Admission XI
Perfect
Part 2

By Aries

"Call us when you get back."

"We will," Alex called as Margaret Scully made her way to her daughter's car. Scully hung back to talk to the men for a moment.

"You're going to be fine, Alex," Scully encouraged, reaching up for a hug. "Just tell it like it is. However they react, you'll be able to live with it. Because you will have told them the truth."

Head down, Alex nodded.

"You," she said, now looking at her partner. "You all done with your tantrum?"

Fox glared at her.

"I'm kidding, Mulder, lighten up. All the yelling and fussing you guys did earlier was meaningless." She motioned to the two men. "This is what matters...he needed you," she said, her gaze flicking over at Alex, "and in a heartbeat, all the drama was forgotten, and you were right there." Scully smiled and shook her head. "Just when I think you two can't get any more obnoxiously sweet..."

Fox laughed softly. "Gee, thanks, Scully. By the way, don't forget you're watching Clyde."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll come here straight from work tomorrow."

The men said goodbye to the best friend they would ever have, and turned hand in hand to face Alex's cousins.

"It's not getting any earlier," Victor commented, his expression unreadable as the other two men moved toward the sofa.

"We're aware of that," Fox said, sending the other man a warning look even as he took his place beside Alex and again held the younger man's hand. There were a few moments of silence then Alex took an audible breath and looked around at the three, his gaze coming to rest on Fox.

"I'm trying to figure out the quickest way to say all this and still be thorough."

"Just talk, Alex. Don't worry about the clock."

"Fox is right," Maria said, trying to reassure her cousin. "Just ignore Vic's scowling and do this however you're most comfortable." She and Victor exchanged sneering looks, and then everyone settled down, waiting for Alex to speak. When he finally did begin, both cousins sat listening, alternately mesmerized, stunned and confused at the story that was being laid out before them. When Alex reached the end some three hours later, a palpable silence descended on the room. Long minutes later, Victor spoke up.

"Assuming this is all true," he said to Fox, "you've got to be either the most forgiving man in the world, or you're as deranged as he is. I mean, after all he's supposedly done, how can you sit there and tell us you love him? How can you own a home with him? Live together like a normal, everyday, suburban couple? And tell me this. Do you sleep with one eye open? I think I would knowing that something like what he's just described himself as was lying not more than six inches away from me."

Alex sat with his head down, not saying a word. Fox slipped an arm around his shoulders and kissed the side of his head before turning a blank stare on Victor.

"You love who you love."

"And you fell in love with a thug. A thief, a liar...Jesus, a killer."

"I fought my feelings for a long, long time. I reminded myself on a constant basis about who he was and the things he'd done. I beat the hell out of him almost every time I saw him to prove my hatred...to him and to myself. I tried to believe it. I tried so hard. My heart, and if I'm going to be completely honest, my body, weren't having it. And that night I found him in my apartment..." Fox shrugged. "Not that I didn't fight it as best I could, but I was so tired of fighting. I let go for the first time. I surrendered my body, and not much later I found, my heart to him, and that was it. It was over. I was hooked."

"So, let's just forget all his treachery and deceit because the sex was good?"

"You haven't been listening," Fox deadpanned. "The sex was mindblowing. But I believe I said that there was more going on between us. We talked. And I started to see that there was a whole lot more to him than I'd ever imagined. And, coincidentally, I'd found that there was more to me. I'd found a human being with human needs. I'd felt nothing but the need to chase aliens and my lost sister for so long that I'd forgotten that there were other things in life. Together we discovered more. And more. The obstacles were high, and the road was long and really twisted, but we made it. We're here. And not to get all Jerry Maguire on you, but...Alex completes me. He's the other half of me. Everything without him is pointless. If I had lost him last year, it all would have been over. Done."

Maria remained silent, trying to take in everything she's just been told, but Victor had more to say.

"I'm not completely insensitive to what you've been through, Alex, in case you think I am. I'm not quite the asshole you and Maria always thought I was. But I am...opinionated I guess you might say. My opinion is that when we were kids, you were spoiled. Indulged far too much by our grandmother, and now here you've got someone else wrapped around your little finger. It's unfortunate what happened to you. I'm sorry that it did. But have you ever thought that in a way it was your punishment for all the hell you'd put..."

Fox felt Alex slump against the back cushion of the sofa, and in an instant he was on the edge of his seat, glaring at Victor.

"Did you forget what I told you before we started this conversation?"

"I'm not giving him any crap," Victor insisted. "I'm asking seriously if he'd really imagined that he would come away clean from all that he'd done. Some how, some way we all end up paying for our wrongdoing."

Fox opened his mouth to rebut, but Alex's voice, soft and almost emotionless stopped him.

"You're right, Victor. But I've done my penance...a hundred times over. Don't know if that's enough. Don't know if it'll ever be enough. I've asked myself a million times how my life turned out this way. I'm no closer to figuring it out now than I was four years ago. But I don't dwell on it like I used to." Alex's eyes went from his cousin to his lover. "However it happened, this is my life. I'm more grateful than I can say for it, and I will not apologize for being lucky enough to have it."

Alex pushed himself to the edge of the sofa to be closer to Fox. Reaching out for the older man's hand, he pulled him into his arms. "We're getting married," he murmured, keeping his eyes on Fox's, willing the other man to see into his heart and know absolutely that it was what he wanted.

A tiny smile formed, and Fox leaned in, brushing Alex's mouth with his own. Without hesitation, Alex drew him into a deep kiss, and for several seconds, they forgot that Victor and Maria where sitting not more than six feet away.

It was Fox who finally broke the kiss, laying his head on his lover's shoulder.

"I'm really sorry about earlier."

"And I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. It didn't help matters any."

Hugging Fox tightly to him, Alex turned his eyes to his cousins.

"I know that in the last couple of hours you've probably heard more than you'll be able to process in a month. But...you're invited to our wedding. We'd like you to be there. If you don't want to go, we'll understand."

Silence.

Alex released Fox from his embrace but kept one arm around the older man's waist.

"Maria?"

Russet eyes swirling with dozens of emotions, not the least of which was profound confusion, Maria looked up at Alex.

"I can't...I...I don't know what to say to you."

Lowering his head, Alex nodded. "Not a whole lot to say, I guess."

"I'm sorry," Maria breathed softly.

Alex began to tell her not to apologize when Victor broke in.

"What are you sorry about? Alex made all his own choices. He should be rotting in some prison somewhere or long dead. Instead he's had the incredible luck to fall into this," he said, waving a hand through the air. I'd say sympathy is the last thing he needs."

More silence.

"It's getting late," he announced. "I think it's time we left." Victor rose to his feet. "Sorry we barged in on your party."

Alex shook his head, unable to say anything.

Maria got up slowly and met Alex's gaze for a few brief difficult seconds before looking away.

"Have a...a uh...a nice weekend in Vermont. Thank you for dinner and for not kicking us out when we showed up on your doorstep."

"You'll always be welcome," Fox informed her.

"Thank you. I...oh, God, I feel terrible."

"Why?" Fox asked.

"It's been so many years since we've seen Alex, and I...God, I was so happy, and now I...you told me it wasn't pretty but I never expected to hear..." Maria turned misty eyes up to the two men. "I need some time to take it all in. I'm sorry."

Victor bit back a response, but Alex could see his irritation at hearing yet another apology from Maria.

"Please, Maria. The only one here who should be sorry is me. You have every right to walk out and try to forget you ever saw me."

"No, I...I don't want to jump to any rash decisions. I just need a little time to absorb everything. I wish I could tell you for sure that I'll be able to get it all settled and to please include me as a guest at your wedding, but I can't. I can't, I..."

"Maria, let's go," Victor said in a tone that just approached compassion. "It's been a very long day. You're tired. Maybe you'll be able to think more clearly once you've had a good night's sleep."

The cousins began their trek to the door, followed by Fox and finally Alex. Fox opened the door and stood eyeing the two while Alex hovered in the background not knowing what to say in parting to the family who had so briefly re-entered his life, but whom he would now probably never see again.

"You came this far," Fox said softly. "I hope you don't let it end here."

Maria turned wide eyes from Fox to Alex, and she swallowed down the tears that threatened to spill over. A hand at her back coaxed her toward the exit.

"Come on," Victor said quietly, and her leaden feet began to move, carrying her out the door and down the steps.

"Thanks for dinner," Victor told Fox before tossing a quick look Alex's way and following Maria to the car.

Once they were both inside the vehicle, they looked to the house. Only Fox stood in the doorway, looking back. Maria bowed her head, and Victor started the rental car and drove away. Silence prevailed for a good ten minutes before Victor finally spoke.

"At least the mystery is solved. We know where he's been and what he's been doing all these years." He glanced over at his silent cousin. "You gonna say something?"

"I don't know what to say." Maria turned a pained gaze to the window. "I don't know what to feel."

"You and Alex always got along better than he and I did. It's natural that you're upset."

"Aren't you?" Maria asked. "Even a little bit?"

"I don't know that upset would be the right word. Irritated? Pissed that this trip was wasted? Yeah. One thing I'm not, though, is surprised. Well, okay, maybe a little at first. But thinking about it, it isn't any big shock that Alex turned out the way he had. There was always something off about him."

"What d'you mean, off?" Maria asked, impatience edging her tone.

"Off. Like he might snap at any minute. He always had this wild look about him. You have to admit he was a violent little shit. Always attacking me."

"You tortured him constantly," Maria reminded her cousin. "Anybody would've acted the way he if they'd been driven as crazy as you drove him. And he was no more violent than you when you come right down to it."

"I never jumped him from the top of the stairs or dropped on him from a tree."

"He was much smaller than you. It was the only way he could get the advantage. And everything you did to him, you did on the sly. You were a sneaky punk, Victor, and you didn't like Alex because Babushka loved him so much."

"That is not why I..."

"Yes, it is. It might not have been fair, but that's the way it happens sometimes, especially with the older generation. Anyway, it was ages ago. The competition is over. Get over it already."

"I was never in competition with him," Victor snorted.

"No? You think I didn't notice the look on your face when we drove up to that beautiful house? You think I didn't see the way you checked everything out inside from the carpeting to the napkins?"

"Gimme a break."

"And Fox?"

Victor cut his eyes to the right then slid his gaze back to the road.

"A beautiful home and a gorgeous man to share it with. And none of that ticks you off, does it?"

"I could have had all that," Victor sniped. "If I'd wanted it."

"I see. So, you'd rather have dozens of cheap, meaningless rolls in the hay than one great relationship with a wonderful guy?"

"Chris wasn't all that wonderful."

"No? Good looking, kind, intelligent, loyal..."

"Fine," Victor snapped. "Okay? Fine. You want to hear me say it? I was a dog, all right? I was a dog and he left me. I could have had what Alex has, and I blew it. Great. There. You happy?"

"No. I'm not happy. How could I be? You're not happy. All I want is for you not to take your anger and your shortcomings out on Alex."

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to do that. God knows he's apparently got plenty of his own. And that is the subject. Or it's supposed to be. Maria, were you listening to all the things he was saying he'd done? Holy shit."

"I heard every word. I also heard that he's turned it all around."

"You're defending him, yet you left there completely unsure about having anything more to do with him."

"Yeah." Maria sighed and watched the lights pass her window. "I'm very confused. There's not just me to consider, you know?"

"Raiza should never know someone like him. It's bad enough that her father turned out to be such an asshole...I'm glad you didn't tell Alex about her."

"Don't sound so final," Maria advised. "I'm not sure that I won't. I've got to think about it."

Victor looked shocked. "You can't be serious. Maria. Again I ask. Were listening to him?"

"Yes."

"You want your five year-old daughter to know a man like that?"

"He's family."

"I'm sure Charles Manson had family too."

"Stop."

"I'm just trying to tell you..."

"I know what you're trying to say. Whatever he was, he isn't any more."

"So he said."

"The man I met tonight seemed like a nice, normal person with a home, a stable relationship, friends...a dog..."

"And a dirty, dirty past. How close do you want to be if that past ever catches up to him? How close do you want Raiza to be?"

Maria turned back to the window and closed her eyes.

"I don't know."

Alex drifted quietly into the bedroom. Slowly unbuttoning his shirt, he moved to the window and looked down into the dark yard.

Already in bed, Fox dropped the case file he'd been reading in his lap and watched the younger man. Removing his glasses, he called Alex's name softly.

"I got so busy today, I forgot to fill the feeders," Alex said, not really acknowledging his lover's subtle petition. "Remind me in the morning before we leave."

"Alex, Maria will be back. I'm not so sure about Victor, but Maria wants you in her life."

Alex lowered his head. "She was pretty freaked out when she left."

"Yeah, but she just needs time to put it all in perspective. She seems like a bright, fair-minded woman."

"Bright and fair-minded only goes so far."

"Then how do you explain me being here?"

Alex looked from the window to his lover.

"You're crazy."

Both men smiled then broke into soft laughter at the comment. The smile faded from Alex's face first, then Fox's.

"Baby, come to bed."

Alex looked out the window once more then let out a sigh as he removed his shirt and draped it over the back of the chair. Fox watched silently as he deftly undid his pants then slid them off and folded them, neatly placing them beside the shirt. Black socks joined the clothing on the chair, and now he was clad only in a pair of black silk boxers. Crossing over to his side, he slipped under the sheet and sat beside his lover. Not looking at Fox, he plucked idly at the sheet pooled between his legs.

"Things are never boring for long around here, are they?"

"Nope."

Alex let his head drop to the side, resting it on Fox's shoulder.

"D'you really think she'll be back?"

"I really do," Fox said, kissing the top of the sable head.

"And not that I should care...he's still such an asshole, but I think I'd still like to try and see if Victor and I could be friends too."

Fox shook with laughter. "Even after you were ready to brawl with him in the front yard?"

"I'm probably just asking for trouble, right?"

Fox shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe if you cold-cocked him once, he'd stop being such a shit."

"Mmm...Fox, why do you think he did it? Really?"

"What? Oh. You mean Cancer Man? Not exactly sure. Did he do this to be nice? To stir up a hornet's nest? Probably a little of both. Wouldn't be the first time he's done something for us. He cleaned up that mess for us in Connecticut...he even sent you flowers, the sick bastard. And he never asked for anything in return. Maybe he figured this time around he was entitled to a little amusement."

Alex grunted in response.

"Speaking of being amused," Fox murmured, nuzzling his lover's hair.

A lazy smile curled Alex's lips. "Yes?"

"What d'you say you and I amuse each other?"

"It's late," Alex answered on a soft moan as Fox tilted his head up and skimmed his bottom lip with his tongue. "We gotta get up early."

"So, we'll make it fast. It isn't like we're not already halfway there."

"Halfway..."

Fox took Alex's hand and placed it over the bulge in his underwear.

"Okay, so you're halfway there."

"And you're not, huh?"

"Nope."

Fox reached into Alex's lap, rubbing his hand over his partially erect cock.

"Ohhh, nooo."

Slouching against the pillows, Alex closed his eyes and moaned softly as Fox continued to massage him through his underwear.

"Feel good, baby?" Fox asked against Alex's ear before his tongue snuck inside.

Alex shivered at the sensation and nodded mutely. Seconds later Fox's mouth left his ear and slanted across his jaw, moving to his lips. Alex opened to him willingly, sliding his fingers through the silky golden-brown hair and holding Fox to him.

And as quickly as that everything else just left his mind. No Victor, no Maria. Even their trip to Vermont and its purpose was forgotten as he gave himself up to the heat of his lover's kiss, and the magic being worked on his rapidly filling cock. He moaned in protest as Fox broke away from his mouth, but lust quickly replaced frustration as the older man's head moved lower. His head pressed deeper into the pillows, and he arched his throat, making to Fox an offering, which the other man couldn't pass up.

Growling softly, Fox licked an erratic path along the stubbled surface, stopping from time to time to suck gently at the fragile skin. Below him Alex writhed and whimpered, fingers digging into his back, urging him on. Involuntarily, the hand on Alex's silk-covered cock squeezed tightly, and the younger man bucked hard into it, grinding out Fox's name between clenched teeth.

His lover's rough plea went through Fox like a bolt of lightning, zig zagging, igniting a flame everywhere it hit, and he couldn't help himself. Hand still on Alex's cock, he tangled the other in the younger man's hair and held his head immobile while his teeth clamped down on the sensitive base of his throat. His mouth sealed over the area, sucking voraciously, and Alex released a wild cry as exquisite pain lanced through him. Instinctively he tried to pull away, but Fox's grip only allowed him a few centimeters of movement. Tightening his hold further, the older man bit more deeply into his lover's flesh, stopping just shy of breaking the skin.

The darkness behind Alex's closed eyes flared a bright red, and a loud, grating sound rolled deep in his throat even as his hips rolled upward, pressing his cock harder against Fox's busy hand. A few more seconds of this, and there would be no stopping the explosion he felt building. As if Fox had heard his thoughts, the pressure on both his throat and his cock subsided, and his weighted lids lifted, lashes fluttering sluggishly. When he was finally able to focus, he found himself looking up into a turbulent mix of brilliant green and gold. Before he could determine Fox's intent, the older man dragged his hand up to the band of his silk underwear and pulled. Quickly, Alex lifted his hips in assistance, and seconds later he was naked and squirming under his lover's searing gaze.

"Fox..."

A tiny smirk touched Fox's lips as he reared up on his knees and slid his own underwear down and off. Still kneeling, he stared down at the younger man while his fingers traced the fine line of hair that began at his navel and plunged into the thatch of dark curls at his groin. "Get the lube," he whispered while his hand slipped lower and finally brushed over the length of his erection.

Moistening dry lips with the tip of his tongue, Alex reached for the nightstand drawer and yanked it open. Without taking his eyes off of Fox, who was now slowly pumping his cock, Alex groped around for and found the lube.

"Put some on yourself."

Alex obeyed without delay, removing the cap and squeezing some of the contents into the palm of his hand. His eyes flicking from Fox's face to his groin, he wrapped his hand around his own cock and very slowly and carefully applied the lube. The moment he was finished, he began to take his hand away, but a low, breathy command from Fox stopped him.

"No. Don't stop." Fox stared down into half-closed eyes. "Touch yourself for me, Alexei. I want to watch you."

Shuddering lightly, Alex replaced his hand and gave Fox what he wanted.

"Beautiful," Fox moaned, watching how Alex writhed and whimpered at his own touch. "Jesus, so fucking beautiful." He released his own cock and swung one leg over the younger man, now straddling his hips. "Put your dick in me baby, and let me ride you."

Alex grunted out loud, and he followed the coarse order, directing his cock to the cleft of Fox's ass. With a little help from the older man, he found his goal, teasing the small opening for only a scant few seconds before beginning to push into it.

Jaw clenching convulsively, Fox sank down, meeting Alex halfway. When the connection was complete, both men stilled, panting heavily. It wasn't long before Fox began to move, though, lifting and lowering himself. He moaned softly, loving the silky glide of his lover's cock within him.

So good. God, it felt so good to have Alex inside him that he'd often wondered how he was able to get through those nights he had to spend away from home on some stupid case. Making love with Alex was one of the few truly perfect things in his world. So real and purely honest, and as necessary to him as his next breath. And so. Fucking. Good.

"Christ," Alex gasped, his hands going to Fox's hips. "Faster, lisa. I can't...I..."

Fox managed a pained chuckle and grasped his own cock firmly. "Okay, baby. I'm with you..."

Alex watched his lover jerk himself off as he quickly rocked against him, and a guttural cry broke past his lips.

"Oh...God...squeeze," he panted. "Squeeze me, Fox...ah, fuck...that's..." Alex's mouth fell open, and for a brief second no sound came out. Then a low gurgle started deep in his throat and blossomed into a full roar as he detonated, coming hot and hard into his lover's body.

Fox rose up and slammed back down again and again in an erratic rhythm, and his hand moved over his cock at a frantic pace until seconds later he let out a long, harsh cry and released a torrent of semen over Alex's belly and chest. Now utterly drained, Fox fell in a boneless sprawl onto his lover's chest, too weary to concern himself with the cooling stickiness between them.

With the exception of the occasional satisfied moan or sigh, the men lay quietly, Fox's head nestled against Alex's shoulder. Slowly, Alex lifted a hand to his lover's head, burying his fingers in the perspiration-dampened hair and massaging gently. Finally, he broke the blissful silence.

"Know what I'm thinking about?"

Eyes still closed, Fox tenderly stroked the other man's chest.

"What?"

"I'm thinking about how much I'm going to love being married."

Fox pressed a soft kiss to his lover's chest and said nothing.

Alex brushed the fingers of his free hand over the band on Fox's right ring finger. "One night while you were asleep, I switched my ring to my left hand just too see how it would feel."

Fox lifted his head a bit and looked into Alex's eyes. "And?"

"It felt natural. Completely...right. That was the night it all got really clear. That was when I really became conscious of how much I wanted to marry you." He slid his fingers through the hair at the side of Fox's head and tugged gently, bringing the older man's face down to his. "We got that all straight now, right?"

Fox smiled and brushed Alex's mouth with his own. "Yeah. We got it straight."

"Good. We've had about as many close calls lately as I can take."

"I promise I'll behave myself from here on out," Fox murmured, lowering his head.

"Yeah, right." Alex kissed the golden-brown crown. "Go to sleep."

Fox lifted his head and fixed a brooding stare on the other.

"You don't believe me?"

Alex opened his eyes and smirked up at his lover. "What? That you'll behave? No. Not really."

Saying nothing, Fox's frown deepened, and Alex broke into soft laughter.

"I'd have to be some kind of moron to think that you're not going to give me an ounce more of trouble from now until August."

"Yeah?" Fox huffed. "Well, you're no Sunday stroll in the park either, you know."

The grin grew wider. "We're a perfect match."

The scowl broke, and a tiny smile and a breath of a laugh took its place.

"I'm sure Scully's explanation would include not only the word perfect but psychopaths as well. Or maybe kooks or...or wackos."

"Would she be wrong?"

Fox thought about the events of the last few hours and grinned openly.

"Guess not."

Alex wrapped his arms around Fox and flipped them over so that he was now the one on top.

"I love you, you psychotic, wacko kook." He laid a firm kiss on the older man's mouth then tucked his head under Fox's chin. "Now go to sleep. We gotta get up early."

Closing his eyes, Fox wound his arms around Alex and nuzzled the top of his head.

"'Kay."

A long silence followed, and then Fox whispered Alex's name. When no answer came, he spoke a little louder.

"Alex?"

Alex's eyelids lifted halfway, and his brows drew down into a frown.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"Can't."

"Are you trying?"

"I've been trying for the last twenty minutes."

Alex lifted his head and cast a weary gaze down at his lover.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just not tired...are you?"

Rubbing his hand over his face, Alex sighed.

"I was."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Uh huh. Okay. How about some warm milk?"

Fox wrinkled his nose.

"Want to read a while? That always makes you sleepy."

"Nah."

"Shot of something?"

Fox shook his head.

"Soooo...you just wanna lie here and keep me awake?"

"No..."

"I know I'm going to hate myself for asking this, but...what do you want to do?"

"Not what you're thinking," Fox insisted. "I want to talk some more about tonight."

"What about?" As if he couldn't guess.

"I keep thinking about Victor. There's something about him that I find pretty strange."

"You mean his dazzling charm didn't blind you to his little idiosyncrasies?

"It was tough," Fox said smirking, "but I managed it. Anyway, don't you think that as hard and judgmental as he seems, he took it pretty well that his cousin is in love with another man? It seemed awfully weird to me, and I was wondering if you were thinking the same thing I'm thinking."

"Yeah, I did notice," Alex answered. "And you're right. I think that Vic and I have got a little more in common than either of us had thought."

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Fox agreed, absently stroking his lover's back.

"Guess it's in the blood, huh?" Alex sighed as Fox's hand moved lower on his back.

"Mmm. But my guess is he doesn't have a man in his life right now. I don't think he'd be so angry and rude if he did."

Alex snorted softly. "So you think maybe it wasn't jealousy that made him torture me when we were kids? You think it was just that he didn't have any little boys to play doctor with?"

"Could be," Fox answered. "Or maybe he was just a punk-ass little prick."

Alex laughed at the comment, then the smile left his face. "Am I nuts for still hoping that this could work out somehow?"

"'Course not. As sure as I am that my mother will never talk to me again, there's still a tiny piece of me that can't help but hope that lightning will strike and she'll change her mind."

Alex tightened his arms around the other man.

"There is a bright side."

"Yeah?"

"There won't be many relatives coming out of the woodwork to contest either of our wills."

Fox snickered then let out a long yawn. "Well, there you go. I never thought of that."

"Now are you getting tired?"

Fox shrugged and changed the subject.

"We didn't get their addresses."

"Huh?"

"Maria and Victor. To send them invitations." Fox reached over to the nightstand to his right for the phone and started dialing.

"What...who're you calling?"

"Information...Lancaster Pennsylvania. Do you have an address and phone number listing for a Victor Krycek? K..R..Y...yes, that's right." Fox retrieved the file folder he'd tossed aside earlier and waited only a few seconds then scribbled a number on the back of it. "Thank you. How about a Maria...hang on...do you know her last name?"

Alex shook his head. "It was Orlov, but she said she was married for a while."

"Can't hurt to try. Operator? Try Maria Orlov. O..R..L..O..V...no, huh? Okay, thanks. No, that's it. Goodnight."

Fox hung up and tapped at his forehead with the pen.

"I suppose we could send her invitation to his house."

"He'd probably throw it away and never tell her about it."

"Then we'll go there ourselves if we don't hear from her." Silence fell for a few minutes, then Fox approached what he knew would be a tough subject.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"What about your father?"

"What about him?"

"Don't you want to at least find out about him? How he is?"

"Fox," Alex sighed. "I had a fairly normal life with okay parents. They weren't Ozzy and Harriet by any stretch of the imagination, but they were all right. When my mother and then my grandmother died, I'd told you how my father had changed. Especially toward me. You heard how he never returned my calls or even attended my graduation from the academy."

"I know. But he's several years older now."

"He turned seventy-eight in January. He was quite a few years older than my mother."

Sometimes people have regrets when they start getting on in age, you know? Maybe he'd like to see you."

