Part 12



The warm water did its job, and soon Alex was painlessly separated from his condom. When he and Fox were finished showering, they dressed in comfortable jeans and t-shirts, and together prepared a light dinner. While they sat on the sofa eating and watching the news, Fox turned to the younger man and made an announcement.

"Alex, let's move."

"Huh?" the younger man asked, not turning his attention from the television.

"Let's find someplace else to live."

Alex's head snapped around, and he stared hard at the other man.

"What?"

Fox put his barely touched food down on the coffee table and turned to face his lover.

"Staying in this apartment isn't good for us. I mean, I'm sitting here, eating, watching t.v., and all I can think about is what happened to you here. And if it's this heavy on my mind, I can imagine how it's affecting you. I hate that you've slept in that bed for this long, torturing yourself."

"Fox, this is your apartment. It's been your home for..."

"It's our home. And something terrible happened to you here. Something that'll haunt you...*us* for a very long time. Certainly as long as we're here. I want to start fresh. Someplace new. Someplace with no bad memories."

Alex hesitated as he thought about the proposal. Knowing that Fox would hear the truth in his voice if he attempted to lie, he leaned against the older man, speaking softly.

"I'd like to do that."

Fox kissed the top of Alex's head and reached for the paper.

"Then we will. How about an apartment for now? At least for the next year, then when I'm out of the Bureau, we can decide where we want to live, and find a house there."

Alex rubbed his cheek against the older man's chest then looked up at him, deep gratitude shining in his eyes.

"Okay."

The two settled down with the paper, carefully scouring the rental ads and debating over several prospects.

"...Yeah, but that one's at least an hour's drive from work," Alex argued against one of Fox's choices.

"I know," Fox sighed. "But it was Scully I was thinking about. I just don't want to be anywhere near her."

"She won't bother us," Alex presumed. "Not after the way you lit into her. And if she wanted to mess with us, I really don't think that distance would be an issue."

"I guess."

"Hey, this one sounds good. Spacious two bedroom. Eat-in kitchen, large living room/dining room. One and a half-baths."

"Yeah, it..." Fox rubbed the back of his head, scowling at the paper. "Oh, wait. I know why it sounds familiar. Well, the address anyway."

"Why?"

"This is in Skinner's building."

"You sure? I mean, I know it's in Crystal City, but..."

"Positive."

Alex looked down, hiding his expression.

"Oh."

"Is that a bad thing?" Fox asked. "You did seem interested in it. It sounds perfect for us. A lot bigger than what we've got here."

"Yeah. Yeah, it does."

"And maybe Skinner could put in a word for us."

Alex pulled himself out of his lover's arms and sat at the edge of the sofa, looking down at his shoes.

"I suppose."

"Babe, he's okay, really. I don't know if you realize it, but he helped you over at Scully's place. He stopped you from killing her, and when I walked in, he was telling you that everything was going to be all right. That we were going to be all right."

"...He did?"

"Yeah."

"I don't..." Alex drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't remember."

"I didn't think you would. You were pretty wound up." Fox slid forward and rested his cheek against Alex's shoulder. "He told me to take you home and convince you that everything was okay. He's on our side, babe. For whatever reason, he's for us."

"And you don't think he's up to anything?"

"Dirty tricks aren't Skinner's style."

"You didn't think they were Scully's either."

Fox thought on his lover's reply for a minute then nodded.

"That's true. Look, Alex. I trust that Skinner's on the up and up, but if you don't, we can forget about the apartment. There are plenty more here we can consider."

Alex sighed softly and let his head drop to the side, resting it against his lover's.

"I'm sorry Fox. We...we can keep it on the list. If you trust Skinner, then really, it's good enough for me. I trust you."

"Thank you, baby. But we both have to be a hundred percent satisfied with our choice."

"I want to look at it," Alex argued, figuring that once they got there, he could find enough wrong with the apartment to strike it from the list but give Fox the satisfaction of having at least seen the place. "And hey, if we take it, you and he can car pool to work."

"Riiight. And we can borrow cups of flour and sugar from each other too? Maybe we can get together for a game of gin." Fox grinned, rubbing his head against Alex's. "I don't think we'd have to worry about him knocking at our door every hour. But, look. We'll put it last on the list. Sort of as a standby. Okay?"

"That's fine," Alex answered, incurring a questioning look from the other man. "Really. It is."

Fox gave the younger man a soft smile then leaned back against the leather cushions, pulling him along.

"Here's another one. One bedroom, gourmet kitchen..."

"Nah."

"What nah? You didn't even let me finish. Two walk in closets..."

"No, it's only got one bedroom."

"So who needs more than one? It's not like we're going to have guests or...ohhh, unless you plan on relegating me to the spare bedroom whenever I piss you off."

"Of course not," Alex smirked, amazingly for all he'd endured today, feeling playful. "If you piss me off, I'll just shoot you."

Fox cast a deadpan look at the younger man for a short while then quickly threw him down onto his back, straddling him so that he was unable to get up.

"You'll just what?"

Alex gave the older man a challenging grin.

"You need me to repeat it? Oh, shit!" he squealed with laughter as Fox's fingers located and began to torment the area just under his ribs, which he'd discovered were extremely ticklish. "No! Come on, Fox, I was just having a little fun with you!" he shouted between attempts to breathe.

"So am I," Fox answered, breaking off the attack. "Isn't this a blast?"

The tickling resumed, and Alex screeched, laughing too hard to find the strength to fight his lover off.

"Stop! Cut it out, dammit! Ah, you prick!"

When Alex was too winded to curse anymore, Fox let him off the hook. He sat astride the younger man's hips and looked down into gleaming green eyes, and he smiled.

"So, we've got eight prospects. You want to go with those and see what happens, or do you want to make a secondary list?"

"No," Alex gasped. "That's good. If we don't find anything from those choices, then we can start over. By that time, there should be some new listings."

"Okay." Fox moved to get off of Alex, and the other man flinched, his arms automatically coming up to protect himself.

"What? I wasn't going to tickle you again."

Alex tossed the older man a suspicious look but said nothing.

