within. Mulder didn't pause out of trepidation of the room. He'd already seen enough of the clever work that had transformed the interior of the barn into luxurious rooms. He stood, letting the cold claw its way under his jacket, and wondered about his own sanity. Walter Skinner was his boss. His direct supervisor. Sure, they could say that what went on here didn't affect work, but could they pull it off? He'd just been congratulating himself on not being stupid enough to do anything with his boss. And this was going to be a little more than going out on a bender together and enjoying the local nightlife, maybe starting a bar fight. This would permanently affect the way they looked at each other. It had to. Hell, it would affect whether they could look at each other after this. The icy wind rustled the bags in his arms. The thought of the contents made a small spark of warmth curl in his gut, spread up through his chest and down to his groin. A slow smile tilted his lips. Alex Krycek. In his room. Naked in his bed. The smile became a grin. A grin that would have sent said Alex Krycek racing straight out the glass porch doors and into the snow, naked or no. And he knew that no matter what affect it had, this was going to be worth it. Hurrying across the slick parking lot to the barn he shouldered his way inside. Breathing easier in the warmer, moister air he realized that something had changed. Knowing that Skinner—Walter, he corrected himself again, calling him Skinner would just make this too strange—had slept with Krycek changed something irrevocably. Sure, he worked for the man. Sure, things might get awkward. But that infectious grin and the wicked glint in his boss' eyes had caught him, let him see a side of Skinner he hadn't suspected. A side of Skinner that Krycek had obviously discovered and already experienced. He forced down the swell of jealousy that Alex had been doing Skinner during their own affair. Jealousy over Alex could make things get very weird, very quickly. Best to concentrate on the illicit excitement that had poured through him at Skinner's words. Concentrate on the pure charge he'd experienced at realizing Skinner wasn't joking. Concentrate on the impossible lure the idea held for him. Still grinning, he reached their door and knocked once to let Ski—Walter know he was back, then pushed his way inside. Walter stood before him holding up a finger to his lips. "Still asleep?" Mulder whispered. "Woke up, I poured some more chocolate down him, and he was out again. How'd you make out?" "Great." Mulder let the evil grin spread across his face once more. "Burlington is quite the cosmopolitan little town." "I got that sense when we flew in," Walter nodded. "Can I see?" He waved impatiently at the bags. Mulder nodded but kept hold of the bags as he kicked snow off his boots and then heeled them off. Going to the second bed he glanced over at Alex's sleeping form as he set the bags down. "Was he pretty with it when he woke up?" "Definitely." Walter stationed himself between the beds, blocking Mulder's view of Alex. "I cleaned up his head and we were right—barely a scratch. Now that he's warmed up he's just exhausted and we're taking care of that now. We don't have anything to worry about on that front." He waved at the bags again. "Come on... give." Mulder grinned, dragging it out just a bit longer. "So, you're still game for this? Even if it could get really weird for... well, for you and me?" Walter grinned back at Mulder, arms crossing over his chest. "I'm thinking we can handle it. Because I'm thinking... it's worth it." Mulder nodded in satisfaction and selected a bag. "You read my mind. And in that case, let's start with this one..." Alex woke up for the second time fully warmed and rested, and with a bladder complaining loud enough to be heard in the next room. With an irritated grunt he tried to roll onto his side to lever himself out of bed and— Couldn't. Confused, he tried to turn to look at what was keeping his arm from moving and discovered his other arm wouldn't comply either. Wide-awake now, he jerked on both arms and found himself firmly cuffed to the headboard, his arms spread wide to either side of his head. Huffing out a sound of pure aggravation he rattled his arms against the headboard and lifted just his head. "Oh for... Hey! I need to piss." Two heads lifted in unison and swiveled to face him. Two sets of eyes behind the shielding gleam of glasses focused on him. Comfortably ensconced in the two chairs in front of the crackling fireplace Mulder and Skinner looked like an ad for country GQ. They glanced at Alex, turned back to each other, and folded their respective magazines shut. "I think he's awake, Walter." "I have to agree with you there, Mulder. Finally. Wondered when he'd rejoin the living." "Hello, I need to use the bathroom now," Alex snapped, shaking his arms again with growing anger when neither man rose. "And since you've obviously decided to get all g-men on me, I could use a little assistance getting out of bed." "Definitely awake," Mulder nodded at Skinner. "Most definitely," Skinner agreed, still in his chair. Alex stopped himself from screaming at them with an exertion of pure will, though his bladder was doing enough screaming to make it more challenging than usual. Their casual tones of voice had finally registered and a chill chased down his spine. Nobody sounded that casual and jovial unless they were quite confident they were in control and planning to exercise that control. Especially not these two. Alex drew in a slow breath, wished desperately that he didn't have to pee quite so badly, and glared at the two men watching him expectantly. "What. Do. You. Want." As if on cue, both stood. Mulder removed his glasses. "Well Alex, we've decided we want you to be a bit nicer to us. After all, we did rescue you. Brought you in from the cold and the snow, got you all warmed up again." "Handcuffed me to the bed," Alex added sarcastically. "That too," Skinner nodded, and both he and Mulder smiled. Alex stiffened. "What the hell is this? Have you two lost it? There's not even anything left to arrest me for! Let me go! I really need to use the bathroom." "We understand, Alex." Skinner drew up on the right side of the bed. "And you will. As soon as you ask nicely." "Ask—" he almost choked, yanking at his cuffed arms again uselessly. "Dammit, will you just let me up?!" Mulder paused on the left side of the bed, meeting Skinner's eyes over the thrashing body. "That wasn't very nice." "No, I wouldn't say so," Skinner agreed. Alex flung himself back against the pillows and groaned, closing