Alex looked away and said nothing.

"If he did, Alex...would you go see him?"

"If he wanted to see me, don't you think he would have made the effort to come with Victor and Maria?"

"Maybe he doesn't even know they're here," Fox reasoned. "Or maybe he's sick or something. You didn't exactly give Victor a chance to tell you much about him."

More silence.

"You know I won't push," Fox said. I just want you to think about it, okay? I don't want you to have any regrets in later years."

Alex looked back at the other man and found him smiling.

"If you turn into a decrepit old grouch, I'll have to beat you with my cane."

The image of a gray-haired, wrinkled Fox waving a cane at him struck Alex funny, and he began to laugh.

"You think I'm kidding, but I'm not," Fox warned, giving Alex's rear a playful slap. The younger man retaliated with a soft growl and a gentle nip at Fox's throat.

"You trying to get something started?"

"Nope. It's late, remember?"

"Yes, it is. Really late. Can we go to sleep now? Please?"

"Okay."

The two settled down and all was quiet for some time before Alex's voice sounded in the darkness.

"I'll give it some thought."

"Hmm?"

"My father. I'll think about it, okay?"

"That's all I ask."

Snorting softly, Alex kissed the corner of his lover's mouth.

"G'night, lisa."

Fox mumbled a soft response, and they finally both fell into a deep sleep.

"How's your breakfast?"

The woman picked at her eggs and shrugged.

"You still brooding about last night?"

No answer.

"Come on, Maria, cut it out. You gonna let somebody you haven't seen in a good many years screw up your life?"

"He's not somebody, he's our cousin. And he hasn't screwed up my life."

"He will. If you let him in."

"Knock it off, Victor."

"Tell me I'm wrong."

"I can't. I also can't tell you that you're right. But I can tell you, again, that you're not seeing Alex objectively. You didn't like him then, you don't like him now. And your reasons are all wrong, and I won't listen to them."

"Fine. Don't. Go to his wedding. Get involved in his life, and what's more, let him get involved in yours. Go ahead and expose Raiza to..."

"Stop using my daughter as ammunition, Victor."

"I'm not using her. That kid's the closest thing I have to a niece, and I don't want to see her opened up to the kind of crap he's involved in."

"Was. He was involved in."

"Yeah. Okay. Whatever."

"Victor," Maria said softly. "You don't have to worry. If I do decide to introduce Alex to Raiza, it won't change your relationship with her. She'll still have plenty of love for her uncle Victor."

"I'm not worried about myself," Victor insisted. "I just don't want Raiza to be hurt."

"All right," Maria said, knowing that however adamant Victor was about his concern for her daughter, the fact did remain that his jealousy of Alex spoke just as loudly. "Let's just finish breakfast so we can get out of here and catch our flight."

Half an hour later, the two were finished and on their way to the airport. When they boarded their plane, Maria took her seat next to her cousin and sat looking silently out the window. The plane started down the runway and in minutes was airborne carrying them farther and farther from the piece of their family so long lost and briefly found, only to be possibly lost again, this time for good.

Maria closed her eyes and considered the decision she had in front of her.

"He's already had breakfast. The meat for his dinner is in the fridge on the second shelf. Each serving is measured out into it's own container. Mix it with a cup and a half of dry, and don't let him con you into giving him anything else."

Scully sighed into the phone. "I know, Mulder. I've sat for him before, remember?"

"Uh huh. And every time he gives you that pathetic look, you break down and give him stuff."

"Not every time."

"Often enough. He was four pounds overweight at his last vet appointment."

"For God's sake, Mulder, four pounds isn't disastrous."

"Tell that to Alex. Since last month he's been a man on a mission."

"Why does he obsess like he does over stuff?"

Fox laughed into the phone. "I don't know. But if he wasn't that type we might never be were we are."

"And I might still be stuck with you. Okay, maybe it isn't such a bad thing. When are you leaving?"

"Alex is doing his last minute checks, and we should be leaving in about half an hour."

"Okay, you boys have a good weekend, don't worry about anything."

"Thanks. Oh, Scully?"

"Hmm?"

"Sorry about last night. It wasn't exactly what we'd had in mind."

"You know you don't have to apologize to me, Mulder. If things are quiet with you guys for too long, I starting thinking something is wrong."

"Yeah, but what a night for it to happen. I wonder what everybody was really thinking."

"What, when you were locked up in your bedroom sulking, and Alex was downstairs pacing and snarling like a rabid pit bull?"

Fox smiled into the phone, responding to his partner's good-natured ribbing.

"They were probably thinking afterward, 'And they're getting married?'"

Scully laughed. "Everybody's happy for you, Mulder. Most of those people have been around you and Alex long enough to know what lunatics you are, and that you love each other desperately."

"Yeah, but what about the ones who haven't been? Skinner must think we're completely insane. And your mother..." Fox walked over to the stove and checked to insure that all the knobs were in the off position.

"There's no denying that they think you're nuts. But they'd have to be dead not to see how you feel about each other. Now, you go and enjoy your weekend. And make sure you book me a room with a nice view."

"We'll see what we can do. Thanks again, Scully. See you Sunday."

Fox hung up and checked to make sure that the back door was locked. He didn't know why; he was sure that Alex would just come along behind him and double check it.

"Okay, bag's by the door, Clyde's been out..." Alex strode into the kitchen and walked right over to the door, turning and rattling the knob. "...let's get out of here."

Fox stood by the table smiling as he shook his head.

"What?" Alex asked, releasing the knob and returning Fox's smile.

"Nothing," the older man murmured as Alex moved over to the stove. "Just like clockwork."

Alex shot his lover a confused glance. "Fox, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I just checked all that."

"Oh." Alex tested each knob anyway.

"Happy now?"

Alex shrugged then met Fox at the table, slipping his arms around the older man's waist.

"'Course. I'll be happier once we get this show on the road, though."

"I'm ready."

Alex gave his lover an enthusiastic if brief kiss. "Good. Let's go make some wedding plans."

Green eyes fringed with gray lashes watched from the window as the silvery-taupe Envoy pulled into the driveway.

"They're back," the old voice said, drawing the attention of the woman who was playing on the sofa with her step-niece's child. The woman looked up expectantly, waiting for the man to rise from his seat. He did so with a fair amount of effort and made it to the door just as the pair climbed the last step to the front porch.

They looked silently at each other for longer than the woman on the couch could stand, but she remained silent. Finally he stepped back and let them in, and the little girl bounded off the sofa and dashed to her mother.

"Hi mummy!"

The woman swept the little twig into her arms and exchanged kisses.

"Hi sweetie. Were you a good girl for Uncle Iliia and Aunt Natalie?"

"She was a darling as always," the older woman answered for the child.

"You'd say that even if she wasn't."

"Not true. Raiza is just a good little girl."

Maria kissed her uncle's wife. "Thanks."

"Always a pleasure. We love having her here. Puts a little life into the house."

Victor held his arms out to the little girl, who immediately deserted her mother for a higher vantage point.

The old man watched from the chair he'd retreated to, and when all of the greetings were complete, he spoke.

"Is it him?"

Maria licked at her bottom lip then nodded.

"You saw him."

"Yes."

The eldest Krycek inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly. "What did he have to say for himself?"

"It's a very long story, Uncle Iliia."

Victor snorted, and Maria shot him a fast, hard look.

"In other words, I won't like it."

"It's not particularly wonderful. Not at first."

"Not at all."

"Victor..."

Maria's cousin emitted another disgusted snort then turned his attention back to the little girl.

"What has my son been up to all these years?"

"This isn't the time to go too far into what we'd found out," Maria said, looking in her daughter's direction. "In fact, maybe you should hear all of it from Alex."

"Yeah?" Victor broke in again. "And when would that be?"

Iliia Krycek looked from one to the other. "Does he not want to see me?"

"Alex is a little..." Maria paused, looking for the right word. Victor helped out.

"Bitter? Ticked off?"

"What is he mad about?" the older man asked, anger crackling in his tone. "He's the one who vanished from our lives without a single word."

"That's what I said," Victor agreed. Before Maria could jump on him, their aunt spoke up.

"Alex was a young man," Natalie began. "I didn't know him especially well because the rift between you was already there when we married. But Iliia, he did call you on several occasions. I always had to come up with some excuse when you wouldn't come to the phone or wouldn't call him back. That boy graduated from the FBI Academy, and you wouldn't go. How do you think that made him feel to know that his own father wanted nothing to do with him for no good reason? How do you think it hurt him when at graduation everyone else had proud parents sitting out there watching them, and he had no one?" Her husband refused to answer. "Do you really wonder why he might be resentful?"

Again, nothing.

"It was wrong. And it was wrong that the rest of us let you keep us from going. If I had it to do over again, I would have been there."

"So would I," Maria added. "Maybe it would have changed things."

"What things?" Iliia asked gruffly.

"Maybe he would have had a better life for those first several years. Maybe the caring of just two people could have helped."

"I want to know what happened to him. Tell me, now."

"Do you care, Uncle Iliia? Or would you just use the information to re-open his wounds."

"He's my son."

"He's always been your son. What does that mean to you now that it didn't mean before?"

The old man declined to answer the question. "Is his life that bad?"

"Not anymore. He's got a wonderful life. With someone who loves him dearly." Maria watched her uncle's face. "He's getting married."

The gray head cocked to one side. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Why don't you go to see him? Wouldn't it be nice to make up with your only child and attend his wedding?"

"Maria..." Victor mumbled but got no farther than that.

"I've thought about it, Victor. I think I'm going to go."

"After all that..."

"Yes. I don't want his past to stand in the way of what I think would be a wonderful addition to our family."

"But, Raiza..."

"Will know that her family extends beyond just the few people in this house and our own parents."

"I think it's a bad move, but I guess it's your decision."

"Yes, it is."

Iliia listened to the conversation between the two, his curiosity rising sharply.

"Is someone going to tell me about him or not?"

"All right, Uncle," Victor said, trying to soothe the older man's ruffled feathers. "Maria, why don't you take Raiza into the kitchen or something, and I'll..."

"Oh, no you won't." Maria turned to her daughter, who was curled in Victor's arms, playing with his keys. "Raiza? You want Uncle Victor to take you out to play?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" The child began to bounce in her cousin's embrace. "Let's go outside, Uncle Victor!"

Throwing Maria a venomous look, Victor kissed the girl's cheek. "Okay, kiddo. Let's go out and see how dirty we can get."

Not until the two had left the house did Maria sit down and begin relaying the events of her meeting with Alex to his father. She didn't want to include the fact that he was living with and marrying another man, but she didn't want any surprises of any kind in case Iliia did decide to see his son. When she finished her story, the older couple sat silently. Natalie, head bowed to the floor, and Iliia, staring at her in disbelief.

"I know it's a pretty wild story," Maria explained. "But I really don't think he'd make up any part of it. Especially since the first half of it casts him in such a bad light. But the important thing is that he turned his life around. He's not what he was. And he's alive, he's recovering from what happened to him last year, and he's got someone to love and care for him. He's happy, Uncle. And he'd be even happier to have his family in his life, I know it."

Still no response from Iliia.

Natalie lifted her head and fixed a watery gaze on her step niece. "I don't know what to say," she whispered.

"I had the same reaction," Maria assured the woman. "They were shocking, the things he'd done. But just as shocking were the things that were done to him. Alex has suffered a whole lot. And I think he's paid for his sins many, many times over." She looked back to the man. "Uncle? Have you nothing to say?"

More silence, then he spoke.

"You think all that's happened to him is my fault."

Maria sighed heavily. "I didn't say it was. And though Alex hasn't forgotten the way you've treated him, I don't think he blames you either. He takes full responsibility for the things that have happened in his life. I do maintain, however, that the possibility is there that things might have happened differently if he'd felt he'd had someone to turn to."

"You mean he might not be a homosexual?" Iliia asked with no small amount of distaste.

"That's not fair," Maria shot back. "You tolerate Victor's lifestyle."

"Victor is not my son,"

"Iliia," Natalie called, touching her husband's arm. "You keep stressing the fact that Alex is your son. He certainly is. And you should love and support him no matter how far outside your notion of a proper life he lives."

"You mean I should go to him, shake his hand and tell him that espionage and assassination was an excellent business to get into, and that I'm glad there'll be no grandchildren in my future?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Natalie said, angry with her husband. "Keep this up, Iliia, and you'll never see him. You'll go to your grave without ever having seen your son again. Is that what you really want?"

The man fell silent again, and Maria gave him a thin smile.

"Genes are an amazing thing. Just now I can see the resemblance between you."

"What are you talking about?"

"He broods just like you do."

The old man looked up from beneath long, gray eyelashes. "...Has he changed much?"

"Not much. He's filled out...more mature. Very handsome."

"Sounds like the pictures I've seen of you when you were young," Natalie said softly.

"Yeah, actually, he looks a lot like Uncle Iliia when he was Alex's age."

"What about this...companion of his?" Iliia asked. "What's his story?"

"He's with the FBI. Remember I told you that's how he and Alex met."

Iliia nodded. "That's right. You did say that."

"Anyway, his name is Fox Mulder, and..."

"Fox?"

"I know," Maria smiled. "But it's his real name."

"Sounds gay. Is he the woman in this relationship?"

"Uncle Iliia."

The old man shifted in his seat, huffing softly.

"They're both very much men, so please stop stereotyping. Now, would you like to hear about Fox or not?"

Grunting, the elder Krycek waved at his niece to continue.

"He and Alex are about the same height. Lighter hair, hazel eyes...quirky sense of humor from what I could tell, though he seems highly intelligent." Maria smiled. "They make a gorgeous couple. And they love each other so much. You can feel it just being around them. It's breathtaking." She looked to her uncle. "Can't you find it in your heart to go see him?"

Iliia shook his head and looked away.

"You haven't seen your son in what? A dozen or so years? Is this really the way you want it? What do you think Aunt Helena would say? What would Babushka say if she knew the way you've treated her grandson?"

Iliia looked from Maria to his wife then at the floor.

"It's been too many years for us to reconcile."

"It's never too late," Maria argued. "You can have him back if you want him."

The old man looked at the floor for a long while then rose from his chair. Saying not another word to the two women, he shuffled from the room.

"Are you sure you're reading that map right?"

Fox looked up from the road atlas and cast the driver an irritated glance.

Alex caught the look and sighed heavily, returning his eyes to the road.

"Just seems like we've been driving forever."

"We haven't."

"Seems like it."

"Well, you'll be happy to know that you're going to bang a left in about a quarter of a mile."

"Then will we be there?"

"Not exactly."

"Jesus God, where the hell is this place?"

No answer.

"I know," Alex nodded, his eyes scanning the area. "It's going to turn out to be one of those Stephen King type joints. Old farmhouse...way out in the boonies. No neighbors within fifty miles...oh, yeah, I can see it. I'll bet the innkeeper is an old, gimpy bastard with a plaid shirt and bib overalls..."

Fox rolled his eyes.

"...Really soft spoken...and he smiles a lot. Very hospitable. But at night, he skulks around the grounds doing all sorts of creepy stuff you can't see because it's so freakin' dark. Too dark to see your hand in front of your face. Too dark to see him coming to kill you..."

"Are you through?" Fox asked calmly.

"I wasn't, really. Why?"

"Because you just passed our turnoff."

"What?" Alex whipped his around then turned a wide-eyed stare on his lover. "Why didn't you say something?"

"And interrupt a good horror story?"

Cursing loudly, Alex turned the car around and headed back toward their turn. Finally back on the correct course, he glanced over at Fox.

"You gonna pay better attention, now?"

"You betcha," Fox offered blandly. "But if you've started forming an opinion about this place before we even see it, what point is there in going?"

"I haven't formed an opinion."

"No? What was all that about that I was just listening to, then?"

"I was just...talking," Alex finished with a mumble.

Fox shook his head and gave the younger man a trace of a smile.

"Relax, would you? I have a feeling we're going to love it."

They had no idea how much. Pulling up almost twenty minutes later, both men stared in silent awe.

A rambling white farmhouse that seemed to go on forever met their eyes. Just on the side that they could see, scores of multi-paned windows glistened in the early afternoon sun, and several floribunda rose bushes trailed in what would soon be masses of vibrant red over arches and doorways, and huge bushes of hydrangeas, spirea and other complimentary plants lined the long cobblestone path to the house. Behind the property, the view of the lake was a spectacular one. Fox groped for Alex's hand and found it, squeezing tightly as he took it all in.

"Okay, so maybe the Stephen King crack was a little off," Alex breathed, drawing Fox's hand to his mouth for a kiss. He parked the car, and the two got out, retrieving their bags from the back seat. Before they could close the door, a Saint Bernard with a head the size of Alex's shoulder bag came lumbering down the path to greet them.

"Oh my God, I take it back."

Fox gave his lover a curious look.

Alex pointed to the behemoth.

"Cujo."

Fox chuckled and reached out to pat the dog's head as he reached them.

"Yeah, he's a killer. Hey, buddy. You the official greeter around here?"

The huge plume of a tail swept back and forth, and the dog nudged Fox's leg with his head.

"Cujo, don't maul the guests."

Both men looked up at the same time, their mouths dropping open in surprise.

The approaching woman laughed. "Yeah, that's his name. My husband's warped idea of a joke." Kind blue eyes looked up at the pair as she reached them. "I'm Joan Wilkins. Welcome."

"Thanks." Fox took the woman's extended hand. "I'm Fox Mulder. This is my partner, Alex Krycek."

"You're the one who called," Joan said, letting go of Fox's hand and taking Alex's.

"That's right. Nice to meet you."

"Well, come on in. We'll get you registered and settled into your room."

The men followed Joan into the house, their eyes roving around the huge front room.

"It's so big and airy, yet you've managed to maintain a cozy feel," Fox commented as Joan motioned for he and Alex to sit. The men sank into a plush, dusty terra cotta love seat, and their host perched herself at the edge of a forest green chair across from them.

"We try," the woman said, reaching for a brown leather bound register on the heavy oak table between them. "So. If I remember correctly, you boys are getting married in...August?"

"Right," Alex answered, rubbing behind Cujo's ear. "The tenth. And we've got what we believe to be a total number of people we'll need rooms for."

"Oh. Great! Let's see if we can accommodate all of 'em. How many rooms will you need? We can sleep up to four in a room."

"Good. In that case, we'd need six rooms. Right, Fox?"

Fox did a quick count and nodded. "Yeah. As of right now, it's six. You and me, Chuck and Vicki, Bobby and Susan, then we'll need a double for Scully and her mother, a triple for the guys, and a single for Skinner."

Joan nodded, checking the date. "No problem. But you fellas have a good look around first. Make absolutely sure you want to stay here, and then we'll finalize, okay?"

"All right. Thanks."

The men took care of their registration, and then Joan showed them to their room, which they immediately fell in love with.

Fox remained in the doorway taking it all in while Alex moved into the room and did a slow spin, checking out everything from the wooden rafters that ran the length of the ceiling to the British colonial furnishings that adorned the spacious room.

"Are all the bedrooms this big?" Fox asked, his gaze skipping to the big four-poster bed and then to Alex.

Damn.

He shifted from one foot to the other, holding his bag in front of him in hopes that Joan wouldn't notice the bulge that had immediately begun to blossom at the thought of his lover lying naked in the middle of that huge bed, on that plush, down comforter, waiting for him...

"Not all. We have four this size with adjoining baths that we use for honeymooners or special guests. I thought you'd like to have one of them this weekend." She smirked. "You know, sort of give it a test drive."

Fox lowered his head and smiled. "Thanks, that was nice of you." When he lifted his head, his gaze went directly to Alex, who was now watching him from across the room with a decidedly hungry gleam in his eye.

Joan noticed too, and she stepped back into the hall, smiling broadly.

"Why don't you get uh...settled? Come downstairs at your leisure, and I'll give you a tour of the rest of the place."

Alex thanked Joan as she closed the door, then he turned his attention to Fox.

"Beautiful room, huh?"

Fox nodded, looking around once more. His gaze returned to Alex, and the younger man moved toward him.

"What does it say about us that a total stranger mentioning our 'test driving' a bedroom can get us hot?"

"Says we're a couple of horny bastards who can't keep their hands off of each other."

Fox grinned as Alex reached him and slipped both arms around him.

"Ain't it great?"

Alex nodded and mouthed a silent 'yeah' before initiating a passionate kiss.

No coaxing needed, Fox opened his mouth and met Alex's tongue halfway, clashing with his lover, stroking and teasing. The breathless groan that rumbled from his throat vibrated in Alex's mouth, and the younger man tightened his hold on him and forced his tongue into his mouth. The groan died on a soft whimper, and Fox pressed into Alex, feeling an answering hardness in the other man. He wanted to break away from the insistent mouth and tell Alex how much he wanted him, but the demanding thrust of his lover's tongue and heat of his embrace left him too weak to try. Slowly, Alex backed him to the bed then pushed him down onto the mattress. It was then that the kiss was broken, and Fox managed to gasp his lover's name.

"You want me, lisa?"

The husky tone closed Fox's eyes halfway, and he nodded his answer.

"Show me, Fox," Alex rasped. "I want to see how much."

The weights on his eyelids growing heavier by the second, Fox battled closing them altogether as he lifted his hands to his shirt and started undoing the buttons. He watched Alex watching him, and when he had the shirt completely undone, he ran one hand over his chest, stroking gently, dusting over each nipple but not staying long enough to get himself too worked up. With Alex still watching, he spun to his knees and pulled the shirt out of his pants. One at a time, he removed his arms from the sleeves and let the garment fall to the bed. Swaying in front of the younger man, he popped the top button on his button fly jeans then looked down to watch his hands undo the next.

Alex watched as well, his breath catching in his throat as the third button gave and he realized that Fox wasn't wearing any underwear. His gaze shifted to Fox's face to find the other man just looking up at him through his lashes.

"So sexy," he whispered, skimming a crooked finger down the bridge of Fox's nose. "Finish taking those off, baby. I need you naked."

As Fox slithered out of his jeans, Alex began working on his own shirt, tugging it free of his jeans and pulling it in one swift move over his head. By the time he'd gotten his pants undone, Fox was naked and pressed against him, dragging his tongue over the thrashing pulse in his throat.

"Fox," Alex sighed, his head rolling back along his shoulders. "lisa...lie down."

Fox moaned softly and slowly obeyed his lover's command. He sank down to the mattress and sprawled out on his stomach, lifting his ass slightly in offering. A low growl sounded from behind him, and heard the rustle of clothing as Alex finished undressing.

Unable to resist, Alex reached down and ran both hands over the muscular rear.

"Come here, baby. On your back."

Fox did as he was told, shifting position so that he was looking directly up at Alex's cock, which the other man was now stroking gently. His eyes drifted shut and a stuttering gasp left his lips as the velvety shaft skimmed over his face.

"Show me."

He barely heard the two-word command, so softly was it spoken. Unable to hold his eyes open any longer, Fox arched his neck and opened his mouth, letting Alex slip his cock inside.

"Ohhhh, that's nice," Alex breathed, pushing deeper. "So good..."

Fox sucked hungrily at each new inch given to him, his tongue sliding over the thick shaft. Before he could feel the head hitting the back of his throat, Alex partially withdrew.

Shushing his lover's soft whimpers for more, Alex reached down and stroked his cheek.

"You keep sucking me like that, lisa, and this is going to be over really fast. Easy, baby." He slid back in, moaning as he was again surrounded by wet warmth. "Yeah...easy...nice and...m-mmmm." His hips began to move ever so slowly, gently fucking Fox's mouth. Fighting to keep his eyes open, he looked down at the man on the bed.

His beautiful, insatiable Fox. Willingly laid out before him, perfect body writhing in a sensuous rhythm as he took the whole of Alex's cock down his throat again and again. His own erection standing painfully erect, waiting for attention...

"Touch your cock, baby," he demanded softly. Stroke it for me."

Whimpering around his mouthful, one of Fox's hands slipped down to his groin and began to carefully caress himself. His body involuntarily bucked, and a muffled grunt sounded in his throat, and Alex issued a pained moan.

"Fuck. Knew I wouldn't be able to..."

Fox felt his lover's fingers thread through his hair, and he took a deep breath, knowing instinctively that things were about to progress quickly past the gentle, teasing stage.

"Can't wait, baby," Alex panted, moving more quickly. "Come on...come with me..."

Fox gripped his cock and began to milk it in time to each thrust of Alex's hips. In no time he felt the familiar coiling in his lower regions, and his hand moved faster, trying to keep up with Alex's progress. The controlled grip Alex had on his hair turned the slightest bit uncomfortable, and the younger man's motions grew more frantic.

"Come...on...coming...oh, God. Oh...oh, God, God, God."

Snarling through gritted teeth, Alex exploded, shooting a stream of hot fluid down Fox's throat. That triggered Fox's own orgasm, and he choked out a hard groan while trying to swallow most of what Alex had pumped into his mouth. Several bursts of semen covered his stomach and hand as it slowed then stilled. It remained curled loosely around his softening cock, and he felt Alex slip out of his mouth. There was a small amount of movement, and then the younger man slid up on the bed. Fox's eyes opened halfway, just in time to see the dark head moving between his legs. He slid a hand down toward it and weakly petted the sable strands as Alex licked him clean.

When his task was complete, Alex pulled himself up next to his weary lover and laid his head on his chest.

"........So, you like the room?"

Fox's chest shook with silent laughter.

"It's a good room."

"Maybe we should see the rest of the place."

"M-mm hmm."

Alex smiled and kissed Fox's chest. "After a nap, maybe?"

Fox paused a minute, thinking how good it would feel to close his eyes for a little while; especially since neither of them got enough sleep the night before. In spite of that, he shook his head.

"Nah. We shouldn't keep Joan waiting too long."

"'Kay. What d'you say to an early night, though?"

"Sounds good." Reluctantly, Fox pushed Alex up and off. "Quick shower first?"

"Mmm." Alex kissed then nipped at Fox's mouth. "How quick?"

"Behave," Fox warned, grinning as Alex got up and pulled him to his feet. "This is a working weekend."

"What, you think it's not work keeping you satisfied, you slut?"