"You don't believe me?"

"Not really, no."

"Okay, I'm hurt."

"Awww."

Fox turned a beautiful pout on Alex, and the younger man felt his cock twitch.

"Oh, that's just low."

"What is?"

"You know what. You harass me, then you go and pull that lip and make me go all squishy inside."

"For the record, you started it and..." Fox's pout turned to a tiny grin. "You're squishy?"

"Parts of me," the other answered softly.

"What about other parts?"

Alex grasped Fox's hand and directed it down to the growing bulge at the front of his jeans.

"That's nice," Fox murmured, lightly stroking the now rock-solid mound.

"How 'bout a closer look?" Alex asked, unbuttoning his jeans as he sat back and smirked at his lover.

"Ooooh, can I?"

Alex shrugged, trying to look nonchalant.

"Knock yourself out."

"You're too good to me," Fox tossed back, digging into his back pocket and pulling a few condoms out. He tossed them onto the cushion beside them, and Alex chuckled softly.

"I'm learning," Fox responded to the implied comment as he drew his lover's zipper down.

"Learning?" Alex asked on an aroused moan as Fox liberated his cock and caressed its velvety length.

"Mmm hmm. To always be prepared."

"Ooh, a boyscout. Would you put on one of those cute little uniforms and show me how to start a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together?"

"I'll pass on those little khaki shorts and neck kerchief if you don't mind, but as for that other thing..." Fox took his lover's hand and placed it over his own denim-covered erection. "I think we could do a hands-on demonstration."

Fox pushed the coffee table out into the middle of the room, and dragged Alex down to the floor, where the two made love for the next hour before he left his exhausted lover with a kiss on the nose and retreated into the bedroom.

Alex sat up, listening to the shuffling sounds coming from the other room then watching as the older man reappeared, wrestling the new mattress into the living room.

"What...Fox, what are you doing?"

"We're not..." Fox started then stopped as he jerked the mattress through the doorway. "...sleeping in there any more."

"We're not?"

"No."

"Ssssso, we're gonna sleep out here in the living room?"

"Uh huh."

Alex didn't need to ask why; he knew. Sweet lunatic.

"Yeah, but Fox...umm..." He looked around the not-so-large living room and back at the other man.

"I know it could take a while before we find another place," Fox said in answer to Alex's unasked question. "But tell me you don't hate sleeping in there now."

Alex opened his mouth and closed it, knowing as Fox did that there was only one honest answer that he could give. He got up and started moving things around to make room for the mattress, and when it was set in the middle of the floor, he leaned into Fox's embrace, resting his head on the older man's shoulder.

"Gonna look awfully weird having a mattress in the middle of the living room," he stated softly.

"Who's going to see it besides me and you?" Fox answered, stroking Alex's bare back. "Besides, we can stand it up against the wall in the daytime so neither of us trips over it."

"Okay, but we're going to have to find a place real soon," Alex moaned, thinking he probably couldn't take looking at a mattress against the living room wall for much longer than a week.

"We can get started tomorrow, okay?"

Alex agreed, and the night ended a couple of hours later with him fast asleep, wrapped in the shelter of Fox's arms.

From their new and hopefully very temporary bed, Fox stared up at the ceiling, seeing next to nothing in the darkness.

He'd done well. He hadn't thought he'd had it in him, but goddamn, he should be considered for an Emmy. The amount of discipline he had to call up to remain calm enough to give Alex the comfort he needed was nothing short of phenomenal. And now he lay here, his heart breaking at the thought of the hell Alex had endured, and his mind screaming for revenge against those who had had the audacity to think that they could hurt him like this and get away with it.

Their time would come, he vowed silently as he tightened his arms around the slumbering man. And it would come sooner than anyone thought.


Three days later


The two men drove away from the next to the last apartment on the list, and the passenger cast a wary glance at the driver.

"Well, I guess we'd better call Crystal City."

"We can check tomorrow's paper," Fox answered, stopping to let a jogger and her dog cross the street.

"Yeah, but we agreed to see the apartment in Skinner's building if all the others on the list fell through. They have, so let's call."

"Alex, I...babe, I know you're not comfortable with that, and I refuse to do anything you don't feel right about."

"You need me to trust you, Fox," Alex argued. "*I* need me to trust you. I'm trying to do that here. I want to do it. Please, let's just call."

The car behind them beeped impatiently, drawing Fox's attention away from the twin pools of emerald green, and he drove on, clearing his throat.

"You don't need to do anything you don't want to do just to prove that you trust me, Alex."

"Finding someplace where we can start fresh is what I want," Alex replied. "Though sometimes I wonder if it's possible to do that anywhere."

"Of course it's possible," Fox insisted. "You'll see how different things will be in another place."

"I want to. We have to Fox, I...Christ, I hate that we have to sleep on a mattress in the middle of the living room because we can't sleep in the bedroom, because Scully hired some asshole to come in and...*fuck*. I hate thinking about it. And I hated lying to you, and..." He was rolling and couldn't stop. "...and I really hate that we seem unable to live a normal, happy life, and I really, really hate that I've got you tangled up in all this bullshit..."

As Alex ranted, Fox pulled onto a side street and parked.

"...We're supposed to be on our way to an ordinary, peaceful life, instead all this shit keeps happening, and I can't...I really can't blame anyone but myself, can I?" Alex asked the dashboard. "I mean," he laughed harshly, "I set the wheels in motion, you know? A long...God, such a fucking long time ago. And now, sometimes it feels like I'm screaming downhill, and there are no brakes. I'm going to end up in a twisted wreck when I finally reach the bottom, and I can't stop it. I can't stop it, Fox, I can't..."

Blindsided by the younger man's sudden meltdown, Fox could only pull Alex into his arms and hold him while they both shook violently.

"It's all right," he breathed after a considerably long time. "It'll be all right. I promise, baby. I swear. Just please hang on, okay?"

Alex clung to Fox's jacket, intermittent shudders still rattling him.

"Can we s-see the last place?" he asked.

"Are you sure?"