his eyes and counting to ten. What the fuck. Whatever was up with these two he knew he could handle it if he could just take care of the urgent need to PISS. Fine. He couldn't believe he was doing this but they obviously had their hearts set on being total assholes. It was just words. He ground his teeth together and managed to keep most of the irritation out of his voice when he said, "I need to use the bathroom. Will you please let me up?" "Much better. Of course we will," Skinner said promptly, and bent over the right cuff while Mulder bent over the left. As each lifted an arm they leaned across the bed and recuffed his arms together in front of him. Jerking against the restraints reflexively, Alex sat up and scowled at them as they each backed up a step. He swung his legs to the side and started to rise, then sat back down again. "It's all yours." Mulder waved a hand toward the bathroom, an innocent expression on his face that told Alex he knew exactly what the problem was. "Can I have a robe or... something?" Again he worked hard to keep the edge out of his voice, almost succeeding. Mulder tapped his lips with one finger and gave every indication of pondering. "Um... let me think... no." "Definitely no," Skinner's voice came from behind Alex then the man himself walked around the bottom of the bed into Alex's line of sight. "But please help yourself to the facilities." Alex opened his mouth but couldn't for the life of him think of an appropriate response. Or any response at all. What the fuck were these two playing at? "Excuse me?" he finally croaked. "No robe," Mulder clarified. "Or anything. Not yet anyway." Alex stared from one to the other in disbelief. Both faces beamed back at him as if it was perfectly normal to deny him clothes and make him walk to the bathroom naked in front of them. The chill that had chased down his spine suddenly reappeared at the base of his neck and the small hairs there rose on end. Before he had a chance to pin down his unease a rush of marginally cooler air hit him all at once as the blankets were yanked off him from the end of the bed. He jerked back against the pillows, hands dropping into his lap self-consciously. "What the fuck?!" "Tsk... language. And why so shy, Alex?" Skinner asked from the foot of the bed, folding the quilts together. "Not like it's anything we haven't seen before. Earlier today in fact." Screw these jackasses. They weren't going to get the better of him with a little macho humor. Firming his chin and forcing himself away from the pillows, Alex planted his feet flat on the floor and stood, trying to ignore the color sweeping into his cheeks. Ignoring both men he started for the bathroom then stopped and held his hands out to Mulder. "I sort of need my hands for this," he growled. Mulder shrugged and smiled and made no move to unlock him. "You'll manage." A wave of pure fury poured through Alex from head to toe but he doubted punching Mulder in the gut would get him out of the cuffs and into clothes any faster. Without another word he stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door with a shove of his shoulder at the sound of the chuckles from the outer room. Bastards! The fucking war was over, he'd helped them end it, where did they get off cuffing him?! He got himself in hand awkwardly, aimed and let loose... and almost choked as he stared down at his cuffed wrists. Cuffed together with three-inch wide black leather cuffs, lined with fleece. Somehow he doubted the FBI had taken to issuing bondage gear in place of handcuffs. He stared at his hands, trying to force his brain to work. To comprehend what he was seeing. This couldn't be what it looked like. This was Fox Mulder and Walter Skinner, for fuck's sake. FBI Agents. The good guys. Yes, whispered a soft voice in the back of his mind, and you've worn cuffs like these for both of them in the past. But that had been years ago. Before all the lies and betrayal and death and... everything. Before he'd lost both of them to his own stupidity and his own willingness to do what needed to be done. He'd assumed a long time ago that neither of them would even think of touching him again. He stared at the black leather restraining his wrists and felt a cold sensation of confusion and fear settle in his stomach. Walter whistled softly as he leaned against the wall across from the bathroom door. He glanced at his watch then at Mulder. "Think he's noticed the cuffs?" Mulder smirked. "It's a good bet. He's an observant boy." "What do you suppose he's making of it?" Walter grinned. "If there was a window in the bathroom, I'd be concerned." Walter laughed then turned his attention back to the bathroom as the door edged open. Alex stuck his head through, staring at Walter like he'd never seen him before. Walter gave him a wide smile. Alex went a shade paler. "What the hell's going on?" "If you're finished in there I think Mulder and I will be asking the questions," he answered, stepping forward and pushing the door back, catching Alex's arm and guiding him out of the bathroom. Mulder fell in on their prisoner's other side, catching the other arm and preventing Alex from twisting away. Together they walked him back to the bed and pushed him down onto it. Walter rounded the bed and got a good grip on Alex's right arm while Mulder unhooked the cuffs from each other. In short order they had Alex cuffed to the headstand again. Leaning against the pile of pillows, chest rising and falling too quickly, cheeks pink, Alex glowered at both of them. "What are you two playing at? Since when does the FBI issue these cuffs? You don't have anything outstanding on me, you don't have any reason or right to cuff me or hold me or question me at all." He kicked out with one leg and swore when Mulder stepped back too quickly for the foot to connect. "Now now, none of that," Walter leaned against the bedpost at the foot of the bed and spoke mildly. "Or we'll have to cuff your feet too." Alex's blistering gaze transferred to him, and Walter had to bite his lip to keep from smiling at the ire in the green eyes. He'd waited a long time to be looking into those eyes again. He had to admit, he rather appreciated the circumstances. "We just thought you'd be more comfortable in those cuffs. After all, you might be in them for a while. We can change over to the standard issue if you'd prefer? No?" He smiled at Alex's snarl. "Okay then. You're right, of course, there's nothing outstanding on you. Nothing for us to officially hold you on. Not even for questioning." He looked over at Mulder. "What was it we decided on, Mulder?" Mulder put on a show of