Fox delivered a playful swat to his lover's ass and pointed toward the bathroom.

"Get the hell in there so we can at least get some stuff taken care of today."

Twenty minutes later, Fox ran a hand through his towel-dried hair, checking his appearance in the mirror on the dresser.

"You ready to go down?"

Alex leaned into the room, balanced precariously by one hand on the doorframe. Mumbling a few inarticulate words around his toothbrush, he pulled himself back into the bathroom.

"Well, hurry up, would you? I'm anxious to see the rest of this place."

More mumbling.

"Hey, I didn't start that, you did."

The water ran for a few seconds then stopped, and Alex emerged from the bathroom, kissing the back of Fox's neck as he walked by.

"Yeah. Okay."

"You did."

Alex opened the door and waved his lover out.

"Yes, dear."

"And this is the garden room."

Joan stepped outside with the two men following close behind, and both stopped dead in their tracks.

An arbor, roughly fifty feet long and twenty feet wide, covered in clematis vines and the same climbing roses they'd seen out front met their appreciative gazes. The floor was fashioned out of flagstone, randomly placed. Lush green moss grew between them. Housed within the airy shelter, four round tables with five chairs each sat in pairs on either side, forming a sort of aisle between them.

"There are tiny white Christmas lights scattered here and there in the rose bushes," Joan announced, snapping both men out of their own thoughts. "It's really pretty at night. And before it gets dark, there's a spectacular view of the sun setting over the lake. We've had a few weddings here before, so we can help out with ideas on how to decorate, and..."

Joan's words faded as Alex walked up behind Fox, who was glancing around in awe.

"Can you see us getting married here, lisa?"

Fox turned to his lover, a serene smile on his face. He nodded, and Alex closed the brief distance between them, reaching out to caress his cheek.

"We love it," he said to the woman, not taking his eyes from the other man's. "We'll definitely take it."

"You got it, then. And listen, if it rains, and we'll pray that it won't, the room we came through to get here will be available to you."

"You know, I didn't even really notice what it looked like," Fox said, breaking his silence. "Did you?" he asked Alex.

"Not really," Alex laughed softly. "I was so intent on seeing this, I didn't pay it any mind."

"Well, let's go check it out," Joan suggested. Preceding the men into the function room, she waved her hand in a semi-circle. "This is it. You like?"

Alex's regard bounced around the cozy, inviting room, lighting on the comfortable-looking furniture, polished hardwood floor with its scattering of plush area rugs, and stone fireplace, and he smiled. An object beside the fireplace that he hadn't noticed until now beckoned him forward, and he walked silently to it.

"Works for me," Fox answered for them both as he watched Alex approach the gleaming piano across the room. He turned his attention back to Joan and gave the woman a huge grin. "I can't believe how perfect this place is. I think it's exactly what we'd both been hoping for."

"That's so great. Most people have that reaction to it."

"You've got something special here, that's for sure. Have you owned it long?"

"It belonged to my parents," Joan answered, happy to give Fox the history on the place. "My grandfather left it to my mother, but back then it was still just a house. My parents got the idea to turn it into an inn. They worked really hard to convert it, and it was like, twenty years before they started turning a profit."

"Wow. That's determination."

"Yep. They retired in nineteen eighty-two, and that's when Jack and I took it over. We've updated the electrical service and stuff like that, but aside from that, we've tried to keep it pretty much..."

A soft tinkling stopped Joan from finishing her story, and she and Fox turned toward the sound. They found Alex sitting at the piano, tapping lightly at the keys. Joan's face lit up, and she started toward the piano.

"You play?"

Alex looked up, blinking at the woman and Fox, who had walked up behind her.

"What?"

Joan gestured to the instrument. "Jack and I don't. We just bought it because we thought it 'd go nice in here. Once in a while we'll get a guest who knows how to play it...do you?"

Fully expecting Alex to say no, Fox didn't give the conversation his full attention.

"I..." Alex shrugged and paused a moment. "...My parents made me take lessons as a kid."

Fox's head snapped around, and he stared at the seated man. Alex didn't lift his gaze from the keys.

"How long?" Fox asked.

"'Bout...seven years."

"Seven...then you stopped?"

Alex nodded. "My dad didn't want me to play anything but that Lawrence Welk type music...or classical. So I stopped."

Joan backed off to a discreet distance and let the men talk.

"Alex, I don't...how come I never knew this?"

Alex turned an apologetic look up to his lover. "Sorry. I...it was a part of my past I'd never intended to revisit."

"Why not?" Fox asked, moving closer and leaning on the top of the piano. "You must have enjoyed playing on some level. This piano drew you right over to it."

"Yeah, I mean...it was great when my father wasn't around and I could play what I wanted, but..."

"What did you like to play?"

"Same stuff I still like listening to."

"I'm in shock, Alex, I...we've been together four years. I thought I knew everything about you by now."

There was no anger in Fox's tone. Only amazement.

"You might not believe me, but," Alex murmured, "I'd actually forgotten about it. It was a non-existent memory. There was no reason other than that for my not having mentioned it." He looked up at Fox. "Are you mad?"

"Do I look mad?" Fox asked softly.

"No."

"I just have one question."

"You never have just one question."

Fox laughed and conceded the point.

"Yeah, okay."

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Were you any good?"

"Okay. No prodigy."

"The last time you played was what? Twenty years ago or so? And you never touched a piano again?"

"That's right."

"Wow. You remember anything?"

Alex shrugged, his fingers skimming the keys.

"Not sure. I suppose you never completely forget."

Fox gave no response aside from an expectant silence.

One corner of Alex's mouth quirking gently, he watched his fingers place themselves. He plucked off a few simple chords, acquainting himself with the keyboard then played the scale a couple of times and bowed as Fox applauded softly. He played a few more chords that actually sounded vaguely familiar to Fox, then he stopped and removed his hands from the keys. Slowly, the older man left his place in front of the piano and came to sit beside him. Dusting his shoulder with a gentle kiss, Fox spoke.

"I'm not gonna laugh at you if you hit a few sour notes."

Alex smiled and shook his head.

"Then, what? If you really don't want to, it's okay. We can just rewind." Fox bumped Alex's shoulder with his own. "Go back about half an hour...wipe this whole conversation from my memory."

"Nothing ever gets wiped from your memory."

"No, really." Fox grinned. "Piano? What piano? I didn't see any piano."

Alex emitted a soft snort then met his lover's eyes. There was disappointment beneath the understanding, but Fox would never push him on anything that had to do with his past.

Leaning in far enough to touch foreheads, he laid a tender kiss on the other man's lips. "I love you," he whispered, and Fox's mouth curved into a soft smile.

"Good thing. You know, since we're getting married and all."

The two rose from the bench and made their way over to Joan, who was seated in front of a coffee table, scribbling in a book. She looked up over the tops of her glasses and gave the men a mock pout.

"No sonatas?"

"Sorry," Alex murmured as he and Fox sat on the sofa across from her.

"Well...the room work for you?"

"In every way," Alex answered, looking to Fox for confirmation.

"Yeah. It's plenty big enough for a buffet table, a band, dancing...and you said it'll be available to us?"

"Yep. It's only used for events, and we only book one per weekend, so it's yours, rain or no."

"Great." Alex relaxed a bit and draped one arm over Fox's shoulders. "Now, how about food?"

"Well, we've catered weddings and parties before, and no one's ever been disappointed. I can go over the menu with you, see if anything tickles your fancy. If not, you're certainly free to check out the other caterers in town."

"Fair enough. Can you recommend any good florists and musicians?"

"We gotta find a clergyman too," Fox added.

"As a matter of fact, I..." Joan looked down at her watch then turned wide eyes to the men. "Yikes. I gotta get dinner started. If you want to come with me into the kitchen, we can talk there. If not, I'll be free again after eight."

"We don't want to distract you while you're working," Fox offered.

"I've become very good at multitasking. Just come with me, let me throw a few names out at you, and you can go off and check them out if you want."

The men agreed and less than an hour later they were on their way to town, armed with the names, phone numbers and addresses of a couple of florists and musicians and the minister who had performed several other same sex marriages at the inn. Nearly an hour and a half after they'd started out, they found themselves parked in front of a building as charmingly rustic as the rest, but the hot pink awning that extended from the door to the street, not to mention the huge neon butterflies frozen in mid-flutter in the two picture windows set it apart from the others.

"Oh, I knew things were going too well," Alex murmured, gawking at the offensive objects.

"Joan did write 'can't miss it' next to the address of this place," Fox said, grinning. "You gotta admit, it's an attention grabber."

"God," Alex gasped. "Let's go see the other place."

"You don't even want to go in?"

"What? In there? Not especially, no."

"Why not?"

"Fox, anyone with taste as hideous as this is not someone I want within fifty miles of my wedding."

Fox shrugged and said nothing.

"Do you?" Alex asked, his tone cueing Fox in to what his answer had better be.

"Uhh...no. Nope. Absolutely not."

Alex stared for a few seconds at the older man then turned his attention to the side-view mirror. He let a couple of cars pass then pulled out and onto the street. He found the second florist with a minimum of trouble, and when he parked in front of the building, he looked to Fox.

"See? Nice. Tasteful. No butterflies, no pink awnings." He shut the engine off and opened his door. "Let's go."

Entering the shop, they walked across the slate floor, eyeing the minimalist décor and high style arrangements.

"Very uh...cosmopolitan," Fox mumbled, looking around.

"Yeah. I wouldn't expect to see this kind of..."

Alex broke off in the middle of his sentence as a tall, pale, painfully thin woman draped in black entered from the back room.

"Good afternoon," she droned, managing to speak the words without really moving her lips. "May I..." she looked the men up and down. "...help you?"

"Yeah," Alex said, sensing a bad scene coming up. "We're getting married in August..."

One black eyebrow arched slightly, and the woman's back became impossibly stiffer.

"...and we'd like some flowers for the occasion."

"Well...before we proceed, may I first ask what the date of your union is?"

Fox watched one corner of Alex's mouth twitch at the word 'union'.

"August tenth."

"I'll have to check my schedule," The woman said coolly, walking over to a desk in the corner of the room and opening a drawer. "We may be booked for that weekend."

Fingers drumming on his thigh, Alex watched as she slowly turned the pages of the book and stopped on what he assumed was the tenth. Her expression remained impassive, but she stared at the page a good long time, and just before she was about to speak, a man entered the room carrying a fluorescent light bulb and smiled at them.

"Wow, customers! Hi. Sorry to interrupt. I'll be out of your way in a second."

The woman glared at the man as he began to replace the bulb in the small display refrigerator then looked back down at the book.

"It would seem that we are free that Saturday. If you'd like to take a seat," she said, motioning to the two chairs in front of the desk as she sank into the one behind it.

Eyes fixed intently on the woman, Alex let Fox sit first then settled beside him. The woman said nothing until the man finished installing the bulb and left.

"Now. I'll start by telling you that we do have a minimum for weddings, and some people find it a bit high..."

Alex laughed softly, looking to Fox.

"She's trying hard, isn't she?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I beg your pardon?"

Alex gave the woman and frown and waved nonchalantly at her.

"Nothing. You were saying?"

"Yes. My minimum. I won't touch a wedding under a thousand dollars. If that's too much, you might just want to..."

"That's fine," Alex interrupted, eyes gleaming. "So, please; by all means, lets continue."

The woman paused for a moment, holding her disappointment securely in place. "In that case...what have you got in mind?"

"Nothing overpowering. Simple and nice," Alex instructed. "If it doesn't rain, we plan on getting married," he said, stressing the word 'married', "outside, under an arbor that's already covered with climbing roses. There are four tables there, and we'd like something small for each. There's a room that we'll be using as well. We'll need a few arrangements for those tables and one for a piano in the corner of the room. Uhh...what else, lisa?"

Fox gave Alex a wide-eyed look and shrugged.

"You want to wear a boutonnière?"

Fox wrinkled his nose. "Do we have to?"

"Nope. I think I'd rather not, anyway." Alex gave his lover a tiny smirk. "But uhh...you wanna carry a bouquet?"

Fox sneered at the younger man, but before he could fire off a wise-ass response, the saleswoman's voice drew their attention back to her.

"Men do not carry bouquets. Even your kind," she finished under her breath.

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Our kind?"

"Men like you," the woman sighed, making things worse.

"Like us," Fox repeated. "What? Tall men like us? Good-looking men like us?"

"We are cute," Alex agreed quickly, nodding at Fox.

Fox nodded back then continued grilling the saleswoman.

"So. What exactly do you mean by 'men like us'?"

She had a hard time saying it, but finally...

"Gay men."

Alex delivered a sharp backhand to Fox's arm.

"You're gay? You bastard! How come you didn't tell me?"

"I thought it could wait until after the wedding," Fox returned, not missing a beat. "I didn't want to upset you."

"I don't see the humor in this at all," the woman said, casting a disdainful glance from one man to the other.

Fox turned a cool gaze to her.

"And you know what? Neither do we. I've had just about enough of this." He rose from his seat and held his hand out to Alex. "I don't get it. Why didn't you just lie and tell us that the date was already booked? Why tell us it was open and then do everything you could to dissuade us from using you?"

Alex took Fox's hand and got to his feet. "You heard that guy, babe. He was surprised to see customers in here. Wonder why that is." He shook his head at the woman. "That your husband, lady? He is, isn't he? If we'd left quickly, he'd probably have a pretty good idea why, and he'd be reading you the riot act about now, right?"

The woman snorted and looked away.

"Thought so. Well, you have a nice day. Tell hubby the gay guys said bye."

Hand in hand the two left the shop and stepped back out onto the street.

"Well, that's great," Alex huffed as they walked toward the car. "We got a minister but no flowers."

"Alex..."

"What the hell are we supposed to do about flowers?"

"Let's go check out that other place," Fox suggested.

"The place with the pink circus tent in front? Oh...oh, God, Fox."

"You know what?" Fox asked, smirking at the other man. "You're just as bad as Morticia in there."

"S'cuse me?"

"Uh huh. You're a snob."

"A...I'm a what?"

"That's right. You looked at the outside of the building and automatically started jumping to conclusions about their work."

"I...but that was...Fox, come on."

"I used to wear those funky ties before you got your hands on me, remember? Didn't make me stupid or anything, right?"

"No, but..."

"Come on," Fox coaxed, opening his door. "Let's go check them out."

Heaving a much put upon sigh, Alex rounded the front of the car and got in.

"Fine. But the first time they mention the use of pink or butterflies, we're out of there. If we have to fly the arrangements up from Virginia, that's what we'll do."

A short time later Fox was dragging Alex up to the door of the first shop.

"Hibiscus Harry's?" Alex groaned, reading the name on the door.

"Catchy name, huh?" Fox opened the door and pushed the reluctant man inside.

"Oh, Christ," Alex gasped, taking in the ostrich feathers and crystal lamps. "Fox..."

"Hey there, kids!" a cheerful voice piped from behind a display of paper mache giraffes. "What can I do you for?"

"Not for all the money in the world," Alex mumbled, stumbling sideways as Fox elbowed him.

"Hi," Fox said, returning the man's smile. "We need a little help."

"Okee dokee." The man stepped forward, and Alex closed his eyes as green Bermuda shorts and a fluorescent orange and blue Hawaiian shirt assaulted his vision.

"Fox..."

Ignoring Alex, Fox spoke to the other man.

"We're getting married this August..."

"And you need some flowers, do ya?"

"Yeah," Fox answered, smiling at Alex.

"Cool. August what?"

"Tenth."

The man nodded. "Can do. We got one more wedding on that day, but it's really tiny. So. Let's start with an introduction. I'm Harry."

"Hibiscus Harry?" Fox grinned.

"The one and only."

Fox reached out and shook the man's hand. "Glad to know you, Harry. I'm Fox, and this is Alex."

"How ya doin', Alex?" Harry asked, "You're looking a little pale there, bud. I promise, this won't hurt a bit."

"Wanna bet?"

"Cold feet, kid? It's okay. Lots of people get it. You'll be fine. Come on. You boys have a little sit down, and we can talk about what you want."

"Sure."

Fox began to move forward then stopped when he realized that Alex wasn't following.

"Come on, honey," he purred, taking Alex's hand and pulling him along. Pushing him down into a straight out of the seventies, avocado green plastic chair, Fox dropped down in the chair beside him. Grinning, he looked at his own harvest gold seat then turned his gaze to Alex.

"Tell me this doesn't bring back memories."

"Of?"

"Come on, Alex, you know your mother's kitchen was one of these two colors."

"I don't recall."

"Right."

"Everybody's mother's kitchen was one of these two colors," the man chimed in, laughing. "Sorta gives you that homey feel, doesn't it?"

Fox readily agreed with the man while Alex simply stared at the two of them.

Fox cleared his throat and got back to business. He repeated what Alex had said to the first florist, and when he finished, Harry sat nodding for all of twenty seconds before diving in.

"Okay. Check this out; tell me what you think. I'm seeing hydrangeas in all shades of blue and purple. We'll also carry the red rose theme from the climbers on into the arrangements, and to give 'em a little spark, something in chartreuse."

Fox gave Harry a puzzled look. "Chartreuse being..."

"Green."

Both men looked to Alex.

"Chartreuse is a shade of green. Light. Bright, but not really lime. I like it."

Harry's eyes brightened further if that was at all possible.

"The color or the idea?"

"The idea. I like the whole idea."

Fox's eyebrows arched. "Do you now?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Far out!" Harry continued. "I'm seeing the table arrangements in short, cylinder glass bowls. Compact and informal. Oh...oh! And rose petals and hydrangea florets scattered here and there on the floor outside. That's it. Nothing more. Inside, we can do the same type arrangements for the tables and a big one in a high pedestal container with a couple of little arrangements near it on top of the piano."

Alex sat quietly thinking, then he nodded. Harry smirked at him.

"Have I got your trust now?"

Alex gave the man a grudging smile. "I guess."

"Good. Now. Anything else?"

Fox thought for a second then snapped his fingers. "Scully. Think we should get her something?"

"Something like..."

"I don't know. Those things that women wear."

"You mean, like a corsage."

"Yeah."

"I don't know, Fox. I don't see Scully as the corsage wearing type."

Harry broke in. "Is this Scully in the wedding party?"

"Well, it's just Fox and me," Alex answered, "But we'll need two witnesses, and she'd be one."

"If she's going to stand up there with you, I think you should get her something. How about flowers to carry?"

Fox's nose wrinkled. "Won't she look too much like a bridesmaid?"

"Not unless she's wearing peach taffeta," Harry grinned.

"Noooo, no taffeta."

"Well, I think a very small clutch would be a nice gesture."

"Okay, I'll go along with that. lisa?"

"Sounds fine."

"Okee doke. Any other women? Mothers? Grandmothers?"

"Nope. None of those."

"Fathers? Grandfathers?"

"Again, that would be a no. But uh..." Alex turned to Fox. "I think it would be nice to have flowers in the guests' rooms when they get there."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

Another twenty minutes, and the flowers were taken care of. On the way to the car, Fox needled Alex.

"So. Guess the saying really is true."

"What saying would that be?" Alex asked, knowing that he couldn't get away without hearing at least one 'I told you so'.

"You know. The not being able to judge a book by its cover thing."

"We haven't seen the flowers yet."

"Yeah," Fox grinned. "Okay. But on the tenth, I'm going to say I told you so. And I'm going to say it on the eleventh, too."

The men got into the car, and Alex sent Fox a half-hearted glare. "You'll do it too, won't you?"

"Absolutely."

"All right, shut up about it for now and tell me where this musician is supposed to be."

"Uhhhh....Harmony Haven."

"Whaa??"

"It's supposed to be..." Fox looked all around him and pointed. "Guess we can get out of the car. There it is."

Alex's head swiveled around and found the place Fox was pointing at across the square.

"It looks like a music store."

Fox shrugged. "Where else would you find musicians?"

"I don't know. In a studio?"

"There you go again."

"All right, all right. I promise I'll behave myself."

"Yeah. What did you say to me when I promised the exact same thing?"

Alex couldn't hide the smile.

"I figured that sooner or later those words would come back to bite me on the ass."

Fox laughed softly and slipped an arm around his lover's waist as they walked toward the building.

"Who knew it'd be sooner, huh?"

"Don't look at me like that......I'm serious."

Deep brown eyes stared as Scully tried to enjoy her hamburger.

"Clyde, Mulder specifically said no extras."

More staring.

"Are...are you drooling? Oh, my God. Look, you're not getting any, so just cut it out."

The dog emitted a heavy sigh and rested his chin on Scully's leg.

"Oh, man. They're going to blame me, you know, if you haven't lost those four pounds," she said, slipping a little piece of meat to the animal. "Okay. That's it. Now, go away."

And he did. As soon as he'd eaten a third of Scully's hamburger.

"Very nice," she muttered to herself as Clyde happily trotted away. "Conned by a dog."

As she started to clean up the kitchen, Clyde trotted back in with a ball in his mouth. Nudging Scully's leg with his nose, he growled for attention.

"What...no, you don't. You made me give you part of my dinner; I am not playing ball with you."

Clyde dropped the ball and yapped loudly.

"What part of the word 'no' don't you understand?"

Yap.

"Clyde..."

Yap. Yap.

"You're as bad as they are, you know that?"

The phone rang before she could give in.

"Sheesh. Checking on us already? Clyde would you stop that racket?" Scully begged while reaching for the phone. "Hello? Would you please..."

"I...I'm sorry, I think I might have the wrong number."

"Who are you looking..." Scully paused to shush the still-barking dog. "...who are you looking for?"

"Is that Clyde barking?"

"Yeah. Uh...is this Maria?"

"Yes, it is."

"This is Dana."

"Oh! Hi, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Just trying to get this animal to shut up."

"So I hear. Uh...is my cousin at home?"

"No, sorry. He and Mulder left for Vermont this morning."

"I thought I'd probably missed them but I wanted to try anyway."

"Well, I'm sure I'll be hearing from them soon. Is there a message?"

"Uh...yeah. Could you just ask him to book one more room?"

"Really?" Scully breathed. "That's so great. Mulder had mentioned this morning that they weren't sure you'd be going to the wedding."

"Yeah, I had some thinking to do. I actually didn't think I'd come to a decision so soon, but I have. Alex is my family. And I want him in my life."

Scully smiled into the phone. "I can't tell you how happy I am. For a long time now, neither one of those men has had any family to speak of. They've only had each other. And while that's all they need, I know they both wish they had someone else to share their happiness with."

"They've got you," Maria said. "I could see last night how much they love you."

"Mmm. Could you also see how nuts they drive me?" Scully droned. "I've been dealing with their craziness for years. It's about time they had someone else to aggravate."

"You're uh...you're kidding, right?"

Scully laughed at the woman's disturbed tone.

"Mostly. I really love the psychos, and I wouldn't give 'em up for the world. But it would be nice to have someone to share their insanity with."

Maria laughed then.

"Are they really that bad?''

"God, the stuff they've put me through."

"Well, Alex told us some stories last night that were just too wild to believe."

"Believe them."

"What I really don't understand is, with so much between them, how did he and Fox ever..."

"Wasn't easy. In fact, it's been hell. But there they are. Still together and wildly in love. If there were any two people destined to be together, it's Alex and Mulder."

"I'd like to hear the whole story sometime. I mean, last night I got Alex's story, and of course Fox was a part of that, but I didn't really hear a lot of their story, you know? Guess we'd need a lot more time for that."

"Yeah, you would. Their life together could be made into a month long mini series."

"Well, I hope to have plenty of time."

"You will. Alex will be so happy. Uh...what about Victor?"

Maria sighed heavily. "I'm not sure. I knew it was a long shot from the beginning. They'd never been close. But I'd really hoped that time would have tempered that animosity."

"Guess not, huh?"

"No. Victor's still very jealous of Alex."

"I don't understand," Scully said. "Your grandmother has been gone for years."

"Yeah. But you may or may not know that when she passed, she left all her money to Alex. That really frosted Victor."

"What about you?"

"I can't say that I didn't feel a little...left out. But I never held it against Alex. He wanted to give us some of his inheritance, you know. We wouldn't accept it, though. I felt that our grandmother wanted him to have it, and that was the way it should stay. Victor didn't take it just because he was too pissed off. I remember he told Alex to take his charity and shove it up his...well, you know.

"Anyway, years later, there's Alex with this beautiful home and a wonderful life with a man who adores him. It got Victor riled up all over again. He could have had a life very similar to Alex's, and he blew it."

"That's not Alex's fault."

"No, of course it isn't. But seeing the life that Alex is living forced Victor to remember what a fool he'd been. A very wonderful man was once in love with him. And Victor treated him badly. And it ended."

"I..." Scully stammered. "I didn't realize...I guess it makes sense now."

"What does?"

"Last night. When Victor said that he wasn't concerned with Alex's sexual orientation. It seemed kind of odd since he'd presented himself as a very rigid, opinionated person. Now it makes sense."

"Yeah. I felt so bad when Chris left him. I mean, he had every right to go; Victor was not the most faithful of men, but I'd so hoped that he'd straighten out and they'd make it work. Chris could have been good for him if Victor would have just given him a fighting chance. The man was kind, hard-working, patient...he had to be to put up with Victor for as long as he had. But, finally, he'd had enough, and he left. And of course, it was until after it was all over that Victor really realized what he'd lost."

"That's usually the way," Scully sighed. "But still. Victor's screwed up life should have no bearing on how he feels about Alex."

"I know that. I told him that. He's not very easy to reason with, though. Especially when it comes to our cousin. And God, when he heard Alex's story that just gave him more of an excuse to be hostile."

"That's really too bad. But I don't get it. Why'd he come with you if he was still so unreceptive to a reconciliation with Alex?"

"I think he was hoping that if we did find Alex, it would be in a situation far less comfortable than it is."

"Wow. He's never going to find any kind of happiness holding on to that kind of animosity."

"Tell him that."

Scully released a soft sigh. "What about Alex's father? What's the deal with him?"

"I'm afraid he's more like Victor. Stubborn and very unreasonable."

"Well, that sounds like a Krycek trait."

Maria snorted softly. "Alex too, huh?"

