The small Chrysler wound its way up the steep, narrow path, which only seemed to get narrower in the growing darkness. The woman inside cursed softly as she searched for the turn off the man at the gas station had promised her she'd be able to find easily.
"He said half a mile from the twin boulders." She growled loudly. "Twin boulders. Is he kidding me? *All* rocks look alike."
Slowing to almost a crawl, she focused on two forms up ahead then sighed with restrained relief.
"Okay, well those look a little more alike than all the other rocks."
Almost exactly half a mile from the described landmark, she found a crude road leading into what looked like pretty much nowhere.
"Shit. All this because he decided to turn his cell phone off."
She hoped. She prayed.
Other thoughts as to why he wouldn't be answering his calls floated around in the back of her head, and those were the thoughts that had her out here, clear across the country, traveling strange, dark mountain roads at this time of night.
Alex Krycek.
Jesus Christ, what the *hell* was Mulder thinking? Well, obviously, he wasn't thinking at all. She didn't give two shits about what Krycek had done to help them. The fact of the matter was, he'd used them like he'd always used them. It just so happened that the rest of the world had benefited as well.
What the hell had happened to blind Mulder to what he'd once been able to see so clearly? What had Krycek done to change his mind?
Son of a bitch.
Liar, thief, cheat, cold blooded killer, sexy rat bastard...
What?
Scully shook her head, bringing her focus back to center.
Dead man.
If he'd harmed Mulder in any way, she wouldn't hesitate to blow his head off.
Death to the despicable low life scum.
Yeah, that's better.
********************
The glow from a handful of lit candles danced across the walls of the cabin, lending only a spare amount of light to the large room. The bodies writhing together on the floor remained for the most part cloaked in shadow and took no notice of the glare of artificial light dancing in past the front window.
Beads of sweat rolled down the back of Fox's neck, swiped away by his lover's tongue before they could reach his back. His body shook with anticipation as Alex pulled him up, positioning him on his hands and knees on the plush area rug. The younger man's hands wandered over his slick skin, stroking and kneading, then moved away to pick up the foil packet and white tube lying next to them. He whined softly, impatiently, waiting to feel Alex pushing into him, stretching and filling him just past the point of comfort.
He loved that feeling of being so utterly possessed and at the same time so loved. In such a short time he'd come to need that. He craved it just as he knew Alex did, and he thought he could very happily spend the rest of his life like this, naked and sweaty in the arms of the only man in the world he'd ever want...
Finished with his preparations, Alex draped himself over Fox's back, nuzzling his lover's ear while he worked his cock between the clenching muscles of his ass.
"You know," he purred breathily as the flared head of his erection pushed past the tight entrance, "if anyone would have told me that someday I'd have Fox Mulder on his hands and knees begging to have my cock up his ass..." He pushed a little harder, drawing a coarse groan from the other man. "...I never would've believed..." He gritted his teeth, thrusting once more and fully embedding himself in his lover's clutching heat. "...never would have dreamed. But here we are..." He began to move slowly, straightening his back to watch himself glide in and out of his lover's magnificent ass. "...It's real. You're really mine." He emitted a loud gasp as Fox began to buck, moving in counterpoint to his thrusts. "Say it, Fox. Tell me you're mine."
"I'm yours," Fox practically sobbed, heaving himself back against Alex, encouraging the younger man to forget his previous gentleness. "Harder...make me feel it..."
********************
Scully peered into the cabin, the light from the her flashlight not helping at all as it bounced off the glare produced by the lit candles.
There had to be someone in there *somewhere*. Who would light a bunch of candles then leave?
Maybe they were in another room.
//Like the bedroom?//
She shuddered at the thought.
//Yeah, but why would they leave the candles in this room lit? It's not the safest thing to do.//
//No, it isn't, is it? God, what if Krycek did something to him? Knocked him out or tied him up or something, and left the candles burning to make it look like an accident when he burned the place down?//
//God, get a grip, Dana. The man's a professional. I'm sure he could come up with a much better way than that.//
"Okay, so where's Mulder?" she whispered to herself.
Deciding to search the perimeter of the cabin before attempting to enter, she carefully circled the structure, peeking in all the windows but seeing nothing. When she made it back to the front of the cabin, she checked the window again. Seeing no signs of life, she took a deep breath and tried the door. She hadn't really expected to find it unlocked, but the knob turned freely, and she cautiously pushed the door open.
Sound immediately reached her ears, and her eyes widened at the shock of finding that the cabin was indeed inhabited. The moment she recovered from that discovery, she was again knocked off balance as she realized that the sounds were those of people....men, in the middle of...
//No. Oh, God, no.//
Her eyes focused on the huge, overstuffed sofa as she moved forward, and then what had been obscured from her sights while she was outside came into view.
Mulder. Oh, Christ, Mulder naked on all fours, perspiration-dotted face in the glow of the candlelight, contorted into a mask of feral pleasure as a growling Alex Krycek, one hand tangled in her partner's hair and the other at his hip, slammed brutally into his ass.
She couldn't scream. She couldn't look away. Fuck, she could barely breathe. All she could do was stand there and watch as the kneeling man continued to assault her partner.
Every muscle taut and straining, Krycek's movements mesmerized even as they horrified her, and when his hand left Mulder's hip and wrapped around the other man's cock, her knees began to shake.
Alex tugged on his handful of golden-brown hair, drawing Fox's head back at a sharper angle, and he leaned in, growling into the older man's ear as his hands and hips moved in frantic unison.
"It's coming, it's....feel it...come...scream for me, baby..."
Oblivious to the fact that they were not alone, Fox thrashed beneath his lover, loud, choking sobs growing in intensity as Alex stimulated him to the point where pleasure and pain combined, obscuring sound and sight. From somewhere deep in his body an explosion rumbled, rolling faster and faster, finally blasting to the surface, and Fox did scream. He screamed until no more air remained in his lungs, and then he collapsed to the floor, Alex falling with him, thrusting madly until his own violent climax erupted seconds later.
Still frozen in place, Scully watched as Krycek's hoarse cries faded, and he slumped over Mulder's back, moaning softly into the other man's hair. She saw a weary smile form on her partner's lips, then they parted, and a soft croak pushed past them.
"Animal."
Alex chuckled and kissed the back of Fox's head.
"You ain't seen nothin'..." He stopped in mid sentence as his senses began to recover, and he turned his head to the side, catching sight of the presence he'd detected. "Uh...Fox..."
Something in his lover's tone told Fox that things weren't quite right, and he reluctantly lifted his head and turned it, immediately meeting a pair of stunned, blue eyes.
"What the...Scully, what the hell are you..." Finding it rather difficult to appear angry in his awkward position, Fox pushed up, cueing Alex to roll off of him. When he was free, he leapt to his feet, startling the woman into motion.
Quickly, Scully spun around, facing away from her irate partner and his lover.
Heedless to his state of undress, Fox finished his question, this time a few decibels louder.
"What are *doing* here, Scully?"
"Mulder," she stammered, not sure whether she was more mad or embarrassed, "put on some clothes, would you?"
"You creep into my cabin in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night, all the way across the damn *country*, and you stand there giving me orders?"
"Fox."
The older man felt the soft touch of his lover, who had since discarded his condom and come to stand at his back, and Fox turned around to face him.
"Come on, let's go get dressed, then we can sort this out."
Fox emitted an irritated snort and, tossing one more glare in his partner's direction, took Alex's hand and stormed out of the room, pulling the younger man with him.
Scully jumped at the sound of what she assumed was the bedroom door slamming shut, and she turned back around, eyes scanning the room.
//He's damn pissed.//
//Yeah, well so am I. He tells me he's involved with the slimiest piece of scum the world will ever know, then he goes and shuts his cell phone off, leaving me to worry and speculate. What the hell did he *expect* me to do?//
//I don't know. Treat him like a capable adult and leave him alone?//
Scully brought her hands up to her head, fingers rubbing hard at her temples.
She *would* have if, dammit to hell, Alex Krycek hadn't been part of the equation. How could she trust Mulder to him, knowing what he was capable of? God, look what he'd already done. Taken her intelligent, strong partner and turned him into a submissive, whimpering slut. Damn, and Mulder was loving every second of it.
Well...it *did* look quite enjoyable. Aside from being a consummate thief, spy, killer, etcetera, etcetera, Krycek apparently knew how to use the equipment God had given him. And some nice equipment it was...
"Oh, *God*. Stop. Stop, stop, stop." Scully took two deep breaths and sat down on the sofa awaiting Mulder's return. And tried to keep herself from remembering what she'd just witnessed here in this room...on the floor right here at her feet. She lowered her head into her hands, groaning in misery.