thinking again and dropped to sit on the other bed. "Let's see... I think we decided... oh, I know what it was!" He snapped his fingers. "We decided it didn't matter, because nobody 'officially' knows we have him." "Right, right!" Walter chimed in. "That was it." He paced back to his chair and sat down. "We don't need any reasons because we won't be making any reports. What the FBI doesn't know won't hurt it." "You can't do that." Alex's hands clenched into fists. Walter looked to Mulder then they both looked back to Alex. "We can't?" they chorused, as if it had been rehearsed. Alex drew up one leg, then forced it back flat again as if he realized the movement gave away his self-consciousness. "It's illegal," he spat. "Not to mention unethical. But what am I saying? The two of you have never felt much need to follow your precious legalities when it comes to me. I guess some things never change, eh?" Walter pushed himself out of his chair and stalked back over to the bed until he could lean directly over Alex's face. He closed the distance slowly, pleased that Alex couldn't move away as he loomed closer. "Got that right, boy. Some things never change. And something tells me you're one of them." He stared into the wide green eyes and almost laughed again when Alex's gaze dropped first. He straightened up but stayed where he was. The view was too damn delicious. Alex all stretched out and naked, cuffed and flushed and struggling. Helpless. It had been too long. Far, far too long. As he stared down at the man on the bed, one long leg drew up again restlessly. "Cold, Alex?" he asked, softening his voice to a rumbling purr. "Wouldn't be very responsible of us to let you get chilled again, now would it. Mulder?" Mulder stood at the summons and Walter watched as Alex's head jerked to the side, tracking Mulder's movements with something like fear. When Mulder approached the bed with a light gray bundle in his hands Walter felt rather than saw Alex relax. He wondered with an internal chuckle how long the relief would last. He moved down his side of the bed and caught Alex's right ankle as Mulder caught his left and together they pulled the soft, worn long-underwear bottoms onto him. The thin, well-washed material molded to the long legs as they dragged it up over knees and thighs before settling it over his hips and groin. Bought for Mulder, they stretched to their limit on Alex's thicker body. Alex stared resolutely at the ceiling, giving Walter ample opportunity to appreciate the way the tight weave clung to the gentle swell of his cock and balls. He stepped back and caught Mulder making the same perusal. Alex's legs shifted uncomfortably, drawing his eye again. He reflected that he couldn't exactly blame Mulder... Alex was almost sexier in the barely-there underwear than he was naked. Whether Alex felt their interested eyes or he was just starting to react predictably to being cuffed and man-handled, Walter thought he detected a certain rise in interest from their prisoner's crotch. He almost reached out to check with his hand but decided that dragging out the suspense for Alex a little while longer promised too much fun. After all, they hadn't confirmed for their little trapped rat exactly what he could expect. Yet. Backing up a few steps he leaned against the bedpost again, safely out of reach of any unexpected kicks. Alex's gaze jerked down from the ceiling to stare at him warily. Mulder mirrored his position on the other side of the bed and Alex's eyes jumped to him. "You guys have lost it," Alex breathed, looking back and forth between the two of them, hostility boiling off him in waves. "And we're hoping you found it for us," Mulder responded immediately. "Big, invisible ship? Set off our sensors? Somewhere out in the woods where we found you?" Alex's face chilled down to nothingness though Walter could still see nervousness in the rapidity of his blinks, the unevenness of his breath. "Don't know what you're talking about." Walter laughed. "Oh Alex. I told Mulder you wouldn't answer us. Let's try again. What were you doing out in the woods? How'd you end up unconscious and courting frostbite? And just to be clear," he lowered his voice and let a nasty note creep in, "I'm really hoping you keep refusing to answer. Gets us to the fun part that much quicker." Alex's eyes widened and Walter watched his throat work as he swallowed. "Look, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you two but you're obviously not thinking straight. The war's over. I helped you win it, damn it! I'm not the enemy. I haven't been for a long time and don't tell me you hadn't already figured that out. There's no ship out there now. Isn't that the important thing? Fuck!" His voice hit a strident note. "What do you guys want from me?!" "Oh plenty. But for now we'll just keep asking questions and racking up the non-answers. You just get so much more leeway with uncooperative captives. So, let's see... you helped us win the war?" Walter inquired as if the answer was of absolutely no consequence whatsoever. "And how would that be?" Alex's head lifted and he fixed Walter with a hard look. "Your source? Who did you think was feeding you all that information." "Thought it was probably you," Walter offered. "Duh," Alex muttered. "But then," Walter continued, still casual, "my source stopped sending me information. I never really got confirmation of who he was. And once he disappeared I didn't know whether he was dead or alive." "You won," Alex snorted. "That's all that mattered." "Not exactly," Mulder's soft voice chimed. "I don't know, Alex, things don't look so good for you. Want to reconsider explaining what you were doing out in the woods?" "Or perhaps telling us where the hell you've been for months on end?" Walter added. "Where you went when you disappeared?" Mulder asked. "Why the information just stopped showing up?" Walter fell into the rhythm easily. "Why you fell off the face of the earth?" "How you knew to show up here? Now?" "Where the extra arm came from?" Alex's face flared with anger, eyes flicking from side to side, trying to keep both of them in his line of sight. "What are you two playing at? I don't have to tell you a goddamned thing! I don't owe you any explanations and I sure as hell don't have to answer to you." Walter shot a satisfied look over at Mulder. "See what I mean? That's the spirit, Alex. Uncooperative. Think uncooperative." Returning to the chair he'd been sitting in he reached down on the far side of it and rummaged in the burgundy bags. He reemerged with another set of the black leather cuffs, slightly larger. Walking back