"He's got his moments," Scully answered. "Mulder keeps him grounded, though. He's the only one who can...unless of course, Mulder's being stubborn and unreasonable too. Then I want to bang their heads together."

Maria laughed in response.

"Anyway...have you seen his father yet?"

"Yeah. Uncle Iliia asked a lot of questions...I answered them. I figured that if there was any chance that he'd want to see Alex, I didn't want there to be any surprises, you know?"

"Understood."

"Anyway, I don't know. I think that maybe we might have got him thinking. By we, I don't mean Victor and me. I mean his wife Natalie. She also thinks he's way out of line, acting the way he is toward his son."

"So...two against two."

"Yes and no. I got rid of Victor while I talked to him."

"How'd you manage that?"

Maria went silent for a minute then figured, what the heck? Scully was going to find out about Raiza anyway.

"Dana, there's one thing that I failed to mention to Alex last night. I have a child. A daughter."

"Oh."

"Yeah, uh...I didn't want to say anything about her just yet. I mean, if I decided to stay out of Alex's life, I thought it would be better if he didn't know about her. She's so young. I really didn't know if I wanted to subject her to...I mean..."

"It's okay," Scully soothed. "I understand. But you've decided now that you do want to tell him about her?"

"Yeah. I do. She's got so little family. How can I deny her what I think would be a couple of really neat uncles?"

"I agree. So, how old is she?"

"Five. And very impressionable. Which is why I have to admit that I'm still wary about this whole thing."

"I understand that too. But I think I can promise you that Alex and Mulder'll be tickled to death to have a little one to dote on. You know, besides Clyde."

"That's what I'm hoping. Victor, as much of a mook as he can be, loves her dearly, and she adores him. I asked him to take her out to play yesterday, and she took it from there. He couldn't say no."

"Smart."

"Yep. He's a pushover when it comes to Raiza. He's worried about that too."

"What?"

"He's worried that once she gets to know Alex, she'll love him more."

"Alex would never do anything to disrupt Victor's relationship with your daughter."

"I'm sure he wouldn't. But again, once Victor gets an idea in his head, it takes more than some verbal reassurance to get it out."

"Good luck. Sounds like you're going to have your hands full."

"Don't I know it."

"So, if we can get back to Alex's father...how did he react?"

"Not favorably. Uncle Iliia, as I said, is a very stubborn man. He refuses to admit that the destruction of his relationship with Alex was his fault. All he's focused on is the fact that Alex basically disappeared from the radar screen for all those years. He won't go back to the time before that when he shunned his only child for really no reason. He won't see that he's the one who started this ball rolling. I know it was a shock to him when Alex's mother died. It was a shock to all of us. But he retreated into himself. And when his mother died, he just kept sinking until he'd gone so deep that he'd completely turned away from the only family he had left in the house...Alex."

"He must have come out sometime," Scully said. "He remarried."

"Yeah. And then it was like he tried to start over. He buried the memory of his wife and mother, and since Alex was so close to that, he basically buried him right along with them. It...it's weird, I know. But that's how it's been."

"I can't imagine my mother turning away from me like that. I think I'd be devastated."

"I know. My mother's tried talking to him. So has Victor's father."

"These are Iliia's brother and sister?"

"Right."

"Apparently, they've had no luck."

"None. They gave up a long time ago."

"That's...God, that's really too bad. But you know, if he can't be at the wedding as a loving, supportive father, then I guess it's best that he not go at all."

"Yeah," Maria sighed.

"But uh...hey. What about your parents? And Victor's? They sound like reasonable people."

"I...do you think Alex and Fox would mind?"

"Mind having happy, caring relatives there to share their day? They'd be thrilled. If you think they'd be really open, why don't you ask them? We can surprise Alex."

"Aww, that'd be so nice." Maria smiled into the phone. "I'm all excited now."

"Yeah, me too," Scully crowed. "I love springing surprises on people. So, okay. You talk to your parents and Victor's, and let me know how it goes. Then I'll talk to Mulder and see if they've got room for you at the inn, and make the arrangements for seating and dinner and whatnot."

"What if they're booked for that night?"

"I'll ask them to recommend someplace close by and you can stay there."

"Sounds like a plan. Okay, I'll get to work and call you back as soon as I can."

"Great. I'm so glad you called, Maria. It'll be nice to have you as part of our little family."

"Thanks, Dana. Call you soon."

Scully said goodbye and hung up grinning.

"Well, Clyde, we've done our good deed for the day. I guess we can go out and play now."

At the mention of the word 'play', the dog, who had since resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't getting Scully out of the house, leapt to his feet and began to howl.

"Where's your ball? Go get it."

Clyde wheeled around searched out his ball. Finding it in mere seconds, he leapt around growling until Scully got to her feet. Continuing the noise, he followed her out of the house and into the yard.

"He wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that..." Alex gave the other man an incredulous stare. "Fox, he wanted to play the Chicken Dance at our wedding! And the freakin' Hokey Pokey, and what's that other stupid song...oh yeah, the Macerena!"

"So? We told him that we weren't into that stuff, and he agreed that they wouldn't play it."

"Uh huh. So instead he plays a sample tape of his tribute to Neil Diamond."

At that, Fox threw his head back and started to sing.

"Love on the rocks. Ain't no big surprise..."

"Fox..."

"Just pour me a drink and I'll tell you some lies..."

"If you don't shut up, and I mean right now, I think I'll have to kill you."

"Before you marry me and inherit my fortune?"

Alex emitted a low grunt.

"So okay, what are we going to do about music?"

"I don't know. There's got to be somebody else, even if they're not in town."

"How about if we go back to the inn and find a phone book? Most directories give the names of businesses and whatnot for a few towns in the general area."

Alex agreed, and the two started back. Upon arrival Cujo again greeted them, and they walked into the house, followed by the dog.

"Hey, they're back!" Joan chirped, bustling into the room, followed by a man they hadn't yet met. "Guys, this is my husband Jack."

The short, stocky man with sandy hair and twinkling blue eyes walked up and extended his hand.

"Hey, how's it going?"

Alex shook his hand first, then Fox, and when the introductions were completed, Joan asked how their trip into town went.

"Well, we've secured a florist, but not a band," Fox volunteered, smirking as Alex rolled his eyes.

"Yeah? Which florist?"

"Hibiscus Harry."

"Good! He's a bit eccentric, but you'll love his work. I gave you the address of the one on Morton Street because being from Washington, I didn't know if your tastes would run to that style of work, but I'm glad you went with Harry. He's an excellent designer, and he's so much easier to work with."

"So we discovered," Fox said. "That woman was not very nice."

Joan wrinkled her nose. "I was hoping that months without a deluge of work would temper her attitude a bit. Guess not, huh?"

"Uh, no."

"Sorry. I hope she didn't give you too much of a bad time."

Fox shrugged. "Could've been worse. Our problem now is finding a band. You don't know of any except for that one?"

"Sorry," Joan said. "If there are any others, I don't know about them."

"We thought that maybe if we had a look in your phone book we'd be able to find some more in the area."

"Sure, you're welcome to look," Joan assured Fox, pointing out the directory.

"Hey," Jack broke in. "What about my nephew Andy?"

"Oh, not for a wedding," Joan argued then turned to the other two men. "His nephew has a heavy metal band. Eww."

"No, no," Jack huffed. "Maybe he'd know of an appropriate band. Andy knows tons of musicians."

"Oh. Well. I guess that's worth a shot. You guys want us to call Andy and see if he knows anyone?"

Fox looked to Alex, who threw his hands up.

"Sure, what the heck? What've we got to lose, right?"

While Jack made his call, Joan led the men into the kitchen. Four people moved around the huge room, tending to this pot and that one, chopping, pressing and rolling.

"They can do without me for a couple of minutes," Joan promised then motioned for the men to sit at the table.

"Would you like some coffee? Tea?"

"Actually, tea sounds good," Alex said, rubbing the middle of his forehead with his knuckles.

"You got it. Fox?"

Fox held up one hand. "I'm fine, thanks."

As Joan got up to get the water on the stove, Fox reached for his lover's hand.

"Head hurt?"

"I'm okay. Just a little tired."

"Relax," Fox whispered, rubbing Alex's hand. Everything's going to be great."

"Not if 'The Solitary Men' are the only band we can get."

Fox gave the younger man a cheery smile. "It'll make for some amusing memories."

"I want you to have sweet memories," Alex insisted softly.

Fox stared for a moment then leaned forward and dropped a tender kiss on the other man's mouth. "How can they not be sweet?" He asked.

Alex closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Fox's. The meaning behind his silence did not go unheard, and Fox cupped the back of his head and kissed him once more before Joan reappeared with two steaming mugs.

"Here we go." She set the mug down in front of Alex, who reluctantly pulled himself away from his lover's touch and thanked her. "Here's our menu." She placed a four-page booklet down on the table. "You boys want to have a look?"

Alex picked the booklet up and moved closer to Fox.

"You weren't kidding when you said you had an extensive menu," he murmured then looked over at Fox, who was squinting at the pages.

"Where are your glasses?"

"Left 'em in the car, I think."

"There's a good place for them."

Fox shrugged and returned his attention to the menu. Alex watched him trying to focus on the small letters then got up with a long sigh.

"Where are you going?" Fox asked as the younger man moved away from the table.

"Be right back, Joan," Alex droned, leaving the room.

Joan shook her head and laughed. "My guess'd be out to the car," she said, answering Fox's question.

As predicted, a couple of minutes later Alex reappeared in the kitchen and handed Fox's glasses to him.

Fox gave his lover a sheepish grin and put the glasses on.

"Better?"

Fox looked down at the menu. "Wow."

Alex lifted his mug to his lips. "Uh huh."

Still smiling, Fox rested his cheek against Alex's shoulder and continued to look the menu over.

"A lot of choices, huh?"

"Told you. Do you think you'd be interested in anything?"

Jack walked back into the room and took a seat at the table, waiting for the conversation to stop.

"I..." Alex began, nodding. "I think so. What d'you think, lisa?"

Fox lifted his head and smiled at Joan. "But is it any good?"

The woman chuckled and rose from her chair. Moving over to one of the two large stoves, she opened up a pot and ladled some contents into a bowl. She returned, placing the bowl down in front of her guests.

"Try that."

Sniffing at the creamy concoction, Alex dipped the spoon in and raised it to his lips. Fox watched him blow the steam away then pop the spoon into his mouth, and he smiled as Alex moaned happily.

"That's gotta be the best clam chowder I've had." He scooped up another spoonful and blew at it before carefully moving it to Fox's mouth.

"Oh, yeah," Fox agreed after swallowing. "Excellent. Joan, if all your meals are this good, I'd say you have the job."

"Well, don't make up your minds right now," Joan said. "You'll be here for how many meals?"

"Uh...if we have lunch too? Four or five."

"Okay, then. Take the menu to your room. Take your time and pick out what you think you want. If by the time you leave you decide you want us to do the food, give me your list. If you don't, there'll certainly be no hard feelings."

"That's fair," Alex said, and Fox nodded his agreement.

"Good. Now. Jack, have you got anything?"

"I got a few names. Andy promises me that they're very good and more like what you'd be looking for. You can call them and ask for tapes, and they'll send 'em to you."

"Great," Alex said, taking the offered sheet of paper. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem."

"You boys got a little more than an hour until dinner, so if you want to go for a walk or...whatever," Joan grinned, "go ahead."

"Sounds good." Alex took Fox's hand and brought it to his lips. "How 'bout it? Want to go for a walk or...whatever?"

Fox lowered his lashes and looked up at Alex through them. "I think a walk would be safer than 'whatever' this close to dinner."

"'Kay."

Alex pushed away from the table and pulled Fox up after him.

"Thanks for the tea, Joan. We'll give this menu a good look. Jack, thanks for getting these names."

Jack gave the couple a quick salute, and they left the kitchen.

"Feel better?" Fox asked, lacing his fingers with Alex's and swinging the younger man's arm back and forth. "We've got flowers, and we're pretty sure we've got food. All we need is some..."

"Shit!"

"Nooo, I don't think we need any of that." Fox sent Alex a confused look and waited.

"Pictures!" Alex shouted. "We need a photographer!"

Fox slammed his hand over his heart. "What? You mean you actually forgot something?"

"Yes. Dammit!"

"Alex," Fox laughed, gently grasping the agitated man by his shoulders. "Take it easy. We don't have to get everything settled this weekend."

"When else are we going to do it?"

"We can come up again. You wouldn't mind spending another weekend here, would you?"

"No, but..."

"It's all right," Fox soothed. "You're going to give yourself a stroke if you don't take it down a notch."

Alex emitted a frustrated whimper as Fox pulled him into his arms.

"How could I have forgotten?"

"It's not the end of the world. Come on, baby, take it easy. If all else fails, we can buy those little disposable cameras for everybody and get a bunch of candid shots."

Alex lifted his head and stared at the other man.

"Oh, God."

"What? Don't you think candid shots would be nice?"

"In addition to professional photos? Yeah. Not instead of."

"Alex..."

"What? Is it being unreasonable to want a nice professional picture of us to put above the mantle instead of some fuzzy amateurish snapshot?"

"No. Of course not. All I'm saying is that in case we can't get a professional, we shouldn't lose our minds over it, and we should make do with what we've got."

"You mean I shouldn't lose my mind."

"Okay, well...yeah..."

Alex glared at Fox, who in turn gave him a comforting smile.

"Some of the nicest pictures I've seen are shots taken when the subjects were caught off guard. If that's what we have to do, we'll do it, and it'll be great."

Heaving a conciliatory sigh, Alex wrapped his arms around the older man.

"Am I aggravating you?"

"No. You're aggravating yourself. By the time we get to August, you're going to be too exhausted to enjoy our honeymoon."

Alex shook his head, pulling Fox more tightly against him.

"Sorry, lisa. I promise I'll try and calm down. Last thing I want is to be too tired to make love to you four or five times a day on our honeymoon."

Fox grinned and leaned into a brief but thorough kiss.

"Remember the waterfall?"

"Yeah," Alex whispered then claimed another kiss. "And the beach, and the living room, and the dinner table...believe me, I haven't forgotten a second of that trip."

Purring softly, Fox moved in for a breath of a kiss, ending it with a teasing pass of his tongue across Alex's lower lip.

"You do that again," Alex warned, rocking against his lover, "and there'll no walking going on today."

Leveling a smoky stare on the younger man, Fox took his hand and slowly backed toward the door. Alex glanced toward the stairs then gave his lover a questioning look.

"Almost dinner time, remember?" Fox asked, reaching behind him to open the door.

"Yeah, but..."

"Later."

Deep growls rumbling in his throat, Alex followed Fox out into the late afternoon sunshine.

"Hi, Mum."

"Hi. What're you up to?"

"Nothing much."

"What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you. Got a few minutes?"

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"What I'd called you about last night."

"Oh. Your cousin?"

"Yeah. Uh...I know you and Dad were shocked just like the rest of us, but...you didn't really have anything negative to say."

"No, well...I mean, what can I say? Everybody at one time or another makes some kind of mistake in their life. Some more outrageous than others..."

"I know."

"But you said Alex has paid for his mistakes, and that he's straightened his life out, and I say good for him. He's my nephew. And I'm so glad to know that he's all right, and he's happy."

"Glad enough to think about going to his wedding?"

"I...I hadn't thought. Did he say he wanted us there?"

"I talked to his best friend, and she said that it'd be a wonderful surprise for him to have his family there. I doubt very seriously that Victor or Uncle Iliia will go, so that would leave just Raiza and me unless I can get you and Dad and Uncle Ivan and Aunt Irene to go with us."

"Maria...I don't know."

"What?"

"Okay, you said his friend said it'd be a big surprise, but...a good, big surprise or a bad big surprise? The last thing any of us needs is a scene."

"If our visit with Alex was any indication, I think he'd be pleased. Shocked speechless, but pleased."

"All right, what about his plans? Assuming we all end up attending, won't six extra people upset everything? Accommodations, dinner..."

"Dana's going to handle all of that. Any more objections?"

"There weren't objections, honey, I just wanted to make sure that if we did go it wouldn't be any imposition on Alex and his uh...this might sound like a stupid question, but what would call him?"

"His husband, I would imagine."

"Sounds funny knowing that we're talking about men."

"But you're okay with it? I mean, you've accepted Victor just fine."

"Sure. But Victor didn't get married."

"But he lived with Chris for a while."

"Yeah. But I could just refer to Chris as Victor's companion."

"Mom, if you or Dad or anyone else is not going to be able to look at Alex and Fox as an ordinary couple, then maybe you shouldn't..."

"No. No, I'll be fine. Alex is my nephew, and I really would love to see him and let him know that he has got family who care."

Maria smiled into the phone. "Thanks, Mom. What d'you think Dad'll say?"

"First he'll roll his eyes and say, 'What? Another one?' Then he'll say something wise about the genes on my side of the family, then he'll say it's up to me."

"Okay. As long as he can behave himself."

"He'll be fine, I'm sure. Your Uncle Ivan's the one I'd wonder about. He tends to follow that Krycek code of stubbornness. Though he finally did accept Victor's lifestyle."

"Yeah, but with Victor, it was just the matter of him being gay. Alex has a whole lot of baggage in addition to that."

"I still can't believe it."

"I know. Hard to wrap your mind around, isn't it?"

"Very."

"But you know, Mom, no one in the world has more reason to reject Alex than Fox. And I can't tell you how insanely in love with Alex he is. Wait until you meet him. He's tall and he's handsome, smart but not stuffy. He seems to be a bit quirky, which I love in a guy, and when he looks at Alex...let me just say that if the idiot had ever looked at me that way once in a while, we might not be divorced now."

"Sounds like quite a catch, this Fox. Is that his real name?"

"I would assume so"

"Very unusual."

"Mmm hmm."

"How about Alex? Has he changed much? I remember him as this skinny kid with floppy hair and a baby face."

"Every now and then I'd see signs of that baby face, but he's matured into a very handsome man. He had already reached Victor's height when he was still home, but he's filled out quite nicely. He and Fox make a striking couple."

"I'm anxious to see him...them." Maria's mother inhaled deeply then let it out. "Well, I guess I'd better go run this by your father."

"Okay. If he gives you any trouble, let me know. I'll go over and we can double-team him."

"All right. Talk to you later."

"Bye, Mom."

Maria hung up and sat watching Raiza playing on the sofa for a little while before going over to her.

"What're you making?"

"A necklace for Annie," the little girl said, proudly holding up the string of orange, pink, and green beads that trailed over her lap and down the front of the sofa.

"Isn't that a little long for Annie?" Maria smiled, looking from the necklace to the child's doll. "She might trip over it."

Raiza thought seriously on this for several seconds then nodded. "I think you might be right. But it's not too long for you."

Maria eyed the garishly colored necklace warily. "Uh...me?"

"Yup." The little girl tied the ends of the string into several knots then held it up to her mother. "Here!"

"Oh boy." Maria took the necklace and kissed the top of the dark head. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Raiza said, reaching for the necessary items to make another necklace.

"Honey."

"Hmm?"

"Mummy has a surprise for you."

Big, dark eyes fringed with matching lashes looked up expectantly.

"Where is it?"

"It's not really an it, it's a who."

"Who?"

"Yeah. You know how Uncle Victor is Mummy's cousin?"

Raiza nodded.

"And you know he's really your cousin too, but you call him Uncle because he's so much older than you."

"I know, Mummy. You told me before."

"Okay, well...Mummy has another cousin, like Uncle Victor. One you've never met before."

"Where?"

"In Virginia. That's a few states away from here. That's where I had gone. I went to see him."

"Can I see him?"

"That's the surprise. I'm going to take you to meet him."

"Can we go today?"

"No," Maria chuckled. "Not today. It'll be quite a few weeks from now. We're going to surprise him. See, he's getting married, and...Raiza, you know how Uncle Victor used to live with Chris?"

"Yeah. I liked him. I wish he didn't go away."

"Yeah, I liked him too. But anyway, just like Uncle Victor lived with Chris, your Uncle Alex lives with a man."

"Uh huh."

"And they're in love, and they're getting married. And then you'll have two new uncles."

"And we're gonna go to the marriage?"

"Wedding, honey. Yes, we're going to go."

The child started bouncing up and down in her seat. "Do I get a new dress?"

Maria shook her head and grinned.

Ah, to be five again.

"Yeah. I suppose we can get you a new dress."

"Annie too?"

"Why would Annie need a new dress?"

The little girl planted both tiny fists on her hips.

"She has to look good for the wedding too, Mummy."

Maria threw up her hands and raised her eyes to the ceiling.

"Sorry. Don't know what I was thinking. Of course Annie needs a new dress."

That settled, the child quickly changed gears.

"Do they have kids?"

Maria's eyebrows drew down into a confused frown.

"Huh?"

"My new uncles. Do they have a little girl for me to play with?"

"Ahhhh, no. No, they don't."

"Are they gonna have one?"

Maria stared dumbly at the child for a long, breathless moment.

"Are they?"

"Nnnno. They uh...they aren't."

"Don't they like kids?"

"I'm sure they do, honey, but uh..."

"Sandy Benson said boys can't have babies."

Thanks, Sandy Benson.

"Well, she's..." Crap "She's sort of right. A man and a woman can have a baby, but two men can't."

"How come?"

Maria groaned inwardly. She'd really intended to wait just a while longer to have this conversation with her daughter, but opportunity, it seemed was banging at her door, and besides, she knew the kid wouldn't be put off.

"Brother...okay, Raiza. It's like this..."

"Mmmmmmh."

Sweat pricked Fox's upper lip as he glided slowly into Alex's slick heat. His hands moved in unison over the damp back and tight globes of his lover's ass, and Alex's moans of pleasure, muffled by the pillows sizzled along his spine like an electric jolt.

"Aaaah. Damn. Squeeze me, baby," he whispered, tightening his fingers on Alex's ass as he spoke the words.

Alex obeyed, contracting his muscles, and a hard groan erupted from Fox's throat. His fingers dug into the softness of the pillow beneath him, clutching it desperately as Fox rocked back and forth, nudging his prostate. He pushed his face deeper into the pillow to muffle his frustrated cries, and just when he was sure that he could take no more, he felt his lover's hand slide around in front of him and grasp his neglected cock.

Alex's choked sobs increased in volume as Fox began to stroke him. The pressure built to an excruciating level, and just when he thought he'd surely explode, Fox let him go. His head jerked up, and he whimpered wildly.

"No...n-no. Fox..."

Fox withdrew slowly, incurring more protest. Saying nothing, he gently turned Alex onto his back and stared down into pleading eyes.

"I want to look at you," Fox whispered, caressing the younger man's cheek.

A loud breath trembled past Alex's lips, and his glazed eyes tried to focus on his lover's.

"Please...lisa..."

Fox leaned in and covered Alex's mouth with his own, tenderly feeding on the soft flesh. His tongue slithered inside, stroking across the other man's as he lowered himself to the quivering body below. Alex reached up, threading trembling fingers through his hair and sucked hungrily at his tongue, and the action sent a fresh wave of desire slamming down on him. Hands that couldn't keep still slid down his back and over his ass, griping the firm muscles, and Alex pushed upward, grinding their cocks together. Overcome by the sensation, the younger man's head fell back, and he let out a harsh sob.

"Sshhh. God...easy," Fox rasped as he twisted away from Alex's insistent grasp. His hands went to Alex's legs, and they parted easily for him, spreading wide then lifting to encircle him.

"Need you," Alex panted. "Please...please..."

Fox positioned his cock and pushed forward, slowly burying himself inside of the gasping man. Through half-closed lashes he watched as an expression of absolute pleasure contorted his lover's face. He felt the tension in Alex's body increase, and he wondered hazily how long it would be before one or both of them detonated. Refusing to let it happen just yet, he moved at an agonizingly slow pace, forcing Alex and himself to feel every second of the exquisite torture.

"Relax," he gasped, trying to soothe the shuddering man. "Feel me, Alex. Just...just feel me."

Clinging to Fox, Alex closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe deeply. Each lazy thrust made it more difficult, but he tried. Fox rewarded his efforts with another kiss, and then the older man's tongue slipped back into his mouth, mimicking his movements down below, and all of Alex's labors went straight to hell. His breaths again quickened, and he clutched at Fox; his hair, his shoulders and back. And all the time, an increasingly desperate whimpering sounded in his throat, sending the other man into an irreversible frenzy.

All pretense of control completely gone now, Fox deepened the kiss, shoving his tongue as far down Alex's throat as he could while wrapping one hand around his lover's cock. His hips jerked madly as did his hand, and in one blinding flash, they were there. Strangled cries rose into the still air and slowly faded as the two reached their respective climaxes and collapsed into each other's arms.

Silence except for the labored breathing of each man descended on the room. Soon even that dissipated, and Fox lay boneless and blissfully spent over Alex's damp chest. Now able to focus on something other than the devastating pleasure that his lover's body had provided, he could hear the faint chirping of crickets through the screened window. A tiny smile touched his weary lips, and he turned his head a fraction to kiss the slick, salty skin.

No response.

Another kiss.

"You alive?"

"....No."

Fox laughed softly at the barely uttered answer.

"Summer's coming."

"Mmm." Alex opened one eye and directed it at the top of Fox's head. "What?"

"Crickets."

"Oh."

Fox nuzzled his lover's chest. "We're getting married in the summer."

"Yes, we are...unless we can't get some decent musicians."

Fox lifted his head and tapped Alex's forehead with the tips of his fingers.

"With or without a band, flowers, food or guests, we're getting married on schedule. Is that clear?"

Alex looked up into dark, determined eyes.

"Yeah, okay."

"I'm serious, Alex."

"Never for a minute thought that you weren't." Alex reached up to stroke his lover's hair. "Do you want to do that?"

"What?"

"Chuck the plans. Just have a quiet ceremony."

"A little late for that."

"It's never too late."

Fox studied Alex's shadowed face for a few seconds then shook his head.

"Let's keep everything as it is. It'll all work out, and even if there are a few gaffs, so what? That's what makes it memorable and unique. Just remember; whatever happens, stay cool, okay?"

"Easier said."

"I know, I know. But can you try? This should be fun, not nerve-wracking."