"Oh, Jesus, why didn't I stay in D.C.?"
********************
Alex pulled two pairs of jeans out of the dresser as he warily watched his lover pace like a caged leopard.
"I can't believe she..." Fox shook his head, continuing to stalk back and forth. "...she *flew* out here. All the way out here. She found me in the middle of nowhere and..."
"Fox?"
"Yeah?"
"You're going to wear a hole in the floor. Come on, why don't we get dressed so you can go talk to her."
"I don't want to talk to her. What I *want* to do is wrap my fingers around her tiny little neck."
"You don't mean that. You're just upset right now."
"Damn right I'm upset!" Fox blew out a hard breath and approached the younger man. Despite his anger, he wrapped Alex in a tender embrace. "She ruined everything. I wanted to spend the whole night making love with you. Now I gotta come fight with her."
"Don't fight," Alex said, stroking Fox's back. Tell her it's late and that you'll talk in the morning, offer her the other room, then we'll come back here and fool around quietly."
"I don't *want* to have to be quiet. Why *should* we be?"
"Because if we're not, it's liable to be pretty embarrassing for her."
"She's not supposed to *be* here!" Fox growled, his voice getting louder.
"I *know* that. But she is, isn't she? So let's just deal with it, okay?" Alex lowered his head, rubbing it against the underside of Fox's jaw. "Don't be so upset. She was just worried about you."
Fox drew back, searching his lover's eyes. "You mean to tell me you're not pissed about this?"
"I'm not *happy*, no. But I understand where she's coming from."
Fox rolled his eyes, sighing heavily.
"Get dressed," Alex ordered softly, planting a light kiss on the other man's chin. "Then go talk to her. I'll wait here."
"Oh, no you don't."
"Fox, I really don't think it's a good idea for me to go out there with you."
"Tough. She came out here knowing that we were together. So, if your presence upsets her, that's just too damn bad. She'll get over it, or she can leave."
Knowing Fox wasn't going to back down, Alex gave in, and the two pulled on their clothes and walked together back out to the living room.
Scully lifted her head and stared wide eyed as her partner swept back into the room, followed by the man who, not more than fifteen minutes ago had been fucking him senseless. But now, in sharp contrast to their very recent positions, Mulder looked to be very much in control, striding across the room the meet her while Krycek remained quietly in the background, keeping a watchful eye on the angry man.
"All right, I'm dressed," Fox snapped, drawing the woman's curious attention away from his lover. "Now tell me what the hell you're doing here."
"You had your cell phone off, Mulder," she explained. "I didn't know what had happened. I didn't know if you were all right." She made it a point of looking over at Alex. "Did you really expect me to sit home and twiddle my thumbs when you could be in danger?"
"I told you I was in no danger," Fox rumbled softly.
"I know. But that was really hard to believe considering the company you've been keeping out here."
"So, what it boils down to is that you have absolutely no faith in my judgement."
"Reverse the situation, Mulder. What if it was me out here, and I called you and told you what you had told me? And what if it was *you* who hadn't forgotten everything this snake..."
"Scully..."
"...had done to you? Wouldn't you think I'd lost my damn mind? And, if you knew I was with the murdering son of a bitch..."
"Knock it off."
"...and you couldn't reach me after days of trying, wouldn't you go looking for me?"
Fox glared at the woman, about to speak when Alex's voice, soft and steady drifted out from the corner of the room.
"She's right, Fox."
Fox turned to face his lover, and his expression softened. "Baby..."
The younger man stepped forward, laying a hand on Fox's chest.
"She *is* right. Whether you like it or not. She doesn't understand. Why should she? Don't be upset with her for something that's all my fault."
Scully studied the dark man with narrowed eyes.
"What the hell's your game, Krycek?"
Fox spun around to confront his partner, but Alex stepped around him and approached slowly.
"I don't have one."
"You've *always* got a game."
"Not this time."
"And you expect me to believe that?"
"Expect you to? No. Doesn't make it any less true."
"Why the hell are you here? What do you want with him?"
"He's here because I want him to be."
"I know what *your* answer is, Mulder." Suspicious blue eyes shifted from one man to the other. "I want *his*."
"It's pretty much the same as his," Alex answered evenly. "He wants me to be here. I fought it, but he knew I wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with me. And he persisted." Alex turned a loving gaze on the other. "He's damn hard to say no to."
"God, I think I'm going to be sick."
"If you're going to throw up, Scully," Fox droned in his famous Mulder monotone, "do me a favor and do it outside. I won't get my deposit back if you ruin the rug."
"You're a real jerk sometimes, Mulder, you know that?"
"And you're being an unreasonable bitch."
Scully's eyes widened at the comment.
"This is the thanks I get for worrying about you?"
"Worrying I understand, Scully. I'm not as far gone as you think. But when I say to you emphatically that I am in *no* danger, and you choose to ignore it...then you fly all the way out here, interrupt my vacation, disrespect my privacy and start insulting my lover..."
"Your father's killer...accomplice in my sister's death..."
"Thanks for the reminder."
"Thought you could use it."
"I told you before, but for the benefit of your failing memory I'll tell you again. I've forgotten *nothing*." Fox walked over to the younger man, who stood quietly, head bowed. He pulled Alex to him, kissing his temple. "You don't understand. I'd love for you to, but it's clear you don't want to."
"You're wrong, Mulder. I *do* want to understand. But I..." She stopped, staring at the man wrapped in her partner's embrace. "I'm looking at him and I...this is Alex *Krycek* for God's sake, Mulder, and here you are treating him like...like he's...*human*."
"Could be because he *is*?"
"Not from what I saw a few minutes ago."
"Enjoy the show?"
"Enjoy...Mulder, if I weren't frozen with shock, I would have drawn my gun and shot him in the head."
Fox tightened his hold on Alex. "That's not even remotely amusing."
"It wasn't meant to be. What would *you* do if you walked in and found him doing to me what I found him doing to you?"
As Scully spoke the words she could feel a furious blush stain her cheeks, but she did her best to maintain her air of indignation.
Before Fox could answer, Alex turned to face him, raising a hand to pet the golden brown hair.
"You gotta try and see it from her side," he pleaded again softly. "She doesn't trust me. She has no reason to."
"You're damn right about that."
The comment earned Scully a hard stare.
"Fox, she's got every reason in the world to hate me. Like you should."
"Alex, we're not going to do this again, are we?"
"No," the younger man sighed, resting his forehead against Fox's shoulder. "I know what a lost cause that is. I'm simply making a statement."
"One that I'll ignore," Fox replied, tilting his lover's face up for a tender kiss.
"I can't believe you're falling for this," Scully muttered, turning away from the scene.
Fox released Alex's mouth in his own good time then cast an apathetic look in Scully's direction.
"Falling for what, Scully?"
"This ridiculous wounded, repentant act of his. Mulder, he's making a fool of you! I don't know why, but you can be sure he's got some reason!"
"Okay, Scully, you're right. He's making a complete fool of me. Once again you've saved my life. You can go home now."
The woman shook with anger.
"Great. You know what? I *am* going. And when your sweet *baby* here finally drops the bomb on you, I don't want to know about it. I won't give a *damn*."
Alex broke from Fox's grip and followed the furious woman as she stalked to the door.
"Scully, wait."
"Forget about her, Alex."
"No, Fox, you can't let her go like this."
Alex tailed Scully as she burst through the door and headed for her car.
"Stop following me, Krycek."
Alex grabbed the woman by her upper arm and spun her around, incurring an infuriated response.
Shoving the man as hard as she could, Scully snarled at him as he stumbled back a few inches.
"Get your filthy hands off me, you son of a bitch."
"Well, *stop*, would you?"
"What the hell do you wan, Krycek? Isn't one deluded sap enough? You have to try and make assholes of both of us?"
"Look, Scully, I understand that you hate me. And I understand that you're pissed about Fox and me..."
"Stop calling him that, okay? I makes my skin crawl!"
Alex sighed softly. "He asked me to use his first name."
"Well, that's really sweet, but he's not here, so you can stop."
"Okay, look, I didn't come out here to fight about names."
"I don't really give a damn *why* you're out here, Krycek. Just leave me the hell alone. Get out of here." Sarcasm dripped from her words as she spoke. "Go back inside and keep Fox baby warm...hot...whatever."
"I'd love to, but I can't. You have to go back and talk to him. Don't do this to him. You're his best friend."
"Oh, you haven't claimed that title too?"
Scully whirled around before Alex could respond and got into her car, cursing herself to hell and back for not locking the doors when Alex dropped into the passenger's seat.