to the bed he tossed one to Mulder then reached out and snagged Alex's right ankle. Wrapping the cuff around the bony ankle he ignored the outraged exclamations and the struggles. With each of them holding an ankle and no leverage to speak of Alex didn't stand a chance of jerking away. Walter sat on the mattress and faced the end of the bed, securing Alex's lower leg under his arm so he could hold the leg still while fastening the cuff. Standing again, he stretched Alex's leg out to the side with a firm grip. "Spread him nice and wide, Mulder," he said conversationally, looping the leather hold around the bedpost and securing it, then readjusting the length of chain running from it to the ankle cuff. He shortened it another couple links, enough to restrict Alex's movements further. "What in hell?!" Alex's body bounced against the bed as he tried to thrash. "You're fucking nuts! Both of you! What kind of sick freaks bring bondage gear on a business trip? I thought you guys came up here for the FBI, not your own personal perverted sex games—" Alex's attempt at a nasty sneer fell flat due to the breathy, nervous quality in his husky voice. "Oh, we did come here for the FBI," Walter murmured, watching in pleasure as Mulder efficiently took care of the other leg, leaving Alex bound to the bed, legs spread and held apart. He smiled at the sight of Alex's thigh muscles contracting uselessly, visible through the thin underwear. He dragged his eyes slowly up over the widespread crotch on display, the lump of Alex's balls clearly delineated under the stretched waffle-weave. He finally managed to force his eyes to coast up over the heaving stomach and chest, to the bright red face. "We were telling you the truth," he assured Alex calmly. "Both of us. This trip was strictly on the up and up. We rented this room together to save on costs for the Bureau." "We aren't fooling around with each other," Mulder added from the other side of the bed, also indulging in the eye candy available. "We never have. We came here on business and never would have even thought of dallying in perverted sex games. Except, of course, until you brought it up." "Exactly. Because then, well... once the topic was in play, we started comparing notes," Walter added casually, feeling a thrill of triumph at the pure fear that lit Alex's eyes at his words. "See, you got us thinking, Alex. About why you immediately started throwing sexual accusations at us. And that got us talking. And you'd never guess, but turns out we have lots in common, Mulder and I. More than we'd ever expected." He walked slowly beside the bed, extending his hand to hover just over Alex's knee then up over his twitching thigh. "Starting with... you." His hand dropped heavily onto Alex's crotch in time with his final word. Alex jerked but had nowhere to move, no way to escape Walter's hand closing over his cock, rubbing none too gently before moving on to fondle his balls freely. "Cut it out!" Alex's voice went higher than Walter had ever heard it, even as he felt Alex's dick swell under his fingers. "Why should I? You seem to like it. And don't you want to hear what Mulder and I found we had in common?" Alex's head started shaking rapidly back and forth but Mulder got the distinct impression Alex didn't even realize it. Satisfaction spread through him like the heady fire of a good drink at seeing Alex so rattled. It was a good look on him. Mulder felt his own cock swell in his jeans at the sight of Walter's big hand working between Alex's legs, Alex helpless to move away or evade. Deciding he wanted in on the touching, Mulder moved up to stand opposite Walter again and leaned over to nudge the other man's hand back with his own, telling himself he didn't do so out of jealousy or possessiveness. With only a knowing smirk, Walter dragged his hand up to stroke over Alex's stomach. Mulder didn't even pause to touch the tempting hard-on starting to tent the underwear, but simply reached through the Y-front fly of the underwear with sure fingers and moved the stretchy material aside until he could get to skin. Heated skin. Ignoring the yelped "What are you doing?!" Mulder wrapped his fingers around hot, hardening flesh and guided Alex's rising dick back out through the holes until it stuck up out of the underwear. He smiled down at it in a moment of sweet nostalgia... just as he remembered. Not especially long, but nice and fat. Squeezing once, he ran his thumb up the underside then released Alex completely. "But finding out what we had in common was really fascinating, Alex," he murmured while his fingers dug greedily back into the underwear, feeling around and tugging Alex's plump balls out into sight as well. The Y-front stretched to accommodate Mulder's hand and the ample scrotum, then hugged back into place leaving Alex's cock and balls hanging out in the air. His bared genitals bounced gently as Alex wriggled his hips on the bed, trying uselessly to avoid the invasion of Mulder's hand. "We discovered we both made the same mistake a number of years ago. Isn't that funny?" He smiled down at Alex as he took his hand away completely. "What are the odds? We both fell for a two-timing little slutrat who was sticking his ass in the air for anyone who would tie him to a bed." "Imagine our surprise," Walter put in, "when we found out we'd both had you and when we really started comparing notes. In detail." Mulder almost laughed aloud at the wicked grin Walter sported and the shocked look on Alex's face. Both he and Walter started nodding even as Alex's head shaking got more emphatic. "No—" Alex croaked, and the flush of embarrassment flared from his throat straight up to his hairline, even his ears going pink. "Oh yes," Mulder and Walter chorused together. "Look, that was a long time ago." Alex spoke fast and low, his voice carrying a strangled note of hysteria now. "I mean you wouldn't... You guys know I had a job, and you know I've tried to make up for it since then and... and—" "And done more harm than good along the way?" Mulder offered sweetly when Alex faltered. "No! Well, yes, but I've tried to fix that too! You know I have. You guys admitted to knowing I was your source! I mean, you guys can't think... you can't... you wouldn't just... I mean, you can't!" Mulder sighed. "There's that word again," he said with mock seriousness as he sat down on the bed. "Don't you remember what happens when people tell me I can't do something, Alex?" Walter grinned at Mulder's response and settled down on the bed at Alex's other side. "And Alex, really, you seem to have a mistaken idea of what we can and can't do." He