Alex nodded, clearly feeling pretty damn desperate after days of fruitless searching.

"All right," Fox soothed, pulling his cell phone out of his inside pocket. As he called the number in his notebook, he kept one arm around Alex, gently stroking his back. He spoke briefly with the person who answered then hung up and kissed the younger man's bowed head.

"We have an appointment tomorrow at ten."

"It's a weekday," Alex whispered hoarsely. "You have work."

"I'll get there when I get there."

"Fox..."

"I'll explain it to Skinner. He'll understand."

Alex's head ducked lower, but he said nothing.

"In the meantime, why don't we go see what we can do about lightening the load a little?"

"What d'you mean?" Alex asked, almost unheard.

Fox gave the younger man a gentle squeeze. "I'll let you throw a bunch of my stuff away. You know, get ready to move."

Alex gave a perfunctory nod and pulled himself out of his lover's arms. The moment he did that, Fox slipped a hand under his chin and lifted. When their eyes met, the older man gave him one of those smiles that always warmed the chill that had all too often invaded his body.

"Soon, Alex," he pledged. "If we have to start sleeping in a hotel until we find someplace we like, we'll be out of there. In fact," he said thoughtfully, "that's a good idea. Let's stay at a hotel tonight."

"No. No, I...there's no need to stay at a hotel."

"No need except that we're both haunted by what happened to you at the apartment. Why shouldn't we get away from it if we can?"

"You're...God, Fox, you're way too indulgent," Alex replied, letting his gaze slip back down between them.

Fox pulled Alex back to his chest, hugging him tightly.

"First of all, I don't see it as indulgence. It's a necessity. And if I was being indulgent, so what? I love you, and I'll make as much of a fuss over you as I want to."

Alex rested quietly against the older man, digesting what he'd just said. The tremors occurred at longer and longer intervals, and when they had ceased, he lifted his head and almost shyly, he kissed the other.

"No matter how crazy things get, you always manage somehow to get me back on the ground."

"Just being selfish," Fox answered. "Holding on to you keeps me sane." He returned the kiss then gently put Alex away from him as he turned back to the wheel.

"Let's go do some work, then we'll get a room, okay? I know a great place to start looking."

This time Alex put up no argument, and they drove back to the apartment, where Fox looked up the number for the St. Gregory Hotel. Tourist season in Washington wasn't yet in full swing, and he had no trouble booking a sky room. That done, Fox called Skinner to explain why he'd be late the next day, then they spent the rest of the day separating Fox's belongings into two piles. By late afternoon they'd had enough, and they packed up a few changes of clothing, and left the apartment.

Less than an hour later, Alex was standing on the balcony of their room, looking out over the city.

"Nice view," he said as he felt his lover's presence behind him.

Saying nothing, Fox wrapped his arms around the younger man and pulled him back into the warm cradle of his body.

"Reminds me a little of California," Alex mused.

"How so?" Fox asked, nuzzling the back of the younger man's head.

"The view is similar. But...mostly it's...it was in that hotel with you where I first felt like something better than what I was. First time I'd felt safety and comfort." Green eyes stared out at the lights below. "Like now."

"I want you to always feel that way."

Alex turned his head, pressing his face into the curve of his lover's neck.

"I would never have dreamed that this could be me."

Fox cupped the side of his lover's face, stroking the late-day stubble. "That what could be you? This sweet, vulnerable man, who laughs at my lame jokes, tries to make me eat right...keeps me organized..." He smiled and kissed Alex's cheekbone. "...has shown me the innumerable joys of loving and being loved..."

"I haven't shown you anything." Alex turned to face the older man. Winding his arms around Fox's neck, he fixed an adoring gaze on him. "I knew want and need, but I knew nothing of love until you taught me."

Fox chuckled softly. "I guess it was there in both of us then, and we just needed each other to bring it out."

Alex rested his forehead against Fox's and nodded.

"Okay, I guess I can go along with that."

The two stood quietly, nose to nose, stroking each other, then Fox moved in slowly and brushed Alex's mouth with his own.

"Hungry?"

Alex nodded, letting his tongue inch out far enough to graze his lover's lower lip.

"For food?"

The younger man groaned then paused, giving some thought to the question.

"I guess I could eat a little something."

Fox grinned at the other man and led him over to the bed, where he guided him down to the mattress then picked up the hotel directory.

"Okay, let's see..." As Fox perused the dinner menu, one hand reached out and began undoing the buttons on Alex's shirt. "...something light?"

Alex's gaze shifted from Fox's hand to his face, but the other's eyes never strayed from the menu.

"Yeah. Light is fine."

Fox nodded, doing that insanity-inspiring thing that he sometimes did with his lower lip as he continued to unbutton Alex's shirt.

"How about an antipasto, some warm, crusty bread and a bottle of wine?"

"Sounds good," Alex whispered, closing his eyes as Fox brushed his fingers back and forth across both nipples.

Fox picked up the phone and punched in the dining room number with one hand while the other gently caressed Alex's chest.

"Good evening. This is Mr. Mulder in room seven-ten. I'd like to order something from your light dinner menu...I'll have the antipasto for two, the Rosmary Focaccia, a bottle of white wine...whatever goes best with it...yeah, and..." He eyed Alex hungrily as his hand dropped to the younger man's pants. "...something light and creamy for dessert. Yes, thank you."

He hung up and directed his gaze to his lover, who sat quietly, eyes closed, immersed in pleasure. He swept the unbuttoned shirt over Alex's shoulders, letting it slide down his arms, then moved closer touching his lips to the younger man's jaw.

"Dinner will be up in half an hour to forty-five minutes."

Eyelashes lifting halfway, Alex nodded his acknowledgment. "What..." He cleared his throat and began again. "What do you want to do till then?"

Fox's answer came in a low, breathy sigh as he gently pushed the younger man down onto his back.

"I was thinking..." He pulled the rest of Alex's shirt away and began dropping warm kisses on his chest. "...that maybe..." He smiled at the soft moan that crept out from between the other's lips as he traced a circle around one nipple with his tongue. "...we could have a little appetizer." Capturing the nipple between his teeth, he pulled carefully then released it and looked down into almost black eyes. "Would you like that?"