"Krycek, I'm warning you..."
"Save the threats Scully, they mean nothing to me."
"Not unlike my partner?"
"He means more to me than I can tell you."
"In what way, Krycek? You never answered my question. What the *hell* do you want with him?"
Alex shifted so that he faced the woman more fully.
"Scully, I had no idea that Fox was in L.A. He saw *me*. He persued *me*. And if he hadn't, I would in all likelihood be dead now."
"Damn the bad luck."
Alex lowered his head, giving no response to the snide comment.
"So...he brought you out here to get clean?"
The sable head rose, and Alex leveled a confused stare on the woman.
"What?"
"You were high on Vodka and Rohypnol."
"As far as I knew I was drinking straight Vodka. I had no clue about the drugs."
"He said you were assaulted. What was that all about?"
Alex heaved a long sigh. "Some guys. Same ones who drugged me. They knocked me around and..." He shrugged and looked toward the cabin.
"And what?"
He might as well just tell her. Not that he thought it was going to gain him any sympathy, but he knew that she would dig until she found out, so he might just as well tell her himself.
"I was gang raped."
Aside from a tiny flinch, Scully showed no outward signs of shock.
"*Really*. Now, how would you have put yourself in such a position?"
"This is a...God, it's such a long story, Scully."
"I've got the time."
The man let his head drop and fell silent.
"You want me to understand, Krycek? You want me to go back in there and talk to Mulder like someone who hasn't completely lost his mind? Tell me why I should. Explain it to me."
"Fine," Alex said just above a whisper. "I'll give you the abbreviated version. I'm in California because of the deal that we had made back in D.C. Before I left, and before we took Cancerman down, the son of a bitch cleaned me out. I could have lived a comfortable life but I had nothing left. I needed money. I came out here and did what I was good at, and I knew could make a decent amount of money fairly fast..."
"Hired gun?"
"No. I didn't want any part of that any more."
"Corporate spy?"
"*No*."
"Then, what?"
Alex raised his head and met a disdainful blue stare. "Prostitution."
Scully slumped back against her car door.
"You...you sleazy bastard. You're a pimp? You turn out prostitutes?"
Taken aback, Alex blinked and stared at his lover's partner.
"No. *I'm* a prostitute."
Scully's mouth dropped open.
"*You*?"
"*Was*," Alex broke in quickly, correcting himself.
"*Was*."
The man nodded. "Fox is all I want."
"What did you do?" Scully hissed. "Give him a few freebies then get him to promise to 'take care' of you?"
"No," Alex answered adamantly. "Absolutely not."
"Right. Yeah, I might believe that, Krycek. My God, I can't believe this. I can't...I can't..."
Scully threw the driver's side door open and barreled back toward the house, Alex close behind.
Fox jumped as the door crashed open and the irate redhead stormed in.
"Are you fucking *insane*?" she screamed grabbing Fox by the front of his shirt and shaking for all she was worth. "I mean, have you lost every last brain cell in your goddamn head?"
Fox glanced from the infuriated woman to his lover who had slipped in the door behind her. He grasped her wrists firmly and effortlessly pulled them away from his shirt.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I told her, Fox."
"You told..." he stopped and looked down into wild, blue eyes. "Oh."
"Oh? *Oh*? Is that all you have to say? Mulder, why? *Why* would you go and do this? He's a *whore* for Christ's sake! Just when I thought he couldn't possibly sink any lower..."
"Scully, stop."
"*Stop*? *You* stop! Stop acting like a bloody imbecile!" She lightly cuffed the side of Fox's head for emphasis. "He's *using* you! He's turned you into his sugar daddy and made you think it's *your* damn idea!"
"You're wrong."
"Am I?" She spun around and faced the other man. "I don't think so."
"I don't give a shit what you think, Scully," Fox grated, making his partner turn to face him once more. "He had no idea I was in California. I saw him one night from across the street and..." he paused, licking his dry lips. "I knew it wasn't right. He didn't want to be there. He wanted no part of those men. I lured him to my hotel room under the pretense of being a customer, and he didn't know it was me until the second time we were together."
"*What*?"
"I didn't tell her all that," Alex said softly. "I didn't get to..."
Fox nodded then returned his attention back to the red faced woman.
"I'd noticed on that second night that he'd been hurt. I put on the brakes and revealed myself to him..."
"Wait. Wait a minute. How the hell could he have not known it was you?"
"I'd had him blindfolded the whole time we were together."
Scully gave an indignant toss of her head and walked away. "I don't even want to know why."
"*Anyway*, he got very upset, we argued, and he ran out. I went after him. I caught up to him, and we argued again. He took off again, and I gave up briefly. I went back to my hotel room, but I couldn't sleep. I left again to find him, and I learned that he'd gone off with some guy who was known around that part of town as pretty bad news. He was upset, and he was confused. He wasn't thinking straight, and it was because of me. Anyway, thanks to one brave, greedy soul, I found him. He'd been drugged, beaten and...raped."
Scully watched her partner's face twist into a frightening mask of anger.
"Every time I think about it, I..." Fox's hands clenched and unclenched, and he closed his eyes, lowering his head.
Alex drifted quietly to the older man's side, draping his arms around his waist and resting his head on his shoulder.
"It's all right," he crooned, being drawn into Fox's arms. "I'm all right."
Fox wrapped Alex in a protective embrace, burying his face in the sable hair. "I should've killed them," he whispered, pain evident in his strained voice.
"They were *there*?"
Fox nodded in answer to Scully's question but did not lift his head.
"You could be *dead*! Mulder, what the hell ever possessed you to walk alone into someplace where a bunch of drugged out, obviously violent men were holed up?"
Fox raised his head only as far as he had to in order to meet his partner's eyes.
"They would have killed him. Do you not get that?"
"Oh, I *get* that. I also get that they could have killed *you*! And frankly Mulder, that's my *only* concern here."
"It isn't mine."
"I don't understand. I don't get this." Scully paused, trying to gather her thoughts then wheeled around, screeching, "He's a hooker! He fucks men, *any* men for money! Oh. Oh, wait. I'm sorry, Krycek, I didn't ask. Do you do women too? You know, because I wouldn't want to not give you *all* the credit you deserve."
"Scully..."
"Don't give me that tone, Mulder. This is *disgusting*! It's vile, it's...it's...*how*? How can you touch him knowing that hundreds of others have had him too? God, he's probably diseased..."
"*Enough*!"
"No, it's *not* enough!" Scully howled back. "He's nothing more than a cheap piece of ass, and I'm willing to bet that sooner rather than later he'll revert back to exactly that. Go ahead and take him home. You were planning that, weren't you? Yeah, that'll be interesting. Go back to work, go away on a case, and he'll get bored. Before you know it he'll be down on K street looking for some quick cash and thrills!"
"No," Alex murmured, turning a frightened gaze from Scully to Fox. "Fox, I wouldn't. I...I won't do that to you..."
"I know you won't," Fox said reassuringly, kissing the younger man's mouth. "I know."
"Oh, bullshit," Scully spat. "How many men have you been with, Krycek? Huh? Have you got a little tally sheet somewhere to keep track? What number is Mulder?"
"Scully, I swear, if you weren't a woman I'd beat you within an inch of your life."
Scully nodded, a humorless smile glued to her lips.
"Because of *that*?" She pointed at the man in Fox's arms.
"I love him. But I don't suppose you care anything about that."
God, Mulder, you've been in a dry spell for so long, you'd think you were in love with the first person who gave you a tumble."
"You think? How about you, Scully? You haven't had any for so long it's made you bitter and spiteful."
"Yeah, Mulder, you know you're right. What I need is a good *fuck*." She reached into her pocket and withdrew a few folded bills, showing them to Alex. "How about it whore? Wanna cure me?"
Alex pulled out of Fox's arms and walked over to the window, staring blankly out into the woods.
"That's it."
Cerulean eyes turned to the furious man who was now striding toward the entrance. Fox threw the door open and looked pointedly at the his partner.
"Out. *Now*."
Scully glared at Fox and moved toward the door.
"Gladly."
She stopped on the threshold and turned around to face the livid man.
"I'm going back to D.C."
"You never should have left."
"And I'm going to put in for a transfer. I won't stand by and watch you ruin your life like this."
Alex's head lowered, and he looked down at his fingers, watching them trace disjointed patterns on the windowsill.
He knew it wouldn't be pretty, but he'd never expected that Scully would actually transfer out of the x-files. And as angry as Fox was right now, he knew that it wasn't at all what he'd wanted. No matter how much he thought he wanted to kill her at this moment, she was his partner. His best friend. The person he trusted above all others.