spread his hand out, sinking his fingers into the slight extra flesh Alex carried at his waistline. In direct contrast to his own lifelong dedication to maintaining minimal percent body fat, he'd always loved the well-padded figure of his younger lover. After the occasional bouts of spareness he'd watched Alex cycle through in the years since their affair, he was delighted to see the boy was filling out again. The gently rounded stomach drew his touch like a magnet and added to the sensuality of the body on the bed. He pinched a luscious handful of flesh then stroked his way to the navel, thrusting his fingertip into the sensitive hole and giving it a teasing wriggle. With an effort he picked up the thread of conversation again. "The fact is there isn't a lot we can't do and you'd be wise to remember that." Mulder nodded at Walter. "I'd say he's not only a little confused about what we can and can't do, but also what we will and won't do. We actually discussed it while you were sleeping, Alex. We think you're laboring under an unfortunate misconception about us. Maybe more than one." "Yes," Walter shook his head gravely and continued to play at thrusting in and out of Alex's navel, letting his other hand coast up over the heaving ribcage, fingers circling a tightening nipple. "You think you know us so well, Alex." "But maybe you don't," Mulder's voice dropped to a husky whisper. "Maybe you don't know us anywhere near as well as you think you do." Mulder reached for the other nipple Walter left ignored. Rather than teasing as Walter was doing, with ever-smaller circles around the nub, Mulder just reached out and tugged with forefinger and thumb, apparently oblivious to Alex's yelp. He pinched and rolled the nipple between his fingers over and over until it stood up straight and started to swell under his ministrations. Walter caught himself licking his lips and sucked in a breath as Mulder began to rub his thumb back and forth over the nipple repeatedly. Alex moaned and twisted, then bit his lip and tried to choke back the sound. "Stop it! For fuck's sake think about this! You think I don't know what you can do? What you will do? Maybe I don't, but I know you both well enough to know you wouldn't rape anyone! You don't have it in you." Walter burst out laughing and heard Mulder start to snicker at the same time. "Rape?" Walter gasped, and lost it all over again, one arm wrapping around his own waist as he shook with laughter, balancing himself with his hand on Alex's stomach. "You've got to be kidding," Mulder snorted, glancing down pointedly at Alex's dick sticking up out of his underwear, waving at them. Alex's face flushed darker and he avoided their eyes. "I'm tied to the fucking bed!" he hollered. "So?" Walter challenged bluntly between guffaws. "Who do you think you're kidding? You like it like that, if we remember correctly. Prefer it in fact." Alex growled low in his throat, eyes sparking with anger, and Walter gave him a sunny smile. "We're only going to give you exactly what you really want. You know Alex, for as long as I've known you, and I'm sure even longer than that, I think you've gotten by on the concept that you can rely on most people to be nicer than you. You don't trust much of anything but you do trust the average person to have more limits than you do. To have a functioning conscience, to not be as willing to do the things you do. And I'm betting it's served you pretty well. But it's about to fail you and fail you big, because this isn't something you can guilt us out of by pulling the 'rape' card or the 'you guys are better than me' card. It's not going to fly because this time," Walter held the pause for a long moment then smiled widely, "this time we're just not better than you." Mulder shook his head and pinched the swollen nipple, smiling at the sharp intake of breath Alex couldn't disguise. "Well said, Walter. Not at all better. And we're kinda enjoying falling to your level, Alex." Walter nodded. "See, we're prepared to go out on a limb here, based on our recently discovered shared history with you. And based on the fact that you owe us." He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at Mulder. Mulder picked up the theme, his voice going throaty. "You deserve this, Alex, and you need it. What's more, you want it, but let's stick with deserving and needing right now. You know you do. We know you do. We're calling in your debt and teaching you a little lesson at the same time. And it's just that simple." "WHAT?" Walter grinned at the outraged outburst, leaned forward and licked Alex's right nipple. In direct contrast to Mulder's rougher attentions, he kept his mouth all lips and tongue, wet and gentle. Sliding his eyes sideways he watched Mulder's fingers pluck the tender peak on the other side of Alex's chest and he sucked on the one in his mouth at the same time. Alex gave a choked wail and his body shuddered. Lifting away, Walter smiled down at Alex, admiring the way his mouth hung open as he gasped for air. "Like that? Don't worry, you don't have to answer. I know you do." "OWE YOU?!" The scathing fire in Alex's voice impressed Walter, given the way his body was betraying him. "Oh yes," Mulder chimed. "This is long overdue. You owe both of us and we intend to collect. And what with comparing notes, we're finally getting a sense of what the debt actually looks like." "And you just keep racking it up," Walter added with a sigh. "Mm," Mulder made a sound of disapproving agreement, looking over at Walter and nodding. "Uncooperative." "Very uncooperative," Walter confirmed. "And all that foul language." "Walter and I have decided that the old 'pound of flesh' is particularly apt in settling this particular debt, given the circumstances." Mulder tweaked the nipple under his fingers. Alex seemed to draw himself inward, coiling as if he would actually burst the bonds, then spat, "I don't owe the two of you a damn thing!" He sucked in a breath and roared, "Get me OFF this bed RIGHT NOW and LET ME GO!" Walter sighed. "You know, the gag threat still stands, Alex," he warned. "Owe YOU! You ungrateful, bloody-minded bastards! OWE YOU! I'll kill you with my goddamned bare hands! After all I do for you—" Walter rolled his eyes and turned to Mulder. "Shall we?" "—fucking balls to tie me up and—" Mulder shook his head and shrugged. "Looks like we'll have to." "—sit there and act like fucking gods on high, judge and jury, like I need to report—" Walter rolled to his feet, went to the burgundy bags and returned. "—punished! Like I need to explain myself to you two federal assholes—" Climbing onto the bed again