Alex responded with a clipped, ragged breath as Fox's hands wandered over his upper body, lightly teasing the tingling skin. He turned his head, rubbing his face in Fox's hair as his lover's tongue moved over his shoulder, and one hand came up to pet the golden-brown strands. The long sigh he emitted brought Fox's head up, and the older man focused a sparkling green and amber gaze on him.

"Do you think you'd know me from taste alone?"

"Hmm." Alex blinked sluggishly and frowned up at the other man. "What?"

Fox licked the side of his lover's neck and then looked back down at him.

"I've memorized your taste. I think I'd know you blindfolded."

"That'd be an interesting comparison test."

Fox laughed softly at the breathy statement.

"Yeah. But this tongue will never touch another."

Alex's heart pounded with joy. And then it began to ache. The innocently stated oath of fidelity reminded him with painful clarity of each and every time since he and Fox had become lovers that he'd betrayed the older man's love.

//Don't you start. Don't you fucking dare.//

Fox watched Alex's eyes cloud over, and he knew that yet another dark emotion was battling his tormented lover for dominance. Cupping Alex's cheek in his palm, he held the sable head still and came in for a mind-numbing kiss, gradually eradicating every thought in the younger man's head but one.

Swinging a leg over Alex's hips, Fox bore down lightly, pressing their restrained erections together, and a moan of frustration rumbled in his mouth. He broke the kiss, letting his tongue dance over Alex's mouth before he spoke.

"Makes you crazy, doesn't it?" he asked, grinding his crotch against the other man's.

Whimpering, Alex nodded as he gripped Fox's ass and pushed up against him.

"Me too," Fox whispered, his breath dancing over his lover's lips. "I want so much to rip the rest of your clothes off and fuck you until you can't stand, but our food will be coming soon, and if the bell boy knocks while I'm inside you, I'll have to kill him. So, we'll just have to behave ourselves until after dinner."

Alex gritted his teeth, emitting a coarse groan as Fox returned his attention to his chest, licking and sucking at the erect nipples.

"Thought you said..." The younger man stopped in mid sentence, unable to suppress a long, sobbing moan as Fox nibbled at the hardened flesh "...said we were going to behave..."

"I did say that," Fox agreed, blowing on the nipple he'd just released from his mouth. He smiled as Alex's muscles tightened. "And we are behaving. No more clothes are coming off."

"Then why are you undoing my pants?"

"Just trying to make you a little more comfortable."

"Aren't you uncomfortable?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Fox answered, stroking Alex now through his underwear. But it wouldn't be a good thing to answer the door with my pants hanging open, so I'll have to suffer a bit longer."

For the next twenty-five minutes Fox teased Alex mercilessly, ignoring his lover's best attempts at pathetic begging and pleading. By the time the bellboy knocked at the door, the younger man lay in a quivering heap, unable to put two coherent words together.

Fox kissed Alex's perspiration-dotted brow and, promising that he'd return shortly, he rose from the bed. Smiling and raking a hand through his tousled hair, he walked to the door.

"Here's your dinner," the perky young blonde man piped as Fox opened the door, and he strolled in, wheeling the cart over to the round dining table. "Now, if there's anything else you...uh..." He'd turned to face Fox and for the first time saw the half naked man on the bed, curled around the pillow he'd pulled to his chest. "Uhhhhhhhh..."

"Need?"

"Huh?"

"If there's anything else I need?" Fox asked, finishing the young man's sentence for him.

"Yeah." Tearing his eyes away from the restless form on the bed, he looked in the general direction of the other man, for the first time noticing his half unbuttoned shirt and...

"Oh. God. Uh..."

Fox attempted to conceal his grin as the bellboy's eyes cut away from the hard-to-miss bulge at the front of his pants.

"I'll call," he assured the kid in an amused tone then motioned to the door just as a voice, soft and strained called.

"Fox..."

"Okay, baby, I'm coming."

Wide, watery blue eyes shifted from the bed to the ten-dollar bill that Fox now held in front of the young man's face. Gingerly, he reached up and took the money, nodding his thanks as he sidled past the much taller man and wobbled out into the hall.

Fox smiled and waved then closed the door, dissolving into laughter as he made his way over to the bed.

"Poor kid, I thought he was going to have a heart attack," he concluded, seating himself at the edge of the bed. Running his fingers through Alex's hair, he emitted a luxurious sigh as the younger man gravitated to his warmth, pressing himself against his thigh. "Our food is here."

The only answer he received was a soft moan.

"Come on sweetheart, we haven't eaten since breakfast." He tucked a hand under Alex's cheek and lifted the younger man's head. "You're going to need your strength."

Glittering, dark eyes lifted, meeting Fox's gaze, but Alex said nothing.

"Okay, I've got an idea," Fox purred, petting the sable head. "How about a reenactment of our first date?"

"You call that a date?" Alex asked, voice deep and husky with frustration.

"Well, you know, sort of." Fox leaned in, brushing the tip of nose over the other's. "What you don't want to?"

"I didn't say that," Alex croaked, trying to move close enough to capture Fox's mouth, but the older man quickly eluded him.

"Good. Sit up."

Alex hauled himself up and sat quietly while Fox sauntered over to his bag and dug down to the bottom, pulling out a familiar looking black silk scarf. His body remembered it well, shaking with intense arousal as Fox approached and kneeled behind him. The silk wafted down in front of his face, and Fox secured it over his eyes then nuzzled the sensitive back of his neck.

"I can feel you trembling," the older man whispered against Alex's neck, raising gooseflesh there. "I love that I can turn you on that much."

"You have no idea what you do to me," Alex answered in a breathless, barely audible tone. "It's...God, it's devastating. Overwhelming," he gasped as Fox tenderly bathed the back of his neck. "I have no control. No pride. I'll take anything you have to give me and beg for more. I can't...can't get enough of you."

Fox got to his feet and pulled the blindfolded man up, clamping his arms around him and teasing the sensitive flesh just below his jaw with his mouth.