And she was walking out on him.
"Fine," Fox answered after a brief pause. "You do what you feel you need to."
"No."
Fox and Scully fell silent and looked to the man at the window.
"Don't." Alex walked slowly toward the pair, eyes pleading. "Don't let her go, Fox. Not because of me. Scully, stay and talk to him. Get this straightened out. I'll go..."
Fox turned quickly and snaked an arm around Alex's waist, jerking him forward. His other arm clamped around the younger man, and he held tightly.
"The hell you will."
"Fox, Scully has been your only friend for years now. I know what she means to you. I can't come between you like this. It's not right, it's not...I'm not worth..."
"*Don't* say it," Fox growled, anger simmering in his eyes. "I won't let you go." He pulled the younger man's head down to his shoulder, petting the glistening sable hair, and turned a withering glare on the woman watching at the door.
"So you can go on home, Scully. Transfer, quit...tell Skinner what you found. I really don't care. I won't give him up. Not for you. Not for my job or anything else."
Scully shook her head in disbelief. "So this is it. This is how it's going to end." She directed her gaze to the man still wrapped in Fox's arms.
"Congratulations, Krycek. It's taken you years but you've finally done it. What I don't understand is why. It's over. There's no reason to separate us any more. What is it? Do you just not like to leave things unfinished?"
Alex lifted his head from his lover's shoulder. "I don't *want* this," he insisted then turned to Fox.
"Please," he begged. "Fox...I've done so much harm to you in the past. I don't want to hurt you anymore."
"Then stay right here. I can't tell you that it won't hurt me to lose Scully. It will." He threaded the fingers of one hand through Alex's hair, holding him motionless with the intensity of his gaze. "But it'd kill me to lose you."
"Fox..."
"I love you, Alex," Fox whispered urgently. "Don't leave me." His eyes burned into the younger man's, willing him, begging him to see the depth of his need.
What little resolve Alex still possessed turned to dust.
"I can't," he croaked, tightening his fingers in his lover's shirt. "I should, but I don't...Jesus, I don't have the strength."
As Fox pulled Alex in for a kiss, applause sounded from the doorway.
"Nice show," Scully deadpanned. "When he's sucked all the life out of you Mulder, don't come to me for comfort. I won't be there."
Fox watched, a myriad of emotions glittering in his eyes as his friend and ally of seven years walked away.
Still held firmly against Fox's chest, Alex stood quietly watching as his lover stared at the empty door. When Fox finally blinked and lowered his eyes, Alex spoke.
"I'm sorry, Fox," he whispered, remorse saturating his tone. "I'm s..."
"No."
Alex stopped, his apology cut short by the single word.
Fox cupped the younger man's stubbled cheek, his thumb making the faintest scratching sounds as it passed over the skin.
"This is *not* your fault."
"How can you say that?" Alex lamented. "It's got nothing to do with the fact that you're with a man, and it's not because *she* wants you. It's because of me. She hates *me*. She doesn't trust *me*. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "You pushed her aside for *me*."
"Yeah, I did," Fox said softly. "And as much as it hurts, I'd do it again. I love you Alex. Do you know what an immense thing that is for me? I've never felt like this before. I like it, and I don't ever want it to go away."
"Maybe someday you could feel this way with someone else. Someone without the history between you that you and I and Scully have. And she'll approve of him, and everyone could be happy."
"Stop it," Fox grated, the anger once again surfacing. He grasped the younger man's shoulders tightly. "Look at me."
Wary green eyes rose to turbulent hazel.
"I can't be happy without you. I don't give a shit *what* Scully wants or approves of. This is *my* life." His grip gentled, and his voice dropped to a soothing hum. "Our life. Alex, do you or do you not want to spend it with me?"
Alex closed his eyes and drew a shaky breath but said nothing.
"Baby?"
"All the time I was telling you that I should go, and that you'd be better off without me, I was terrified."
"Of what?"
"Of you realizing I was right. Fox, what I said is true. I don't have the strength to walk away from you, but...as afraid as I am that you might, I need to give *you* every opportunity to do it. I love you, and I don't want you to do any more suffering because of me. I want you to have a good life."
"And I will. With *you*." Fox kissed the younger man softly then moved in for another, and then another until they were locked together, feeding hungrily on each other. Long minutes had passed before Fox finally pulled away and smiled at his flushed lover.
"Let's go to bed."
Alex took Fox's hand and started to follow him into the bedroom, but then he suddenly stopped, looking toward the door.
"Fox, what about Scully?"
"What about her?"
"I didn't hear her car start. She's probably still sitting out there expecting you to come after her."
"She's got a long wait." Fox tugged on his lover's hand. "Come on. Bed."
"It's cold up here at night. And those aren't the best roads to travel in the *daytime*."
Fox heaved a long sigh. "All the stuff she said to you...*about* you, and you're standing here worrying about her when you should be naked and in bed by now."
"You're too mad to admit it, but you're concerned, I know you are."
"How do you know?"
"Because that's the kind of man you are. Why don't you go out and ask her to come in?"
"Are you kidding? You heard her, Alex. She wants nothing more to do with me."
Alex broke free of the older man and walked over to the window. He peered outside and turned his head to face Fox.
"She's still out there, Fox. It looks like she's got her head down on the steering wheel."
"Okay, thanks for the report. Now let's go to bed."
"Fox."
"*What*? She won't come in, Alex. I know Scully. She'd rather freeze to death out there than come inside and spend the night in a nice warm cabin with the two men she hates most in the world."
"She doesn't hate you. She loves you, Fox. That's why she's so furious with you."
"She is *not* in love with me."
"I didn't say she was in love with you. I said she *loves* you. You're her family. And she's yours. Not stop being a stubborn jackass and go out there and get her."
"*Jackass*." Fox approached the younger man and gave him a swat on his rear.
"Oww! What was that for?"
"For calling me a jackass."
"A *stubborn* jackass."
Another swat.
This time Alex moaned softly and writhed against him.
"You like that baby?"
Alex nodded, pushing back and grinding his ass against his lover's crotch.
"There's more where that came from," From breathed in Alex's ear. "All you have to do is get your ass into the bedroom."
"I will."
"*Now*."
"As soon as you go get Scully."
"Christ." Fox gently shoved the other man away and stalked toward the door. "You can be a real pain in the ass when want to be, you know that?"
Alex smiled at him from the window.
"I love you."
The scowl left Fox's face, and a sappy grin took its place.
"You haven't lost it, Krycek," he rumbled, opening the door. "You still know how to fight dirty."
********************
Scully shivered in the growing chill.
It was broad daylight and very warm when she started her little trek into the mountains, and she'd certainly had no intention of hanging around till nightfall. She'd planned to drive up here, knock some sense into Mulder's head then drive him straight to the airport...sans Alex Krycek.
//What the *hell* made you think it was going to be that easy?//
And now here she was. In the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, rejected and extricated from her partner's life, slowly freezing her ass off.
Why?
Because that goddamn snake Krycek had wrapped himself around Mulder's dick and refused to let go.
//Well, you knew even as you were trying to yank him away that it wouldn't work. He thinks he's in *love* with the bastard.//
Scully groaned and wrapped her arms around herself.
*Lust* she could see, but love?
She hadn't missed out on a single detail while she was standing there gaping at the two of them.
Everything from his facial expressions to that gravel and honey voice to every twitch and thrust of his hips resonated within her own body, fueling her anger and her desire to tear Mulder away from him and...
And what?
And hurl insults, spew venom, make threats...hurt Mulder.
Great. Look how *that* turned out.
She hadn't meant to hurt him. She'd had no intention. In fact, she'd done pretty well the few times they'd spoken on the phone...well, better than this, but *God*. To say that finding them the way she did shocked the hell out of her would be grossly understating the facts.
She should have kept her cool. She should have tried damn hard, but *Christ*, Mulder could be so fucking blind sometimes. And stubborn as hell.
//Oh, like you? You should have listened to him. Should have found another way to get your point across and not alienate him. Now it's too late.//
The soft tapping on the driver's side window startled Scully out of her thoughts, and she looked up to find the man she thought she'd never see again leaning against the car door. She hesitated then rolled the window down part way and said nothing.
"Alex insisted I come out to talk to you."
"Sweet."
//Stop.//
"Why haven't you left?"
"Had a hard enough time getting *up* here in the dark."
"You can't sleep in your car. It's cold, and you're not dressed for it."
"I'll be fine."
"Scully, come inside. There's an extra bedroom. You can get some sleep then pick up where you left off hating me tomorrow."
"I don't hate you. I'm pissed at you, I...I'm afraid for you, but I could never hate you."