he caught Alex's chin, pulled down on his lower jaw and forced the bit gag into his mouth. In seconds he and Mulder had it secured behind Alex's head and Alex was thrashing his head back and forth against the pillow, making unintelligible sounds of protest. Walter shrugged and patted his cheek. "We did warn you," he said simply. "Now then, if you'll quiet down and listen to us, maybe we can take that out again." He paused a moment and sure enough the muffled noises stopped, though the look in Alex's eyes told Walter he better hope the cuffs held up to their specs. "Such a little spitfire." He reached out and pinched Alex's cheek then ruffled his hair, laughing when the head whipped around as if Alex would bite him. He made a mental note not to try that maneuver when Alex wasn't gagged. "Now then." He sat back and slapped Alex's thigh sharply, looking to Mulder. "Speaking of lessons, I think the boy needs a lesson on exactly what his debt looks like. Then maybe he'll understand the tone of his repayment a little better." "I think you've hit the nail on the head, Walter. Should I begin or do you want to?" "Oh, let me." Walter shifted closer and rubbed his hand up the inside of Alex's thigh, letting his knuckles chafe against Alex's balls. He looked down into the angry green eyes and let his voice drop into the dangerous calm that his agents knew too well. "You played us, boy. You played us both, twice over, three times in fact. Like fine violins." He leaned closer and held Alex's eyes with his own. "And I don't much like having my strings plucked." At the wary look on the mobile face, he held up one hand and raised one finger. "You carried on with both of us at the same time, going back and forth between our beds." He smiled in satisfaction as the eyes widened. He wondered if Alex was starting to get it. "We realize we shouldn't have been surprised. That we should have actually expected it. But call us stupid," Mulder shrugged and toyed with Alex's reddened left nipple again. "We only just found out and we're still a little... annoyed. You know, masculine pride and all." "Annoyed," Walter nodded and held up a second finger. "Then of course there's the issue that you were lying to both of us back then about who you were, playing us both for idiots, but hey, we both found that one out a long time ago, and we've dealt with it." He held up a third finger. "To return to the more recent infractions, the ones we just figured out today, the ones that are still—" he slapped Alex's thigh again "—stinging... let's chat about your role as mysterious informant to the rebellion." Alex blinked and stared from one to the other. He lay almost still now, just the barest movements that almost looked involuntary. His chest still heaved and his cock still twitched but his face was different, listening. "Talk about playing us," Mulder drawled. "Informing to both of us, knowing we wouldn't tell each other who we suspected of giving the information. Giving one of us some of the picture, giving the other one just enough to fill in the extra brush strokes. Making it seem like the sources were two different people. Making us jump to your tune. Were you feeding Scully tidbits too, Alex?" The dark head shook madly against the pillow and suddenly the noises behind the gag started up again. Walter smiled. Yes, he thought perhaps Alex was finally getting the fact that this time around, things were not the same old dog and pony show. "We aren't pleased about that," Walter intoned, careful to keep his voice low and dangerous. He moved his hand to cradle the warm scrotum but kept his voice clinical, detached. He watched Alex stiffen under his touch. "Even knowing it all worked out in the long run, even suspecting a lot of why you may have played it the way you did, even understanding that it may have been the best method for the circumstances... it still doesn't make us happy. See, it makes us feel used again. Makes us feel like we're dancing to your music. Like we just... keep... dancing. Give us enough information so we both suspect, but don't know. Give us both what we need to hear, and keep us hooked and hanging. So familiar when dealing with you." "And then, even worse." Mulder's voice went soft again and took on a remote tone that had Alex rolling his head to the left instantly, eyes watchful. "You disappeared. Again. On both of us." "That made twice you pulled that disappearing act," Walter said. "Two times of just up and going, no note, no number, no indication of when or why, no contact at all. And this time, you just let us think you were dead." "How could you, Alex?" Mulder heard the hurt plain in both of their voices but couldn't be bothered to try to disguise it in his own. If Alex didn't figure it out anyway he wasn't as smart as they thought he was. Silence hung for a long moment then he spoke again, his hand moving restlessly on Alex's chest in time with his words. "That wasn't nice at all, Alex. As we got to discussing things, Walter and I, we discovered that we were both pretty displeased with you over that one. And we decided what you really needed was a memorable lesson in not running away from us. We thought immediate administration of the lesson would be best." He smoothed his fingers back and forth over Alex's nipple then pinched it up to a hard peak again. Standing up from the bed he walked away to rustle in the bags then came back with a slim silver chain heavy in his hand. He let it fall into a small pile on Alex's chest then sat and pinched the nipple up again, plucking at it. When it stood up away from his chest Mulder pressed open the small clamp on one end of the chain and settled it firmly on the nipple. Rubber guards cushioned the little metal teeth but Alex's back still bowed, his chest arching up away from the bed, head pressing back into the pillows. A throaty noise escaped from behind the gag. Mulder tugged gently at the chain attached to the clamp, then turned the screw in the side to make the pressure a little firmer. "And then there's all this latest mess with the ship. Once again, business as usual with Alex Krycek." Walter's voice, when it came, sounded husky to Mulder's ears. He glanced over to see the other man staring at the clamped nub while he spoke. "Showing up here in Vermont. Scooping us on the ship. Refusing to answer simple questions. Being so... uncooperative." As Mulder watched Skinner tugged lightly on Alex's bared balls and the bound man's hips squirmed. Mulder nodded and shifted his attention back to Alex's face, smiling broadly down at him. "Very uncooperative. Not to mention ungrateful." "Definitely just