Alex released a small whimper as Fox began to suck at the skin, marking him. His fingers clenched in the thick, golden-brown hair, holding his lover to him as he arched against the demanding mouth.

"Jesus Fox, please," he whispered, losing himself in Fox's hunger...offering himself to his god, begging to be consumed by the heat that now permeated every inch of him.

Forcing himself to release his hold on Alex's throat, Fox grasped a handful of the younger man's hair and pulled him into a deep kiss. He pulled away seconds later and led the whimpering man to the table.

"Sit down, baby," he purred. "Let's have our dinner."

Alex sank into the chair Fox had stood him in front of, and he sighed softly as the older man moved behind him, gently stroking his hair.

"This looks good," Fox commented as he lifted the large, silver lid off of the antipasto with one hand as the other continued to stroke the younger man. He plucked a black olive from the pile and rubbed it over Alex's top lip before pushing it into his slightly parted mouth. As Alex ate his offering, he moved away to open the bottle of wine.

A soft clink and the sound of gurgling, fizzing liquid met Alex's ears, and then a smooth, chilled glass was being brought to his lips. The cooling liquid trickled down his throat as he took a small sip. Fox's lips followed, teasing for only a moment before his tongue pushed another bit of food into Alex's mouth.

So erotic. Such a sensuous, loving thing.

Alex's erection pounded rhythmically, hardening to a painful degree as he shared the morsel with Fox. The older man broke off a piece of bread, feeding it to him in the same manner then gave him another sip of wine.

"Good?"

Alex nodded, licking the residual moisture away from his mouth.

Fox rounded the chair, pushing a hand between Alex's knees and parting his legs so that he could kneel between them. The hand traveled slowly up the younger man's thigh as Fox ate a little of the salad. He smiled, watching as Alex slumped in his chair, arching his hips.

"Is this what you want?" he asked, letting his hand glide over Alex's crotch.

The younger man groaned, pushing up against the gentle warmth.

"Soon, baby." Fox removed his hand and continued to feed himself and Alex until the younger man would eat no more. Putting the fork down, he poured another glass of wine and held it to Alex's lips. Alex accepted the offering, taking a healthy sip as Fox observed hungrily, watching the slide of those incredible lips on the glass and imagined them wrapped around his cock. He pulled the flute away from his lover's mouth and downed the rest of the wine then again picked up the bottle.

Alex listened to the clink of glass and the gurgle of liquid, and he knew that Fox was pouring more wine. The flute was pressed into his hand, and he was allowed to drink on his own as Fox worked his pants down and off.

Hands, gentle, soft, grazed the skin of his chest and belly, skimming down over his thighs and coming close to but avoiding his twitching cock.

"You know what I want to do?" Fox asked, finally brushing the backs of his fingers over the base of his lover's erection. "I want to go sit out on the balcony."

Alex put the half-empty glass down on the table and paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"You...you do?"

"Mmm hmm. I thought it might be nice to have our desert out there."

Alex's mouth moved as if he intended to speak, but no sound would come out.

"Baby?" Fox called. "Do you not want to?"

"No, I...if that's what you want."

Fox smirked, realizing that Alex wasn't quite with the program. He rose to his feet and took the younger man's hand, pulling him.

"Come with me."

Alex's head turned back to the place he'd just left then he faced forward in Fox's general direction.

"Like this?"

Fox chuckled softly, opening the glass door, and he guided Alex down into one of the two chairs. The younger man sucked in a breath as a slippery coolness touched his chest.

"Baby," Fox whispered, smearing the Panna Cotta over one nipple. "You're my dessert."

Alex tried to laugh but it came out more as a gasp as the older man's tongue slid through the creamy sweetness. He attempted to relax and enjoy the older man's attentions, but his cock pounded insistently, and when Fox's mouth closed over one nipple and began to suck voraciously, his body stiffened, and he broke into a sweat despite the chilly night air.

"Fox..."

He was going to come, he knew he was, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Fox knew it as well, and as he wasn't yet ready to put an end to such sweet torture, he pulled away, listening to his lover's soft whimper of protest.

"Easy," he whispered then leaned in to gently lick away the remainder of the dessert.

Alex endured the continued torture for what seemed like an eternity. When Fox had finally removed all traces of the Italian confection and pulled back, he began to shiver and moan.

Entranced, Fox touched the tiny, rising bumps on his lover's skin then rose to his feet, undoing his pants.

Alex heard the soft grind of Fox's zipper, and he sucked in his breath, waiting. He listened to the rustle of material, and then Fox was lifting him out of his seat and asking him to step forward.

"Now, reach out," the older man instructed. "The rail is in front of you."

Alex reached out and leaned forward, his hands coming in contact with the smooth, cool metal of the railing. He sighed softly as Fox caressed his back and ass, lingering on the rounded muscles. The hands left him, he heard more movement, then Fox was leaning slightly against him, kissing and licking his back.

"You're so damn beautiful," Fox rasped, his words and the stiff breeze that had kicked up sending an intense shudder through the younger man. He slipped a condom over Alex's cock, then his own, lubed them both, then reached up and pulled the blindfold away from the other's eyes. Alex blinked to clear his vision, and he looked out at the lights of the city.

"We're n-not that far...far up," Alex stammered as he felt the tip of Fox's erection brush the crevice of his rear. "Someone could be watching."

Fox looked up, his eyes scanning all that they could see.

"Someone could be."

"It doesn't..." Alex sucked in a harsh breath as the tip of his lover's cock penetrated him. "...oh, God...doesn't bother you?"

"The thought is actually a bit of a turn on," Fox answered, rubbing his stubbled cheek over the younger man's shoulder then gently biting into the flesh as he slowly thrust forward.

Alex's eyes rolled up into his head as his lashes dropped down over them, and he groaned softly as his lover filled him completely.

"But if it bothers you, we can go in."

Was he kidding?

Alex was here, in a plush hotel in the heart of Washington, standing naked on a balcony with the cock of the man he loved more than life up his ass. What the fuck did he care if anyone was watching them?