"You hate Alex."
"Yes."
"I *love* him. And if you can't accept him or at least tolerate him, you and I...I don't see how we can remain friends."
"So you've said."
"I mean it."
"Mulder, I can't...I don't know that I'll ever *accept* this. I don't even know that I can tolerate it." Repentant blue eyes turned up to Fox's face. "I was really mad. Furious, but...I don't want to leave the x-files, and I don't want to lose you as my partner *or* my friend. I don't...I don't know what to do."
Fox shrugged, looking down at the ground. "Me either. I don't want to lose *you*, but I don't want a firestorm every time you and Alex are within fifty yards of each other. And I *won't* put up with you degrading him or making him feel guilty. He already feels enough of that."
"I don't get it," Scully whispered, head downturned. "How can you go from wanting him dead to thinking you're in love with him?"
"I don't *think*. I know I love him."
"It's only been a couple of weeks, Mulder."
"I know that. I don't think it happened as fast as that, though. I...look, Scully, it's damn cold out here. Can we please go in?"
Scully looked warily toward the cabin.
"I really don't know if that's such a good idea. I just...I look at him, and my blood boils. I wouldn't want to say anything to get us fighting again."
"Remember what your mother taught you?"
"What my mother..."
"Yeah. Same thing my mother taught *me*. If you can't say something nice to someone, don't say anything at all."
"If I follow that advice, I may never speak a single word to him, ever."
"It'd be an improvement over the insults. Now, please. It's *cold*."
Scully drew a deep sigh and opened the car door. Slowly, she followed her partner to the door and stepped into the warmth of the cabin.
The room was empty, and all was quiet as she glanced around, stepping into the middle of the room.
"Guess he didn't want to look at me either."
"Yeah," Fox answered, glancing toward the closed door of the bedroom he and Alex slept in. He walked toward the other bedroom and opened the door, waving Scully in.
As the redhead entered the room, she noticed a shirt and a heavy, white robe draped across the bed.
"Where'd that come from?"
Fox smiled. "The shirt's mine. We stole a couple of robes from the hotel. Alex must have left them in here for you. He's a thoughtful, sleazy rat."
Scully rolled her eyes and snatched the shirt up. "Where's the bathroom?"
Fox led the way out of the bedroom and pointed to the door between the two bedrooms. Scully passed him and walked into the small room, looking around. He stood in the doorway for a few seconds then cleared his throat an announced that he would see her in the morning.
"You're going to bed?"
"Well..." Fox looked longingly toward his own room. "I..."
"I thought we were going to talk?"
"Oh. Uh..." Fox opened and closed his mouth several times before finding the words he thought wouldn't antagonize her.
"I thought you might be tired, so..."
"I am, but when else are we going to be able to sit down alone and talk? Not tomorrow morning."
"N-no, I...I suppose not."
"Look, Mulder, if you don't want to..."
"I *do*," Fox insisted. "I just...I thought you'd be too tired, that's all."
"Getting us straight is more important than a little...sleep." One red eyebrow arched delicately. "Don't you think?"
Fox gave his partner a weak smile and backed up. "I'll uh...I'll just go wait in the living room."
"Okay, I'll be out in a minute."
Closing the door behind him, Fox took two steps toward the bedroom then stopped.
//Don't. If you go in there, and he's sprawled naked across the bed...and you know he *will* be, you'll never make it out of there, and Scully'll be ten times more pissed than she was.//
Groaning softly, Fox trudged over to the sofa and dropped down at one end. Dragging a throw pillow up over his face, he sat quietly for what seemed to him like forever before Scully emerged from the bathroom, drowning in the robe Alex had left for her.
Hiking up the hem so she wouldn't trip, Scully walked over to the sofa and took a seat at the other end.
"You're not asleep, are you?"
Fox pulled the pillow from his face and looked over at his partner.
"Nope."
"Did you uh..." Scully looked toward Fox's bedroom door then back at him. "Did you tell him we'd be out here talking?"
"No."
"He might come looking for you."
"Don't worry Scully, he won't interrupt."
Scully nodded and settled back against the arm of the sofa. "So," she breathed, adjusting the robe around her legs. "Tell me what happened here. Make me understand why I should smile and nod and accept this thing between you and Krycek."
"I don't really know how much more there is to say, Scully, beyond what I've already told you, but I'll say this one more time. I have *not* forgotten anything he's done. But he's genuinely remorseful. I know you don't believe that, but as you once trusted me with your life, I'm asking you to please trust that lust hasn't clouded my judgment."
"Mulder, even if it's true. Even if he really does regret all he's done...how the hell can you forgive him to the point of wanting to be sexually and emotionally involved with him?"
"I'd been attracted to him from the start," Fox explained, looking down at his hands. "Though I'd never admitted it to myself. I couldn't. First, he was my partner. Wet behind the ears, junior g-man out to prove himself worthy to be in my presence. Then he was the enemy. He was a liar, thief, killer...everything bad in the world packed into a...damn, a gorgeous six foot package, and my body reacted every time I got within two hundred feet of him. It made me crazy. I didn't want it to, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. He'd betrayed me on this really...deeply personal level..."
"Yeah, Mulder, he killed your father. Can't get too much more personal than that."
"That's not what I meant by personal."
Scully cocked her head, curious and the same time not so very sure she wanted to hear what Mulder meant.
"See, I think," Fox continued, "that in some remote part of me I thought of him as mine. And he should have known and respected that."
"That's just a little creepy, Mulder. You sound like some deranged stalker."
"I know. And though neither of us had ever made the slightest sexual overture, I couldn't help think that he might have had a thing for me too. I remember during the Duane Barry situation...when I was getting ready to go in, there was this...it's hard to explain. This look in his eyes. It looked like genuine concern. And before that with Augustus Cole...I saw it up close after he had shot the man. He thought that Cole had a gun and was going to shoot me, and he was scared, Scully."
"Scared that if you were killed, his mission wouldn't go as planned."
"I meant scared for my safety."
Scully snorted, folding her arms across her chest and again relaxed against the arm of the sofa.
"After he'd disappeared, I thought about him. I thought that maybe he'd come back after it had all blown over and talk to me and..."
"Wait a minute." Scully sat up a bit straighter, focusing an irritated blue gaze on her partner. "I was missing, you had no idea whether I was dead or alive, and you were thinking about whether or not the man who had a hand in abducting me would come back to see you?"
"Scully, finding you was my first priority. It drove me day and night. But there were times, *yes*, when my exhausted mind would wander, and it wandered to him. You gonna condemn me to hell for it?"
"Just...go on, Mulder."
The challenging edge went out of Fox's voice, and he went on, chronicling the events that had led them to this moment.
"After you were returned, and it seemed that he had dropped off the face of the earth, I put him as far in the back of my mind as he would go, filing him away as just one more failed obstacle on our way to the truth. And then he showed up all that time later and turned my life into that living hell. It totally decimated any residual hopes I might have harbored for some miracle resolution. I hated him for killing my father, and I hated him for killing for my hopes, and I hated him because I wanted him even still.
"And then after years of shit, he turned around and pieced it all together, and he helped us save the damn world. Still, when it was over I told myself I was glad he'd gone. It was all dead and buried, and I could finally get on with what was left of my life." He shook his head slowly, staring into space. "I'll tell you, Scully, it wasn't much."
"I know," Scully answered softly. "I could see it. You were just going through the motions."
"Yeah. I hoped the vacation would help. But it was just like...me...in a different setting, you know?" Fox smiled down at his folded hands. "I almost went home with a total stranger one night...the night I saw Alex."
"Mulder..."
"I know. But I was so damn depressed. I just needed something. I went to a bar one night soon after I got to L.A. There was this guy. Good looking enough but no god. He introduced himself...we had a drink, talked...actually, he did most of the talking. He was full of shit, but I didn't care. He asked me to dance. I let him seduce me I guess, and we left together. I would have gone home with him if I hadn't looked across the street and seen Alex. My whole world sort of caved in at that point and came back together in a completely different order.
"This feeling just came over me. It was so...I couldn't put my finger on it. I just knew I couldn't do it. I couldn't go home with that guy."
"You thought that you were meant to find Krycek?"
Fox shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean, figure the odds. Maybe we were destined to be together." Fox looked toward his bedroom door and went on.
"I watched him...asked questions...I started to form this crazy plan in my head. I wanted him, but I had no idea how he'd react if I just dropped in on him in the middle of a transaction and made my announcement. So I lured him to my room with a note that I'd broken into his apartment and left."
"Keep talking, Mulder. You're sounding more and more like that deranged stalker I'd mentioned."