"I agree," Alex said. "But when it's eight weeks until your wedding and you've got no music, a handful of guests with disposable cameras, and a refugee from the seventies doing your flowers, it's kind of hard not to be nervous."

"It'll be fine," Fox answered. "You gonna make me repeat it to you ten times a day?"

Alex stared up at the other man and said nothing.

"I will, you know."

Alex threaded his fingers through Fox's hair and pulled him down into a tender kiss. "I know," he whispered against Fox's mouth before reclaiming it for a deeper kiss. He released the older man several seconds later and wound his arms around him. "Just crack me over the head whenever I get too wound up, okay?"

Fox smiled, nuzzling Alex's shoulder.

"You got it."

Both men went quiet, Alex stroking Fox's back gently. Long minutes later he heard the steady, deep respirations signifying that his lover was now asleep. He lay still for a while, enjoying the comforting weight of Fox's body, then he carefully wiggled free. Brushing a soft kiss over the strands of the other man's hair, he got out of bed and crept into the bathroom. A few minutes later he re-entered the room, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Checking once more to make sure that Fox was still asleep, he slipped silently from the room.

Fox pushed his breakfast plate away and sighed loudly.

"I'm stuffed."

"I'd be stuffed too if I ate as much as you just did," Alex answered, smirking at the other man.

"I couldn't stop eating it," Fox answered, picking up his coffee cup and sipping at the hot liquid. "Joan, that was great," he said to the innkeeper as she bustled toward them.

"Glad to hear it."

"What's for lunch?"

Alex stared at the older man over his orange juice.

"Are you kidding?"

"Just curious."

"How can you even think about food right now?"

Fox shrugged and smiled up at Joan.

"So?"

"Worcester crab sandwiches and cold pasta salad."

"Sounds great."

"Throw in a bottle of wine and some fruit, and it'd be a wonderful picnic lunch," Joan said, nudging Alex. A hint of a smile was her only response.

"And for dinner," she informed Fox, "before you ask, it'll be New England boiled dinner."

"God, I don't think I've had that since I was a kid."

"Yeah?" Joan smiled and sat down. "You from New England, or have you just visited before?"

"I was born and raised in New England."

"No kidding? Where about?"

"Martha's Vineyard."

"Holy mackerel, really? Jack's got an aunt in Edgartown. She's always after us to visit more, but it's tough when seventy -five percent of your business is done in the summer, you know?"

Fox nodded. "And who wants to be on the island in winter? I mean, if you don't have to be."

"Right. So, where on the Vineyard are you from?"

"Chilmark originally. We moved to West Tisbury later."

"Such a small world. How 'bout you, Alex? Where are you from?"

"I was born in Pennsylvania."

Joan waited for some elaboration. When none came, she gave Alex a slightly inquisitive smile and changed the subject.

"Well...I'd better get going on that lunch if you're going to have it for your picnic. Uh...I'm sorry, I just sort of assumed, didn't I? Don't let me push you into it. I tend to get pushy sometimes."

"No. Really?"

"Who asked you?" Joan snorted as her grinning husband approached.

"Careful, fellas," Jack warned, easily avoiding his wife's hand as she swatted at him. "Give her an inch..."

"S'okay," Fox said to the man. "We're used to it. We've got a friend who likes telling us what to do. She swears we can't get along without her."

"She's probably right," Joan teased.

"Yeah, she probably is."

Alex remained silent but the smile that played around his lips attested to his agreement.

"Speaking of Scully, we'd better give her a call and see if Clyde's been behaving himself."

"'Course he has."

Fox raised one eyebrow. "You think so, huh?"

"He's a good boy," Alex huffed.

Fox nodded and gave Alex's knee a patronizing pat.

"He is."

"For you, he is."

Alex snorted and pushed his chair away from the table.

"It's a good thing one of you listens to me."

"See you around lunchtime, Joan," Fox called as he tailed Alex out of the kitchen.

"And if I listened to you all the time what reason would you have to spank me..."

"'Bout damn time."

Fox twitched at the tone in his partner's voice as she answered the phone.

"Everything okay, Scully?"

"Depends on what you mean by okay."

"What d'you mean?" Fox asked, smiling as he glanced at Alex. "Didn't Clyde behave himself?"

"Damn dog wore me out! All he wanted to do was play. When I stopped playing with him, he yapped until I played with him some more. And then when I was finally able to get away from him and go to bed, he woke me up at five friggin' thirty this morning, wanting to go out. And what do you think he wanted to do then?"

"Uh..."

"He wanted to play. One morning very soon, Mulder, your neighbors are going to show up on your porch carrying pitchforks and torches, y'know?"

"Yeah, well..."

Scully interrupted. "What is this animal's problem?"

Her question was met by a hearty laugh.

"Blame Alex. Ever since he put Clyde on that natural diet, his energy has doubled."

"He wasn't enough of a maniac before?"

"Yeah. But now he's a healthier maniac."

"Wonderful."

"Yeah. So, where is he? You didn't lock him up in a closet or anything, did you?"

"Don't think I wasn't tempted. He's outside."

"Ah."

So, have you got anything accomplished?"

"Yep. Minister and flowers are set. Booked the rooms, and we're pretty sure we're going to let Joan do the food."

"Joan being..."

"The innkeeper. We'll decide for sure tomorrow after we've eaten some more of her cooking."

"Uh huh. Well, that's good."

"Yeah."

"Anything else?"

"We talked to one musician yesterday, but that wasn't going to work out."

"Yeah. Tell her why!"

"That Alex?"

"Yeah."

"What's he yelling about?"

He wants me to tell you why the musician didn't work out."

"Okay. Why?"

"He wanted to play stuff like the Chicken Dance."

"What? Oh, God."

"Yeah. I thought Alex was going to have a stroke."

"There should be a law against that song and all others like it."

"Aww, c'mon Scully. Wouldn't you love to see Skinner doing the Hully Gully?"

"Okay," Scully snickered. "It might almost be worth it to watch that."

"That's what I thought. But you-know-who doesn't see the prospective humor."

Alex snorted and cut Fox a dirty look.

Grinning, Fox shrugged and turned his attention back to his conversation.

"So anyway, we're in pretty good shape except for the music and a photographer. It'd be nice to get at least one of those things squared away before we head back tomorrow."

"Will Alex live through it if you don't?"

"Not sure. I may have to have him med-flighted home."

"You talking about me?" Alex more accused than asked, looking up from the menu he'd been studying for the twentieth time.

"Nooo, no."

"I can understand his anxiety, Mulder. It's not all that long before August."

"It's two months away."

"Right. Not exactly a lifetime. Do you realize that most people start planning their weddings more than a year in advance?"

"Chuck and Vicki didn't."

"I know. I was witness to the results, remember?"

"It was fine. You and Alex are just snobs."

"If having good taste makes me a snob, then fine. I'm a snob," Alex sniped as he got up and snatched the phone away from Fox. "Scully?"

"Hey, it's my fellow snob. Okay, tell me. How's it really going?"

"It could be worse, I suppose," Alex sighed then spun around and lunged for Fox as the older man slapped his ass and walked away. "The inn is beautiful, and so are the grounds. The innkeeper is a wonderful cook, she and her husband couldn't be nicer, and like Fox said, we'll probably let her cater the reception. The florist is a complete spaz, but he sounds like he knows what he's talking about, so..."

"Well, you must have seen his shop, right? How'd it look?"

"Like The Brady Bunch meets Laugh-in."

"What?"

"But when he opened his mouth to talk business, he sounded really competent. So, we're taking a chance. Besides, it was him or this skinny-ass, translucent vampire chick with a really bad attitude."

"I see...I think."

"Let's just say he was the lesser of two evils."

"Okay..."

"Fox thinks he's cool."

Scully began to laugh. "That bad, huh?"

He could be one of the Lone Gunmen."

"Yeesh."

"Now you got it?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"So, is Clyde bugging you?" Alex asked, changing the subject.

"Yes. Why didn't you tell me that this new diet of his had turned him into a crazy dog?"

"He's not crazy. He's just a little more...enthusiastic."

"Yeah. Okay. Well, I gotta go. Your enthusiastic dog is digging a trench by the fence."

"What? Tell him I'm going to kill him!"

"Yeah," Scully answered flatly. "I'll do that. I'm sure he'll be terrified. Clyde! Knock that digging off, or your dad said he's going to kill you!" There was a brief pause, then Scully laughed into the phone. "Look at that. He stopped."

"See? He knows what you're saying."

"Uh huh. Listen, put Mulder back on for a minute, would you?"

Alex handed the phone back to Fox, shaking his head.

"What'd he do?"

"He's digging holes."

"I thought he'd stopped that."

"I think he's just doing it because he knows he can get away with it with Scully. He's probably conned her into a bunch of stuff he's not supposed to be eating, too."

Fox rolled his eyes and took the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Listen, Mulder, I've got something to tell you, but don't let Alex know what I'm saying."

"Uh. Okay..."

"I talked to his cousin Maria."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She called here hoping that you guys hadn't left yet for Vermont. She wants to come to the wedding."

"Really? That's..." Fox caught himself. "Umm...yeah, that'll be fine."

"There's more. She wants to see if she can get some more of his family to be there."

"Really. Like?"

"Aunts and uncles, I suppose. She doesn't think his father would go. And she's bringing her daughter."

"Huh?"

"She's got a five-year-old daughter. She didn't say anything to Alex about it the other night, because she just wasn't sure about anything, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. "

"You don't think he'll have any problems with these people showing up, do you?"

"No, I don't think so. I think he'll be very pleased about that."

"Yeah, so do I. She's going to call me back with a definite number. And listen, when she does, don't worry about sneaking around to get them rooms. I'll take care of it from my end."

"That'd be great. Thanks for the update, Scully."

"Okay. Call me later and let me know how you made out with the musicians and whatnot."

"Will do. Talk to you later."

"What was all that about?" Alex asked as his lover hung up and turned to face him.

"Boring work stuff." Fox approached the younger man. Slipping his arms around Alex's waist, he planted a tiny kiss on the tip of his nose. "So, we gonna call some of those numbers?"

"Yeah, let's get on it. Maybe we can at least get the list narrowed down before lunch."

Alex picked the phone up, and the two sat down with the list.

As Fox studied the piece of paper, Alex stared at him.

Feeling his lover's eyes on him, Fox looked up in question.

"You were talking about me, weren't you?"

Frowning to mask a grin, Fox shook his head.

"Nooo."

"How are you feeling today, Uncle?"

The lack of an answer didn't seem to offend Maria. She entered the living room and took a seat opposite the old man.

"You've been working on that puzzle for some time now, haven't you?"

"It would have been done a long time ago if he would have let me help him," Natalie said, walking into the room from the kitchen. She placed a tuna sandwich and glass of iced tea in front of the man. "Here, Iliia," she said softly, waiting until the man held his hand out to place two pills into them. She stepped back but did not leave the room as Iliia washed the tablets down with the iced tea.

"Well," the elder Krycek grunted, clearing his throat. You two obviously want to speak to me about something. Get on with it."

"I was wondering," Maria began, "if you'd given any more consideration to seeing Alex."

Iliia cast his eyes down to the coffee table, and he reached down to move a few puzzle pieces around.

"Uncle..."

"Are you going to hound me until I give you an answer?"

"Am I going to have to?"

"No. I won't see him."

"What? Why?"

"I don't have to explain my decisions to you. Accept it and let me be."

Maria opened her mouth to argue but was stopped by her aunt.

"Fine, Iliia. I know how stubborn you can be. But I want you to know that come August, I'll be accompanying Maria and her parents to Alex's wedding."

The gray head snapped up and sharp green eyes stared at the woman.

"That's right," Natalie continued. "You don't have to go, but I'll be there."

Iliia turned his eyes to the younger woman.

"And your parents are going to this thing too?"

"Yes, Uncle. They're going to your son's wedding.

Iliia snorted softly and looked away.

"Wouldn't you like to see how happy your only child is? Wouldn't you like to share in it?"

"Alexei and I haven't shared anything for a very long time."

"You could start."

The old man shook his head.

"No."

"Uncle Iliia, for the love of..."

"Forget it, Maria," Natalie broke in. "When your uncle makes his mind up about something it takes nothing short of an act of God to make him change it."

Natalie led the younger woman out of the room and into the kitchen.

"I don't understand," Maria growled. "How can he be like that? He pushed Alex away, not the other way around."

"Would you believe it if I told you that I think it's because he's afraid?"

Maria cocked her head, waiting for elaboration.

"And ashamed," Natalie went on. "He knows full well what he did to Alex, and after that story you told, I know he must be feeling responsible, no matter how much huffing and puffing he does. And now he's afraid to see his son."

"He'll never overcome his fear if he doesn't face Alex."

"I know. But we have to resign ourselves to the fact that it probably won't ever happen." Natalie took the distressed woman's hands in her own. "Alex will have family at his wedding. People who are genuinely happy to see him and wish him well. That's what's important."

Maria nodded and smiled at her aunt.

"Thank you for agreeing to go." The smile grew wider. "You're a brave woman. The look on his face when you said you'd be going was not a pleasant one."

Natalie shrugged. "Iliia is not as intimidating as he would like to think he still is."

"When we were children, we were terrified of him," Maria chuckled. "Another way in which Alex reminds me of him now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I neglected to mention that he and Victor almost wound up in a brawl the night we were at his house. Victor was needling him relentlessly, and Alex got angry. I got the very distinct impression that Alex would have mopped the floor with him."

"What stopped him?"

"Well, Fox was so irritated with Victor, he was going to let Alex cold cock him. But Dana insisted that it was neither the time nor the place, so he stepped in and diffused the situation." Maria smiled. "Which he did with no trouble at all. I get the feeling he's probably the only one who can handle my cousin."

The older woman nodded. "I'm looking forward to meeting this Fox. I really hope he won't mind us crashing his wedding."

"Dana insists that we'll all be very welcome."

"She knows this for sure?"

"Nobody's closer to Alex and Fox than she is. If she says we'll be welcome, I believe her."

"All right then." Natalie sighed then gave her niece a trace of a smile. "Guess I'd better start looking for something to wear."

"Yeah, me too. And Raiza insists that her doll needs something new, too." Both women laughed then she continued. "Let's set up a date to go shopping. You, me, my mother and Aunt Irene."

"Have you asked Irene and Ivan about it?"

"Yes. Before I got here."

"What'd they say?"

"Let's just say that it looks like Victor and Uncle Iliia are going to have only each other for company on August tenth."

"Victor must be pretty mad."

"If he isn't yet, I'm sure he will be. Oh, well. He'll live through it." Maria looked down at her watch. "I'd better get out of here. The sitter could only stay until three, and I've still got a couple of things to do."

Natalie followed Maria to the door and saw the younger woman off with a promise to think about a shopping date, and when her niece was gone, she returned to where Iliia was sitting and looked down at the silent man.

"You still have a little time if you want to change your mind."

Saying nothing, Iliia picked up a piece of his puzzle and studied its shape and color before attempting to fit it.

"All right. Fine. Finish your lunch," Natalie said softly and left the room.

When he was sure she was gone, Iliia dropped the puzzle piece and poked half of his sandwich with one finger. Pushing it away, he sat back against the sofa and stared sightlessly at his hands folded in his lap.

"I don't know about you," Fox moaned after another succulent mouthful of his sandwich, "but I vote for Joan to do the catering."

Alex nodded enthusiastically as he again ripped into his lunch.

"Cool. See? We got one more thing settled. And, we've got tapes being mailed to us from the musicians."

Popping the last of his sandwich into his mouth, Alex lay back and rested his head in Fox's lap.

"Yeah, maybe it'll all turn out okay after all."

"Told you."

"Yeah, yeah. Wanna go see what photographers we can find after this?"

Idly running his fingers through Alex's hair, Fox gave him a conciliatory smile.

"Sure."

"What? You have something else in mind?"

Fox shrugged. "I was just thinking how nice it is out here."

"Uh huh."

"And how it might be nice to maybe lie down under this nice big tree and..."

"Take a nap?"

The question earned Alex a light slap to his forehead. Laughing softly, he nuzzled his lover's crotch.

"I didn't say when we should take a nap."

Fox's mouth curled into a contented smile as Alex turned his head and closed around the denim-covered, growing bulge.

Biting down gently, Alex uttered a soft, throaty growl. Fox made an identical sound, tugging lazily at his hair, and he released the older man, directing a smoky gaze up at him.

"Lie down, lisa."

Fox slid away from the tree, obediently lowering himself to his back. His eyes slipped shut, and his back arched slightly as his lover's hands skimmed slowly over his chest and stomach. Alex pushed his t-shirt up, his lips following his hands, and a soft moan left Fox's lips as the younger man lapped at one quickly hardening nipple. His fingers crept through Alex's hair, massaging gently as pleasure tingled through him. The thought that any other of the inn's guests could be walking the grounds flitted through his mind but just as quickly left it as Alex's teeth closed around the tight nub and pulled.

"Ah...God..."

Alex's tongue flicked quickly over the bit of flesh he still held in his mouth, and a loud groan rumbled in Fox's throat.

Alex released the nipple and lifted his head. Sparkling emerald eyes danced with mischief.

"Shhh. Want someone to hear?"

"Y'mean you wanna just give 'em the visual without the sound effects?"

Alex laughed softly. "Yeah, we aren't exactly hidden from view, are we?" One corner of his mouth twitched up into a hint of a smile. "Maybe we should stop."

Fox stared back. "That what you want?"

"What I want," Alex growled softly, "is to suck you dry." He cast a furtive glance around then looked back at Fox. "Think you can be quiet?"

"You're kidding, right?"

Alex's shoulders shook as he laughed silently.

"Okay. I got an idea."

Quickly he undid Fox's pants, freeing his rigid cock. Unable to help himself, he leaned in, taking the head in his mouth and sucking hungrily.

"Ah, Fox gasped. "Damn...this is your idea?"

Alex pulled away, smirking down at the older man as he worked on his own jeans.

"No."

Fox watched as his lover discarded his pants and turned himself so that he was lying on his side and his cock was bobbing just inches from Fox's head. Smiling, he turned onto his side and skimmed his hand over Alex's hip as he nuzzled the thick muscle.

"This should keep you quiet," Alex murmured, grasping his cock at the base and rubbing it against Fox's lips. The older man's eyes fluttered closed, and his mouth opened to allow his lover entrance. Emitting a stuttering sigh, Alex stroked the golden-brown head as Fox's tongue lazily stroked along the length of his cock. His head turned, seeking out the heat of the older man's groin, and he buried his face there, inhaling the clean, musky scent he'd know blind.

Fox's cock twitched, straining against Alex's cheek, and he rocked against the other man, whimpering around the length of solid muscle in his mouth. The whimpering turned to low moans as Alex gently licked him from base to tip. He moved back, releasing the younger man's cock to whisper a simple plea.

"Alex...please..."

"Who told you, you could stop sucking my cock?" Alex asked, flicking his tongue back and forth over the swollen head of his lover's erection.

"I'll suck yours if you suck mine," Fox threw back.

Alex grinned. "Well, if you're gonna be that way about it."

Fox's fingers clenched, digging into the back of Alex's thigh as the younger man sucked his cock into his mouth. As he was taken all the way in, his lips slid back over the flushed head pressed against them, and Alex's moan vibrated all around his cock.

Slowly, each man teased the other, urging him toward release. Stroking and squeezing the clenching muscles of his lover's ass, Alex worked the substantial length of Fox's erection, listening to the older man's muffled cries grow in intensity. Fox mimicked Alex's motions; drawing similar sounds from him, and his hips began to rock gently.

Inhaling deeply, Alex shuddered as a fresh surge of excitement passed through him. His hands pushed against Fox's ass, encouraging the other man to thrust more deeply. Hungrily he swallowed every inch of flesh as he began to fuck his lover's mouth, throwing both men into a frenzy. Bucking and thrashing uncontrollably, they held tightly to each other, their frantic grunts and gasps drowning out the sounds of nearby birds.

It was coming. More quickly than he'd intended, but somewhere in the back of Alex's lust-clouded brain, he figured it was probably for the best. It'd be just their luck for another of the inn's guests to be wandering around the area. And wouldn't it be nice for the kind old couple they'd met in passing this morning before breakfast to be out on a nature walk and find them like this. Somehow he doubted that they could pass themselves off as a couple of fluffy bunny rabbits frolicking in the grass.

The idea, warped as it seemed would have struck him as amusing were Fox not currently sucking him into unconsciousness. A low, feral growl rumbled in his throat, and his body began to vibrate as it succumbed to his lover's demand that he let go. A loud, harsh cry escaped past his occupied lips, and Fox swallowed all that he could before he came, sobbing breathlessly.

As Fox's cries faded, Alex lay stroking his rear and gently licking his cock clean. Fox smiled lazily, returning the favor, and when they were done, he sat up and looked around before gazing down at the younger man.

"Nobody around to bust us?" Alex asked, caressing Fox's thigh.

"Not yet." Fox looked around again. "Maybe we should get dressed before our luck runs out."

Re-arranging their clothing, the two men fell back to the ground; Fox resting his head on Alex's chest.

"That was nice."

"Hmm hmm," Alex breathed, kissing the top of the golden-brown head. "We should think about getting into town soon, though."

"I know."

"Hope we can find somebody."

Fox lifted his head and grinned down at the other man.

"Well, just remember that if we don't have any luck today, you're not going to start climbing the walls...right?"

One corner of Alex's mouth quirked up into a semi-grimace.

"Alex..."

"I'll be cool," Alex promised half-heartedly.

"And if I believe that..."

"I will."

"Yeah, okay."

Fox planted a kiss on Alex's collarbone then boosted himself to his feet and held out his hand. Alex took it, and he helped the younger man up. Together they gathered the picnic things and found their way back to the house.

"Quiet," Alex observed as they entered the house and walked through to the kitchen.

"Wonder where everybody is?" Fox asked, placing the basket on the counter.

"I'll tell you where they are," Alex murmured close to the other man's ear. "They're all in the root cellar having their weekly Killer Innkeepers of New England meeting."

Fox rolled his eyes.

"They're deciding which one of their lucky guests is going to be sacrificed first...and how."

"You're a bigger fruitcake than I am."

"Okay," Alex mumbled, "but when you wake up in the middle of the night to bloodcurdling screams, and I'm not in bed..."

"I'll get right on the phone to the police," Fox vowed.

"Are you kidding? The local cops are all members of the same little coven. And besides, why would you call them? You're going to waste time waiting for the cops while I'm being dismembered and turned into tomorrow's stew? What the hell are you if you're not the law?"

"Well," Fox grinned, "I was thinking I'd call 'em for backup, since there'd be one of me and who knows how many of them. But sorry, I didn't realize that the cops were in this circle of evil, too."

"Yeah, well, turn the radar back on, Agent Mulder."

Chuckling softly, Fox emptied the picnic basket and returned it to the shelf he had seen Joan take it down from.

"Tell you what." He walked over to Alex and drew the other man into his arms. "I'll cuff you to the bed tonight so they can't sneak off with you. How 'bout that?"

"Yeah?" Alex purred. "That kinda leaves you free to do what you want, doesn't it?"

Fox shrugged and gave his lover an innocent smile. "Kinda."

"Mmm hmm." Alex gave Fox's rear a light tap. "Let's go. We got us a photographer to find."

Fox pressed a quick peck to Alex's lips and, taking his hand, followed him out of the kitchen.

"And if you think I'm not going to tell them that it was you who broke the bird bath, you're sadly mistaken!"

Scully stumbled onto the patio and kicked Clyde's toys out of the way then grabbed for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dana. Uh...sounds like I might have caught you at a bad time."

"No," Scully breathed, dropping into a chair. "Just trying to keep up with this beast."

Maria laughed. "Clyde?"

"Uh huh."

"He's such a sweetie."

"Yeah, he's real adorable. So...how'd you make out?"

"My mom and dad are going. So are Victor's parents and Alex's stepmother."

"Guess his father was a no go, huh?"

"I've never met a more infuriatingly stubborn man in my life," Maria sighed.

"Wait till you spend a little more time around Alex," Scully droned. "And Mulder, for that matter."

"They can't be as bad as Uncle Iliia."

"Wanna bet?"

"God. Anyway...my mother wants me to be very sure that we're going to be welcome at the wedding. I told her what you said, but..."

"I understand how she must feel," Scully answered. "You go ahead and reassure her. Alex'll be shocked, and maybe even a little wary, but once he gets over that, he'll be thrilled you're all there, I guarantee it."

"Okay. We just want to be absolutely sure. I mean, this is Alex's wedding. His family wouldn't do anything to ruin it."

"I'm so happy that most of you decided to go. Mulder and I have been Alex's only family for so long...speaking of Mulder, do you think they'll accept him all right?"

"I've told them all about him, believe me. I wouldn't take them up to Vermont with them all thinking Alex is marrying a woman."

Scully laughed. "God, could you imagine?"

Maria shuddered. "I don't even want to. Anyway, they're fine with it. I mean, Victor sort of broke that ice a long time ago."

"Something to be thankful to him for."

"Yeah. And to answer your question, I think they'll love Fox."

"I hope so. He's almost as devoid of family as Alex."

"When they talked to Victor and me that night, they told us what happened with Fox's father. I'm still amazed when I think that with all that's happened between the two of them, they can be so deeply in love."

"I know."

"Anyway, neither of them had mentioned Fox's mother. Is she deceased also?"

"No. Though for all the attention she pays to her son, she may as well be."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah."

"That's awful."

"Yeah, it is."

"Is it because of him and Alex?"

"It didn't help, believe me, but there was a huge rift between them long before Alex ever came into his life."

"I just can't imagine."

"I know."

"Well, my family will accept Fox as one of their own...most of them, anyway. I don't know that Victor and my uncle will ever accept Alex back, let alone his husband."

Scully smiled at the reference.

"I can't believe they're getting married."

"Was it so unlikely?"

"Yeah, it...they've been together all this time and the subject had never come up."

"So, how did it happen? I know there seemed to be something odd going on that night of their dinner party."