//Enjoy the show, Washington. Get your collective rocks off; you're not likely to see anything prettier than this any time soon.//

"No," he gasped, pushing back against his lover. "Fuck me, Fox. Please, I want you so much."

Fox wrapped an arm around Alex's waist as the other hand gripped his shoulder.

"Okay, baby. Hang on."

Alex's grip on the railing tightened as Fox withdrew then plunged back in, drawing a sharp, rapturous cry from them both. He spread his legs wider, wanting to give Fox all the access he could, and the older man took full advantage, pushing himself a little deeper. He forced himself to open his eyes, and he stared out at the lights, watching as they blurred and merged as Fox managed to hit his prostate.

Fox grinned at the coarse growl that rolled in his lover's throat, and though he was himself teetering on the edge of total meltdown, he held himself in check and uncoiled his arm from around Alex's waist to grasp his cock.

The growling grew louder as Fox began to stroke Alex's cock, and without ever realizing it, he began a loud whining that quickly turned to a wail as Fox initiated a forceful rhythm.

"I think they'll hear us long before they see us," Fox panted, gritting his teeth as he felt the telltale tightening of his body. "C'mon, Alex," he grated, slamming harder into the younger man as his hand jerked his cock almost brutally. "Come for me. Let them hear you down on the ground."

If the wind was right, they'd probably hear him down at the Lincoln Memorial.

Alex tipped his head back and let loose a cry so loud, so feral, the shock of it rumbled through Fox, taking him screaming with his lover over the edge. The older man shuddered violently then collapsed over his back, too spent to move a muscle for a full minute. Finally, Fox lifted himself, moaning at the exertion, and pulled away, ridding himself of his condom.

"Baby," he called softly, wrapping an arm around Alex's chest and pulling him away from the railing. "Come on, let's get inside. It's going to get cold now."

Fox was right. They had both been so aroused that the chill wind had felt good against their heated skin, but now that they were both coming down off of the incredible high, they'd begun to shiver.

Alex lay his head on his lover's shoulder and allowed himself to be led back into the warm room, where Fox stripped him of his condom, washed them both, then fell into bed, dragging Alex down with him. Some twenty minutes later, an urgent knocking sounded at the door.

Fox lifted his head, growling at the intrusion on his much loved quiet time with Alex after they'd made love. Incurring a grumble of protest from his dozing lover, he apologized softly and dragged himself out of bed, moving toward the door.

"Who is it?" he called, clearly irritated.

"I'm sorry to disturb you sir, but we're checking on all of the guests. Would you open your door for just a minute please?"

Fox sighed, looking around for something to throw on.

"Yeah, wait a...shit. Wait a minute."

He retrieved his pants from where he'd left them on the balcony and trudged back into the room, putting the garment on as he walked. Zipping but not bothering to button the pants, he unlocked and opened the door.

"Why are you checking on the guests?" he asked, immediately interrogating the man at the door.

"I'm sorry, sir." The man at the door flashed a badge. "Hotel security. Screams were heard coming from the hotel, or at least that's what the caller insisted. So, we're checking on all the guests to make sure everything is all right."

Fox closed his eyes, willing himself not to smile.

"Yeah, everything's...we're fine."

The man tilted his head slightly to one side and looked past Fox and into the room. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

Seeing the man's uncertain expression, Fox reached into his back pocket, pulling his wallet out and flashing his own badge.

//Paper covers rock, Kojak.//

"Special Agent Mulder, FBI. If you do find a problem elsewhere in the hotel, please inform me."

"Yes, sir. I'll...do that. Thank you, and I'm sorry for disturbing you."

Fox nodded, and the man was gone, leaving him standing alone in the doorway. Yawning, he backed away and closed the door then returned to the bed. He slipped out of his pants and crawled back into bed, where Alex immediately found and reclaimed his warmth. Purring contentedly, the younger man curled into his arms and dropped back into a deep sleep without missing a beat.

Chuckling softly to himself, Fox supposed he could wait until morning to tell Alex about the trouble they'd caused. He closed his eyes and quickly followed his lover into the depths of satisfied slumber.

********************

"...and the closet space is most generous," the apartment manager commented, sliding open the first of the master bedroom's two closets. "The other is identical."

Fox peered inside and looked to Alex, motioning him forward.

"He's right, it's huge. I think we'd be able to fit our clothes in there without a struggle, huh?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded then smiled at his lover. "The bathroom is really nice, too. And the kitchen."

"You like it more than you hoped you would, don't you?" Fox asked gently, reading Alex's thoughts.

Alex emitted a soft, breathy laugh. "I guess I do."

"So, what d'you think?"

Alex shrugged. "What do *you* think?"

Fox shook his head. "Nope. This is up to you. It's a really nice place, I like it, but aesthetics aren't what's important here. It's a matter of your comfort."

"I like it too."

"But can you live in it?"

Alex looked around the bedroom then back to Fox.

"Yes."

Fox studied his lover's face for a few seconds before turning to the manager.

"Would you mind giving us a few minutes please?"

"Sure. I'll be in the kitchen."

When the man was gone, Fox walked over to Alex and draped his arms around the other's waist. Alex's hands came up to rest on his biceps, and he looked into steady, hazel eyes.

"Alex, don't tell me yes if you have even the tiniest misgiving about this place."

"I'm not going to lie and tell you that I don't feel a little trepidation," Alex answered. "But I can live with it. This is the best place we've seen by far, and truthfully, I don't want to go back to your apartment. And I don't want to stay indefinitely in that hotel room, nice as it is. I want a place to live. Someplace we can call ours, even if it is rented. I want someplace with rooms. Some place with more furniture than a bed and a mini bar...where I can make you dinner rather than have it brought up by room service."

"The place where a man you're none too crazy about lives only a few floors above."

"Fox, I believe you when you tell me that Skinner means us no harm. I'm okay with it."

"Baby, are you sure?"

Alex looked the concerned man right in the eyes.

"I'm positive."

Fox planted a tender kiss on the younger man's lips then hugged him to his chest.

"Okay. Let's take it."