asking for punishment," Walter rumbled. "And then we find out about our... shared history and that we both know exactly what kind of punishment is most effective on you," Mulder murmured. He left the clamped nipple and reached down to check the status of Alex's cock. The obviously happy dick throbbed and twitched in his hand. "Apparently still very effective." Walter reached up and undid the gag, hooking it out of Alex's mouth just in time for a heartfelt groan to escape the freed lips. Alex twisted as much as he could under their hands, sweat standing out on his brow. "You cannot be fucking serious!" Alex rasped. Mulder laughed. "There's that word again! You're just not getting the picture, are you?" "Oh, I'm getting the picture just fine... peacetime has made both of you fucking nuts or They were sneakier than I thought and you're both Replicants," Alex snarled. Mulder and Walter exchanged a look then shifted around on cue and displayed the backs of their necks. "Not clones, either," Mulder added conversationally as he turned to face Alex again. "But forgive me if I don't feel like bleeding for you right now." "You can't be doing this!" Alex's voice rose again, scratchy and desperate. "You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking! You two work together! You can't just turn me into a sex toy for the night and expect it not to ruin your ability to work together!" Mulder grinned, dark and eager. "For the night? We were thinking more like for the weekend." Alex's eyes widened and he gulped. Walter shrugged and nodded at Mulder. "I know I don't have to hurry back to DC." "And you were the only one expecting a report from me," Mulder added. "I assume a verbal report on my findings will be fine?" "Perfectly fine." "I didn't find the ship that set off the first alert system, sir." "Thank you for that succinct and decisive report, Agent Mulder. See, Alex? Leave the work concerns to us. Let us worry about it... we'll work that out." Walter stroked Alex's stomach in a soothing motion. "All you need to wrap your pretty little head around is the fact that Mulder and I are exacting a bit of a payment from you and we expect compliance. Or rather, we don't really expect compliance but we will ensure compliance." "And have a lot of fun doing it," Mulder murmured, tugging on the silver chain until Alex's breath caught in a soft groan. "And teach you a few manners at the same time," Walter finished with evident satisfaction, patting the soft stomach under his hand. "Leave you with some nice lasting reminders about treating the two of us with more respect." Mulder rose to his knees beside Alex and looked him up and down, spreading his own thighs and rubbing his cock through his jeans. "We're going to spend the weekend turning our defiant little slutrat into a sweet and compliant little slutpuppy. We've both realized it's what we should have done in the first place. All those years ago. But since neither one of us could seem to manage it on our own, maybe the both of us together can swing it." Walter patted Alex's stomach once more and shifted off the bed completely. "And to start, obviously, you're desperately in need of a good sound spanking." "NO!" The pure horror on Alex's face made Mulder bite his lip, hard, to keep from laughing. Obviously spankings still had the same old effect, if the panic chasing across Alex's expression was any indication. "Oh yes," he intoned as solemnly as he could while biting the insides of his cheeks. "I mean there's really no question you've been extremely bad." He tugged playfully on Alex's cock, which already stood up with increased enthusiasm. "Besides, someone seems pretty interested in the idea." "Surprise, surprise," Walter interjected dryly from where he had returned to the burgundy bags. "Okay, guys, you've had your fun, but enough is enough. Let me up now," Alex pleaded, arms tightening against the restraint of the cuffs. "Please, you've made your point." Mulder balanced himself on his arms and kicked backward with his legs, bouncing off the bed to stand beside it. "No, we haven't even started to make our point yet." He held up his hand to Walter, who tossed him a thin, flat black paddle barely an inch and a half wide. He caught it and tested it lightly against his own thigh. As it had in the store, it made a nice stingy slap. And a wonderful sharp noise. He grinned at Alex's reaction—the dark head swung toward him, already wincing, and each limb tugged uselessly against its tie. "We figured our hands would get too tired much too quickly this weekend," he confided seriously, having to fight laughter again at the way Alex's eyes widened. "And I hope you're truly appreciating the money Mulder laid out here," Walter added as he approached the other side of the bed, dropping a few things down onto the mattress. Alex craned his head, trying to see them, but Walter reached out and caught his chin, lifting his head until their eyes met. "We obviously didn't have any of the right materials along with us, so Mulder kindly took a drive into Burlington and made some purchases. Very thoughtful of him, really, when you consider he already owns some of this stuff back in DC." "Can't think of a better use for the money," Mulder murmured, winking at Walter as he fingered the paddle. Walter released Alex's face and picked up a black leather strap with a buckle. Mulder held out his hand but Walter shook his head. "I want to put it on," he said, gripping the strap tighter. Mulder pouted, his hands going to his hips, but he gave in. He supposed he couldn't keep grabbing all the fun stuff for himself. This could get interesting, negotiating who got to do what to their captive. Besides, he of all people could appreciate the fun in watching. He sighed in pleasure as Walter's hand circled Alex's cock and balls, to the distraught protests of the man in question. Under Walter's careful fingers the black leather strap wrapped under the scrotum, up around the cock shaft, and buckled tight. Mulder felt his mouth water at the sight of Alex's swollen genitals bound up and protruding from the black leather. He smiled down at Alex. "That should help keep you a little calmer, considering your reaction to spankings," he taunted. Alex's entire body flung itself against the restraints with a snarl of rage. "So help me, the two of you better realize what you're getting into, because the minute I get out of this you are DEAD! DEAD! Do you hear me?!" "Do his feet?" Walter asked mildly. Mulder nodded. "Sure thing." He crawled onto the bed and straddled Alex's left leg, then carefully unhooked the chain from the loop of leather on the