"There's usually something odd going on with those two," Scully commented. "But that's beside the point. Mulder's cousin got married. I think that may have planted the seed. He started acting kind of funny, and it wasn't until Chuck and Vicki's wedding that Alex and I figured it out. Well, I figured it out. Alex thought I was insane. Took him only until the end of the reception to realize that I was right. And to try and made a very long, confusing story short, Alex asked Mulder to marry him, but because of something stupid that I'd said, Mulder thought Alex was doing it just to make him happy. He brooded about it for a while, then it all came to a head the night of the party. They had a big fight, you and Victor showed up, Mulder stopped sulking when he realized that Alex needed him, and...well, you saw the rest."

"Yeah. Are they always so nutty?"

"Not always. Doesn't matter, though. However loony they get, the bottom line is they're insanely in love with each other."

"I could see that ten seconds after Fox walked into the room that night. They give off such strong energy together. I know very little about them, but it seems very right that they should be married."

"Yep. So...I'd better get moving and call for those rooms. How many?"

"Three will be fine. Natalie can share with Raiza and me."

"Natalie is..."

"Alex's stepmother."

"Ah. How did his father react to hearing that she was going to go the wedding?"

"Not thrilled," Maria answered, "but he didn't say much. He knows he can't stop her, and he won't embarrass himself by trying and failing."

"I see. Well, as long as he's not walking around sulking and being miserable."

"Oh, he'll do that."

Maria's tone made Scully laugh.

"But he's pretty sullen most of the time, anyway. The only one who really seems to be able to look past that is my daughter."

"Children are so much more perceptive than we are sometimes," Scully mused. "Guess she sees things in him that you adults aren't able to."

"That's what I keep telling myself," Maria chuckled. "I like to believe that under all that grumpiness he's really a sweet man."

"There's got to be something there. His wife has been with him for several years, right?"

"Yeah. I guess she can deal with him all right, but she apparently can't handle him."

"Alex isn't easily handled," Scully said, comparing the younger Krycek to his father. "In fact, it's pretty damn near impossible."

Maria was quiet for several seconds, then she spoke.

"But he seems so domesticated now, compared to what he told us he was like."

"You wouldn't believe the difference," Scully answered. "Alex's life after the academy was a nightmare. It made him hard. The things he did...he was someone I'm sure you wouldn't have recognized. Since that's all I'd ever known of him, I hated him. He and Mulder falling in love was nothing short of an act of God, yet I couldn't for the life of me understand how Mulder could allow it to happen. Took me a long time, though, to trust that Alex really did love him and wasn't just out to do him harm."

"But you really do trust him now," Maria said softly, the statement coming across more like a question. "You believe he is who he is."

"Without a doubt. Don't get me wrong; he's still an ornery, aggressive, stubborn, dangerous man in certain situations. But loving Mulder has softened him. Domesticated him, to use your word."

"I guess it really is who he wants to be," Maria said. "Since they're taking this huge step."

"It is. He freaked out for a little while there after he'd been taken, and he questioned who he'd become. Thought that living easy, not being on guard all the time was what had gotten him snatched. Took a while for that to finally come to a head, and it wasn't pretty."

"They'd given us a brief rundown on everything, but they didn't go into a whole lot of detail," Maria said, hoping for more so that she might better understand.

"Well," Scully sighed, " a brief rundown is all you need, believe me. The details are hair-raising. Anyway, with Mulder's help and more love than he knows what to do with, Alex is finally, fully recovering. The doubts about himself are gone. He knows he's as strong as he ever was. He loves his life. He adores Mulder, and marrying him is what Alex wants most in the world."

"I'm so glad we're going to be there is see it."

"Alex will be glad too. But you're not gonna be there at all if I don't get off this phone and get those reservations made."

Maria looked at watch and giggled. "Wow. I guess we've talking a while, huh?"

"Yeah. I've haven't yacked this long on the phone for a long while. I'll call you back when I've got the reservations made, okay?"

"Okay, I'll look forward to hearing from you."

Scully hung up and looked around for the number to the inn. Finding the slip of paper that Alex had scribbled the number on, she sat back and dialed.

The bedroom door swung open, and Fox trudged into the room, preceded by Alex, who threw himself onto the bed and scowled up at the ceiling.

"Remember our agreement."

"Two photographers, Fox. Only two. One so homophobic, he probably sprayed the joint down with Lysol the minute we walked out, and the other with eyes like a dead eagle."

Fox dissolved into laughter. "Never heard that one before."

"Well, tell me he didn't suck! Did you get a load of those pictures on his wall? The faces were different, but the poses were exactly the same."

"They were?"

"How could you not notice? Every guy in every picture looked like friggin' Robert Young."

"Huh?"

"Yeah! If they weren't wearing tuxes, then the men were wearing sports jackets, and all of them had their hand placed strategically in the pocket with their thumb hanging out. What the hell was that shit? All they needed was a damn pipe stuck in their faces." Alex closed his eyes and slammed his head up and down on the pillow. "Damn. What the hell are we going to do now?"

"We'll figure something out," Fox promised, reaching out to rub Alex's knee.

"Yeah?" Alex droned. "Like what? You want to fly a photographer out here from D.C.?"

"I don't think we'll have to take it that far," Fox answered, sitting down on the bed. "But if we have to..."

Alex groaned loudly.

"Don't worry," Fox whispered, lowering himself to his lover's side. "It'll work out. We'll check the next town. It's only twenty-five minutes out, and it's bigger. Bet there'll be more photographers there than there are here."

"We're leaving tomorrow," Alex countered. "When are we supposed to find the time to..."

Before he could finish, Fox got up and grabbed for the phone book. "It's not that late," he said, thumbing through the yellow pages. If we find something close by, we'll drive out right now."

Alex watched quietly as Fox picked up the phone a few seconds later and began to dial. Four calls later, the older man dropped the phone and patted Alex's leg before rising to his feet.

"Let's go. We got two more stops to make."

Alex took Fox's extended hand, but instead of letting the other man pull him up, he pulled him down. As Fox fell onto his chest, Alex clamped his arms around him. Forest green eyes stared up at him in absolute adoration.

"I love you."

"Good," Fox murmured, smirking down at the other man. "Makes the whole getting married thing more believable. Oww!" He reached back to rub his stinging ass and pouted down at Alex.

"You were asking for it with that comment."

"Was not."

"No? Okay, my mistake."

Alex shoved Fox off of him and swung to his feet. Grinning down at the man on the bed, he now held out his hand.

"Let's go."

The pout having turned into an irritated scowl, Fox got up and shuffled toward the door. Before he could reach it, Alex closed in on him and delivered another hard whack to his rear. He emitted a sound that was a cross somewhere between a loud mewl and a groan, and as he spun around to confront the younger man, he found himself pinned up against the door.

"Want more?" Alex asked, his words a warm, breathy hiss across his lover's mouth.

Fox's eyes grew suddenly heavy, and he stared at Alex through a veil of golden-brown lashes. His lips parted, and it took a while for him to finally speak.

"We have to...to go to umm..."

"See those photographers?"

Fox nodded, just barely writhing against the other man.

"I didn't mean that I was going to do anything right now."

Fox had a hard time concealing his disappointment.

"I just thought it'd be kind of interesting to tease you a little before we go."

"You're mean."

"Nooo," Alex purred, licking the corner of Fox's mouth. "How could I be mean to my sweet baby? I love you. I'm only giving you what you want." Alex pressed closer, his voice a low, knee-weakening rasp. "Tell me what you want, Fox."

Fox whimpered softly and closed his eyes, parting his lips in offering. He leaned forward the scant few inches that were between them, and just as his mouth touched his lover's, Alex pulled back slightly.

"Please don't tease me," he gasped, his lashes rising to allow him to look into almost black, glittering eyes.

"Tell me what you want," Alex repeated, ignoring the older man's plea.

Fox's breath left him in a rush as he began to speak.

"I want...I want to give you everything, I..." Fox stopped then, staring into the dark depths of his lover's eyes, he continued. "...I want you to take it."

"Everything?" Alex asked softly, grinding his hips against Fox's. "Anything I want?"

"Yes."

"As much as I want?"

"Yes."

"For as long as I want?"

Fox shivered inwardly at the hint of evil that had just crept into Alex's tone, but still he answered with a yes.

"You know," Alex rumbled as he nuzzled Fox's jaw, "suddenly I'm kind of sorry that we didn't have the time to drive up and back. It would have been a fun ride home." He looked down at his watch and sighed. "We'll have to continue this later. We gotta get out of here if we're going to talk to those photographers."

Fox whined pitifully when Alex let him go, but since he was the one who'd initiated this next little expedition...

"C'mon," Alex coaxed softly, reaching for Fox's hand. Gently pulling the older man along, the exited the room and started for the first floor. As they reached the front door, Joan's voice turned them around.

"You boys be sure and make it back before dinner."

"Oh," Alex grinned, listening to Fox's pained groan. "Yeah, uh...what time would that be?"

"You got about three hours."

"Okay. Well, we'd better get a move on." Squeezing Fox's hand, Alex tossed his head in the direction of the door. "Let's go, lisa."

Alex opened the door, and Joan stopped them once more.

"Fox, you okay?"

Both men turned around, and Fox fixed a glassy-eyed stare on the woman.

"Huh?"

"You look kind of flushed, and your eyes are all glazed."

"N-no. I'm...I'm okay."

"He's fine," Alex threw in, giving the woman a good-natured twitch of his nose.

Joan watched the two slip out the door, then she shook her head and walked toward the kitchen, chuckling. Just as she was about to check on dinner preparations, the phone rang.

"Pepperberry Farms, this is Joan, can I help you?"

"Hello. My name is Dana Scully, and I'm calling about booking some rooms for August ninth through the eleventh."

"Hmm. Okay," Joan murmured, trying to think. "I'm going to have to check reservations. I've got a wedding that weekend, and..."

"I know," Scully interrupted. "It's my friends who are getting married."

"Oh! Really?"

"Yes. Fox Mulder and Alex Krycek. There are a few more relatives who are coming in, and it's a surprise, so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention my call to them."

"Oooh, I love surprises. How many rooms did you need?"

"Three."

"Three. All right, let's see..."

Scully waited only a couple of minutes before the Joan spoke again.

"Oh, no. I only have two available. Oh, I feel terrible. It would have been so nice for all the guests to be here. Would you like the two rooms that I've got anyway?"

"No, I really think that it'd be best to have them all in the same place. They're all Mr. Krycek's family, and I think they'd be more comfortable if they were all together."

"Of course."

"Could you give me the names of a few places in your area that might have availabilities?"

"Yeah. Sure, uh..."

Scully wrote down the names of the three inns that Joan had suggested, thanked the woman for her help, then set about finding lodgings for the Krycek family.

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"He was not," Fox huffed, turning his head to scowl at the driver.

"Fox, that guy did everything but come right out and ask you to hit the carpet with him."

"He was just being friendly!"

"Any friendlier and he would have fallen to his knees and buried his face in your crotch."

"Alex," Fox sighed. "Why would he come on to someone who was in his studio looking to hire him to take pictures of their wedding?"

"I don't know," Alex replied tersely. "Same reason he'd tell you what a beautiful mouth you had right in front of your fiancé? He's lucky his eyes are still in his head," he concluded in a low mutter.

Fox shook his head and closed his eyes. He was quiet for a moment then looked over at Alex. A faint smile curved his lips, and he moved across the seat. Slipping and arm around Alex's middle, he laid his head on the irritated man's shoulder.

"You're sexy when you're jealous."

Alex snorted and said nothing.

"Okay, so why are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you."

"Seems like it."

Alex's tone gentled.

"M'sorry, lisa, I..." He rubbed his cheek into Fox's hair. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I got you all hot before we left the inn. The photographer was probably sniffing the air before we even hit the doorway."

"I didn't encourage him," Fox mumbled, playing with the zipper on Alex's jacket.

"I know. But you're beautiful enough when you're not turned on. When you are, you're just...you're incredible."

Fox breathed a soft sigh and nestled more tightly to his lover's side.

"And I'm yours."

A tiny smile began to replace the frown, and Alex shifted to kiss the top of Fox's head.

"I know."

There was silence for a short time, then Fox spoke softly.

"He really was very good."

No answer.

"The best we've seen."

"...It'd be stupid of me not to want to hire him, wouldn't it?"

"You want beautiful, professional pictures, don't you?"

"That is what I've been bitching about, huh?"

"Yeah, it is," Fox answered.

Alex thought on it for a few minutes, then he relented.

"Okay. Let's call him back and tell him he's got the job. If he hits on you at the reception, I'll just drown him in the lake."

Fox chuckled as he pulled out his cell phone and searched for the number.

"He's not going to hit on me."

"He'd better not," Alex growled in warning, "or I'm telling you, Fox, I won't be held responsible for my actions."

Fox made the call, and once he had it all settled with the photographer, he tossed the phone down on the seat and turned to plant a firm kiss on Alex's jaw.

"We're good to go."

"I'll bet he is."

"Would you stop? You should be happy! We've got everything accomplished that we came up here for."

"Mmm. Music isn't set, yet."

"No, but they're sending tapes. I'm sure we'll like one of them."

Alex curled his right arm up around Fox's chin and petted the side of his lover's head.

"Yeah. Maybe this'll turn out okay, huh?"

"Have I not been trying to tell you that?"

"I know you have. I just...things haven't gone exactly according to plan up until now, and I guess I've just been really uptight."

"Can you relax a little now?"

"Yeah, I think maybe I can."

"Good." Fox slowly stroked the length of Alex's thigh. "Now, can you focus that energy someplace else?"

Alex began to grin. "Where would you like it?"

"On me," Fox answered, sounding very self-centered and making no apologies for it.

Alex's hand left the other man's head and drifted down to his own crotch, rubbing gently.

"All over you?"

"Yes," Fox whispered, hungry eyes watching his lover's hand.

Glancing at the clock on the dash, Alex moaned softly.

"Not enough time right now, but after dinner we'll spend the rest of the night in our room. And I promise you, I'll devote every last ounce of my energy to you."

Fox squirmed happily at the thought, and his hand slid up to cover Alex's.

"We could skip dinner."

"We could, but Joan's expecting us. She's been so nice to us; it wouldn't be very polite to blow her off."

"I guess," Fox sighed.

"But?"

"Hmm?"

"I heard a 'but' in your tone."

Fox shrugged, stroking his palm over the hand that was still in Alex's lap.

"But my dick's about to punch a hole in my pants."

Alex let out a low chuckle.

"Down, boy."

"Impossible." Fox lifted his head and lightly mouthed Alex's ear. "You can't tell me that it won't bother you to wait until after dinner."

"No, I can't."

"So, how 'bout we just take the edge off? Maybe a quick shower before dinner?"

Alex closed one eye; trying to concentrate on something other than his lover's teasing mouth. "Mmm..."

"Please?" Fox moaned, tickling the inside of Alex's ear with his tongue. "Ten minutes. Consider it an appetizer."

No response except for a long, soft sigh.

"Alex..."

Alex drummed on the steering wheel and tried to keep his eyes focused on the road.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking."

"Hi. Maria?"

"Yeah. Dana?"

"Uh huh. Just calling back to let you know that you're all set. Unfortunately, the place that Mulder and Alex are staying at didn't have enough rooms available. But I've booked you and your family at a nice inn that's only twelve miles down the road from there."

"Great. Thanks so much, Dana."

"Not a problem. You got a piece of paper?"

"Yeah, I...hang on...okay, go ahead."

Scully gave Maria all of the information, they talked for a few minutes more, then said goodnight. Just as Maria hung up and started to head for the kitchen, the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"You got my parents to go to this thing in August?"

"Hi, Victor. How are you? Oh, me? I'm fine."

"Maria..."

"I didn't get them to go," Maria sniped. "I asked, they agreed. They want to go, Victor, unlike you and Uncle Iliia. So, leave them alone."

"What d'you mean, 'leave them alone'?"

"Just what I said. Don't try and talk them out of going. If you want to be a jerk, be one. Just keep your mouth shut and let your parents go and have a good time."

"You didn't tell them, did you? They have no idea what their little nephew has become."

"They know everything we know," Maria shot back. "And somehow they aren't being a tiny fraction as hard-assed about it as you are."

"They know."

"Yes."

"Everybody."

"Yes."

God, that pissed him off.

"And nobody gives a damn."

"Everybody gives a damn. They give a damn about Alex and the fact that he's turned it all around and is now living a happy life with a man who loves him."

"Unbelievable."

"You're the one who's unbelievable, Victor. You and Alex's father. But...whatever. If you can't stop being bitter and petty and be happy for him, that's your problem. Just leave the rest of us out of it."

"Don't worry," Victor muttered. "I'm not going to waste my time brooding or trying to convince any of you that you're being a bunch of suckers. Go, all of you. Have a marvelous time."

"Thanks, we will. Goodbye, Victor."

Victor blinked as he heard the click on the other end, signaling Maria's disconnection. He tossed the phone down, fuming.

Only a couple of days back in their lives, and already that prick cousin of theirs was screwing it all up.

Alex entered the room, followed closely by Fox. He turned and watched as the other man leaned against the door and stared longingly at him. Displaying a small grin, he lowered his eyes and turned toward the bathroom, pulling his jacket off.

Fox paused for a second then pushed away from the door. He walked slowly in the direction that Alex had gone and stopped in the doorway, watching his lover pull his shirt out of his pants. When Alex had completed his task, he turned around and met Fox's hungry gaze. His hands dropped to his sides, and he waited.

Moving into the room, Fox turned the shower on then started toward Alex. When they were only a breath apart, he raised his hands to the younger man's chest, playing with the top button of his shirt.

"You done thinking?"

Alex lifted his hand and traced the line of Fox's jaw with his fingertips.

"Can't take a shower with our clothes on."

Fox backed away only far enough to begin removing his clothing. When everything lay in a heap on the floor, he turned his full attention to Alex, who had only removed his shirt. He lifted a questioning gaze to Alex's face.

"You do the rest," Alex whispered, and Fox immediately obeyed, moving forward to touch his hands to the front of Alex's jeans. He watched himself undo the button, then he looked up. He kept his eyes on Alex's even as he lowered himself to his knees and pulled the zipper down.

Alex watched curiously, waiting until Fox had him completely undressed, then his eyes closed as his lover began to gently nuzzle his swollen cock. A smile twitched at the left corner of his mouth, and one hand slid through Fox's hair, burrowing into its lushness as the other closed around the base of his cock.

"What do you want?" he rasped, rubbing the solid column of flesh over Fox's lips and cheek.

Fox tongue inched out, swiping at Alex's cock as it moved over his mouth.

"What you promised."

Alex emitted a soft, breathy laugh.

"You're such a slut."

His fingers tightened ever so slightly in Fox's hair, and he pulled his lover's head back a fraction as he continued to tease him.

"So fucking beautiful."

Alex's cock nudged in past Fox's lips, and his hips thrust forward, pushing it in as deeply as it would go.

Fox swallowed readily, his hands sliding up over the firm mounds of Alex's ass. He trembled with excitement, gratefully taking the next three strokes, but then Alex stopped and pulled away. His lashes lifted halfway but dropped again as Alex took hold of his cock once more and began to stroke it over his face.

"Hands behind your back," he gasped, and Fox complied, allowing his lover's soft command to be his only restraints.

Alex's knees shook with the effort it took for them to hold him up, and his hand moved a little more quickly jerking his cock as he continued to move it against Fox's skin.

Fox's respiration became irregular in no time, the harsh sounds only encouraging Alex to let his control slip another notch.

"Jesus...baby, oh God..."

"Please," Fox begged as Alex's cock slapped against his right cheek and the side of his nose. "Want...let...let it go..."

Alex sobbed through gritted teeth as the last of his resolve slipped away. His fingers tightened uncontrollably in his lover's hair, and his other hand moved erratically over his cock. He fought to keep his eyes open, wanting to watch...

Fox's tongue lashed at Alex's cock, making contact with the velvety skin as often as the younger man's jerky movements would allow, and within seconds, guttural, broken cries rolled in Alex's throat as he came hard. Fox swallowed the semen that managed to splash into his mouth, but the rest hit in other areas, coating his cheek, chin, and hair. A few good pulls on his own cock, and he could easily have come with Alex, but his hands remained behind his back as was demanded of him until he sensed that Alex's ability to remain on his feet became almost non-existent.

Moaning softly as Fox rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around him, Alex leaned heavily into his lover's body and let himself be led into the shower. Once inside, Fox let him go and turned his face up to the warm spray, rinsing away all evidence of Alex's orgasm. Then he turned to face the other man, drawing him forward, under the showerhead. Sable lashes lifted slowly, and Alex focused a hazy gaze on Fox.

"That was intense."

Fox smiled and lathered a sponge. Running it over Alex's chest, he dusted his lover's cheek with warm, wet lips.

"For me too."

Alex smiled lazily and said nothing.

Fox sighed heavily and took the younger man's hand, guiding it down to his groin.

"Really intense."

Alex groaned. "M'sorry lisa." His fingers curled around his lover's rigid cock, squeezing gently. "You got me so worked up, I..."

"S'okay," Fox whispered, nuzzling Alex's jaw. "Just do something about it, please?"

Alex tilted his head, capturing Fox's mouth in a long, tender kiss, then he turned his back to the older man and braced his hands against the wall.

Needing no more invitation than that, Fox stepped forward, covering Alex in lather, then he slipped his hands between the other man's ass cheeks and parted them enough to allow his cock access.

A clipped moan left Alex's lips as he felt his lover push into him. When Fox was buried deeply inside him, the older man wrapped his arms around him and began to kiss and lick the back of his neck. He shuddered at the sensation and tightened his muscles, trapping Fox inside of him.

"Shit," Fox gasped, dropping his head to Alex's shoulder. "That's...more. Don't stop."

Slowly and repeatedly, Alex squeezed his lover's cock as strong teeth bit into his shoulder and neck and restless hands roamed the front of his body.

"Jeez," Fox half whispered, half sobbed. "So...faster...damn...hard...harder..."

Alex obliged as Fox clung tenaciously to him, choking and gasping his pleasure.

"God...oh yeah, that's...Christ."

Gripping Alex tightly, he came, his body jerking with the intensity of it. His cries rang out against Alex's shoulder, and then he began to slump, his grasp on his slippery lover loosening, and his cock falling out of it's warm, slick home.

Alex turned around, wrapping his weakened Fox in his arms and holding him up under the water. "Better?" he asked, reaching for the sponge and running it up and down the long back.

Fox nodded, standing quietly for a few moments, then he lifted his head and fixed a dreamy-eyed stare on the other man.

"We should probably hurry up or we're going to be late."

"Oh, now you're worried about being late?" Alex asked, slicking Fox's wet hair back.

"Now I can eat without wanting to drag you down under the table," Fox explained.

Alex emitted a low chuckle. "Bet I can change that by the middle of the entrée."

"Ooooh," Fox purred as the two lazily stroked each other. "Sounds like a challenge."

"No challenge," Alex countered. "You're easy."

Fox shrugged and offered his lover a tiny smile. Arguing the point would be useless.

Kissing Fox's wet mouth once, Alex pulled away, and the two got down to the serious business of showering. Less than twenty minutes later, they were dressed and heading down to the dining room. Saying a polite good evening to the guests they passed, they wound their way through the large room and seated themselves at a small table in the far corner. Before they could get involved in any deep conversation, one of the inn's young waitresses approached and smiled down at them.

"Hi, fellas. Hope you're enjoying your stay."

Alex flashed the girl a dazzling smile and nodded. "It's beautiful here."

Fully aware that the men were a couple, the young woman blushed furiously all the same and filled their water glasses.

"W-would you like a drink before dinner? Maybe an appetizer or salad?"

The two figured out what they wanted, then Alex dismissed the girl with another knee-buckling smile. When he turned back to Fox, the older man was sitting with his head resting in one hand, staring at him and smirking.

"What?"

Fox blinked slowly then spoke.

"And you talk about me."

Alex gave him a puzzled look.

"What're you talking about?"

"Just a few hours ago, you were carrying on about how I made that photographer want to bury his face in my..."

"What about it?"

"How about you?"

"Me?"

"That waitress just about fell at your feet in a dead faint when you smiled at her like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you were about to ask her up to your room to look at your etchings."

"You're nuts," Alex announced, chuckling at the thought.

"Maybe so. But I'll bet if you asked her nicely, she'd cut your food up for you and feed it to you."

Alex laughed again.

"I know you know you're doing it."

Alex opened his mouth to answer but got only two words out before the girl reappeared with two glasses and the wine that he had asked for.

"Here you go," she offered, placing the glasses on the table and the ice bucket down beside Alex, all the while sneaking glances at him from beneath her lashes. "Your salads will be out in a minute."

"Thank you..." Alex cocked his head slightly and gave the young woman another smile. "...I'm sorry hon, what's your name?"

"Oh. Uh..." The girl blushed furiously. "Kerry."

"That's pretty. Fits you."

Fox folded his arms over his chest and stared silently at Alex.

Kerry turned a deeper shade of crimson.

"Thanks. Well, uh...here's your wine." She laughed nervously. "You know that already, don't you? I'll uh...I'll go see about those salads."

"Good idea," Fox said softly, for the first time drawing the girl's attention. "Thank you, Kerry."

The girl gave him a fast, uneasy smile and walked away.

"Punk."

Alex's eyes widened in mock surprise.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. That kid didn't know what to do with herself."

Grinning slyly, Alex shrugged.

"Just giving her something to squeal about with her girlfriends later."

"Yeah, I can hear it," Fox droned then took his voice a few octaves higher." 'Tammy! Brittney! I'm like, soooo moist! That total babe at the corner table was flirting with me right in front of his boyfriend!'"

Alex shook with laughter.

"She's probably thinking now that she could be the woman to make you go straight."

Alex lifted one shoulder and let it drop, but before he could say anything their waitress approached, carrying their salads.

"Here you are," Kerry breathed, glancing at Fox before letting her gaze linger on Alex. "The tomatoes we got this time around are really good. I made sure you got some extra."

Displaying a serene smile, Alex speared a cherry tomato and brushed it over Fox's lips. "Thank you, Kerry. My Fox loves tomatoes, don't you baby?"