The two men left the bedroom and found the manager in the kitchen, talking on his cell phone. They waited patiently while he finished his call, then he turned to them, smiling.

"So. You come to any decisions?"

"We'll take it."

"Very good. There's some paperwork to be done, referrals and all that..."

"No problem. Actually, one of your tenants is my boss."

"Oh, yeah? Who's that?"

"Walter Skinner."

"The Assistant Director with the FBI?"

"Right."

"Excellent. I'll speak to him this evening, then."

Fox nodded, taking the rental agreement from the other man, and the application.

"I'll just leave you alone to fill that out. I've got some things to take care of, and I'll be back in about half an hour or so?"

"Fine." Fox shook the man's outstretched hand, then Alex.

When the manager had left, the two men stood at the counter, filling out the application. They finished long before the other man returned and decided to have another look around the place. As they stood in the spare bedroom debating over its possible uses, another presence made itself known.

"Agent Mulder."

Both men stopped talking and turned in the direction of the voice to find Skinner standing in the doorway.

"What are you," Fox began, surprised to see the A.D. "Why aren't you at work this time of the day?"

Skinner shrugged. "I had nothing pressing this morning, so I thought I'd come over and see how you liked the place." His gaze shifted and rested and the third man. "How're you doing, Krycek?"

"Fine," Alex answered, his response barely audible as he inched closer to Fox, leaning into his warmth.

Skinner nodded but said nothing more to the younger man. He watched Fox slide an arm around Alex's waist and pull him closer, brushing a soft kiss into his hair, and he cleared his throat, looking away for a moment before returning his attention to the couple.

"I ran into the manager at the elevator downstairs. He said you wanted the apartment. I answered a few questions for him."

"Thanks," Fox replied. "Yeah, it's the best apartment we've seen by far."

"I think you'll like it here. The building is kept in excellent repair, and if you do need maintenance, they're very efficient."

"Good to know."

Quiet up till now, Alex decided to speak.

"What are the neighbors like?"

Skinner looked to the younger man, surprised that he was addressing him.

"The neighbors?"

"Yeah. Management obviously isn't discriminatory, which is part of what made me feel good about the place, but what about the neighbors?"

Skinner shook his head and shrugged.

"I really...I don't know. Everyone is pretty quiet and seems to mind their business. I mean, they're pleasant enough and say hello if you pass them in the building, but I'm not on friendlier terms than that with any of them, so I can't really answer that for you."

Alex nodded then retreated back into silence.

"So. Uh...Agent Mulder, when you're finished here, will you be coming into the office?"

"Yeah, I will be. I've got a few things that should get done today. I should get in sometime after lunch, and I do need to see you for a minute."

"All right, then. I'll be in my office for the rest of the day."

Hand in hand, the two men accompanied Skinner to the door, running into the apartment manager as the A.D. stepped into the hall.

"Leaving so soon, Mr. Skinner?"

"Yeah, I just stopped by to see how they liked the place."

The man nodded and took the application that Fox held out to him.

"This stuff is just a formality, really," he said, holding up the papers. "I have every intention of making sure that your friends here are approved."

"Thank you."

"No problem," the manager replied, giving Fox a friendly smile. "If you're okay with the Assistant Director, you're okay with me. You'll like it here. It's a good building. Clean. No trouble. Well, except for a that incident a few years ago, but it was just and accident."

"Incident?"

"Yeah, well, some guy fell off a balcony."

All three men stared blankly, saying nothing for a moment, then Fox gathered his composure and spoke.

"Really."

"Oh, yeah. It was just an accident, like I said, but some nut called the police saying that somebody hanging off a balcony...Mr. Skinner's balcony in fact, threw somebody else off." The man let out a hearty laugh. "Can you imagine that? How insane would somebody have to be to hang off a balcony that far up, and jerk another guy over the rail?"

Silence.

"Anyway, as far as I know, nobody ever figured out what the guy was doing here, or whose balcony he actually fell from. It happened in the daytime while just about everybody was at work, so...sounded more like a suicide to me, but what do I know, huh? So, since then security has been beefed up, and there hasn't been a single problem since." He looked to each of the men. "Hey, I hope I didn't just make you change your minds about the place. My wife always tells me I don't know when to shut up."

"No," Fox answered, lightly squeezing Alex's hand. "Things like that happen everywhere, right? You wouldn't believe some of the stuff that's gone on in my building."

Unseen, Skinner raised and lowered his eyebrows in confirmation.

"Okay, good. Well, it should just take a day or two to process this, and then I'll be in touch, okay?"

"Great."

The four men walked into the hall, the manager locking the door behind them, and with a round of cordial good-byes, they went their separate ways.

"Well," Fox said as he and Alex walked to their car, "I guess we can start packing. He seemed pretty gung-ho about us getting in there."

"Yeah."

"I almost fell over when he started talking about the balcony incident."

"I know," Alex said softly. "I didn't know which way to look."

"Well, you looked a lot cooler than Skinner or I."

"How anxious do you think he'd be to have us as his tenants if he knew that I was the one hanging off Skinner's balcony, and it was me who threw that man off?"

"No more anxious than if he knew that I was at the center of all the stuff that went on in my building."

They reached the car and, approaching the passenger's side door first, Fox unlocked and opened it for Alex. When the younger man was seated inside, he shut the door and walked around to the driver's side.

"We're going to need to get some big boxes," Alex commented as the older man slid into his seat.

"Yeah. They usually have a bunch of them sitting outside of the supermarket. We can stop there and see after we have some lunch."

"You're supposed to go back to work after lunch."

"The market's on the way. It won't take much more time."

The two had a quick lunch then drove by the market only a few blocks from Fox's building and picked up as many boxes as they could fit into the car.

Leaving Alex at the apartment with the promise that he'd return as soon as he could, Fox traveled back to the Hoover Building and headed straight for Skinner's office.

The pleasant redhead looked up from behind her desk and smiled at Fox as he walked into the outer office.

"Good afternoon, Agent Mulder."

"Hey, Kim. Is he free?"

"At the moment he's in with..."