Fox gave his partner a lopsided grin. "I'm really not, though."
"Okay, Mulder. Continue."
"Where was I? Oh, yeah. I offered him a ton of money, and he came. I blindfolded him, obviously, so he wouldn't know it was me. And then I gave him a taste of what it was to be treated gently. I took nothing. I only gave, and I knew it shocked him. I could feel the pain in him...so much despair. I knew he wasn't used to that. He was just accustomed to being used, and I didn't do that to him. At the end of our time together, I left quietly and let him go."
"I'm sorry for interrupting, Mulder, but...you didn't talk to him either?"
"No."
"How the hell did you communicate with him?"
Fox gave his partner a soft smile. "I did okay." He continued. "Along with the last of the money I'd promised him, I left another note asking him to return two nights later. I wanted to give him a little time to think about what had happened...make him want to come back, and he did.
"Two nights later he was worse than the first time. There was fear and self loathing, and this desperate need. He shook with it. I'd never felt anything so strong.
"I found..." Fox's eyes darkened, and his voice lowered. "...bruises. He'd obviously had a rough time with a customer the night before. I can't describe to you the anger I felt. I can't tell you how it..." Fox closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. "He blew it off. Told me it was just part of the job. I couldn't see his eyes, but I knew he didn't mean what he said, and I tried so hard to take the hurt away. I gave him all the attention he could handle, and he sort of...I don't know...started to fall apart. He begged me...he needed me. I put a condom on, and I...started to...but it hurt him, I could tell. He got more upset when I stopped, and I didn't know what to do. He was almost hysterical. I tried again, and this time he couldn't hide the pain. I stopped again and pulled out, and there was blood."
"Jesus." Scully couldn't help the whisper of shock that left her lips. She fell silent and allowed her partner to go on.
"When he realized how upset I was, he lost it. He couldn't take the fact that someone was genuinely concerned for him. He felt he didn't deserve it. He...he didn't want me to stop. He wanted me to hurt him..."
"He said that to you?"
"Yeah. He wanted me to use him then throw him aside. That's what he was used to. He had no idea how to handle what I was offering him. He was afraid to accept it. And when he actually found out it was me...God, it was even worse. He was sure I was after some kind of twisted revenge. He couldn't believe that I could be anything other than hostile. It wasn't until *very* recently that I was able to fully convince him that I truly wanted him."
"And how did you do that?"
"I took care of him. Made him rest. Fed him. Talked to him...I took him out one night for dinner and some music, and all that time I refused to touch him. We didn't make love until a while after we got here."
"Why not?"
"He was severely injured, Scully. He needed to heal."
"You know, Mulder, that wouldn't have happened to him if he hadn't been a hooker. Sooner or later he was bound to run into something like that."
"Maybe. But it happened because of me. Because he thought that he didn't deserve what I wanted to give him. He wanted it, but he couldn't allow himself to take it. He was so distraught that he wasn't thinking straight. He thought there was nothing left for him, and he just didn't care what happened to him."
"That's a very romantic tale, Mulder, but have you thought about it realistically?"
Fox waited expectantly.
"He was gang raped. Before that, he'd been with God knows how many men. I put it rather crudely before, but the fact remains. Mulder, you don't know if he's been subjected to any diseases."
"I know that. And he's more than aware of it. We've been extremely careful. And he'll have all the tests he needs to have as soon as he's able to."
"And what if any of them turns up positive? Mulder, what if he's contracted HIV?"
Fox closed his eyes, trembling at the thought.
"We'll deal with it if that happens."
"*We*?"
A sharp, amber gaze burned into weary blue. "You expect that I would dump him?"
No answer.
"You're still not getting it, Scully. I'm in this for life."
"That's admirable, Mulder..."
"It's *love*." I *love* him."
Scully dropped her gaze.
"Well...I guess there's nothing more to be said, then."
"What's that mean?"
Scully's chest heaved with a deep sigh. "You love him. "You're going to do whatever you want to do. No matter how insane I think it is."
"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Fox moved closer, touching his partner's hand. "Please, Scully. Try to understand? Give him a chance. Spend tomorrow with us and see who he is."
Scully shook her head, staring down at the sofa.
"I don't know, I..." She looked up into pleading hazel eyes and groaned softly. "All right. All right, I'll spend a little time with you."
A wide grin lit Fox's face.
"Thanks, Scully."
"I guarantee nothing," she said firmly, point a finger at Fox.
"I know. But you'll see, Scully. He's not who you knew."
"Okay, Mulder. I...I'm going to turn in now. I'll uh...I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"Okay." Fox rose quickly watching the woman move toward the second bedroom as he made for his own room. "Goodnight, Scully."
"Goodnight, Mulder. Thanks for the room."
Once inside, Scully shut her door and trudged to the bed, turning the covers down.
God, she was exhausted all of a sudden.
She dropped into bed and pulled the blankets up to her neck, sighing as the tension began to slowly seep out of her.
What a day. What a freakin' long, horrifying, confusing, unbelievable day. And she'd just agreed to endure more of it tomorrow.
//Well, at least you won't walk in again and find them naked and fucking like animals in the living room.//
No, they were probably getting around to that right now.
She slung a hand over her eyes, moaning.
"God, what are my chances of this place being sound proofed?"
********************
Fox slipped quietly into the bedroom, listening to Alex's soft, steady respiration. He undressed without a sound and slipped carefully into bed behind his lover, and Alex released a barely audible sigh, nestling into the cradle of his body.
"Fox?"
The older man wound an arm around Alex's chest and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck.
"I tried not to wake you."
"Late?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry, baby. She wanted to talk."
"S'okay."
Fox listened to the mumbled response and kissed the younger man once more, tenderly stroking his chest.
"Go back to sleep."
Seconds later, Alex was out again. Fox pressed impossibly closer, tightening his hold on the man in his arms. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but his mind wouldn't stop working.
Scully seemed to have softened a little bit, but if he was going to be realistic, he had to admit to himself that her acceptance of Alex was a long shot at best. And that was going to make life extremely uncomfortable for all involved.
He nuzzled the back of the younger man's head and brushed a kiss into the sable strands.
He hoped they could work something out. He'd hate to have to end his friendship with Scully. They'd been through the fires of hell together and survived intact and stronger in their faith and devotion to each other. It saddened him deeply to think her intense animosity toward the man he loved would tear down all that they'd built over the years. But if she forced a choice, he hoped she truly understood that without a second's hesitation he would choose Alex.
The younger man moaned softly and shifted position, now making more of his face visible in the dim moonlight that flowed in through the window. His mouth twitched into a slumberous pout, the action tugging hard at Fox's heart.
Amazing.
In just a few short weeks his entire life had been turned upside down and inside out, and his mind, body and heart had become the exclusive property of this man lying in his arms. He knew that Scully thought he was opening himself up to all kinds of hurt, but it was a choice that had been taken out of his hands the moment he realized he was so deeply in love with Alex.
He'd been vulnerable all his life. More susceptible to hurt than most, and Scully knew that and only wanted to protect him...shield him from further pain. But he wanted none of it. He only wanted Alex and everything that being in love with him brought, good, bad and otherwise. He finally had a life...a reason to *want* to get up in the morning. He had Alex, and that was all he would ever need.
"You and me," he whispered into his lover's hair, unheard by the sleeping man. "No matter what."
********************
Eight fifteen.
Cerulean eyes blinked open and looked around, momentarily discomposed.
"Shit."
The soft curse was followed by a long moan as Scully sat up and stretched. She dropped her hands into her lap and listened to the silence.
//Guess they're not up either.//
Shuddering at the thought of Mulder and that...of the two of them snuggled together in the same bed, she got up quickly to shower and change.
All was quiet in the living room as she padded to the next door and slipped into the bathroom for a nice, warm...
"God, oh, *damn*!"
The razor clattered into the sink as the startled, very naked man jumped back at the surprised shriek.
"Shit." Alex grabbed for the nearest towel and wrapped it around his waist. "Sorry, I...there's no lock on the door. I thought you were asleep..."
Scully stood motionless, her eyes flitting away from the regretful, green gaze to the smooth, bronzed chest, strong arms and tapering waist. She gave herself a hard shake when she reached that which was hidden by the towel, but her mind's eye reminded her in great detail of what she had seen only seconds before.
"Scully, are you all right?" Alex took a tentative step toward the hyperventilating woman. "I'm sorry, I really didn't..."
"Don't...get away..."
Alex stopped in his tracks, clutching at the falling towel.
"Breathe, Scully. Come on, you're gonna pass out..."
"Mulder."
"He's in the bedroom. He was still..."
Scully regained the use of her legs and stumbled out of the bathroom.