bedpost. Once he had it free, he used his weight to keep Alex's leg immobile as he leaned across and attached the chain to the cuff on the other ankle. "Suppose we ought to do the arms before we unhook him from the bedposts?" Walter asked. Mulder nodded. "I'd recommend it." They each unclipped one of the wrist cuffs from the headstand, and leaned into Alex's arms until he stopped fighting against them, exhausting himself in no time. "YOU BASTARDS!" "Do you think he realizes he's making things worse for himself?" Walter asked casually. "Hard to say," Mulder replied, as they each pulled up on Alex's shoulders while keeping a grip on his wrists. They forced him forward into a sitting position and folded his arms up behind his back. "You know him, he's a slut for the punishment. Could be he's actually trying to get more of a spanking." "I am going to take you APART! Both of you. You assholes are going to wish you'd never seen me out there." Alex's harsh breathing whistled between his clenched teeth. "Hell, you're gonna wish you never met me." Walter swiveled the clasp and connected the cuffs together behind Alex's back. "You've got a point, Mulder. I remember back in the old days, when he'd 'misbehave' on purpose just to goad me into putting him over my knee..." "ARGH!" The inarticulate roar of embarrassed rage shook all three of them on the bed. Mulder grinned at Walter as they both slid backwards, leaving Alex rolling on the bed on his cuffed arms. "Think he's finally getting it through his head that we really meant it when we said we'd compared notes?" "One can only hope," Walter sighed. Looking down at Alex he reached out and took hold of the silver chain hanging from Alex's left nipple. Alex went still almost instantly at the increased pressure on his nipple, catching his breath. "Now Alex, I'm getting tired of this." Walter maintained the pressure on the clamped nipple and leaned into Alex's face. "You know you're getting spanked, you know it's going to be a good long one, and you know you deserve it. Fighting is only going to make it harder on you. If that's what you want, keep it up. Otherwise, CUT IT OUT." The full bore Marine drill sergeant growl poured out of him with an ease that reminded him how much he'd enjoyed the old games with Alex. Alex's body went limp instantly at the three-word bellow. "Much better," he murmured as he stared down into the panting face. "Now... lie... still." He fingered the unclamped nipple and admired the difference in appearance. The right nipple stood tight and erect but the left was swollen and puffy, red and sensitive-looking under the silver and black of the clamp. Delicious. Alex's cuffed arms made his chest bow up, as if he was thrusting his nipples up at Walter for more attention, an image Walter appreciated. In fact... "Raise up here, boy," he snapped, yanking on the chain just a touch harder. Alex yelped and arched, trying to lift his chest higher, breath coming quicker. "Please..." made it out of his mouth before he clamped his lips together, a look of angry embarrassment crossing his face. Walter ignored his pleading slip and just kept a steady pressure on the chain while he played with the right nipple, carefully squeezing with his thumb and forefinger, pinching it up into a hard peak. He played for long moments as Alex struggled to keep his chest raised, to keep himself offered like a sacrifice. He pinched and pulled until Alex was making choked whimpers. Then finally he extended the other clamp and pinched it open, settling it firmly on the sensitive nub of flesh. Alex gave a yowl as the clamp closed and his body dropped back to the bed. Walter tested the chain and turned the screw once, twice, making sure the clamp pinched tight enough to hold and exert a steady pressure. He looked up and found Mulder standing on the other side of the bed, mouth hanging open, eyes half-closed in lust, his free hand gripping his crotch through his jeans. Walter smiled at him and raised his eyebrows in question. Mulder swallowed hard then lifted his hand and gave Walter a thumbs-up. Alex lay gasping on the bed, sweat standing out on his forehead, lips red and swollen from biting at them. He kept moving in small, helpless wriggles, as if the pain at his nipples wouldn't let him settle. Every time he shifted the silver chain shifted, changing the pressure slightly. He stared up at Walter with a dazed expression then swallowed hard. "Fuck," he managed in a shaky voice. "You guys are seriously going to do this." He looked back and forth between them. Walter smiled at the amazement in the breathy voice. They'd done it. They'd actually surprised Alex Krycek. A heady sense of power flooded him and he chuckled. "Oh yes. And we're going to enjoy it." The low moan that broke from Alex's mouth was music to his ears as he bent and caught Alex's arm, lifting him back into a sitting position and nodding at Mulder. Mulder came around the end of the bed and unhooked Alex's cuffed ankles from the one remaining chain then leaned in and got hold of Alex's other arm, helping to pull him to his feet. Together they walked him around the end of the bed and over to the chairs, moving slowly in deference to the chain hobbling his feet. At the chairs Walter ran one hand down the center of Alex's back, tracing the line of his spine, leaning in to speak low and silky into his ear. "You know Alex, until today, I don't think I actually realized how much I've missed having you face-down over my lap. Let's see how much you've missed being there..." snakedoctor13@yahoo.com Go to Part Two

TITLE: Those Hot Winter Nights AUTHOR: Ratadder PAIRING: M/K & K/Sk all mixed up together. Bring to a rolling boil and spice to taste. SUMMARY: Mulder and Skinner go looking for aliens and find Alex instead. Food homework assignment for AlexK-H-C-or-D. WARNINGS: KINKY PWP. Huge heaping gobs of kinky D/s discipline ahead, of a decidedly erotic nature. Could also be construed as noncon, though that is not the intent. Oh, and unnatural things are done with maple. SPOILERS: General Krycek eps and general XF up through final season, with some... bending. The only thing I know about Existence is "I think, therefore I am." Clearly CC does not think, therefore he isn't. And neither is that horrible episode. DISCLAIMER: The author warrants that no maple products were harmed in the writing of this story. Alex Krycek, Fox Mulder and Walter Skinner are trained professional fictional characters. Do not try this at home. FEEDBACK: snakedoctor13@yahoo.com WEBSITE: www.strangeplaces.net/ratadder/ back to top

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