Before the secretary could finish her sentence, the door opened, and Scully walked out, followed by Skinner. She stopped in her tracks, staring for a moment at her former partner.

"What're you doing here?"

The secretary looked from one Agent to the other, shocked at the cold as steel tone in the male's voice.

"You'll be happy to know," Scully stated softly, "that I'm transferring to the lab."

"So, I still have to deal with you once in a while?"

"Uh, Agents, this is no place to do this," Skinner interrupted, noting the look of stunned curiosity on his secretary's face.

Fox cut the woman one last venomous look then turned and headed into the A.D.'s office without another word. The door closed behind the men, and Scully stood quietly seething for a seconds before spinning and stalking out into the hall, slamming the outer office door as she did.

Kimberly sat motionless for a number of seconds, trying to absorb what she'd just seen and heard, then, glancing quickly at the A.D.'s door, she picked up the phone and pressed three buttons.

"...Hey, Dawn? This is Kim. You got a second? You're not going to believe what just happened over here..."

********************

Skinner took his seat, folding his hands on top of his desk, and eyed his lone agent.

So strange to think that Mulder would never be sitting here again with Scully in the chair next to him, trying to make scientific sense of the reports he'd filed.

Well, she'd brought it on herself he'd supposed, but still, he couldn't help feel just a bit uneasy about it. He was not a man who took well to change. But on the other hand he could certainly understand Mulder's unwillingness to deal with her any further. He wasn't especially thrilled with her either after what she'd done to Mulder.

And, God, to Krycek.

Skinner had spent many an hour since that day, reliving those few minutes he'd spent at Scully's apartment, trying to keep the devastated man from killing her.

The excruciating pain in his voice. The wild, tortured look in those beautiful eyes...

"Sir?"

Skinner blinked, shaking himself back into the present.

"Sorry. What did you want to see me about?"

"First, thank you for the putting a word in for us with Mr. Jergen."

Skinner nodded and waited.

"Second...I didn't ask you that day, I was...I was too concerned with Alex to think about anything else, but...you were still there at Scully's when we left."

"Yes."

"What happened? Did she talk to you? Did she say why she'd do such a hateful thing?"

Skinner shook his head.

"She said that she didn't send the pictures. That the men she'd brought here had to have taken their own and sent them."

"So, you know basically what happened."

"Yes."

"I'm surprised she told you so much. You said she brought those men here. Brought them here from where?"

"You don't know?"

"No. But I need to."

"Why?"

"So I can find them."

"Mulder...you don't need to."

"I do. I can't let them slither into the wood work and never pay for what they did."

The tone of his voice. The look in his eyes was colder and more frightening than Skinner had ever seen.

"Mulder, let it drop. Take care of Krycek and forget all about those men."

Fox sprang from his chair and glared down at the older man.

"Could you?"

No answer.

"Could you? If someone had done to someone you love what these fuckers did to Alex, could you let it go?"

Skinner bowed his head for a moment then looked up, but not directly at his agent.

"No."

"No," Fox repeated. "Then how can you ask me to? Please, Walt. If you know anything. Please tell me."

//What're you going to do?//

Skinner heaved a long sigh before speaking.

"Sit down."

Fox took his seat and waited.

"They're from California. Krycek knew at least one of them. The one who...who actually..."

Fox shook his head in confusion. "He said he didn't recognize the guy."

"Maybe he didn't. He knew him as a...a customer. I would assume that a good many of them were just faceless strangers to him. But I'm a little surprised that he didn't remember this one. He'd left the bastard with a permanent limp for some reason or other, and the man wanted revenge. I don't know the details of how Scully found this particular person, but as far as I know, he's no longer here. I would assume he's gone back to California."

Fox looked at the A.D., confusion wrinkling his brow.

"She told you all this?"

"Some of it."

"Some of it? What about the rest?"

"...He told me."

"He. Alex?"

"No. The man who did it."

Fox stared silently, for the moment unable to process what Skinner was telling him. Then...

Slowly rising from his chair, Fox leaned over the A.D.'s desk. Their faces now inches apart, his eyes burned into the other man's.

"You saw this guy? You..." His frown grew deeper. "You knew what he did to Alex?"

"...Yes."

"When did you know?"

//No turning back now.//

"The night it happened."

Kimberly nearly jumped out of her skin as a deafening ruckus began in the A.D.'s office. She rose from her chair and moved on shaking legs to the door, listening.

"That was over a fucking month ago!" Fox roared at the seated man. "Why didn't you say anything to me? Why did you let Alex suffer with this all this time?"

"I'm sorry, Mulder, I truly am. I should have told you, I should have, but I couldn't without..."

"Without what?"

A soft knocking started, drawing both men's attention to the door.

"A.D. Skinner, are you all right?"

Skinner sighed softly, running a hand over the top of his head and swiping away the fine sheen of perspiration that had formed there.

"I'm fine, Kim." He looked to his infuriated agent. "I know you're upset, Mulder, but try and keep your voice down."

"Oh, you think I'm upset?" Fox shouted, ignoring his boss's direction. "What the fuck makes you think I'm upset!?" His voice suddenly lowered, but not for the sake of the secretary outside. "You couldn't tell me without what?"

"Mulder, this really isn't the place to do this."

The younger man glared icy hot daggers at him.

"How much worse is it?"

"Let's go down to your office."

"The basement?" Fox asked, barely maintaining his cool. "I guess you expect a whole lot more yelling."

"Mulder, please. Let's just go downstairs, and I'll tell you everything."

The secretary jumped back from the door as it opened, and a wild-eyed Agent Mulder stalked out, followed by her boss. Skinner held a hand up, giving her a look meant to reassure as he followed the other out of the office, but all Kimberly could feel as she fell bonelessly into her chair was terror. She'd never seen Agent Mulder like that before, and she was damn sure she'd never want to see him that way again.

"What do I do?" she asked herself softly, as she wrung her hands nervously.

Not knowing the answer, she sat and waited, and prayed that Skinner would be able to diffuse Mulder before he really exploded.

********************

Go to Part 13

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