"*Mulder*!"
The bedroom door opened seconds later, and Fox blinked in the bright light flooding the room.
"What're you yelling about?"
"Why the hell didn't you *tell* me the bathroom door didn't have a lock?"
"Huh?"
"I walked in on your *boyfriend*, shaving naked at the sink!"
"Oops."
"*Oops*? Is that all you've got to say?"
Fox rubbed at his left eye. "What d'you want me to say? I'm sorry I didn't think to tell you."
"Great. Well, that's just...just great."
"Relax, Scully, you probably scared him as much as he scared you. Besides..." Fox attempted to suppress a smirk. "I can think of worse things to look at."
"Thanks for the compassion, Mulder, I really..."
Scully choked off her tirade and followed Fox's gaze to the fully dressed man who had just emerged from the bathroom.
Alex glanced at Scully through a curtain of lashes as he moved to his lover's side.
"I'm sorry, Fox. I didn't know she was awake."
"It's all right," Fox comforted the younger man, dusting the smooth cheek with a light kiss.
"What are you apologizing to *him* for?" Scully cracked. "*I'm* the one who got flashed."
"I said I was sorry," Alex told her softly. "You didn't seem to be listening..."
"Well, forgive me, Krycek, if I was a *little* shocked."
"Okay," Fox cut in. "This is *not* a good way to start the morning. Scully, why don't you just go get showered and dressed? Maybe you'll feel a little better."
Scully stared from one man to the other, trying to remember the promise she'd made to her partner. Taking a calming breath, she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
"Feel *better*," she hissed, stalking over to the tub and turning on the water. "I won't feel *better* till I can get the hell *out* of here."
Stripping off Fox's shirt, she tested the water then stepped into the tub. As she washed, her mind started to wander, thinking back to what she *could* have walked in on if she'd awakened just a few minutes earlier.
*He'd* been standing in this tub. Water flowing over his body, cutting through the froth and foam as his hands slid over perfectly proportioned muscles..stroking that smooth chest...taut belly...teasing the early morning erection that Mulder obviously hadn't satisfied...
"Oh my God," she moaned. "What the hell's the *matter* with me?"
//There's nothing the matter with you. The man's goddamn sexy. You're not *blind* for God's sake.//
//But he's a murdering, cheating, lying *hooker*.//
//Yeah. And he's Mulder's.//
********************
Remorseful green eyes watched as Fox pulled a shirt out of the closet and tossed it onto the bed beside the jeans he'd placed there seconds before.
"If there was a chance in hell before that she might accept me, I sure blew it."
"You didn't do anything wrong, babe."
"Tell that to Scully," Alex sighed, dropping down on the bed. "You should have seen the look on her face. She was horrified."
Fox sank down to the mattress beside his lover.
"I don't believe that." He let two fingers drift down the younger man's chest. "Stunned, maybe. Mesmerized...entranced..."
Alex squirmed as his lover's fingers skimmed the bulge in his jeans.
"You should have let me take care of this."
"Later. When she's gone."
"How about right now while she's in the bathroom?"
Alex's hips jerked as Fox squeezed him lightly.
"No. Fox...God, don't. I don't want...*shit*." Reluctantly, Alex pushed Fox's hand away. "I don't want to give her reason to hate me any more than she does."
Fox propped his head up in one hand while the other that had been teasing over Alex's crotch rose to the younger man's cheek.
"Very noble of you."
Alex smiled up at the man he'd come to adore.
"I don't know about that. I think I'm still just a survivalist at heart."
Fox laughed softly and dropped a tender kiss on Alex's mouth before he slid off the bed and finished gathering his clothes.
"It'll be okay, babe. However Scully leaves here feeling today, you and I will be fine."
Alex watched Fox move around the bedroom. Loving, green gaze tracking his every move.
"I know."
Fox tilted his head, studying his lover's face.
"You don't sound so sure."
"I am," Alex answered softly.
Fox came back to the bed and wrapped the other man in a gentle embrace.
"Stop worrying. There's nothing to worry about."
Alex wound his arms around Fox and laid his head on the older man's shoulder. He sat quietly, staring at the trees outside while being stoked and petted and reassured. He wanted to believe what Fox was telling him. More than anything he wanted to believe it. But years of experience told him that there was *always* something to worry about.
********************
"Where's Mulder?"
"Shower."
Scully watched warily over her cup of coffee as Alex entered the kitchen and poured some of the dark liquid into a nearby mug. He cast an apprehensive glance at her then away, raising the mug to his lips. Taking a fortifying sip, he cleared his throat and attempted to engage her in conversation.
"Beautiful up here, isn't it?"
"I wouldn't know. I drove up in virtual darkness."
The sable head lowered. "Oh yeah."
More silence, then..."Scully, I...I really am sorry about this morning."
"Really, Krycek? I wouldn't think someone like you would be embarrassed..."
"Someone like me?"
"Yeah." Scully shrugged nonchalantly. "You know...someone who gets paid to let total strangers look at his naked body...touch it and...whatever else."
"It isn't something I relished," Alex said flatly, avoiding the sharp, blue gaze.
"Really? Well. That's interesting. Because really, Krycek, I would have imagined that you enjoyed it very much."
No answer.
"I have a question. If you don't enjoy it, what gets you up night after night, several *times* a night? Is it the money that turns you on? The power over stupid, horny men?"
"When I said to you I didn't enjoy it, Scully, I meant that in every sense of the word."
Scully cocked her head, studying the man's slumped shoulders and downturned eyes and mouth, and she went on, interested to see how much farther down she could knock him.
"You mean to tell me that you screw.."
Alex looked up at the woman. "*Used* to."
"Right...scores of men every night, and you never got any sexual satisfaction out of it?"
"No."
"Hmm. You seem to get it up easily enough for Mulder. At least I would assume that from the way you were fucking him yesterday."
Alex closed his eyes and turned his face away.
"No answer, Krycek?"
"I love Fox."
"Oh yeah, that's right. How could I forget?" Scully looked down into her coffee. "You know, even if you're not just out to get what you can get from him, which I seriously doubt...what have you got to offer him? Besides hot sex, I mean."
"He..." Alex stopped and started again. "He's got everything I have to give him. Companionship. Validation...every last ounce of my love."
"And how much is *that*? You're going to stand there, Krycek, and tell me that you've got enough love in that black heart of yours for Mulder?"
Alex stood blinking then nodded.
"You've got *nothing* for him. He's a good man. A courageous, idealistic, trusting man, who unfortunately doesn't always recognize danger to himself. He deserves more. He deserves better than the filth you want to drag him down into."
"Here you are."
Scully twisted in her seat to look at the man who had just come through the door smiling.
"There was no yelling, so I didn't think you were both in the house." A greenish-gray gaze narrowed on the man who stood silently against the counter.
"Alex?" Fox swiftly looked from his lover to his partner and back again. "Baby, you okay?"
The bowed head nodded slightly.
Fox walked over to the younger man and slipped two fingers under his chin and lifted. Glazed eyes avoided his stare.
"Alex?"
His attention snapped from his forlorn lover to the woman at the table.
"What happened in here?"
"We were just talking."
"What *about*?"
"You. Your...relationship."
"You obviously said something you shouldn't have, Scully," Fox rumbled through clenched jaws. "What *was* it?"
"It was nothing, Fox," Alex whispered in answer. "I'm j...I'm just feeling bad about earlier."
"I don't believe it." Fox slid a hand through the younger man's hair. "You're not this upset because of *that*. You can't even look at me." He spun around, the anger returning to his tone.
"Goddamn it, Scully, I thought you were going to at least *try*."
"I *am* trying, Mulder. I'm trying to figure this mess out."
"It's not a mess!" Fox barked, startling the other two inhabitants of the kitchen. He stood, glaring at his partner, shaking his head. "I thought you were going to give it a try, Scully. For me, I thought you'd try. I don't want you here. Go home."
Scully rose from her seat, shaking her head at her partner. "I still can't believe you're buying into this act of his. Mulder, this man...this...ice cold killer, this dirty *whore* is standing here putting on this emotionally fragile, contrite, sap in love act, and you're just eating it up."
She stepped toward the door and turned back once more to face Fox.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Mulder, I thought I could hang in there for a few hours at least. But I see him...I see what he's doing, and I can't control it. I want to kill him. He's got you by the dick, and he's leading you straight down into his foul, obscene world, and you're just going to roll over and let him. I'm outta here. I'd say I hope you come to your senses before you get back to D.C., but I don't think that's likely to happen."
Scully gave Alex a withering glare then walked away.