Smirking, Fox parted his lips just wide enough for Alex to push the tomato through. Slowly, his tongue stroked the orange-red skin before taking a bite. Eyes never leaving his, Alex popped the rest of the tomato into his own mouth.

"So good," Fox whispered then licked at his lower lip. His eyes slid up to the girl, who stood gaping at the pair. "He's so sweet." He cast an adoring gaze on his lover. "Will you still be this sweet to me after we're married?"

Kerry glanced quickly from one man to the other. "Oh, you're...you're getting married?"

"Yep," Alex answered. "Right here, in fact. In a couple of months. That's why we're here. We're checking the place out."

"I see." Kerry couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Congratulations. I hope you'll be very happy together."

"We already are," Fox purred, smiling at the girl. "But thank you for the good wishes." He turned his attention back to Alex, who was now holding another tomato up to his mouth. As he took the offering, Kerry began to back away.

"I'll uh...I'll be back as soon as your dinner is out."

Alex watched as the girl trudged off toward the kitchen, then he turned back to Fox, eyes twinkling.

"Okay?"

Fox tipped his head slightly to one side.

"I think she's pretty well informed now that there's no straightening me out."

Fox simply smiled and pointed at Alex's salad dish.

Skewering another of his plentiful tomatoes, Alex fed it to the older man.

"You do have a few of your own, you know."

"Yeah, but I didn't rate as many as you," Fox explained. "I'm just trying to even things out."

"I see," Alex murmured, preparing to shove his first forkful of greens into his mouth. "Kind of you."

Fox nodded and finally turned his attention to his own plate.

By the time dinner came a half hour later, the men had finished picking at their salads and were engaged in quiet conversation.

"Seriously? You didn't bring it?"

"No, I really didn't."

"Why not?"

"You didn't ask me to."

"Since when do I have to..."

Alex broke off his question and smiled up at the waitress, who had stopped in front of their table with a large tray.

"That looks good," he said, watching the girl place their meals in front of them.

"It is. Very good," Kerry answered politely. "Enjoy your meal." And with that, she was gone.

"I think she's mad at you," Fox whispered.

"Can you blame her? I am a hell of catch."

Fox chuckled softly. "You're the only person I know who's more attractive when being so blatantly conceited."

"You only think that because you love me," Alex said. "If I was anybody else, you'd say I was an arrogant bastard."

"You are an arrogant bastard."

Alex smirked at his lover's admission.

"And I couldn't be happier about that."

Alex's smirk softened. He recognized the vague inference. It wasn't all that long ago that he'd been an insecure, emotional wreck, and though his condition had been achieved through no fault of his own, he'd hated himself for it, and in his confused attempts to liberate himself from his frightening state had inflicted a great amount of suffering on them both.

He cast a tender gaze on the single source of his returned strength and confidence and reached across the table for his lover's hand.

Fox intertwined his fingers with Alex's and allowed the younger man to dust his knuckles with warm kisses.

"I love you," Alex mouthed, the silent words closing Fox's eyes. When he reopened them, Alex was still staring at him.

"You know what I want right now?"

One corner of Fox's mouth twitched, and he shook his head.

"I want to be upstairs in our room." Alex's thumb swept over the back of Fox's hand. "Feeling you naked and hot under me."

A hard, soft breath escaped Fox's lips. His eyes, riveted on the other man's, watched the pupils dilate, nearly swallowing all of the green around them.

"Are you hot, lisa?"

Pressing his lips together, Fox nodded slowly.

"I know you are," Alex whispered. "I can feel your heat from across the table." His tone lowered an octave. "I can smell it."

The hand not being held in Alex's trembled, and Fox's heart began to thud.

"You want to..." Fox stopped, cleared his gravelly throat then resumed. "...just have dinner and skip dessert?"

Alex curled his hand into a fist and rested his head against it. Staring intently at Fox, he said, "No, I'm going to have dessert."

"We have some great desserts," Kerry said, trying to forget her disappointment and do her job as she approached the table with a full water pitcher. "Grape nut pudding, German Chocolate cake, cherry cheesecake..."

"Thanks, Kerry," Alex murmured as the girl topped off their glasses. " Which one of those do you think you'd like me to lick off of you, lisa?"

Embarrassment and the thought of Alex licking chocolate frosting from his cock lowered Fox's gaze to the table.

"Alex..."

Alex looked from his lover to the red-faced waitress.

"Sorry, Kerry. He's just so damn sexy, it's hard for me sometimes to contain my uh...enthusiasm."

Kerry smiled nervously and nodded. "Enjoy your meal."

Alex watched the young woman hurry away, and he turned and smiled at Fox.

"So, you didn't answer me."

Fox cocked his head to one side.

"Dessert," Alex murmured. "That wasn't just for Kerry's benefit. I actually am going to eat one off of you. Which would you prefer?"

"Since you're the one who's eating it," Fox whispered, lowering his tone to match Alex's, "I suppose you should be the one to pick it."

Alex shrugged. "Makes sense."

The two men began to eat, and all was quiet for a while, then Alex lifted his hand, pointing his fork at the other man.

"I guess whatever's quickest would be best."

Fox looked up from his meal. "Hmm?"

"Dessert," Alex reminded him. "I don't want to have to lick my way through a lot of goop before I can get to your dick." The younger man smirked. "You know how impatient I can be."

Fox closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Speaking of impatience." Alex rubbed his foot against Fox's leg. "Hurry up and eat."

"You don't want me to end up with indigestion do you?" Fox asked in a teasing tone.

"That'd be the least of your problems."

Fox put his fork down and gave his lover a curious look.

"Meaning?"

"You don't hurry up and finish, and you'll find out."

Fox's cock twitched.

"I think I'm being threatened."

"Is that what it sounds like?"

"Yeah, it does."

Alex leaned across the table, his eyes zeroing in on Fox's like a laser.

"And you're hard as stone, aren't you?"

Fox sighed softly. "You know I am."

One corner of Alex's mouth slanted into a smile. "I'll take care of that for you. Finish your dinner."

Fox looked down on the food he'd just heaped onto his fork then glanced back up at Alex.

"This is very good."

"Yeah."

"Are our minds made up?"

"About Joan catering?"

"Mmm hmm."

"As far as I'm concerned. You?"

Fox nodded and finally slipped the food into his mouth. Chewing slowly, he watched Alex down three forkfuls to his one, and he smiled, waiting.

Coming up for a breather, Alex looked up and found Fox thoughtfully pushing the potatoes around in his plate.

"Is everything okay?"

"Fine," Fox said and speared some food. "Just savoring my meal."

"Fox..."

Fox looked up and gave Alex a sweet smile. "Hmm?"

"You're being bad."

"Bad?"

"Are you looking to get punished?"

"Are you looking to punish me?"

"If you don't behave yourself and eat, I might have to."

Fox's erection strained against his pants as he considered the dozens of delicious punishments Alex might inflict on him. He ate even more slowly, but Alex said nothing until he finally pushed his plate away.

"Done now?"

Fox nodded.

"Let's go."

"What about dessert?"

"Do you think you deserve any after misbehaving?"

Fox sent a tantalizing pout Alex's way as the two got up.

"You were the one who was going to eat it, anyway."

"I can live without it. There are plenty other things I can do to you that'll be just as good."

Alex stepped back and motioned for Fox to precede him out of the dining room. Before they made it to the door, Joan walked in and beamed at them.

"How was dinner, boys?"

"Excellent," Alex answered. "And it made up our minds. Fox and I would like you to do the catering for our wedding."

"Great! Will you have the menu to me by the time you leave tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Not staying for dessert after all?"

Three heads turned in the direction of Kerry's voice. The girl forced a cheery smile for the benefit of her employer. Before either of the men could answer, Joan gasped in surprise.

"What? No dessert?"

"We're pretty full," Alex explained, grasping Fox hand in his own. "And it's been a long day. We're just going to turn in...spend the rest of the evening in our room."

"But maybe you'll feel like something in a little while." Joan insisted. "Let me send it up to you."

Alex gave the woman an easy smile. "Okay, okay. If it makes you happy, send something up."

"I'll go make up a tray and send Kerry up in a little bit."

"All right. Thank you." Alex lifted Fox's hand to his lips, bestowing a soft kiss on the knuckles. "All right, you. Upstairs."

Fox uttered a soft thank you and goodnight to Joan, and he and Alex exited the room. Following his lover up to their room, he advanced to the bed as the other man rounded it.

"Get undressed," Alex commanded softly as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

Fox obeyed in silence, keeping one eye on Alex's movements. When he was fully naked, he stood by the bed, waiting. Alex had only gone as far as undoing his shirt and pulling his belt off, and now he stood on the other side of the bed, eyeing Fox hungrily. Belt doubled up in his hand, he walked slowly toward the other man.

"Are you ready?"

Fox's eyes flicked down to the belt and then up to Alex's face. Suddenly too heavy, his lashes drooped, and he heaved a long, deep breath before nodding.

Alex stopped only a hair's breadth away, and he let the belt brush over Fox's back and rear. "I love you lisa," he murmured against the other man's flushed lips before taking them in a deep kiss. As they fed on each other, Alex surprised him with a healthy swat to his ass. The action startled him, and he started to pull away as he yelped, but Alex's other hand plunged into his hair and held him in place. Insistent lips drank in his cry, and he felt the growing bulge in Alex's pants pressing into his thigh. Another swat, and he bucked and began to frantically rub himself against his lover.

"Nooo," Alex whispered, pulling away from Fox's mouth. "Not yet. This would have been so much easier if you had brought your toy," he tsked. "Now you'll have to use willpower."

Fox whimpered softly and lowered his head to Alex's shoulder.

"Aww, baby." Alex stroked the soft hair and cooed in his lover' ear. "Is it too much? Maybe I should just stop, huh?"

"No," Fox gasped, wrapping himself around the younger man. "Don't. Please don't."

"You don't want me to stop?" Alex breathed, rubbing the hand that held the belt over Fox's ass.

"No," Fox choked. "Please, Alex. Please spank me."

Alex laughed softly. "You gonna come if I do?"

"Not until you tell me to."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

Alex backed away leaving Fox to shiver at the loss of his heat.

"Hands against the wall."

Fox moved toward the indicated wall, and he braced his hands against it. A soothing hand caressed his ass, then Alex kissed the already reddening flesh. A long moan escaped his lips.

"Feel good, lisa?" Alex asked, dragging his tongue over the same spot.

Fox nodded, afraid to trust his voice,

Alex teased him a bit longer then moved away. He lifted his hand, ready to strike, but a knock at the door stopped him.

"Must be Kerry with dessert," he whispered into Fox's ear as he pressed up against the older man's back. "Don't move."

Kerry's jaw went slack as the door opened, and Alex appeared, shirt out of his pants and undone, a folded leather belt hanging from his hand, and a decidedly wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Wow, that all looks really good." Alex reached for the tray. "Tell Joan thank you again for us, would you?"

"Sure, uh..." Kerry's eyes flicked ever so quickly past Alex then, seeing nothing came right back to his face. "Enjoy your dessert."

"We will. You have a good night. Look, Fox," he said softly as he closed the door, indicating to Kerry that his lover must have been somewhere close by. "So much to keep us busy..."

Blowing out a hard breath, Kerry started to move away but then intense curiosity called her back. She listened closely, but the heavy oak door afforded her only muffled sounds. Just as shame and the fear of getting caught started to move her away, a snapping sound followed by a faint cry drew her back.

"God, what the hell was that?" she whispered to herself, listening intently. Another snap, just a bit louder than the first sounded, followed by another cry. And then it became clear.

The belt.

"Oh my God, he can't be."

Not knowing what else to do, Kerry stood there, trying to compose herself.

What to do, what to...

Hell, what could she do? She couldn't say anything about it to Joan. How could she explain eavesdropping at a guests' door? But Jesus, poor Fox. What the hell kind of monster was he marrying? Dammit! Why were the handsome ones always such bastards?

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she hurried away from the sounds behind the door and made her way back down to the dining room.

Back inside, Fox was still braced against the wall, arching his back and whimpering for more.

"No, lisa," Alex murmured, brushing the belt up the inside of his lover's thigh. "You've had enough."

Fox shook his head, whining desperately. "Not enough. Please..."

A low chuckle sounded from behind him.

"You've got to be the only man I know who begs to be punished...well, besides me."

Another blow, and Fox emitted a harsh groan. His cock screamed for release, but he knew that this was far from over. "Harder," he sobbed through gritted teeth, and Alex obliged. The next blow snapped his head back, and a guttural cry forced itself past his constricted throat.

"Are you sorry now for taking so long with dinner?"

Fox shook his head without hesitation, and Alex swung the belt again.

"How about now?" the younger man asked. "Will you behave yourself now?"

"No," Fox breathed heavily, and Alex delivered one last blow. His whole body jerked with the force of it, and a long, rumbling sob pushed past his lips.

Alex dropped his hand and stepped forward to take Fox into his arms.

Turning around and burying his face in Alex's shoulder, Fox shuddered against him.

"How about just for tonight?" Alex asked, kissing the side of his lover's head.

Clinging to Alex, Fox nodded.

"Good," Alex whispered. "Now, how about some dessert?"

Fox looked up into Alex's eyes and waited to see what the younger man had in mind.

Finding the gooiest pastry on the tray, Alex took some with his fingers and smeared it over Fox's engorged cock, then he lowered himself to his knees in front of the naked man.

"Remember, you promised to behave." And with that, he began to delicately lap at the cream covered erection.

Fox gritted his teeth and endured a torture he considered to be worse than any spanking. Alex's tongue played over every inch of his cock, and when he was almost clean, his lover's hand was back, covering him in more pastry.

"God," he grunted, not sure of how much more he could take. "Ah, God..."

Lost in bliss, Alex licked and sucked at his lover's cock and balls until all of the pastry was gone, and Fox could just about stand. Feeling the quivering in Fox's legs, he rose to his feet and led the other man over to the bed.

"Face down. And no humping the mattress."

Fox sank gratefully onto the bed, waiting for his lover's touch. It came not long afterward when he felt a cool stickiness coat his rear. He moaned in relief as it soothed the burning of his skin, and then again in pleasure as Alex's fingers moved slowly into the valley between his ass cheeks.

"I have to remember to tell Joan how good her desserts are," Alex murmured before swiping at some of the chocolate with his tongue.

Fox's mouth dropped open on a long sigh, and he fought to keep his hips still as Alex's mouth worked over the firm mounds of his ass. Involuntarily, he winced and bucked as Alex hit one particularly sensitive welt, and the younger man's touch gentled, lovingly soothing the injured spot.

As Fox settled down, Alex moved on, coming closer and closer to the crevice between his cheeks. Finally, his tongue slithered downward, and he felt Fox's body tighten and a frantic whimper leave the older man's throat.

"Easy," Alex whispered, letting one hand glide over his lover's back. "Breathe, lisa. Relax."

"Can't..." Fox clenched his teeth as Alex's tongue swept between his cheeks again. "Can't."

"You have to," Alex rasped. "You promised."

A tear of frustration formed at the outside corner of Fox's eye, and a series of clipped whines hummed past his compressed lips as Alex's tongue plunged in, swiping away all the pastry that his fingers had deposited there. His hips began to jerk, but he pulled the strength out of somewhere to stop, and Alex 'rewarded' him by working his tongue into the puckered opening of his anus. Clawing at the sheets, he screeched his pleasure and frustration as Alex continued to tongue fuck him, pushing him way beyond the limits of endurance.

Face buried in his lover's ass, Alex hummed excitedly, stabbing harder and faster until fatigue forced him to stop. By then Fox was limp with exhaustion, and he couldn't do much more than lie whimpering face down into his pillow.

Alex pulled himself up to his knees and gently turned Fox onto his back. Dazed eyes, almost as green as his own blinked up at him, and Fox gave him a heart-melting pout. "No more," the older man begged in a small, broken voice, and Alex stretched out over his trembling body, gathering him into his arms.

"No more," he repeated before releasing Fox and finally peeling his own clothing off. He came back to his tormented lover, nuzzling the stubbled cheek before taking his lips in a sweet kiss.

Fox sighed into Alex's mouth, and his hands rose to the younger man's back, moving in long strokes over the heated skin. "Fuck me," he begged in between kisses. "Can't wait, fuck me, fuck me hard..."

Alex attempted to shush his lover's increasingly frenzied pleas.

"I will, I...where's the lube, sweetheart?"

Fox's head rolled from side to side, and his breaths came in short, harsh bursts.

"Don't know. I don't..."

"Okay. Hang on."

Quickly, Alex found the lube and coated two fingers with it. Gently, he inserted one finger into Fox's ass, and the frantic man bucked against him in response.

"Alex," Fox gasped weakly. "I...oh, God, I..."

"Shhh."

Alex slipped the second finger into his lover, and Fox pulled at the sheets, ripping them away from the mattress.

"Fuck me...fuck m-me," he sobbed, rocking against Alex's fingers.

"All right, baby." Alex withdrew his fingers and applied some lube to his cock before grasping Fox's hips and pulling him into position. "Help me, Fox. Come on baby, wrap your legs around me."

Fox obeyed, holding Alex in a tight grip, and in a matter of seconds, he felt the slick head of his lover's cock pushing into him. His mouth dropped open, and his neck arched sharply as Alex swiftly buried himself inside him.

"Mmmmm, yeah," Alex gasped. "God, Fox, you're so hot." He pulled out and sank back in, luxuriating in the slick heat of his lover's ass. "Soooo good..."

Fox's fingers threaded through Alex's hair, and he moved with the younger man, reveling in every thrust.

"Hard...harder....yeah...oh, yeah." Fox winced as Alex drove harder into him, and he tightened his hold on the younger man, biting into his shoulder.

The small pain excited Alex beyond reason, and he drove faster and deeper, his body shaking with the increased force of his lunges and Fox's answering cries. He squeezed a hand between them, grasping his lover's cock and began to pump it in time to his thrusts.

"Come with me, lisa," he choked, now slamming erratically into Fox. "Come on...come on, baby...scream for me..."

Fox's orgasm hit with terrific force, rocking him so hard, the only sound he was able to make was a strangled gasp. Alex followed seconds later, loudly sobbing his satisfaction, and his hips jerking frantically as he pumped streams of hot semen into his lover. He collapsed onto Fox's perspiration-dotted chest, moaning weakly. Fox lay motionless beneath Alex, unable to make a sound, and it wasn't until several minutes later that Alex was able to lift his head and look down at the older man.

Damp, hazel eyes met tranquil green, and Fox managed a weak smile.

"You didn't scream," Alex croaked, resting his forehead against the other man's.

"Sorry," Fox whispered, slowly skimming a hand back and forth over Alex's rear. "Couldn't." He grimaced and squirmed slightly under Alex's weight. "My ass hurts."

Alex laughed softly and heaved himself off of the older man, allowing him flip onto his stomach.

"Better?" he asked, investigating the scattering of small, red welts that covered Fox's ass.

"Yeah."

"You're not going to be able to sit comfortably the next couple of days," he informed the other man, letting his fingers drift over the sensitive skin.

"I asked for it," Fox answered, wiggling his behind a bit.

"Mmm hmm." Alex moved closer, pressing several kisses into Fox's hair. "You sorry?"

"No," Fox breathed, opening his eyes and giving Alex a hazy, satisfied stare. "In case you didn't know it, I love it when you spank me."

"I kinda got that idea."

"You love it too."

Alex smirked at the older man. "Yeah, I do." He brushed a few strands of hair out of Fox's eyes. "I love turning that pretty ass red. I love all those sounds you make..." He lowered his face to Fox's, brushing his mouth over the other man's ear. "So tortured and desperate..."

Fox closed his eyes and sighed.

"And I love that you trust me enough to give it all up to me."

"I love you," Fox rasped. "It's easy to let go and trust you not to really hurt me."

Alex planted a tender kiss on Fox's cheek then settled down and pulled the older man against him. "Never," he whispered then fell silent. Within minutes both pairs of eyes had closed, respiration evened out and slowed, and both men fell soundly asleep.

"And we...are..." The young brunette put the last glass away. "...outta here." She turned to Kerry, who was so immersed in her own thoughts that she didn't hear a word.

"Uh...hello. Anybody home?"

Kerry blinked and focused on her friend.

"Sorry. What?"

"What the heck's wrong with you?" Ruthie asked. "You've been acting spacey for a couple of hours now."

"I don't. I..." Kerry looked up to her friend. "You can't tell anybody, okay?"

Ruthie rubbed her hands together and sat down. "Oooh. I love juicy stuff."

"Promise me, Ruthie."

"Okay, okay, not a word. Now tell me."

Kerry blew out a hard breath then began.

"You know those two guys that are staying here this weekend?"

"The fine gay guys?"

"Yeah."

"God, they're so hot."

"Yeah. Uh..."

"Why is it all the pretty ones are either gay or married?"

"I don't know. Ruthie...God, I don't know how to say this. I don't know what to do."

"Geez, Kerry, what is it?"

"I think...I mean, I...I heard...oh, God."

"Spit it out, would you, woman?"

Kerry clenched her fingers in her hair for a moment then looked up at her friend.

"I think the one with the darker hair is abusing the other one."

"Huh?"

"I heard them tonight, Ruthie. I...I had to deliver a tray of dessert to their room, and the dark one came to the door with his shirt all undone and a belt in his hand."

"Uh huh..."

"I...Ruthie, you gotta promise not to tell anybody. I could lose my job."

"All right. I told you I wouldn't."

"Okay. I uh...I stayed a while and listened at the door. He was beating his boyfriend, Ruthie. I could hear the crack of the belt and then someone crying out."

Ruthie cocked her head and stared hard at her friend.

"Are you sure you heard right?"

"Yes. There was a crack and a cry. Several seconds went by, and then there was another crack and a cry. I heard it again as I was walking away from the door."

Ruthie scratched her head, trying to conceal a grin.

"Uh...honey...I think you got it wrong."

"Got what wrong? That bastard was hitting the man he's supposed to be marrying in a couple of months!"

"Sweetie, I think you were listening to a game."

"A game?"

"Yeah. They were just playing a kinky game."

"How do you know?"

"It makes sense. Most abusers are very careful to keep what they do to their partners a secret. There's no way he would have shown up at the door with a belt in his hand if he was actually, seriously abusing his boyfriend. And it seems to me that what you heard sounded too controlled."

Kerry looked down at the floor. "You...you think?"

"Yeah, I do. God, girl, how old are you? Twenty-three? You need an education. The next time we all go down to Boston, you're coming with us."

"I'm not completely dumb," Kerry huffed. "I know about something about S and M."

"Clearly, not enough," Ruthie giggled. "Watch; you'll see. Tomorrow they'll be all lovey dovey."

"They were lovey dovey tonight. What does that prove?"

"Would you be all touchy feely with a man who's been beating on you?"

"If he was going to beat me some more if I wasn't? Yup."

"But you wouldn't be able to hide the fear, would you?"

Kerry shrugged. "Not completely, no."

"Watch them in the morning. I'll bet you they're all happy with each other."

"We'll see."

"Yeah, we will."

The two women exited the kitchen and started for home.

Fox blinked in the early morning sunlight and stretched luxuriously as he looked to his side and found...

Nothing.

He sat up and listened, expecting to hear the shower going, but all was quiet. He glanced at the clock and saw that it wasn't even seven yet, and immediately slipped out of bed.

"Alex?"

No answer.

Visually checking the bathroom, Fox walked back into the bedroom, frowning.

Where the heck could he be?

"Hmm."

He turned back into the bathroom for a quick shower, and as he turned the water on, he heard a door close. Peeking out into the bedroom, he saw Alex walking in, fully dressed and wide-awake.

"Where'd you go?"

"Uh..." Alex gave the older man a quick grin then walked toward him. "I woke up early...sun was just coming up. I just...went outside to watch it."

Fox's mouth turned down into a delicious pout. "I would've gone out with you."

"I'm sorry, lisa," Alex said, taking the older man into his arms. "But you were fast asleep. I didn't want to wake you." He planted a firm kiss on the older man's mouth. "Sleep well?"

"Like the dead. You?"

"Mmm hmm." Alex grinned at Fox. "How's your ass?"

"Sore."

"Awww."

"Wanna kiss it and make it better?" Fox whispered, brushing his lips over Alex's.

Answering with a soft growl, Alex backed Fox into the bathroom.

"Would you stop?"

"What?"

"You keep looking at the door," Ruthie said as she poured the last glass of orange juice at table three. "You're going to spill something, then we'll have to reset the whole table."

"Guests are starting to come down."

"Yeah, I see that."

"Haven't seen them yet."

"God, Kerry, what d'you think? You think maybe he killed his boyfriend and stuffed him in the trunk of their car in the middle of the night?"

Just as Kerry was about to answer, the objects of their conversation entered the room, hand in hand and looking every bit the happy couple. Ruthie raised her eyebrows and held her hands out as if to say, "You see?"

Kerry watched them move over to a table and sit down, Alex taking the seat right alongside Fox's. She also saw him chuckle at his partner's grimace of discomfort as he squirmed in his chair.

"Joan should have cushions on these chairs," Fox grumbled, shifting to find a more comfortable position.

"Wanna sit on my lap?" Alex asked, kissing his lover's ear then his jaw.

Fox smiled, leaning into Alex's kiss. "That'd create a whole new set of problems, wouldn't it?"

"Not for me."

Grinning, Fox rested his head against Alex's.

"Haven't you had enough this morning?"

"What kind of dumb question is that?"

Kerry approached in time to hear Fox's hearty chuckle.

"Good morning," she offered, looking suspiciously from one man to the other.

"Morning," Fox returned, turning sparkling eyes up to the waitresses'. "How are you today?"

"Fine," Kerry murmured, trying to check Fox for marks without looking like that was what she was doing. "You?"

"Great," Alex answered after downing his orange juice. He then sent Fox a sly look. "Well, most of us. Hey... maybe she can get you a nice soft pillow to sit on."

Kerry watched wide-eyed as Fox slapped Alex's forehead with the tips of his fingers. But the other man just laughed, wrapping him in a bear hug and planting a noisy kiss on the side of his face.

"Just trying to help, babe."

"Yeah, you're a pal."