The soft whoosh of the swinging door was the only sound in the room for long seconds until Scully car started outside and drove away. When the sound had faded, Fox turned slowly around and took Alex into his arms.
"Tell me what she said."
Still avoiding Fox's gaze, Alex shook his head.
"Nothing. It's...it's not that important."
"Stop protecting her, Alex. She obviously has no qualms about sticking it to *you*."
"She's your best friend..."
"Not if this is what she's going to do to you. I won't let her hurt you, Alex."
"I'm all right."
"You're *not*. And it's because of her. Tell me what she said."
"No, I...what difference does it make?"
"Because I want to know."
"No, Fox. It wasn't important. Forget it. Please."
Fox held the younger man's eyes with his own, slowly shaking his head.
"Why can't she see?"
Alex looked away from the adoring gaze.
//Maybe she does.//
"Okay, babe. I'll forget about it. She's gone." He moved closer, lightly brushing Alex's body with his own. "We're alone again." He leaned in, touching his lips the younger man's. "Come with me," he whispered, leading Alex out of the room.
"Where are we going?" Alex asked, feeling his lover's heat envelop him and pull him along in its wake.
"Shhh."
Silently, Alex followed the older man into the living room and watched mesmerized as Fox backed away and began to remove his clothing. Seconds later, Fox stepped forward, gloriously naked and intensely focused on the man standing before him.
He slid his hands up under Alex's shirt, letting his hands skim over the warm, hard plains of his lover's chest, and leaned in, capturing his lips in a sweet kiss.
"I love you," he murmured against the bowed lips before pulling Alex's shirt off then going to work on his pants...
Jesus, if Scully was right, and he was incapable of loving Fox, then why the hell was his heart breaking right now into so many little pieces? Why did everything she said still hurt so damn much?
Why did he want this man so desperately? And why did he ache with it?
He was falling. His sight blurred as softness met his back, and it took him a second to realize that he hadn't fainted. Fox had pushed him down to the sofa, settling over his chest, and he was now completely naked.
How did that happen?
Fox nuzzled the younger man's throat as one hand caressed his leg from knee to hip
"Alex..."
God. Oh, God, that felt good.
Alex's cock throbbed, pushing up against his lover's belly, and he whimpered softly at the sensation it produced.
"Baby..." Fox lifted his head and looked directly down into tormented, green eyes.
"Make love to me."
Alex trembled violently at the sweetly passionate plea.
"Fox...God, Fox..."
Fox's mouth whispered over his lover's.
"Please."
//You've got *nothing* for him.//
Alex squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out Scully's words, but they echoed in his head, over and over.
//He deserves better than the filth you want to drag him down into.//
"Alex? *Alex*. God, baby, what is it?" Fox cupped the younger man's face between his hands. "You're shaking so much."
"Nothing, I...I..I just..." Alex pushed Fox off of him and stumbled to his feet. "I need..."
"Where are you going?" Fox asked anxiously, watching the other man head toward the bathroom.
"I just need a minute, okay? Splash some cold water on my face, and I'll be fine."
Before Fox could utter another word, Alex disappeared into the bathroom. The door shut, and he drew his fingers through his hair, clenching them in the thick strands.
"We're done, Scully," he whispered to his absent partner. "You did this to him, and you and I are all done."
********************
Alex paced the bathroom, trying to get a handle on his wild respiration.
//She's right. He doesn't deserve filth like me. He doesn't...doesn't believe that, but...should've...I should've stayed away. Should've been stronger. I'll never be good enough. Never be clean enough...//
********************
Fox stalked back and forth, watching the bathroom door. He exercised all the restraint he had to keep himself from bursting into the bathroom and forcing Alex to tell what Scully had said to make him come so unglued.
"This is insane, this is..." He punched the back of the couch. "*Dammit*."
He'd gone through a lot, night and day to convince Alex that they were meant to be together, and in the course of twelve hours, Scully had gone and fucked it all up.
"*Bitch*."
He paced for a few seconds more, then, deciding that Alex had had enough time, moved toward the bathroom and knocked at the door.
"Alex....Alex, come on. You have to talk to me about this. Come on, baby, don't let her do this to you."
Just as he turned the knob and pushed the door open, the sound of an engine starting snapped his head around. He glanced into the bathroom, seeing clothes scattered on the floor in front of the open hamper, and the wide open window, and he spun around, bolting to the front door.
He made it outside in record time, but not fast enough. The dust from the spinning tires of his car swirled through the air, blinding him momentarily.
"*Alex*!" he screamed after the departing vehicle, but it disappeared quickly, leaving nothing but the sound of birds and his labored breath. He sprinted into the house, cursing all the way and threw his clothes on then ran back out and did the only thing he could.
********************
"Scully."
"I hope you're real happy, you miserable bitch."
"Mulder, if you're calling just to call me names, it could've waited until you got home."
"He's *gone*."
"What do you mean, gone?"
"*Gone*! A little while after you'd done your damage and split, he climbed out the bathroom window and took off in my car."
"And he just *left* you up there?"
"Yeah. Speaks to his state of mind," Fox spat with all the malice he felt. "I had to hike down into town and rent *another* car. I've been looking for him ever *since*!"
"That was three days ago."
"That's right."
"You haven't found your first rental?"
"*Fuck* the rental! Are you listening to me? He's *gone*! He's been missing for three fucking days, and I can't find him!"
"Mulder..."
"It's *your* fault! You said something to him that got him all messed up. What the hell did you say?"
"He didn't tell you?"
"*No*. I tried to get it out of him, but he said that it didn't matter. He said that you were my friend." Fox emitted a harsh laugh. "That's a hot one."
"Mulder, I *am* your friend."
"You're *not*! You couldn't be, and do whatever you did to Alex. I told you I love him. But did that make any fucking difference to you? *Fuck* no!"
"Mulder, calm down."
"I *am* fucking calm! I just thought I'd call and let you know. You know, make your day."
"Mulder, don't hang up."
"I've wasted enough time with you."
"What are you going to do now?"
"Keep looking."
"Mulder, you're due back on Monday."
"If I'm not there, tell Skinner he can fire me."
"Mul..."
The click of the phone stopped Scully from completing her partner's name, and she disconnected, softly placing the phone down on the table.
"Shit," she breathed, dropping her head into her hands. "What the hell did I do?"
********************
The glare from the lights of the casinos burned his eyes as he walked toward the smiling man in the Porsche.
"Looking for some company?"
"Yeah. Saw you sitting over there, and I couldn't take my eyes off of you. What's the matter with your eyes? You're not on something, are you? 'Cause if you are, I gotta tell you, I don't..."
"I'm not on anything. It's these lights."
"Oh. You new around here?"
"Yeah. What're you looking for?"
"I'm having a party, and I need some entertainment."
"How many?"
"Fifteen."
His eyes drifted shut, and the man behind the wheel had to tap on the dashboard to bring him back.
"How much?"
"Seventy-five hundred. Cash up front."
The man issued a low whistle.
"Kinda steep."
"Take it or leave it."
"....Okay. Get in."
The man waited for the other to slip into the vehicle and pulled out a wad of cash. Counting off the right number of bills, he handed them to the other, who counted and arranged the bills neatly before stuffing them into the front pocket of his leather jacket. As he pulled away from the curb, he glanced at the somber face.
"So...you said you're new to Vegas. Where are you from originally?"
No answer.
"You're a handsome man. You could make a whole lot out here if you play your cards right. Uh...no pun intended."
Still nothing.
"But you might not do so well if you're not a little more sociable. People out here like to talk. If you'd say a word here and there, they might like you better."
"Nothing to say."
"Ah, c'mon. There must be some subject that gets you talking. Got any hobbies? Family? That one true love you left behind?"
The green eyes glazed over, and the driver winced.
"Oops. Hit a sore spot, didn't I?"
The stubbled jaw clenched with the effort it took to hold back the dam, and the other breathed deeply.
"Sorry, man, I...I was just trying to be friendly. Does he know where you are?"
The hooker snapped at the driver, startling him into silence. "Look, do you want to party or not?"
"*Yeah*, I just..."
"Then shut the fuck up and stop trying to be friendly. I don't *need* any friends. There's *nothing* I need."
The customer uttered a soft 'okay' and drove on in silence while the lights of the strip whizzed by, practically blinding his passenger.
The hooker closed his eyes and attempted to prepare himself for a very long night, but relentless thoughts crept into his mind, shaking him to his soul, and filling him with a terrible, crippling sadness that would never leave him. Not as long as his heart belonged to the one who, for a little while at least had rescued him from this life and shown him love and tenderness such as he would never know again.
Not as long as he loved Fox Mulder.
END