With one of Alex's arms still around him, and the younger man's other hand reaching for his glass of juice, Fox looked back up to the waitress.

"Can I get a cup of coffee with cream and one sugar, and some more juice for my best buddy, here?"

Alex drained Fox's juice and grinned at his lover.

"Blood sugar's low."

"Right."

"Your fault."

Fox leaned in for a kiss. "Uh huh."

Kerry stood in front of the men, glancing from one to the other. Finally it was Alex who noticed. He kissed Fox once more then looked up at the young woman.

"You okay hon?"

Kerry blinked, surprised back to attention.

"Yeah. Oh. Uh..."

"You sure about that?" Fox asked. "Did you not sleep well or something?"

"Actually, I didn't. But um...I'm fine." Kerry gave the men a quick smile. "How was your night?"

"Good," Alex answered nonchalantly. "Slept like babies."

Kerry shot one more look between the two then backed away.

"Good. That's...that's good. I'll go get your coffee and juice now."

Fox watched the girl walk away, and he turned to Alex, frowning slightly.

"She seem a little shook up to you?"

Alex nodded. "Maybe she had a fight with her boyfriend or something."

Fox chuckled softly. "That's you, isn't it?"

"Shut up," Alex murmured, grinning as he pushed against Fox's shoulder, rocking the older man to one side.

Fox's laughter faded, then he leaned forward, planting his elbow on the table and resting his head in his hand. His eyes sparkled softly as he gazed at his lover.

"We're getting married, Alex."

Alex gave the older man a shocked stare.

"We are?"

Fox gently kicked the other man.

"Don't be a wiseass."

"What d'you expect when you tell me stuff I'm totally aware of?"

"I just like to say it out loud once in a while." Fox inhaled deeply then released it. "It's an amazing feeling."

Alex smiled, pulling the older man toward him.

"I know."

Fox sighed into his lover's mouth as it covered his in a brief but sweet kiss. When they parted, Alex looked to his side and found an uncomfortable looking Kerry standing there with a tray.

"S-sorry, I...uh...I didn't want to interrupt."

"That's okay," Alex answered, reaching out to pet Fox's head. "The interruption is for the best, trust me." He focused a loving gaze on the other man. "He's so irresistible, it's easy to get carried away."

A strange look crossed the young woman's face as she set the coffee and juice down and began reciting the breakfast menu. The men ordered, and she excused herself, heading back to the kitchen.

"So, you satisfied that we don't have to bring the cops into it?" Ruthie asked as her friend passed her.

"I guess they do seem happy with each other."

"Of course they do."

"And I guess I shouldn't read anything into what he said."

Ruthie cocked her head curiously. "What who said?"

"The dark one. Alex. He said that the other one was so irresistible that it was easy for him to get carried away."

"I'm sure he didn't mean that he got carried away beating on him if that's what you were thinking. And he's right. His boyfriend is irresistible." Ruthie sighed. "You see that mouth? I'll bet he sucks some serious cock."

Kerry blanched at her friend's coarse statement.

"Jeez, Ruthie!"

"What?"

"I can't believe you said that."

The other girl smirked. "Hey, I just call 'em as I see 'em."

"God."

"Oh, yeah," Ruthie laughed as the two girls set about their business. "We're going on a little trip to Boston, and soon."

Fox tossed his napkin onto the table and sat back in his chair.

"If I ate one more bite I'd explode."

"Don't do that. I don't want Alex blaming me for blowing up his fiancé," Joan said, approaching from Alex's rear.

"Joan, another fine meal," Alex said, pushing his plate away. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a folded up sheet of paper. "Here are our choices for the menu."

Smiling, Joan took the paper and looked it over.

"Very good. I'll do you boys proud, I promise."

"We have no doubt," Fox said, rising from his seat. Alex got up and moved to his side. "We gotta get ready to go.'

"Okay. I'll most likely be in the kitchen. Pop in and say goodbye."

"We will," Alex answered then followed Fox out of the room.

"Well, that's settled," Fox murmured as the two ascended the stairs to their room. "That must make you happy."

"Yep," Alex replied cheerfully, gathering their belongings. "Surprisingly, it's been a productive weekend."

"Seeeee?"

"No." Alex dropped the jeans he'd been folding and yanked Fox down to the bed. "Let me see."

Giggling manically, Fox fought off Alex's attempt to pull his zipper down.

"C'mon!" he yelled breathlessly. "We don't have time for this!"

The two wrestled for a while longer then Alex let Fox go and rolled to his feet.

"All right, all right. Let's get this stuff packed and get out of here."

Fox lay panting on the bed for a few seconds more, then he pulled himself up and smacked the back of Alex's head as he passed. Alex's hand shot out and landed a quick blow to his ass, and he turned around, pointing at the younger man.

"Don't start that again."

Alex held both hands up, giving Fox and innocent look then grinned as he turned his attention back to packing. A little more than an hour later they said goodbye to Joan and her husband and headed for the airport. A few hours after that they were back home, walking up to the front door.

"Good God, you'd think we'd been gone a year," Alex mumbled, listening to the racket Clyde was making in the house. He unlocked the door, and the two men braced themselves for the attack.

Clyde went for Fox first, knocking him back a couple of steps. After a thorough face washing, the howling dog leapt to Alex, doing the same thing.

"For Pete's sake, Clyde, what the hell's all that..." Scully stopped in her tracks, raising her eyes to the ceiling. "Oh, thank you, God!"

"Happy to see us, Scully?" Fox asked, pushing the dog off as he attempted to leap up on him again.

"My friend's four year old twins are less exhausting than this beast!" Scully complained.

"Don't listen to her, Clyde," Alex told the dog as he circled the two men, yapping. "She really loves you."

"Yeah," Scully huffed. "For about ten minutes at a time."

Alex chuckled, inching past Clyde and dropping his bag by the sofa.

"What're you going to do while we're on our honeymoon?"

"God, don't remind me."

"Was he that bad?" Fox asked, coming under attack again.

"Oh nooo," Scully said, watching her partner get mauled. "He was a perfect darling. A more well behaved dog I've never met."

When Fox finally managed to calm Clyde down, he turned to his partner, ready for the barrage of questions he felt sure was coming.

"So, you happy? You satisfied with everything so far?"

"Yeah, we are," he answered, sitting on the arm of the sofa and scratching the top of the broad head that had just insinuated itself under his arm. "I managed to keep Alex out of the coronary care unit, and things look like they're going to work out okay."

A soft snort came from Alex's direction as he moved off toward the kitchen. Clyde bounded behind him, leaving Fox and Scully alone. Scully peeked down the hall to make sure that Alex had indeed gone, then she returned to her partner, tapping his knee.

"I got Alex's family booked into a place not far from where we're staying."

"How many of them are there?"

"Six."

"Really."

"Yep."

"Any of those six his father or Victor?"

"No," Scully said matter of factly. Fox just sighed.

"But," Scully continued, "Maria assures me that the ones who are coming all want to be there. They want to be a family," she added, reading the flash of apprehension on her partner's face.

Fox smiled then, nodding. "He's going to be so surprised," he whispered, checking to make sure that Alex wasn't sneaking up on them. When he turned his attention back to Scully, there was a different, almost sad look in his eyes. "I'm so glad he's got family to share this with him."

Scully sighed softly, knowing what was in her partner's heart.

"Have you tried contacting your mother?"

Fox paused, reaching down to scratch Clyde's head as the dog crept back into the room and crouched at his feet.

"What's his problem?" Scully asked, observing the lowered ears and hanging tail.

Fox shrugged.

"Anyway...did you call her?"

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"What would be the point?" Fox asked softly. "She'll want nothing to do with it, believe me. In her eyes I'm a complete failure as a son, a man...everything. She'd rather live the rest of her life acting like I don't exist."

"She's your mother, Mulder," Scully stressed.

"Tell her that."

While he didn't mean it literally, Fox's words resonated in Scully's head until Alex's voice, booming from the general direction of the kitchen, drowned them out.

"What the hell happened to my birdbath!?"

One red eyelash swept upward then fluttered a bit before the eye it had concealed managed to focus on the alarm clock. Scully groped for the ringing phone, her sleep-fuzzed mind half wondering who the hell was calling her at one-thirty in the morning. The voice on the other end drew a groan from her, and she rolled onto her back, rubbing at her eyes.

"Don't you sleep? ...Yeah, well I was doing fine. What the hell couldn't wait until a more decent hour? ...You want to what? Uh...why? ...Since when do you...are you kidding me? Just when I thought I knew everything about you...okay, but hang on a second. Where do you think you're going to find the room here to put this thing? ...Oh. Okay, I see." Scully laughed. "I was envisioning half my living room in storage. Okay, sure. Hey...do I get to watch? S'cuse me? It's my apartment! Where do you expect me to...you've got a lot of nerve, Krycek. What d'you suggest I do while you're taking over my apartment? ...Funny. And when do you plan to do this? Of course. How did I know? Okay. Yeah. Just don't break anything, okay? ...Hey...no...talk to your dog about that. I had nothing to do with it....uh huh. Good night, Alex."

Scully hung up and stared up at the ceiling, shaking her head.

"Why do I let them do these things to me?"

Turning onto her side, she closed her eyes, hoping for sleep to reclaim her quickly.

Alex woke to the sound of soft whistling. He opened one eye and found Fox standing in front of the dresser mirror, putting on his tie. He twisted his neck to find the clock then groaned and again turned his attention to his lover, who had heard the sound and was now smiling at him.

"Morning, baby doll."

"Aren't we chipper this morning," Alex mumbled in answer as he again closed his eyes.

"Why not?" Fox asked, approaching the bed. "I slept great. Didn't you?"

Not so much, no.

Giving no audible response, Alex rubbed his eyes and focused on the smiling face. An involuntary grin curved one corner of his mouth, and he lifted a hand to caress Fox's arm.

"You want breakfast?"

Fox shook his head. "Go back to sleep."

"I'm awake."

Fox sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair back from Alex's forehead.

"It isn't too often that you sleep through the racket I make in the morning. You couldn't have slept very well."

Alex said nothing.

"You're not still worrying, are you?"

"No. Just...reviewing I guess."

"We haven't forgotten anything."

"I know, I..." Alex gave Fox another smile. "I just can't stop thinking. My mind won't stop working."

"Thinking about what a horrible mistake you're making?"

"Yeah, that's it," Alex chuckled. "I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing marrying the man I can't breathe without."

The sparkle of humor faded from Fox's eyes, replaced by one of sheer adoration. His hand drifted across Alex's cheek then down his throat to his chest. It rested there over the steady thud of his lover's heart. Alex's hand came up to join his, cradling it in warmth, and the younger man gazed directly into his eyes.

"You know that, right?"

"As sure as I know you're my every breath," Fox answered softly. He leaned in slowly and met Alex's lips with his own. Long seconds later they parted, and Fox exhaled heavily.

"I know," Alex said before the older man could speak. "You gotta get to work."

Fox nodded and kissed the tip of Alex's nose.

"What're you going to do today?"

"Don't know," Alex answered, stretching.

"You haven't done any writing in a while," Fox reminded him.

"Mmm." Alex raised his eyebrows. "Been kinda busy with other stuff."

"Yeah. But you can write today."

"Maybe I will." Alex pulled Fox down for a tender kiss then released him. "You goin' to work or what?"

A few minutes later Fox was on his way to the office. Alex showered, took Clyde out and had a light breakfast. After straightening up around the house, he checked his watch and, determining it was still too early to go shopping, he headed into the den and booted up the computer. Opening up his work, he stared at the monitor for a while before closing it. Smiling, he began a new document.

"...But...you're not even trying to understand. Please...this is so important. Please, just give me an hour of your time. That's all I ask. Maybe we can talk over lunch...all right. Thank you...yes, that'll be fine. I'll meet you there at twelve-thirty."

Scully hung up seconds before Fox walked in, carrying two steaming cups. Placing one of the styrofoam cups down in front of his partner, he bid her good morning.

"Hey, Mulder. Thanks." Scully picked up the cup and blew into it before taking a small sip.

"Anything good going on?" Fox asked as he hung up his jacket and dropped into his chair.

"Skinner sent a memo down just before you came in. Department Head meeting at eleven."

Fox stared blankly at his partner and shrugged.

"He wants you there."

"What the hell for?" Fox asked, more than just a bit surprised. "I never had to go to any of those before."

"I know. But apparently the Director chewed out Skinner and some of the other A.D.'s about lax departmental procedure, so they've got to clamp down on stuff like lousy meeting attendance, illegible requisition forms, blah, blah, blah..."

Fox dropped his head back against his chair and groaned. "I don't wanna go." He turned his attention to Scully. "You be the department head."

"Not a chance in hell."

"C'mon, Scully," Fox whined.

"Save the puppy dog eyes for Alex. They don't work on me."

Fox slouched deeper into his seat and opened up one of the files scattered over his desk. Scully watched him over her coffee, smirking.

"It might be interesting."

"I'm so sure," Fox muttered, flipping idly through the file. Scully said nothing in response and the two worked quietly until a couple of minutes before eleven.

Scully glanced at her watch and looked quickly up at her partner.

"Mulder."

"Hmm?"

"It's almost eleven. You'd better get going."

"Shit."

Sitting back in his chair, Fox drummed his fingertips on his desk for a few seconds then slowly rose to his feet. Grabbing his jacket of off the hook, he shrugged into it then trudged toward the door.

"Feel like I'm walking the plank."

"C'mon, Mulder; it won't be that bad."

"Yeah." Fox opened the door and passed through it. "If I don't make it back, tell Alex I love him and I want him to go on with his life."

"If you don't come back," Scully called, "can I have him?"

Fox poked his head back in through the door, staring at his partner.

"I've always wanted a man who could cook," Scully explained blandly.

Fox disappeared then, without a word, leaving Scully alone to sit back and consider the lunch date she'd be leaving for in about an hour.

Mulder would probably have a fit if he knew, but he was her best friend, and it pissed her off royally that his own mother could shun him the way she had. Scully realized that it was more than likely a lost cause but she had to give it a shot.

Sighing heavily, she went back to work until it was time to leave. Fox had yet to return, so she left him a brief note lying about her plans then left for a meeting she was sure she'd regret calling for.

"Sorry Mulder," Skinner murmured to his agent as the two exited the briefing room and headed down the hall toward the elevators. "The Director insisted, and I really wasn't in any mood to listen to him bitch and moan about how his orders don't get carried out."

"I understand," Fox answered. "But uh..." He looked at Skinner warily. "This isn't going to get to be a habit, is it?"

"I'm hoping it's just a phase, but who knows?" Skinner stopped in front of his office door. "Completely off subject; how was Vermont?"

"Great. We got a lot done."

Skinner nodded. "Glad to hear it." He looked around then lowered his voice an octave. "How'd it go with Krycek's cousins?"

"Well, Victor is being completely obnoxious but Maria is coming to the wedding, and so are some others."

"Others?"

"More family."

A tiny sound escaped Skinner's throat, but he said nothing.

"What?"

"Nothing, I..." Skinner shook his head and went silent.

"You were going to say something," Fox pressed. "What was it?"

"I just...don't get all ruffled, Mulder, but...it's hard to imagine Krycek with...family."

"You mean the two legged kind?" Fox asked in his usual monotone.

"That's not what I meant."

Fox nodded, giving the older man a hint of a smile. "S'okay; you wouldn't be the first to wonder. Well...guess I'll go see what Scully's doing for lunch."

Skinner opened his door as Fox walked away and took one step into the office before turning around and calling to the other man.

"Mulder."

Fox stopped and turned in the direction of Skinner's voice.

"If I can be of any help..."

Fox treated the A.D. to a full smile.

"Thank you."

Skinner nodded and retreated into the office, leaving Fox to head grinning to the elevator.

Scully sipped at her water and checked her watch for the third time.

She wouldn't just not show up.

Another sip.

Fifteen minutes wasn't that big a deal.

Another glance at her watch.

She wouldn't.

A few minutes later she recognized the white hair and cool features of Teena Mulder at the door. The woman spoke briefly with the host, and he showed her to Scully's table, smiling at the redhead as he pulled the older woman's chair out. Scully thanked him then turned her attention to her lunch guest.

"Mrs. Mulder, thank you for meeting me."

"Well, you made it sound as though it were of the utmost importance," Mrs. Mulder responded briskly, nodding at the waiter who had come to fill her water glass. "I assume this has something to do with my son."

Oh, you still call him that?

"Yes, it does."

"Is he ill?"

"No. No, Mulder is fine. He's wonderful, in fact."

Any hint of concern was gone then.

"Then, what is it you wish to discuss with me?"

Might as well just belt it out.

"Mrs. Mulder..."

"You ladies all set to order?"

Both pairs of blue eyes cut up to another waiter, who had just appeared at their table.

"Set to order. I only sat down thirty seconds ago..."

The young man shrank back from Teena Mulder's sharp words, an apology ready to leave his lips.

"It's okay." Scully soothed the young man, picking up her menu. "Can we have just a couple minutes more?"

"Sure. Be back in a few."

The waiter cast a wary gaze in the older woman's direction and hurried away, and Scully sighed softly.

"Guess we'd better figure out what we want first," Scully said, glancing at the other woman over the top of her menu. Mrs. Mulder said nothing as she put her glasses on and began reading.

Several minutes later, their orders were placed, and Teena Mulder removed her glasses and folded her hands neatly on the table in front of her.

"All right then, Miss Scully."

Scully groaned inwardly and took a sip of water before beginning.

"Mrs. Mulder, I know about the rift that exists between you and your son."

One white eyebrow lifted.

"We're best friends," Scully explained. "We discuss everything."

"Really."

"Yes. And...Mrs. Mulder, don't you miss him?"

"I don't believe my feelings are any of your business."

"Not generally, no. But where they concern Mulder...he's your only child..."

"I gave birth to two children."

"Yes, I know. And I am sorry, but for more than two thirds of his life he's been your only child. And you've just dismissed him."

"It wasn't as simple as you make it sound."

"No, it wasn't. He told you, his mother, something very important about himself. His life. He needed your support and understanding, and you walked out on him. That was how long ago? And you've never called him. Never written..."

"I haven't heard from him either."

"If my mother rejected me the way you did him, I would be too hurt and afraid to contact her too."

The other woman snorted softly. "What is the exact purpose of this meeting if you don't mind, Miss Scully?"

Scully took a deep breath and released it heavily.

"He's getting married."

Mrs. Mulder cocked her head. "Married. When did this come about?"

"Just a few weeks ago."

"So," the older woman breathed. "He finally gave up on that scandalous relationship with that man?"

Scully drew herself up a little taller in her seat, ready to defend her friends.

"That man's name is Alex." She paused for half a beat, making sure that she had the other woman's full attention. "Your son is deeply in love with him, Mrs. Mulder. And they're getting married."

The normally pale woman went two shades whiter.

"They're what?"

"They're getting married. In August."

"How is this possible? It can't possibly be legal."

"I won't try to explain all the details to you. Just suffice it to say that in a couple of months, your son and the love of his life will stand in front of a minister and exchange vows."

"So he's taking this horror as far as he can." Mrs. Mulder turned away. "Just when I thought my shame couldn't possibly go any deeper."

"I realize that Mulder's admission was quite a shock to you," Scully said in a very soft voice. "But he's your child. A mother should love and support her child no matter what. And if that child is truly happy, then she should be to. You should be happy for your son."

"Don't tell me how I should feel," Mrs. Mulder snapped softly. "He's s...sleeping with another man for God's sake. And now he wants to marry him? Marriage is a sacred institution, and Fox is making a mockery of it."

"Mrs. Mulder," Scully said gently, trying her best to reason with the woman. "I was raised a Catholic, by devoutly Catholic parents..."

"Then you should understand how deeply profane this is. How sick and twisted..."

"There's nothing sick or twisted about it," Scully argued, her anger beginning to simmer. "And if you would just open your mind and your heart, you'd see how wonderful they are together. If you would just spend a little time with them, there'd be no way you could deny what's between them."

"I don't want to know what's between them."

"I didn't want to know either," Scully said, tempering her ire and trying a new approach. "I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to. But they made me believe. I'd never seen such devotion. I've still yet to see anything like it. Mrs. Mulder, your son has someone who will love and protect him to his dying breath. And Alex has that very same thing in Mulder. Nothing short of death will ever separate them."

"That would all be very lovely were it not for the fact that you're talking about two men. I will never accept this Alex or Fox's relationship with him, no matter how in love you say they are."

Scully sat shaking her head as she stared at the other woman. "So basically, you're telling me that you've disowned your son."

"Not exactly. If ever he decides to come to his senses and put a stop to this insanity, and sincerely apologize for putting me through such hell, I'd be willing to listen."

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what, Miss Scully? Get that the son that'd I'd had such hopes for has failed me in every conceivable way? I get that loud and clear, thank you."

"He told me," Scully muttered to her water glass. "He said you were a lost cause, but did I listen?"

"Excuse me?"

Scully looked up at the woman with cold eyes. "Your s...Mulder...told me that you'd never come around. But still I'd hoped." She rose from her seat. "I'm sorry for wasting your time. More so, I'm sorry for wasting mine. I'll pay the tab on the way out."

Before Mrs. Mulder could respond, Scully turned and walked away.

Alex's cell phone began to ring just as he struggled into Scully's apartment, carrying a large box. Carefully leaning it against the wall, he pulled the phone out of his jacket pocket. Caller ID revealed Fox's name and number, bringing a smile to Alex's lips.

"Master Alex's S&M Palace, how may you serve me?"

There was a soft chuckle, then Fox said, "Any way you tell me to."

Alex grinned as images of Fox out in the driveway, washing his Porsche in a heavy black leather collar and sheer, clingy underwear danced through his mind.

"Uh...we'll discuss that later. You on lunch?"

"I guess. I had to go to a stupid meeting earlier, and when I got back, Scully was gone. Left me a note saying that she was starving, and since she didn't know when I'd be out of the meeting, she went to lunch without me."

"Aww. Want me come and have you for lunch...I mean, have lunch with you?"

Fox broke into laughter. "I kinda like your first idea."

"Maybe if we're quick, we can do both."

Fox moaned softly into the phone. "Don't tempt me."

Before Alex could respond, Fox's phone beeped, and he asked the other man to hang on.

"Mulder."

"I guess you're out of the meeting."

"Yeah. Finally. Where are you?"

"On my way back to the building."

"I hope you at least brought me a doggie bag."

"You know what, Mulder, I didn't even wind up eating. I remembered some errands that I really had to do and..."

"Thought you were starving."

"I was. But I really needed to do that stuff."

"Well, I'm on the phone with Alex right now. I'm going to meet him for lunch."

"Ooh. Yeah? Since you're not going to be working for an hour or so anyway, can I go with you? I really am still hungry."

"Uh..."

Shit.

"Yeah, I...I..."

"Where are you going?"

"I don't...I don't know. Hang on a minute, and I'll check."

Fox switched back to Alex and heaved a hard sigh into the phone.

"Babe..."

"What? Don't tell me Skinner wants to see you in his office or..."

"No. No, uh...that's Scully on the other end. She never had lunch. Did some important errands, and now she's still hungry."

"So you're blowing me off?"

"'Course not. But uh...she wants to know if she can eat with us."

Alex grumbled briefly, then echoed Fox's sigh.

"I suppose. I mean, what are we gonna do? Say no?"

"Sorry."

"S'okay." Fox couldn't see the grin that began to twitch at Alex's mouth. "Tell her we'll meet at The Capitol Grille. I should be there in about half an hour."

"Okay. I'll leave in about ten minutes, then. Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"I'll make it up to you."

Alex's low, amused voice sent shivers down Fox's spine and straight through his interested cock.

"Yeah, you will."

Groaning, Fox returned to Scully, told her where they'd be meeting for lunch, then left his office.

The minute she hung up, Scully phoned Alex.

"Yes, Scully?"

"Listen, I just wanted to tell you that I just met with Mulder's mother a little while ago."

"You... that was your errand?"

"Yeah. Didn't want to tell Mulder that's what I was doing."

"Scully, you weren't trying to get her to come to the wedding, were you?"

"Yeah, I was."

"Scully..."

"It's terrible that his mother won't be there. He's her son for God's sake."

Alex let out a hard sigh. "Like talking to a brick wall, wasn't it?"

"Worse."

"If you'd talked to me about it first, I would've told you not to waste your time."

"Don't know that I would've listened to you anyway."

"You're a good friend for wanting to try. But Teena Mulder is about as likely to go to our wedding as my father is."

"I'm so sorry, Alex."

"Don't be. While it would have been nice for Fox and I to have our parents there, it isn't necessary. We've got our friends, we've got you, who's about as close to family as anyone can get, and most importantly, we've got each other. The bottom line is, as long as I'm standing in front of a minister with my Fox, looking into those beautiful eyes and hearing him say that he's mine forever, it doesn't really matter who shows up and who doesn't."

"You know what, Alex?" Scully said softly. "If there was a man out there who would love me a third as passionately as you and Mulder love each other, I'd marry him in a heartbeat."

"He's out there somewhere, Scully," Alex murmured. "Could be right under your nose."

"If you suggest Frohike, Alex, I'll kick your ass."

Alex laughed into the phone. "I didn't mean he was under your nose literally." Changing the subject, he asked, "Are you on your way to the restaurant?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm leaving your place now."

"So, you got what you wanted?"

"Yep. I'll come back after lunch and set it up."

"Just don't break anything, okay?"

"I'm not going to break anything," Alex sighed as he let himself out of Scully's apartment and locked the door. "'Cept maybe that glass greenhouse water garden thing with the fake plant in it. I might accidentally break that."

"Don't you dare."

"That thing's hideous, Scully; where'd you get it?"

"My godson gave it to me for Christmas last year."

"Yeesh."

"It's not that bad."

"No?"

"Nah." Scully smirked into her phone. "In fact, I was thinking about getting a bigger one for you and Mulder as a wedding gift."

"Make sure you include the sales receipt," Alex droned as he got into his car and drove out of the parking lot. "Because it will be going back."

Scully answered with a chuckle. "See you in a bit, Alex."

Both disconnected and continued on to the restaurant.

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